Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Baghdad Blast; 'Today's Talker'

Aired September 14, 2004 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Once again, an Iraqi police station has been the target of a bombing; this time, 47 Iraqis have been killed, 114 wounded. It happened in an area that has been a recent hot spot for U.S. forces.
Live to Baghdad now and Diana Muriel.

Good morning.

DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Yes, the latest number is 47 dead and 114 wounded in this massive car bomb that exploded just after 10:00 here in Baghdad at a police station on the now notorious Haifa Street. It was at the farther northern end of that street. It was an area where there are many shops. It's a very busy shopping district. There is a sports ground. There's a local school there.

And just outside the police station when this blast occurred there was a line of police recruits waiting outside the compound to come in and sign up as police officers. They bore the brunt of the blast.

Many of the dead and injured were amongst their number, but also the passersby in that district, a scene of absolute carnage, Carol, with body parts strewn all over the street, carnage extending 200 meters up and down the street. Many of the shop fronts were blown in, pools of blood on the road.

Seven or eight cars that were in the vicinity were ignited by that blast and started to burn.

The dead and injured were ferried to the local hospital. Sometimes the hospital staff appeared to be overwhelmed by the numbers that they were having to deal with as they fought to save lives.

The interior minister broke off his engagements and came to the blast site. Very quickly there, he was mobbed by an angry crowd, who were blaming the Americans for this incident, saying that the Americans were responsible for security in Iraq. Where was the security?

But the fact is that insurgents all over the country have been mounting a series of attacks in ever increasing numbers in recent days and weeks -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Diana Muriel live from Baghdad, thank you. So, violence in Baghdad and in other places within Iraq. The situation is so volatile in Fallujah. The insurgents are in control. And that is part of "Today's Talker."

From the left, talker Nancy Skinner, and from the right, libertarian talker Neal Boortz.

Welcome to you both.

NEAL BOORTZ, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: How are you doing?

NANCY SKINNER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: It's not going so hot in Iraq. But all we hear about is Kitty Kelley's tell-all book and Vietnam-gate. Will we ever get on topic, Neal?

BOORTZ: Well, I don't know. I mean, watch Kitty Kelley. I am going to make a bet right here -- we'll pay it off next week -- that Kitty Kelley gets more primetime interviews on the alphabets during the next week than the Swift Boat veterans did. She's a gossip.

And, remember, let's see, Nancy Reagan had an affair with Frank Sinatra: Kitty Kelley. Ronald Reagan got an abortion for a girlfriend: Kitty Kelley. And we're paying serious attention to her? This is just proof that people that subscribe to "People" magazine should have their voter registration cards taken away.

COSTELLO: Well, Jane, why is Kitty Kelley getting so much attention?

SKINNER: Well, I'll tell you, I don't think she's going to get the attention that Neal says she is. If you look at Matt Drudge, every story that's talked about all week long originates from Matt Drudge, the Internet gossip. I bet Kitty Kelley's book doesn't get a fraction of it.

But you know what? The Bush campaign wants this kind of scandal -- the Swift Boat, the Kitty Kelley, all of these stupid stories out there -- because they don't want to talk, Carol, as you mentioned, about what's going on in Iraq.

President Bush is like a guy driving, who refuses to stop and ask for directions. Do we call that kind of guy a leader with great resolve? Or do we call him a foolish coward?

And right now the situation is out of control in Baghdad. Health care, 45 million Americans don't have health care. These are the issues President Bush doesn't want to touch. He'd rather have a discussion as to whether...

BOORTZ: Now -- now -- oh.

SKINNER: ... Kitty Kelley is credible or not.

BOORTZ: Hold on. I love these code words: 45 million Americans don't have health care.

Now, here's the assumption from the left. If you don't have health insurance, it means you don't have health care. Not one of these people without health insurance can ever -- god forbid -- go out and obtain health care on their own. And George Bush is -- what did she call him? A foolish coward.

SKINNER: No, I'm saying if...

BOORTZ: Oh, boy, let's deal with the issues here, Nancy.

SKINNER: If you refuse to stop and make a course correction, and you just say I'm going to keep doing what's not working, do we say that's a great leader with resolve? No. That's foolishness. When you have to correct course, you do that.

And I'll tell you what, Neal. You want to talk about health care? Are you saying that those 45 million people should go out and buy it in the private markets? Because guess what? They can't afford to buy it. They have...

BOORTZ: OK, now we know that these 45 million people, Nancy magically knows, that none of them can afford...

SKINNER: I didn't say...

BOORTZ: ... to buy health care.

SKINNER: I didn't say none of them.

BOORTZ: Most of them...

SKINNER: Or they would!

BOORTZ: Most of them are teenagers...

SKINNER: Don't you think...

BOORTZ: ... that are living at home with their parents, Nancy!

SKINNER: Don't you think they would if they could? Do you think really, honestly...

BOORTZ: Do you know that they don't?

COSTELLO: OK, hold on a minute. Let's get back on the topic of the Iraq war, because both candidates actually are talking about health care. But the situation in Iraq, it just seems to be getting worse and worse. And nobody has come up with any sort of plan. In fact, the only war anyone keeps talking about is Vietnam.

BOORTZ: Well, the situation in Iraq, take a look at the mullahs in Iran, the leaders in Syria, perhaps even Saudi Arabia. These people are facing a real threat.

If a popularly-elected government actually does take ruling power in Iran -- or, excuse me -- in Iraq at the beginning of next year, then the regimes in Syria and Iran and Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East are threatened. They need to stop this. They are sending insurgents into Iraq to try to stop the process of democratization.

And, I mean, who can blame them? You don't want to lose your ruling power you've held for eons.

COSTELLO: Well, we don't exactly have any truth that they're sending anybody in great numbers into Iraq. These insurgents seem to be coming out of the woodwork within that country.

Nancy, address that issue and why John Kerry hasn't been able to get a stronger message out there about what he would do.

SKINNER: Well, you know what? I think what he needs to say is, a course correction, and at this point you can't put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

It's going to take a new president and a new partnership with the world community to rebuild this thing, because President Bush and his administration botched it so badly when we knew that looting would occur. The State Department had lots of plans in place for a post- Iraq rebuilding situation. And those were thrown in the garbage by President Bush and all of these hawks who felt like they could go in there and deal with this situation swiftly.

It's going to take a whole new team and a new deal, really, to put Iraq back together again.

COSTELLO: Neal, you get the last word.

BOORTZ: OK, a whole new team and a new deal. What? The deal of appeasement. Let the United Nations handle it and withdraw from our world leadership. That's the cure.

SKINNER: Does he really get the last word?

COSTELLO: He does, I'm sorry, Nancy.

BOORTZ: Sorry, Nancy. Your turn next week.

SKINNER: OK.

COSTELLO: Nancy Skinner, Neal Boortz, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

SKINNER: You bet.

COSTELLO: So, if you are wondering how Kitty Kelley's book and the CBS report are affecting Mr. Bush's poll numbers, we've got the numbers. And, you know, that report refers back to President Bush's National Guard service during the Vietnam War era.

Let's head live to Princeton, New Jersey, and our Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport.

Good morning, Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

It's a little too early to know if the Kelley book is going to have any impact on the race. We'll wait and see.

We can give you two updated facts about the presidential race. First, a key swing state, the key showdown state of Wisconsin, this is a state that Gore won by just a sliver back in 2000. Laura Bush has been there campaigning the last couple of days; so has Dick Cheney.

What do we have? Well, in August it was a 3-point lead for George W. Bush. Now it's moved ahead a little more. We're up to an 8-point lead among likely voters for Bush. So, this, like Ohio and Missouri in our CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll, is moving toward Bush.

At the same time, however, Pennsylvania, even Washington State, are actually in Kerry's column of the recent states we've looked at.

One final point on the race right here, Carol. Issues or leadership, an interesting question that we gave voters the choice of back in 2000, and it was issues over leadership they said was going to determine their vote. We've had a shift this year. The same question asked again, the same time, look at this: 50 percent say, it's leadership of the candidates rather than issues.

So, it looks like to us, Carol, a lot of voters out there really want to know about the character of these two men that are running for the highest office in the land.

COSTELLO: You know, a number of congressional seats are up for a vote. Are people really interested in any of that?

NEWPORT: I think they are. And it's quite interesting to note that when we asked people, would you vote for the Democrat or the Republican in your district -- and all 435 congressmen, of course, are up for vote -- it's very, very even. Registered voters, a little edge for the Democrats, but among likely voters you can see it's essentially statistically tied.

That's quite interesting, Carol, because, as we know, Bush is ahead nationally by 7 points in our latest poll. But when it comes down to the congressional level, this country is split right down the middle.

COSTELLO: Talk about North Korea, there was that bizarre explosion there, you know, over the weekend. How do Americans view the North Korean nuclear program, if indeed it has one?

NEWPORT: Well, the whole issue of countries having weapons of mass destruction like nuclear weapons in North Korea appear to be quite important to people. As you pointed out for your previous guests, it's not getting a lot of discussion at this point.

But look at this: When we did our annual update on attitudes internationally, 75 percent -- it was earlier this year -- of Americans said that weapons of mass destruction spread to enemy nations was a very critical issue. And half of Americans -- and that's a pretty high number relatively -- said that North Korea itself, just the conflict between north and south, is very critical to U.S. safety in the future.

So, Americans are concerned about what's happening on the Korean peninsula -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting numbers, as always. Frank Newport live from Princeton, New Jersey.

More now on North Korea and efforts to diffuse tensions over its nuclear program. Those tensions rose to the surface last week after an explosion sent a large cloud over the country. Korean and Western officials denied any nuclear activity, but it's not clear when North Korea wants to resume nuclear talks.

A British official who just visited says it seems the North Koreans are waiting to see who wins the U.S. presidential race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL RAMMEL, BRITISH FOREIGN OFFICE: And I made clear to them my view that whoever wins the presidential election, whether it's President Bush or Senator Kerry, North Korea will be faced with broadly the same strategic policy from the United States.

And this isn't just about the United States. You know, all of us in the international community have got real concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons capability, and we want it resolved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The minister says North Korea is refusing to follow Libya's lead and scrap any nuclear weapons programs outright.

In the footsteps of icons, coming up at 50 minutes past the hour a hero of the civil rights movement joins me for a look at a new tribute.

But first, here's what else is making news this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In our market watch, U.S. stocks will open higher today. The Dow closed up just over one and a half points Monday. The Nasdaq ended up 16 points. The S&P 500 closed up nearly 2 points.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

The nation's only September 11 case moves closer to trial. A federal appeals court ruled the government has the right to seek the death penalty for Zacarias Moussaoui. But it also protected Moussaoui's access to favorable statements from al Qaeda captives in U.S. custody. The panel sent the case back to trial court. The U.S. is expected to pass around a revised U.N. resolution on Sudan today. It calls on the United Nations to investigate whether the atrocities in the Darfur region amount to genocide, and it threatens to impose sanctions.

In money news, Sony has agreed to buy MGM in a deal worth nearly $5 billion. The jewel of the deal may be MGM's 4,000 film library. That could now be made available on DVD.

In culture, you might want to take up gambling. A Yale University survey finds that recreational gamblers over the age of 65 are in better health than seniors who do not gamble.

In sports, New York Mets' manager Art Howe says he wants the team to make a decision. Reports have surfaced that he will be fired after the season. But Howe says he wants to know now. The Mets have the third-worst record in the National League.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Let's head live to New York to check in with Bill and Heidi to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

HEMMER: A lot of talk about Ivan today. We're watching that 36- hour track that Chad just talked about, battering western Cuba, now moving away from the western edge of the Cuban island. Where will it make landfall here? We'll talk to the National Hurricane Center at the top of the hour about that, later coordinates coming up there.

COLLINS: Also, some awful news out of Baghdad, a car bomb there outside of a police station, just absolutely mayhem in the streets. Our correspondents on the ground are saying it's just a horrific situation, dozens of people killed. We're going to take you there live and get the very latest on the situation.

HEMMER: Also, the back and forth in the campaigns right now. What, about 50 days and counting now to November 2?

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: John Kerry criticized the president over the assault weapons ban; the president hitting back at John Kerry about talk over health care. Mark Rascoe (ph) is our guest this morning; also the governor of Wisconsin, right?

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: With a battleground poll out, so we'll get to all of that.

COLLINS: That is for sure; that and a whole lot more coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Carol -- back to you.

COSTELLO: Thanks. We'll see you.

HEMMER: OK.

COSTELLO: They're the real foot soldiers in the plight for civil rights, and very soon you can attempt to fill their shoes. Coming up, our special guest, the woman behind a new walk of fame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A special event takes place here in Atlanta in just a few hours. An international civil rights walk of fame will be unveiled. It will pay homage to such icons as Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall. It is the brainchild of Xernona Clayton. She happens to be the vice president of Urban Affairs here at CNN. She's also the founder and executive producer of the renowned Trumpet Awards.

Welcome to DAYBREAK.

XERNONA CLAYTON, CREATOR, TRUMPET AWARDS: Oh, thank you so much for having us talk to about this great project.

COSTELLO: Oh, you just look so proud of it.

CLAYTON: Oh, I am. I am. This is going to be a permanent tribute.

You know, Dr. King said that it takes blacks and whites together to fight this great battle of racism and poverty and injustice. And so, so many people have come together over the years to make our lives better.

And so, now we're going to pay permanent tribute to those people who have paved the way and traveled this journey of justice. And I'm excited about it.

COSTELLO: Literally traveled.

CLAYTON: Yes.

COSTELLO: Tell us about it. This is an unusual walk of fame.

CLAYTON: Yes. Because we have taken the real shoes of the people whom we are honoring, the shoes they wore. And we've embedded them -- well, we sketched them first in granite, and they'll be embedded in cement. And so, it will be a permanent sidewalk, and we're calling it the Civil Rights Walk of Fame.

And it's international, because we have Atlantans and Georgians and the states -- or United States and around the world.

COSTELLO: And explain this, where is this exactly located? It's at the Martin Luther King Center...

CLAYTON: Yes, the historic...

COSTELLO: And it's -- go ahead.

CLAYTON: Yes, the historic district that's called Martin Luther King Historic District set up by the Park Service. So, they have a sidewalk there that runs from Martin Luther King's burial site across the street. So, the whole district is considered Martin Luther King District.

COSTELLO: So, you have the shoes of...

CLAYTON: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Lyndon Baines Johnson.

CLAYTON: Yes, yes.

COSTELLO: How did you call the families of these people and say, hey, do you have any shoes?

CLAYTON: I picked up the phone and called them. And what's really interesting is one of the stories I'd like to share is when I called Mrs. Johnson's office, her assistant said, you know, I'm getting ready to meet with her in a few minutes. And so, your call is so perfectly timed. She called me back within the hour and said, Mrs. Johnson was so pleased that we would include her husband in this fashion, but the shoes are on the way.

Because, you see, people will remember the president as the president and for some other things. But you don't think immediately of Lyndon Johnson when you think of civil rights. But this is the 40th anniversary of his signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

COSTELLO: I guess it's just amazing to me that so many people kept -- like, Thurgood Marshall's family kept his shoes.

CLAYTON: Yes.

COSTELLO: And Medgar Evers' family kept his shoes.

CLAYTON: Yes, yes.

COSTELLO: They died quite a long time ago.

CLAYTON: That's right, yes.

COSTELLO: What do these shoes look like?

CLAYTON: Well, some of them look pretty old. You should see Hosea Williams'. They are really worn and tattered and beaten up. But just think, these people wore these shoes in their daily work. And their daily work made our lives better. So, I wanted the authenticity, and not just a drawing of a shoe, but the real shoes that will be imprinted there. Oh, it's so exciting.

COSTELLO: Well, it sounds so awesome. So, it's going to be unveiled today. And it will be open to the public when?

CLAYTON: From now on. After today, from now until eternity.

COSTELLO: Xernona Clayton, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

CLAYTON: My pleasure. Thank you.

COSTELLO: Stay with us. We'll announce today's mug winner in two minutes. But first, this is DAYBREAK for a Tuesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Picture, if you will, the mug sitting right there.

COSTELLO: Someone took it again. We don't know where it is.

MYERS: These are hot commodities, man. Hot, hot, hot, so to speak!

COSTELLO: They really are. They are collector's items, because they're not available in the CNN store.

MYERS: So to speak hot properties. No, you can't buy them anywhere. Only here.

All right, here are your questions from yesterday. How many types of weapons were banned in 1994? And the answer to that one was 19. And what type of plane did CNN's Jason Bellini ride in with the hurricane hunters? It was a WC-130, a C-130 with the hurricane hunter aircraft flying through the eye there. A great story from that yesterday.

And the winter -- winner -- winter...

COSTELLO: Winner.

MYERS: And the winner, Anthony Martin from Augusta, Georgia.

COSTELLO: Oh.

MYERS: Anthony, Anthony, congratulations.

COSTELLO: We can drive that mug right over.

MYERS: And we could. It's just right down the street.

And now the questions for today. According to a Gallup poll, which is more important in this presidential campaign year: Issues or leadership? And where in Atlanta is the new Civil Rights Walk of Fame located?

COSTELLO: That is so cool.

MYERS: Daybreak@CNN.com.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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 14, 2004 - 06:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Once again, an Iraqi police station has been the target of a bombing; this time, 47 Iraqis have been killed, 114 wounded. It happened in an area that has been a recent hot spot for U.S. forces.
Live to Baghdad now and Diana Muriel.

Good morning.

DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Yes, the latest number is 47 dead and 114 wounded in this massive car bomb that exploded just after 10:00 here in Baghdad at a police station on the now notorious Haifa Street. It was at the farther northern end of that street. It was an area where there are many shops. It's a very busy shopping district. There is a sports ground. There's a local school there.

And just outside the police station when this blast occurred there was a line of police recruits waiting outside the compound to come in and sign up as police officers. They bore the brunt of the blast.

Many of the dead and injured were amongst their number, but also the passersby in that district, a scene of absolute carnage, Carol, with body parts strewn all over the street, carnage extending 200 meters up and down the street. Many of the shop fronts were blown in, pools of blood on the road.

Seven or eight cars that were in the vicinity were ignited by that blast and started to burn.

The dead and injured were ferried to the local hospital. Sometimes the hospital staff appeared to be overwhelmed by the numbers that they were having to deal with as they fought to save lives.

The interior minister broke off his engagements and came to the blast site. Very quickly there, he was mobbed by an angry crowd, who were blaming the Americans for this incident, saying that the Americans were responsible for security in Iraq. Where was the security?

But the fact is that insurgents all over the country have been mounting a series of attacks in ever increasing numbers in recent days and weeks -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Diana Muriel live from Baghdad, thank you. So, violence in Baghdad and in other places within Iraq. The situation is so volatile in Fallujah. The insurgents are in control. And that is part of "Today's Talker."

From the left, talker Nancy Skinner, and from the right, libertarian talker Neal Boortz.

Welcome to you both.

NEAL BOORTZ, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: How are you doing?

NANCY SKINNER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: It's not going so hot in Iraq. But all we hear about is Kitty Kelley's tell-all book and Vietnam-gate. Will we ever get on topic, Neal?

BOORTZ: Well, I don't know. I mean, watch Kitty Kelley. I am going to make a bet right here -- we'll pay it off next week -- that Kitty Kelley gets more primetime interviews on the alphabets during the next week than the Swift Boat veterans did. She's a gossip.

And, remember, let's see, Nancy Reagan had an affair with Frank Sinatra: Kitty Kelley. Ronald Reagan got an abortion for a girlfriend: Kitty Kelley. And we're paying serious attention to her? This is just proof that people that subscribe to "People" magazine should have their voter registration cards taken away.

COSTELLO: Well, Jane, why is Kitty Kelley getting so much attention?

SKINNER: Well, I'll tell you, I don't think she's going to get the attention that Neal says she is. If you look at Matt Drudge, every story that's talked about all week long originates from Matt Drudge, the Internet gossip. I bet Kitty Kelley's book doesn't get a fraction of it.

But you know what? The Bush campaign wants this kind of scandal -- the Swift Boat, the Kitty Kelley, all of these stupid stories out there -- because they don't want to talk, Carol, as you mentioned, about what's going on in Iraq.

President Bush is like a guy driving, who refuses to stop and ask for directions. Do we call that kind of guy a leader with great resolve? Or do we call him a foolish coward?

And right now the situation is out of control in Baghdad. Health care, 45 million Americans don't have health care. These are the issues President Bush doesn't want to touch. He'd rather have a discussion as to whether...

BOORTZ: Now -- now -- oh.

SKINNER: ... Kitty Kelley is credible or not.

BOORTZ: Hold on. I love these code words: 45 million Americans don't have health care.

Now, here's the assumption from the left. If you don't have health insurance, it means you don't have health care. Not one of these people without health insurance can ever -- god forbid -- go out and obtain health care on their own. And George Bush is -- what did she call him? A foolish coward.

SKINNER: No, I'm saying if...

BOORTZ: Oh, boy, let's deal with the issues here, Nancy.

SKINNER: If you refuse to stop and make a course correction, and you just say I'm going to keep doing what's not working, do we say that's a great leader with resolve? No. That's foolishness. When you have to correct course, you do that.

And I'll tell you what, Neal. You want to talk about health care? Are you saying that those 45 million people should go out and buy it in the private markets? Because guess what? They can't afford to buy it. They have...

BOORTZ: OK, now we know that these 45 million people, Nancy magically knows, that none of them can afford...

SKINNER: I didn't say...

BOORTZ: ... to buy health care.

SKINNER: I didn't say none of them.

BOORTZ: Most of them...

SKINNER: Or they would!

BOORTZ: Most of them are teenagers...

SKINNER: Don't you think...

BOORTZ: ... that are living at home with their parents, Nancy!

SKINNER: Don't you think they would if they could? Do you think really, honestly...

BOORTZ: Do you know that they don't?

COSTELLO: OK, hold on a minute. Let's get back on the topic of the Iraq war, because both candidates actually are talking about health care. But the situation in Iraq, it just seems to be getting worse and worse. And nobody has come up with any sort of plan. In fact, the only war anyone keeps talking about is Vietnam.

BOORTZ: Well, the situation in Iraq, take a look at the mullahs in Iran, the leaders in Syria, perhaps even Saudi Arabia. These people are facing a real threat.

If a popularly-elected government actually does take ruling power in Iran -- or, excuse me -- in Iraq at the beginning of next year, then the regimes in Syria and Iran and Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East are threatened. They need to stop this. They are sending insurgents into Iraq to try to stop the process of democratization.

And, I mean, who can blame them? You don't want to lose your ruling power you've held for eons.

COSTELLO: Well, we don't exactly have any truth that they're sending anybody in great numbers into Iraq. These insurgents seem to be coming out of the woodwork within that country.

Nancy, address that issue and why John Kerry hasn't been able to get a stronger message out there about what he would do.

SKINNER: Well, you know what? I think what he needs to say is, a course correction, and at this point you can't put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

It's going to take a new president and a new partnership with the world community to rebuild this thing, because President Bush and his administration botched it so badly when we knew that looting would occur. The State Department had lots of plans in place for a post- Iraq rebuilding situation. And those were thrown in the garbage by President Bush and all of these hawks who felt like they could go in there and deal with this situation swiftly.

It's going to take a whole new team and a new deal, really, to put Iraq back together again.

COSTELLO: Neal, you get the last word.

BOORTZ: OK, a whole new team and a new deal. What? The deal of appeasement. Let the United Nations handle it and withdraw from our world leadership. That's the cure.

SKINNER: Does he really get the last word?

COSTELLO: He does, I'm sorry, Nancy.

BOORTZ: Sorry, Nancy. Your turn next week.

SKINNER: OK.

COSTELLO: Nancy Skinner, Neal Boortz, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

SKINNER: You bet.

COSTELLO: So, if you are wondering how Kitty Kelley's book and the CBS report are affecting Mr. Bush's poll numbers, we've got the numbers. And, you know, that report refers back to President Bush's National Guard service during the Vietnam War era.

Let's head live to Princeton, New Jersey, and our Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport.

Good morning, Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

It's a little too early to know if the Kelley book is going to have any impact on the race. We'll wait and see.

We can give you two updated facts about the presidential race. First, a key swing state, the key showdown state of Wisconsin, this is a state that Gore won by just a sliver back in 2000. Laura Bush has been there campaigning the last couple of days; so has Dick Cheney.

What do we have? Well, in August it was a 3-point lead for George W. Bush. Now it's moved ahead a little more. We're up to an 8-point lead among likely voters for Bush. So, this, like Ohio and Missouri in our CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll, is moving toward Bush.

At the same time, however, Pennsylvania, even Washington State, are actually in Kerry's column of the recent states we've looked at.

One final point on the race right here, Carol. Issues or leadership, an interesting question that we gave voters the choice of back in 2000, and it was issues over leadership they said was going to determine their vote. We've had a shift this year. The same question asked again, the same time, look at this: 50 percent say, it's leadership of the candidates rather than issues.

So, it looks like to us, Carol, a lot of voters out there really want to know about the character of these two men that are running for the highest office in the land.

COSTELLO: You know, a number of congressional seats are up for a vote. Are people really interested in any of that?

NEWPORT: I think they are. And it's quite interesting to note that when we asked people, would you vote for the Democrat or the Republican in your district -- and all 435 congressmen, of course, are up for vote -- it's very, very even. Registered voters, a little edge for the Democrats, but among likely voters you can see it's essentially statistically tied.

That's quite interesting, Carol, because, as we know, Bush is ahead nationally by 7 points in our latest poll. But when it comes down to the congressional level, this country is split right down the middle.

COSTELLO: Talk about North Korea, there was that bizarre explosion there, you know, over the weekend. How do Americans view the North Korean nuclear program, if indeed it has one?

NEWPORT: Well, the whole issue of countries having weapons of mass destruction like nuclear weapons in North Korea appear to be quite important to people. As you pointed out for your previous guests, it's not getting a lot of discussion at this point.

But look at this: When we did our annual update on attitudes internationally, 75 percent -- it was earlier this year -- of Americans said that weapons of mass destruction spread to enemy nations was a very critical issue. And half of Americans -- and that's a pretty high number relatively -- said that North Korea itself, just the conflict between north and south, is very critical to U.S. safety in the future.

So, Americans are concerned about what's happening on the Korean peninsula -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting numbers, as always. Frank Newport live from Princeton, New Jersey.

More now on North Korea and efforts to diffuse tensions over its nuclear program. Those tensions rose to the surface last week after an explosion sent a large cloud over the country. Korean and Western officials denied any nuclear activity, but it's not clear when North Korea wants to resume nuclear talks.

A British official who just visited says it seems the North Koreans are waiting to see who wins the U.S. presidential race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL RAMMEL, BRITISH FOREIGN OFFICE: And I made clear to them my view that whoever wins the presidential election, whether it's President Bush or Senator Kerry, North Korea will be faced with broadly the same strategic policy from the United States.

And this isn't just about the United States. You know, all of us in the international community have got real concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons capability, and we want it resolved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The minister says North Korea is refusing to follow Libya's lead and scrap any nuclear weapons programs outright.

In the footsteps of icons, coming up at 50 minutes past the hour a hero of the civil rights movement joins me for a look at a new tribute.

But first, here's what else is making news this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In our market watch, U.S. stocks will open higher today. The Dow closed up just over one and a half points Monday. The Nasdaq ended up 16 points. The S&P 500 closed up nearly 2 points.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

The nation's only September 11 case moves closer to trial. A federal appeals court ruled the government has the right to seek the death penalty for Zacarias Moussaoui. But it also protected Moussaoui's access to favorable statements from al Qaeda captives in U.S. custody. The panel sent the case back to trial court. The U.S. is expected to pass around a revised U.N. resolution on Sudan today. It calls on the United Nations to investigate whether the atrocities in the Darfur region amount to genocide, and it threatens to impose sanctions.

In money news, Sony has agreed to buy MGM in a deal worth nearly $5 billion. The jewel of the deal may be MGM's 4,000 film library. That could now be made available on DVD.

In culture, you might want to take up gambling. A Yale University survey finds that recreational gamblers over the age of 65 are in better health than seniors who do not gamble.

In sports, New York Mets' manager Art Howe says he wants the team to make a decision. Reports have surfaced that he will be fired after the season. But Howe says he wants to know now. The Mets have the third-worst record in the National League.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Let's head live to New York to check in with Bill and Heidi to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

HEMMER: A lot of talk about Ivan today. We're watching that 36- hour track that Chad just talked about, battering western Cuba, now moving away from the western edge of the Cuban island. Where will it make landfall here? We'll talk to the National Hurricane Center at the top of the hour about that, later coordinates coming up there.

COLLINS: Also, some awful news out of Baghdad, a car bomb there outside of a police station, just absolutely mayhem in the streets. Our correspondents on the ground are saying it's just a horrific situation, dozens of people killed. We're going to take you there live and get the very latest on the situation.

HEMMER: Also, the back and forth in the campaigns right now. What, about 50 days and counting now to November 2?

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: John Kerry criticized the president over the assault weapons ban; the president hitting back at John Kerry about talk over health care. Mark Rascoe (ph) is our guest this morning; also the governor of Wisconsin, right?

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: With a battleground poll out, so we'll get to all of that.

COLLINS: That is for sure; that and a whole lot more coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Carol -- back to you.

COSTELLO: Thanks. We'll see you.

HEMMER: OK.

COSTELLO: They're the real foot soldiers in the plight for civil rights, and very soon you can attempt to fill their shoes. Coming up, our special guest, the woman behind a new walk of fame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A special event takes place here in Atlanta in just a few hours. An international civil rights walk of fame will be unveiled. It will pay homage to such icons as Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall. It is the brainchild of Xernona Clayton. She happens to be the vice president of Urban Affairs here at CNN. She's also the founder and executive producer of the renowned Trumpet Awards.

Welcome to DAYBREAK.

XERNONA CLAYTON, CREATOR, TRUMPET AWARDS: Oh, thank you so much for having us talk to about this great project.

COSTELLO: Oh, you just look so proud of it.

CLAYTON: Oh, I am. I am. This is going to be a permanent tribute.

You know, Dr. King said that it takes blacks and whites together to fight this great battle of racism and poverty and injustice. And so, so many people have come together over the years to make our lives better.

And so, now we're going to pay permanent tribute to those people who have paved the way and traveled this journey of justice. And I'm excited about it.

COSTELLO: Literally traveled.

CLAYTON: Yes.

COSTELLO: Tell us about it. This is an unusual walk of fame.

CLAYTON: Yes. Because we have taken the real shoes of the people whom we are honoring, the shoes they wore. And we've embedded them -- well, we sketched them first in granite, and they'll be embedded in cement. And so, it will be a permanent sidewalk, and we're calling it the Civil Rights Walk of Fame.

And it's international, because we have Atlantans and Georgians and the states -- or United States and around the world.

COSTELLO: And explain this, where is this exactly located? It's at the Martin Luther King Center...

CLAYTON: Yes, the historic...

COSTELLO: And it's -- go ahead.

CLAYTON: Yes, the historic district that's called Martin Luther King Historic District set up by the Park Service. So, they have a sidewalk there that runs from Martin Luther King's burial site across the street. So, the whole district is considered Martin Luther King District.

COSTELLO: So, you have the shoes of...

CLAYTON: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Lyndon Baines Johnson.

CLAYTON: Yes, yes.

COSTELLO: How did you call the families of these people and say, hey, do you have any shoes?

CLAYTON: I picked up the phone and called them. And what's really interesting is one of the stories I'd like to share is when I called Mrs. Johnson's office, her assistant said, you know, I'm getting ready to meet with her in a few minutes. And so, your call is so perfectly timed. She called me back within the hour and said, Mrs. Johnson was so pleased that we would include her husband in this fashion, but the shoes are on the way.

Because, you see, people will remember the president as the president and for some other things. But you don't think immediately of Lyndon Johnson when you think of civil rights. But this is the 40th anniversary of his signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

COSTELLO: I guess it's just amazing to me that so many people kept -- like, Thurgood Marshall's family kept his shoes.

CLAYTON: Yes.

COSTELLO: And Medgar Evers' family kept his shoes.

CLAYTON: Yes, yes.

COSTELLO: They died quite a long time ago.

CLAYTON: That's right, yes.

COSTELLO: What do these shoes look like?

CLAYTON: Well, some of them look pretty old. You should see Hosea Williams'. They are really worn and tattered and beaten up. But just think, these people wore these shoes in their daily work. And their daily work made our lives better. So, I wanted the authenticity, and not just a drawing of a shoe, but the real shoes that will be imprinted there. Oh, it's so exciting.

COSTELLO: Well, it sounds so awesome. So, it's going to be unveiled today. And it will be open to the public when?

CLAYTON: From now on. After today, from now until eternity.

COSTELLO: Xernona Clayton, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

CLAYTON: My pleasure. Thank you.

COSTELLO: Stay with us. We'll announce today's mug winner in two minutes. But first, this is DAYBREAK for a Tuesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Picture, if you will, the mug sitting right there.

COSTELLO: Someone took it again. We don't know where it is.

MYERS: These are hot commodities, man. Hot, hot, hot, so to speak!

COSTELLO: They really are. They are collector's items, because they're not available in the CNN store.

MYERS: So to speak hot properties. No, you can't buy them anywhere. Only here.

All right, here are your questions from yesterday. How many types of weapons were banned in 1994? And the answer to that one was 19. And what type of plane did CNN's Jason Bellini ride in with the hurricane hunters? It was a WC-130, a C-130 with the hurricane hunter aircraft flying through the eye there. A great story from that yesterday.

And the winter -- winner -- winter...

COSTELLO: Winner.

MYERS: And the winner, Anthony Martin from Augusta, Georgia.

COSTELLO: Oh.

MYERS: Anthony, Anthony, congratulations.

COSTELLO: We can drive that mug right over.

MYERS: And we could. It's just right down the street.

And now the questions for today. According to a Gallup poll, which is more important in this presidential campaign year: Issues or leadership? And where in Atlanta is the new Civil Rights Walk of Fame located?

COSTELLO: That is so cool.

MYERS: Daybreak@CNN.com.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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