LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is in the Motor City this hour. He is talking to the U.S. Conference of Mayors while he is there. He wants to encourage city leaders to join with religious- oriented groups in government social service programs. It's part of Mr. Bush's faith-based initiatives. Our White House correspondent Major Garrett is following the meeting in Detroit. He joins us now live -- Major.</s>MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Leon, the president has already picked up a vital endorsement from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, broadly endorsing his push for a faith-based initiative. The conference of mayors just a couple of hours ago passed a proclamation. Let me read just a little bit from it. It says: "Therefore, the United States Conference of Mayors strongly endorses President Bush's efforts to highlight and increase public awareness about the key roles that these groups" -- meaning faith-based groups -- "play within our society, and to increase both public and private support for effective community serving groups." The president's also going to pick up another very symbolic endorsement while here in Detroit for his faith-based, that coming from civil right heroine Rosa Parks, who in 1955 refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, there setting in motion an entire civil right change in the South an end to first, Jim Crow laws on transportation; then Jim Crow laws throughout the south. What this is all about, Leon, is a concentrated effort on the White House to build support outside of Washington for the faith-based initiative program. Republicans supporters in Washington have been urging the White House to do this, saying there are people out there who support you, but you've to get them to do so publicly. If you do that, there's a better chance Democrats will support you once the legislation comes to the floor. There's a couple of crucial House committee meetings on this very subject this week. The White House hopes these endorsements here today in Detroit will give them some much-needed momentum -- Leon.</s>HARRIS: All right, Major Garrett reporting live for us from Detroit, Michigan where President Bush is going to be speaking. We'll have live coverage of that in just a few moments.
President Bush Culling Support for Faith-Based Initiatives