|
Return to Transcripts main page
INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY
Bush Leads Kerry in Latest Ohio Poll; Interview With John Dingell
Aired May 30, 2004 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY" is next. First, here is what's happening at this hour.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met earlier today with his cabinet. He's hoping to build majority support for his withdrawal plans. Members of Sharon's own Likud Party massed outside this meeting to protest the withdrawal of Israel troops in settlements from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. The cabinet's vote first expected today has now been postponed indefinitely.
We're also following a developing story from Ramadi, west of Baghdad. Iraqi police today ordered Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress to abandon its office permanently. The order, which has not been explained, comes several days after U.S. and Iraqi forces raided this compound in Baghdad. Chalabi and his Iraqi National Congress were once allied closely to Washington but have more recently fallen into disfavor.
A key figure in the Watergate investigation has died. Archibald Cox was the special prosecutor fired by President Richard Nixon for refusing to end pursuit of the White House tape recordings. Cox's firing stoked public outrage in impeachment proceedings that ultimately led to Nixon's resignation. Archibald Cox was 92. He died at his home in Maine.
Now, "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY."
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: Inside politics today: Memorial Day Weekend, a time to remember those who fought and died for their nation. We'll speak to a World War II veteran, a member of the greatest generation, about America's latest war.
Al Gore may not be running for office, but he is shaking things up in the 2004 presidential election. You'll hear him.
And Rolling Thunder ready to roar through the nation's capital with a few surprises straight ahead.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Washington, this is INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.
MESERVE: On this Memorial Day Weekend, a summer ritual returns. Rolling Thunder will be cycling through the nation's capital. And tonight, a concert on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
Hello, I'm Jeanne Meserve in Washington. Politics doesn't take weekends off, not even holiday weekends, and neither do we.
We begin with a confidence buildup for President Bush in a key showdown state, Ohio. A new poll by the Cleveland Plain Dealer shows Bush leading Senator John Kerry in the Buckeye State 47 percent to 41 percent. Bush's lead in Ohio comes with a caveat, however.
The economy is the number one issue for voters there who took part in the poll. And the president does not fare well on that issue. When asked how Bush is handling the economy, 41 percent approve of the job he's doing, 48 percent disapprove.
Among Bush supporters in the poll, 53 percent say the president's character and integrity are the main reasons they plan to vote for him. Sixty-two percent of Kerry supporters say they are not happy with Bush, and that's the main reason they plan to vote for the Massachusetts Democrat.
President Bush will rack up a lot of frequent flyer miles in the days and weeks ahead. With a closer look at the president's busy schedule, we turn to Suzanne Malveaux at the White House -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Jeanne.
Well, this is a very important week for the president. He is honoring all of those veterans who have sacrificed their lives. But at the same time, he's using these events to push forward his Iraq policy, also to try to reassure Americans that the U.S. is on the right course.
It was just yesterday the president at the World War II Veterans Memorial dedication, he honored those later in the day in his weekly radio addressed. He urged Americans to stand by and support the Iraq mission. What we're going to see in the week ahead is very similar events.
He's going to make a similar statement. Tomorrow he's going to commemorate Memorial Day with a speech at Arlington National Cemetery. On Wednesday, he's going to be highlighting the Iraq mission at a commencement speech at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.
Later in the week, at the White House, he's going to be meeting with one of the U.S.' staunchest allies on the war in terror, Australia's prime minister, John Howard. And then at the end of the week is he off to Europe. And this is where he's going to be having key meetings.
He's going to be in Rome meeting with the pope. But also in Normandy. That's where he's going to be participating in the 60th D- Day anniversary.
The stakes here, Jeanne, are very high. He's going to be meeting with the French President Jacques Chirac, among other European leaders. They are pushing forward for this U.N. Security Council resolution for Iraqi sovereignty.
As you can imagine, Jeanne, this is really high-stakes diplomacy for the president. This week is critical -- Jeanne.
MESERVE: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Thanks so much.
And challenger John Kerry says the Bush administration has damaged national security, focusing too much on Iraq and in a way he describes as, "almost myopic." The presumptive Democratic nominee says that has allowed North Korea and Iran to pursue nuclear weapons almost unchecked.
This week, Kerry will unveil proposals aimed at limiting the spread of nuclear materials. Kerry also says, as president, he would rebuild global alliances frayed by the war in Iraq. He tells The Washington Post his strategy would be to de-emphasize democracy- building in several countries. Instead, he would he focus on objectives more central to America's national security.
On this Memorial Day Weekend, a tradition and a pilgrimage rolls on. For the 17th year, the Rolling Thunder motorcycle ride and rally rumbles through the streets of Washington to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Thousands drive home the needs of veterans and the polite of those still listed as missing in action. President Bush will greet the leaders of Rolling Thunder at the White House, and General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will accompany the riders.
The patriotism of this Memorial Day will have a more political edge in an election year, but rising gasoline prices and a congressional vacancy are also stoking a week of high-stakes maneuvering on Capitol Hill. With the week's "Capitol Confidential," here is Ed Henry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This year's celebration of Memorial Day will have special resonance because of the official dedication of the new World War II Memorial right here on the National Mall. And with national security at the top of the political agenda, the nation's 25 million military veterans could play a pivotal role in this year's elections.
CNN has learned that a group of Democratic military veterans has started a new political action committee, VETPAC, to try and neutralize one of President Bush's strongest issues. The pack will raise money to try and help Senator John Kerry win the White House and aid Democratic efforts to win back control of the House and Senate.
Congress returns to work Tuesday after its week-long Memorial Day recess. In their home States, lawmakers heard a lot of grief about the rising gas prices, and they are very nervous about how it may play in the next election. As a result, CNN has learned that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is now planning to move very quickly to a whole new debate on the long-stalled energy bill. He wants to make sure that Democrats get the political blame for blocking action.
Democrats fired back that DeLay is the one who is refusing to compromise. The bottom line, there's a stalemate. So don't wait around for Congress to act in time to cut those gasoline prices for the summer vacation.
All political eyes will turn to South Dakota this Tuesday for a special House election to fill the seat of former Congressman Bill Janklow, who resigned after being convicted of vehicular manslaughter. In February, Democrats won a special election in Kentucky, a state likely to be carried by the president. Now Democrats are bullish on the chances of Stephanie Herseth winning this House race Tuesday in South Dakota, another state Bush will carry by a wide margin.
If Democrats win, they will spin this as a major blow to the White House. Republicans say their candidate, Larry Diedrich, is picking up steam. But they acknowledge that he may come up short. Republicans say that's because of forces beyond their control: disdain of the Janklow scandal and the fact that Herseth came this close to beating Janklow two years ago, so her name ID is very high.
Republicans say this race will have no effect in November. But just in case, they've sent 120 political operatives from Washington to South Dakota. Not to be outdone, Democrats have sent three planeloads of staffers from Washington to South Dakota to knock on doors.
Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: Ahead, campaign lessons from Al Gore. Could John Kerry learn a thing or two from the former vice president? Our reporter panel debates style and substance.
And America is getting fired up about the presidential election. Can the candidates keep voters' attention through a long hot summer until November?
Plus, it's been a great week for late-night comics. Here is just one example of late-night laughs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: Actually, the Bush administration now warning us to watch out for radical extremists. And that's just Rumsfeld and Ashcroft.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MESERVE: Welcome back to IP SUNDAY.
Lashing out: former Vice President Al Gore took center stage this week, hitting President Bush hard on the war in Iraq. He called for the resignations of top Bush administration officials, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AL GORE, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: How dare they subject us to such dishonor and disgrace. How dare they drag the good name of the United States of America through the mud of Saddam Hussein's torture prison.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: To discuss this and the other political hot topics of the week, Ryan Lizza, associate editor for The New Republic, Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large for National Review Online.
Thanks a lot, both, for coming in. First, Al Gore. What is going on here? Is he giving some cover to John Kerry?
Jonah, why don't we start with you.
JONAH GOLDBERG, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: In a sense, I think so. I think one of the things we realize is the Democratic Party is somewhat split right now between a really aggressive anti-war moveon.org crowd and the more sort of generally pro-war, but anti-Bush crowd. And Kerry is moving to the right. And what Gore is doing is rallying the troops who don't like that sort of thing.
RYAN LIZZA, THE NEW REPUBLIC: Yes, I basically agree with what Jonah said. I mean, you have to have someone that goes to the base and sort of gives them a little bit of red meat once in a while. And if Kerry is not going do it, why not Al Gore? This is who -- Al Gore has sort of reinvented himself in the last few years.
MESERVE: Do you think with the knowledge and approval of the Kerry campaign?
LIZZA: I doubt it. As far as my understanding, it's that Kerry and Al Gore don't have a great personal relationship. And I wouldn't be surprise if Gore gave him head's up. But Gore in the last couple of years has not been one to sort of go to the party leadership and say, hey, this is what I'm going to be doing on day X.
GOLDBERG: Yes.
MESERVE: Does it run the risk of having Kerry looking like a milquetoast next to Gore? That was a very fiery speech.
GOLDBERG: I think at this point the only people who were paying attention are the activists. So I think it probably helps and it's not a big handicap for them. But I think Gore is in a weird position.
He has decided he wants to be the William Jennings Brian of this generation. And in many ways, I think he misunderstands that he doesn't actually have a constituency.
He's a martyr. He's basically an asterisk of American politics, representing what the base doesn't like about Bush. But I don't think he actually speaks for a lot of people.
LIZZA: Well, the base is his constituency. And if he wants to run in 2008, that's not a bad thing to have under your belt. And also, on giving Kerry cover, Gore was very careful to point out in his speech that what Kerry is doing or Kerry is saying is very responsible and there's no daylight between them on that.
So he did give Kerry a lot of cover. He wasn't making trouble for him, I don't think.
GOLDBERG: No, I don't think so either.
MESERVE: You mentioned 2008. Is that what Al Gore really has in mind here?
LIZZA: I would think it's in the back of his mind. I mean, I don't think it's...
MESERVE: Or the front.
LIZZA: Or the front as well. I think that -- you know, I think he thinks that during the Clinton years the institutions of the party were sort of suffered. And he wants to sort of help build the sort of left liberal institutions that exist on the right but don't exist among Democrats.
MESERVE: But is he perceived as a real player in the party, Jonah?
GOLDBERG: I think he was up until his disastrous endorsement of Dean. He was considered the elder statesman of the party. I think at this point a lot of it is as much damage control for the damage he did for himself. He may have 2008 in mind. But that's betting that he's not going to reinvent himself between now and then, which has so far been a losing bet for Al Gore.
MESERVE: You heard me a minute ago. I was talking about these new Ohio poll numbers, which look good for President Bush. Do they look bad for Kerry in the sense that people say they are supporting him just because they don't like Bush?
LIZZA: I'm basically of the belief that if you look at any of the polls, and the president is under 50 percent, then it's bad news for Bush, and the Kerry number doesn't matter as much as people say it matters. The bottom line is the incumbent needs to get over 50 percent. And we all know the undecided in those polls usually break towards the challenger. So any time Bush is under 50 percent, I say it's good news for John Kerry.
GOLDBERG: Yes. Let's put this way, though. I mean, I see Ryan's point, but, at the same time, it's good news for Bush, because he's rising in the polls.
You can never say that when a politician is rising in the polls that it's still bad news for him. It could be better. I agree with that. And I do think if the election were held today that Kerry would win.
LIZZA: You have to look at what the state is, too. This is Ohio. This is a red state. This is a state that Bush won by three points.
So it's not -- there's a way for Kerry to win without Ohio. And I'm not sure there's a way for Bush to win without it.
GOLDBERG: No, I think that's right. But I think your other point was more on target in that this is an election about George Bush. And it is pure and simple about George Bush. And one of the most amazing things is how disconnected Kerry's poll numbers have been from Bush's poll numbers.
And I think that still is the case. And so we are basically watching how Bush does. And Kerry is the sideshow.
LIZZA: Right. Everyone is paying attention to Bush. They'll pay attention to Kerry at a later date. If after the conventions, after Kerry chooses his nominee, he's still not moving in the polls, then I would start to worry. But right now, everyone is focused on the president.
MESERVE: Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi had some comments today about the Democratic prospects in November. Let's take a listen to what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA) MINORITY LEADER: We will have a Democratic Congress. We will have Tom Daschle as the majority leader of the Senate. And I'll be proud to be the first woman speaker in the history of our country when the Democrats take back the House of Representatives.
TIM RUSSERT, "MEET THE PRESS": You are going to guarantee that this morning?
PELOSI: Well, I'll guarantee you one thing, one guarantee a program. I will guarantee you that John Kerry will be president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Is Nancy Pelosi dreaming?
GOLDBERG: Yes. I mean, I think this is classic election year, you know, rally the troops, get things going. Remember all those promises that Terry McAuliffe made in 2002 about Jeb Bush being the signature loss in Florida?
These things don't pan out. But you need to make these points. And I do think that she is noticing how the Republican congressmen are running for cover and splitting from Bush. And they smell chum in the water and they're going after it. LIZZA: Well, maybe she is dreaming, but a few weeks ago nobody would have even allowed themselves to have this dream. I mean, the fact that serious people in Washington, like Charlie Cook, are even contemplating the fact that there's a scenario by which the Democrats could take back Congress, suggests what a sea change of experience in a few months and suggests how much that Bush -- a lot of people think Bush may be a drag on the Republican ticket.
MESERVE: Last week at this time we were talking about John Kerry possibly not accepting the nomination of his party in Boston. Gee whiz, he's going to do it.
GOLDBERG: I think this was -- and I saw sun someone else saying this -- this is the most catastrophic trial balloon of the campaign so far. It was idiotic on every front. It reinforced the story line about John Kerry being an opportunistic and a waffler.
Now that he has decided to do it, to not delay the nomination, he wants credit, saying he has set a new standard, which is sort of like saying I'm hence going to stop at all stop signs. It's not a new standard. It's really sort of silly and was a bad move.
MESERVE: Does it have any lasting impact?
LIZZA: Well, I don't think so. This is why you have trial balloons. You throw something out there, you get a negative reaction from all sides, and you pull back and decide not to do it. And nobody is going to remember this at the time of the convention.
I mean, maybe it will be mentioned during his speech at the convention. But I doubt it. It did get a lot of the Republicans to get the best line of the week off, which was, you know, only John Kerry could be for a nominating convention but against the nomination. But I think it is water under the bridge. People will forget about this.
MESERVE: A lot of hubbub this week about the terror threat and whether or not a statement from Attorney General John Ashcroft that an attack might be imminent was political or not.
What is your take on that, Jonah?
GOLDBERG: I think this was definitely a Keystone Cops moment for the administration, where not everybody was talking. The idea that somehow John Ashcroft, who I should disclose my wife works for, was somehow the water carrier for the administration, where man of principle, Tom Ridge, wouldn't be, is -- really doesn't pass the laugh test.
This was probably more to due with turf warfare and the FBI wanting to retain its prerogatives of being in charge of these sorts of things. But the idea that somehow this was on orders from the White House and then the White House disavowed the Justice Department doing this, just doesn't wash.
LIZZA: You know, for people that are not conspiratorially minded, this White House and this administration makes it very hard to maintain your non-bent toward conspiracies. I mean, the day that the Bush campaign releases an ad attacking John Kerry on the Patriot Act, the week before Dick Cheney does a speech attacking Kerry for the Patriot Act, we have Ashcroft out there giving us information basically that we already had, in which the suspects had already been talked about. So they make it very hard for us not to think that this is political.
MESERVE: But if it was political, it certainly backfired, because what it did was make the administration look like it was totally out of sync.
GOLDBERG: Right. If it was political, then it was so monstrously poorly handled that I think actually that argues against it being political.
LIZZA: Well, that is just what they would want you to think.
MESERVE: Gentlemen, thank you both for coming in today.
GOLDBERG: Thanks.
MESERVE: Jonah Goldberg, Ryan Lizza, thank you both.
And the Sunday funnies have taken a somber turn to commemorate Memorial Day. We'll take a look.
And later, it's college commencement season. Time for those words of wisdom to carry with you always, or maybe not. We'll share the memorable and the forgettable when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MESERVE: ... Idaho and Nantucket. His hobbies including motorcycle riding and driving his powerboat.
And finally, what do a Hollywood producer, a talk radio personality and a software engineer have in common? They are three of the seven candidates vying for the Libertarian Party presidential nomination in Atlanta this weekend. The vote is expected later today. CNN will keep you updated.
And it wouldn't be Sunday without the newspaper comics. But today there is nothing funny about the Doonesbury strip. It takes six panels to list the names of Americans killed in Iraq. Doonesbury creator Gary Trudeau has been criticizing the Bush administration policies regularly in the funny pages.
Trouble with the U.S.-trained police meant to maintain peace in one of Iraq's holy cities. We'll have details, along with other stories making headlines this Sunday morning.
And voters on both sides of the political spectrum are ready to go to the polls. What has them so pumped up? Bill Schneider will tell you in the "Story Behind the Story."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Good morning. I'm Drew Griffin in Atlanta, with the top stories this morning.
In Iraq, a setback for efforts to bring peace to the embattled city of Najaf. A peace deal announced just three days ago is now in jeopardy. About a hundred Iraqi police who had arrived in the city this week to begin joint patrols with coalition forces have now deserted their posts. It's not clear why. But today, coalition troops are still battling forces loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al- Sadr.
Dozens of hostages, including some Americans caught in a standoff between police and Islamic militants in Saudi Arabia, have been released. At least 11 people killed during the standoff at an oil compound in Khobar. It ended when Saudi security forces were helicoptered onto the roof of the building where the hostages were believed to be held. A group linked to al Qaeda claiming responsibility for this attack.
Here at home, a so-called person of interest is now in custody in the case of a missing college student in Oregon. The man is being held on burglary charges. Police are still searching for Brigham Young University student Brooke Wilberger, who disappeared Monday. Authorities do believe she was kidnapped.
And violent weather is still sweeping across parts of the nation's midsection. This twister was spotted in Oklahoma City. In eastern Oklahoma, several tornadoes damaged or destroyed at least a dozen homes overnight in Creek County.
Now we go back to INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.
MESERVE: Ready, set, vote. Recent polls show voters are more engaged in this year's election than ever before. And they are anxious to cast their ballot. Bill Schneider tells why in the "Story Behind the Story."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): It's only May, but voters seem all fired up. Democratic pollsters know it.
CELINDA LAKE, DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER: We're also seeing the importance of the election as high as you usually see right before the election.
SCHNEIDER: Republican pollsters know it.
DAVID WINSTON, REPUBLICAN POLLSTER: To Republican conservatives he's off the charts. Now, I have not seen any weakness at all in terms of the voting base at all.
SCHNEIDER: Both parties' fund-raisers know it. Each has raised record sums of money. And the rhetoric is hot. GORE: How dare the incompetent and willful members of this Bush- Cheney administration humiliate our nation and our people in the eyes of the world.
SCHNEIDER: The voters seem super charged. May 2000, peace and prosperity, 42 percent of Americans said they were giving a lot of thought to the upcoming election. May 2004, war and anxiety. Now 64 percent are thinking about the election. But will more voters actually show up at the polls?
In May 2000, 47 percent said they were certain they would vote. Now, 54 percent say they'll show up.
What's energizing people? There are two theories. One is that it's the hard-core supporters of each party who are fired up by lingering resentment over the 2000 recount, by mutual contempt:
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT: And the senator from Massachusetts has given us ample grounds to doubt the judgment and the attitude he brings to bear on vital issues of national security.
SCHNEIDER: Even loathing:
KERRY: These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group that I've ever seen.
SCHNEIDER: And by the prospect of another close race.
But both parties believe swing voters are likely to control the outcome, and polls show that right now, independents favor Kerry. What's moving them?
CELINDA LAKE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You always have more intensity when voters are for change.
SCHNEIDER: Only 30 percent of Americans believe the country is going in the right direction. Nearly two-thirds say things are off on the wrong track. That's the highest demand for changing course since November 1994, when the figures were exactly the same.
Uh-oh. That was when voters overthrew the Democratic Congress, and gave Republicans their first majority in 40 years. Both sides are spoiling for a fight.
LAKE: In the case of the Democratic base (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Republican base, it's like, Why should we wait? We'd like to vote tomorrow. We're ready.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: In 2000, voters were pretty happy with the way things were going. The election was close because voters couldn't make up their minds whether they wanted change or continuity. They got energized only after Election Day, during the recount. Now, it's not like May 2000, it's like December.
MESERVE: Bill, you say that Kerry is attracting the swing voters. What's he doing to attract their attention?
SCHNEIDER: Mostly what he's not doing. What he's not doing is running a harsh, partisan campaign the way Al Gore spoke. That's not the way John Kerry speaks. He's trying to become the candidate of unity, the candidate who tries to bring the nation together and resists the call for intense partisanship.
MESERVE: Bill Schneider, thanks a lot for coming in.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
MESERVE: Coming up next, "The Morning Grind."
And ever wonder how colleges decide who'll speak at commencement? We'll recount the most memorable, the most moving and the ones that put graduates to sleep.
And later, we'll reveal what keeps us awake into the wee hours of the morning: those late-night laughs.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MESERVE: Time to take a moment to smell the coffee with our Sunday cup of "The Morning Grind." Political editor John Mercurio is here with us today.
Hi, John. Obviously, I need that cup of morning coffee.
JOHN MERCURIO, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Right.
MESERVE: So John Kerry launching some new ads this week. What's it all about?
MERCURIO: Yes, he is.
Well, I think the story here is that Kerry has been spending heavily on his ads. He spent more heavily than Bush did throughout the spring and I think they liked the results. There was a study that came out last week by the Annenberg Election Survey that showed that in the states that Kerry is advertising heavily in, his poll numbers have shot up dramatically.
So I think what he wants to do this week is -- he's going out; he has about 17 or $18 million that he's going to be spending on new advertising -- the ads should start running on Wednesday -- to expand this battlefield, sort of the battleground states we're looking at.
MESERVE: What are these ads going to be about?
MERCURIO: Well, they won't tell us yet. They're producing -- there are several in productions. They haven't actually decided. I think they're meeting today, later today to decide which ones are going to run in which states. I mean, obviously you're going to have ads running on national security and you're going to have ads that are running, you know, criticizing President Bush, I presume. I mean, we haven't actually gotten final word from the campaign.
The battleground, though, that I think that is interesting, that Kerry is trying to expand. I mean, initially we had an original 16 states that both he and the president were campaigning. And these were sort of the battleground states, states that were close in 2000 and are sort of widely considered tossups this year. Earlier this month, Kerry started running ads as well as in those 16 states, in Colorado and Louisiana. These are sort of states they believe could be winnable. There are competitive senate races here. Hispanic voters in Colorado who could be receptive.
This week, the sort of the news, the headline is that Kerry starts running ads in Virginia. He's spending about $750,000 in the state of Virginia this week.
MESERVE: Does that campaign have a chance in the state of Virginia? What are the political demographics look like?
MERCURIO: Well, right. That's sort of the question. I mean, the Kerry campaign obviously believes that they have some sort of chance. I mean, the state has elected or voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964.
MESERVE: Has a Democratic governor.
MERCURIO: Has a Democratic governor, exactly -- Mark Warner who was elected in 2001. Been really supportive of John Kerry, is always being mentioned at this point as a possible VP candidate. But he's a very different kind of Democratic than John Kerry, or at least he campaigned as a very different -- much more conservative, you know, appeal to rural voters in a way that John Kerry hasn't really yet.
I think what the Kerry campaign is doing here, I think what's happening is that the Kerry campaign is trying to use Virginia as a symbol of their willingness -- of their willingness to compete in every region of the country. You know, I don't think they necessarily think they can win Virginia. But I think if they want people to take seriously this idea that they can compete in the South, they have to compete in the South. You know, they have to sort of put their money where their mouth is.
MESERVE: Now, last week Bush and Cheney attacked Kerry on the Patriot Act. Cheney scheduled to give a big speech this week.
MERCURIO: Right.
MESERVE: Tell us about it.
MERCURIO: Well, the speech is being billed -- it's a speech on Tuesday in Kansas City. The morning, Tuesday morning -- I mean, the speech is being billed as a campaign event and not an official visit, which in sort of the bizarre rules of politics means that Kerry should be a little more free to criticize John Kerry -- but, again, criticism is not going to be specifically on Kerry and the Patriot Act. It's much more about Kerry and what the Bush campaigns believes is his sort of equivocating style. I mean, Kerry voted for the Patriot Act in the Senate. There's no debate about his vote. What the ad that the Kerry camp -- I'm sorry, that the Bush campaign started running last week shows or claims is that Kerry has been -- quote -- "playing politics" with national security, and has been -- quote -- "under pressure" from federal -- I'm sorry, under pressure from fellow liberals to do so.
So I think on Tuesday what you're going to see Cheney do is sort of take that on and, you know, criticizing -- again, not for the Patriot Act, but for being a man who does one thing and says another.
MESERVE: OK. Ralph Nader, eligible for matching funds. Tell us about the implications of that.
MERCURIO: Well, what's sort of interesting is that we're all sort of dismissing and discounting the impact of Nader this year as compared to how he did in 2000. But at this point in 2004, he's actually raised significantly more money than he had at this point in 2000. At this point in 2000, at the end of May he had about $650,000. I think when he announced on Friday that he had qualified for matching funds he had $850,000 in the bank from about 7,800 different contributors.
But the honeymoon between Kerry and Nader could be over. There was a statement that Nader put out on Friday at the same time that he was announcing the matching funds, and in the statement he said -- quote -- "the Nader campaign is not dialing for corporate dollars, unlike the corporate political duopoly we are challenging. We're seeking a broad base of support among the people."
I mean, the key words in this statement are "corporate political duopoly," which is a phrase that he used in 2000 to describe Al Gore and George Bush. Now, he's been a lot more friendly to John Kerry over the past couple of months, especially in the past couple -- in this past month. But I think the Kerry campaign should be a little concerned that all of a sudden they're being described as a duopoly.
MESERVE: John Mercurio, thanks a lot for coming in.
MERCURIO: Thank you.
MESERVE: And for the best daily brew of politics, don't miss "The Morning Grind." It's percolating at www.cnn.com/grind.
It is the season for summer outings and college commencements and the imparted wisdom of graduation speakers. This past week, General Richard Myers appeared at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Yesterday, Bill Clinton spoke at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Also Yesterday, Donald Rumsfeld was at West Point in New York State. And on Wednesday, President Bush plans to speak at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Amusing or inspiring, here are some graduation speeches for the academic year just ended.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BONO, ENTERTAINER: Thank you. My name is Bono and I am a rock star. Don't get me too cited because I use -- I use four-letter words when I get excited.
JON STEWART, COMEDIAN: Let's talk about the real world for a moment. We had been discussing it earlier and I -- I wanted to bring this up to you earlier about the real world, and this is, I guess, as good a time as any. I don't really know how to put this, so I'll be blunt. We broke it.
SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE: Perhaps some of you graduates will yourselves go on to spend part or all your lives in public service. The simple truth is, that our nation needs hard-working, innovative, dedicated people to devote their working lives to (ph) cooperation and improvement.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Use a goodly portion, a very goodly portion of the time and talent you have and the treasure you will surely accumulate to serve others. Give back and you will find that you will receive back in many measures.
GEORGE TENET, CIA DIRECTOR: This is not about conquests for empire, not about taking, but giving. Sharing something that we can never take for granted, something you each earned today, something called opportunity.
BUSH: We're at war with enemies that have many destructive ambitions. And one overriding goal: they want to spread their ideology of hatred by force America to retreat from the world in weakness and fear.
Yet they're finding that Americans are not the running kind. When this country makes a commitment, we see it through.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We know how difficult our nation's journey has been, how much sacrifice it has entailed, and I want to tell you from first-hand experience it hasn't been easy.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R ), ARIZONA: No one is born a coward. We were meant to love, and we were meant to have the courage for it. So be brave. The rest is easy.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There will be many times when you will be tested and you will have to decide whether to do the right thing regardless of the risk.
STEWART: When I spoke earlier about the world being broke, I was somewhat being facetious because every generation has their challenge and things change rapidly and life gets better in an instant.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: Coming up next, an emotional dedication honoring the greatest generation. On this Memorial Day weekend, we'll ask Congressmen and World War II veteran John Dingell for his view of the situation in Iraq and homeland security here in the U.S.
And later, our world-famous late-night laughs. Here's a preview:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, "LATE SHOW" HOST: Oh, it's kind of scary. Homeland security has warned of possible summer attacks al Qaeda. Have you heard about this? And it must be serious because President Bush has already ignored three memos on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MESERVE: There's a special place in the hearts of many Americans for World War II veterans, but especially this weekend. They finally won permanent recognition in Washington with the opening of a memorial on the National Mall.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC)
TOM BROKAW, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: So it is fitting that we gather today around this handsome and evocative monument to such a noble undertaking. But no monument, however well-positioned or polished can take the place of the enduring legacy of all of you, the people that we honor here today.
(MUSIC)
BOB DOLE (R-KS), FMR. SENATOR: Certainly, the heroes represented by the 4,000 gold stars on the Freedom Wall need no monument to commemorate their sacrifice. They are known to God and to their fellow soldiers, who will mourn their passing until the day of our own. In their names, we dedicate this place of meditation.
(MUSIC)
BUSH: When it mattered most, an entire generation of Americans showed the finest qualities of our nation and of humanity. On this day, in their honor, we will raise the American flag over a monument that will stand as long as America itself.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: The Mall has been the scene of protests in the past, but yesterday there was no protests. Tens of thousands of veterans, their friends and families turned the Mall into a sea of unity as the memorial was dedicated. One of those on the stage yesterday is our guest today -- Congressman John Dingell, Democrat of Michigan is here to discuss the lessons of World War II and the current conflict in Iraq. He is one of 12 current members of Congress who served during World War II.
Thanks a lot for coming in today.
REP. JOHN DINGELL (D), MICHIGAN: Thank you for having me.
MESERVE: As you sat on the stage yesterday, a veteran of the war yourself, what were your thoughts, what were your emotions as you looked out at that event?
DINGELL: Well, I thought about my comrades I served with. I was proud of what we did. I was proud of what we accomplished. I was proud of the way the country had come together, back during the war, and during the time of the dedication of this wonderful facility.
I'm grateful that I survived. I grieve about those we lost. And I have hopes for the future because this is still the greatest nation in the world.
MESERVE: Did you think about the current conflict or do you contrast that with the World War II national experience?
DINGELL: Well, World War II, the United States had no choice but to be united. We were attacked. We were fighting one of the most dangerous philosophies in the world. We were fighting a very evil nation ruled by the Nazis, and we were fighting situation where there was great danger to the United States.
We could have lost that war. And we did come together. That was quite different than today. Wars since then have not been wars on which the country has really been united. Korea was a difficult war. Vietnam was a difficult war. This is a difficult war.
MESERVE: And not a war that you're enthusiastic about?
DINGELL: Well, I am not happy about the fact we're in Iraq. I do not believe that there was a great threat to the United States, and Chalabi, upon whom we were dependent for intelligence and things of that kind, has turned out to be no friend to the United States.
We are now committed to a bitter, angry fight that's costing us hundreds of billions of dollars, thousands of wounded and hundreds of American and casualties killed. I was out at the Walter Reed the other day to see some of the gruesome consequences of that war, which, in my view, we did not need to undergo.
But we do have this problem, and that is as a nation we must bring our troops home, we must bring them home safely and we must see to it that we bring them home victoriously. And in that, we have to support the president and the country for that purpose.
MESERVE: Let's talk a little bit about your war experiences and World War II. You missed the Battle of Bulge, but only by a hair. Tell us about that.
DINGELL: Well, I was one of 3,000 troops in (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Florida, who got meningitis. My company was pulling out to go into the Bulge, and the night they did I got meningitis and spent two months in the hospital.
That turned out to be a lucky thing, because the company -- I later found that 200 -- 210 men, 10 came back. I was scheduled to be a platoon leader in the invasion of Japan. And Harry Truman ended that conflict with the dropping of the bomb.
So I am here to talk to you, which I might not have been had it not been for those two very lucky events.
MESERVE: It's a real "there, but by the grace of God go I" sort of situation for you, as (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
DINGELL: I was very lucky.
MESERVE: I understand that other troops were unfamiliar with Harry Truman and they turned to you and asked you for a little advice about him because your dad was in Congress.
Tell us about that.
DINGELL: Well, it was a kind of an interesting -- it was a kind of an interesting experience.
I was sitting on my bunk one day cleaning my rifle when we had come in from training, and all of a sudden I looked up and this whole company, all my comrades were there. And they said, Dingell, you dad's is in Congress isn't he? I said, Yes, he is.
Now, I wouldn't let dad send me letters on his official letterhead. He had to send them on plain paper, because I didn't want anybody to know he had a privileged position.
Well -- so I said, Well, they wanted to know what kind of guy this new fellow was going to be. They didn't even know Truman's name. I said, Well, I'll write dad and I'll find out.
So, about 10 days later, after mail call, I was sitting on my bunk reading this letter from dad, and in it -- suddenly, the whole company is there at the foot of the bed. And they said, Dingell, tell us what your dad said.
I said, well here's what he said -- I wish I had the letter. But it said, Son, he's going to be a great president. And as events turned out, he was.
MESERVE: Now, you are going to Normandy next week.
DINGELL: Yes.
MESERVE: Tell us what that evokes for you.
DINGELL: Well, it's a place where actually, acts of incredible courage and bravery took place. And it is a place where you can see the hideous danger to the people who participated in extraordinary courage that it showed.
My wife, Debbie (ph), was down -- was there and a little guy in a blue Air Force major general's uniform came over to him, with two stars on the shoulder, and he said, Mrs. Dingell, would come down and let us tell you what we did here? So Debbie went down and walked with them and talked with them.
They had come in as a combat engineer unit. They had lost 60 percent of their strength and, of course, Omaha was the deadliest of them all. And at one point, Bradley intended, he was going to pull them out. You can see how the guns were firing up and down the beach. Some of the blockhouses are still there and some of the guns are still there. Terrible, terrible thing. But an event of extraordinary planning, remarkable courage, great dedication and a defining event in the history.
MESERVE: And we have to leave it there. Congressman and veteran, Mr. Dingell, thanks so much for coming in.
DINGELL: Thank you for having me.
MESERVE: Appreciate it.
And the moments you have all been waiting for. INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY will be right back with this week's late-night laughs. We stay up late so you don't have to.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MESERVE: The political landscape is always fertile ground for comedians and late-night shows bring the musings and missteps right into the nation's living room.
Here's a sampling of this week's late night humor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAY LENO, "TONIGHT SHOW" HOST: Well, first John Kerry fell off his bike. Then bush falls off his bike. Is it too much to ask, Can't we get someone who can pedal a bike and be president at the same time? I mean, what do we have to...
MCCAIN: I spent several years in the North Vietnamese prison camp in the dark, fed with scraps. Do you think I want to do that all over again as the vice president of the United States?
ANNOUNCER: On May 2, 2004, presidential candidate John Kerry fell off his bicycle and hurt himself. On May 23, 2004, President George W. Bush fell off his bicycle and hurt himself.
Vote Lance Armstrong for president. He knows how to ride a bike. LETTERMAN: John Kerry had raised all of that money and he bought himself a airplane, a campaign plane for $10 million. And Ralph Nader not to be outdone, is having himself shipped cross country in a crate.
LENO: You know, first Kerry, now Bush. You know, if Ralph Nader could just stay away from supporting equipment for like five months, he could win this election by default.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: And thanks for joining us on INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.
In 30 minutes, "RELIABLE SOURCES" takes a critical look at the media coverage of the candidate's wives, first lady Laura Bush and Teresa Heinz Kerry.
And at noon Eastern, on "LATE EDITION," former presidential candidate and World War II veteran Bob Dole discusses the race for the White House 2004.
Happy Memorial Day to you all. "CNN LIVE SUNDAY" continues right now from CNN global headquarters in Atlanta.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
|
