'This Week' Transcript: Bill Clinton, Tony Blair

President Bill Clinton and Mideast envoy Tony Blair appear on "This Week."

ByABC News
September 18, 2011, 2:04 PM

— -- CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: This week, advice from the original comeback kid on fixing a country in crisis and a presidency in peril. We ask Bill Clinton what it will take to get the White House back on track and put America back to work as the president pitches his jobs plan and Republicans dig in their heels.

Then, the business community sitting on a huge pile of money; what will it take to convince them to start hiring again? Answers from Google chairman, Eric Schmidt.

Plus we'll preview the looming showdown of the United Nations. As Palestinians make a bold bid for statehood, the United States scrambles to contain the fallout. We'll talk with the envoy to the peace process, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

And leadership lessons from Camelot, Jacqueline Kennedy on the making of a president and our roundtable on what Barack Obama can learn from JFK.

ANNOUNCER: Live from the Newseum in Washington, "This Week with Christiane Amanpour" starts right now.

AMANPOUR: Good morning. Bill Clinton coming up in a moment, but first some news since your morning papers. The two American hikers imprisoned in Iran will remain in jail for at least a couple more days. They are now waiting for a second judge to sign their paperwork. But lawyers tell ABC News that judge is still on vacation until Tuesday. The affair is a reflection of the power struggle between Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the country's top leadership. Last week, Ahmadinejad said he hoped the hikers would be released before he travels to New York this week for the United Nations General Assembly.

And for the second time in 24 hours, there's been a deadly crash at an air show. The latest one happened in West Virginia where a World War II-era plane fell from the sky exploding into flames. The pilot was killed. Meanwhile, the death toll from Friday's crash in Nevada rose to nine.

Former President Bill Clinton is preparing to convene the annual meeting of his Clinton Global Initiative. This year's session has an eye on the home front, focusing on the unemployment crisis. It'll bring together world leaders and CEOs to confront the huge challenges this country faces right now. President Obama addresses the group later in the week.

And former President Bill Clinton joins me now from New York. Thank you very much for being with us.

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: Thank you, Christiane.

AMANPOUR: Now, sir, your mantra right now is jobs, jobs, jobs. What do you think can happen to radically shift the unemployment picture and, also, pass muster in Washington in these very partisan times?

PRESIDENT CLINTON: Well, I don't know that I am the best person to answer the second part of that question, but I believe that we -- those of us who aren't in government -- can think of ways to create jobs which will reinforce what I believe are the positive suggestions coming out of Washington. Essentially, the president's plan has big payroll tax cuts in it which will benefit the economy by lowering the average family's tax bill about $1,500, and then they can have that to spend. That will help. And then by lowering payroll taxes for employers, will make it more attractive for them to hire new people.