'This Week' Transcript: Tim Pawlenty and Mitch Daniels

Transcript: Tim Pawlenty and Mitch Daniels

ByABC News
May 29, 2011, 12:10 PM

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2011— -- (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR (voice-over): This week, the race is on.

PAWLENTY: I'm Tim Pawlenty, and I'm running for president of theUnited States.

AMANPOUR: Lots of candidates, but no clear front-runner. I askedformer Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty how he'll break out of the pack.

PAWLENTY: If somebody elbows me, they'll probably get an elbow back.

AMANPOUR: And Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels says he has otherpriorities.

(on-screen): How difficult was it for you to say that you lovedyour family more than your country?

(voice-over): And as the Republican field grow, our roundtablesizes up the contenders.

Then, facing the future. The class of 2011 is ready to work, butwhere are the jobs? Graduates ask top CEOs how they can get an edge inthis troubled economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

AMANPOUR: Welcome to the program, and lots in store for you today.But first, some late news since your morning papers.

President Obama heads to Joplin, Missouri, today to tour the site ofthat deadly tornado. The president will meet with local residents andspeak at a memorial service for the victims. A hundred and thirty-ninepeople were killed in the twister that struck a week ago today.

In Afghanistan, officials say a NATO air strike targeting insurgentsinstead killed 14 civilians, all women and children. Afghan leaders saythe bombing was in retaliation for an attack on an American base onSaturday, and a NATO delegation is heading to the scene to investigate.

And Sarah Palin's campaign-style "One Nation" bus tour kicks offtoday right here in Washington, D.C. And it's touching off a freshround of presidential speculation, but will she really run? Here'sABC's David Kerley.

KERLEY: Good morning, Christiane. It is a bit of a politicalmystery and this bus tour, as well. Here's what we know. Sarah Palinsays she will start this bus tour of the northeast here in Washingtontoday.

Here's what we don't know. Where is the bus? Is she speaking?Where does she go next? Is this all a publicity stunt or is this reallya launch of a presidential campaign?

The plan, according to her political action committee, is to visithistorical sites. We're hearing Gettysburg, the Liberty Bell. She'llalso go to an early primary site, New Hampshire. This is unfriendlyterritory for her, so she may be testing the waters a little bit there.And, you know, she kind of announced all this with a very slick videoshowing the bus being dressed up in a grizzly bear at the beginning.Not sure if it was a mama grizzly or not.

Aides promised a schedule for today, this weekend, and we haven'tseen anything yet. So is this Palin in perfect surprise mode for themedia or a seat-of-the-pants plan? We don't really know. She's reallynot played by establishment rules and has had some success. She isasking for donations, Christiane, on this bus tour, which apparentlystarts somewhere in Washington sometime today.

AMANPOUR: David, thanks so much.