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American Morning

Debates: Round One; Back on the Campaign Trail; Battle for Samarra

Aired October 01, 2004 - 10:59   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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. out West. And from the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin. Daryn's got the day off.
Up first on CNN LIVE TODAY...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The only thing consistent about my opponent's position is that he's been inconsistent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've had one position, one consistent position that Saddam Hussein was a threat, there was a right way to disarm him, and a wrong way. And the president chose the wrong way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: A war of words over the war in Iraq. President Bush and Senator John Kerry square off in their first national debate.

John Kerry calls Bush's actions in Iraq a colossal error of judgment. President Bush fires back, calling Kerry too indecisive to be commander in chief.

Well, this morning the candidates are back to campaigning, each trying to convince voters they won the debate. But John Kerry came out on top in a poll of registered voters who watched the face-off. In the CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup survey, 53 percent said Kerry did a better job, compared to 37 percent for President Bush.

But the race is still very tight. So the stakes were very high for the first debate. The two candidates sparred for 90 minutes, mostly over Iraq.

National correspondent Kelly Wallace has the highlights from round one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The war in Iraq dominated. Senator John Kerry forcefully trying to put to rest questions about his positions.

KERRY: I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?

WALLACE: And President Bush repeatedly stressing his opponent was sending mixed messages.

BUSH: I don't see how you can lead this country to succeed in Iraq if you say wrong war, wrong time, wrong place. What message does that send our troops? What message does that send our allies?

WALLACE: And that's how it went, 90 minutes strong of back and forth through the moderator.

KERRY: In answer to your question about Iraq and sending people into Iraq, he just said, "The enemy attacked us." Saddam Hussein didn't attack us. Osama bin Laden attacked us. Al Qaeda attacked us.

BUSH: Of course I know that Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that.

WALLACE: And the president trying to win the point.

BUSH: You'd better have a president who chases these terrorists down and brings them to justice before they hurt us again.

WALLACE: Stylistically, Kerry seemed more at ease. The president appeared a bit angry at times. There were no great one- liners, but a few attempts at humor.

BUSH: I won't hold it against him that he went to Yale.

WALLACE: Even a few moments where they said nice things about each other.

BUSH: I admire the fact that is he a great dad.

KERRY: And I have great respect and admiration for his wife.

WALLACE: And then the focus, their opponent's character flaws. Bush on Kerry...

BUSH: You cannot lead if you send mixed messages.

WALLACE: Kerry on Bush...

KERRY: It's one thing to be certain. But you can be certain and be wrong.

WALLACE (on camera): No surprise, each camp says their guy was the winner. But Senator Kerry, behind in the polls, had the most to lose. And initial reaction suggests he put himself back in the game.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, Coral Gables, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LIN: The candidates are not wasting any time getting back on the campaign trail. Our reporters are out there with them.

Elaine Quijano is in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where President Bush holds a rally in about 20 minutes. He just landed there.

And national correspondent Frank Buckley in Tampa, Florida, where Kerry campaigns in the next hour.

Let's begin with you, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

Fresh off last night's debate, President Bush is focusing on a state where he's already paid a lot of visits to, and that is Pennsylvania. Last month alone, the president visited here some four times.

Just a short time ago, in fact, Mr. Bush landed not too far away from where we are here in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where as you noted the president is scheduled to speak at a rally here within the hour. Introducing him will be Arizona Senator John McCain. The campaign says officials have distributed some 10,000 tickets for this particular event.

Now, of course, Pennsylvania is a crucial state. There are 21 electoral votes that are at stake here. In 2000, Mr. Bush lost Pennsylvania to Al Gore by five percentage points.

This time around, the president has campaigned aggressively in this state. Mr. Bush has visited 37 times before today, today marking his 38th visit to Pennsylvania. And polls here have continued to show a neck-and-neck race between President Bush and Senator Kerry.

Now, after this stop, it is off to New Hampshire and more campaigning taking place. And tomorrow, the president hits another key battleground state, Ohio -- Carol.

LIN: Thanks very much, Elaine.

Let's get on to the Kerry campaign. John Kerry is spending the day campaigning in Florida.

National correspondent Frank Buckley is traveling with them -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Carol.

Senator Kerry coming here to the University of South Florida for a big arena rally that's going to be taking place here as the campaign moves from the foreign policy arena to the domestic policy arena. The campaign feels great about the debate last night. Senator Kerry immediately going to a rally in Miami.

Campaign officials believing that voters who weren't sure about John Kerry before the debate now see him in a new light after a side- by-side comparison with President Bush. Kerry aides believe that voters now see him as a potential commander in chief. Here's how Senator Kerry rallied his campaign troops last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY: The outcome of this race, we're going to campaign our hearts out. We're going to campaign every day right up until 8:00 at night on that Tuesday night. But this campaign, its outcome is more in your hands than it's in any of our hands. And here -- here in Florida, above all, you have to make every vote count and every vote be counted!

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Senator Kerry's running mate, John Edwards, also had a rally immediately after the debate. His rally taking place in the all-important battleground state of Ohio.

The next debate in the series of debates is the vice presidential debate. That's going to be coming up on Tuesday in Cleveland. Senator Edwards told his faithful that he is ready.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And you're going to hear John Kerry, and you're also going to hear me, next Tuesday, talk about moving America toward energy independence, away from dependence on oil in the Middle East!

(APPLAUSE)

EDWARDS: We're also going to talk about the hundreds of thousands of young people in America who want to go to college, qualify to go, but they're not going. You all know what's happening to tuition costs in America. Going through the roof.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: And now the -- after the vice presidential debate will be another presidential debate next Friday. That one focusing on domestic policy.

Kerry strategists already trying to make the case that they can start to frame that debate using some of the arguments they used in the foreign policy debate. For example, on Iraq, they've said that President Bush can't fix any problems that are there if they won't -- if he won't acknowledge the problems. They say that that can also be applied to domestic policy.

And you also heard Senator Kerry say last night that if you re- elect President Bush, you'll have four more words, and that is "More of the same." And Kerry strategists believing that they can use those two arguments as they make this pivot now to domestic policy in the domestic policy debate that takes place next Friday -- Carol. LIN: You bet. Thanks very much, Frank.

And just in case you want to take notes, the candidates have two more, two more chances to face off, as Frank was talking about. They're going to meet a week from today in St. Louis, and in Arizona October 13. But first, vice presidential candidates, Dick Cheney and John Edwards, will debate in Cleveland this coming Tuesday.

Heavy fire in the meantime echoes in the Iraqi city of Samarra. A major military offensive is under way today. And U.S. and Iraqi forces, backed by air support, are moving block by block, trying to retake the city from insurgents.

CNN's Brent Sadler is following developments in Samarra from Baghdad.

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Carol.

Tough fighting going in Samarra, some 60 miles north of Baghdad. This is part of a counter-insurgency offensive that Iraqi government officials were alluding to a couple of days ago.

What we know so far is that the plan is to put the city back under the full control of Iraq's interim government. And to that effect, U.S. air power, in terms of warplanes and helicopters, and U.S. tanks have been backing up elements of Iraq's army and Iraq's national guard.

Now, it's the U.S. Army's First Infantry Division that's been involved in the fighting. A brigade-size offensive, we understand, about 3,500 U.S. troops. So far, U.S. military officials tell us that one American soldier has died in this operation so far. As far as inflicting deaths and injuries on the insurgents, more than 100 insurgents killed in this operation, say U.S. military officials. Also, released a Turkish hostage, as the advance was going through Samarra, sector by sector, until the Iraqi interior ministry confirmed that government forces had taken control of police stations and key government buildings.

All this, Carol, part of an ongoing offensive likely to escalate, say Iraqi government officials, to create better security in key areas where insurgents are active, like Samarra, like Sadr City on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital, and, of course, the key no-go area of Fallujah. Expect attempt to control these areas and an escalating counter-insurgency offensive in the coming weeks, ahead of planned elections at the end of January -- Carol.

LIN: Brent, how's this playing out locally? I mean, do Iraqis believe that this tough tactic is actually going to stop the insurgency, stop the kidnappings?

SADLER: Well, still dubious in terms of what the Iraqis think about how this might play out. They've seen back in April U.S. forces try to take Fallujah. Heavy loss of life among Iraqis there, and that offensive was called off. Fallujah was put under the control of a so-called Fallujah brigade of ex-Iraqi army Ba'athist supporters. That collapsed. Fallujah a no-go area.

And so Iraq is still suspicious about whether or not the kind of firepower, the kind of deals that need to be done politically can break the insurgents, the ex-loyalists, the Ba'athists of the old regime, can split them away from the foreign fighters made up of foreign -- foreign jihadists coming into this country from neighboring countries. And that's part of what's going on now -- Carol.

LIN: Brent Sadler live in Baghdad. Thank you.

Also, this just in to CNN. We're getting the first official word from British officials that Prime Minister Tony Blair has completed heart surgery this morning and that the operation went well. I'm going to be talking with a doctor about this right here in Atlanta because it's been described as a routine procedure.

But frankly, is any kind of heart operation really just routine? We're going to get the facts coming up.

Also, a deadly game of back and forth on the streets of Gaza. I'm going to have the latest from there.

And our look at the day after the big debate. Coming up, find out what our focus group thought.

CNN LIVE TODAY coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: All right. Britain's Tony Blair went to a London hospital this morning for a procedure to correct a heart flutter. Now Britain's finance minister tells us that the operation did go pretty well.

Actually, it's not an operation. It's a procedure, which we're going to differentiate in a second.

But the prime minister will spend the night in the hospital. He plans to be back in the office on Monday. Mr. Blair leaves for a trip to Africa on Tuesday.

Now the prime minister's irregular heartbeat is, well, simply put, caused by too much electrical stimulation in the heart muscle. Let's talk to Dr. John Beshai, a heart specialist at Emory Heart Center right here in Atlanta.

Dr. Beshai, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule.

DR. JOHN BESHAI, EMORY UNIVERSITY HEART CENTER: Thank you for having me.

LIN: How does this happen? How does your heartbeat become irregular? What does that sound like?

BESHAI: Well, in certain people, what happens is, is that you can have irregular heartbeats in a setting of the normal heart, and then there are irregular heartbeats that occur in abnormal hearts. So somebody like the prime minister, who has a normal heart and rather healthy, he is prone to some sort of heart rhythms that could be triggered. And these triggers could be stress, caffeine...

LIN: Simple stuff.

BESHAI: Simple stuff. Exactly.

LIN: So he said -- we're hearing that he came out of this procedure relatively well. It involves some kind of shock to the system. They didn't actually operate on the prime minister.

BESHAI: That is correct. This is fairly routine in irregular heart rhythms such as atriofibrillation or atrioflutter (ph).

What happens is, is that the patients are brought into a procedure room. They're laid down, and patches are placed in the front of the chest and the back of the chest. Patients are sedated. And we use low-energy level shock to reset the heart.

LIN: And you make it sound like a car. I mean, is sounds like an engine or something that you can just re-tune.

BESHAI: Right. Well, it's -- you know, there are these abnormal electrical wafelets (ph) in the heart that are just running rampant. And what ends up happening is, is that the electrical shock is required to really stabilize and reset the heart so that it can go back into its normal rhythm.

LIN: How long does that last?

BESHAI: How long does the...

LIN: The correction, I mean. I mean, once he has this, is his heart going to be fine?

BESHAI: Yes. I mean, now that all depends on the underlying heart condition. In patients who have normal hearts, and who are relatively healthy, this can last for months and years.

LIN: Because he was complaining of shortness of breath. Was this a life-threatening condition?

BESHAI: I don't believe it's life threatening. A lot of times this type of arrhythmia is called a nuisance arrhythmia. It just makes people feel crumby. They get short of breath, they get some chest pain, they get palpitations and whatnot.

Now, if people have a weak heart muscle and get these fast, irregular heart rhythms, they'll tend to be more symptomatic. And they can get very dizzy, pass out, even, and drop their blood pressure. And then it becomes a little bit more of a difficult situation.

LIN: Because he's actually planning for running for re-election next year.

BESHAI: Right.

LIN: So does this jeopardize his campaign plans?

BESHAI: No. No, I wouldn't say so.

LIN: And being back to work on Monday, good decision on his part?

BESHAI: Absolutely. Most of our patients when we do these procedures go home the same day.

LIN: All right. Dr. Beshai, that's very reassuring. Thank you very much.

BESHAI: You're welcome. Thank you.

LIN: Well, here's what's also making news overseas in this morning's "World Wrap."

Israel says its soldiers are fighting pitched battles against militants today in northern Gaza. And medical sources say at least seven Palestinians were killed in today's fighting.

A suicide bomb blast at a mosque in Pakistan killed at least 28 worshippers and wounded dozens more today as well. The bombing occurred during Friday's prayers. A bomb disposal squad diffused a second bomb outside the mosque.

And Spain's cabinet approved a measure today permitting gay marriage. The bill now goes to parliament. The socialist government says it has enough support to pass that law.

And they say at any moment this could happen. All eyes now on Mount St. Helens. Is an eruption imminent? The very latest is next.

And four hurricanes in six weeks. Now, while Floridians try to repair the damage, a difficult question remains: what about the psychological damage? That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Scientists say there's a 70 percent chance of a small to moderate eruption at Mount St. Helens. The volcano has been shaken by swarms of small earthquakes in recent days. And if it blows, the volcano could shoot rocks three miles and spew ash 10,000 feet high.

(WEATHER REPORT) LIN: Of course, we've had enough, four hurricanes in the last six weeks. And it takes a physical toll, because so much recovery is going on. But after Charley and Frances and Ivan and Jeanne, you can't blame a Floridian for feeling a little mental stress. Here's national correspondent Susan Candiotti.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So the sweater is borrowed, your T-shirt?

KRISTINA GRIFFIN, HURRICANE VICTIM: We got it from the -- I got it from Red Cross.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Kristina Griffin is a single mom. Only 21, with two mouths to feed. Robert turned one the day Jeanne struck. Mystica (ph) is two.

Frances damaged their rental apartment. Jeanne destroyed it when a ceiling caved in.

GRIFFIN: All my clothes, all the furniture I had left, TV, radio, everything.

CANDIOTTI: The young mother is a poster child for post-hurricane anxiety.

GRIFFIN: ... support for them. They don't know what's going on. So I'm stressed out, which makes them more stressed out.

CANDIOTTI: Griffin is undergoing counseling from the Red Cross. Post-traumatic stress is as common as Florida hurricanes this season. Mental health experts report a surge in domestic violence calls, marital problems, drug and alcohol abuse.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of them will say, "I'm perfectly fine, I'm fine, I'm fine," and they're not seeking the help that they need. And then they -- then the tension builds, and then they break.

CANDIOTTI: Some of the tension comes from lacking basic necessities, having to rely on handouts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are some people that get upset. Some people are just happy to see us out here.

CANDIOTTI: Joseph and Kimberly Stubblefield getting emergency supplies, hoping FEMA will come through on temporary housing to replace their mobile home.

KIMBERLY STUBBLEFIELD, HURRICANE VICTIM: I can get all bent out of shape, I guess. We're really just staying together and praying together and keeping a positive outlook.

CANDIOTTI: Good for them, but experts say victims shouldn't be afraid to ask for help if the going gets tough. It's what Kristina Griffin is finding out. GRIFFIN: You have to kind of know that everything's going to work out some way.

CANDIOTTI: A positive attitude after surviving disaster.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, the presidential candidates were just in Florida after the first debate. Now over, they are hitting the campaign trail. We've got some insight and analysis next as we bring you the morning's most complete political wrap-up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 1, 2004 - 10:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. out West. And from the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin. Daryn's got the day off.
Up first on CNN LIVE TODAY...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The only thing consistent about my opponent's position is that he's been inconsistent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've had one position, one consistent position that Saddam Hussein was a threat, there was a right way to disarm him, and a wrong way. And the president chose the wrong way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: A war of words over the war in Iraq. President Bush and Senator John Kerry square off in their first national debate.

John Kerry calls Bush's actions in Iraq a colossal error of judgment. President Bush fires back, calling Kerry too indecisive to be commander in chief.

Well, this morning the candidates are back to campaigning, each trying to convince voters they won the debate. But John Kerry came out on top in a poll of registered voters who watched the face-off. In the CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup survey, 53 percent said Kerry did a better job, compared to 37 percent for President Bush.

But the race is still very tight. So the stakes were very high for the first debate. The two candidates sparred for 90 minutes, mostly over Iraq.

National correspondent Kelly Wallace has the highlights from round one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The war in Iraq dominated. Senator John Kerry forcefully trying to put to rest questions about his positions.

KERRY: I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?

WALLACE: And President Bush repeatedly stressing his opponent was sending mixed messages.

BUSH: I don't see how you can lead this country to succeed in Iraq if you say wrong war, wrong time, wrong place. What message does that send our troops? What message does that send our allies?

WALLACE: And that's how it went, 90 minutes strong of back and forth through the moderator.

KERRY: In answer to your question about Iraq and sending people into Iraq, he just said, "The enemy attacked us." Saddam Hussein didn't attack us. Osama bin Laden attacked us. Al Qaeda attacked us.

BUSH: Of course I know that Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that.

WALLACE: And the president trying to win the point.

BUSH: You'd better have a president who chases these terrorists down and brings them to justice before they hurt us again.

WALLACE: Stylistically, Kerry seemed more at ease. The president appeared a bit angry at times. There were no great one- liners, but a few attempts at humor.

BUSH: I won't hold it against him that he went to Yale.

WALLACE: Even a few moments where they said nice things about each other.

BUSH: I admire the fact that is he a great dad.

KERRY: And I have great respect and admiration for his wife.

WALLACE: And then the focus, their opponent's character flaws. Bush on Kerry...

BUSH: You cannot lead if you send mixed messages.

WALLACE: Kerry on Bush...

KERRY: It's one thing to be certain. But you can be certain and be wrong.

WALLACE (on camera): No surprise, each camp says their guy was the winner. But Senator Kerry, behind in the polls, had the most to lose. And initial reaction suggests he put himself back in the game.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, Coral Gables, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LIN: The candidates are not wasting any time getting back on the campaign trail. Our reporters are out there with them.

Elaine Quijano is in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where President Bush holds a rally in about 20 minutes. He just landed there.

And national correspondent Frank Buckley in Tampa, Florida, where Kerry campaigns in the next hour.

Let's begin with you, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

Fresh off last night's debate, President Bush is focusing on a state where he's already paid a lot of visits to, and that is Pennsylvania. Last month alone, the president visited here some four times.

Just a short time ago, in fact, Mr. Bush landed not too far away from where we are here in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where as you noted the president is scheduled to speak at a rally here within the hour. Introducing him will be Arizona Senator John McCain. The campaign says officials have distributed some 10,000 tickets for this particular event.

Now, of course, Pennsylvania is a crucial state. There are 21 electoral votes that are at stake here. In 2000, Mr. Bush lost Pennsylvania to Al Gore by five percentage points.

This time around, the president has campaigned aggressively in this state. Mr. Bush has visited 37 times before today, today marking his 38th visit to Pennsylvania. And polls here have continued to show a neck-and-neck race between President Bush and Senator Kerry.

Now, after this stop, it is off to New Hampshire and more campaigning taking place. And tomorrow, the president hits another key battleground state, Ohio -- Carol.

LIN: Thanks very much, Elaine.

Let's get on to the Kerry campaign. John Kerry is spending the day campaigning in Florida.

National correspondent Frank Buckley is traveling with them -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Carol.

Senator Kerry coming here to the University of South Florida for a big arena rally that's going to be taking place here as the campaign moves from the foreign policy arena to the domestic policy arena. The campaign feels great about the debate last night. Senator Kerry immediately going to a rally in Miami.

Campaign officials believing that voters who weren't sure about John Kerry before the debate now see him in a new light after a side- by-side comparison with President Bush. Kerry aides believe that voters now see him as a potential commander in chief. Here's how Senator Kerry rallied his campaign troops last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY: The outcome of this race, we're going to campaign our hearts out. We're going to campaign every day right up until 8:00 at night on that Tuesday night. But this campaign, its outcome is more in your hands than it's in any of our hands. And here -- here in Florida, above all, you have to make every vote count and every vote be counted!

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Senator Kerry's running mate, John Edwards, also had a rally immediately after the debate. His rally taking place in the all-important battleground state of Ohio.

The next debate in the series of debates is the vice presidential debate. That's going to be coming up on Tuesday in Cleveland. Senator Edwards told his faithful that he is ready.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And you're going to hear John Kerry, and you're also going to hear me, next Tuesday, talk about moving America toward energy independence, away from dependence on oil in the Middle East!

(APPLAUSE)

EDWARDS: We're also going to talk about the hundreds of thousands of young people in America who want to go to college, qualify to go, but they're not going. You all know what's happening to tuition costs in America. Going through the roof.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: And now the -- after the vice presidential debate will be another presidential debate next Friday. That one focusing on domestic policy.

Kerry strategists already trying to make the case that they can start to frame that debate using some of the arguments they used in the foreign policy debate. For example, on Iraq, they've said that President Bush can't fix any problems that are there if they won't -- if he won't acknowledge the problems. They say that that can also be applied to domestic policy.

And you also heard Senator Kerry say last night that if you re- elect President Bush, you'll have four more words, and that is "More of the same." And Kerry strategists believing that they can use those two arguments as they make this pivot now to domestic policy in the domestic policy debate that takes place next Friday -- Carol. LIN: You bet. Thanks very much, Frank.

And just in case you want to take notes, the candidates have two more, two more chances to face off, as Frank was talking about. They're going to meet a week from today in St. Louis, and in Arizona October 13. But first, vice presidential candidates, Dick Cheney and John Edwards, will debate in Cleveland this coming Tuesday.

Heavy fire in the meantime echoes in the Iraqi city of Samarra. A major military offensive is under way today. And U.S. and Iraqi forces, backed by air support, are moving block by block, trying to retake the city from insurgents.

CNN's Brent Sadler is following developments in Samarra from Baghdad.

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Carol.

Tough fighting going in Samarra, some 60 miles north of Baghdad. This is part of a counter-insurgency offensive that Iraqi government officials were alluding to a couple of days ago.

What we know so far is that the plan is to put the city back under the full control of Iraq's interim government. And to that effect, U.S. air power, in terms of warplanes and helicopters, and U.S. tanks have been backing up elements of Iraq's army and Iraq's national guard.

Now, it's the U.S. Army's First Infantry Division that's been involved in the fighting. A brigade-size offensive, we understand, about 3,500 U.S. troops. So far, U.S. military officials tell us that one American soldier has died in this operation so far. As far as inflicting deaths and injuries on the insurgents, more than 100 insurgents killed in this operation, say U.S. military officials. Also, released a Turkish hostage, as the advance was going through Samarra, sector by sector, until the Iraqi interior ministry confirmed that government forces had taken control of police stations and key government buildings.

All this, Carol, part of an ongoing offensive likely to escalate, say Iraqi government officials, to create better security in key areas where insurgents are active, like Samarra, like Sadr City on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital, and, of course, the key no-go area of Fallujah. Expect attempt to control these areas and an escalating counter-insurgency offensive in the coming weeks, ahead of planned elections at the end of January -- Carol.

LIN: Brent, how's this playing out locally? I mean, do Iraqis believe that this tough tactic is actually going to stop the insurgency, stop the kidnappings?

SADLER: Well, still dubious in terms of what the Iraqis think about how this might play out. They've seen back in April U.S. forces try to take Fallujah. Heavy loss of life among Iraqis there, and that offensive was called off. Fallujah was put under the control of a so-called Fallujah brigade of ex-Iraqi army Ba'athist supporters. That collapsed. Fallujah a no-go area.

And so Iraq is still suspicious about whether or not the kind of firepower, the kind of deals that need to be done politically can break the insurgents, the ex-loyalists, the Ba'athists of the old regime, can split them away from the foreign fighters made up of foreign -- foreign jihadists coming into this country from neighboring countries. And that's part of what's going on now -- Carol.

LIN: Brent Sadler live in Baghdad. Thank you.

Also, this just in to CNN. We're getting the first official word from British officials that Prime Minister Tony Blair has completed heart surgery this morning and that the operation went well. I'm going to be talking with a doctor about this right here in Atlanta because it's been described as a routine procedure.

But frankly, is any kind of heart operation really just routine? We're going to get the facts coming up.

Also, a deadly game of back and forth on the streets of Gaza. I'm going to have the latest from there.

And our look at the day after the big debate. Coming up, find out what our focus group thought.

CNN LIVE TODAY coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: All right. Britain's Tony Blair went to a London hospital this morning for a procedure to correct a heart flutter. Now Britain's finance minister tells us that the operation did go pretty well.

Actually, it's not an operation. It's a procedure, which we're going to differentiate in a second.

But the prime minister will spend the night in the hospital. He plans to be back in the office on Monday. Mr. Blair leaves for a trip to Africa on Tuesday.

Now the prime minister's irregular heartbeat is, well, simply put, caused by too much electrical stimulation in the heart muscle. Let's talk to Dr. John Beshai, a heart specialist at Emory Heart Center right here in Atlanta.

Dr. Beshai, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule.

DR. JOHN BESHAI, EMORY UNIVERSITY HEART CENTER: Thank you for having me.

LIN: How does this happen? How does your heartbeat become irregular? What does that sound like?

BESHAI: Well, in certain people, what happens is, is that you can have irregular heartbeats in a setting of the normal heart, and then there are irregular heartbeats that occur in abnormal hearts. So somebody like the prime minister, who has a normal heart and rather healthy, he is prone to some sort of heart rhythms that could be triggered. And these triggers could be stress, caffeine...

LIN: Simple stuff.

BESHAI: Simple stuff. Exactly.

LIN: So he said -- we're hearing that he came out of this procedure relatively well. It involves some kind of shock to the system. They didn't actually operate on the prime minister.

BESHAI: That is correct. This is fairly routine in irregular heart rhythms such as atriofibrillation or atrioflutter (ph).

What happens is, is that the patients are brought into a procedure room. They're laid down, and patches are placed in the front of the chest and the back of the chest. Patients are sedated. And we use low-energy level shock to reset the heart.

LIN: And you make it sound like a car. I mean, is sounds like an engine or something that you can just re-tune.

BESHAI: Right. Well, it's -- you know, there are these abnormal electrical wafelets (ph) in the heart that are just running rampant. And what ends up happening is, is that the electrical shock is required to really stabilize and reset the heart so that it can go back into its normal rhythm.

LIN: How long does that last?

BESHAI: How long does the...

LIN: The correction, I mean. I mean, once he has this, is his heart going to be fine?

BESHAI: Yes. I mean, now that all depends on the underlying heart condition. In patients who have normal hearts, and who are relatively healthy, this can last for months and years.

LIN: Because he was complaining of shortness of breath. Was this a life-threatening condition?

BESHAI: I don't believe it's life threatening. A lot of times this type of arrhythmia is called a nuisance arrhythmia. It just makes people feel crumby. They get short of breath, they get some chest pain, they get palpitations and whatnot.

Now, if people have a weak heart muscle and get these fast, irregular heart rhythms, they'll tend to be more symptomatic. And they can get very dizzy, pass out, even, and drop their blood pressure. And then it becomes a little bit more of a difficult situation.

LIN: Because he's actually planning for running for re-election next year.

BESHAI: Right.

LIN: So does this jeopardize his campaign plans?

BESHAI: No. No, I wouldn't say so.

LIN: And being back to work on Monday, good decision on his part?

BESHAI: Absolutely. Most of our patients when we do these procedures go home the same day.

LIN: All right. Dr. Beshai, that's very reassuring. Thank you very much.

BESHAI: You're welcome. Thank you.

LIN: Well, here's what's also making news overseas in this morning's "World Wrap."

Israel says its soldiers are fighting pitched battles against militants today in northern Gaza. And medical sources say at least seven Palestinians were killed in today's fighting.

A suicide bomb blast at a mosque in Pakistan killed at least 28 worshippers and wounded dozens more today as well. The bombing occurred during Friday's prayers. A bomb disposal squad diffused a second bomb outside the mosque.

And Spain's cabinet approved a measure today permitting gay marriage. The bill now goes to parliament. The socialist government says it has enough support to pass that law.

And they say at any moment this could happen. All eyes now on Mount St. Helens. Is an eruption imminent? The very latest is next.

And four hurricanes in six weeks. Now, while Floridians try to repair the damage, a difficult question remains: what about the psychological damage? That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Scientists say there's a 70 percent chance of a small to moderate eruption at Mount St. Helens. The volcano has been shaken by swarms of small earthquakes in recent days. And if it blows, the volcano could shoot rocks three miles and spew ash 10,000 feet high.

(WEATHER REPORT) LIN: Of course, we've had enough, four hurricanes in the last six weeks. And it takes a physical toll, because so much recovery is going on. But after Charley and Frances and Ivan and Jeanne, you can't blame a Floridian for feeling a little mental stress. Here's national correspondent Susan Candiotti.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So the sweater is borrowed, your T-shirt?

KRISTINA GRIFFIN, HURRICANE VICTIM: We got it from the -- I got it from Red Cross.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Kristina Griffin is a single mom. Only 21, with two mouths to feed. Robert turned one the day Jeanne struck. Mystica (ph) is two.

Frances damaged their rental apartment. Jeanne destroyed it when a ceiling caved in.

GRIFFIN: All my clothes, all the furniture I had left, TV, radio, everything.

CANDIOTTI: The young mother is a poster child for post-hurricane anxiety.

GRIFFIN: ... support for them. They don't know what's going on. So I'm stressed out, which makes them more stressed out.

CANDIOTTI: Griffin is undergoing counseling from the Red Cross. Post-traumatic stress is as common as Florida hurricanes this season. Mental health experts report a surge in domestic violence calls, marital problems, drug and alcohol abuse.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of them will say, "I'm perfectly fine, I'm fine, I'm fine," and they're not seeking the help that they need. And then they -- then the tension builds, and then they break.

CANDIOTTI: Some of the tension comes from lacking basic necessities, having to rely on handouts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are some people that get upset. Some people are just happy to see us out here.

CANDIOTTI: Joseph and Kimberly Stubblefield getting emergency supplies, hoping FEMA will come through on temporary housing to replace their mobile home.

KIMBERLY STUBBLEFIELD, HURRICANE VICTIM: I can get all bent out of shape, I guess. We're really just staying together and praying together and keeping a positive outlook.

CANDIOTTI: Good for them, but experts say victims shouldn't be afraid to ask for help if the going gets tough. It's what Kristina Griffin is finding out. GRIFFIN: You have to kind of know that everything's going to work out some way.

CANDIOTTI: A positive attitude after surviving disaster.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, the presidential candidates were just in Florida after the first debate. Now over, they are hitting the campaign trail. We've got some insight and analysis next as we bring you the morning's most complete political wrap-up.

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