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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees

Hurricane Ivan Approaches Jamaica, Possibly Florida: Candidates Not Talking About Military Records; Kitty Kelley's Book About Bush Family; Bin Laden & Anniversary of 9/11; NYC's Fashion Week

Aired September 10, 2004 - 19:00   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.


ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Hurricane Ivan bears down on Jamaica, while a nervous and weary Florida braces for its arrival.
360 starts now.

Ivan on the attack: Jamaica braces for a catastrophic strike. In Key West, mandatory evacuation. Tonight, the latest on when and where Ivan's going to hit us.

Did George Bush pull strings in the National Guard, or were documents forged to hint he did? Tonight, we separate fact from fiction.

The president's former sister-in-law denies she told Kitty Kelley shocking stories about George Bush and drugs. Tonight, the book, the charges and countercharges.

John Kerry on the trail says the president caved to the NRA. But how is he linking al Qaeda to the assault weapons controversy?

And the third anniversary of 9/11. Bin Laden is still public enemy number one. Why aren't the people in power talking about him more?

ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.

COOPER: Good evening.

It is one of the great ironies that the places that so many of us think of as paradise -- the Caribbean and the Florida Keys, places with impossible blue water and brilliant skies -- are the places most likely to be walloped by winds wild enough to earn names and inspire fear and do great damage.

As of today, we are precisely at the statistical peak of the hurricane season, and a monster named Ivan is heading for our shores. There it is, moving west-northwest at 13 miles an hour. And in a matter of hours, it will hit Jamaica, and it's going to hit hard, 140- mile-hour winds, as you see there, category four.

There are pictures of the massive exodus right now, there they are, from Monroe County in far southwestern Florida, which Governor Jeb Bush put under a mandatory evacuation order a few hours ago. We're covering the storm from all angles tonight. In Kingston, Jamaica, in the path of the storm, reporter Neki Mohan with our affiliate WPLG. And in Florida's Key Largo, watching the evacuation, national correspondent Susan Candiotti.

We begin in Jamaica. Neki, what's the latest?

NEKI MOHAN, REPORTER, WPLG-TV, JAMAICA: Anderson, there definitely is trouble in paradise tonight. We're feeling the force of Ivan starting to come through. Tropical force winds been blowing through the island for the past hour.

You will see the winds pick up in the palm trees occasionally as these gusts continue to come through. Electricity has been shut off across the island as a precaution, because there's flooding in several areas, and they don't want live wires to pose a danger to the people who are here.

Half a million people ordered to evacuate flood zones and coastal areas, a lot of them in shelters tonight, 1,000 shelters open all over the country. A category four storm, a very serious threat to an island that on some days has a hard time handling a thunderstorm.

Another concern here, not only for the people, not only because of the force of nature, they're also concerned about looters. Police roaming the streets, looking for bands of people hoping to hit homes that are vulnerable because of the storm.

Tonight, the island is in a state of emergency. Also a curfew is in effect. Anyone caught out on the streets will be arrested.

That's the latest live in Kingston, Jamaica. I'm Neki Mohan. Back to you, Anderson.

COOPER: Looting and flooding, it's going to be a mess. Neki Mohan, thanks very much for that.

Not far from Jamaica as the crow flies, or as the wind blows, lies the scattered outlying bits and pieces of Florida called the Keys. They're already evacuating, and that means long lines and crowded highways.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is in Key Largo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Traffic's been steady, but not bumper to bumper, as Keys residents head for points north, cars, trucks, and boats on hitches moving out on the only highway that can take them toward Miami.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time we've left since we've lived here. We've lived here for over 22 years, I guess. This is our first time evacuating, so we're -- this is pretty serious.

CANDIOTTI: Authorities recognize some veteran conchs, as Keys residents are nicknamed, will refuse to budge no matter what.

CPT. JENNY BELL THOMPSON, MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: I spoke to one gentleman day before yesterday who said, I've been through the '35, I've been through the '60, I'm not going anywhere. And I don't even try to talk them out of it.

CANDIOTTI: Throughout the day, Florida officials trying to put down rumors of gas shortages and rationing, insisting there's enough to go around. This advice from the governor, don't panic, but do pay attention to evacuation orders as they come.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: If you don't need to drive, please don't. And if you're -- if you're -- aren't asked to evacuate, please stay put. And if you're asked to evacuate, don't always -- don't necessarily default to Tennessee as one of the options to go. There are options in your own community that make sense.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Not too busy at this hour. But we can tell you the last time there was a total evacuation of the Keys was back in 2001, as Hurricane Michelle approached. She wound up brushing by. A lot of people hope that's what Ivan will wind up doing, Anderson.

COOPER: And Susan, they're evacuating so early, just because, what, the road out of the Keys is -- there's only that one road out of Key West?

CANDIOTTI: That's right, one way in, one way out. So, they're glad that they're starting early. Probably won't find out until the next day or so, really, the path of the storm. Expectation that they'll get brushed by, but you never know, as you well know, Anderson.

COOPER: Yes, and I know a lot of people are taking it very seriously in the Keys this time around. We're going to...

CANDIOTTI: They are.

COOPER: ... talk to the mayor of Key West a little bit later. Thanks, Susan.

Tracking hurricanes, certainly not a science, but -- well, it is a science, but it's not always exact one. Want to get the latest on what we know now from CNN meteorologist Orelon Sidney in Atlanta.

Orelon, where -- what's it look like?

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thanks a lot, Anderson.

Right now, it looks like things are certainly going downhill in Jamaica. The storm at 5:00 p.m. was 80 miles south-southeast of Kingston. And remember that the hurricane-force winds extend out 60 miles from the center, so they're already probably getting tropical storm-force winds, and perhaps hurricane gusts in some areas. Winds 140 miles an hour, moving to the west-northwest at 13. It is a category four storm. And I think what you may see, as it continue to push across the southern portion of the island, Kingston's going to be on the right side, as is Montego Bay. That's bad. That's where you get the worst of the storm.

Brushes through the Cayman Islands tomorrow, and then continues on towards Cuba. And then it gets to be a little difficult to tell where this storm is going. Two p.m. Sunday, we have it just to the south of Cuba as a category four, continuing to push across Cuba and towards the Keys by Monday afternoon as a three.

The good news here is, it looks like it may continue up the coast towards Apalachicola. The bad news is, we've got 100 miles or more of air on either side of that storm track, Anderson.

COOPER: Yes, there's so many different ways it could go at this point. All right, Orelon, thanks very much. We'll check back later.

It seems incredible that Florida will get hit again, considering it hasn't even come close to fully recovering from Hurricane Charley and Frances. Here's a news note. Bell South says around 300,000 homes still do not have phone service, and 500,000 people without power, according to Florida Power and Light. It's going to get worse.

We're going to have more on the storm later on 360, but we want to get you up to date on a storm of another kind, the political kind. Democrats continuing to raise questions about the president's National Guard service, and others claiming the documents upon which those questions are based are fake.

On the campaign trail, however, neither candidate is talking about any of this. With the Bush camp, CNN senior White House correspondent John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president rolled through rural Ohio with a Democratic friend, and a new line of attack against his Democratic opponent.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Senator Kerry has now decided we're spending too much money in Iraq, even though he earlier criticized us for not spending enough.

KING: Campaigning a day before the third anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Mr. Bush made his case that Iraq is a critical front in the war on terror. Senator Kerry voted to give the president authority to go to war, but now calls it a war of choice, not necessity.

BUSH: One thing about Senator Kerry's position is clear. If he had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power, and would still be a threat to the security of America and the world.

KING: It's not every day a president comes to Chillicothe, and Bush supporters went all out. Travis Lagard helped his family decorate the house and recalled his thoughts when he first learned his Army unit was headed to Iraq.

TRAVIS LAGARD, U.S. ARMY: I told my mom, I'm, like, I hate President -- I hate Bush for this, man, because I don't want to go to war. I don't want to die.

KING: Home now and out of the Army because of post-combat stress, Lagard supports the war and the president.

LAGARD: We did what we had to do to fight against terrorism.

KING: The Ohio stops were in two rural counties Mr. Bush carried four years ago. But it's no sure thing this time around. The unemployment rate in Chillicothe is nearly eight percent, and there's talk of downsizing at the paper mill.

Conservative Democrats are easy to come back at places like the VFW hall, and one reason the president brought Democratic Senator Zell Miller of Georgia along.

SEN. ZELL MILLER (D), GEORGIA: There is but one man I trust to keep my family safe from terrorists bent on destroying America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING (on camera): Now, Mr. Bush today called Senator Kerry's complaints about Iraq war spending his latest shift position on the war. The Kerry campaign, Anderson, said those rising war costs are proof that this president took this country to war without a plan to win it.

COOPER: John, has there been any talk about President Bush talking at all about this National Guard brouhaha, or is this something that he's just going to stay out of?

KING: For now, he will stay out of it. Aides say they have nothing new to say. They say this is being pushed by the Kerry campaign. The Kerry campaign says nothing could be further from the truth. And the White House certainly is enjoying the questions about the authenticity of those documents. But the White House isn't sure if the documents are authentic or not, so it's trying to stand back and let the analysis go forth.

COOPER: And we know the -- the White House is passing out those documents. John King, thanks very much for that.

We're going to look at the documents a little bit later on, and look at the questions about their authenticity as well later on.

Today, Senator Kerry launched a new line of attack against President Bush, saying he's caving in to the NRA, not doing enough to keep the 10-year ban on certain types of assault weapons alive. Congress is likely going to let it expire on Monday.

Kerry says that al Qaeda has urged its members to buy those weapons and called for an extension of the ban.

CNN's Dan Lothian has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the campaign trail recently, Senator John Kerry, promoting his sportsman's image, a proud gun owner.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you for the gift, but I can't take it to the debate with me.

LOTHIAN: An avid hunter, now Kerry, a vocal defender of the Second Amendment, is firing a new round of attacks aimed at President Bush.

KERRY: I have never, ever thought about going hunting with an AK-47 or an Uzi.

LOTHIAN: He accuses Bush of caving in to the gun lobby, doing little to stop the impending expiration of the assault weapons ban, even though he says he would sign it.

KERRY: George Bush, who says, Oh, I'm for that, never asked the Congress to pass it, never pushed the Congress to pass it.

LOTHIAN: The Bush campaign says, quote, "The president's position on the assault weapon ban is clear, and the president has an exceptional record of enforcing gun laws. John Kerry has spent a career in the Senate voting against hunters," unquote. Kerry says keeping the ban would protect Americans from criminals and terrorists and would never impact the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

KERRY: I mean, heavens to Betsy, folks, we've had the law on the books for the last 10 years. And there's not a gun owner in America who can stand up and say, They tried to take my guns away.

LOTHIAN: Just a slice of Kerry's domestic agenda as he campaigned in the battleground state of Missouri, touting affordable healthcare to seniors at a suburban St. Louis town hall meeting.

(on camera): At this rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Kerry continued his attack on President Bush over the assault weapons ban issue. Aides say, expect more of this theme in the coming days, an issue they say resonates with voters, two-thirds of whom say they support the ban.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Some more news that may have some political implications. Bill home, Bill Clinton is heading home to recuperate from surgery. That tops our look at what's happening cross-country.

There he is. New York City, just about an hour ago, former President Clinton left New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he underwent heart bypass surgery just four days ago. Doctors said the surgery was just in time. He was probably only weeks away from having a heart attack.

Helena, Montana, now: Suspicious letters sent to governor's office, and the same thing has happened to governors in seven other states. The envelopes are rigged with matches set to ignite when opened. And they all have a return address from the same maximum- security prison in Nevada. Now, the FBI and corrections officials are questioning two inmates.

Los Angeles, California, Michael Eisner, the embattled CEO of Disney, is calling it quits, telling the company's board in a letter that he will retire when his contract expires in September 2006. Eisner wasn't, well, he was stripped of his position of chairman after a shareholder revolt this past spring. Now, Eisner ended the letter with the company's line, "I'm going to Disneyland." We'll see.

That's a look at the stories cross-country tonight.

Scandalous allegations about President Bush being made in a new bestselling book. But is it a fact, or is it full of fiction? Why are so many of the sources anonymous? We'll look at that.

Plus, new strategies on the campaign trail. Is Bush trying to link Kerry to Howard Dean? And is Kerry playing the race card? We go 360 with the guys from "CROSSFIRE."

And 9/11, three years later. Why aren't politicians talking more about Osama bin Laden? We'll talk about that ahead.

But first, let's take a look at your picks, the most popular stories right now on cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: I'm personally not a big fan of unauthorized biographies, but they're usually filled with salacious details and a lot of unnamed sources. Clearly, though, Americans love them.

Kitty Kelley has written unauthorized biographies on Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, among others, all of them bestsellers. Well, now she's now written about the Bush family, and the details which have been leaked so far are raising eyebrows and temperatures and questions.

CNN's Kathleen Koch takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fact or fiction. White house spokesman Scott McClellan calls the new Kitty Kelley biography of the Bush family garbage, and most Republicans agree.

CHARLIE BLACK, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Miss Kelley makes things up. She writes fiction under the guise of biography in order to sell books.

KOCH: The author's note does admit many were reluctant to tell their stories on the record, so there is liberal use of unnamed sources. But there are plenty of direct quotes, some of the most sensational from Sharon Bush, who in 2003 underwent a messy divorce with George W. Bush's brother Neil.

Kelley quotes Sharon as blaming an affair with a woman working for Barbara Bush. "The Bushes knew about the affair before I did. They even entertained the woman in their home. They encouraged their own son's adultery. What kind of family value is that?"

Sharon Bush is also quoted in the book talking about alleged drug use by her brothers-in-law, including George W. Bush. "He and Marvin did coke at Camp David when their father was president, and not just once, either. This was a family of alcoholism, drug addiction, and even schizophrenia." But Sharon's attorney denies the drug comments.

DAVID BERG, SHARON BUSH'S ATTORNEY: Sharon's understanding at the time, perhaps naively when you're talking to Kitty Kelley, that everything was off the record. But let me make it clear, she didn't say what's attributed to her.

KOCH: But Sharon's then-PR consultant, Lou Colasuonno, who was at the lunch last year with the two women when the subject came up, says Sharon did confirm the drug use.

Other details from people the book describes as family friends, like Cody Shearer (ph), who says George H. W. Bush used to talk about how his father, Prescott, beat him, actually whipped him with a strap. And Marjorie Perloff, who was quoted calling the former first lady Barbara "a rich woman who many of us recall as seeming to enjoy her dogs more than her children."

(on camera): Republicans charge the book's release less than two months before the election is timed to hurt the president. Democrats believe it could put Mr. Bush on the defensive, and perhaps help their candidate.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: As we mentioned, Kitty Kelley's certainly no stranger to tell-all biographies. Here's a fast fact for you. In 1997, she wrote "His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra." That spent 22 weeks on "The New York Times" bestseller list. In 1991, she penned "Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography," which lasted 12 weeks on the bestseller list.

As for her latest, "The Family," it's not out until Tuesday, but advance sales have already propelled it to the number three spot on amazon.com's bestseller list.

Well, a day of rallies in Iraq. That tops our look at what's going on around the world in the uplink. After Friday prayers in Najaf, there was a protest against radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr against him. The crowd tried to storm his office. They were stopped by Iraqi forces. Some irony in that.

While in Baghdad, a much bigger crowd, up to 4,000 people, marched in support of al-Sadr.

Rome, Italy, now, appeal for hostages. Thousands of people marched through the city streets carrying signs demanding the release of two Italian female aid workers who were kidnapped in Iraq on Tuesday. Kidnapping aid workers. Italian officials are working through diplomatic channels to try to get the women free.

In Washington, new terror tape analysis. CIA says it has high confidence the person on the tape released yesterday is indeed Osama bin Laden's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Says his references on the tape to the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region suggests it was recorded fairly recently.

That's a quick look at what's happening around the world in the uplink.

360 next, Hurricane Ivan on the move, on target to hit Jamaica. (INAUDIBLE) another live report from Kingston and the latest on its projected path.

Also, President Bush's National Guard records. Was CBS duped by a forged document? Ahead, we'll look at the facts, not the hype, from all the angles.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Twist tonight in the reenergized debate over President Bush's service in the National Guard. Earlier this week, CBS News first reported on a group of documents. Now, supposedly they were from president -- the president's former commander in the National Guard. The documents said that Mr. Bush's performance evaluations were "sugar coated," in the words of the guy who wrote them.

Tonight, there are questions, though, as to whether those memos are fakes. CNN's Jeanne Meserve reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Are the CBS documents the real thing, or forgeries? The purported author, Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Killian, died in 1984. But his widow called them a farce.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MARJORIE CONNELL, FMR. WIFE: He was a person who did not take or make copious notes. He carried everything in his mind.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MESERVE: CBS says the documents were vetted by independent experts and is standing by its story.

DAN RATHER, CBS NEWS: I believe that the witnesses and the documents are authentic. We wouldn't have gone to air if they had not been.

MESERVE: Forensic document experts contacted by CNN said they would need to see the original documents to reach a definitive conclusion. But one said they were very probably computer generated. In fact, using Microsoft Word, CNN was able to manufacture a near- perfect match for one.

Although an expert on IBM machines says he has found a matching font style from the early '70s, the superscripted "th" seen in phrases like "187th in Alabama," many experts say, was rarely seen in commonly used typewriters of the era.

FARRELL SHRIVER, FORENSIC EXPERT: The way that is done is more typical of a computer-generated document than a document that was generated on a typewriter.

MESERVE: Also, most '70s typewriters gave each letter the same amount of space. But the CBS documents appear to use proportional spacing, which gives a W, let's say, more space than an L.

Other experts say the signature on one of the CBS documents is not fully consistent with Jerry Killian's signature on other documents from the same era.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Tonight, CBS aired an interview with an expert who believes the signatures do indeed match. The network also reported that it had found superscripting in other authentic Bush National Guard records. We have found something similar, but it's unclear whether those documents came from the same typewriter.

All the experts agree it is impossible to do a conclusive analysis when documents have been photocopied and faxed and downloaded. And CBS acknowledges it is working from copies too, though not as many generations removed from the originals, Anderson.

COOPER: Jeanne Meserve, thanks very much. I don't think this is the last we've heard of this. Thanks very much.

The National Guard story, well, it's already been all over the airwaves, and surrogates from each campaign have talked about it. But both candidates are trying to really stay above the fray.

Today, with less than eight weeks to go until the election, the candidates are still honing their messages, focusing on where they think their opponent is most vulnerable.

Earlier today, I talked about the campaign strategies with "CROSSFIRE" hosts Paul Begala and Robert Novak.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) Paul, I want to start by asking you about the president's strategy. I want to show you something he said today in West Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: One thing about Senator Kerry's position is clear. If he had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power and would still be a threat to the security and to the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Paul, that's what they used to say a lot about Howard Dean. It's, I think, the first time I've heard the president say it. He may have said it before. Are they trying to link Kerry to Dean now?

PAUL BEGALA, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": I suppose so. Of course, Kerry voted for that war. He just argues he would have prosecuted it in a very different manner. I was opposed to the war, so was Howard Dean. The truth is, if people like me had had our way, it's true, Saddam would have been in office.

But he was never a threat to America. That's what we know now. He had no weapons. He had no links to al Qaeda. He had nothing to do with 9/11. He wasn't a threat.

And you know what? There's 1,003 young Americans who are dead now because the president thought there was a threat there and told them to go and fight a war there, which we didn't have to fight.

COOPER: Bob, if the president is trying to link Howard Dean and John Kerry, I mean, is that, is that a good idea?

ROBERT NOVAK, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": I don't think that's what he's trying to do, Anderson. What he's trying to do is say that the ambiguousness of -- ambiguity of Senator Kerry on the war is -- just leads to the conclusion that if he had been president, we'd still have Saddam Hussein in power, and is that is what you want?

Now, I know that if Paul Begala was president, Saddam Hussein would still be in Baghdad, for better or for worse. With John Kerry, you don't know whether we'd still have Saddam Hussein, because he's been all over the lot.

COOPER: Paul, John Kerry is now attacking President Bush for spending $200 billions in Iraq, saying it could have been better spent here. Wasn't a year ago, wasn't he saying that President Bush hadn't spent enough in Iraq? Is this a flip-flop?

BEGALA: I, no, I think that the Kerry's actually been consistent from his (INAUDIBLE), you know, the famous vote where he said he voted for and then against the $87 billion. Kerry's critique that has been consistent is, the war in Iraq shouldn't blow up our deficit. We should pay for this war rather than cut things like housing, healthcare, education, or increase the deficit. And that's a consistent point.

That's where Kerry voted for one version of the $87 billion and against the other. Bush said he would veto the version of the $87 billion that did not add to the deficit. He would only accept the one that did add to the deficit.

NOVAK: (INAUDIBLE) you just repeated yourself, Paul, but as a matter of fact, you didn't answer Anderson's question, because on "Meet the Press," Senator Kerry said that he would, there would be no limit on how much he would spend. We had to spend more. So, that's another flip-flop, where he hasn't kept his position.

The interesting thing about this, of course, is you said pay for it. What he means is, increased taxes on Americans to pay for it. It wouldn't have paid for the whole. It wasn't enough of a tax increase, but it would probably have brought the economy to a halt.

COOPER: I want to look at a, something that's coming out now in the campaign trail that Senator Kerry is saying. This is what he said yesterday. I'm going to put it on the screen. He said, "President Bush's domestic policies are taking us back to two Americas, separate and unequal. Our cities and communities are being torn apart by forces just as divisive and destructive as Jim Crow, crumbling schools, robbing our children of their potential, rising poverty, rising crime, drugs, and violence."

There are some who say, Paul, that this sounds almost like he's sort of trying to make a sort of racial divisions here.

BEGALA: Yes, I don't like the reference to Jim Crow. I think that was much more savage than anything we're going through now. But the rest of that statement, I think, makes perfect sense to me. Anybody who travels around this country knows that there are two Americas. We want to be one America. But there are two Americas. There are two sets of rules for the powerful and privileged versus...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: ... we certainly, we...

BEGALA: ... healthcare and housing and education and everything. So...

COOPER: But we've heard the two America, you know, we've...

BEGALA: Right.

COOPER: ... God knows we heard that from Senator Edwards a lot during the primaries.

NOVAK: Well, he stole -- he stole that from, he stole that from Senator Edwards.

COOPER: Well, right. Using, using the word "Jim Crow," that's pretty tough language.

NOVAK: You said, it...

BEGALA: Yes, and I said I didn't like that, no.

NOVAK: It's an outrage. It's outrageous. Bat you have to say is what was his audience? He was speaking to a predominantly, almost entirely African-American group, a Baptist audience. Now, that is, that is what really is the kind of vile politics that you only talk about, you only raise race issues when you talk to black people. And that was the kind of thing that -- that John Edwards in his campaign said we shouldn't do.

COOPER: All right. Paul Begala, Robert Novak, thanks for joining us.

NOVAK: Thank you.

BEGALA: Thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, it's not just those two guys who are divided. No doubt about it, the American public is divided, polarized. That's the word you hear a lot these days. It's certainly seen in polls. And lately, you see it at campaign rallies. Hecklers, well, they're breaking out all over, and the reaction to them is swift and severe. And that's tonight's "Campaign Unplugged."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): President Bush stated his case against John Kerry yesterday in Colmar, Pennsylvania.

BUSH: You drive a car, Senator Kerry's voted for higher taxes on you. If you have a job, he's voted for higher taxes on you.

COOPER: But not everyone at the rally seemed ready to fall in line. Just as quickly as the hecklers started their harangue, they were roughly discharged and charged with disorderly contact.

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Four more years! Four more years!

COOPER: When John Kerry spoke in Cincinnati on Wednesday...

KERRY: Eight million Americans are looking for work here in America. Two million more -- two million more -- than when George W. Bush took office.

COOPER: ... his rally was also rudely interrupted.

KERRY: Please, please.

COOPER: And the heckler was just as rudely removed, held in a headlock by Kerry supporters.

KERRY: Please, everybody... COOPER: And that's what's really noticeable now. The crowd seemed angry and not afraid to vent their fury on the hecklers. Check out these guys.

And the candidate supporters certainly aren't taking the taunting lying down. Dissenters are dragged out, shouted down.

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

COOPER: It's only the candidates who seem to handle them with kid gloves.

DICK CHENEY (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Looks like we better put him down as undecided.

COOPER: In the end, of course, there's nothing a campaign can do to guarantee their rallies will be heckler-free, but they're doing their best to quickly quash the uproar and show the dissenters the door.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Ivan on the attack: Jamaica braces for a catastrophic strike. In Key West, mandatory evacuation. Tonight the latest on when and where Ivan's going to hit us.

And the third anniversary of 9/11: Bin Laden is still public enemy number one, why aren't the people in power talking about him more? 360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Back now to that massive storm Ivan. It's poised to slam into Jamaica in the next couple of hours. We're following the storm closely. It's a Category 4 hurricane, packing up to 140-mile- per-hour winds.

It's ultimately headed towards Florida -- at least, at this point, it seems that way. Mandatory evacuation orders in effect from Monroe County in far southwestern Florida, including the Florida Keys where tropical storm conditions are expected as early as Sunday morning.

Now, Ivan's already killed 25 people in its path. It's hard to believe -- let's hope it doesn't get much worse. The trouble comes first to Jamaica, though, as we said tonight, where CNN's Karl Penhaul is standing by (INAUDIBLE) as he can under the circumstances.

Karl, how bad is it?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Anderson.

Things are getting progressively worse here in the Capital of Kingston. The rain's now become persistent and torrential. The winds are now picking up, as well. Still not yet tropical storm force here in the capital, but that is expected to come in the next few minutes. And now it's dark, and the squalls and those winds will build up to hurricane force.

But there are problems already on Jamaica. We've been talking to police in the last few moments. They've already had to rescue a mother and her child in an area -- a low-lying area near Kingston. They were rescued as storm forces -- storm and floodwaters ripped through their home.

And a little further east, the main highway that connects the capital with the eastern part of the country has been washed out. That main highway is now unpassable. But population can still move to higher ground through a series -- a network of backroads.

Weather experts are warning that the passage of this hurricane could catastrophic. So far, many ordinary Jamaicans in the course of the day were taking things with a very laid-back attitude, but that all seems to have changed in the last couple of hours or so. And we're told by government officials that more than 5,000 Jamaicans have now taken to emergency hurricane shelters. They've moved out of low- lying areas -- Anderson?

COOPER: Yes, I mean, that island has problems with flooding, you know, in just a big rainstorm. So, we can only imagine how bad it's going to get. Karl Penhaul, thanks very much. We'll check in with you later tonight.

We're joined now by a couple of people who surely can't spare us very much time, given what else they must have to do tonight with Hurricane Ivan bearing down on them. In Key Largo, Captain Jenny Bell-Thompson of the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, and in Key West, Mayor Jimmy Weekley. We appreciate both of you being here. We promise we're not going to keep you -- keep you all too long.

Captain Thompson, there's a mandatory evacuation order now in effect for your county. Just -- that happened a couple of hours ago. How is the evacuation going?

BELL-THOMPSON: Actually, the initial evacuation order for residents was issued at 7:00 this morning for Key West and the lower Keys. And then, at noon for Marathon in the middle Keys. And then, at 4:00 this afternoon for the upper Keys.

We do that so that the evacuation goes more smoothly; one area of the Keys basically gets out of the other area's way. And it's gone extremely smoothly. Traffic was real heavy at 6:00 this morning when I came out. I was very glad to see that, because we're encouraging people to heed this evacuation warning.

It did kind of thin out later this afternoon. But as I stand here tonight, I think it's picked up again quite a bit. And I am hoping that people don't wait until the last minute, because I believe that this is not a storm to take a chance with.

COOPER: Yes, especially given all that's happened up to now.

Mayor Weekley, it's good to see you. Appreciate you being on the program. I think I actually met you in Boston.

MAYOR JIMMY WEEKLEY, KEY WEST: Right, we did meet in Boston.

COOPER: Yes, we did. I'm sorry we're meeting under these circumstances.

Now, you know, residents of Florida, of the Keys, pretty hearty lot. Are they taking this thing seriously?

WEEKLY: Yes, they really are, and more so than in any hurricanes previously. I think because of the previous two hurricanes, of Charley and Frances, and the devastation that they caused, the residents here in Key West saw what could really happen. And they took heed to the evacuation order.

COOPER: I mean, are most of the businesses boarded up in your town?

WEEKLEY: Actually, all of the businesses -- I would say about 98 percent of the businesses are boarded up. Others are in the process of completing their boarding up procedure. And I'm really grateful to the number of residents who have, in fact, evacuated Key West.

COOPER: Captain Thompson, you know, we hear about mandatory evacuations. I mean, people aren't forced to evacuate. What exactly does that mean, mandatory evacuation?

BELL-THOMPSON: We're not going to -- definitely not going to shackle anybody and drag them to the pokey if they don't leave. But by using the term mandatory, we hope that that puts enough seriousness behind the order for people to leave.

You know, there are some people who are just not going to go, and there's not much we can do for them. But there are a lot of people who might be undecided, and those are the people that we absolutely encourage to leave. And they just need to look again at Frances and Charley.

We have not forgotten Hurricane Andrew in the upper Keys, because it devastated our neighbors to the north in Florida City and Homestead and elsewhere. You know, it's mandatory -- not in the sense that we'll take you to jail, but mandatory in the sense that we go neighborhood to neighborhood and tell people, you really need to leave.

COOPER: Yes, well, I know you both have a long couple of days ahead of you, a tough couple of days ahead of you. Mayor Weekley, we appreciate you joining us, and Captain Jenny Bell-Thompson, as well. Thanks very much. Good luck to you.

WEEKLEY: Thank you, Anderson. Appreciate it. Thank you.

COOPER: Coming up next on 360, 9/11 three years later, hard to believe. And the hunt for bin Laden goes on. Why don't politicians mention his name as much these days? We'll talk about that ahead. Also tonight, a video game transformed into a movie. The new box office options in the "Weekender." Some lighter stuff going into this week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Have you noticed that you rarely hear the president or other politicians talk about Osama bin Laden much these days, at least not publicly.

In fact, by our count at the Republican convention, bin Laden's name was only mentioned once. They may not be talking about him but bin Laden, of course, remains a killer. He's still out there and right now, thousands of brave American men and women are risking their lives hunting him down.

Nic Robertson has the latest in how the hunt is going.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This, according to Pakistani officials, is where the hunt for al Qaeda and its allies is in top gear, the tribal region of Waziristan, close to the border with Afghanistan where earlier this year Pakistani officials claim to have had a fix on bin Laden's number two. Ultimately saying, perhaps he was never there.

When it comes to Osama bin Laden they have even less information.

GEN. SHAUKAT SULTAN, PAKISTAN ARMY SPOKESMAN: I don't think that anyone has specific information nor any specific intelligence has been passed to us about it.

ROBERTSON: Al Qaeda military planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammed arrested in Pakistan in early 2003 claimed to have seen bin Laden in December, 2002, information that didn't lead to bin Laden's capture. The last place bin Laden was known to be was Tora Bora in Afghanistan, from where he is suspected of slipping into western Pakistan. That was three years ago.

Could he now be taking refuge with Islamic rebels in Kashmir, the mountainous region bordering India on the other side of Pakistan?

PETER BERGEN, TERRORISM ANALYST: It's clear that bin Laden and the Kashmir militant groups have been closely intertwined for many years. And bin Laden may well take advantage of that.

ROBERTSON: These al Qaeda operatives picked up a few months ago like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were hiding in Pakistan's teeming cities, a clue to where al Qaeda may feel safest.

The latest video statement from bin Laden's deputy seems to indicate wherever the al Qaeda leaders are hiding, they feel reasonably comfortable.

(on camera): Of the few clues that could be gleaned about their health, Zawahiri looked older but seemingly well, and recently CNN was told by a relative of Osama bin Laden that rumors he suffered from a kidney disorder were inaccurate. Nic Robertson, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Joining us now to talk more about this is CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen. Peter, when was the last verified communication from Osama bin Laden on videotape, we actually saw him?

BERGEN: Well, there was videotape about a year ago but that was just him strolling around the countryside. It could have really been taken at any time since 9/11. The last time we really had a statement from bin Laden himself, videotape, was December 27, 2001. He was looking pretty bad. Here is a sort of generic B-roll that we saw this a year ago of them, of Ayman al-Zawahiri and bin Laden walking around what may well be the northwest frontier province in Pakistan.

COOPER: So, he could be dead?

BERGEN: No, he's definitely not dead, I don't think. We had an audiotape from him just in April referring to the assassination of Sheikh Yassin, the leader of Hamas in Israel, vowing revenge for that attack. So, we know that he was alive as of April.

COOPER: Why wouldn't they release a videotape, though? I mean, you'd think, you know, they're certainly media savvy enough to know the impact that would have.

BERGEN: Well, David Ensor, CNN's David Ensor is reporting that we may well get a tape from bin Laden based on his sources in the intelligence community. So, you know, I think if we don't get a videotape from bin Laden, or an audiotape in the next few days, or weeks, then there is something seriously wrong, then maybe he is dead or incapable of talking. But I wouldn't hold my breath quite yet about that. I think we may find that he's still, unfortunately, alive and well.

COOPER: You just got back from the region. You were in Pakistan. Try to explain -- I mean, it's complicated to figure out, I'm not even sure I really understand why the Pakistan government doesn't control the frontier region with Afghanistan.

BERGEN: Part of it is historical. When the British empire chose not to -- when there was a British empire, they let the tribes in this -- in the tribal region basically govern themselves. So, the Pakistanis sort of inherited this system. These tribes have a rich history of kidnapping, drug trafficking, and killing each other. And they're a pretty ungovernable bunch of people. In fact, the Pashtun word for friend is the same word for -- the word for enemy is the same as the word for cousin.

COOPER: Are you serious?

BERGEN: I'm serious. So, these people love, you know, they love fighting. And so, the fact that Pakistan is only going into this region for the first time in the spring of 2004, in any great number. And that's really the problem. These tribes have governed themselves for centuries. They don't recognize any government.

COOPER: Tough region. Peter Bergen, appreciate you joining us tonight. Thank you.

Today's "Buzz" is this. What do you think? "How likely is it there's going to be a terrorist attack in the U.S. before the presidential election? Very likely, unlikely, or there won't be an attack." Log on to CNN.com/360. Cast your vote. We'll have results at the end of the show. Curious to know what you think.

Coming up on 360, a new movie thriller, far different note. Suspense calling. We're going to take a look at lighter stuff in the "Weekender." Some ideas what you might want to do. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, for much of America, politics is the most important subject happening right now, but not for everyone. Nope, for a number of fashion obsessed New Yorkers, this week it's all about clothes and fashion shows and where they're going to sit.

CNN's Alina Cho explores why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The front row -- the fashion industry calls it the toughest ticket in town.

PLUM SYKES, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "VOGUE": The Republicans have gone home, but the politics are alive and well on the front row.

CHO: "Vogue" Contributing Editor Plum Sykes, author of "Bergdorf Blondes," says getting a front row seat at a New York fashion show a bit like winning the lottery. There are the socialites, magazine editors, and celebrities.

SYKES: Only if they're chic. Like, it's not enough to be a movie star. That doesn't get you on the front row. You've got to very stylish.

CHO: And rich, beautiful, and young.

SYKES: Under 29, but you can pretend to be 29 for like 10 years. So, that's OK.

Being in the front row is like being in a club. And like all clubs, there's always people you exclude, and they're going to be in the second row and the third row. Sorry.

CHO: People like us. Here we are in row two at Carolina Herrera. Ivana Trump got front row treatment.

IVANA TRUMP, FASHION OBSERVER: Sometimes it's a real pain, because you get -- you know, all the photographers come around. And it is definitely an honor.

CHO: Over at Jeffrey Chow: Plum, row one; Alina, row two. It is hard to see back here.

Not a problem for Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. The six-time gold medal winner is the new front row.

(on camera): You know what a big deal that is?

MICHAEL PHELPS, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: I have no idea. I'm new to this whole thing, so...

CHO (voice-over): Oh, yeah? Just ask stylist to the stars, Phillip Bloch.

(on camera): And you had a saying about the front row. What's that saying? Say it.

PHILLIP BLOCH, CELEBRITY STYLER: Front row, or I don't go.

CHO (voice-over): Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: All right. Well, if you can't snag a seat at a fashion show this weekend, we've got some other suggestions. Don't pin too many hopes on the multiplex.

See, the summer blockbuster season is over, so Hollywood is kind of just giving us whatever they have left in their vaults. Here's the "Weekender."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): In the new movie "Cellular," Chris Evans' character gets a wrong number on his cell phone from a woman in distress, played by Kim Basinger.

The young man decides to rescue her, and you know, that only leads to danger. The moral of the story: Your cell phone has Caller ID. Use it.

The action film "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" takes us back to Raccoon City. Not exactly a top 10 travel destination. Blood-thirsty zombies roam the streets, a virus runs wild, and we hear hotel prices are pretty high. "Apocalypse" is a sequel to a movie based on a video game. Do we smell Oscar? No.

SNOOP DOGG, RAPPER: This is your Soul Plane chauffeur.

COOPER: On DVD, "Soul Plane," a comedy about an all-black airline piloted by rapper Snoop Dogg. Does trouble happen when a white family accidentally boards? Fo' shizzle.

But why rent when you can watch the return of NFL Football. Catch all the gridiron action as you waste away your Atkins Diet with beer and chips. Consider all your Sundays booked from now until February. The Beastie Boys are off their rocking chairs and back in concert. Fresh off their "To the Five Boroughs" album, they play tomorrow night in San Diego.

But if you're really looking for a good time and you're bald, this is your lucky weekend. The Bald Headed Men of America are having their annual convention this weekend in Morehead City, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Well, coming up next on "360," how the world was different three years ago.

Plus on Monday, we're tracking the storm Ivan. Florida on alert for its third hurricane in less than a month.

First -- all that ahead, but first let's take a look at today's "Buzz." How likely is it there's going to be a terrorist attack in the U.S. before the presidential election? What do you think: very likely, unlikely, or there won't be an attack? Cnn.com/360, cast your vote. Results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time for "The Buzz." Earlier we asked you: How likely is it there's going to be a terrorist attack in the U.S. before the election -- very likely, unlikely, or there won't be an attack? Here's what you said: 33 percent of you said very likely; 40 percent unlikely; 27 percent said there won't be an attack. Thanks very much for the voting. Not a scientific poll, but it is your "Buzz."

Tonight, taking sweet ignorance to "The Nth Degree." Think of the things we didn't know three years ago tonight. We did not know -- having dinner, watching the news, going to bed -- that an entire order of the world was coming to an end. We did not know that a terrible new age was only a bit more than one sunrise away.

What did we dream about that last oblivious night? Not about them. They often trouble our sleep now, but can't have on this night three years ago. We'd barely seen their faces or heard their names.

And surely these towers did not appear in our dreams. We didn't need to dream about them. Now, that is the only way we can see them, in our dreams or in pictures -- like these.

Three years ago today, the shadow of the twin towers was relatively small, because it was real. Now, the shadow they cast is symbolic and so big enough to darken much of the world.

But that was all still to come. Three years ago tonight, we went to sleep in one world and woke up in another.

I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for watching. "PAULA ZAHN NOW" is next.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired September 10, 2004 - 19:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Hurricane Ivan bears down on Jamaica, while a nervous and weary Florida braces for its arrival.
360 starts now.

Ivan on the attack: Jamaica braces for a catastrophic strike. In Key West, mandatory evacuation. Tonight, the latest on when and where Ivan's going to hit us.

Did George Bush pull strings in the National Guard, or were documents forged to hint he did? Tonight, we separate fact from fiction.

The president's former sister-in-law denies she told Kitty Kelley shocking stories about George Bush and drugs. Tonight, the book, the charges and countercharges.

John Kerry on the trail says the president caved to the NRA. But how is he linking al Qaeda to the assault weapons controversy?

And the third anniversary of 9/11. Bin Laden is still public enemy number one. Why aren't the people in power talking about him more?

ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.

COOPER: Good evening.

It is one of the great ironies that the places that so many of us think of as paradise -- the Caribbean and the Florida Keys, places with impossible blue water and brilliant skies -- are the places most likely to be walloped by winds wild enough to earn names and inspire fear and do great damage.

As of today, we are precisely at the statistical peak of the hurricane season, and a monster named Ivan is heading for our shores. There it is, moving west-northwest at 13 miles an hour. And in a matter of hours, it will hit Jamaica, and it's going to hit hard, 140- mile-hour winds, as you see there, category four.

There are pictures of the massive exodus right now, there they are, from Monroe County in far southwestern Florida, which Governor Jeb Bush put under a mandatory evacuation order a few hours ago. We're covering the storm from all angles tonight. In Kingston, Jamaica, in the path of the storm, reporter Neki Mohan with our affiliate WPLG. And in Florida's Key Largo, watching the evacuation, national correspondent Susan Candiotti.

We begin in Jamaica. Neki, what's the latest?

NEKI MOHAN, REPORTER, WPLG-TV, JAMAICA: Anderson, there definitely is trouble in paradise tonight. We're feeling the force of Ivan starting to come through. Tropical force winds been blowing through the island for the past hour.

You will see the winds pick up in the palm trees occasionally as these gusts continue to come through. Electricity has been shut off across the island as a precaution, because there's flooding in several areas, and they don't want live wires to pose a danger to the people who are here.

Half a million people ordered to evacuate flood zones and coastal areas, a lot of them in shelters tonight, 1,000 shelters open all over the country. A category four storm, a very serious threat to an island that on some days has a hard time handling a thunderstorm.

Another concern here, not only for the people, not only because of the force of nature, they're also concerned about looters. Police roaming the streets, looking for bands of people hoping to hit homes that are vulnerable because of the storm.

Tonight, the island is in a state of emergency. Also a curfew is in effect. Anyone caught out on the streets will be arrested.

That's the latest live in Kingston, Jamaica. I'm Neki Mohan. Back to you, Anderson.

COOPER: Looting and flooding, it's going to be a mess. Neki Mohan, thanks very much for that.

Not far from Jamaica as the crow flies, or as the wind blows, lies the scattered outlying bits and pieces of Florida called the Keys. They're already evacuating, and that means long lines and crowded highways.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is in Key Largo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Traffic's been steady, but not bumper to bumper, as Keys residents head for points north, cars, trucks, and boats on hitches moving out on the only highway that can take them toward Miami.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time we've left since we've lived here. We've lived here for over 22 years, I guess. This is our first time evacuating, so we're -- this is pretty serious.

CANDIOTTI: Authorities recognize some veteran conchs, as Keys residents are nicknamed, will refuse to budge no matter what.

CPT. JENNY BELL THOMPSON, MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: I spoke to one gentleman day before yesterday who said, I've been through the '35, I've been through the '60, I'm not going anywhere. And I don't even try to talk them out of it.

CANDIOTTI: Throughout the day, Florida officials trying to put down rumors of gas shortages and rationing, insisting there's enough to go around. This advice from the governor, don't panic, but do pay attention to evacuation orders as they come.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: If you don't need to drive, please don't. And if you're -- if you're -- aren't asked to evacuate, please stay put. And if you're asked to evacuate, don't always -- don't necessarily default to Tennessee as one of the options to go. There are options in your own community that make sense.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Not too busy at this hour. But we can tell you the last time there was a total evacuation of the Keys was back in 2001, as Hurricane Michelle approached. She wound up brushing by. A lot of people hope that's what Ivan will wind up doing, Anderson.

COOPER: And Susan, they're evacuating so early, just because, what, the road out of the Keys is -- there's only that one road out of Key West?

CANDIOTTI: That's right, one way in, one way out. So, they're glad that they're starting early. Probably won't find out until the next day or so, really, the path of the storm. Expectation that they'll get brushed by, but you never know, as you well know, Anderson.

COOPER: Yes, and I know a lot of people are taking it very seriously in the Keys this time around. We're going to...

CANDIOTTI: They are.

COOPER: ... talk to the mayor of Key West a little bit later. Thanks, Susan.

Tracking hurricanes, certainly not a science, but -- well, it is a science, but it's not always exact one. Want to get the latest on what we know now from CNN meteorologist Orelon Sidney in Atlanta.

Orelon, where -- what's it look like?

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thanks a lot, Anderson.

Right now, it looks like things are certainly going downhill in Jamaica. The storm at 5:00 p.m. was 80 miles south-southeast of Kingston. And remember that the hurricane-force winds extend out 60 miles from the center, so they're already probably getting tropical storm-force winds, and perhaps hurricane gusts in some areas. Winds 140 miles an hour, moving to the west-northwest at 13. It is a category four storm. And I think what you may see, as it continue to push across the southern portion of the island, Kingston's going to be on the right side, as is Montego Bay. That's bad. That's where you get the worst of the storm.

Brushes through the Cayman Islands tomorrow, and then continues on towards Cuba. And then it gets to be a little difficult to tell where this storm is going. Two p.m. Sunday, we have it just to the south of Cuba as a category four, continuing to push across Cuba and towards the Keys by Monday afternoon as a three.

The good news here is, it looks like it may continue up the coast towards Apalachicola. The bad news is, we've got 100 miles or more of air on either side of that storm track, Anderson.

COOPER: Yes, there's so many different ways it could go at this point. All right, Orelon, thanks very much. We'll check back later.

It seems incredible that Florida will get hit again, considering it hasn't even come close to fully recovering from Hurricane Charley and Frances. Here's a news note. Bell South says around 300,000 homes still do not have phone service, and 500,000 people without power, according to Florida Power and Light. It's going to get worse.

We're going to have more on the storm later on 360, but we want to get you up to date on a storm of another kind, the political kind. Democrats continuing to raise questions about the president's National Guard service, and others claiming the documents upon which those questions are based are fake.

On the campaign trail, however, neither candidate is talking about any of this. With the Bush camp, CNN senior White House correspondent John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president rolled through rural Ohio with a Democratic friend, and a new line of attack against his Democratic opponent.

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Senator Kerry has now decided we're spending too much money in Iraq, even though he earlier criticized us for not spending enough.

KING: Campaigning a day before the third anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Mr. Bush made his case that Iraq is a critical front in the war on terror. Senator Kerry voted to give the president authority to go to war, but now calls it a war of choice, not necessity.

BUSH: One thing about Senator Kerry's position is clear. If he had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power, and would still be a threat to the security of America and the world.

KING: It's not every day a president comes to Chillicothe, and Bush supporters went all out. Travis Lagard helped his family decorate the house and recalled his thoughts when he first learned his Army unit was headed to Iraq.

TRAVIS LAGARD, U.S. ARMY: I told my mom, I'm, like, I hate President -- I hate Bush for this, man, because I don't want to go to war. I don't want to die.

KING: Home now and out of the Army because of post-combat stress, Lagard supports the war and the president.

LAGARD: We did what we had to do to fight against terrorism.

KING: The Ohio stops were in two rural counties Mr. Bush carried four years ago. But it's no sure thing this time around. The unemployment rate in Chillicothe is nearly eight percent, and there's talk of downsizing at the paper mill.

Conservative Democrats are easy to come back at places like the VFW hall, and one reason the president brought Democratic Senator Zell Miller of Georgia along.

SEN. ZELL MILLER (D), GEORGIA: There is but one man I trust to keep my family safe from terrorists bent on destroying America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING (on camera): Now, Mr. Bush today called Senator Kerry's complaints about Iraq war spending his latest shift position on the war. The Kerry campaign, Anderson, said those rising war costs are proof that this president took this country to war without a plan to win it.

COOPER: John, has there been any talk about President Bush talking at all about this National Guard brouhaha, or is this something that he's just going to stay out of?

KING: For now, he will stay out of it. Aides say they have nothing new to say. They say this is being pushed by the Kerry campaign. The Kerry campaign says nothing could be further from the truth. And the White House certainly is enjoying the questions about the authenticity of those documents. But the White House isn't sure if the documents are authentic or not, so it's trying to stand back and let the analysis go forth.

COOPER: And we know the -- the White House is passing out those documents. John King, thanks very much for that.

We're going to look at the documents a little bit later on, and look at the questions about their authenticity as well later on.

Today, Senator Kerry launched a new line of attack against President Bush, saying he's caving in to the NRA, not doing enough to keep the 10-year ban on certain types of assault weapons alive. Congress is likely going to let it expire on Monday.

Kerry says that al Qaeda has urged its members to buy those weapons and called for an extension of the ban.

CNN's Dan Lothian has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the campaign trail recently, Senator John Kerry, promoting his sportsman's image, a proud gun owner.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you for the gift, but I can't take it to the debate with me.

LOTHIAN: An avid hunter, now Kerry, a vocal defender of the Second Amendment, is firing a new round of attacks aimed at President Bush.

KERRY: I have never, ever thought about going hunting with an AK-47 or an Uzi.

LOTHIAN: He accuses Bush of caving in to the gun lobby, doing little to stop the impending expiration of the assault weapons ban, even though he says he would sign it.

KERRY: George Bush, who says, Oh, I'm for that, never asked the Congress to pass it, never pushed the Congress to pass it.

LOTHIAN: The Bush campaign says, quote, "The president's position on the assault weapon ban is clear, and the president has an exceptional record of enforcing gun laws. John Kerry has spent a career in the Senate voting against hunters," unquote. Kerry says keeping the ban would protect Americans from criminals and terrorists and would never impact the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

KERRY: I mean, heavens to Betsy, folks, we've had the law on the books for the last 10 years. And there's not a gun owner in America who can stand up and say, They tried to take my guns away.

LOTHIAN: Just a slice of Kerry's domestic agenda as he campaigned in the battleground state of Missouri, touting affordable healthcare to seniors at a suburban St. Louis town hall meeting.

(on camera): At this rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Kerry continued his attack on President Bush over the assault weapons ban issue. Aides say, expect more of this theme in the coming days, an issue they say resonates with voters, two-thirds of whom say they support the ban.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Some more news that may have some political implications. Bill home, Bill Clinton is heading home to recuperate from surgery. That tops our look at what's happening cross-country.

There he is. New York City, just about an hour ago, former President Clinton left New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he underwent heart bypass surgery just four days ago. Doctors said the surgery was just in time. He was probably only weeks away from having a heart attack.

Helena, Montana, now: Suspicious letters sent to governor's office, and the same thing has happened to governors in seven other states. The envelopes are rigged with matches set to ignite when opened. And they all have a return address from the same maximum- security prison in Nevada. Now, the FBI and corrections officials are questioning two inmates.

Los Angeles, California, Michael Eisner, the embattled CEO of Disney, is calling it quits, telling the company's board in a letter that he will retire when his contract expires in September 2006. Eisner wasn't, well, he was stripped of his position of chairman after a shareholder revolt this past spring. Now, Eisner ended the letter with the company's line, "I'm going to Disneyland." We'll see.

That's a look at the stories cross-country tonight.

Scandalous allegations about President Bush being made in a new bestselling book. But is it a fact, or is it full of fiction? Why are so many of the sources anonymous? We'll look at that.

Plus, new strategies on the campaign trail. Is Bush trying to link Kerry to Howard Dean? And is Kerry playing the race card? We go 360 with the guys from "CROSSFIRE."

And 9/11, three years later. Why aren't politicians talking more about Osama bin Laden? We'll talk about that ahead.

But first, let's take a look at your picks, the most popular stories right now on cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: I'm personally not a big fan of unauthorized biographies, but they're usually filled with salacious details and a lot of unnamed sources. Clearly, though, Americans love them.

Kitty Kelley has written unauthorized biographies on Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, among others, all of them bestsellers. Well, now she's now written about the Bush family, and the details which have been leaked so far are raising eyebrows and temperatures and questions.

CNN's Kathleen Koch takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fact or fiction. White house spokesman Scott McClellan calls the new Kitty Kelley biography of the Bush family garbage, and most Republicans agree.

CHARLIE BLACK, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Miss Kelley makes things up. She writes fiction under the guise of biography in order to sell books.

KOCH: The author's note does admit many were reluctant to tell their stories on the record, so there is liberal use of unnamed sources. But there are plenty of direct quotes, some of the most sensational from Sharon Bush, who in 2003 underwent a messy divorce with George W. Bush's brother Neil.

Kelley quotes Sharon as blaming an affair with a woman working for Barbara Bush. "The Bushes knew about the affair before I did. They even entertained the woman in their home. They encouraged their own son's adultery. What kind of family value is that?"

Sharon Bush is also quoted in the book talking about alleged drug use by her brothers-in-law, including George W. Bush. "He and Marvin did coke at Camp David when their father was president, and not just once, either. This was a family of alcoholism, drug addiction, and even schizophrenia." But Sharon's attorney denies the drug comments.

DAVID BERG, SHARON BUSH'S ATTORNEY: Sharon's understanding at the time, perhaps naively when you're talking to Kitty Kelley, that everything was off the record. But let me make it clear, she didn't say what's attributed to her.

KOCH: But Sharon's then-PR consultant, Lou Colasuonno, who was at the lunch last year with the two women when the subject came up, says Sharon did confirm the drug use.

Other details from people the book describes as family friends, like Cody Shearer (ph), who says George H. W. Bush used to talk about how his father, Prescott, beat him, actually whipped him with a strap. And Marjorie Perloff, who was quoted calling the former first lady Barbara "a rich woman who many of us recall as seeming to enjoy her dogs more than her children."

(on camera): Republicans charge the book's release less than two months before the election is timed to hurt the president. Democrats believe it could put Mr. Bush on the defensive, and perhaps help their candidate.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: As we mentioned, Kitty Kelley's certainly no stranger to tell-all biographies. Here's a fast fact for you. In 1997, she wrote "His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra." That spent 22 weeks on "The New York Times" bestseller list. In 1991, she penned "Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography," which lasted 12 weeks on the bestseller list.

As for her latest, "The Family," it's not out until Tuesday, but advance sales have already propelled it to the number three spot on amazon.com's bestseller list.

Well, a day of rallies in Iraq. That tops our look at what's going on around the world in the uplink. After Friday prayers in Najaf, there was a protest against radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr against him. The crowd tried to storm his office. They were stopped by Iraqi forces. Some irony in that.

While in Baghdad, a much bigger crowd, up to 4,000 people, marched in support of al-Sadr.

Rome, Italy, now, appeal for hostages. Thousands of people marched through the city streets carrying signs demanding the release of two Italian female aid workers who were kidnapped in Iraq on Tuesday. Kidnapping aid workers. Italian officials are working through diplomatic channels to try to get the women free.

In Washington, new terror tape analysis. CIA says it has high confidence the person on the tape released yesterday is indeed Osama bin Laden's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Says his references on the tape to the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region suggests it was recorded fairly recently.

That's a quick look at what's happening around the world in the uplink.

360 next, Hurricane Ivan on the move, on target to hit Jamaica. (INAUDIBLE) another live report from Kingston and the latest on its projected path.

Also, President Bush's National Guard records. Was CBS duped by a forged document? Ahead, we'll look at the facts, not the hype, from all the angles.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Twist tonight in the reenergized debate over President Bush's service in the National Guard. Earlier this week, CBS News first reported on a group of documents. Now, supposedly they were from president -- the president's former commander in the National Guard. The documents said that Mr. Bush's performance evaluations were "sugar coated," in the words of the guy who wrote them.

Tonight, there are questions, though, as to whether those memos are fakes. CNN's Jeanne Meserve reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Are the CBS documents the real thing, or forgeries? The purported author, Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Killian, died in 1984. But his widow called them a farce.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MARJORIE CONNELL, FMR. WIFE: He was a person who did not take or make copious notes. He carried everything in his mind.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MESERVE: CBS says the documents were vetted by independent experts and is standing by its story.

DAN RATHER, CBS NEWS: I believe that the witnesses and the documents are authentic. We wouldn't have gone to air if they had not been.

MESERVE: Forensic document experts contacted by CNN said they would need to see the original documents to reach a definitive conclusion. But one said they were very probably computer generated. In fact, using Microsoft Word, CNN was able to manufacture a near- perfect match for one.

Although an expert on IBM machines says he has found a matching font style from the early '70s, the superscripted "th" seen in phrases like "187th in Alabama," many experts say, was rarely seen in commonly used typewriters of the era.

FARRELL SHRIVER, FORENSIC EXPERT: The way that is done is more typical of a computer-generated document than a document that was generated on a typewriter.

MESERVE: Also, most '70s typewriters gave each letter the same amount of space. But the CBS documents appear to use proportional spacing, which gives a W, let's say, more space than an L.

Other experts say the signature on one of the CBS documents is not fully consistent with Jerry Killian's signature on other documents from the same era.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Tonight, CBS aired an interview with an expert who believes the signatures do indeed match. The network also reported that it had found superscripting in other authentic Bush National Guard records. We have found something similar, but it's unclear whether those documents came from the same typewriter.

All the experts agree it is impossible to do a conclusive analysis when documents have been photocopied and faxed and downloaded. And CBS acknowledges it is working from copies too, though not as many generations removed from the originals, Anderson.

COOPER: Jeanne Meserve, thanks very much. I don't think this is the last we've heard of this. Thanks very much.

The National Guard story, well, it's already been all over the airwaves, and surrogates from each campaign have talked about it. But both candidates are trying to really stay above the fray.

Today, with less than eight weeks to go until the election, the candidates are still honing their messages, focusing on where they think their opponent is most vulnerable.

Earlier today, I talked about the campaign strategies with "CROSSFIRE" hosts Paul Begala and Robert Novak.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) Paul, I want to start by asking you about the president's strategy. I want to show you something he said today in West Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: One thing about Senator Kerry's position is clear. If he had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power and would still be a threat to the security and to the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Paul, that's what they used to say a lot about Howard Dean. It's, I think, the first time I've heard the president say it. He may have said it before. Are they trying to link Kerry to Dean now?

PAUL BEGALA, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": I suppose so. Of course, Kerry voted for that war. He just argues he would have prosecuted it in a very different manner. I was opposed to the war, so was Howard Dean. The truth is, if people like me had had our way, it's true, Saddam would have been in office.

But he was never a threat to America. That's what we know now. He had no weapons. He had no links to al Qaeda. He had nothing to do with 9/11. He wasn't a threat.

And you know what? There's 1,003 young Americans who are dead now because the president thought there was a threat there and told them to go and fight a war there, which we didn't have to fight.

COOPER: Bob, if the president is trying to link Howard Dean and John Kerry, I mean, is that, is that a good idea?

ROBERT NOVAK, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": I don't think that's what he's trying to do, Anderson. What he's trying to do is say that the ambiguousness of -- ambiguity of Senator Kerry on the war is -- just leads to the conclusion that if he had been president, we'd still have Saddam Hussein in power, and is that is what you want?

Now, I know that if Paul Begala was president, Saddam Hussein would still be in Baghdad, for better or for worse. With John Kerry, you don't know whether we'd still have Saddam Hussein, because he's been all over the lot.

COOPER: Paul, John Kerry is now attacking President Bush for spending $200 billions in Iraq, saying it could have been better spent here. Wasn't a year ago, wasn't he saying that President Bush hadn't spent enough in Iraq? Is this a flip-flop?

BEGALA: I, no, I think that the Kerry's actually been consistent from his (INAUDIBLE), you know, the famous vote where he said he voted for and then against the $87 billion. Kerry's critique that has been consistent is, the war in Iraq shouldn't blow up our deficit. We should pay for this war rather than cut things like housing, healthcare, education, or increase the deficit. And that's a consistent point.

That's where Kerry voted for one version of the $87 billion and against the other. Bush said he would veto the version of the $87 billion that did not add to the deficit. He would only accept the one that did add to the deficit.

NOVAK: (INAUDIBLE) you just repeated yourself, Paul, but as a matter of fact, you didn't answer Anderson's question, because on "Meet the Press," Senator Kerry said that he would, there would be no limit on how much he would spend. We had to spend more. So, that's another flip-flop, where he hasn't kept his position.

The interesting thing about this, of course, is you said pay for it. What he means is, increased taxes on Americans to pay for it. It wouldn't have paid for the whole. It wasn't enough of a tax increase, but it would probably have brought the economy to a halt.

COOPER: I want to look at a, something that's coming out now in the campaign trail that Senator Kerry is saying. This is what he said yesterday. I'm going to put it on the screen. He said, "President Bush's domestic policies are taking us back to two Americas, separate and unequal. Our cities and communities are being torn apart by forces just as divisive and destructive as Jim Crow, crumbling schools, robbing our children of their potential, rising poverty, rising crime, drugs, and violence."

There are some who say, Paul, that this sounds almost like he's sort of trying to make a sort of racial divisions here.

BEGALA: Yes, I don't like the reference to Jim Crow. I think that was much more savage than anything we're going through now. But the rest of that statement, I think, makes perfect sense to me. Anybody who travels around this country knows that there are two Americas. We want to be one America. But there are two Americas. There are two sets of rules for the powerful and privileged versus...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: ... we certainly, we...

BEGALA: ... healthcare and housing and education and everything. So...

COOPER: But we've heard the two America, you know, we've...

BEGALA: Right.

COOPER: ... God knows we heard that from Senator Edwards a lot during the primaries.

NOVAK: Well, he stole -- he stole that from, he stole that from Senator Edwards.

COOPER: Well, right. Using, using the word "Jim Crow," that's pretty tough language.

NOVAK: You said, it...

BEGALA: Yes, and I said I didn't like that, no.

NOVAK: It's an outrage. It's outrageous. Bat you have to say is what was his audience? He was speaking to a predominantly, almost entirely African-American group, a Baptist audience. Now, that is, that is what really is the kind of vile politics that you only talk about, you only raise race issues when you talk to black people. And that was the kind of thing that -- that John Edwards in his campaign said we shouldn't do.

COOPER: All right. Paul Begala, Robert Novak, thanks for joining us.

NOVAK: Thank you.

BEGALA: Thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Well, it's not just those two guys who are divided. No doubt about it, the American public is divided, polarized. That's the word you hear a lot these days. It's certainly seen in polls. And lately, you see it at campaign rallies. Hecklers, well, they're breaking out all over, and the reaction to them is swift and severe. And that's tonight's "Campaign Unplugged."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): President Bush stated his case against John Kerry yesterday in Colmar, Pennsylvania.

BUSH: You drive a car, Senator Kerry's voted for higher taxes on you. If you have a job, he's voted for higher taxes on you.

COOPER: But not everyone at the rally seemed ready to fall in line. Just as quickly as the hecklers started their harangue, they were roughly discharged and charged with disorderly contact.

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Four more years! Four more years!

COOPER: When John Kerry spoke in Cincinnati on Wednesday...

KERRY: Eight million Americans are looking for work here in America. Two million more -- two million more -- than when George W. Bush took office.

COOPER: ... his rally was also rudely interrupted.

KERRY: Please, please.

COOPER: And the heckler was just as rudely removed, held in a headlock by Kerry supporters.

KERRY: Please, everybody... COOPER: And that's what's really noticeable now. The crowd seemed angry and not afraid to vent their fury on the hecklers. Check out these guys.

And the candidate supporters certainly aren't taking the taunting lying down. Dissenters are dragged out, shouted down.

UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

COOPER: It's only the candidates who seem to handle them with kid gloves.

DICK CHENEY (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Looks like we better put him down as undecided.

COOPER: In the end, of course, there's nothing a campaign can do to guarantee their rallies will be heckler-free, but they're doing their best to quickly quash the uproar and show the dissenters the door.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Ivan on the attack: Jamaica braces for a catastrophic strike. In Key West, mandatory evacuation. Tonight the latest on when and where Ivan's going to hit us.

And the third anniversary of 9/11: Bin Laden is still public enemy number one, why aren't the people in power talking about him more? 360 continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Back now to that massive storm Ivan. It's poised to slam into Jamaica in the next couple of hours. We're following the storm closely. It's a Category 4 hurricane, packing up to 140-mile- per-hour winds.

It's ultimately headed towards Florida -- at least, at this point, it seems that way. Mandatory evacuation orders in effect from Monroe County in far southwestern Florida, including the Florida Keys where tropical storm conditions are expected as early as Sunday morning.

Now, Ivan's already killed 25 people in its path. It's hard to believe -- let's hope it doesn't get much worse. The trouble comes first to Jamaica, though, as we said tonight, where CNN's Karl Penhaul is standing by (INAUDIBLE) as he can under the circumstances.

Karl, how bad is it?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Anderson.

Things are getting progressively worse here in the Capital of Kingston. The rain's now become persistent and torrential. The winds are now picking up, as well. Still not yet tropical storm force here in the capital, but that is expected to come in the next few minutes. And now it's dark, and the squalls and those winds will build up to hurricane force.

But there are problems already on Jamaica. We've been talking to police in the last few moments. They've already had to rescue a mother and her child in an area -- a low-lying area near Kingston. They were rescued as storm forces -- storm and floodwaters ripped through their home.

And a little further east, the main highway that connects the capital with the eastern part of the country has been washed out. That main highway is now unpassable. But population can still move to higher ground through a series -- a network of backroads.

Weather experts are warning that the passage of this hurricane could catastrophic. So far, many ordinary Jamaicans in the course of the day were taking things with a very laid-back attitude, but that all seems to have changed in the last couple of hours or so. And we're told by government officials that more than 5,000 Jamaicans have now taken to emergency hurricane shelters. They've moved out of low- lying areas -- Anderson?

COOPER: Yes, I mean, that island has problems with flooding, you know, in just a big rainstorm. So, we can only imagine how bad it's going to get. Karl Penhaul, thanks very much. We'll check in with you later tonight.

We're joined now by a couple of people who surely can't spare us very much time, given what else they must have to do tonight with Hurricane Ivan bearing down on them. In Key Largo, Captain Jenny Bell-Thompson of the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, and in Key West, Mayor Jimmy Weekley. We appreciate both of you being here. We promise we're not going to keep you -- keep you all too long.

Captain Thompson, there's a mandatory evacuation order now in effect for your county. Just -- that happened a couple of hours ago. How is the evacuation going?

BELL-THOMPSON: Actually, the initial evacuation order for residents was issued at 7:00 this morning for Key West and the lower Keys. And then, at noon for Marathon in the middle Keys. And then, at 4:00 this afternoon for the upper Keys.

We do that so that the evacuation goes more smoothly; one area of the Keys basically gets out of the other area's way. And it's gone extremely smoothly. Traffic was real heavy at 6:00 this morning when I came out. I was very glad to see that, because we're encouraging people to heed this evacuation warning.

It did kind of thin out later this afternoon. But as I stand here tonight, I think it's picked up again quite a bit. And I am hoping that people don't wait until the last minute, because I believe that this is not a storm to take a chance with.

COOPER: Yes, especially given all that's happened up to now.

Mayor Weekley, it's good to see you. Appreciate you being on the program. I think I actually met you in Boston.

MAYOR JIMMY WEEKLEY, KEY WEST: Right, we did meet in Boston.

COOPER: Yes, we did. I'm sorry we're meeting under these circumstances.

Now, you know, residents of Florida, of the Keys, pretty hearty lot. Are they taking this thing seriously?

WEEKLY: Yes, they really are, and more so than in any hurricanes previously. I think because of the previous two hurricanes, of Charley and Frances, and the devastation that they caused, the residents here in Key West saw what could really happen. And they took heed to the evacuation order.

COOPER: I mean, are most of the businesses boarded up in your town?

WEEKLEY: Actually, all of the businesses -- I would say about 98 percent of the businesses are boarded up. Others are in the process of completing their boarding up procedure. And I'm really grateful to the number of residents who have, in fact, evacuated Key West.

COOPER: Captain Thompson, you know, we hear about mandatory evacuations. I mean, people aren't forced to evacuate. What exactly does that mean, mandatory evacuation?

BELL-THOMPSON: We're not going to -- definitely not going to shackle anybody and drag them to the pokey if they don't leave. But by using the term mandatory, we hope that that puts enough seriousness behind the order for people to leave.

You know, there are some people who are just not going to go, and there's not much we can do for them. But there are a lot of people who might be undecided, and those are the people that we absolutely encourage to leave. And they just need to look again at Frances and Charley.

We have not forgotten Hurricane Andrew in the upper Keys, because it devastated our neighbors to the north in Florida City and Homestead and elsewhere. You know, it's mandatory -- not in the sense that we'll take you to jail, but mandatory in the sense that we go neighborhood to neighborhood and tell people, you really need to leave.

COOPER: Yes, well, I know you both have a long couple of days ahead of you, a tough couple of days ahead of you. Mayor Weekley, we appreciate you joining us, and Captain Jenny Bell-Thompson, as well. Thanks very much. Good luck to you.

WEEKLEY: Thank you, Anderson. Appreciate it. Thank you.

COOPER: Coming up next on 360, 9/11 three years later, hard to believe. And the hunt for bin Laden goes on. Why don't politicians mention his name as much these days? We'll talk about that ahead. Also tonight, a video game transformed into a movie. The new box office options in the "Weekender." Some lighter stuff going into this week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Have you noticed that you rarely hear the president or other politicians talk about Osama bin Laden much these days, at least not publicly.

In fact, by our count at the Republican convention, bin Laden's name was only mentioned once. They may not be talking about him but bin Laden, of course, remains a killer. He's still out there and right now, thousands of brave American men and women are risking their lives hunting him down.

Nic Robertson has the latest in how the hunt is going.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This, according to Pakistani officials, is where the hunt for al Qaeda and its allies is in top gear, the tribal region of Waziristan, close to the border with Afghanistan where earlier this year Pakistani officials claim to have had a fix on bin Laden's number two. Ultimately saying, perhaps he was never there.

When it comes to Osama bin Laden they have even less information.

GEN. SHAUKAT SULTAN, PAKISTAN ARMY SPOKESMAN: I don't think that anyone has specific information nor any specific intelligence has been passed to us about it.

ROBERTSON: Al Qaeda military planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammed arrested in Pakistan in early 2003 claimed to have seen bin Laden in December, 2002, information that didn't lead to bin Laden's capture. The last place bin Laden was known to be was Tora Bora in Afghanistan, from where he is suspected of slipping into western Pakistan. That was three years ago.

Could he now be taking refuge with Islamic rebels in Kashmir, the mountainous region bordering India on the other side of Pakistan?

PETER BERGEN, TERRORISM ANALYST: It's clear that bin Laden and the Kashmir militant groups have been closely intertwined for many years. And bin Laden may well take advantage of that.

ROBERTSON: These al Qaeda operatives picked up a few months ago like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were hiding in Pakistan's teeming cities, a clue to where al Qaeda may feel safest.

The latest video statement from bin Laden's deputy seems to indicate wherever the al Qaeda leaders are hiding, they feel reasonably comfortable.

(on camera): Of the few clues that could be gleaned about their health, Zawahiri looked older but seemingly well, and recently CNN was told by a relative of Osama bin Laden that rumors he suffered from a kidney disorder were inaccurate. Nic Robertson, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Joining us now to talk more about this is CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen. Peter, when was the last verified communication from Osama bin Laden on videotape, we actually saw him?

BERGEN: Well, there was videotape about a year ago but that was just him strolling around the countryside. It could have really been taken at any time since 9/11. The last time we really had a statement from bin Laden himself, videotape, was December 27, 2001. He was looking pretty bad. Here is a sort of generic B-roll that we saw this a year ago of them, of Ayman al-Zawahiri and bin Laden walking around what may well be the northwest frontier province in Pakistan.

COOPER: So, he could be dead?

BERGEN: No, he's definitely not dead, I don't think. We had an audiotape from him just in April referring to the assassination of Sheikh Yassin, the leader of Hamas in Israel, vowing revenge for that attack. So, we know that he was alive as of April.

COOPER: Why wouldn't they release a videotape, though? I mean, you'd think, you know, they're certainly media savvy enough to know the impact that would have.

BERGEN: Well, David Ensor, CNN's David Ensor is reporting that we may well get a tape from bin Laden based on his sources in the intelligence community. So, you know, I think if we don't get a videotape from bin Laden, or an audiotape in the next few days, or weeks, then there is something seriously wrong, then maybe he is dead or incapable of talking. But I wouldn't hold my breath quite yet about that. I think we may find that he's still, unfortunately, alive and well.

COOPER: You just got back from the region. You were in Pakistan. Try to explain -- I mean, it's complicated to figure out, I'm not even sure I really understand why the Pakistan government doesn't control the frontier region with Afghanistan.

BERGEN: Part of it is historical. When the British empire chose not to -- when there was a British empire, they let the tribes in this -- in the tribal region basically govern themselves. So, the Pakistanis sort of inherited this system. These tribes have a rich history of kidnapping, drug trafficking, and killing each other. And they're a pretty ungovernable bunch of people. In fact, the Pashtun word for friend is the same word for -- the word for enemy is the same as the word for cousin.

COOPER: Are you serious?

BERGEN: I'm serious. So, these people love, you know, they love fighting. And so, the fact that Pakistan is only going into this region for the first time in the spring of 2004, in any great number. And that's really the problem. These tribes have governed themselves for centuries. They don't recognize any government.

COOPER: Tough region. Peter Bergen, appreciate you joining us tonight. Thank you.

Today's "Buzz" is this. What do you think? "How likely is it there's going to be a terrorist attack in the U.S. before the presidential election? Very likely, unlikely, or there won't be an attack." Log on to CNN.com/360. Cast your vote. We'll have results at the end of the show. Curious to know what you think.

Coming up on 360, a new movie thriller, far different note. Suspense calling. We're going to take a look at lighter stuff in the "Weekender." Some ideas what you might want to do. Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, for much of America, politics is the most important subject happening right now, but not for everyone. Nope, for a number of fashion obsessed New Yorkers, this week it's all about clothes and fashion shows and where they're going to sit.

CNN's Alina Cho explores why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The front row -- the fashion industry calls it the toughest ticket in town.

PLUM SYKES, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "VOGUE": The Republicans have gone home, but the politics are alive and well on the front row.

CHO: "Vogue" Contributing Editor Plum Sykes, author of "Bergdorf Blondes," says getting a front row seat at a New York fashion show a bit like winning the lottery. There are the socialites, magazine editors, and celebrities.

SYKES: Only if they're chic. Like, it's not enough to be a movie star. That doesn't get you on the front row. You've got to very stylish.

CHO: And rich, beautiful, and young.

SYKES: Under 29, but you can pretend to be 29 for like 10 years. So, that's OK.

Being in the front row is like being in a club. And like all clubs, there's always people you exclude, and they're going to be in the second row and the third row. Sorry.

CHO: People like us. Here we are in row two at Carolina Herrera. Ivana Trump got front row treatment.

IVANA TRUMP, FASHION OBSERVER: Sometimes it's a real pain, because you get -- you know, all the photographers come around. And it is definitely an honor.

CHO: Over at Jeffrey Chow: Plum, row one; Alina, row two. It is hard to see back here.

Not a problem for Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. The six-time gold medal winner is the new front row.

(on camera): You know what a big deal that is?

MICHAEL PHELPS, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: I have no idea. I'm new to this whole thing, so...

CHO (voice-over): Oh, yeah? Just ask stylist to the stars, Phillip Bloch.

(on camera): And you had a saying about the front row. What's that saying? Say it.

PHILLIP BLOCH, CELEBRITY STYLER: Front row, or I don't go.

CHO (voice-over): Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: All right. Well, if you can't snag a seat at a fashion show this weekend, we've got some other suggestions. Don't pin too many hopes on the multiplex.

See, the summer blockbuster season is over, so Hollywood is kind of just giving us whatever they have left in their vaults. Here's the "Weekender."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): In the new movie "Cellular," Chris Evans' character gets a wrong number on his cell phone from a woman in distress, played by Kim Basinger.

The young man decides to rescue her, and you know, that only leads to danger. The moral of the story: Your cell phone has Caller ID. Use it.

The action film "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" takes us back to Raccoon City. Not exactly a top 10 travel destination. Blood-thirsty zombies roam the streets, a virus runs wild, and we hear hotel prices are pretty high. "Apocalypse" is a sequel to a movie based on a video game. Do we smell Oscar? No.

SNOOP DOGG, RAPPER: This is your Soul Plane chauffeur.

COOPER: On DVD, "Soul Plane," a comedy about an all-black airline piloted by rapper Snoop Dogg. Does trouble happen when a white family accidentally boards? Fo' shizzle.

But why rent when you can watch the return of NFL Football. Catch all the gridiron action as you waste away your Atkins Diet with beer and chips. Consider all your Sundays booked from now until February. The Beastie Boys are off their rocking chairs and back in concert. Fresh off their "To the Five Boroughs" album, they play tomorrow night in San Diego.

But if you're really looking for a good time and you're bald, this is your lucky weekend. The Bald Headed Men of America are having their annual convention this weekend in Morehead City, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Well, coming up next on "360," how the world was different three years ago.

Plus on Monday, we're tracking the storm Ivan. Florida on alert for its third hurricane in less than a month.

First -- all that ahead, but first let's take a look at today's "Buzz." How likely is it there's going to be a terrorist attack in the U.S. before the presidential election? What do you think: very likely, unlikely, or there won't be an attack? Cnn.com/360, cast your vote. Results when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Time for "The Buzz." Earlier we asked you: How likely is it there's going to be a terrorist attack in the U.S. before the election -- very likely, unlikely, or there won't be an attack? Here's what you said: 33 percent of you said very likely; 40 percent unlikely; 27 percent said there won't be an attack. Thanks very much for the voting. Not a scientific poll, but it is your "Buzz."

Tonight, taking sweet ignorance to "The Nth Degree." Think of the things we didn't know three years ago tonight. We did not know -- having dinner, watching the news, going to bed -- that an entire order of the world was coming to an end. We did not know that a terrible new age was only a bit more than one sunrise away.

What did we dream about that last oblivious night? Not about them. They often trouble our sleep now, but can't have on this night three years ago. We'd barely seen their faces or heard their names.

And surely these towers did not appear in our dreams. We didn't need to dream about them. Now, that is the only way we can see them, in our dreams or in pictures -- like these.

Three years ago today, the shadow of the twin towers was relatively small, because it was real. Now, the shadow they cast is symbolic and so big enough to darken much of the world.

But that was all still to come. Three years ago tonight, we went to sleep in one world and woke up in another.

I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for watching. "PAULA ZAHN NOW" is next.

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