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Lou Dobbs Tonight
Insurgents Kill 70 Iraqis; Coverage of Democratic National Convention
Aired July 28, 2004 - 18:00 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.
LOU DOBBS, HOST: Tonight, the worst day of violence in Iraq since the United States handed over power to the Iraqis exactly one month ago today. Insurgents kill nearly 70 Iraqis in a bomb attack and a new challenge to the American-backed Iraqi government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We must not let these kinds of tragic incidents deter us from our goal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOBBS: Tonight, we focus on Iraq, the global war on terror, and other critical foreign policy issues with Kerry adviser Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.
Also tonight shocking new concerns about e-voting. Two computer crashes destroy almost all the electronic records of a Florida county's gubernatorial primaries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until the machines can be shown to be error- free, then paper may be something we continue to have to rely on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOBBS: And Senator John Kerry has arrived in Boston at the Democratic National Convention. We'll have a preview of Senator John Edwards' speech tonight and report on what the Republicans are saying about those Democrats.
And in our "Face Off" tonight, a debate on whether President Bush or Senator Kerry is best qualified to be a wartime president.
ANNOUNCER: This is LOU DOBBS TONIGHT for Wednesday, July 28. Here now for an hour of news, debate and opinion is Lou Dobbs.
DOBBS: Good evening. We begin tonight with a disturbing story from southern California. The FBI says trace amounts of the deadly poison ricin have been found in at least one jar of Gerber baby food in Irvine, California. The FBI is now investigating two separate incidents over the past two months in which parents reported finding notes inside those jars. The FBI says the notes warn that the food was poisoned. The FBI, along with the Food and Drug Administration, and local law enforcement in southern California are expected to hold a news conference, in fact, at any moment and we'll be going there live as soon as it occurs.
In other incidents today, a woman is in federal custody after she was smuggled across the Mexico border. She is suspected of having links with the al Qaeda terrorist network. Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is working this story and will be joining us in the broadcast in just a matter of moments.
We'll also have a report for you on the most violent day in Iraq since the United States handed over power to the Iraqis one month ago today.
But turning first to the Democratic Convention in Boston where Senator John Edwards tonight will launch an all-out attack on the Republicans. Senator Edwards is expected to accuse the Republicans of taking the campaign for the highest office in the land down the lowest possible road. Senator Edwards' speech will set the stage for Senator Kerry's nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate, steps forward tomorrow to accept the nomination of his party.
We begin our coverage tonight with John King on the floor of the convention center -- John.
JOHN KING, SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And Lou, I'm standing behind the North Carolina delegation. These seats filled up very early. Of course, their senator, John Edwards, as you noted, will be here tonight to speak to this convention. He will deliver what aides say will be a note worthy speech and that he will not mention once by name President Bush or Vice President Cheney. Still, Senator Edwards will lead the Democratic attack tonight on what he will say are Bush administration's priorities that have led the nation in the wrong direction, whether the question be the economy and taxes or on Iraq.
Senator Edwards in his speech tonight also will continue the Democratic theme of promoting Senator Kerry's service in the Vietnam War. He will talk about his service in that war and call Senator Kerry -- quote -- "decisive, strong. Aren't those the traits you want in a commander-in-chief? As you noted, he will also say that the Republicans are running a dirty campaign, saying the campaign for the highest office in the land down to the lowest possible road.
We were told, though, Senator Edwards himself decided he did not want to mention President Bush or Vice President Cheney by name. That is part of what the Democrats say is an effort to run a positive campaign. The Republicans, though, Lou, say they have looked at all the speeches delivered so far at this convention and they find this convention despite that promise to be high on attacks and low on positive rhetoric -- Lou.
DOBBS: John, the Republicans, as you know, today stepped up their attacks on Senator Kerry. The RNC saying the Democratic Convention is simply an extreme makeover, as they put it, of Senator Kerry's record in the Senate -- the thoughts there.
KING: Quite a contest Lou. Senator Kerry comes into this convention knowing the polls show the American people still trust President Bush more to lead the situation in Iraq. Still trust President Bush more to be commander-in-chief in the broader war on terrorism. So, the whole theme of this convention is that Senator Kerry can be commander-in-chief. A stronger America is what the Kerry campaign is saying. The Republicans are saying that that is simply in denial of Senator Kerry's record in the Senate.
Today in a news conference they said both Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards have missed key votes in the Senate, key hearings in the Intelligence Committee of those types. And so, Lou, as the Democrats make their case here in Boston, the Republicans are on hand here as well to rebut them, saying Senator Kerry is anything but ready to be commander-in-chief. And as part of that, they have released new videos (UNINTELLIGIBLE) saying that his position on the Iraq war shifted dramatically from supporting the president to being against the war because of the Howard Dean candidacy and other impacts of the Democratic primaries -- Lou.
DOBBS: John King from the floor of the convention center. Thank you John.
Senator Kerry today arrived in Boston today declaring the Democrats are about to write the next great chapter in American history. Senator Kerry says he's looking forward to delivering his acceptance speech tomorrow. That speech will seek to portray Senator Kerry as a more effective commander-in-chief than President Bush.
Frank Buckley is outside the convention center with that story -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, even John Kerry's arrival here in Boston designed to make that point. He arrived here in Boston first by plane, then he got on a boat and crossed the Boston Harbor in a boat with fellow Vietnam veterans at his side -- most of them fellow swift boat crewmates from his Vietnam days. It's just the latest effort by the Kerry campaign to remind voters of Kerry's wartime credentials, his Silver Star and other decorations as they try to reassure voters on Kerry's national security credentials.
This push all about military credentials coming as John just mentioned polls continue to show that most voters still -- or more voters believe that it's President Bush who can handle terrorism in Iraq better than John Kerry. Senator Kerry saying he is now here in Boston and he is ready to make the case that he can be the commander- in-chief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Tonight you're going to hear from John Edwards and I'm -- I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to my opportunity a little more than 24 hours from now to share with you and all of America a vision for how we're going to make this country stronger at home and respected in the world. That's exactly what we're going to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: The arrival here in Boston, Lou, by Senator Kerry coming after a week of campaigning across the country, in a number of states. Most of them major battleground states. He was in Iowa, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, all major battleground states. He was also in Colorado and Virginia. Not technically among the 16 or 17 so- called battleground states, but they are states in which the Democrats feel the Republicans could be vulnerable and they're spending time and money in those states. No more public events scheduled for John Kerry until his big speech on Thursday night. We're told that for the moment he is resting his voice and working on that speech -- Lou.
DOBBS: Frank Buckley, thank you.
Both Senator Kerry and President Bush are promising quick action to implement the recommendations of the September 11 commission. The first congressional hearings, in fact, on that report will be held Friday. But now some are saying that it is a mistake to introduce reforms too quickly.
Congressional correspondent Ed Henry reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doing our work and we thank you...
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Unlike most blue ribbon panels the 9/11 commission is not going quietly into the night.
ALLAN LICHTMAN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Usually with these commissions they drop their report from an airplane and take off. Now these commissioners have made the report their own. They've not only become reporters, they have become lobbyists.
HENRY: John Kerry has endorsed their blueprint to radically change the nation's intelligence structure. President Bush is considering changes by executive order. At least half a dozen congressional panels are gearing up for hearings and vowing swift legislative action.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MAJORITY WHIP: The job is now for the president and for the Congress to look at the recommendations and to implement them as rapidly as possible.
HENRY: But some experts warn everyone may be moving too fast because of pressure from the commission. The former chairman of a presidential commission on terror says hasty reform could create new problems.
JIM GILMORE, FMR. CHMN. PRES. TERROR COMMISSION: They've created a frazzling jangling of nerves in the political system and the result of that is that we may be rushing to some of their proposals that maybe shouldn't be supported.
LICHTMAN: But said that Congress passed the Patriot Act without anybody reading it. We cannot afford to rush into scrambling our entire intelligence operation in this country because of political pressure.
HENRY: But 9/11 commissioners point out that many of these changes, such as creating a national director of intelligence, have been studied for years.
RICHARD BEN-VENISTE (D), 9/11 COMMISSION: Congress, with all deliberate speed, must look at our recommendations and we are -- we don't have the luxury of waiting. These -- some of these recommendations are long overdue.
HENRY: Commissioners also note the government is warning there could be terror attacks before the election. So, they say, there's no time for delay.
BEN-VENISTE: The Islamist terrorist movement, be it al Qaeda or others, have been known to be patient, entrepreneurial, clever and are willing to study our system to exploit our weaknesses.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Lawmakers also may be loathe to slow down the momentum of this commission. Its final report is so popular it's already sold an estimated 350,000 copies in book form. And this past weekend the commission's Web site got 50 million hits, Lou.
DOBBS: Ed, this call for Congress to slow down, it's well documented that the leadership in the House and the Senate did not want to proceed quickly here. Is this just a contrivance to give them some cover in a decision to slow down?
HENRY: I think there's genuine concern that on issues like the Patriot Act, for example, right after 9/11 there was such political pressure to do something, anything, to try to fix the system. Now you know a lot of lawmakers did not read that law before they passed it. Now two or three years later they're regretting it. So I think there's genuine concern out there that it might move too quickly.
DOBBS: Ed Henry, we thank you.
Turning now to the story that we reported at the outset of the broadcast, the discovery of ricin in Gerber baby food. We're going to a news conference that I understand is now under way live in Irvine, California. Authorities now speaking -- David Maggard, Irvine police chief, speaking.
DAVID MAGGARD, IRVINE POLICE CHIEF: ... and are following up the leads we do have in this case. No one has been arrested to date. There remains much that we do not know about this case and some of what we do know we can't talk about. My main purpose today is to emphasize the importance of making sure that any packaged foods you eat, especially baby food at this time, has not been tampered with prior to you buying it. Because the District Attorney's office has been involved in this case since its inception, I want to introduce District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, who will answer questions to the extent possible about this case. Thank you.
TONY RACKAUCKAS, ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Thank you Chief Maggard. Let me just say that this has been -- this is now an active investigation, and so there -- pretty much most of the facts are things that we are not going to be able to share with you at this time and I hope that you understand that. We're having to do a careful balancing act here between informing the public of possible health dangers and making sure that we bring the person or persons responsible for this act to justice.
Chief Maggard gave you the basic facts that we can release at this time. And first I want to say to you that the folks at Gerber products have been helping us on this case. They've been very cooperative. This was a localized incident involving two incidents where people picked up baby food off the shelf at one store, in one city in our country. The two incidents were May 31, 2004 and June 16, 2004.
There had been no further incidents since then. I think it's important at this point to say that we've identified this person, Charles Dewey Cage, as somebody that we -- who we want to talk to. I wouldn't categorize him as a suspect or a person of interest, but he was somebody who was in the area at a relevant time, and we believe that Mr. Cage has information that will be important to us relating to these incidents. So I'll ask Mr. Cage -- Mr. Cage, if you're listening, please call my office. And I'd like to indicate that Mr. Cage is male, black, 47 years old. He's 5'9" and 190 pounds, black hair and brown eyes.
DOBBS: Charles Dewey Cage identified as a person that authorities in Irvine, California, want to talk about in association with this incident, the discovery of ricin, the deadly poison, in a bottle of Gerber baby food. A second known incident, as authorities there have suggested they are not sharing with the public right now all that they do know about this case and this story developing, breaking as we are speaking. But this person obviously a person of -- as they describe it, not a person of interest, but someone they want to talk about this case with. The distinction I'm not entirely clear what that would be. But nonetheless, it appears they have at least some beginning of a lead in this very important investigation.
In just a moment we'll have the very latest on a woman who is now being held in federal custody after having been smuggled across the Mexico border. She is suspected of having links with the al Qaeda terrorist network and possibly linked to terrorist incidents overseas. Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve, working this story, will be here to report in just a few minutes.
DOBBS: Turning to the war in Iraq today. Exactly one month after the United States transferred power to the interim Iraqi government, insurgents launched a wave of deadly attacks. Four Americans were killed, two died fighting in the city of Ramadi. Two other Americans were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. The worst attack today in Baquba where a suicide bomber killed nearly 70 Iraqis outside a police station.
Michael Holmes reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened at 9:40 in the morning, a busy time in a busy place. The heart of Baquba was bustling, shops were busy, there was a market and at an Iraqi police station, scores of young men waiting to enlist. Police say a suicide bomber drove a minibus into the crowd and detonated his explosives. The scene was one of carnage and chaos as emergency workers were called in from around the city to help with the casualties and there were many.
Scores were killed. Scores more wounded. Among the dead, all 21 passengers on board a second bus passing by when the bomb detonated. Many of those potential police recruits also on the list of dead and wounded. There were numerous smaller attacks around Iraq on Wednesday, the one-month anniversary of the handover of power to the Iraqi interim government.
(on camera): Baquba has seen similar attacks in the past, suicide bombings, car bombs and shootings. And today, as in the past, the target, Iraqi security forces and those who wish to join them.
Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOBBS: The deaths of four Americans in Baghdad today bring the total number of American troops killed in Iraq to 912. Fifty-eight Americans have been killed in the four weeks since the handover on June 28. That compares with the total of 38 Americans killed in the month before the handover of sovereignty to the Iraqis.
Still ahead here, Jeanne Meserve will have the latest for us on a woman now in federal custody who could have links to radical Islamist terrorism. That's next.
We'll also have the latest for you on the baby food story -- baby food containing the deadly poison ricin in southern California. We'll have a live report. Miguel Marquez covering that story.
And tonight I'll be talking with senior Kerry adviser, former U.N. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke about the foreign policy differences between Senator Kerry and President Bush.
And then tonight, the debate over which candidate is best qualified to lead this country in wartime. Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute, Lawrence Korb with the Center for American Progress "Face Off" tonight.
And e-voting records erased in Florida. Computer records from a paperless election two years ago have disappeared. We'll have a special report on those developments and the latest concerns about e- democracy. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: In the war on radical Islamist terror, federal agents in Texas are now investigating whether a woman they arrested last week has ties to al Qaeda or other radical Islamist terrorist organizations. The woman reportedly admitted to authorities that she was smuggled across the U.S./Mexican border across the Rio Grande.
Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is in Boston and has the live report for us -- Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Lou, officials do tell us that a 40-year-old woman who purports to be from South Africa is now being looked at by authorities for possible ties to terrorism. A government official says she may have ties to previous acts of terrorism and is a person of concern. Her name is Farida Gullam Mohammed Ahmed (ph). She was detained at the McAllen Miller International Airport in McAllen, Texas, on July 19 as she passed through a TSA checkpoint trying to board a flight to New York City.
She was carrying a South African passport according to officials I have spoken with. Six pages had been taken out of that passport and it did not have a stamp indicating her entry into the United States. She also did not have a visa with her. She also was carrying about $7,000 in currency, most of it in U.S. dollars and she had an itinerary with her. This itinerary indicated that she had traveled from South Africa through the United Arab Emirates to London and then later took a flight from London to Mexico City.
At the time she was stopped in McAllen, Texas, she was carrying a bag, which contained some muddy clothes. This led customs and border agents to believe she might have come across the border illegally. That is something that she later did say she had done to officials. Now, the backdrop for all of this, of course, is that there's been concern about the porous nature of the Mexican border and whether or not terrorists might try to exploit this.
There has been worry that terrorists might be trying to recruit women to work as operatives for them and also concern that terrorists might try to stage some kind of attack in the run up to the U.S. election. At the moment, this woman is being held without bail as the investigation continues into exactly if she is who she says she is, what she was doing, where she was going and whether or not she does indeed have ties to terrorism.
Lou, back to you.
DOBBS: Jeanne, thank you. Jeanne Meserve, our homeland security correspondent who will keep us up to date on these developments as more is learned about this suspect now being held in federal hands in Texas.
Of course one of the biggest challenges facing Senator Kerry now is to convince Americans he will make this country safer from terrorists than President Bush. Senator Kerry has promised to restore traditional alliances with America's friends overseas. Senator Kerry has also declared he will stay the course in Iraq and he says he will permanently increase the size of the military by 40,000 troops.
Senator Kerry has also vowed to overhaul America's intelligence services. I'm joined now from Boston by one of the senator's top foreign policy advisers, Richard Holbrooke, who served as U.S. ambassador at the United Nations and a former assistant secretary of state.
Good to have you with us. The issue, Ambassador, is the degree to which Senator Kerry must change his perception amongst the American electorate. What will be necessary to do that?
RICHARD HOLBROOKE, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I don't think a lot of the electorate knows enough about John Kerry yet. Those of us who have known him as I have, for 20 years, know his record in Vietnam, where he was an extraordinary war hero almost take it for granted. So do you, Lou. Turns out that a good chunk of the American public doesn't know yet that he's a war hero, indeed that he volunteered for Vietnam, when many people of his generation and educational background simply dodged the draft or sought National Guard duty. Many people don't know that he's Roman Catholic. Forty- two years ago -- 44 years ago at this time when Jack Kennedy ran for the presidency, that was the issue. People ought to know that. People ought to know he's a prosecutor.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLBROOKE: Now Lou, you actually outlined his key positions very well.
DOBBS: Thank you. By the way, in terms of taking it for granted, I assure you, Richard, at this point I take nothing for granted, particularly when it comes to politics. The fact is that Senator Kerry and President Bush have a battle on their hands. This election looks like it will be extraordinarily close. The position that Senator Kerry has taken on Iraq does not particularly in any way distinguish him from President Bush. How will you deal with that issue?
HOLBROOKE: May I respectfully rephrase your question?
DOBBS: No, but you...
(CROSSTALK)
DOBBS: ... you can sure as heck answer it any way you want.
HOLBROOKE: OK Lou. The position President Bush has taken on Iraq does not significantly differ from the position Senator Kerry took two years ago in which President Bush has steadily moved towards. The same thing has happened on every one of the points you just put up on the board. Senator Kerry called for 40,000 new troops. Bush is now asking for the same.
Senator Kerry called for a 9/11 commission and intelligence reform. The Bush administration opposed that commission for a year, and is now in the process of desperately trying to play catch up. And in Iraq, it was Kerry who kept the consistent position for NATO, U.N. and internationalization. It's the Bush administration that has followed suit. So, I don't think this issue is about technical differences.
It's about a real choice. And the real choice is between a person who is an internationalist by background, the son of a diplomat, raised in Berlin during the Cold War, at home in foreign countries, 20 years in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a Vietnam War hero versus a president and an administration which have a much more insular view. And that's why one of the themes of this convention is respect abroad. We've lost a lot of it. We want to regain it.
DOBBS: Richard Holbrooke, Ambassador, it's good to have you with us and we thank you very much.
HOLBROOKE: Thank you, Lou. Always a pleasure to be with you.
DOBBS: Still ahead here, we'll have the very latest for you on that developing story in California, the discovery of the deadly poison ricin in at least one container of baby food there. We'll have that report for you.
Also the race for the White House and the debate over just who is the stronger leader during wartime -- President George Bush, Senator John Kerry. Our "Face Off" is next.
And the "Middle Class Squeeze", Senator Kerry says his plan for energy independence will help working families save money. Critics, however, say they question whether energy independence is even possible. Our special report is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: LOU DOBBS TONIGHT continues. Here now for more news, debate, and opinion, Lou Dobbs.
DOBBS: Recent polls are showing President Bush and John Kerry absolutely in a dead heat in the race for the White House, but voters have consistently favored President Bush when it comes to the war on radical Islamist terror.
In the most recent polls, President Bush leads Senator Kerry by an 18-point margin on that issue. Likely voters also favor President Bush on the issue of Iraq. Leading the country in times of war is at the center of our issue tonight on Face Off.
Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute says John Kerry is more worried about what France will say than what the American people have to say. Lawrence Korb, on the other hand, calls President Bush a draft dodger and says John Kerry would undoubtedly make a better war time President. He's with the Center for American Progress, also assistant secretary of defense under President Reagan. Both join us tonight from Washington. Good to have you with us.
LAWRENCE KORB, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Nice to be with you.
DANIELLE PLETKA, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Thank you.
DOBBS: Danielle, 12 retired generals and admirals have endorsed Senator Kerry. Does this suggest a vulnerability on the part of the President?
PLETKA: Well, 20 Medal of Honor winners have endorsed President Bush. I think these kind of contests are foolish and beneath both the President and Senator Kerry. This isn't a contest about how -- whether people with medals and titles like the President or the would- be president. This is a contest between who will be a better leader for our nation in very, very troubled times.
And I think that the answer is fairly straightforward. I believe that it is President Bush. We know what he stands for. We know where he'll take us. None of us have any idea where Kerry is going or what he's going to do.
DOBBS: Lawrence?
KORB: Well, first of all, I think Danielle is right. The question is who will take us in the right place.
As I look at President Bush, I'm not quite sure where he's going in Iraq. When he first went in there, he said that we'd be greeted as liberators. That turned out not to be true.
He said that we'd be down to 30,000 troops by the end of 2003. That turned out not to be true.
He said he'd have a constitution before he'd have elections, then he changed that.
And, I think -- you go back to something President Clinton said the other night, I think was really the key: "You have to not only have strength, but wisdom." And I think Senator Kerry, based upon his experience in the Senate, as well as experience in Vietnam, would have had the wisdom to listen to people like General Shinseki, the army chief of staff, who said, "In order to secure the peace after the battle in Iraq, you're going to need at least 200,000 troops." They dismissed General Shinseki; paid no attention to him. We're still paying the price for that.
General Zinni, who had commanded the Central Command up until 2000 said, "You would not be greeted as liberators." He was the military's foremost expert on the Arab world. They took him away from his job as the Middle East envoy.
DOBBS: I think you've gotten just about equal time so far. Danielle, turning to the issue of Senator Kerry, his military background; President Bush, his military background; the issues surrounding Iraq and the war on terror.
One of the things that the September 11th Commission Report criticized this administration for was not calling it what it is: not a war on terror, but a war against radical Islamists committing terror. That is a profound issue.
Do you expect to see this administration show resiliency, flexibility and adapt on nearly every level to the September 11th Commission?
PLETKA: I do expect the administration to show resiliency and to be very responsive to the report, which I think was incredibly serious and needs to be moved on in a very serious way, as we move toward the election and after the election.
But I think games of semantics really aren't what is at issue here.
DOBBS: Then why is the Bush administration playing games of semantics when it is a war against a specific group of people trying to commit terror, not terror itself, but against the enemies of the United States who are radical Islamists?
PLETKA: Well, Lou, I really beg to differ. I think that the war on terrorism is a war on terrorists. And, yes the terrorists are Islamic radicalists and Islamic extremists. But I'll give you an example.
I was recently excoriated in Europe and told that we shouldn't call this a war on terror; we should call this a war on Al Qaeda. Now, all of us know that this isn't just a war on Al Qaeda that, in fact, there are a whole variety of extremist groups.
The issue really isn't labeling who we fight; it's about fighting in a proper way, in an aggressive way that protects our nation.
DOBBS: Is it your sense, Lawrence, that Senator Kerry would call this what it is, a war on radical Islamist terror? Is it your sense that that is a significant issue?
KORB: Well, I think it is because terrorism is a tactic. And what's happened is, as the Army War College Study said, we've conflated all terrorists together and we've taken our eye off the ball.
And what happened was, we had not finished the job in Afghanistan. Before we finished the job there, we diverted our attention to Iraq and, consequently, we're not where we need to be in either place. And by going into Iraq, we've actually got more recruits for these radical Islamic terrorists.
DOBBS: Lawrence, I wonder about that issue myself, straightforwardly, the fact that we've created more terrorists. We've certainly destroyed a despotic regime in Iraq. There's no question that 25 million Iraqis have the opportunity for freedom.
Is it really, in your judgment, correct to criticize the administration for the war that was conducted rather than the post major combat operations and the conduct of the civil administration and the military operations since? KORB: Well, I think they went in before they needed to. They had not finished the job in Afghanistan. And we know that early in 2002, we took a lot of the resources, a lot of the special forces people that had been going after Bin Laden, and sent them over to Iraq. We hadn't finished the job in Afghanistan and that, I think, was a mistake, in addition, as you mentioned, to the post conflict stage.
So, I think we got it on both occasions, and since we went in under what turned out not to be the correct reasons that the President told us, this has convinced people in that part of the world that Bin Laden is right; that we were only there for the wrong reasons.
DOBBS: Your response, Danielle? I see you there wanting to speak, and I want to give you that opportunity. You get the last word.
PLETKA: And I restrained myself. Our choices were very straightforward going in Iraq. Saddam Hussein would be in power today had we not removed that terrible regime. The 9/11 Commission said very clearly that Saddam Hussein had extensive connections with terrorist groups.
Throughout the 1990s, many of us said that we should be going into Afghanistan. And we heard those voices saying, "No, no. The time isn't right. Let's not do it." The time was right. We need to deal with the threats when they come to us, not when they arrive in the United States. Thank you very much.
KORB: Well, the 9/11 Commission said that Iran was a much bigger danger than Iraq and they had much more extensive ties with Al Qaeda.
PLETKA: So, are you advocating attacking Iran, Larry?
KORB: And there was no operational relationship between Iraq and what happened on September 11th. And even the president said it was not an imminent danger.
DOBBS: Lawrence, Danielle, it turns out I have to have the last word and say thank you both, and come back and we'll discuss this issue, I assure you, with some frequency in the weeks ahead leading up to the November elections.
Danielle, Lawrence, thank you very much.
PLETKA: Thank you, Lou.
KORB: Nice to be with you.
DOBBS: Just ahead here, we'll have the very latest on that developing story in California. Ricin discovered in at least one bottle of baby food there. An investigation under way, obviously.
Also, record oil prices today. It has become now a major issue in the campaign. We'll tell you what the candidates are doing about energy or planning to do about energy, or saying what they will do about energy. Next in our special report, the Middle Class Squeeze.
Senator John Edwards, on stage tonight. How does a Senator from North Carolina size up to Vice President Dick Cheney? Well, hear from three of the nation's top political journalists, coming right up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: Joining me now for more on the Kerry campaign, the Bush campaign and the Democratic Convention, three of the nation's top political journalists, at the convention.
Ron Brownstein, "L.A. Times," Karen Tumulty, National Political Correspondent, "Time Magazine," Roger Simon, Political Editor, "U.S. News and World Report, joining us tonight from the Fleet Center, as if you couldn't tell.
Roger, let me ask, how important is what Senator Edwards is going to do tonight?
ROGER SIMON, POLITICAL EDITOR, "U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT": Well, it's very important. Each night of this convention is more dobs of paint on a canvas, building a picture of both men. And this is the first time we've had someone from the top of the ticket speaking about himself, for himself and, of course, introducing Senator Kerry.
And one of the real strengths that Edwards has shown since he was chosen as the vice presidential nominee was that he defends and talks about Senator Kerry very, very well. Some people think he does it, in fact, better than Kerry does himself, and that's his role here tonight.
DOBBS: Karen, Mrs. Kerry, Teresa Heinz Kerry; her performance last night. How important to the candidate?
KAREN TUMULTY, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "TIME MAGAZINE": Oh, I think it was very important. Certainly, the first thing she had to do was to really put out the fire of the story that she herself had created.
And I think that it was one of the rare times we see Teresa Heinz Kerry with a script. She seemed to have followed it. And her whole demeanor which, by the way, is very much like what you see on the campaign trail, was very subdued, and I think she got her message out.
RON BROWNSTEIN, "L.A. TIMES": Can I disagree, Lou?
DOBBS: You may do whatever you wish, Ron.
BROWNSTEIN: I'm going to jump right in. I thought -- look, if the goal was to sell Teresa Heinz Kerry, it was fine. But Teresa Heinz Kerry isn't running for president.
Her real role out there was to do one thing they really haven't done that effectively yet, I think, which is humanize her husband and give a clearer sense of him as a person, as a spouse, as a father. She didn't do much of that. When she talked about him being an optimistic person, she talked about his energy policy not his, sort of, day to day life and the family. And I thought it was pretty much of a missed opportunity and one that leaves, for the last night, an important task of bringing him more to life as a person.
SIMON: Can I take a middle ground?
DOBBS: No way. We want extremes here. This is politics.
SIMON: It was a dull speech and the campaign is happy with that.
TUMULTY: Exactly. They needed it.
SIMON: They're satisfied with her being dull. They don't want her to be controversial. They've got John Edwards and John Kerry to paint a human portrait of John Kerry.
And I don't think they ever expected a spouse to really rise to the occasion and address a national audience and somehow humanize the man. It would have been nice if she could have. I don't think she's capable of that.
DOBBS: Well, let me ask you this, because we now are at the penultimate point in the Democratic National Convention.
Senator Kerry steps forward to the podium to convince the nation -- those watching at least and listening tomorrow night -- as to why he should be President. Is this speech absolutely critical? Is this where he has to be wary of being contrasted, compared with President Clinton?
What are the stakes, in your judgment, Karen first you, if you would.
TUMULTY: You know, I think that this speech tomorrow night is, in fact, going to be the only thing that most Americans take away from this convention at all.
President Clinton talked to the Democratic faithful, but most of America, to the degree most of America is listening at all, is really listening for tomorrow night's speech. It's the pivot point. It is where he takes the campaign from here straight into November.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes. You know, they will have three days of speakers singing his praises, emphasizing heavily his experience under fire in Vietnam and arguing that makes him suitable for commander in chief; shows he can handle the pressures of a national crisis.
But ultimately John Kerry, himself, has to justify that portrait. The moments when these candidates are out there alone, in front of the voters, the acceptance speech at the convention and the debates loom very large, especially for a challenger who, even after this week is still, I think, facing shallow and fragmentary impressions from much of the electorate, or much of the electorate. DOBBS: Ron Brownstein, Roger Simon, Karen Tumulty, we thank you very much as we continue to look forward to your coverage of the Democratic National Convention. Thank you.
More now on the developing story out of California where the deadly poison, ricin, has been discovered in baby food; at least one container. Miguel Marquez has the very latest for us on the story from Irvine, California. Miguel?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Lou, we're at the city council hall here where they've just concluded that press conference. And there was a doctor on from the FDA who actually found that ricin- like material in this baby food. It was Gerber baby food, banana yogurt-type baby food found at a Ralph's store here on two different occasions, two different dates, by two different families.
And FBI officials tell me -- this was a short time ago -- that it wasn't technically ricin, although it was very close to it. What they found in that food was ricin, ricinine and ricinoleic acid, which are components of ricin. When they are mixed together, essentially, it would create a sort of weaponized-type ricin, a very small amount of which could kill a person.
In this case, two babies ingested at least two spoonfuls each. The parents then found a note in the baby food indicating the name of an Irvine police officer. They obviously stopped serving the baby, then took them to the hospital.
The note indicated that the baby food had been contaminated. An FDA lab in Cincinnati just confirmed the fact that these three trace elements of ricin are in the baby food. And now police are looking for Charles Dewey Cage, a person they say, they'd like to talk to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MAGGARD, IRVINE POLICE CHIEF: I think all I can tell you about Mr. Cage, at this point, is that he's somebody who was in the area at a relevant time, and we believe, under the circumstances that he has information about the incidents. And we would like to talk to him to find out what he knows.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: Now, what police and investigators are saying here now is that they feel quite confident that they have all the contaminated ricin from the shelves of this one store; that there is no more out there.
But they are warning people, just in the event, to make sure and get tamper proof bottles. Make sure you hear that little pop in the bottle when you open it, and also to serve the baby food onto a plate rather than just serving it straight out of the bottle.
The Gerber Baby Company told the Associated Press that they believe that all of this baby food that was contaminated happened after the manufacturing process. Lou? DOBBS: Now, let's be clear, Miguel. It's two containers that we know for a fact have been tampered with. Is that correct?
MARQUEZ: Well, it's actually three containers total, two families. One family had two containers of it. So three containers, Lou.
DOBBS: And the police have no indication, one way or the other, as to whether or not there's a broader danger to the public at this point?
MARQUEZ: They believe there is not a broader danger to the public. They are looking for this one individual to talk to him. They won't even go as far as to say he's a person of interest in this case.
But they are, at least, warning people to take extra care when opening up the baby food tonight. Lou?
DOBBS: Absolutely. Miguel Marquez reporting from Irvine, California. Thank you.
Still ahead here, the Middle Class Squeeze; a look at how Senator John Kerry and the Democratic Party plan to deal with the growing energy crisis facing this country's middle class, in particular.
And Democrats accuse Republicans of dividing this nation on social issues. I'll be talking about that and a great deal more with "Washington Post" political columnist E.J. Dionne, live from the Democratic Convention. Next. Stay with us.
DOBBS: Keynote speakers at the Democratic Convention have accused Republicans of dividing this country.
My guest tonight says Democrats plan to continue emphasizing that theme. Joining me now from the Democratic Convention, E.J. Dionne, Political Columnist, "Washington Post." Good to have you here tonight.
Are there any headlines out of there tonight?
E.J. DIONNE, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, "WASHINGTON POST": I think the only headline tonight is how John Edwards does making a case for somebody else. He was good at making a case for himself. It's not always easy to step in and make a case for your old opponent. And we'll see how he does.
DOBBS: He has been generally credited with being an enthusiastic, effective speaker. So it will, as you say, be interesting.
This issue of accusing the Republicans of dividing the country, the country is, in point of fact, either divided or, if you're more of an optimist and I would put myself in that camp, I see it as somewhat balanced, that is., about 50 percent Democrats, 50 percent Republicans. Is that an effective charge to lay against Republicans when you're sitting in a polarized society?
DIONNE: Well, I think it is, Lou. I think what the Democrats are trying to do is to raise the cause to the Republicans of raising those social issues that are divisive, whether you're talking about gay rights or abortion, racial politics that Barack Obama addressed, both implicitly and explicitly.
And I think what they want to do is if the Republicans in the fall start raising shows issues on patriotism, Democrats want to follow Ronald Reagan and say, "Aha. Here they go again."
And so they're going to have that kind of automatic response to a set of issues that have hurt Democrats for about 30 years.
DOBBS: I was talking with Karen Tumulty and Roger Simon and Ron Brownstein earlier, E.J. I asked them just how important is Senator Kerry's speech tomorrow. I want to ask you the same question.
Just how critical is his performance and what he does say?
DIONNE: Well, I think it's extremely important because the Republicans have been trying to build a wall between John Kerry and people who kind of want to fire Bush but aren't sure yet. And Kerry's job is to tear down that wall.
He's got to do that by looking strong. And he's got to, at least, be likable enough to people. We're actually talking about the effects of this speech on a rather small number of Americans: swing voters. Already a small group, the swing voters, who will be watching this broadcast, but also the swing voters that are going to see it and replay it afterward.
I think Kerry is in the position that George Bush -- the first George Bush -- was. In 1998 he followed Ronald Reagan. People said, "How can he be as good as Reagan was?" And he's got going for him what the second George Bush had.
The second George Bush once said, "People have always misunderestimated me." And I think Kerry is hoping that people misunderestimating him will make him look better on Thursday night.
DOBBS: And we will see. We begin with Senator Edwards tonight. E.J. Dionne, thank you.
DIONNE: Great to be with you, Lou.
DOBBS: When we continue tonight, the Middle Class Squeeze, our special report. Tonight, how the Democratic Party plans to deal with the country's worsening energy crisis. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: Tonight we focus on this country's worsening energy problems on a night in which oil prices reached an all time record high, moving above $43 a barrel.
And tonight, what some propose to do about it. Peter Viles reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It may be the biggest pocket book issue of the campaign. Amid a national love affair with gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, rising gas prices, rising oil prices, increased American dependence on foreign oil. Candidate John Kerry frames it as an economic and a national security issue.
KERRY: No young American in uniform should ever be held hostage to America's dependency and gluttony on fossil fuel oil, oil from the Middle East. We're going to declare energy independence for this country and move us to a future that is clean and healthy and provides the security of this nation.
VILES: But it is not clear how Kerry, or anyone else, can end America's addiction to foreign oil or hold down gas prices.
PETER BEUTEL, CAMERON HANOVER, INC.: I don't know that there's very much that the government can do right now. We might release some barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the hope that that will dampen speculative enthusiasm. But I don't see any quick fixes to this problem.
VILES: Kerry has stressed conservation but that's a tough sell. In Congress, he lost badly in a push to increase fuel economy standards. The auto industry and the Bush administration argue that that was a job killer.
Kerry's still pushing improved fuel efficiencies but he's also promising $10 billion to the auto industry to develop advanced technology vehicles and $4,000 tax rebates to consumers who buy them.
DEB CALLAHAN, PRESIDENT, LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS: We can move forward in the next three or four years, in fact, to decrease our oil consumption very, very quickly. This is not something that we have to wait 10 years to start to do. It's something we can start doing today.
VILES: Kerry also wants the federal government to set an example by cutting its own energy bill by 20 percent over 15 years.
Kerry says it's going to take a massive effort on the scale of the Manhattan Project to make America energy independent. Critics say it's just not possible. The chairman of Exxon Mobil said just last month, whether we like it or not in this country, we will always depend on foreign oil.
Peter Viles, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOBBS: And we'll be right back. Please stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: Tomorrow night, please join us. Congressman Harold Ford of Tennessee will be our guest.
Thanks for being here. Good night from New York.
"ANDERSON COOPER 360" is next.
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Aired July 28, 2004 - 18:00 ET
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LOU DOBBS, HOST: Tonight, the worst day of violence in Iraq since the United States handed over power to the Iraqis exactly one month ago today. Insurgents kill nearly 70 Iraqis in a bomb attack and a new challenge to the American-backed Iraqi government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We must not let these kinds of tragic incidents deter us from our goal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOBBS: Tonight, we focus on Iraq, the global war on terror, and other critical foreign policy issues with Kerry adviser Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.
Also tonight shocking new concerns about e-voting. Two computer crashes destroy almost all the electronic records of a Florida county's gubernatorial primaries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until the machines can be shown to be error- free, then paper may be something we continue to have to rely on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOBBS: And Senator John Kerry has arrived in Boston at the Democratic National Convention. We'll have a preview of Senator John Edwards' speech tonight and report on what the Republicans are saying about those Democrats.
And in our "Face Off" tonight, a debate on whether President Bush or Senator Kerry is best qualified to be a wartime president.
ANNOUNCER: This is LOU DOBBS TONIGHT for Wednesday, July 28. Here now for an hour of news, debate and opinion is Lou Dobbs.
DOBBS: Good evening. We begin tonight with a disturbing story from southern California. The FBI says trace amounts of the deadly poison ricin have been found in at least one jar of Gerber baby food in Irvine, California. The FBI is now investigating two separate incidents over the past two months in which parents reported finding notes inside those jars. The FBI says the notes warn that the food was poisoned. The FBI, along with the Food and Drug Administration, and local law enforcement in southern California are expected to hold a news conference, in fact, at any moment and we'll be going there live as soon as it occurs.
In other incidents today, a woman is in federal custody after she was smuggled across the Mexico border. She is suspected of having links with the al Qaeda terrorist network. Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is working this story and will be joining us in the broadcast in just a matter of moments.
We'll also have a report for you on the most violent day in Iraq since the United States handed over power to the Iraqis one month ago today.
But turning first to the Democratic Convention in Boston where Senator John Edwards tonight will launch an all-out attack on the Republicans. Senator Edwards is expected to accuse the Republicans of taking the campaign for the highest office in the land down the lowest possible road. Senator Edwards' speech will set the stage for Senator Kerry's nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate, steps forward tomorrow to accept the nomination of his party.
We begin our coverage tonight with John King on the floor of the convention center -- John.
JOHN KING, SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And Lou, I'm standing behind the North Carolina delegation. These seats filled up very early. Of course, their senator, John Edwards, as you noted, will be here tonight to speak to this convention. He will deliver what aides say will be a note worthy speech and that he will not mention once by name President Bush or Vice President Cheney. Still, Senator Edwards will lead the Democratic attack tonight on what he will say are Bush administration's priorities that have led the nation in the wrong direction, whether the question be the economy and taxes or on Iraq.
Senator Edwards in his speech tonight also will continue the Democratic theme of promoting Senator Kerry's service in the Vietnam War. He will talk about his service in that war and call Senator Kerry -- quote -- "decisive, strong. Aren't those the traits you want in a commander-in-chief? As you noted, he will also say that the Republicans are running a dirty campaign, saying the campaign for the highest office in the land down to the lowest possible road.
We were told, though, Senator Edwards himself decided he did not want to mention President Bush or Vice President Cheney by name. That is part of what the Democrats say is an effort to run a positive campaign. The Republicans, though, Lou, say they have looked at all the speeches delivered so far at this convention and they find this convention despite that promise to be high on attacks and low on positive rhetoric -- Lou.
DOBBS: John, the Republicans, as you know, today stepped up their attacks on Senator Kerry. The RNC saying the Democratic Convention is simply an extreme makeover, as they put it, of Senator Kerry's record in the Senate -- the thoughts there.
KING: Quite a contest Lou. Senator Kerry comes into this convention knowing the polls show the American people still trust President Bush more to lead the situation in Iraq. Still trust President Bush more to be commander-in-chief in the broader war on terrorism. So, the whole theme of this convention is that Senator Kerry can be commander-in-chief. A stronger America is what the Kerry campaign is saying. The Republicans are saying that that is simply in denial of Senator Kerry's record in the Senate.
Today in a news conference they said both Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards have missed key votes in the Senate, key hearings in the Intelligence Committee of those types. And so, Lou, as the Democrats make their case here in Boston, the Republicans are on hand here as well to rebut them, saying Senator Kerry is anything but ready to be commander-in-chief. And as part of that, they have released new videos (UNINTELLIGIBLE) saying that his position on the Iraq war shifted dramatically from supporting the president to being against the war because of the Howard Dean candidacy and other impacts of the Democratic primaries -- Lou.
DOBBS: John King from the floor of the convention center. Thank you John.
Senator Kerry today arrived in Boston today declaring the Democrats are about to write the next great chapter in American history. Senator Kerry says he's looking forward to delivering his acceptance speech tomorrow. That speech will seek to portray Senator Kerry as a more effective commander-in-chief than President Bush.
Frank Buckley is outside the convention center with that story -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, even John Kerry's arrival here in Boston designed to make that point. He arrived here in Boston first by plane, then he got on a boat and crossed the Boston Harbor in a boat with fellow Vietnam veterans at his side -- most of them fellow swift boat crewmates from his Vietnam days. It's just the latest effort by the Kerry campaign to remind voters of Kerry's wartime credentials, his Silver Star and other decorations as they try to reassure voters on Kerry's national security credentials.
This push all about military credentials coming as John just mentioned polls continue to show that most voters still -- or more voters believe that it's President Bush who can handle terrorism in Iraq better than John Kerry. Senator Kerry saying he is now here in Boston and he is ready to make the case that he can be the commander- in-chief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Tonight you're going to hear from John Edwards and I'm -- I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to my opportunity a little more than 24 hours from now to share with you and all of America a vision for how we're going to make this country stronger at home and respected in the world. That's exactly what we're going to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: The arrival here in Boston, Lou, by Senator Kerry coming after a week of campaigning across the country, in a number of states. Most of them major battleground states. He was in Iowa, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, all major battleground states. He was also in Colorado and Virginia. Not technically among the 16 or 17 so- called battleground states, but they are states in which the Democrats feel the Republicans could be vulnerable and they're spending time and money in those states. No more public events scheduled for John Kerry until his big speech on Thursday night. We're told that for the moment he is resting his voice and working on that speech -- Lou.
DOBBS: Frank Buckley, thank you.
Both Senator Kerry and President Bush are promising quick action to implement the recommendations of the September 11 commission. The first congressional hearings, in fact, on that report will be held Friday. But now some are saying that it is a mistake to introduce reforms too quickly.
Congressional correspondent Ed Henry reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doing our work and we thank you...
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Unlike most blue ribbon panels the 9/11 commission is not going quietly into the night.
ALLAN LICHTMAN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Usually with these commissions they drop their report from an airplane and take off. Now these commissioners have made the report their own. They've not only become reporters, they have become lobbyists.
HENRY: John Kerry has endorsed their blueprint to radically change the nation's intelligence structure. President Bush is considering changes by executive order. At least half a dozen congressional panels are gearing up for hearings and vowing swift legislative action.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MAJORITY WHIP: The job is now for the president and for the Congress to look at the recommendations and to implement them as rapidly as possible.
HENRY: But some experts warn everyone may be moving too fast because of pressure from the commission. The former chairman of a presidential commission on terror says hasty reform could create new problems.
JIM GILMORE, FMR. CHMN. PRES. TERROR COMMISSION: They've created a frazzling jangling of nerves in the political system and the result of that is that we may be rushing to some of their proposals that maybe shouldn't be supported.
LICHTMAN: But said that Congress passed the Patriot Act without anybody reading it. We cannot afford to rush into scrambling our entire intelligence operation in this country because of political pressure.
HENRY: But 9/11 commissioners point out that many of these changes, such as creating a national director of intelligence, have been studied for years.
RICHARD BEN-VENISTE (D), 9/11 COMMISSION: Congress, with all deliberate speed, must look at our recommendations and we are -- we don't have the luxury of waiting. These -- some of these recommendations are long overdue.
HENRY: Commissioners also note the government is warning there could be terror attacks before the election. So, they say, there's no time for delay.
BEN-VENISTE: The Islamist terrorist movement, be it al Qaeda or others, have been known to be patient, entrepreneurial, clever and are willing to study our system to exploit our weaknesses.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Lawmakers also may be loathe to slow down the momentum of this commission. Its final report is so popular it's already sold an estimated 350,000 copies in book form. And this past weekend the commission's Web site got 50 million hits, Lou.
DOBBS: Ed, this call for Congress to slow down, it's well documented that the leadership in the House and the Senate did not want to proceed quickly here. Is this just a contrivance to give them some cover in a decision to slow down?
HENRY: I think there's genuine concern that on issues like the Patriot Act, for example, right after 9/11 there was such political pressure to do something, anything, to try to fix the system. Now you know a lot of lawmakers did not read that law before they passed it. Now two or three years later they're regretting it. So I think there's genuine concern out there that it might move too quickly.
DOBBS: Ed Henry, we thank you.
Turning now to the story that we reported at the outset of the broadcast, the discovery of ricin in Gerber baby food. We're going to a news conference that I understand is now under way live in Irvine, California. Authorities now speaking -- David Maggard, Irvine police chief, speaking.
DAVID MAGGARD, IRVINE POLICE CHIEF: ... and are following up the leads we do have in this case. No one has been arrested to date. There remains much that we do not know about this case and some of what we do know we can't talk about. My main purpose today is to emphasize the importance of making sure that any packaged foods you eat, especially baby food at this time, has not been tampered with prior to you buying it. Because the District Attorney's office has been involved in this case since its inception, I want to introduce District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, who will answer questions to the extent possible about this case. Thank you.
TONY RACKAUCKAS, ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Thank you Chief Maggard. Let me just say that this has been -- this is now an active investigation, and so there -- pretty much most of the facts are things that we are not going to be able to share with you at this time and I hope that you understand that. We're having to do a careful balancing act here between informing the public of possible health dangers and making sure that we bring the person or persons responsible for this act to justice.
Chief Maggard gave you the basic facts that we can release at this time. And first I want to say to you that the folks at Gerber products have been helping us on this case. They've been very cooperative. This was a localized incident involving two incidents where people picked up baby food off the shelf at one store, in one city in our country. The two incidents were May 31, 2004 and June 16, 2004.
There had been no further incidents since then. I think it's important at this point to say that we've identified this person, Charles Dewey Cage, as somebody that we -- who we want to talk to. I wouldn't categorize him as a suspect or a person of interest, but he was somebody who was in the area at a relevant time, and we believe that Mr. Cage has information that will be important to us relating to these incidents. So I'll ask Mr. Cage -- Mr. Cage, if you're listening, please call my office. And I'd like to indicate that Mr. Cage is male, black, 47 years old. He's 5'9" and 190 pounds, black hair and brown eyes.
DOBBS: Charles Dewey Cage identified as a person that authorities in Irvine, California, want to talk about in association with this incident, the discovery of ricin, the deadly poison, in a bottle of Gerber baby food. A second known incident, as authorities there have suggested they are not sharing with the public right now all that they do know about this case and this story developing, breaking as we are speaking. But this person obviously a person of -- as they describe it, not a person of interest, but someone they want to talk about this case with. The distinction I'm not entirely clear what that would be. But nonetheless, it appears they have at least some beginning of a lead in this very important investigation.
In just a moment we'll have the very latest on a woman who is now being held in federal custody after having been smuggled across the Mexico border. She is suspected of having links with the al Qaeda terrorist network and possibly linked to terrorist incidents overseas. Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve, working this story, will be here to report in just a few minutes.
DOBBS: Turning to the war in Iraq today. Exactly one month after the United States transferred power to the interim Iraqi government, insurgents launched a wave of deadly attacks. Four Americans were killed, two died fighting in the city of Ramadi. Two other Americans were killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. The worst attack today in Baquba where a suicide bomber killed nearly 70 Iraqis outside a police station.
Michael Holmes reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened at 9:40 in the morning, a busy time in a busy place. The heart of Baquba was bustling, shops were busy, there was a market and at an Iraqi police station, scores of young men waiting to enlist. Police say a suicide bomber drove a minibus into the crowd and detonated his explosives. The scene was one of carnage and chaos as emergency workers were called in from around the city to help with the casualties and there were many.
Scores were killed. Scores more wounded. Among the dead, all 21 passengers on board a second bus passing by when the bomb detonated. Many of those potential police recruits also on the list of dead and wounded. There were numerous smaller attacks around Iraq on Wednesday, the one-month anniversary of the handover of power to the Iraqi interim government.
(on camera): Baquba has seen similar attacks in the past, suicide bombings, car bombs and shootings. And today, as in the past, the target, Iraqi security forces and those who wish to join them.
Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOBBS: The deaths of four Americans in Baghdad today bring the total number of American troops killed in Iraq to 912. Fifty-eight Americans have been killed in the four weeks since the handover on June 28. That compares with the total of 38 Americans killed in the month before the handover of sovereignty to the Iraqis.
Still ahead here, Jeanne Meserve will have the latest for us on a woman now in federal custody who could have links to radical Islamist terrorism. That's next.
We'll also have the latest for you on the baby food story -- baby food containing the deadly poison ricin in southern California. We'll have a live report. Miguel Marquez covering that story.
And tonight I'll be talking with senior Kerry adviser, former U.N. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke about the foreign policy differences between Senator Kerry and President Bush.
And then tonight, the debate over which candidate is best qualified to lead this country in wartime. Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute, Lawrence Korb with the Center for American Progress "Face Off" tonight.
And e-voting records erased in Florida. Computer records from a paperless election two years ago have disappeared. We'll have a special report on those developments and the latest concerns about e- democracy. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: In the war on radical Islamist terror, federal agents in Texas are now investigating whether a woman they arrested last week has ties to al Qaeda or other radical Islamist terrorist organizations. The woman reportedly admitted to authorities that she was smuggled across the U.S./Mexican border across the Rio Grande.
Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is in Boston and has the live report for us -- Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Lou, officials do tell us that a 40-year-old woman who purports to be from South Africa is now being looked at by authorities for possible ties to terrorism. A government official says she may have ties to previous acts of terrorism and is a person of concern. Her name is Farida Gullam Mohammed Ahmed (ph). She was detained at the McAllen Miller International Airport in McAllen, Texas, on July 19 as she passed through a TSA checkpoint trying to board a flight to New York City.
She was carrying a South African passport according to officials I have spoken with. Six pages had been taken out of that passport and it did not have a stamp indicating her entry into the United States. She also did not have a visa with her. She also was carrying about $7,000 in currency, most of it in U.S. dollars and she had an itinerary with her. This itinerary indicated that she had traveled from South Africa through the United Arab Emirates to London and then later took a flight from London to Mexico City.
At the time she was stopped in McAllen, Texas, she was carrying a bag, which contained some muddy clothes. This led customs and border agents to believe she might have come across the border illegally. That is something that she later did say she had done to officials. Now, the backdrop for all of this, of course, is that there's been concern about the porous nature of the Mexican border and whether or not terrorists might try to exploit this.
There has been worry that terrorists might be trying to recruit women to work as operatives for them and also concern that terrorists might try to stage some kind of attack in the run up to the U.S. election. At the moment, this woman is being held without bail as the investigation continues into exactly if she is who she says she is, what she was doing, where she was going and whether or not she does indeed have ties to terrorism.
Lou, back to you.
DOBBS: Jeanne, thank you. Jeanne Meserve, our homeland security correspondent who will keep us up to date on these developments as more is learned about this suspect now being held in federal hands in Texas.
Of course one of the biggest challenges facing Senator Kerry now is to convince Americans he will make this country safer from terrorists than President Bush. Senator Kerry has promised to restore traditional alliances with America's friends overseas. Senator Kerry has also declared he will stay the course in Iraq and he says he will permanently increase the size of the military by 40,000 troops.
Senator Kerry has also vowed to overhaul America's intelligence services. I'm joined now from Boston by one of the senator's top foreign policy advisers, Richard Holbrooke, who served as U.S. ambassador at the United Nations and a former assistant secretary of state.
Good to have you with us. The issue, Ambassador, is the degree to which Senator Kerry must change his perception amongst the American electorate. What will be necessary to do that?
RICHARD HOLBROOKE, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I don't think a lot of the electorate knows enough about John Kerry yet. Those of us who have known him as I have, for 20 years, know his record in Vietnam, where he was an extraordinary war hero almost take it for granted. So do you, Lou. Turns out that a good chunk of the American public doesn't know yet that he's a war hero, indeed that he volunteered for Vietnam, when many people of his generation and educational background simply dodged the draft or sought National Guard duty. Many people don't know that he's Roman Catholic. Forty- two years ago -- 44 years ago at this time when Jack Kennedy ran for the presidency, that was the issue. People ought to know that. People ought to know he's a prosecutor.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLBROOKE: Now Lou, you actually outlined his key positions very well.
DOBBS: Thank you. By the way, in terms of taking it for granted, I assure you, Richard, at this point I take nothing for granted, particularly when it comes to politics. The fact is that Senator Kerry and President Bush have a battle on their hands. This election looks like it will be extraordinarily close. The position that Senator Kerry has taken on Iraq does not particularly in any way distinguish him from President Bush. How will you deal with that issue?
HOLBROOKE: May I respectfully rephrase your question?
DOBBS: No, but you...
(CROSSTALK)
DOBBS: ... you can sure as heck answer it any way you want.
HOLBROOKE: OK Lou. The position President Bush has taken on Iraq does not significantly differ from the position Senator Kerry took two years ago in which President Bush has steadily moved towards. The same thing has happened on every one of the points you just put up on the board. Senator Kerry called for 40,000 new troops. Bush is now asking for the same.
Senator Kerry called for a 9/11 commission and intelligence reform. The Bush administration opposed that commission for a year, and is now in the process of desperately trying to play catch up. And in Iraq, it was Kerry who kept the consistent position for NATO, U.N. and internationalization. It's the Bush administration that has followed suit. So, I don't think this issue is about technical differences.
It's about a real choice. And the real choice is between a person who is an internationalist by background, the son of a diplomat, raised in Berlin during the Cold War, at home in foreign countries, 20 years in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a Vietnam War hero versus a president and an administration which have a much more insular view. And that's why one of the themes of this convention is respect abroad. We've lost a lot of it. We want to regain it.
DOBBS: Richard Holbrooke, Ambassador, it's good to have you with us and we thank you very much.
HOLBROOKE: Thank you, Lou. Always a pleasure to be with you.
DOBBS: Still ahead here, we'll have the very latest for you on that developing story in California, the discovery of the deadly poison ricin in at least one container of baby food there. We'll have that report for you.
Also the race for the White House and the debate over just who is the stronger leader during wartime -- President George Bush, Senator John Kerry. Our "Face Off" is next.
And the "Middle Class Squeeze", Senator Kerry says his plan for energy independence will help working families save money. Critics, however, say they question whether energy independence is even possible. Our special report is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: LOU DOBBS TONIGHT continues. Here now for more news, debate, and opinion, Lou Dobbs.
DOBBS: Recent polls are showing President Bush and John Kerry absolutely in a dead heat in the race for the White House, but voters have consistently favored President Bush when it comes to the war on radical Islamist terror.
In the most recent polls, President Bush leads Senator Kerry by an 18-point margin on that issue. Likely voters also favor President Bush on the issue of Iraq. Leading the country in times of war is at the center of our issue tonight on Face Off.
Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute says John Kerry is more worried about what France will say than what the American people have to say. Lawrence Korb, on the other hand, calls President Bush a draft dodger and says John Kerry would undoubtedly make a better war time President. He's with the Center for American Progress, also assistant secretary of defense under President Reagan. Both join us tonight from Washington. Good to have you with us.
LAWRENCE KORB, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Nice to be with you.
DANIELLE PLETKA, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Thank you.
DOBBS: Danielle, 12 retired generals and admirals have endorsed Senator Kerry. Does this suggest a vulnerability on the part of the President?
PLETKA: Well, 20 Medal of Honor winners have endorsed President Bush. I think these kind of contests are foolish and beneath both the President and Senator Kerry. This isn't a contest about how -- whether people with medals and titles like the President or the would- be president. This is a contest between who will be a better leader for our nation in very, very troubled times.
And I think that the answer is fairly straightforward. I believe that it is President Bush. We know what he stands for. We know where he'll take us. None of us have any idea where Kerry is going or what he's going to do.
DOBBS: Lawrence?
KORB: Well, first of all, I think Danielle is right. The question is who will take us in the right place.
As I look at President Bush, I'm not quite sure where he's going in Iraq. When he first went in there, he said that we'd be greeted as liberators. That turned out not to be true.
He said that we'd be down to 30,000 troops by the end of 2003. That turned out not to be true.
He said he'd have a constitution before he'd have elections, then he changed that.
And, I think -- you go back to something President Clinton said the other night, I think was really the key: "You have to not only have strength, but wisdom." And I think Senator Kerry, based upon his experience in the Senate, as well as experience in Vietnam, would have had the wisdom to listen to people like General Shinseki, the army chief of staff, who said, "In order to secure the peace after the battle in Iraq, you're going to need at least 200,000 troops." They dismissed General Shinseki; paid no attention to him. We're still paying the price for that.
General Zinni, who had commanded the Central Command up until 2000 said, "You would not be greeted as liberators." He was the military's foremost expert on the Arab world. They took him away from his job as the Middle East envoy.
DOBBS: I think you've gotten just about equal time so far. Danielle, turning to the issue of Senator Kerry, his military background; President Bush, his military background; the issues surrounding Iraq and the war on terror.
One of the things that the September 11th Commission Report criticized this administration for was not calling it what it is: not a war on terror, but a war against radical Islamists committing terror. That is a profound issue.
Do you expect to see this administration show resiliency, flexibility and adapt on nearly every level to the September 11th Commission?
PLETKA: I do expect the administration to show resiliency and to be very responsive to the report, which I think was incredibly serious and needs to be moved on in a very serious way, as we move toward the election and after the election.
But I think games of semantics really aren't what is at issue here.
DOBBS: Then why is the Bush administration playing games of semantics when it is a war against a specific group of people trying to commit terror, not terror itself, but against the enemies of the United States who are radical Islamists?
PLETKA: Well, Lou, I really beg to differ. I think that the war on terrorism is a war on terrorists. And, yes the terrorists are Islamic radicalists and Islamic extremists. But I'll give you an example.
I was recently excoriated in Europe and told that we shouldn't call this a war on terror; we should call this a war on Al Qaeda. Now, all of us know that this isn't just a war on Al Qaeda that, in fact, there are a whole variety of extremist groups.
The issue really isn't labeling who we fight; it's about fighting in a proper way, in an aggressive way that protects our nation.
DOBBS: Is it your sense, Lawrence, that Senator Kerry would call this what it is, a war on radical Islamist terror? Is it your sense that that is a significant issue?
KORB: Well, I think it is because terrorism is a tactic. And what's happened is, as the Army War College Study said, we've conflated all terrorists together and we've taken our eye off the ball.
And what happened was, we had not finished the job in Afghanistan. Before we finished the job there, we diverted our attention to Iraq and, consequently, we're not where we need to be in either place. And by going into Iraq, we've actually got more recruits for these radical Islamic terrorists.
DOBBS: Lawrence, I wonder about that issue myself, straightforwardly, the fact that we've created more terrorists. We've certainly destroyed a despotic regime in Iraq. There's no question that 25 million Iraqis have the opportunity for freedom.
Is it really, in your judgment, correct to criticize the administration for the war that was conducted rather than the post major combat operations and the conduct of the civil administration and the military operations since? KORB: Well, I think they went in before they needed to. They had not finished the job in Afghanistan. And we know that early in 2002, we took a lot of the resources, a lot of the special forces people that had been going after Bin Laden, and sent them over to Iraq. We hadn't finished the job in Afghanistan and that, I think, was a mistake, in addition, as you mentioned, to the post conflict stage.
So, I think we got it on both occasions, and since we went in under what turned out not to be the correct reasons that the President told us, this has convinced people in that part of the world that Bin Laden is right; that we were only there for the wrong reasons.
DOBBS: Your response, Danielle? I see you there wanting to speak, and I want to give you that opportunity. You get the last word.
PLETKA: And I restrained myself. Our choices were very straightforward going in Iraq. Saddam Hussein would be in power today had we not removed that terrible regime. The 9/11 Commission said very clearly that Saddam Hussein had extensive connections with terrorist groups.
Throughout the 1990s, many of us said that we should be going into Afghanistan. And we heard those voices saying, "No, no. The time isn't right. Let's not do it." The time was right. We need to deal with the threats when they come to us, not when they arrive in the United States. Thank you very much.
KORB: Well, the 9/11 Commission said that Iran was a much bigger danger than Iraq and they had much more extensive ties with Al Qaeda.
PLETKA: So, are you advocating attacking Iran, Larry?
KORB: And there was no operational relationship between Iraq and what happened on September 11th. And even the president said it was not an imminent danger.
DOBBS: Lawrence, Danielle, it turns out I have to have the last word and say thank you both, and come back and we'll discuss this issue, I assure you, with some frequency in the weeks ahead leading up to the November elections.
Danielle, Lawrence, thank you very much.
PLETKA: Thank you, Lou.
KORB: Nice to be with you.
DOBBS: Just ahead here, we'll have the very latest on that developing story in California. Ricin discovered in at least one bottle of baby food there. An investigation under way, obviously.
Also, record oil prices today. It has become now a major issue in the campaign. We'll tell you what the candidates are doing about energy or planning to do about energy, or saying what they will do about energy. Next in our special report, the Middle Class Squeeze.
Senator John Edwards, on stage tonight. How does a Senator from North Carolina size up to Vice President Dick Cheney? Well, hear from three of the nation's top political journalists, coming right up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: Joining me now for more on the Kerry campaign, the Bush campaign and the Democratic Convention, three of the nation's top political journalists, at the convention.
Ron Brownstein, "L.A. Times," Karen Tumulty, National Political Correspondent, "Time Magazine," Roger Simon, Political Editor, "U.S. News and World Report, joining us tonight from the Fleet Center, as if you couldn't tell.
Roger, let me ask, how important is what Senator Edwards is going to do tonight?
ROGER SIMON, POLITICAL EDITOR, "U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT": Well, it's very important. Each night of this convention is more dobs of paint on a canvas, building a picture of both men. And this is the first time we've had someone from the top of the ticket speaking about himself, for himself and, of course, introducing Senator Kerry.
And one of the real strengths that Edwards has shown since he was chosen as the vice presidential nominee was that he defends and talks about Senator Kerry very, very well. Some people think he does it, in fact, better than Kerry does himself, and that's his role here tonight.
DOBBS: Karen, Mrs. Kerry, Teresa Heinz Kerry; her performance last night. How important to the candidate?
KAREN TUMULTY, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "TIME MAGAZINE": Oh, I think it was very important. Certainly, the first thing she had to do was to really put out the fire of the story that she herself had created.
And I think that it was one of the rare times we see Teresa Heinz Kerry with a script. She seemed to have followed it. And her whole demeanor which, by the way, is very much like what you see on the campaign trail, was very subdued, and I think she got her message out.
RON BROWNSTEIN, "L.A. TIMES": Can I disagree, Lou?
DOBBS: You may do whatever you wish, Ron.
BROWNSTEIN: I'm going to jump right in. I thought -- look, if the goal was to sell Teresa Heinz Kerry, it was fine. But Teresa Heinz Kerry isn't running for president.
Her real role out there was to do one thing they really haven't done that effectively yet, I think, which is humanize her husband and give a clearer sense of him as a person, as a spouse, as a father. She didn't do much of that. When she talked about him being an optimistic person, she talked about his energy policy not his, sort of, day to day life and the family. And I thought it was pretty much of a missed opportunity and one that leaves, for the last night, an important task of bringing him more to life as a person.
SIMON: Can I take a middle ground?
DOBBS: No way. We want extremes here. This is politics.
SIMON: It was a dull speech and the campaign is happy with that.
TUMULTY: Exactly. They needed it.
SIMON: They're satisfied with her being dull. They don't want her to be controversial. They've got John Edwards and John Kerry to paint a human portrait of John Kerry.
And I don't think they ever expected a spouse to really rise to the occasion and address a national audience and somehow humanize the man. It would have been nice if she could have. I don't think she's capable of that.
DOBBS: Well, let me ask you this, because we now are at the penultimate point in the Democratic National Convention.
Senator Kerry steps forward to the podium to convince the nation -- those watching at least and listening tomorrow night -- as to why he should be President. Is this speech absolutely critical? Is this where he has to be wary of being contrasted, compared with President Clinton?
What are the stakes, in your judgment, Karen first you, if you would.
TUMULTY: You know, I think that this speech tomorrow night is, in fact, going to be the only thing that most Americans take away from this convention at all.
President Clinton talked to the Democratic faithful, but most of America, to the degree most of America is listening at all, is really listening for tomorrow night's speech. It's the pivot point. It is where he takes the campaign from here straight into November.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes. You know, they will have three days of speakers singing his praises, emphasizing heavily his experience under fire in Vietnam and arguing that makes him suitable for commander in chief; shows he can handle the pressures of a national crisis.
But ultimately John Kerry, himself, has to justify that portrait. The moments when these candidates are out there alone, in front of the voters, the acceptance speech at the convention and the debates loom very large, especially for a challenger who, even after this week is still, I think, facing shallow and fragmentary impressions from much of the electorate, or much of the electorate. DOBBS: Ron Brownstein, Roger Simon, Karen Tumulty, we thank you very much as we continue to look forward to your coverage of the Democratic National Convention. Thank you.
More now on the developing story out of California where the deadly poison, ricin, has been discovered in baby food; at least one container. Miguel Marquez has the very latest for us on the story from Irvine, California. Miguel?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Lou, we're at the city council hall here where they've just concluded that press conference. And there was a doctor on from the FDA who actually found that ricin- like material in this baby food. It was Gerber baby food, banana yogurt-type baby food found at a Ralph's store here on two different occasions, two different dates, by two different families.
And FBI officials tell me -- this was a short time ago -- that it wasn't technically ricin, although it was very close to it. What they found in that food was ricin, ricinine and ricinoleic acid, which are components of ricin. When they are mixed together, essentially, it would create a sort of weaponized-type ricin, a very small amount of which could kill a person.
In this case, two babies ingested at least two spoonfuls each. The parents then found a note in the baby food indicating the name of an Irvine police officer. They obviously stopped serving the baby, then took them to the hospital.
The note indicated that the baby food had been contaminated. An FDA lab in Cincinnati just confirmed the fact that these three trace elements of ricin are in the baby food. And now police are looking for Charles Dewey Cage, a person they say, they'd like to talk to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MAGGARD, IRVINE POLICE CHIEF: I think all I can tell you about Mr. Cage, at this point, is that he's somebody who was in the area at a relevant time, and we believe, under the circumstances that he has information about the incidents. And we would like to talk to him to find out what he knows.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: Now, what police and investigators are saying here now is that they feel quite confident that they have all the contaminated ricin from the shelves of this one store; that there is no more out there.
But they are warning people, just in the event, to make sure and get tamper proof bottles. Make sure you hear that little pop in the bottle when you open it, and also to serve the baby food onto a plate rather than just serving it straight out of the bottle.
The Gerber Baby Company told the Associated Press that they believe that all of this baby food that was contaminated happened after the manufacturing process. Lou? DOBBS: Now, let's be clear, Miguel. It's two containers that we know for a fact have been tampered with. Is that correct?
MARQUEZ: Well, it's actually three containers total, two families. One family had two containers of it. So three containers, Lou.
DOBBS: And the police have no indication, one way or the other, as to whether or not there's a broader danger to the public at this point?
MARQUEZ: They believe there is not a broader danger to the public. They are looking for this one individual to talk to him. They won't even go as far as to say he's a person of interest in this case.
But they are, at least, warning people to take extra care when opening up the baby food tonight. Lou?
DOBBS: Absolutely. Miguel Marquez reporting from Irvine, California. Thank you.
Still ahead here, the Middle Class Squeeze; a look at how Senator John Kerry and the Democratic Party plan to deal with the growing energy crisis facing this country's middle class, in particular.
And Democrats accuse Republicans of dividing this nation on social issues. I'll be talking about that and a great deal more with "Washington Post" political columnist E.J. Dionne, live from the Democratic Convention. Next. Stay with us.
DOBBS: Keynote speakers at the Democratic Convention have accused Republicans of dividing this country.
My guest tonight says Democrats plan to continue emphasizing that theme. Joining me now from the Democratic Convention, E.J. Dionne, Political Columnist, "Washington Post." Good to have you here tonight.
Are there any headlines out of there tonight?
E.J. DIONNE, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, "WASHINGTON POST": I think the only headline tonight is how John Edwards does making a case for somebody else. He was good at making a case for himself. It's not always easy to step in and make a case for your old opponent. And we'll see how he does.
DOBBS: He has been generally credited with being an enthusiastic, effective speaker. So it will, as you say, be interesting.
This issue of accusing the Republicans of dividing the country, the country is, in point of fact, either divided or, if you're more of an optimist and I would put myself in that camp, I see it as somewhat balanced, that is., about 50 percent Democrats, 50 percent Republicans. Is that an effective charge to lay against Republicans when you're sitting in a polarized society?
DIONNE: Well, I think it is, Lou. I think what the Democrats are trying to do is to raise the cause to the Republicans of raising those social issues that are divisive, whether you're talking about gay rights or abortion, racial politics that Barack Obama addressed, both implicitly and explicitly.
And I think what they want to do is if the Republicans in the fall start raising shows issues on patriotism, Democrats want to follow Ronald Reagan and say, "Aha. Here they go again."
And so they're going to have that kind of automatic response to a set of issues that have hurt Democrats for about 30 years.
DOBBS: I was talking with Karen Tumulty and Roger Simon and Ron Brownstein earlier, E.J. I asked them just how important is Senator Kerry's speech tomorrow. I want to ask you the same question.
Just how critical is his performance and what he does say?
DIONNE: Well, I think it's extremely important because the Republicans have been trying to build a wall between John Kerry and people who kind of want to fire Bush but aren't sure yet. And Kerry's job is to tear down that wall.
He's got to do that by looking strong. And he's got to, at least, be likable enough to people. We're actually talking about the effects of this speech on a rather small number of Americans: swing voters. Already a small group, the swing voters, who will be watching this broadcast, but also the swing voters that are going to see it and replay it afterward.
I think Kerry is in the position that George Bush -- the first George Bush -- was. In 1998 he followed Ronald Reagan. People said, "How can he be as good as Reagan was?" And he's got going for him what the second George Bush had.
The second George Bush once said, "People have always misunderestimated me." And I think Kerry is hoping that people misunderestimating him will make him look better on Thursday night.
DOBBS: And we will see. We begin with Senator Edwards tonight. E.J. Dionne, thank you.
DIONNE: Great to be with you, Lou.
DOBBS: When we continue tonight, the Middle Class Squeeze, our special report. Tonight, how the Democratic Party plans to deal with the country's worsening energy crisis. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: Tonight we focus on this country's worsening energy problems on a night in which oil prices reached an all time record high, moving above $43 a barrel.
And tonight, what some propose to do about it. Peter Viles reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It may be the biggest pocket book issue of the campaign. Amid a national love affair with gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, rising gas prices, rising oil prices, increased American dependence on foreign oil. Candidate John Kerry frames it as an economic and a national security issue.
KERRY: No young American in uniform should ever be held hostage to America's dependency and gluttony on fossil fuel oil, oil from the Middle East. We're going to declare energy independence for this country and move us to a future that is clean and healthy and provides the security of this nation.
VILES: But it is not clear how Kerry, or anyone else, can end America's addiction to foreign oil or hold down gas prices.
PETER BEUTEL, CAMERON HANOVER, INC.: I don't know that there's very much that the government can do right now. We might release some barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the hope that that will dampen speculative enthusiasm. But I don't see any quick fixes to this problem.
VILES: Kerry has stressed conservation but that's a tough sell. In Congress, he lost badly in a push to increase fuel economy standards. The auto industry and the Bush administration argue that that was a job killer.
Kerry's still pushing improved fuel efficiencies but he's also promising $10 billion to the auto industry to develop advanced technology vehicles and $4,000 tax rebates to consumers who buy them.
DEB CALLAHAN, PRESIDENT, LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS: We can move forward in the next three or four years, in fact, to decrease our oil consumption very, very quickly. This is not something that we have to wait 10 years to start to do. It's something we can start doing today.
VILES: Kerry also wants the federal government to set an example by cutting its own energy bill by 20 percent over 15 years.
Kerry says it's going to take a massive effort on the scale of the Manhattan Project to make America energy independent. Critics say it's just not possible. The chairman of Exxon Mobil said just last month, whether we like it or not in this country, we will always depend on foreign oil.
Peter Viles, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOBBS: And we'll be right back. Please stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: Tomorrow night, please join us. Congressman Harold Ford of Tennessee will be our guest.
Thanks for being here. Good night from New York.
"ANDERSON COOPER 360" is next.
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