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American Morning
Interview With Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; Life After Frances
Aired September 08, 2004 - 07:30 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Welcome back, everyone. It's 7:30 here in New York.
Don't change your TV there at home, because it's not nighttime behind us. It's just the after effects of Frances, huh?
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: I know. Now it feels like 3:00 in the morning.
HEMMER: Because the last half-hour felt like 2:00.
In the moment here, we're going to talk to the former secretary of state. Madeleine Albright is our guest in a few moments, talking about the sudden spike in casualties in Iraq, and also about the comments from the vice president yesterday linking a John Kerry presidency with how he would fight the war on terror if he were president. And John Kerry is going to make a speech in two hours from now, too, on this very issue. So we'll talk about that.
WALLACE: Also, Bill, as you know, in Florida, normal still seems like a long way away. We're going to look at the progress in responding to Hurricane Frances, talking to an official with Florida Power & Light about getting people's electricity back and the obstacles still in the way of that.
HEMMER: Hang in there, folks, if you're down in Florida.
In the meantime, here's Daryn Kagan at the CNN center.
Daryn -- good morning to you.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Bill.
You know, it's not just Florida. Over 100,000 people here in Georgia are still without power because of Frances as well. More on that ahead.
Right now, let's check the headlines.
Israeli forces are in action this morning in parts of the northern Gaza Strip. Bulldozers were seen plowing through olive groves. The army says the mission is aimed at stopping militants from firing rockets into southern Israel.
President Bush's support of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage will cost him the support of the Log Cabin Republicans. According to "The New York Times," leaders of the group made up of Republican gay men and lesbians, voted overwhelmingly to withhold its endorsement of the president. The group has also criticized John Kerry for what it calls flip-flops on same-sex marriage.
President Bush today is expected to survey damage caused by Hurricane Frances in Florida. Late yesterday, the U.S. House approved $2 billion in disaster aid.
Meanwhile, Ivan, now a powerful category 4 hurricane, is blamed for three deaths on the Caribbean island of Grenada. More on Ivan's path in about eight minutes.
It was a disappointing night at the U.S. Open for two-time champ Serena Williams. Williams was defeated in quarter final play by Jennifer Capriati after a number of questionable calls. The Portuguese umpire of the match has been sidelined for the rest of the tournament. The umpire overruled a line judge's call. Seen in replays, the ball was clearly inside the line.
Well, a sports trivia for you. It's the first time since 1998 that Venus and Serena Williams will finish the season without a major title.
HEMMER: Oh, that is good trivia.
KAGAN: Yes.
HEMMER: Well done, Daryn.
KAGAN: Thank you.
HEMMER: We'll talk to you later.
We want to get back to the issue of Iraq right now. And the American death toll is no doubt a big issue today in the race for the White House. Both candidates are criticizing each other and their plan to deal with the situation there. We talked last the half-hour with Tucker Eskew (ph) on the Bush camp.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is now my guest in the Kerry campaign headquarters in D.C.
And, Madam Secretary, good morning to you. Nice to have you back here on AMERICAN MORNING.
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: Good to be with you, Bill.
HEMMER: On the screen, you can see a poll just released yesterday, taken about two weeks ago. When asked whether or not with the 1,000 troop deaths what that means for the effort there: 58 percent say there should be no change in policy toward Iraq. If you're trying to win an election for John Kerry, how do you respond to those numbers? ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that it's very important for the American people to understand what is really going on in Iraq. We are in a position where we're looking at a country that is falling apart, where we now, as you have stated, 1,000 Americans have been killed. And there are more than 5,000 casualties there.
And it is unclear as to what the next steps are. And the administration is basically saying that this is a sign that the insurgents are getting stronger means that they're actually getting weaker. You know, it doesn't make any sense.
And I think that the American people are very smart, and that they're going to understand what is real and what is illusion. And we cannot just take what the administration is saying at face value. The facts on the ground just ain't (sic) so.
HEMMER: You said it's unclear what the steps are. How more clear are the steps if John Kerry's in the White House come January?
ALBRIGHT: I think what John Kerry has been saying for the last 18 months is that what is necessary is to internationalize this. And I think he has a much better chance of doing it, because he, from the very beginning, has understood the importance of alliances, and has also made very clear that the Americans don't want to be there on a permanent basis as occupiers.
And his position has been one, I think, that's been enunciated from the very beginning that this is something that has to be done by the international community. And it's costing American lives, and it's costing American treasure.
HEMMER: Here is what Senator Kerry will say in part in two hours in a speech on Iraq in Cincinnati. On the screen for our viewers, this speech will read in part: "$200 billion for going it alone in Iraq. That's the wrong choice. That's the wrong direction. And that's the wrong leadership for America. Time to make it right."
You just talked about pulling in other countries to help out with this alliance. Who's going to help at this point, Madam Secretary?
ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that you have to look at this going from the end-game, which is that there have to be elections. The elections cannot be held if the United Nations does not feel secure enough to carry them out. And it's going to require an international force to help them feel secure.
And I do think that with new leadership there is a much better opportunity to try to get some more Europeans and some -- from the moderate Arab countries and other Muslim countries.
And what is also required, Bill, is to let the region -- the regional countries be part of the negotiations, to be at the table, to have something like a contact group, or not to just have this be an American burden. This was a war of choice, not of necessity. But getting it right is a necessity and not a choice. And that's what Senator Kerry wants. HEMMER: Let me quickly move away from Iraq into Dick Cheney's comments yesterday on the war on terror. Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today on November 2 we make the right choice. Because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again, that we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States, and that we'll fall back into the pre-9/11 mindset, if you will: That, in fact, these terrorist attacks are just criminal acts and that we're not really at war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: The pre-9/11 mindset. Your response?
ALBRIGHT: Well, I have heard a lot of outrageous statements in my time in various presidential elections. But I think this kind of scare tactic by the vice president of the United States is irresponsible.
9/11, everybody knows, has changed a way that we are looking at fighting terrorism. Senator Kerry has made very clear that he will seek a victory over the terrorists, and that this is a battle that he will pursue with vigor. And I just find this kind of a statement over the top.
HEMMER: Madeleine Albright, thank you, Madam Secretary, from the Kerry campaign headquarters in D.C.
ALBRIGHT: Thank you very much, Bill.
HEMMER: Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill.
Turning to President Bush. Today, he will survey the damage in hurricane-ravaged Florida, and he'll bring $2 billion in federal money to help the state recover from the double whammy of Charley and Frances. Utility companies have been working overtime to restore power.
Pat Davis with Florida Power & Light joins us now from West Palm Beach.
Thanks for joining us this morning.
PAT DAVIS, FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT: You're welcome. Good morning.
WALLACE: Good morning.
Well, first, let's look at the numbers. How many of your customers are still without power? And when can they expect to the get that power back? DAVIS: That is the biggest question of every morning since Frances blew through here over the weekend. Currently, we have about 800,000 customers still without power. But the good news is that we've restored about two million customers since Frances blew through.
And Frances was a very slow-moving hurricane. It took her a long time to get away from us. So it's taken us a while to get out there. But we have a virtual army of workers working on this around the clock, and we're going to stay with it until we get all of our customers restored.
WALLACE: And that virtual army, what obstacles is that army of workers facing as it tries to get out there and restore power to all of these customers?
DAVIS: There are a couple of things that are hampering to some degree the restoration effort. The amount of debris and downed trees is just unbelievable. They're everywhere you turn, and they're on the power lines. And they've taken out a lot of power structures. So those things have to be replaced.
And in some areas, it's not a matter of just reconnecting the customers, but rebuilding in those efforts. So we are working on that very diligently.
We have a well-rehearsed plan at FPL. We know we live in a hurricane-prone area, and we rehearse these plans every year. So our company is well-prepared to face this emergency, and we're going through the steps to restoration in a process has is well-planned and well-rehearsed.
WALLACE: Pat Davis, very quickly, when will everyone have their power back? What's your estimation?
DAVIS: Everyone having power back is going to take some time. It will be probably, if you don't have your power back by tomorrow, it's going to be probably another week or so before everyone is restored.
WALLACE: Lots of work and lots of waiting and patience for Floridians out there.
DAVIS: We'd like to thank every one of our customers for their patience.
WALLACE: Pat Davis with Florida Power & Light, thanks for joining us this morning.
(WEATHER BREAK)
HEMMER: In a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING, if you're in the market for a now house, now might be a better time than ever to buy. We'll tell you why. "Minding Your Business" in a moment here.
WALLACE: And, Bill, 18 men and women battle it out to become Donald Trump's next "Apprentice." HEMMER: Yes, they do.
WALLACE: But could there be a more interesting fight looming between the Donald and ex-wife, Ivana? "90-Second Pop," that's all ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. Sorry about that. It's nothing.
When it comes to buying and selling a home, do buyers have the power now? Gerri Willis is working for Andy today "Minding Your Business."
And good morning to you.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Is the bubble a-bursting?
WILLIS: Well, you know, no, the bubble is not bursting. Are there cracks in the foundation? Yes there are cracks in the foundation right now.
Look at this: Existing home sales in June were down 2.9 percent. We're starting to see inventories climb in many markets across the country, especially those where we've had incredible price increases. California, Boston, we're starting to see more and more homes on the marketplace.
And now some of the experts and the marketers are saying, hey, we're not going to have those double-digit price increases you've seen in the past. We're not going to see that.
So if you're wanting to get into the market, now could be a good time.
But, hey, one thing I want to add here. We've had an unsustainable market.
HEMMER: Yes.
WILLIS: You know this.
HEMMER: It's been going for a while.
WILLIS: Manhattan, the average price of an apartment here, $1 million. Las Vegas, prices went up 52.4 percent. Year-to-year you just can't keep doing that.
HEMMER: Manhattan, Vegas (UNINTELLIGIBLE), huh?
Alan Greenspan talking today?
WILLIS: Yes. HEMMER: What do you expect to hear?
WILLIS: It's kind of a weight on the markets right now, because he's probably going to talk about the case for raising interest rates. And you know what that means. It means the price of doing business for everybody goes up, including people who might be in that housing market out in.
You know, we had a two-month high on the Dow yesterday. The markets went up, but it doesn't look so good today.
HEMMER: Thank you, Gerri. It's good to have you here working for Andy.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
HEMMER: And by the way, I guess purple is wild today.
WILLIS: Yes.
WALLACE: I know.
HEMMER: And I missed that memo.
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE": I know. What happened?
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: I'm not in the loop.
TOURE: Can we point out that we're doing the evening news here right here?
HEMMER: We pointed that out twice.
TOURE: It's still pitch black out there.
WALLACE: The perfect segue. Jack's on vacation, ladies and gentlemen. The "Question of the Day" with Toure. It is clearly my favorite line of the morning.
TOURE: I know. You keep running that.
This morning we're talking about the presidential debates. Reports suggest that the president may want to cut the number of debates from three to two. Whether he's flip-flopping or just trying to maximize his strengths, that's for you to decide.
Our question: How important are the presidential debates in influencing your vote? Let's hear what the people have to say.
Carolyn in Phoenix, a battleground state: "Yes, they will make a huge difference," she says. It is, right?
WALLACE: Arizona is a battleground.
HEMMER: Yes, OK. All right.
WALLACE: Well, the Republicans are leaning...
TOURE: "I can hardly wait to hear Kerry finally decide," Carolyn says, "which position on Iraq he wants to take, and to see Bush pretend that helping the rich is best for the middle class. Are these really the two best minds our country could produce?" Tough, tough!
Wesley from Cape Charles, Virginia: "For me, none. But for evidently the large number of voters who change the polls every month, it should be a deciding factor in Kerry's favor."
Mel says: "Watching presidential debates is a little like watching a tightrope act done without a net. You don't really want to see a disaster, but you're there, aren't you?
The car crash logic!
WALLACE: Which is why everybody wants to watch.
TOURE: And Richard from New London, Wisconsin, another battleground state.
HEMMER: Battleground state. Arguably, you're right on that.
TOURE: "They will not affect my decision at all. My decision was made to vote for whoever the Democratic candidate was the moment President Bush invaded Iraq."
That's what I...
HEMMER: I like the topic.
WALLACE: Yes, it's provocative.
HEMMER: And we could get three debates. We could get two. We'll find out.
TOURE: We may get zero.
HEMMER: That's not going to happen. Come on.
WALLACE: We'll get at least two.
TOURE: Anything could happen!
WALLACE: Anything could.
HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" will not win an Oscar in best documentary category. That's because Moore says he has bigger fish to fry. His decision is part of our "90-Second Pop" in a moment here, back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Word is Angus Young (ph) is still kicking somewhere down under. "90-Second Pop" on a Wednesday. Say hello to B.J. Sigesmund from "US Weekly."
Good morning, B.J.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": That's Andy.
HEMMER: That's Andy. I knew I would screw that up. He's responsible for the BorowitzReport.com. Here is Sarah Bernard. Here's B.J. Good morning to all three of you.
Toure took all of your time, by the way.
SARAH BERNARD, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: That's what I heard.
HEMMER: So this "90-Second Pop" is going about 35 seconds and a half.
First, the "Apprentice," second season is tomorrow night.
BERNARD: Right.
HEMMER: How does Donald Trump match the magic of season No. 1?
BERNARD: Well, you know, I think he actually can match it, because now people know what to expect. And there are actually 18 contestants instead of 16. And apparently they just came at it with a vengeance. So they were probably hand-picked better than the first season.
Now, the thing that's going to be hard sometimes for viewers to take in is that there is so much product placement in this season that it can actually get annoying.
HEMMER: Mattel, Procter & Gamble.
BERNARD: They're competing to make a toy to Mattel. They're trying to sell a new Crest toothpaste. That's one of their projects. In the first one, we had the lemonade stands, you know.
HEMMER: Right.
BERNARD: So, the end is really up...
HEMMER: I think that's excellent branding, actually. And leave it to Donald Trump to find a way to make more money.
BERNARD: I know. And it actually cost each of the companies $1 million an episode to be a part of this.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: I'm kind of disappointed. It sounds like Trump is kind of selling out.
BERNARD: Do you think?
BOROWITZ: Yes, it sounds like it.
SIGESMUND: Do you know that Mark Burnett, who produced "Survivor"...
HEMMER: Yes.
SIGESMUND: ... in many ways invented the reality TV genre, says that the first three episodes of "The Apprentice" are maybe the best television he has ever created.
HEMMER: High praise.
BERNARD: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to that is because he didn't tell Donald Trump that one of the contestant's name is actually Ivana, the name of his ex-wife.
HEMMER: I like that.
BERNARD: And they have on camera his reaction to that.
HEMMER: You know what, though? You've got Kwami (ph) and Bill, these guys are celebrities right now. I like what Donald Trump said about Bill. He said, we created a monster.
BERNARD: That's right.
HEMMER: Also...
BERNARD: And Bill is back.
HEMMER: He is back.
BOROWITZ: Wow!
BERNARD: He's going to be on the show sitting in for George Ross, one of his henchmen in the board room.
HEMMER: OK. All right, that's our first topic.
The second topic is Michael Moore. He wants to enter for best picture. What's the logic behind this? And skip the documentary category for the Oscars.
SIGESMUND: Right. Well, after all of the money that this thing has made and the records it's at Cannes and all of that, it seems the next logical chapter in the story of this film that it would get a nomination for best picture. So, Michael Moore is deliberately not nominating if for best documentary, and putting all of his hopes on best picture.
But there is something more important going on here. Michael Moore doesn't just want a nomination for best picture. The most important thing to him is that "Fahrenheit 9/11" gets shown sometime on television this fall before the elections. He wants as many people to see this as possible.
HEMMER: How is that possible under the rules of the Oscars?
SIGESMUND: The academy forbids any movie in contention for best documentary to be shown on television, but they don't say the same thing for best picture.
BERNARD: Kind of like an Oscar loophole that he has found.
SIGESMUND: So it can be shown. It's a loophole. And what he wants is -- you know, he would love this thing to be shown the night before the election. That's what Michael Moore is really gunning for.
HEMMER: Can he...
SIGESMUND: All he needs now is a network to say yes. And Columbia/Tristar, which is putting out the DVD, to say, go ahead. Run it once.
HEMMER: Politics aside, can he win in this category?
SIGESMUND: Well, you know, the academy is very left-leaning, of course. And Hollywood loves this movie. I think that "The Passion" has actually a better chance of wining in this category than that.
HEMMER: In the meantime, though, you've got some great documentaries out there, "Super-size Me," "Control Room," the story of Al Jazeera.
BERNARD: That is going to be great for "Super-Size Me." That's actually -- I mean, it's probably not his motivation, but he was saying, you know, this is such a gorilla in the room. Let's take this out of the category, and then five others can actually have a chance.
HEMMER: Next topic.
BOROWITZ: I think that's a good move, because that movie could really use some publicity, I think.
BERNARD: No one has heard of it.
HEMMER: Next topic, why are we talking about Paris Hilton today?
BOROWITZ: Why not? Well, this is the best story actually.
HEMMER: You know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Paris.
BOROWITZ: I think we'll always have. I guess Carmine Gotti, who is one of the Gotti boys, actually has a crush on Paris Hilton and tried to sort of get together with her at a party, and she kind of rebuffed him, which I was devastated by.
HEMMER: Oh, I bet you were.
BOROWITZ: Because I was really hoping that these two would get together and create a race of spoiled mobsters. And now it's not going to happen.
HEMMER: There's still time.
SIGESMUND: Can we talk a little about the book? Paris Hilton...
HEMMER: She has a book coming out? Who doesn't?
SIGESMUND: ... it came out yesterday. And actually, we have a little story about the book in today's issue of "US" Weekly. You know, she loves classical music she talks about in the book. She has taken the New York City subway, but she says that it smells. And the biggest thing of all, I loved how she found Tinkerbell, her little teacup pup, online. She bought him online.
HEMMER: It sounds like a must-read, B.J.
BOROWITZ: I have downloaded all of the Paris Hilton...
HEMMER: Enough of Paris. She gets more airtime than Larry King. Good to see you all three of you. B.J., Sarah, Andy, we'll talk to you later, OK? And go blame Toure on the way out -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill. I love that "90-Second Pop."
Well, still to come, a more serious subject. Congress is putting aside $18 billion to help rebuild Iraq, but only a fraction of that has been spent so far. So what's been accomplished? A look at that. That's all ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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Aired September 8, 2004 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Welcome back, everyone. It's 7:30 here in New York.
Don't change your TV there at home, because it's not nighttime behind us. It's just the after effects of Frances, huh?
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: I know. Now it feels like 3:00 in the morning.
HEMMER: Because the last half-hour felt like 2:00.
In the moment here, we're going to talk to the former secretary of state. Madeleine Albright is our guest in a few moments, talking about the sudden spike in casualties in Iraq, and also about the comments from the vice president yesterday linking a John Kerry presidency with how he would fight the war on terror if he were president. And John Kerry is going to make a speech in two hours from now, too, on this very issue. So we'll talk about that.
WALLACE: Also, Bill, as you know, in Florida, normal still seems like a long way away. We're going to look at the progress in responding to Hurricane Frances, talking to an official with Florida Power & Light about getting people's electricity back and the obstacles still in the way of that.
HEMMER: Hang in there, folks, if you're down in Florida.
In the meantime, here's Daryn Kagan at the CNN center.
Daryn -- good morning to you.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Bill.
You know, it's not just Florida. Over 100,000 people here in Georgia are still without power because of Frances as well. More on that ahead.
Right now, let's check the headlines.
Israeli forces are in action this morning in parts of the northern Gaza Strip. Bulldozers were seen plowing through olive groves. The army says the mission is aimed at stopping militants from firing rockets into southern Israel.
President Bush's support of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage will cost him the support of the Log Cabin Republicans. According to "The New York Times," leaders of the group made up of Republican gay men and lesbians, voted overwhelmingly to withhold its endorsement of the president. The group has also criticized John Kerry for what it calls flip-flops on same-sex marriage.
President Bush today is expected to survey damage caused by Hurricane Frances in Florida. Late yesterday, the U.S. House approved $2 billion in disaster aid.
Meanwhile, Ivan, now a powerful category 4 hurricane, is blamed for three deaths on the Caribbean island of Grenada. More on Ivan's path in about eight minutes.
It was a disappointing night at the U.S. Open for two-time champ Serena Williams. Williams was defeated in quarter final play by Jennifer Capriati after a number of questionable calls. The Portuguese umpire of the match has been sidelined for the rest of the tournament. The umpire overruled a line judge's call. Seen in replays, the ball was clearly inside the line.
Well, a sports trivia for you. It's the first time since 1998 that Venus and Serena Williams will finish the season without a major title.
HEMMER: Oh, that is good trivia.
KAGAN: Yes.
HEMMER: Well done, Daryn.
KAGAN: Thank you.
HEMMER: We'll talk to you later.
We want to get back to the issue of Iraq right now. And the American death toll is no doubt a big issue today in the race for the White House. Both candidates are criticizing each other and their plan to deal with the situation there. We talked last the half-hour with Tucker Eskew (ph) on the Bush camp.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is now my guest in the Kerry campaign headquarters in D.C.
And, Madam Secretary, good morning to you. Nice to have you back here on AMERICAN MORNING.
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: Good to be with you, Bill.
HEMMER: On the screen, you can see a poll just released yesterday, taken about two weeks ago. When asked whether or not with the 1,000 troop deaths what that means for the effort there: 58 percent say there should be no change in policy toward Iraq. If you're trying to win an election for John Kerry, how do you respond to those numbers? ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that it's very important for the American people to understand what is really going on in Iraq. We are in a position where we're looking at a country that is falling apart, where we now, as you have stated, 1,000 Americans have been killed. And there are more than 5,000 casualties there.
And it is unclear as to what the next steps are. And the administration is basically saying that this is a sign that the insurgents are getting stronger means that they're actually getting weaker. You know, it doesn't make any sense.
And I think that the American people are very smart, and that they're going to understand what is real and what is illusion. And we cannot just take what the administration is saying at face value. The facts on the ground just ain't (sic) so.
HEMMER: You said it's unclear what the steps are. How more clear are the steps if John Kerry's in the White House come January?
ALBRIGHT: I think what John Kerry has been saying for the last 18 months is that what is necessary is to internationalize this. And I think he has a much better chance of doing it, because he, from the very beginning, has understood the importance of alliances, and has also made very clear that the Americans don't want to be there on a permanent basis as occupiers.
And his position has been one, I think, that's been enunciated from the very beginning that this is something that has to be done by the international community. And it's costing American lives, and it's costing American treasure.
HEMMER: Here is what Senator Kerry will say in part in two hours in a speech on Iraq in Cincinnati. On the screen for our viewers, this speech will read in part: "$200 billion for going it alone in Iraq. That's the wrong choice. That's the wrong direction. And that's the wrong leadership for America. Time to make it right."
You just talked about pulling in other countries to help out with this alliance. Who's going to help at this point, Madam Secretary?
ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that you have to look at this going from the end-game, which is that there have to be elections. The elections cannot be held if the United Nations does not feel secure enough to carry them out. And it's going to require an international force to help them feel secure.
And I do think that with new leadership there is a much better opportunity to try to get some more Europeans and some -- from the moderate Arab countries and other Muslim countries.
And what is also required, Bill, is to let the region -- the regional countries be part of the negotiations, to be at the table, to have something like a contact group, or not to just have this be an American burden. This was a war of choice, not of necessity. But getting it right is a necessity and not a choice. And that's what Senator Kerry wants. HEMMER: Let me quickly move away from Iraq into Dick Cheney's comments yesterday on the war on terror. Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today on November 2 we make the right choice. Because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again, that we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States, and that we'll fall back into the pre-9/11 mindset, if you will: That, in fact, these terrorist attacks are just criminal acts and that we're not really at war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: The pre-9/11 mindset. Your response?
ALBRIGHT: Well, I have heard a lot of outrageous statements in my time in various presidential elections. But I think this kind of scare tactic by the vice president of the United States is irresponsible.
9/11, everybody knows, has changed a way that we are looking at fighting terrorism. Senator Kerry has made very clear that he will seek a victory over the terrorists, and that this is a battle that he will pursue with vigor. And I just find this kind of a statement over the top.
HEMMER: Madeleine Albright, thank you, Madam Secretary, from the Kerry campaign headquarters in D.C.
ALBRIGHT: Thank you very much, Bill.
HEMMER: Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill.
Turning to President Bush. Today, he will survey the damage in hurricane-ravaged Florida, and he'll bring $2 billion in federal money to help the state recover from the double whammy of Charley and Frances. Utility companies have been working overtime to restore power.
Pat Davis with Florida Power & Light joins us now from West Palm Beach.
Thanks for joining us this morning.
PAT DAVIS, FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT: You're welcome. Good morning.
WALLACE: Good morning.
Well, first, let's look at the numbers. How many of your customers are still without power? And when can they expect to the get that power back? DAVIS: That is the biggest question of every morning since Frances blew through here over the weekend. Currently, we have about 800,000 customers still without power. But the good news is that we've restored about two million customers since Frances blew through.
And Frances was a very slow-moving hurricane. It took her a long time to get away from us. So it's taken us a while to get out there. But we have a virtual army of workers working on this around the clock, and we're going to stay with it until we get all of our customers restored.
WALLACE: And that virtual army, what obstacles is that army of workers facing as it tries to get out there and restore power to all of these customers?
DAVIS: There are a couple of things that are hampering to some degree the restoration effort. The amount of debris and downed trees is just unbelievable. They're everywhere you turn, and they're on the power lines. And they've taken out a lot of power structures. So those things have to be replaced.
And in some areas, it's not a matter of just reconnecting the customers, but rebuilding in those efforts. So we are working on that very diligently.
We have a well-rehearsed plan at FPL. We know we live in a hurricane-prone area, and we rehearse these plans every year. So our company is well-prepared to face this emergency, and we're going through the steps to restoration in a process has is well-planned and well-rehearsed.
WALLACE: Pat Davis, very quickly, when will everyone have their power back? What's your estimation?
DAVIS: Everyone having power back is going to take some time. It will be probably, if you don't have your power back by tomorrow, it's going to be probably another week or so before everyone is restored.
WALLACE: Lots of work and lots of waiting and patience for Floridians out there.
DAVIS: We'd like to thank every one of our customers for their patience.
WALLACE: Pat Davis with Florida Power & Light, thanks for joining us this morning.
(WEATHER BREAK)
HEMMER: In a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING, if you're in the market for a now house, now might be a better time than ever to buy. We'll tell you why. "Minding Your Business" in a moment here.
WALLACE: And, Bill, 18 men and women battle it out to become Donald Trump's next "Apprentice." HEMMER: Yes, they do.
WALLACE: But could there be a more interesting fight looming between the Donald and ex-wife, Ivana? "90-Second Pop," that's all ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. Sorry about that. It's nothing.
When it comes to buying and selling a home, do buyers have the power now? Gerri Willis is working for Andy today "Minding Your Business."
And good morning to you.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Is the bubble a-bursting?
WILLIS: Well, you know, no, the bubble is not bursting. Are there cracks in the foundation? Yes there are cracks in the foundation right now.
Look at this: Existing home sales in June were down 2.9 percent. We're starting to see inventories climb in many markets across the country, especially those where we've had incredible price increases. California, Boston, we're starting to see more and more homes on the marketplace.
And now some of the experts and the marketers are saying, hey, we're not going to have those double-digit price increases you've seen in the past. We're not going to see that.
So if you're wanting to get into the market, now could be a good time.
But, hey, one thing I want to add here. We've had an unsustainable market.
HEMMER: Yes.
WILLIS: You know this.
HEMMER: It's been going for a while.
WILLIS: Manhattan, the average price of an apartment here, $1 million. Las Vegas, prices went up 52.4 percent. Year-to-year you just can't keep doing that.
HEMMER: Manhattan, Vegas (UNINTELLIGIBLE), huh?
Alan Greenspan talking today?
WILLIS: Yes. HEMMER: What do you expect to hear?
WILLIS: It's kind of a weight on the markets right now, because he's probably going to talk about the case for raising interest rates. And you know what that means. It means the price of doing business for everybody goes up, including people who might be in that housing market out in.
You know, we had a two-month high on the Dow yesterday. The markets went up, but it doesn't look so good today.
HEMMER: Thank you, Gerri. It's good to have you here working for Andy.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
HEMMER: And by the way, I guess purple is wild today.
WILLIS: Yes.
WALLACE: I know.
HEMMER: And I missed that memo.
TOURE, "ROLLING STONE": I know. What happened?
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: I'm not in the loop.
TOURE: Can we point out that we're doing the evening news here right here?
HEMMER: We pointed that out twice.
TOURE: It's still pitch black out there.
WALLACE: The perfect segue. Jack's on vacation, ladies and gentlemen. The "Question of the Day" with Toure. It is clearly my favorite line of the morning.
TOURE: I know. You keep running that.
This morning we're talking about the presidential debates. Reports suggest that the president may want to cut the number of debates from three to two. Whether he's flip-flopping or just trying to maximize his strengths, that's for you to decide.
Our question: How important are the presidential debates in influencing your vote? Let's hear what the people have to say.
Carolyn in Phoenix, a battleground state: "Yes, they will make a huge difference," she says. It is, right?
WALLACE: Arizona is a battleground.
HEMMER: Yes, OK. All right.
WALLACE: Well, the Republicans are leaning...
TOURE: "I can hardly wait to hear Kerry finally decide," Carolyn says, "which position on Iraq he wants to take, and to see Bush pretend that helping the rich is best for the middle class. Are these really the two best minds our country could produce?" Tough, tough!
Wesley from Cape Charles, Virginia: "For me, none. But for evidently the large number of voters who change the polls every month, it should be a deciding factor in Kerry's favor."
Mel says: "Watching presidential debates is a little like watching a tightrope act done without a net. You don't really want to see a disaster, but you're there, aren't you?
The car crash logic!
WALLACE: Which is why everybody wants to watch.
TOURE: And Richard from New London, Wisconsin, another battleground state.
HEMMER: Battleground state. Arguably, you're right on that.
TOURE: "They will not affect my decision at all. My decision was made to vote for whoever the Democratic candidate was the moment President Bush invaded Iraq."
That's what I...
HEMMER: I like the topic.
WALLACE: Yes, it's provocative.
HEMMER: And we could get three debates. We could get two. We'll find out.
TOURE: We may get zero.
HEMMER: That's not going to happen. Come on.
WALLACE: We'll get at least two.
TOURE: Anything could happen!
WALLACE: Anything could.
HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" will not win an Oscar in best documentary category. That's because Moore says he has bigger fish to fry. His decision is part of our "90-Second Pop" in a moment here, back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Word is Angus Young (ph) is still kicking somewhere down under. "90-Second Pop" on a Wednesday. Say hello to B.J. Sigesmund from "US Weekly."
Good morning, B.J.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": That's Andy.
HEMMER: That's Andy. I knew I would screw that up. He's responsible for the BorowitzReport.com. Here is Sarah Bernard. Here's B.J. Good morning to all three of you.
Toure took all of your time, by the way.
SARAH BERNARD, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: That's what I heard.
HEMMER: So this "90-Second Pop" is going about 35 seconds and a half.
First, the "Apprentice," second season is tomorrow night.
BERNARD: Right.
HEMMER: How does Donald Trump match the magic of season No. 1?
BERNARD: Well, you know, I think he actually can match it, because now people know what to expect. And there are actually 18 contestants instead of 16. And apparently they just came at it with a vengeance. So they were probably hand-picked better than the first season.
Now, the thing that's going to be hard sometimes for viewers to take in is that there is so much product placement in this season that it can actually get annoying.
HEMMER: Mattel, Procter & Gamble.
BERNARD: They're competing to make a toy to Mattel. They're trying to sell a new Crest toothpaste. That's one of their projects. In the first one, we had the lemonade stands, you know.
HEMMER: Right.
BERNARD: So, the end is really up...
HEMMER: I think that's excellent branding, actually. And leave it to Donald Trump to find a way to make more money.
BERNARD: I know. And it actually cost each of the companies $1 million an episode to be a part of this.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: I'm kind of disappointed. It sounds like Trump is kind of selling out.
BERNARD: Do you think?
BOROWITZ: Yes, it sounds like it.
SIGESMUND: Do you know that Mark Burnett, who produced "Survivor"...
HEMMER: Yes.
SIGESMUND: ... in many ways invented the reality TV genre, says that the first three episodes of "The Apprentice" are maybe the best television he has ever created.
HEMMER: High praise.
BERNARD: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to that is because he didn't tell Donald Trump that one of the contestant's name is actually Ivana, the name of his ex-wife.
HEMMER: I like that.
BERNARD: And they have on camera his reaction to that.
HEMMER: You know what, though? You've got Kwami (ph) and Bill, these guys are celebrities right now. I like what Donald Trump said about Bill. He said, we created a monster.
BERNARD: That's right.
HEMMER: Also...
BERNARD: And Bill is back.
HEMMER: He is back.
BOROWITZ: Wow!
BERNARD: He's going to be on the show sitting in for George Ross, one of his henchmen in the board room.
HEMMER: OK. All right, that's our first topic.
The second topic is Michael Moore. He wants to enter for best picture. What's the logic behind this? And skip the documentary category for the Oscars.
SIGESMUND: Right. Well, after all of the money that this thing has made and the records it's at Cannes and all of that, it seems the next logical chapter in the story of this film that it would get a nomination for best picture. So, Michael Moore is deliberately not nominating if for best documentary, and putting all of his hopes on best picture.
But there is something more important going on here. Michael Moore doesn't just want a nomination for best picture. The most important thing to him is that "Fahrenheit 9/11" gets shown sometime on television this fall before the elections. He wants as many people to see this as possible.
HEMMER: How is that possible under the rules of the Oscars?
SIGESMUND: The academy forbids any movie in contention for best documentary to be shown on television, but they don't say the same thing for best picture.
BERNARD: Kind of like an Oscar loophole that he has found.
SIGESMUND: So it can be shown. It's a loophole. And what he wants is -- you know, he would love this thing to be shown the night before the election. That's what Michael Moore is really gunning for.
HEMMER: Can he...
SIGESMUND: All he needs now is a network to say yes. And Columbia/Tristar, which is putting out the DVD, to say, go ahead. Run it once.
HEMMER: Politics aside, can he win in this category?
SIGESMUND: Well, you know, the academy is very left-leaning, of course. And Hollywood loves this movie. I think that "The Passion" has actually a better chance of wining in this category than that.
HEMMER: In the meantime, though, you've got some great documentaries out there, "Super-size Me," "Control Room," the story of Al Jazeera.
BERNARD: That is going to be great for "Super-Size Me." That's actually -- I mean, it's probably not his motivation, but he was saying, you know, this is such a gorilla in the room. Let's take this out of the category, and then five others can actually have a chance.
HEMMER: Next topic.
BOROWITZ: I think that's a good move, because that movie could really use some publicity, I think.
BERNARD: No one has heard of it.
HEMMER: Next topic, why are we talking about Paris Hilton today?
BOROWITZ: Why not? Well, this is the best story actually.
HEMMER: You know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Paris.
BOROWITZ: I think we'll always have. I guess Carmine Gotti, who is one of the Gotti boys, actually has a crush on Paris Hilton and tried to sort of get together with her at a party, and she kind of rebuffed him, which I was devastated by.
HEMMER: Oh, I bet you were.
BOROWITZ: Because I was really hoping that these two would get together and create a race of spoiled mobsters. And now it's not going to happen.
HEMMER: There's still time.
SIGESMUND: Can we talk a little about the book? Paris Hilton...
HEMMER: She has a book coming out? Who doesn't?
SIGESMUND: ... it came out yesterday. And actually, we have a little story about the book in today's issue of "US" Weekly. You know, she loves classical music she talks about in the book. She has taken the New York City subway, but she says that it smells. And the biggest thing of all, I loved how she found Tinkerbell, her little teacup pup, online. She bought him online.
HEMMER: It sounds like a must-read, B.J.
BOROWITZ: I have downloaded all of the Paris Hilton...
HEMMER: Enough of Paris. She gets more airtime than Larry King. Good to see you all three of you. B.J., Sarah, Andy, we'll talk to you later, OK? And go blame Toure on the way out -- Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks, Bill. I love that "90-Second Pop."
Well, still to come, a more serious subject. Congress is putting aside $18 billion to help rebuild Iraq, but only a fraction of that has been spent so far. So what's been accomplished? A look at that. That's all ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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