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CNN Live At Daybreak
Kerry-Edwards Ticket?
Aired February 09, 2004 - 05:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Wesley Clark, Howard Dean and John Edwards would all like to be the last man standing to take on John Kerry. But is it part of the Edwards' strategy to be Kerry's choice for the number two spot on the ticket?
CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Politicians on television debating...
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The states change, but the message rarely does. It is a disciplined repetition of the same speech, a mix of personal biography, populism and, well, whatever it takes to move them.
EDWARDS: By the way, I used to live in Tennessee. My first child was born in Tennessee. I feel very much at home here.
CROWLEY: John Edwards says Tuesday's primaries in Tennessee and Virginia are not do or die. It is both true and a reflection of the reality that John Kerry is polling first in both states.
EDWARDS: I'd like to be in the top two in those two places. Then we go to Wisconsin. No, this is a long-term effort for me. We have the money and the resources and, most importantly, the message to prevail over the long-term.
CROWLEY: Edwards' game plan is to survive until it's one-on-one, John Edwards versus John Kerry. In the interim, Edwards hopes someone or something decks the front runner. But Edwards has been unwilling to throw a punch. He says it's because he's running a positive campaign, but is Edwards playing nice because he wants to be considered as vice presidential material if Plan A doesn't work? Edwards has been quite clear he doesn't want to be number two. Well, usually he's quite clear.
EDWARDS: As I sit here today, I intend to fight with everything I've got to be the nominee.
CROWLEY: Still, Edwards says his sights are on the number one spot and George Bush. But even the president got some Southern comfort when Edwards was asked about the president's military resume.
EDWARDS: We've had presidents who had no combat experience who were excellent presidents. We've had presidents who had military experience who also made good presidents. I don't think that's a -- I don't think it's the only test.
CROWLEY: It is both true and a reflection of the reality that John Edwards did not serve in the military.
(on camera): The only problem with Edwards' strategy to be the last standing alternative to John Kerry is that both Howard Dean and Wesley Clark have the same plan. Yes, said one Edwards adviser but our guy is the only one whose movement has been consistently upward.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Nashville, Tennessee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO:
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 9, 2004 - 05:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Wesley Clark, Howard Dean and John Edwards would all like to be the last man standing to take on John Kerry. But is it part of the Edwards' strategy to be Kerry's choice for the number two spot on the ticket?
CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Politicians on television debating...
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The states change, but the message rarely does. It is a disciplined repetition of the same speech, a mix of personal biography, populism and, well, whatever it takes to move them.
EDWARDS: By the way, I used to live in Tennessee. My first child was born in Tennessee. I feel very much at home here.
CROWLEY: John Edwards says Tuesday's primaries in Tennessee and Virginia are not do or die. It is both true and a reflection of the reality that John Kerry is polling first in both states.
EDWARDS: I'd like to be in the top two in those two places. Then we go to Wisconsin. No, this is a long-term effort for me. We have the money and the resources and, most importantly, the message to prevail over the long-term.
CROWLEY: Edwards' game plan is to survive until it's one-on-one, John Edwards versus John Kerry. In the interim, Edwards hopes someone or something decks the front runner. But Edwards has been unwilling to throw a punch. He says it's because he's running a positive campaign, but is Edwards playing nice because he wants to be considered as vice presidential material if Plan A doesn't work? Edwards has been quite clear he doesn't want to be number two. Well, usually he's quite clear.
EDWARDS: As I sit here today, I intend to fight with everything I've got to be the nominee.
CROWLEY: Still, Edwards says his sights are on the number one spot and George Bush. But even the president got some Southern comfort when Edwards was asked about the president's military resume.
EDWARDS: We've had presidents who had no combat experience who were excellent presidents. We've had presidents who had military experience who also made good presidents. I don't think that's a -- I don't think it's the only test.
CROWLEY: It is both true and a reflection of the reality that John Edwards did not serve in the military.
(on camera): The only problem with Edwards' strategy to be the last standing alternative to John Kerry is that both Howard Dean and Wesley Clark have the same plan. Yes, said one Edwards adviser but our guy is the only one whose movement has been consistently upward.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Nashville, Tennessee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO:
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
