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CNN Live Today

A Look at What Democrats Have Planned for Tonight; President Bush's Troops Well Represented in Boston

Aired July 27, 2004 - 10:00   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We'll get started now from CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Good morning, I'm Daryn Kagan.
We begin by looking at what is in the news now. The stage is set for Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention and a more personal look at candidate John Kerry. His wife, Teresa Heinz-Kerry, will give her take on the man who would be president. Ron Reagan, son of the late Republican president, will also address Democrats on the importance of stem cell research.

Five Iraqis say they are suing the U.S. They claim, or family members, that they or their family members were subjected to abuses while held in Abu Ghraib Prison. Photos of prisoners in humiliating positions sparked international outrage. The U.S. government is still investigating what happened and who is responsible.

Four French detainees arrived in their homeland this morning, after spending two years in the Guantanamo Bay prison complex. The four were arrested on suspicion of fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan, but never charged. The French government is conducting its own investigation. It requested the transfer.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei is back on the job after threatening to quit. Yasser Arafat agreed to give the prime minister more power to reign in police and internal security agencies. The two leaders kissed and made up after a week of public unrest and demands for reform.

Keeping you informed, CNN is the most trusted name in news.

Live this hour, presidential candidate John Kerry campaigns in the Naval town of Norfolk, Virginia accompanied by a fellow Vietnam veteran. Later the Democratic candidate makes one more stop in Philadelphia. Kerry then heads to Boston and the Democratic National Convention, preparing for his formal nomination, which is set to take place tomorrow.

One former president called himself a foot soldier. The other a former military man, saluting Kerry's fitness as commander in chief. Former presidents Clinton and Carter took center stage on the convention's first night and delivered both energy and a rallying cry to the party faithful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

AL GORE, FRM. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My friends, fellow Democrats, fellow Americans, I'm going to be candid with you. I had hoped to be back here this week under different circumstances running for re-election.

Take it from me, every vote counts.

(APPLAUSE)

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: President of the United States, Bill Clinton!

(APPLAUSE)

BILL CLINTON, FRM. UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: We Democrats will bring to the American people this year a positive campaign. Arguing not who's a good or a bad person, but what is the best way to build a safe and prosperous world our children deserve.

(APPLAUSE)

JAMES CARTER, FMR., UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: We cannot do our duty as citizens and patriots if we pursue an agenda that polarizes and divides our country.

(APPLAUSE)

CARTER: Next, we cannot be true to ourselves if we mistreat others. And finally, in the world at large, we cannot lead if our leaders mislead.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

KAGAN: A new day, we look ahead to tonight's speakers. Two of Kerry's former challengers for the nomination will take the podium, including former presidential candidates Howard Dean and Richard Gephardt. Then the night's keynote speaker will be Barack Obama, a candidate for the Senate in Illinois. He'll be followed by Ron Reagan, son of the late president, who will speak on behalf of stem cell research.

Obama's role as a rising star in the Democratic Party is confirmed with selection to give tonight's keynote address. Just a few months ago, he was an underdog in the race for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois. Today he's the front-runner and well suited to deliver a message of opportunity. Here's what he said to our Bill Hemmer earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA (D), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE, ILLINOIS: What I'd like to do is focus on making sure that I give voice to the stories that I'm hearing in people across Illinois, who are struggling with health care bills that are rising, trying to save for college and retirement at the same time. Making sure that they have some sort of economic security. I want to talk about John Kerry and John Edwards and how they offer, I think, a program that will help voters. And I want to make sure that we want to communicate the hope and optimism of the Democratic Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Let's talk a little bit more about what the Democrats have planned for tonight and bring in our CNN political analyst Carlos Watson.

Carlos, good morning.

CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Daryn Kagan, good morning.

KAGAN: Let's start with Barak Obama. I think a lot of people across the America are saying, who? And yet, the Democratic Party is fired up about this man.

WATSON: A young man. People think he's a very Jack Kennedy- esque, telegenic, smart, president of the Harvard "Law Review" while in law school, a state senator but also a professor. His wife is also a lawyer and very attractive young kids. People have a lot of hopes for him, not only for winning the Senate seat, but for what he can contribute in the Senate if he ultimately is successful.

KAGAN: And in terms of what, what could he contribute?

WATSON: I think people feel like on the issues of education, health care, and also on foreign policy, that here's a guy who is a state legislator, professor, and can deliver some hopeful policy solutions. He's also seen as someone who has gotten some praise in Illinois over the last several weeks on the other side of the aisle. And so, he's thought of someone who might be able to work with his Republican colleagues if he ultimately gets elected to the Senate.

KAGAN: All right. If Barack Obama is the fresh face of the future, a well known face of the past, Ted Kennedy making his appearance to the convention.

WATSON: Ted Kennedy, who has been involved in one way or another in the last 12 Democratic conventions, going back to his brother's nomination in 1960, has given a lot of fiery speeches over the years. Nineteen eighty is well remembered, 1988 is also particularly well remembered.

One of the things that Ted Kennedy will do is not only lay out the case against President Bush and not only make the case on behalf of John Kerry, but very subtly, Daryn, a lot of people may miss this. He may remind Catholic voters in particular who used to be very Democratic, eight out of 10 Catholic voters voted for his brother in 1960, that here's a first Catholic nominee in 44 years.

As opposed to giving them roughly half of your votes as you did for Al Gore in 2000, make a difference for him in states like Pennsylvania, states like Ohio, and states like Michigan. That subtle, may be even implicit message may be the most valuable thing that Ted Kennedy does both tonight and over the next several weeks.

KAGAN: And in terms of Ted Kennedy, love or hate him, if people -- because he does turn off a lot of people representing what they think is wrong with the Democratic Party, he is what he is. And if people are going to love him, they're going to love him.

WATSON: They are. And remember, for a lot of young voters, the Kennedy liberal negativism and label isn't as powerful. Because frankly, they don't remember him. They don't remember Chappaquiddick. They don't remember him running in 1980. They don't even necessarily remember 1988 very well.

So, he clearly is a firebrand who on the right is vilified, and actually has helped the right raise a fair amount of money. But it's not clear that he's one of the dominant figures in the Democratic Party and in the American electoral psyche that he once was.

KAGAN: Let's step back and look at the big picture. One night under wraps. So far, so good for the Democrats?

WATSON: You know, I think this was a good night. If I had to give them a rating, I would give them an eight on a scale of 10, 10 being the highest. There were no fistfights, which we saw at Republican convention in 1952. There weren't any kind of major inner party squabbles, which you've seen in '48, '68 at Democratic conventions.

Bill Clinton seemed to reach across the aisle in lots of ways. Maybe the most important thing, Daryn, that I think got accomplished is that you unleashed a whole new set of surrogates for John Kerry's campaign. Coming into last night, it wasn't clear that you were going to use Al Gore in the campaign. It wasn't clear that he would be seen as a positive force. Instead, people thought he might be negative.

And the fact that he used humor on a lot of occasions, I think means you'll see him well deployed. Bill Clinton, you're likely to see him more broadly deployed. Remember, he wasn't used in 2000. And last, but not least, I think the Kerry campaign probably took a fresh look at using Hillary Clinton in a number of states this fall as well. So they've got three new surrogates out of last night's convention, which is an important thing with a little bit of time left.

KAGAN: Funny that you said the word "rating." The ratings were terrible basically for the Democrats last night. The WB beat all the broadcast networks.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: So the Democrats, they pulled -- the good news is that they pulled it together, but if people aren't watching, what's kind of the point?

WATSON: Well, but remember that there are other ways in which the news gets disseminated. So the little clips on the local news, the front page of the newspaper. And that's one of the reasons why I think humor is important. Little clips like Al Gore's, you know, every kid can grow up to win the popular vote. And...

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: Yes.

WATSON: ... I hope...

KAGAN: He was the first to be laid off. He understands what it means to lose a job.

WATSON: I mean you know who does that incredibly well, Daryn, actually is President Bush. And while Democrats often don't give him credit for that, he is a master at using humor, even as he maybe challenges his opponents. I think you saw Al Gore pick up on that. And more Democrats may be in the following days may take a page out of President Bush's handbook.

KAGAN: Also, a funny moment from former President Clinton last night, when he talked about well, the Republicans were so terrible to me when I was in office. Here I leave and they work so hard to give me a tax cut. Funny how they're being so nice to me.

WATSON: You know, you've got to use humor. Not everybody is a political junkie. And by the way, using humor, as I said, gets you more clips on the local news and on local radio stations.

KAGAN: Absolutely. Not everyone's a political junkie. You are, and we're thankful for that. And thank you for your insights this morning.

WATSON: Good to see you.

KAGAN: Thanks, Carlos.

Well, let's get some more news from the convention in here. The wife of John Kerry will also be speaking in Boston tonight. But she's already grabbed some headlines of her own. There was that testy exchange Sunday night with a Boston newspaper editor. She remains unapologetic about what she said to that man, or what she said in a preceding speech that sparked the confrontation.

Our Bill Hemmer had the chance to sit down with Teresa Heinz- Kerry for CNN'S "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Take me back to Sunday night. Do you regret telling that reporter to shove it?

TERESA HEINZ-KERRY, WIFE OF JOHN KERRY: No. No. I respect reporters, and I respect anyone who does their job well. I don't like, anybody else, want to be trapped or be misrepresented intentionally by someone. That's what happened. And I defended myself.

HEMMER: The quote I have is that you said "un-American traits." HEINZ-KERRY: No, un-Pennsylvanian.

HEMMER: OK. Back up a little bit then. We need to turn back some of the creeping un-Pennsylvanian...

HEINZ-KERRY: Traits.

HEMMER: ... and sometimes un-American traits that are creeping into some of our politics.

HEINZ-KERRY: Correct.

HEMMER: Is that the way you remember it?

HEINZ-KERRY: And that's absolutely correct. I would say that again.

HEMMER: And what did the reporter say to you then?

HEINZ-KERRY: "Un-American activities," which has a very different connotation, it's a political connotation McCarthy implications, which I would not use unless it was very specific. And I would use it if it were correct. But that's not what I was talking about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Democratic leaders have rallied in support of Mrs. Kerry and they accuse the paper, which is the "Pittsburgh Tribune Review," of a conservative bias.

Well, the vice presidential candidate, John Edwards travels to Boston tonight, after canceling a North Carolina campaign appearance. He has a cold. Some photos now of Edwards at rest. Later, at work in his home in Raleigh. Edwards has been working on his acceptance speech and is seen here practicing with Teleprompters in his living room. He's scheduled to give his acceptance speech tomorrow night.

Vice President Dick Cheney is taking his party's message on the road. He is on a three-day swing through several Western states. Today, he travels to California where he will rally troops at Camp Pendleton and campaign for GOP candidates. Yesterday, he blitzed Washington and Oregon. Tomorrow he is on to Utah.

During the convention this week, President Bush is staying largely out of sight at his Texas ranch, but his troops are well represented in Boston. They are armed and ready to respond to what the Democrats are saying.

White House correspondent Dana Bash has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Seven-thirty a.m., the conference call to map out strategy for opening day of the convention. The other party's convention, that is. Some 30 Republican staffers are set up behind enemy lines to try to combat the themes and theater inside the Fleet Center just down the street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today is a busy day. TV.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've got the press conference, which is going out live. And we have the chairmens doing inside politics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On WQXI Atlanta, it's Wisconsin public radio, it's NPR evening analysis. You name it. If they're pulling numbers, we're on it.

BASH: Rapid response operations and war rooms are not new. But this year, Republicans are pushing hard to make their presence known.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a classic example of the kind of flip- flopping we've expected from this senator.

BASH: Even before a Democrat utters a word in here, Republican players like, Colorado Governor Bill Owens enlisted for the occasion are up on the satellite. Oh, and in case you missed their message...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're having to make themselves over to become a moderate mainstream party again.

SCOTT HOGENSON, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: You're a hard- core, extreme Democrat; this is your dream ticket.

BASH: It's all mapped out on the wall. Whose speeches to respond to and when.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then we'll see what everyone says. If anything needs to be corrected, or updated, we would put something out after the speeches.

BASH: When unfavorable articles about the other side appear, like this one about the governor of Iowa's wife, somehow they're prepared to respond.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She may consider apologizing for those remarks.

BASH (on camera): Not to be outdone on their own turf, Democrats have made some characters, like "Enron Ed" and "Billionaires for Bush," they've sent to hang out at the Republican headquarters. I think we'll call that countering the counter spin.

Dana Bash, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at our own primetime lineup. Wolf Blitzer hosts an "AMERICA VOTES SPECIAL" at 10:00 Eastern/7:00 Pacific. Aaron Brown and "NEWSNIGHT" follow that. Then "LARRY KING LIVE" at the Fleet Center at midnight Eastern/9:00 for those of you on the West Coast.

Ramping up to his official nomination as a Democratic presidential standard bearer, John Kerry is campaigning all the way to Boston. A live picture there. You see the ship. Any guess? How about Norfolk, Virginia. That's he'll be targeting swing voters there. We're going to hear what he has to say from there.

And taking action, could the Bush administration implement recommendations from the 9/11 Commission this week?

Also ahead, did Lori Hacking discover her husband was lying days before she went missing? A live report from Salt Lake City coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's go ahead and check out today's "Legal Briefs," first to California. Another pretrial hearing in the Michael Jackson case, it comes as Jackson's defense team tries to delay the start of the actual trial to 2005. Four months later than it was planned. Calling the child molestation charges against Jackson, quote, "an effort to take down a major celebrity." Jackson's defense says the later date is needed to sift through the mountains of evidence.

Testimony continues in Scott Peterson's case today. Yesterday, a prosecution witness claims something was fishy about the solo fishing trip that Peterson said he took the morning that his wife vanished. The witness, who is a commercial fireman, said the fact that Peterson chose artificial lures and not bait to catch sturgeon in the San Francisco Bay that morning is suspicious. Either that, or he is an amateur.

And now for the latest on the case of a missing Salt Lake City woman. The family of Mark Hacking has now hired an attorney, calling such a move "prudent." He remains hospitalized under psychiatric care, as details emerge of a mysterious phone call that apparently reduced Lori Hacking to tears before she disappeared.

Our Kimberly Osias is in Salt Lake City with these latest developments.

Kimberly, good morning.

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. Well, it is Day No. 8, and for the first time, the family of Lori and Mark Hacking have asked volunteers to stop in their search efforts. They say they are concerned about volunteer safety. They want to move to a different phase of the search and rescue effort, really using ATVs and helicopters. They hope to resume that tomorrow.

Last night, police searched an area dumpster, retracing their steps for the second time. But for the first time under darkness. They say that the cadaver dogs are able to work longer since it's cooler. Family spokesperson said that it had nothing to do with why they called off the search today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT DUNAWAY, HACKING FAMILY SPOKESMAN: In some of these areas where people -- where the search may need to take place, we need more specialized teams; people with ATVs, maybe aerial searches. Those sorts of things, where volunteers just will not be quite as useful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OSIAS: The Hacking family has retained prominent, local criminal attorney Gill Athay. They did this Thursday evening. Now, since then, Mr. Athay has said that he has met with Mark Hacking every day at the psychiatric facility where he is receiving treatment. No charges have been filed yet.

Police are still saying that Hacking is only considered a person of interest, not a suspect. However, they also say there is no other person of interest in this case. Yesterday, crime technicians removed several bottles and swabbed the dumpster outside the hospital where Mark Hacking was working.

Reports have surfaced that Lori Hacking may have known about the web of lies that her husband had spun as early as Friday. Coworkers said that they saw her leave the office dissolved into tears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA SUGDEN, LORI HACKING'S CO-WORKER: I was in the parking garage with my friend Jen, and I saw her come across the skywalk. And I said hey, look. There's Lori. And Jen says why it looks like she's crying. I said yes. So she came out the skywalk and I go hey, Lori. What's up? And she usually talks to me because we vent about everything all the time. And she just said nothing. And she walked away and was walking so fast. And I said, are you sure? She said, yes.

And then she got in her car. She zoomed past us, didn't even look at us and left. And I mean I've been friends with Lori for a while. So I knew something was wrong. But I didn't -- I should have called her and I was going to, but then I just got busy over the weekend and I didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OSIAS: Police classified this as a missing person case under very suspicious circumstances. They are still waiting for the results of forensics tests. That could take a week or several weeks. They say the earliest that could come back, and I emphasize could come back, would be Friday. They also said that even though Mark Hacking is in a psychiatric institute that would not insulate him from an arrest -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Kimberly Osias joining us from Salt Lake City, Utah. Kimberly, thank you.

Virginia is for lovers, but do Virginians love John Kerry for president? We're standing by to bring you Kerry's speech to voters there at Norfolk.

And pouring into the sea, ooh, red-hot lava. We'll tell you where.

We'll also get a check of our nation's weather with Jacqui Jeras just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Under our hot stuff files, this is Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano. It is blowing off some steam, you might say. The world's most active volcano is belching molten lava. That sounds so rude.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: Belching molten lava into the ocean, sending up heavy clouds of steam over the big island's entire shoreline. Each time the volcano lets loose its lava, it adds to the island's landmass. The dazzling display attracting some 2,000 visitors a day to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Much more ahead from the political world. John Kerry takes his message to Virginia. Live picture there from Norfolk. You see him on the right side of your screen. He is making his way up to Boston. Coming up we'll be live from there, as the Kerry camp goes after the swing vote in Virginia.

And after the 9/11 Report, the White House appears to like the idea of a cabinet level intelligence director. Could one be named soon? A live report from Crawford just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired July 27, 2004 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We'll get started now from CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Good morning, I'm Daryn Kagan.
We begin by looking at what is in the news now. The stage is set for Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention and a more personal look at candidate John Kerry. His wife, Teresa Heinz-Kerry, will give her take on the man who would be president. Ron Reagan, son of the late Republican president, will also address Democrats on the importance of stem cell research.

Five Iraqis say they are suing the U.S. They claim, or family members, that they or their family members were subjected to abuses while held in Abu Ghraib Prison. Photos of prisoners in humiliating positions sparked international outrage. The U.S. government is still investigating what happened and who is responsible.

Four French detainees arrived in their homeland this morning, after spending two years in the Guantanamo Bay prison complex. The four were arrested on suspicion of fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan, but never charged. The French government is conducting its own investigation. It requested the transfer.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei is back on the job after threatening to quit. Yasser Arafat agreed to give the prime minister more power to reign in police and internal security agencies. The two leaders kissed and made up after a week of public unrest and demands for reform.

Keeping you informed, CNN is the most trusted name in news.

Live this hour, presidential candidate John Kerry campaigns in the Naval town of Norfolk, Virginia accompanied by a fellow Vietnam veteran. Later the Democratic candidate makes one more stop in Philadelphia. Kerry then heads to Boston and the Democratic National Convention, preparing for his formal nomination, which is set to take place tomorrow.

One former president called himself a foot soldier. The other a former military man, saluting Kerry's fitness as commander in chief. Former presidents Clinton and Carter took center stage on the convention's first night and delivered both energy and a rallying cry to the party faithful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

AL GORE, FRM. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My friends, fellow Democrats, fellow Americans, I'm going to be candid with you. I had hoped to be back here this week under different circumstances running for re-election.

Take it from me, every vote counts.

(APPLAUSE)

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: President of the United States, Bill Clinton!

(APPLAUSE)

BILL CLINTON, FRM. UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: We Democrats will bring to the American people this year a positive campaign. Arguing not who's a good or a bad person, but what is the best way to build a safe and prosperous world our children deserve.

(APPLAUSE)

JAMES CARTER, FMR., UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: We cannot do our duty as citizens and patriots if we pursue an agenda that polarizes and divides our country.

(APPLAUSE)

CARTER: Next, we cannot be true to ourselves if we mistreat others. And finally, in the world at large, we cannot lead if our leaders mislead.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

KAGAN: A new day, we look ahead to tonight's speakers. Two of Kerry's former challengers for the nomination will take the podium, including former presidential candidates Howard Dean and Richard Gephardt. Then the night's keynote speaker will be Barack Obama, a candidate for the Senate in Illinois. He'll be followed by Ron Reagan, son of the late president, who will speak on behalf of stem cell research.

Obama's role as a rising star in the Democratic Party is confirmed with selection to give tonight's keynote address. Just a few months ago, he was an underdog in the race for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois. Today he's the front-runner and well suited to deliver a message of opportunity. Here's what he said to our Bill Hemmer earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA (D), SENATORIAL CANDIDATE, ILLINOIS: What I'd like to do is focus on making sure that I give voice to the stories that I'm hearing in people across Illinois, who are struggling with health care bills that are rising, trying to save for college and retirement at the same time. Making sure that they have some sort of economic security. I want to talk about John Kerry and John Edwards and how they offer, I think, a program that will help voters. And I want to make sure that we want to communicate the hope and optimism of the Democratic Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Let's talk a little bit more about what the Democrats have planned for tonight and bring in our CNN political analyst Carlos Watson.

Carlos, good morning.

CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Daryn Kagan, good morning.

KAGAN: Let's start with Barak Obama. I think a lot of people across the America are saying, who? And yet, the Democratic Party is fired up about this man.

WATSON: A young man. People think he's a very Jack Kennedy- esque, telegenic, smart, president of the Harvard "Law Review" while in law school, a state senator but also a professor. His wife is also a lawyer and very attractive young kids. People have a lot of hopes for him, not only for winning the Senate seat, but for what he can contribute in the Senate if he ultimately is successful.

KAGAN: And in terms of what, what could he contribute?

WATSON: I think people feel like on the issues of education, health care, and also on foreign policy, that here's a guy who is a state legislator, professor, and can deliver some hopeful policy solutions. He's also seen as someone who has gotten some praise in Illinois over the last several weeks on the other side of the aisle. And so, he's thought of someone who might be able to work with his Republican colleagues if he ultimately gets elected to the Senate.

KAGAN: All right. If Barack Obama is the fresh face of the future, a well known face of the past, Ted Kennedy making his appearance to the convention.

WATSON: Ted Kennedy, who has been involved in one way or another in the last 12 Democratic conventions, going back to his brother's nomination in 1960, has given a lot of fiery speeches over the years. Nineteen eighty is well remembered, 1988 is also particularly well remembered.

One of the things that Ted Kennedy will do is not only lay out the case against President Bush and not only make the case on behalf of John Kerry, but very subtly, Daryn, a lot of people may miss this. He may remind Catholic voters in particular who used to be very Democratic, eight out of 10 Catholic voters voted for his brother in 1960, that here's a first Catholic nominee in 44 years.

As opposed to giving them roughly half of your votes as you did for Al Gore in 2000, make a difference for him in states like Pennsylvania, states like Ohio, and states like Michigan. That subtle, may be even implicit message may be the most valuable thing that Ted Kennedy does both tonight and over the next several weeks.

KAGAN: And in terms of Ted Kennedy, love or hate him, if people -- because he does turn off a lot of people representing what they think is wrong with the Democratic Party, he is what he is. And if people are going to love him, they're going to love him.

WATSON: They are. And remember, for a lot of young voters, the Kennedy liberal negativism and label isn't as powerful. Because frankly, they don't remember him. They don't remember Chappaquiddick. They don't remember him running in 1980. They don't even necessarily remember 1988 very well.

So, he clearly is a firebrand who on the right is vilified, and actually has helped the right raise a fair amount of money. But it's not clear that he's one of the dominant figures in the Democratic Party and in the American electoral psyche that he once was.

KAGAN: Let's step back and look at the big picture. One night under wraps. So far, so good for the Democrats?

WATSON: You know, I think this was a good night. If I had to give them a rating, I would give them an eight on a scale of 10, 10 being the highest. There were no fistfights, which we saw at Republican convention in 1952. There weren't any kind of major inner party squabbles, which you've seen in '48, '68 at Democratic conventions.

Bill Clinton seemed to reach across the aisle in lots of ways. Maybe the most important thing, Daryn, that I think got accomplished is that you unleashed a whole new set of surrogates for John Kerry's campaign. Coming into last night, it wasn't clear that you were going to use Al Gore in the campaign. It wasn't clear that he would be seen as a positive force. Instead, people thought he might be negative.

And the fact that he used humor on a lot of occasions, I think means you'll see him well deployed. Bill Clinton, you're likely to see him more broadly deployed. Remember, he wasn't used in 2000. And last, but not least, I think the Kerry campaign probably took a fresh look at using Hillary Clinton in a number of states this fall as well. So they've got three new surrogates out of last night's convention, which is an important thing with a little bit of time left.

KAGAN: Funny that you said the word "rating." The ratings were terrible basically for the Democrats last night. The WB beat all the broadcast networks.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: So the Democrats, they pulled -- the good news is that they pulled it together, but if people aren't watching, what's kind of the point?

WATSON: Well, but remember that there are other ways in which the news gets disseminated. So the little clips on the local news, the front page of the newspaper. And that's one of the reasons why I think humor is important. Little clips like Al Gore's, you know, every kid can grow up to win the popular vote. And...

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: Yes.

WATSON: ... I hope...

KAGAN: He was the first to be laid off. He understands what it means to lose a job.

WATSON: I mean you know who does that incredibly well, Daryn, actually is President Bush. And while Democrats often don't give him credit for that, he is a master at using humor, even as he maybe challenges his opponents. I think you saw Al Gore pick up on that. And more Democrats may be in the following days may take a page out of President Bush's handbook.

KAGAN: Also, a funny moment from former President Clinton last night, when he talked about well, the Republicans were so terrible to me when I was in office. Here I leave and they work so hard to give me a tax cut. Funny how they're being so nice to me.

WATSON: You know, you've got to use humor. Not everybody is a political junkie. And by the way, using humor, as I said, gets you more clips on the local news and on local radio stations.

KAGAN: Absolutely. Not everyone's a political junkie. You are, and we're thankful for that. And thank you for your insights this morning.

WATSON: Good to see you.

KAGAN: Thanks, Carlos.

Well, let's get some more news from the convention in here. The wife of John Kerry will also be speaking in Boston tonight. But she's already grabbed some headlines of her own. There was that testy exchange Sunday night with a Boston newspaper editor. She remains unapologetic about what she said to that man, or what she said in a preceding speech that sparked the confrontation.

Our Bill Hemmer had the chance to sit down with Teresa Heinz- Kerry for CNN'S "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Take me back to Sunday night. Do you regret telling that reporter to shove it?

TERESA HEINZ-KERRY, WIFE OF JOHN KERRY: No. No. I respect reporters, and I respect anyone who does their job well. I don't like, anybody else, want to be trapped or be misrepresented intentionally by someone. That's what happened. And I defended myself.

HEMMER: The quote I have is that you said "un-American traits." HEINZ-KERRY: No, un-Pennsylvanian.

HEMMER: OK. Back up a little bit then. We need to turn back some of the creeping un-Pennsylvanian...

HEINZ-KERRY: Traits.

HEMMER: ... and sometimes un-American traits that are creeping into some of our politics.

HEINZ-KERRY: Correct.

HEMMER: Is that the way you remember it?

HEINZ-KERRY: And that's absolutely correct. I would say that again.

HEMMER: And what did the reporter say to you then?

HEINZ-KERRY: "Un-American activities," which has a very different connotation, it's a political connotation McCarthy implications, which I would not use unless it was very specific. And I would use it if it were correct. But that's not what I was talking about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Democratic leaders have rallied in support of Mrs. Kerry and they accuse the paper, which is the "Pittsburgh Tribune Review," of a conservative bias.

Well, the vice presidential candidate, John Edwards travels to Boston tonight, after canceling a North Carolina campaign appearance. He has a cold. Some photos now of Edwards at rest. Later, at work in his home in Raleigh. Edwards has been working on his acceptance speech and is seen here practicing with Teleprompters in his living room. He's scheduled to give his acceptance speech tomorrow night.

Vice President Dick Cheney is taking his party's message on the road. He is on a three-day swing through several Western states. Today, he travels to California where he will rally troops at Camp Pendleton and campaign for GOP candidates. Yesterday, he blitzed Washington and Oregon. Tomorrow he is on to Utah.

During the convention this week, President Bush is staying largely out of sight at his Texas ranch, but his troops are well represented in Boston. They are armed and ready to respond to what the Democrats are saying.

White House correspondent Dana Bash has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Seven-thirty a.m., the conference call to map out strategy for opening day of the convention. The other party's convention, that is. Some 30 Republican staffers are set up behind enemy lines to try to combat the themes and theater inside the Fleet Center just down the street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today is a busy day. TV.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've got the press conference, which is going out live. And we have the chairmens doing inside politics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On WQXI Atlanta, it's Wisconsin public radio, it's NPR evening analysis. You name it. If they're pulling numbers, we're on it.

BASH: Rapid response operations and war rooms are not new. But this year, Republicans are pushing hard to make their presence known.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a classic example of the kind of flip- flopping we've expected from this senator.

BASH: Even before a Democrat utters a word in here, Republican players like, Colorado Governor Bill Owens enlisted for the occasion are up on the satellite. Oh, and in case you missed their message...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're having to make themselves over to become a moderate mainstream party again.

SCOTT HOGENSON, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: You're a hard- core, extreme Democrat; this is your dream ticket.

BASH: It's all mapped out on the wall. Whose speeches to respond to and when.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then we'll see what everyone says. If anything needs to be corrected, or updated, we would put something out after the speeches.

BASH: When unfavorable articles about the other side appear, like this one about the governor of Iowa's wife, somehow they're prepared to respond.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She may consider apologizing for those remarks.

BASH (on camera): Not to be outdone on their own turf, Democrats have made some characters, like "Enron Ed" and "Billionaires for Bush," they've sent to hang out at the Republican headquarters. I think we'll call that countering the counter spin.

Dana Bash, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at our own primetime lineup. Wolf Blitzer hosts an "AMERICA VOTES SPECIAL" at 10:00 Eastern/7:00 Pacific. Aaron Brown and "NEWSNIGHT" follow that. Then "LARRY KING LIVE" at the Fleet Center at midnight Eastern/9:00 for those of you on the West Coast.

Ramping up to his official nomination as a Democratic presidential standard bearer, John Kerry is campaigning all the way to Boston. A live picture there. You see the ship. Any guess? How about Norfolk, Virginia. That's he'll be targeting swing voters there. We're going to hear what he has to say from there.

And taking action, could the Bush administration implement recommendations from the 9/11 Commission this week?

Also ahead, did Lori Hacking discover her husband was lying days before she went missing? A live report from Salt Lake City coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's go ahead and check out today's "Legal Briefs," first to California. Another pretrial hearing in the Michael Jackson case, it comes as Jackson's defense team tries to delay the start of the actual trial to 2005. Four months later than it was planned. Calling the child molestation charges against Jackson, quote, "an effort to take down a major celebrity." Jackson's defense says the later date is needed to sift through the mountains of evidence.

Testimony continues in Scott Peterson's case today. Yesterday, a prosecution witness claims something was fishy about the solo fishing trip that Peterson said he took the morning that his wife vanished. The witness, who is a commercial fireman, said the fact that Peterson chose artificial lures and not bait to catch sturgeon in the San Francisco Bay that morning is suspicious. Either that, or he is an amateur.

And now for the latest on the case of a missing Salt Lake City woman. The family of Mark Hacking has now hired an attorney, calling such a move "prudent." He remains hospitalized under psychiatric care, as details emerge of a mysterious phone call that apparently reduced Lori Hacking to tears before she disappeared.

Our Kimberly Osias is in Salt Lake City with these latest developments.

Kimberly, good morning.

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. Well, it is Day No. 8, and for the first time, the family of Lori and Mark Hacking have asked volunteers to stop in their search efforts. They say they are concerned about volunteer safety. They want to move to a different phase of the search and rescue effort, really using ATVs and helicopters. They hope to resume that tomorrow.

Last night, police searched an area dumpster, retracing their steps for the second time. But for the first time under darkness. They say that the cadaver dogs are able to work longer since it's cooler. Family spokesperson said that it had nothing to do with why they called off the search today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT DUNAWAY, HACKING FAMILY SPOKESMAN: In some of these areas where people -- where the search may need to take place, we need more specialized teams; people with ATVs, maybe aerial searches. Those sorts of things, where volunteers just will not be quite as useful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OSIAS: The Hacking family has retained prominent, local criminal attorney Gill Athay. They did this Thursday evening. Now, since then, Mr. Athay has said that he has met with Mark Hacking every day at the psychiatric facility where he is receiving treatment. No charges have been filed yet.

Police are still saying that Hacking is only considered a person of interest, not a suspect. However, they also say there is no other person of interest in this case. Yesterday, crime technicians removed several bottles and swabbed the dumpster outside the hospital where Mark Hacking was working.

Reports have surfaced that Lori Hacking may have known about the web of lies that her husband had spun as early as Friday. Coworkers said that they saw her leave the office dissolved into tears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA SUGDEN, LORI HACKING'S CO-WORKER: I was in the parking garage with my friend Jen, and I saw her come across the skywalk. And I said hey, look. There's Lori. And Jen says why it looks like she's crying. I said yes. So she came out the skywalk and I go hey, Lori. What's up? And she usually talks to me because we vent about everything all the time. And she just said nothing. And she walked away and was walking so fast. And I said, are you sure? She said, yes.

And then she got in her car. She zoomed past us, didn't even look at us and left. And I mean I've been friends with Lori for a while. So I knew something was wrong. But I didn't -- I should have called her and I was going to, but then I just got busy over the weekend and I didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OSIAS: Police classified this as a missing person case under very suspicious circumstances. They are still waiting for the results of forensics tests. That could take a week or several weeks. They say the earliest that could come back, and I emphasize could come back, would be Friday. They also said that even though Mark Hacking is in a psychiatric institute that would not insulate him from an arrest -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Kimberly Osias joining us from Salt Lake City, Utah. Kimberly, thank you.

Virginia is for lovers, but do Virginians love John Kerry for president? We're standing by to bring you Kerry's speech to voters there at Norfolk.

And pouring into the sea, ooh, red-hot lava. We'll tell you where.

We'll also get a check of our nation's weather with Jacqui Jeras just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Under our hot stuff files, this is Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano. It is blowing off some steam, you might say. The world's most active volcano is belching molten lava. That sounds so rude.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: Belching molten lava into the ocean, sending up heavy clouds of steam over the big island's entire shoreline. Each time the volcano lets loose its lava, it adds to the island's landmass. The dazzling display attracting some 2,000 visitors a day to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Much more ahead from the political world. John Kerry takes his message to Virginia. Live picture there from Norfolk. You see him on the right side of your screen. He is making his way up to Boston. Coming up we'll be live from there, as the Kerry camp goes after the swing vote in Virginia.

And after the 9/11 Report, the White House appears to like the idea of a cabinet level intelligence director. Could one be named soon? A live report from Crawford just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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