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American Morning
VP Debate Tonight; Bush and Kerry Campaigns; Terror Fight
Aired October 05, 2004 - 9:00 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. They are more than just second fiddles, and they get a chance to play tonight. Dick Cheney and John Edwards squaring off in the VP debate.
Surprising comments from Paul Bremer, now saying lawlessness in Iraq can be traced to a lack of coalition troops on the ground there.
And a steamy show from Mount St. Helens. Is it a sign that something bigger is coming soon?
And check out Elton John, again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELTON JOHN, SINGER: Madonna (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Sir Elton takes a whack at Madonna. What set him off on this AMERICAN MORNING?
ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING. Live from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, here's Bill Hemmer.
HEMMER: And good morning. We're at the Cleveland Museum of Art, just across the street from where the two men will face off later tonight.
Good morning, and welcome back to our continuing coverage here on AMERICAN MORNING.
John Edwards, Dick Cheney face off later tonight. And a whole lot to talk about in the next hour. We'll get the early word from both campaigns about what each man will be focusing on later tonight.
Also, a look at what President Bush and John Kerry are doing to get ready for the debate on Friday. Number two goes then.
But right now, let's get back to New York again, say good morning again to my colleague Heidi Collins there.
And Heidi, good morning to you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, Bill.
Also today, if you've never smoked, there is a new reason now not to start, or even try a cigarette for that matter. Sanjay will be back a little bit later. He's going to tell us about a study that finds just a single cigarette can lead to cancer.
Jack is off this week, but later on we're going to check in with Andy Borowitz for the "Question of the Day."
Meanwhile, checking on the stories now in the news this morning -- four U.S. soldiers have been evacuated to a military hospital in the Iraqi city of Mosul. Military officials say their convoy was attacked by an improvised explosive device, or IED. It's not clear how severely the troops are wounded.
Earlier, another U.S. convoy was attacked in Baghdad. At least one American soldier was killed in that roadside bombing.
The violence in Iraq may be fueling negative images of Muslims back here in the United States. According to a new survey by the Council on American Islamic relations, more than a quarter of the people interviewed think Islam teaches violence and hatred. The council says it hopes to combat that attitude. It is encouraging Muslims to invite others to share meals during the upcoming Ramadan holiday.
From the Terminator to the presidency? A Senate committee will hear testimony today in what could be called "Arnold's Law." The measure proposes naturalized citizens be eligible to run for president 20 years after they take the oath. The hearing comes one month after California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made a key speech at the Republican National Convention.
And scientists monitoring volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens after a small eruption. Large clouds of steam and ash rose into the sky for about 40 minutes yesterday. That means a much larger explosion could come at any moment. A live update on the grumbling from Mount St. Helens in the next half-hour.
For now, though, we go back to Bill in Cleveland.
I don't know if it's going to be a volcanic eruption tonight, but certainly interesting discussion, right?
HEMMER: Very interesting. I think you're exactly right about that, Heidi.
You know, oftentimes, we talk about these debates not meaning that much. But it's a whole new deal in 2004.
Tonight, the first and only debate for Dick Cheney and John Edwards. Going toe to toe here in Cleveland for 90 minutes in prime- time. And a key question, too, is this: how much do these debates truly matter?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): While vice presidential debates have typically had little impact on the presidential race, they have provided for some memorable moments. LLOYD BENTSEN (D), FMR. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.
HEMMER: Lloyd Bentsen's knockout punch did not prevent Dan Quayle from being elected vice president in 1988. Four years later, there was this from Ross Perot's running mate...
ADM. JAMES STOCKDALE (RET.), FMR. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who am I? Why am I here?
HEMMER: While Admiral James Stockdale provided some comic relief, he also posed what may be a classic vice presidential debate question. This year, though, in a campaign so close, the number twos are trying hard to make a big difference. While Dick Cheney is expected to attack the Kerry--Edwards team for a lack of judgment and experience, John Edwards will be in the trial of his political career.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera): Both campaigns planning for that debate later tonight about the war in Iraq. Certainly, that will be a topic again tonight.
Campaign Kerry adviser Joe Lockhart, a Kerry campaign adviser, and Bush campaign adviser Mary Matalin each talked about the administration's post-war planning earlier today here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE LOCKHART, KERRY CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Look at what they've done over the last four years. Look at what Jerry Bremer said today. I mean, this is exactly what John Kerry and John Edwards have been saying. They didn't plan for the peace.
Taking down Saddam Hussein in a weakened state and in a weakened army, that wasn't the hard part. All of the experts said it's what happens next. They had no clue what was going to happen, and they still don't have a plan, as opposed to John Kerry and John Edwards, to fix this problem.
MARY MATALIN, BUSH CAMPAIGN ADVISER: There was all kinds of planning going into there: dams that didn't blow, oil wells that didn't blow, a civil war that didn't happen, a refugee crisis that didn't happen. You know, you can -- the moment of contingency, when boots hit the ground, and the war begins, of course you have to recalculate and adjust to conditions on the ground. But the generals got what they asked for going into it, and they did what they needed to do to be successful in the mission.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Mary Matalin from earlier today with the Bush campaign, Joe Lockhart from the Kerry campaign on tonight's debate, and also the ongoing issue of Iraq. And Paul Bremer's comments now printed in today's "Washington Post."
Meanwhile, George Bush and John Kerry getting ready for their next debate. That's on Friday night in St. Louis. Two campaign reports this morning. Dana Bash is here to talk about what the president is doing, and also Frank Buckley, who is at Senator Kerry's first top in Tipton, Iowa.
And Frank, let's start there with you. And good morning.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Tipton the site of an incredibly close race in 2000. Vice President Al Gore won Cedar County here, where Tipton is located, by a mere two votes in 2000 over President George Bush in the 2000 election. John Kerry returning here, hoping that he, too, can win over the voters of this county and keep Iowa in the Democratic column.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Senator John Kerry arrived in Iowa last night and rallied his troops, reminding them of just how close they are to Election Day.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Twenty-eight days. Make the phone calls. Twenty-eight days. Go out and knock on the doors, because the world is waiting to watch the United States of America lift itself back up.
BUCKLEY: Earlier, Kerry was in another battleground state, Pennsylvania, where he met with African-Americans church leaders and promised to deliver diversity.
KERRY: I'll tell you what, if you will make me president of the United States, I will do my best to even do better than Bill Clinton did to make sure the government of the United States looks like the face of America.
BUCKLEY: The focus of the Kerry campaign now, domestic issues. And in New Hampshire on Monday...
MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR: And the next president of the United States, Senator John Kerry.
BUCKLEY: ... Senator John Kerry appeared with actor Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease, as Kerry took up the hottest social values issue of the campaign, stem cell research.
KERRY: When it comes to stem cell research, this president is making the wrong choice to sacrifice science for extreme right-wing ideology. And that's unacceptable.
BUCKLEY: Bush campaign officials point out the president was the first to fund any stem cell research. But federal funding was limited to existing stem cell lines. And critics say those limits have hindered potential breakthroughs in the treatment of diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and juvenile diabetes. FOX: He decided to allow it to go forward, but he so restricted the stem cell lines available to us that it was kind of like he gave us a car and no gas, and congratulated himself for giving us the car.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BUCKLEY (on camera): John Kerry will continue his focus on domestic issues here during this event, which happens in the next hour or two. The format here, a town hall--style event leading up to next Friday's -- or this Friday's presidential debate, which is also in a town hall style format -- Bill.
HEMMER: Frank, thanks for that. Frank Buckley with the Kerry campaign.
The Bush team looking to score points later tonight, ad then again tomorrow, when President Bush makes what is being called now a significant speech. More on that from Dana Bash with me live here in Cleveland.
Dana, good morning to you.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
And, you know, of course, last week's presidential debate was focused on national security and Iraq. Well, of course, as you well know, reviews for the president's performance there didn't go that well.
So the White House announced yesterday that the president will give a significant speech, as Bill just mentioned, on Iraq. That, of course, is also going to be the theme, part of the theme of tonight's debate with the vice president.
He is going to focus on national security, talking about the fact that he believes the Iraq war was important, as he done for years now. And, of course, linking that to the war on terrorism. And that is something that he has done extensively, and even been criticized for doing, some of his statements on that.
Now, as much as the vice president will be talking about leadership and keeping America safe, he will also be picking up on domestic themes that the Bush campaign is also trying to elevate this week. The president, of course, talked about tax cuts. Yesterday, he signed his fourth tax cut Bill in four years, and he accused the Kerry-Edwards ticket of being nothing more than liberals who want to raise Americans' taxes. And, of course, late last night, the Bush campaign released a new ad on that same theme.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Higher taxes 350 times, an average of once every three weeks for 20 years. Like clockwork, John Kerry and the liberals in Congress on the economy? Troubling.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: Now, polls show the president is still quite vulnerable when it comes to the economy, so the Bush-Cheney strategy, Bill, is very similar to what it is on Iraq, which is typical of an incumbent, which is, you may not be happy with either Iraq or the economy, but don't trust the other ticket, because they're going to make it worse. Expect to hear from the vice president on that tonight.
HEMMER: It will be interesting on all of this, will it not?
BASH: Absolutely.
HEMMER: Thank you, Dana.
BASH: Thanks, Bill.
HEMMER: Dana Bash here in Cleveland.
Another reminder for our viewers at home. Our live coverage starts at 7:00 Eastern here in Cleveland. That debate begins two hours later at 9:00 Eastern. They go about 90 minutes, and we'll have it all for you. The pre-game and the post-game, too, on tonight's debate, the only match-up between John Edwards and Dick Cheney in this campaign 2004.
Back to Heidi again in New York with more there now -- Heidi.
COLLINS: OK, Bill, thanks.
Today, some people in Colorado are cleaning up after nearly a dozen tornadoes there. The twisters touched down within 40 minutes yesterday of each other northwest of Denver International Airport, also near Brighton and Greeley. One mobile home was destroyed, a barn was damaged. But no injuries were reported.
Perfect time to check on the weather now. Chad Myers at the CNN Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Still to come, can even one cigarette be hazardous to your health? Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at the dangers of social smoking.
HEMMER: Also, back here in Cleveland, (INAUDIBLE) polls four weeks from today, 28 days in counting. But not everyone will cast a ballot then. The impact of early voting still to come this hour on AMERICAN MORNING as our coverage continues live from the Cleveland Museum of Art, right across the street from the debate setting later tonight here in northern Ohio.
Back after this on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The former U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, is saying the administration made critical mistakes after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime. In a speech yesterday, Bremer said there were not enough troops deployed, and so the violence and looting that took place when the regime fell was not contained.
He said, "We paid a big price for not stopping it, because it established an atmosphere of lawlessness. We never had enough troops on the ground."
The Pentagon says he didn't ask for more troops, and is angry about Bremer's second-guessing. Bremer says he still supports the decision to go to war in Iraq.
One intelligence expert believes President Bush has made some mistakes in fighting the war on terror -- George Friedman, the founder of the private intelligence company Stratfor. And he is the author of a new book "America's Secret War." George Friedman joins us now.
Hello to you. Thanks for being with us.
GEORGE FRIEDMAN, FOUNDER, STRATFOR: Hi. How are you?
COLLINS: You write in your book that the United States is winning the war on terror. So let's begin with some of the successes that our country's enjoying.
FRIEDMAN: Well, let's start with the failures of Osama bin Laden. There's been no rise in the Islamic world, not a single Islamic regime is toppled. Most all Islamic regimes, their intelligence services are cooperating with the United States.
If you compare the situation of September 11 to today, every goal that Osama has set for himself has been a failure. So it's not so much we're winning; he's losing.
COLLINS: All right. Well, as we just heard about the civilian administrator, Paul Bremer, talking about not enough troops on the ground, trying to contain the situation with looting when he first got there in May of 2003, how do you think those comments will fare in the way that this war is being fought in Iraq?
FRIEDMAN: Every war has major mistakes. That was one of them. I would have been much more impressed by Jerry Bremer's comments if he had made them, say, six months ago or twelve months ago. He made them now.
Certainly, the United States made a huge mistake in not restructuring its global armed forces. We're fighting this war with the same size force we had going in.
It's just not enough. It doesn't stretch that far. But, as for Jerry Bremer deciding today to go public on this, that's kind of ironic, I think.
COLLINS: Well, you write in your book that the Bush administration did have a master plan, if you will, in fighting al Qaeda. What was it? FRIEDMAN: Well, it was essentially about Saudi Arabia. The president said early on this is all about money and stopping the flow of money to al Qaeda. That money was coming from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia was not cooperating.
The dilemma in March, April of 2002, was how do we get the Saudis to stop sending money to al Qaeda? And the Iraq strategy, putting U.S. divisions on the Saudi border, change Saudi behavior. In fact, we see a civil war going on in Saudi Arabia right now, precisely because the Iraq strategy worked.
COLLINS: Well, when you talk about Saudi Arabia -- and the title of the book is The Secret War...
FRIEDMAN: Sure.
COLLINS: ... do you think this is something that American civilians should know about? Is there a way for President Bush to explain more on this?
FRIEDMAN: Well, the president made a huge mistake at the beginning of the Iraq war by arguing that the reason for the war was WMD. It obviously wasn't, because if you're worried about the other side having WMD, you don't announce an invasion a year in advance and then wait.
There was a complicated explanation of why we're invading and a simple explanation. He chose the simple explanation because, more than anyone else, he believed there were WMD. No one was more surprised when it wasn't there. And that left his policy, publicly at least, high and dry.
COLLINS: So should the American people know, though, about this secret war? Should they know more about the plan to get the Saudis to put pressure on these -- on these extremists?
FRIEDMAN: Well, absolutely. And the president should tell them. But barring that, they should read my book.
COLLINS: OK. Fair enough.
Well, you've also said that the United States really needs to go much, much farther into the war on terrorism. What do you mean by that?
FRIEDMAN: Well, in the end, this war ends, if it ends favorably for the United States, when Osama bin Laden is dead and the command cell is destroyed. That command cell is in Pakistan. And sooner or later, the United States is going to go into northwestern Pakistan, dig out Osama and try to kill him.
So this war is far from won. And it can't be won until we deal with the Pakistani question.
COLLINS: Why has it been so hard to shut down Osama bin Laden? FRIEDMAN: Because he's very, very smart. Because he designed al Qaeda to defeat U.S. intelligence. He studied U.S. intelligence for years. He understands how it works. And everything about al Qaeda is how not to get caught by the CIA. And he's done a clinic on it.
COLLINS: We appreciate you're being here very much, shedding some insight into all of this for us. George Friedman, the name of the book, once again, is "America's Secret War."
FRIEDMAN: Thank you very much.
COLLINS: Thank you.
Still to come this morning, Sir Elton John has some not so gentlemanly words for Madonna. We'll tell you about them coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A pop legend bad mouthing a pop queen. Outspoken musician Elton John was accepting a songwriting award in London yesterday. And when he found out Madonna was in the running for best live act, he delivered his own four-letter word act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN: Madonna best (EXPLETIVE DELETED) live act (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Since when has lip-synching been live? Sorry about that, but I think everyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay like $75 to see them should be shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Well, Madonna's publicist quickly issued a statement saying Madonna does not lip-synch, nor does she spend her time trashing other artists. And he had that little blowup at the airport, too, with the photographers. Remember?
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Sir Elton has a lot of anger.
COLLINS: He needs some tai chi.
BOROWITZ: I think the tai chi thing could work great at this point.
COLLINS: Andy Borowitz now, filling in for Jack Cafferty on the "Question of the Day" today.
BOROWITZ: Yes. Well, we're talking about Martha. You know, she is required to report to Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia on Friday. She spent some of her last few days of freedom hanging out in the Bahamas for a friend's wedding.
Now, we're not going to get into the issue of whether convicted felons should be allowed to leave the country before doing their time. But Martha's Bahamas beach vacation does raise the question: If you knew you were going to prison on Friday, how would you spend your final days of freedom? And we've got some interesting answers here.
Laura writes: "Martha will take this prison sentence and write a moving best-seller. How she uses the profits from the book, personal gain or to help others, will determine the authenticity of the experience."
Annie from Garrison, New York, writes: "It is my understanding that she went to the Bahamas to attend a friend's wedding. This falls under the category of gracious and unselfish, so let's leave her alone."
I think that's directed towards me.
Cindy in Ontario today writes: "If I was scheduled to go to jail in a week, then simple, I would head for the hills. But then again, I wouldn't be scheduled to go to jail, they just cart off regular folk."
And Bill from Toronto, Canada, writes: "I would go to Martha's quaint little farm in New England just to see how the other half lives."
Well, that sounds like a good idea. A lot of sympathy for Martha, though. There is.
COLLINS: Yes, there were.
BOROWITZ: There is.
COLLINS: All right. Well, we're going to hand that one back over to Bill now once again in Cleveland, Ohio.
Not the Bahamas. Right, Bill?
HEMMER: Yes, exactly right. We're a long way from Nassau here, let me tell you.
In a moment here, not everyone is waiting until November 2 to cast their ballots. The role of early voting in this campaign, they say it is more significant now than in any election prior to. We'll have a look in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. We're at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Right across the street from where the main event goes down later tonight, about 12 hours from now, in fact.
Good morning. I'm Bill Hemmer here in northern Ohio.
In a few moments, we'll talk to the Washington bureau chief of the Cleveland "Plain Dealer" about Ohio's unique role in this year's election. It is very critical to both sides. We'll find out what voters are listening for later tonight.
But back to New York now and Heidi Collins yet again there.
Heidi, good morning.
COLLINS: All right, Bill, thanks so much.
We want to get right to the opening bell now, getting ready to ring on Wall Street this morning. Dow Jones industrial average starts the session higher. That's up almost 24 points yesterday to 10216.
And at the Nasdaq MarketSite, the composite index also opens higher up 10 points at 1962. And we see there the president of the New York Jets, Jay Cross, and he is doing pretty well this year -- 3 and 0, in fact. It doesn't get any better than that.
All right. Also this half-hour, Sanjay Gupta back with us this morning. Going to be talking about the idea held by many people that smoking in moderation isn't bad for you. Well, a new study finding that idea couldn't be further from the truth. So we'll talk about that in just a few moments.
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 October 5, 2004 - 9:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. They are more than just second fiddles, and they get a chance to play tonight. Dick Cheney and John Edwards squaring off in the VP debate.
Surprising comments from Paul Bremer, now saying lawlessness in Iraq can be traced to a lack of coalition troops on the ground there.
And a steamy show from Mount St. Helens. Is it a sign that something bigger is coming soon?
And check out Elton John, again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELTON JOHN, SINGER: Madonna (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Sir Elton takes a whack at Madonna. What set him off on this AMERICAN MORNING?
ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING. Live from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, here's Bill Hemmer.
HEMMER: And good morning. We're at the Cleveland Museum of Art, just across the street from where the two men will face off later tonight.
Good morning, and welcome back to our continuing coverage here on AMERICAN MORNING.
John Edwards, Dick Cheney face off later tonight. And a whole lot to talk about in the next hour. We'll get the early word from both campaigns about what each man will be focusing on later tonight.
Also, a look at what President Bush and John Kerry are doing to get ready for the debate on Friday. Number two goes then.
But right now, let's get back to New York again, say good morning again to my colleague Heidi Collins there.
And Heidi, good morning to you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, Bill.
Also today, if you've never smoked, there is a new reason now not to start, or even try a cigarette for that matter. Sanjay will be back a little bit later. He's going to tell us about a study that finds just a single cigarette can lead to cancer.
Jack is off this week, but later on we're going to check in with Andy Borowitz for the "Question of the Day."
Meanwhile, checking on the stories now in the news this morning -- four U.S. soldiers have been evacuated to a military hospital in the Iraqi city of Mosul. Military officials say their convoy was attacked by an improvised explosive device, or IED. It's not clear how severely the troops are wounded.
Earlier, another U.S. convoy was attacked in Baghdad. At least one American soldier was killed in that roadside bombing.
The violence in Iraq may be fueling negative images of Muslims back here in the United States. According to a new survey by the Council on American Islamic relations, more than a quarter of the people interviewed think Islam teaches violence and hatred. The council says it hopes to combat that attitude. It is encouraging Muslims to invite others to share meals during the upcoming Ramadan holiday.
From the Terminator to the presidency? A Senate committee will hear testimony today in what could be called "Arnold's Law." The measure proposes naturalized citizens be eligible to run for president 20 years after they take the oath. The hearing comes one month after California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made a key speech at the Republican National Convention.
And scientists monitoring volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens after a small eruption. Large clouds of steam and ash rose into the sky for about 40 minutes yesterday. That means a much larger explosion could come at any moment. A live update on the grumbling from Mount St. Helens in the next half-hour.
For now, though, we go back to Bill in Cleveland.
I don't know if it's going to be a volcanic eruption tonight, but certainly interesting discussion, right?
HEMMER: Very interesting. I think you're exactly right about that, Heidi.
You know, oftentimes, we talk about these debates not meaning that much. But it's a whole new deal in 2004.
Tonight, the first and only debate for Dick Cheney and John Edwards. Going toe to toe here in Cleveland for 90 minutes in prime- time. And a key question, too, is this: how much do these debates truly matter?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): While vice presidential debates have typically had little impact on the presidential race, they have provided for some memorable moments. LLOYD BENTSEN (D), FMR. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.
HEMMER: Lloyd Bentsen's knockout punch did not prevent Dan Quayle from being elected vice president in 1988. Four years later, there was this from Ross Perot's running mate...
ADM. JAMES STOCKDALE (RET.), FMR. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who am I? Why am I here?
HEMMER: While Admiral James Stockdale provided some comic relief, he also posed what may be a classic vice presidential debate question. This year, though, in a campaign so close, the number twos are trying hard to make a big difference. While Dick Cheney is expected to attack the Kerry--Edwards team for a lack of judgment and experience, John Edwards will be in the trial of his political career.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera): Both campaigns planning for that debate later tonight about the war in Iraq. Certainly, that will be a topic again tonight.
Campaign Kerry adviser Joe Lockhart, a Kerry campaign adviser, and Bush campaign adviser Mary Matalin each talked about the administration's post-war planning earlier today here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE LOCKHART, KERRY CAMPAIGN ADVISER: Look at what they've done over the last four years. Look at what Jerry Bremer said today. I mean, this is exactly what John Kerry and John Edwards have been saying. They didn't plan for the peace.
Taking down Saddam Hussein in a weakened state and in a weakened army, that wasn't the hard part. All of the experts said it's what happens next. They had no clue what was going to happen, and they still don't have a plan, as opposed to John Kerry and John Edwards, to fix this problem.
MARY MATALIN, BUSH CAMPAIGN ADVISER: There was all kinds of planning going into there: dams that didn't blow, oil wells that didn't blow, a civil war that didn't happen, a refugee crisis that didn't happen. You know, you can -- the moment of contingency, when boots hit the ground, and the war begins, of course you have to recalculate and adjust to conditions on the ground. But the generals got what they asked for going into it, and they did what they needed to do to be successful in the mission.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Mary Matalin from earlier today with the Bush campaign, Joe Lockhart from the Kerry campaign on tonight's debate, and also the ongoing issue of Iraq. And Paul Bremer's comments now printed in today's "Washington Post."
Meanwhile, George Bush and John Kerry getting ready for their next debate. That's on Friday night in St. Louis. Two campaign reports this morning. Dana Bash is here to talk about what the president is doing, and also Frank Buckley, who is at Senator Kerry's first top in Tipton, Iowa.
And Frank, let's start there with you. And good morning.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Tipton the site of an incredibly close race in 2000. Vice President Al Gore won Cedar County here, where Tipton is located, by a mere two votes in 2000 over President George Bush in the 2000 election. John Kerry returning here, hoping that he, too, can win over the voters of this county and keep Iowa in the Democratic column.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Senator John Kerry arrived in Iowa last night and rallied his troops, reminding them of just how close they are to Election Day.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Twenty-eight days. Make the phone calls. Twenty-eight days. Go out and knock on the doors, because the world is waiting to watch the United States of America lift itself back up.
BUCKLEY: Earlier, Kerry was in another battleground state, Pennsylvania, where he met with African-Americans church leaders and promised to deliver diversity.
KERRY: I'll tell you what, if you will make me president of the United States, I will do my best to even do better than Bill Clinton did to make sure the government of the United States looks like the face of America.
BUCKLEY: The focus of the Kerry campaign now, domestic issues. And in New Hampshire on Monday...
MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR: And the next president of the United States, Senator John Kerry.
BUCKLEY: ... Senator John Kerry appeared with actor Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease, as Kerry took up the hottest social values issue of the campaign, stem cell research.
KERRY: When it comes to stem cell research, this president is making the wrong choice to sacrifice science for extreme right-wing ideology. And that's unacceptable.
BUCKLEY: Bush campaign officials point out the president was the first to fund any stem cell research. But federal funding was limited to existing stem cell lines. And critics say those limits have hindered potential breakthroughs in the treatment of diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and juvenile diabetes. FOX: He decided to allow it to go forward, but he so restricted the stem cell lines available to us that it was kind of like he gave us a car and no gas, and congratulated himself for giving us the car.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BUCKLEY (on camera): John Kerry will continue his focus on domestic issues here during this event, which happens in the next hour or two. The format here, a town hall--style event leading up to next Friday's -- or this Friday's presidential debate, which is also in a town hall style format -- Bill.
HEMMER: Frank, thanks for that. Frank Buckley with the Kerry campaign.
The Bush team looking to score points later tonight, ad then again tomorrow, when President Bush makes what is being called now a significant speech. More on that from Dana Bash with me live here in Cleveland.
Dana, good morning to you.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
And, you know, of course, last week's presidential debate was focused on national security and Iraq. Well, of course, as you well know, reviews for the president's performance there didn't go that well.
So the White House announced yesterday that the president will give a significant speech, as Bill just mentioned, on Iraq. That, of course, is also going to be the theme, part of the theme of tonight's debate with the vice president.
He is going to focus on national security, talking about the fact that he believes the Iraq war was important, as he done for years now. And, of course, linking that to the war on terrorism. And that is something that he has done extensively, and even been criticized for doing, some of his statements on that.
Now, as much as the vice president will be talking about leadership and keeping America safe, he will also be picking up on domestic themes that the Bush campaign is also trying to elevate this week. The president, of course, talked about tax cuts. Yesterday, he signed his fourth tax cut Bill in four years, and he accused the Kerry-Edwards ticket of being nothing more than liberals who want to raise Americans' taxes. And, of course, late last night, the Bush campaign released a new ad on that same theme.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Higher taxes 350 times, an average of once every three weeks for 20 years. Like clockwork, John Kerry and the liberals in Congress on the economy? Troubling.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: Now, polls show the president is still quite vulnerable when it comes to the economy, so the Bush-Cheney strategy, Bill, is very similar to what it is on Iraq, which is typical of an incumbent, which is, you may not be happy with either Iraq or the economy, but don't trust the other ticket, because they're going to make it worse. Expect to hear from the vice president on that tonight.
HEMMER: It will be interesting on all of this, will it not?
BASH: Absolutely.
HEMMER: Thank you, Dana.
BASH: Thanks, Bill.
HEMMER: Dana Bash here in Cleveland.
Another reminder for our viewers at home. Our live coverage starts at 7:00 Eastern here in Cleveland. That debate begins two hours later at 9:00 Eastern. They go about 90 minutes, and we'll have it all for you. The pre-game and the post-game, too, on tonight's debate, the only match-up between John Edwards and Dick Cheney in this campaign 2004.
Back to Heidi again in New York with more there now -- Heidi.
COLLINS: OK, Bill, thanks.
Today, some people in Colorado are cleaning up after nearly a dozen tornadoes there. The twisters touched down within 40 minutes yesterday of each other northwest of Denver International Airport, also near Brighton and Greeley. One mobile home was destroyed, a barn was damaged. But no injuries were reported.
Perfect time to check on the weather now. Chad Myers at the CNN Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Still to come, can even one cigarette be hazardous to your health? Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at the dangers of social smoking.
HEMMER: Also, back here in Cleveland, (INAUDIBLE) polls four weeks from today, 28 days in counting. But not everyone will cast a ballot then. The impact of early voting still to come this hour on AMERICAN MORNING as our coverage continues live from the Cleveland Museum of Art, right across the street from the debate setting later tonight here in northern Ohio.
Back after this on AMERICAN MORNING.
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COLLINS: The former U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, is saying the administration made critical mistakes after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime. In a speech yesterday, Bremer said there were not enough troops deployed, and so the violence and looting that took place when the regime fell was not contained.
He said, "We paid a big price for not stopping it, because it established an atmosphere of lawlessness. We never had enough troops on the ground."
The Pentagon says he didn't ask for more troops, and is angry about Bremer's second-guessing. Bremer says he still supports the decision to go to war in Iraq.
One intelligence expert believes President Bush has made some mistakes in fighting the war on terror -- George Friedman, the founder of the private intelligence company Stratfor. And he is the author of a new book "America's Secret War." George Friedman joins us now.
Hello to you. Thanks for being with us.
GEORGE FRIEDMAN, FOUNDER, STRATFOR: Hi. How are you?
COLLINS: You write in your book that the United States is winning the war on terror. So let's begin with some of the successes that our country's enjoying.
FRIEDMAN: Well, let's start with the failures of Osama bin Laden. There's been no rise in the Islamic world, not a single Islamic regime is toppled. Most all Islamic regimes, their intelligence services are cooperating with the United States.
If you compare the situation of September 11 to today, every goal that Osama has set for himself has been a failure. So it's not so much we're winning; he's losing.
COLLINS: All right. Well, as we just heard about the civilian administrator, Paul Bremer, talking about not enough troops on the ground, trying to contain the situation with looting when he first got there in May of 2003, how do you think those comments will fare in the way that this war is being fought in Iraq?
FRIEDMAN: Every war has major mistakes. That was one of them. I would have been much more impressed by Jerry Bremer's comments if he had made them, say, six months ago or twelve months ago. He made them now.
Certainly, the United States made a huge mistake in not restructuring its global armed forces. We're fighting this war with the same size force we had going in.
It's just not enough. It doesn't stretch that far. But, as for Jerry Bremer deciding today to go public on this, that's kind of ironic, I think.
COLLINS: Well, you write in your book that the Bush administration did have a master plan, if you will, in fighting al Qaeda. What was it? FRIEDMAN: Well, it was essentially about Saudi Arabia. The president said early on this is all about money and stopping the flow of money to al Qaeda. That money was coming from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia was not cooperating.
The dilemma in March, April of 2002, was how do we get the Saudis to stop sending money to al Qaeda? And the Iraq strategy, putting U.S. divisions on the Saudi border, change Saudi behavior. In fact, we see a civil war going on in Saudi Arabia right now, precisely because the Iraq strategy worked.
COLLINS: Well, when you talk about Saudi Arabia -- and the title of the book is The Secret War...
FRIEDMAN: Sure.
COLLINS: ... do you think this is something that American civilians should know about? Is there a way for President Bush to explain more on this?
FRIEDMAN: Well, the president made a huge mistake at the beginning of the Iraq war by arguing that the reason for the war was WMD. It obviously wasn't, because if you're worried about the other side having WMD, you don't announce an invasion a year in advance and then wait.
There was a complicated explanation of why we're invading and a simple explanation. He chose the simple explanation because, more than anyone else, he believed there were WMD. No one was more surprised when it wasn't there. And that left his policy, publicly at least, high and dry.
COLLINS: So should the American people know, though, about this secret war? Should they know more about the plan to get the Saudis to put pressure on these -- on these extremists?
FRIEDMAN: Well, absolutely. And the president should tell them. But barring that, they should read my book.
COLLINS: OK. Fair enough.
Well, you've also said that the United States really needs to go much, much farther into the war on terrorism. What do you mean by that?
FRIEDMAN: Well, in the end, this war ends, if it ends favorably for the United States, when Osama bin Laden is dead and the command cell is destroyed. That command cell is in Pakistan. And sooner or later, the United States is going to go into northwestern Pakistan, dig out Osama and try to kill him.
So this war is far from won. And it can't be won until we deal with the Pakistani question.
COLLINS: Why has it been so hard to shut down Osama bin Laden? FRIEDMAN: Because he's very, very smart. Because he designed al Qaeda to defeat U.S. intelligence. He studied U.S. intelligence for years. He understands how it works. And everything about al Qaeda is how not to get caught by the CIA. And he's done a clinic on it.
COLLINS: We appreciate you're being here very much, shedding some insight into all of this for us. George Friedman, the name of the book, once again, is "America's Secret War."
FRIEDMAN: Thank you very much.
COLLINS: Thank you.
Still to come this morning, Sir Elton John has some not so gentlemanly words for Madonna. We'll tell you about them coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A pop legend bad mouthing a pop queen. Outspoken musician Elton John was accepting a songwriting award in London yesterday. And when he found out Madonna was in the running for best live act, he delivered his own four-letter word act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN: Madonna best (EXPLETIVE DELETED) live act (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Since when has lip-synching been live? Sorry about that, but I think everyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay like $75 to see them should be shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Well, Madonna's publicist quickly issued a statement saying Madonna does not lip-synch, nor does she spend her time trashing other artists. And he had that little blowup at the airport, too, with the photographers. Remember?
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Sir Elton has a lot of anger.
COLLINS: He needs some tai chi.
BOROWITZ: I think the tai chi thing could work great at this point.
COLLINS: Andy Borowitz now, filling in for Jack Cafferty on the "Question of the Day" today.
BOROWITZ: Yes. Well, we're talking about Martha. You know, she is required to report to Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia on Friday. She spent some of her last few days of freedom hanging out in the Bahamas for a friend's wedding.
Now, we're not going to get into the issue of whether convicted felons should be allowed to leave the country before doing their time. But Martha's Bahamas beach vacation does raise the question: If you knew you were going to prison on Friday, how would you spend your final days of freedom? And we've got some interesting answers here.
Laura writes: "Martha will take this prison sentence and write a moving best-seller. How she uses the profits from the book, personal gain or to help others, will determine the authenticity of the experience."
Annie from Garrison, New York, writes: "It is my understanding that she went to the Bahamas to attend a friend's wedding. This falls under the category of gracious and unselfish, so let's leave her alone."
I think that's directed towards me.
Cindy in Ontario today writes: "If I was scheduled to go to jail in a week, then simple, I would head for the hills. But then again, I wouldn't be scheduled to go to jail, they just cart off regular folk."
And Bill from Toronto, Canada, writes: "I would go to Martha's quaint little farm in New England just to see how the other half lives."
Well, that sounds like a good idea. A lot of sympathy for Martha, though. There is.
COLLINS: Yes, there were.
BOROWITZ: There is.
COLLINS: All right. Well, we're going to hand that one back over to Bill now once again in Cleveland, Ohio.
Not the Bahamas. Right, Bill?
HEMMER: Yes, exactly right. We're a long way from Nassau here, let me tell you.
In a moment here, not everyone is waiting until November 2 to cast their ballots. The role of early voting in this campaign, they say it is more significant now than in any election prior to. We'll have a look in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. We're at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Right across the street from where the main event goes down later tonight, about 12 hours from now, in fact.
Good morning. I'm Bill Hemmer here in northern Ohio.
In a few moments, we'll talk to the Washington bureau chief of the Cleveland "Plain Dealer" about Ohio's unique role in this year's election. It is very critical to both sides. We'll find out what voters are listening for later tonight.
But back to New York now and Heidi Collins yet again there.
Heidi, good morning.
COLLINS: All right, Bill, thanks so much.
We want to get right to the opening bell now, getting ready to ring on Wall Street this morning. Dow Jones industrial average starts the session higher. That's up almost 24 points yesterday to 10216.
And at the Nasdaq MarketSite, the composite index also opens higher up 10 points at 1962. And we see there the president of the New York Jets, Jay Cross, and he is doing pretty well this year -- 3 and 0, in fact. It doesn't get any better than that.
All right. Also this half-hour, Sanjay Gupta back with us this morning. Going to be talking about the idea held by many people that smoking in moderation isn't bad for you. Well, a new study finding that idea couldn't be further from the truth. So we'll talk about that in just a few moments.
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