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American Morning

Kerry Concedes; Analysis of Election

Aired November 03, 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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. For months they've been the most visible men in America. Now John Kerry and George Bush are nowhere to be seen. It's the waiting game of election 2004. Will one man claim victory? Will one concede defeat on this AMERICAN MORNING?
ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

Good morning. November 3, 11:00 in the morning here in New York City. As we continue our coverage, our special five-hour coverage here of AMERICAN MORNING, is it not ironic that President Bush yesterday, on his way back to the White House, made one last campaign stop and that stop was in the city of Columbus, Ohio? A lot of attention given there today. That's where we find my partner, Soledad O'Brien.

Good morning, Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Bill. Good morning to you.

You know, we heard the president, as he was voting yesterday, say that he was going ahead to Columbus in order to thank his volunteers. What he was also doing was literally picking up the phone himself and talking to voters, encouraging them to get out to the polls. And they did, in big numbers for him.

Good morning from Ohio. This, of course, is the state today that holds the key to the White House. The Bush campaign claiming to have an insurmountable lead over Senator John Kerry here in the Buckeye State. And the White House chief of staff declaring victory for Mr. Bush in the presidential race earlier today.

But CNN considers Ohio still too close to call. Our estimates now give President Bush 254 electoral votes, short of the 270 that are needed to win. John Kerry with 252 electoral votes.

The votes, though, are still being tallied in Iowa and New Mexico. But it is Ohio's 20 electoral votes which will determine the winner -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

We're getting news out of Florida right now. A hotly-contested Senate race between Mel Martinez and Betty Castor. Betty Castor, the Democrat, has just offered her concession. So officially, that race is now over.

She's speaking with reporters down there in Florida. Give it a quick listen here and we'll come back after this.

BETTY CASTOR (D), FLORIDA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: And I think people are very much divided on -- on how you resolve some of the issues facing this country.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can you say exactly why -- why did you not win? Other than the fact that you didn't get more votes.

CASTOR: No, wait a minute. You're going to have to answer that question yourself.

HEMMER: Betty Castor there giving her concession speech down in Florida. Mel Martinez, the first Cuban-American to serve in the U.S. Senate. Substantial news, especially from the state of Florida, where the Cuban-American population there is so prominent.

Now, the Kerry campaign still taking stock in the numbers game in Ohio. President Bush, however, poised to face the nation and declare victory. Let's get there this morning with Suzanne Malveaux, watching and waiting for the Bush team there. Also, Kelly Wallace up in Boston, Massachusetts.

Let's begin now this hour with Suzanne Malveaux at the White House.

Good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Bill. The president is hunkered down with his top advisers in the Oval Office. That meeting continues as we speak, for about 90 minutes it has gone on.

The vice president, as well as Karen Hughes, his confidant, his top political strategist, Karl Rove, all of them trying to figure out just how to proceed with this. We are told, however, that the president is going to address the American people later today, that he is going to declare victory.

They are simply giving Kerry a courtesy, they say, a chance to kind of digest these results. But they will move forward.

One aide I spoke to said that they are supremely confident this is all going to be wrapped up by the end of the day, when it's all said and done. It was earlier this morning, about 5:30 in the morning, when White House chief of staff, Andy Card, went to the Ronald Reagan building to make the case, the president's case that this is a clear win before his supporters.

He said that the president has the 286 electoral votes necessary, a 3.5 million margin when it comes to the popular vote. And also they believe a decisive win when it comes to Ohio, about a 140,000-vote lead.

What they are most proud of, however, is this popular vote. They feel it gives the president even more legitimacy when it comes to this win. We're talking about a popular vote, Bush, 51 percent to Kerry's 48.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CARD, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: President Bush's decisive margin of victory makes this the first presidential election since 1988 in which the winner received a majority of the popular vote.

(APPLAUSE)

CARD: And in this election, President Bush received more votes than any presidential candidate in our country's history.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And they are talking about, back in 1998, of course, President Bush's father.

Now, it was earlier in the evening that President Bush gathered with close family and friends at the White House residence to watch the results come in. When they heard of the controversy over Ohio, it quickly turned into a high-powered strategy session.

Initially, the thought was the president would go before his supporters, declare victory early on. The thinking was, however, they would pull back, they would allow Kerry to make his concession speech first.

The bottom line here is they believe if they allow this to unfold this way -- they're confident that this is a win -- that it will really give a sense of legitimacy to this process, as well as this win, and convince the American people that this really is the real deal -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right. Suzanne, thanks for that.

To Boston now, Kelly Wallace.

Kelly, what are you picking up on at this hour?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, I just talked to a senior adviser for Kerry to see what the situation is. This adviser says no final decisions yet. The adviser saying that Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards continue talking with Mary Beth Cahill -- that is the Kerry campaign manager -- to figure out what this campaign will do.

Early in the morning, the first indication we got from a top adviser was that the campaign would clearly look at the numbers, look at the number of provisional ballots, look at the gap between President Bush and Senator Kerry. And then in the words of this adviser, look to see what the reasonable prospects would be for Senator Kerry to turn Ohio around. That the senator would have to make that assessment and make a decision. So lots of -- a sense of a waiting game. We are getting some sense from the campaign that we should get some sort of update late morning, early afternoon.

We have not seen the senator today. We did not see him last night. We believe he is at his Boston home with his wife, Teresa, his daughters, talking to aides. And again, really sort of -- at this point in time, the word we have, no final decision, conversation still continuing -- Bill.

HEMMER: Yes. Do you know about his schedule, about his plans, what he's been doing so far this morning, and especially what his campaign management team has been doing, Kelly?

WALLACE: Well, they certainly met early this morning. Some of them went to sleep. Just maybe an hour or two. After Senator Edwards came out here and after the campaign said we really wouldn't be hearing anything until 10:00 a.m. this morning at the earliest, they met this morning.

We understand that they were talking to their folks on the ground in Ohio. Also talking to experts, trying to assess what the options would be, looking at the numbers.

As for the senator, again, we understand he's spending a lot of time talking with Senator Edwards, talking with his campaign manager, really trying to assess what the best step would be to continue to raise questions, to continue to fight, to continue to explore the numbers in Ohio, or to reach the conclusion that it would be time to concede this election to President Bush. Again, the word we're getting, still talking, no final decision yet -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Kelly. Thanks. Kelly, keep us posted there up in Boston. I am certain you will. So we'll check back with you in a moment.

As we continue our coverage, back to Rick Sanchez at the CNN Center.

Hey, Rick.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Bill.

More election headlines now that we're following for you. At least 112 million Americans turned out to vote Tuesday. Yes, it's a record.

Many stood in long lines. And in some places, didn't get to cast a ballot until after the election -- the official closing time. The number of voters for 2004 will grow once early and absentee voters are figured into the mix.

Republicans will pick up at least three seats in the Senate in 2005. The biggest upset came in South Dakota, though. This is one they're still talking about. Former Republican Congressman John Thune ousted Senate Minority Leader, former Majority Leader Tom Daschle. The balance of power in the Senate stands at 54 Republicans, 44 Democrats, and one Independent. The race in Alaska remains, by the way, too close to call.

In the House, Republicans solidified their control, picking up a net gain of at least four seats. Republicans hold at least 229 seats. Democrats, 200. And one Independent in the new Congress. Two more House races from Louisiana will have to be decided by runoffs, we understand.

And from California, voters approve a measure allowing the state to raise $3 billion to finance human embryonic stem cell research. California Governor Schwarzenegger split with President Bush and the national Republican Party on this issue, the stem cell issue.

He lobbied voters to pass the measure. Almost two-thirds of Californians said "yes" to Proposition 71.

Let's go back out to Ohio and pass things over to Soledad.

Hi, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Rick. Hi. Thanks very much.

Still to come this morning, we're going to talk with a reporter who's been covering Mr. Bush since his days as a Texas governor. He's got some interesting things to say about the likelihood of the president reaching out to Democrats if he wins this election. A look at that ahead.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. We've got this news just in to CNN. John King is telling us that in fact Senator John Kerry has called President Bush to concede the election.

We've got Kelly Wallace, who's been traveling with the Kerry campaign through this long and often ugly campaign. She's got the very latest on this for us this morning.

Kelly, first and foremost, there was much hand-wringing and wrangling over what was happening here in Ohio, but in the end, it didn't last that long, did it?

WALLACE: It didn't. And we can confirm from this end, Soledad -- I just talked to a senior Kerry adviser, who said that seven minutes ago Senator Kerry, in fact, telephoned President Bush to concede the election to him.

This adviser saying that the senator congratulating President Bush, but -- and that President Bush called him an honorable and worthy opponent. This adviser also, though, saying that Senator Kerry believing the nation is too divided and that he thought that something needed to be done to unite the country.

We are told that the president agreed with him. And that was the nature of this discussion. We also understand Senator Kerry will, in fact, be making a speech at 1:00, at Faneuil Hall here in Boston, clearly to announce the decision he has made.

Early in the morning we did get a sense, Soledad, that decision would be made quickly and that it would likely come down to the numbers. That Senator Kerry would look at the numbers, the number of provisional ballots in Ohio, look at the gap between himself and President Bush, and make a decision.

So we have confirmed Senator Kerry conceding this election to President Bush. The speech this afternoon, 1:00, Faneuil Hall -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Kelly Wallace with the Kerry campaign. Kelly, thanks.

Another one of those numbers, as Kelly was just talking about, 274. That, of course, the number of electoral votes now in President Bush's column this morning. Let's go right to John King at the White House for the very latest from there.

John, good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.

Because of that call from Senator Kerry, President Bush will now wait, we are told, by senior administration officials. He was to issue a statement perhaps in the next hour or so. He will now let Senator Kerry go forward with his speech in Boston, we are told.

Then the president himself will make a speech to the American people. And, of course, a global audience.

That call took place a short time ago. Aides say Senator Kerry was quite gracious. The Bush inner circle was huddled in the Oval Office trying to debate what to do if Senator Kerry did not concede the election this morning.

They were prepared to go forward with a statement from the president, saying that he believed there was no longer any doubt, and that he had won a second term. But now they will, in fact, wait, let Senator Kerry go first. President Bush will speak some time early this afternoon -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: We have heard that -- that Senator Kerry said he felt the nation was too divided and that President Bush concurred. But what happens next? I mean, if both men agree to this, what are the next steps toward healing what has been a very nasty campaign?

KING: Well, President Bush will say in his statement, we are told, and he was prepared to do this even before the call, that he believes it is now time for the country to come together. One advantage the White House believes the president has is his victory in the popular vote and his majority in the popular vote.

They say that he can now say that the country is more united then it was after the election four years ago, when no candidate won a majority. And he will commit to reaching out to Democrats, he will praise Senator Kerry for a hard-fought campaign, and he will promise in his second term to reach out to Democrats. That will be one of the key questions looking forward.

Some Republicans are quite emboldened. They gained seats in the Senate, they gained seats in the House, they protected their congressional majority. Still a narrow majority, but the Republicans feel quite emboldened by the results last night.

It will be up to this president, if you will, to try to tamper some of that Republican optimism, or certainly not have it turn into a push-away to the Democrats. The president, aides say, understands that challenge. He very much wants to reach out, and we will hear that language from him today.

Of course the challenge is turning that language into governing. That challenge, of course, will come in January -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Yes, a big challenge there. John King for us at the White House. John, thank you very much.

11:00 this morning, we're finally getting word that Senator John Kerry conceding the election to President Bush. Of course as we woke up this morning, all eyes in the nation were on Ohio. No longer the case. It is officially over at this point.

Let's go right back to Bill Hemmer in New York City -- Bill.

HEMMER: Soledad, it is over. George Bush has won that second term. And now we can take a step back and look at the results from yesterday, with the U.S. Senate now going firmly in Republican hands, with about 55 for the Republican column at this point. The House is still firmly in Republican hands. And the White House remains there as well.

The question today, why has this country gone so far in the conservative direction? And Carlos Watson is back with us here this morning to try to answer that question.

Good morning to you.

CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.

HEMMER: No one predicted this before the votes were cast yesterday. Why is it that we see this tilt toward the right across the country?

WATSON: It's clear, there's a confluence of events, not only foreign policy and, indeed, national security issues, but on cultural issues, on values issues. There seems to be a clear push by the American people across a wide variety of states to the right. And we see that again, not only in congressional races, but the presidential level as well.

HEMMER: The popular vote now, again, for the president, almost four million votes. He won that late last night when the votes were tabulated, a three point -- 51 to 48 percentage point there. Why is it do you believe, as you reflect now, that John Kerry's approach to a fresh start in Iraq and a fresh start for America did not work?

WATSON: Again, I think on at least three levels you can fairly and analytically critique it. I think as a man, if you will, as the messenger, John Kerry had his own flaws. He wasn't as easy going and as empathetic maybe as a Bill Clinton as a candidate.

His message, I think at times he wasn't as sharp, particularly in his critique of Iraq. And you heard the $87 billion quote over and over again throughout the campaign.

And last but not least, I think the campaign itself, remember that he changed leadership of his campaign at least three times over the course of the campaign. And I think that could have been an issue as well.

HEMMER: Now 20 electoral votes in Ohio firmly in George Bush's column. That puts him over the 270 mark. The 43rd president remains just there in the White House.

WATSON: The 43rd president. The only other time we've seen a father-son combination, both the father and son were single-term presidents. This president, George W. Bush, breaks that spell and wins the second term in office.

HEMMER: That was John Adams and John Quincy Adams early 1800s. Carlos, thanks.

WATSON: You bet. See you.

HEMMER: Back to Soledad again.

O'BRIEN: And Bill, in fact, Ohio no longer the focus now as our story moves firmly to Washington, D.C. And that's where we find John King, who has more details on what has transpired over the last couple of hours.

John King, who has been chatting to discuss really what happened in that period of time when many Republicans had come out and said that the election was over, that it was all over. And then, in fact, Senator Kerry taking his time to concede what many people thought had already been written in stone overnight. It was a numbers game at the end.

Again, let's go to John King at the White House -- John.

KING: Soledad, they are, as one senior aide just put it, whooping it up in the West Wing. The word spreading throughout the White House that Senator Kerry has called and conceded. President Bush, we are told, will now wait until 3:00 Eastern Time, 3:00 here in Washington, he will deliver a statement declaring victory for this election.

Aides throughout the West Wing now preparing for that event. But they also are celebrating.

There was a point last night when the early exit polls came in, when they thought they were headed for a pretty resounding defeat here at the Bush White House. So a very celebratory atmosphere right now, even though most aides didn't sleep at all. Some perhaps an hour, an hour and a half, after staying up for the results.

The challenge now, of course, is to put this bitter campaign behind and govern. Aides say Senator Kerry was quite gracious in the phone call. They say they received a heads up.

Senior officials in the Kerry campaign talking to senior officials in the Bush campaign a bit earlier this morning to tell them to expect that call was coming from the Massachusetts senator. A hard-fought campaign. Not much likability between the two sides, if you will.

All now saying it is time to move on, that the president will praise his opponent in the campaign for a hard-fought contest and promise to reach out to Democrats. That, of course, will now be the challenge.

They will celebrate today. But this is a president, of course, who is the commander-in-chief for a war in Iraq.

There's a major offensive perhaps planned in Falluja, a State of the Union Address, and a second term agenda, now to prepare at a time, Soledad, when some Republicans are quite happy because of their gains in the Congress. And this White House acknowledges a key challenge for this president will be reaching out to Democrats. He will do so by saying one of the mow remarkable facets of this election is that he won the popular vote with a majority, the first candidate for president to do that since his father back in 1988 -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: John King at the White House for us. John, thank you for that update.

Let's take a look at this scene in Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts. This is Senator John Kerry's home. We are, of course, watching this to see if, indeed, the senator comes out to make any remarks to some of the media that's assembled now outside of his home, as we now hear word that Senator Kerry is conceding the election to President Bush.

Kelly Wallace has been traveling with the Kerry campaign. A grueling schedule finally coming to an end this morning -- Kelly.

WALLACE: That is for sure. And obviously, a lot of sadness on the part of the Kerry campaign, because, Soledad, as you know, we were reporting the campaign seemed increasingly confident, yesterday, especially as it looked at some of that exit polling. And then as the returns came in last night, that confidence turning to some concern. I was talking to a senior Kerry adviser and asking what ultimately had the senator make the decision concede this election to President Bush. This adviser saying that there was just not an easy route to get the votes we wanted to get in Ohio. But also, the adviser saying, "We didn't want to contribute to further division in the country."

And that was clearly Senator Kerry's message to George Bush. We're told the two men spoke for under five minutes. The call made shortly after 11:00 a.m.

It was described as courteous. Again, Senator Kerry congratulating President Bush. But according to this adviser, Senator Kerry pressing President Bush to do something about how divided the country is and how important Senator Kerry feels it is to bring the country together.

We understand the senator is now working on this speech. Asked the message, this adviser couldn't really go there yet, saying the senator is working on it. But you can bet we will hear from Senator Kerry along these lines about how he feels the country is divided, and how he is hoping and he is going to be pressing President Bush to do something about trying to bring the country together -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Kelly.

And we should mention that we're expecting to hear from Senator Kerry around 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. And from President Bush, we're expecting to hear from the president at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Let's head it back to New York City, where we find Bill Hemmer again.

Hey, Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

We continue to gather reaction. And we will throughout the day here, as the day grows older.

Carlos Watson still with me here. And I'm just wondering, for two competitive men like John Kerry and George Bush, how difficult that phone call must have been for him to make today.

WATSON: Extraordinarily difficult. Not only because obviously a public servant who spent more than half his professional life in office, or seeking office, but because as a person, this is with someone who idolized JFK, who believed deeply in the mission of running for the presidency, probably has spent two-thirds of his life thinking about it in one form or another. It's got to be very painful.

HEMMER: You heard John King say 51 percent of the popular vote, hasn't been done since 1998, when his father did it, beating Michael Dukakis. Some may argue that that now gives the current President Bush a bigger mandate. Does it, and, if so, how does at the handle it?

WATSON: Oh, unequivocally. And not only the win in terms of the popular vote, but the wins that you see on the congressional side.

HEMMER: Let me hold you one second. Sorry.

In Florida now, Jeb Bush, the governor and the brother of President Bush, let's listen here.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: ... and for that, I appreciate her doing that because it allows us to move forward now. And I congratulate both the president and the vice president, as well as Senator-Elect Martinez.

With that, Glenda, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you very much.

HEMMER: Just a short statement. He mentioned Betty Castor and Mel Martinez.

We heard last hour, Betty Castor came out and conceded that race to the Cuban-American, Mel Martinez. He wins a Senate seat. That's a pickup for the Republicans, again, in the state of Florida.

Don't discount the popularity now for Jeb Bush in Florida. Approval ratings right around 70 percent, and all of it -- well, a lot of it, anyway, coming from the hurricane coverage and the response that we saw, going back to the month of August.

Four hurricanes hitting that state over a period of about two months. And Jeb Bush was on the front page of newspapers and in the headlines every single day. Floridians responded to his leadership, and perhaps that popularity and that support that he has given his brother down there in Florida, reflected in the vote we saw yesterday.

Want to get back to Carlos. Didn't mean to interrupt you now. But as you look ahead to another four years for George Bush, scan the landscape for us. How does it appear to you?

WATSON: Well, remember, this was a very active president legislatively, even without having won 50 percent. And even when he, at one point, lost control of the Senate, when Jim Jeffords went to the other side. Now you've got to believe, when it comes to the Supreme Court, when it comes to making additional tax cuts, when it comes to extending some of his educational reform efforts to the college level, that you will see a very activity president, both domestically and internationally.

HEMMER: Back on the topic of Florida, George Bush cleaned up down there. And we saw these returns coming in right around 6:30, 7:00 Eastern Time last night. And George Bush was increasing his voter turnout in just about every county that we located.

The other factor in Florida that you don't have in places like Ohio and Michigan, the economy's pretty solid in Florida. It's actually shown a jobs gain in the past four years.

WATSON: It has. So the unemployment rate in Florida, 4.5 percent, instead of 5.4 percent nationally, fairly significant. On job growth, for something like 18 months in a row, which was also fairly significant. And so the economy wasn't as big an issue.

And as you said, they did an incredible job of increasing turnout. They ultimately won by five percentage points, when a lot of people thought at best one person or the other might have won by 1 percent or 2 percent.

The last thing I'll say is that they took very different approach to voter turnout. You saw the Republicans very centralized, very coordinated. They had captains down to a precinct level.

Whereas Democrats were relying on outside groups, these so-called independent 527 groups, to do a lot of the phone-calling and door- knocking. That clearly didn't work as well as the centralized coordinated Republican approach.

HEMMER: Republicans had volunteers mostly, and Democrats had hired folks there from outside groups. You're right. Carlos, thanks. Talk again in a moment.

WATSON: You bet.

HEMMER: All right. Back to Columbus, now. Here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill. Thanks.

A reminder. Again, we're expecting to hear from Senator Kerry at 1:00 Eastern Time. He'll be addressing folks from Faneuil Hall.

Also, President Bush, will then be talking to media and the nation at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. He'll come to us from the Reagan building in Washington, D.C.

We're going to bring those addresses to you.

Big question now, of course. What can we expect over the next four years?

One man who is very familiar with the president's style of governing is Wayne Slater. He's watched Bush from his perch at "The Dallas Morning News." He is a political reporter there.

Nice to see you.

WAYNE SLATER, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS": Good to be here.

O'BRIEN: First, any surprise that this concession came?

SLATER: A little bit. I mean, it was pretty clear to me last night, as I looked at the numbers here at the State House, about 1:00 and 2:00, there was no way that Kerry could win. It looked like it was over. And it was only a question of how much litigation was going to happen.

O'BRIEN: You know, interestingly, we talked a lot about the numbers of attorneys being dispatched, too. I think there was a line that said they could get to any state within a number of hours, 10,000 attorneys in the air, as the election was going on. In the end, really, we heard very little about any legal challenge. And it came down to numbers.

SLATER: It did. Really, it was a function of political calculus, no skullduggery, no crooks, no stolen ballots. It's a function of who had the votes, what was the margin that would make up those votes? In the end, John Kerry said, I can't do it.

O'BRIEN: At the same time, many myths were exploded. Because there was a sense, certainly, that the conventional wisdom was that the more turnout, the better it is for the Democrats. Big turnout, not true.

SLATER: No, and I think the reason for that is because there was a compelling message independent of that. The compelling message was the war.

People were worried about the war. People were fickle. People didn't know how they wanted to deal with it.

Some wanted Kerry to make a change. Some wanted Bush to stay on. In the end, that drove turnout, despite negative campaigning and enormous turnout.

O'BRIEN: There is a sense, as we heard, that Senator Kerry, in his phone call to President Bush, we're told, conciliatory, said he's concerned about the divisiveness in the nation and wants to move forward from there. President Bush apparently saying that he understands that, is taking that to heart.

Realistically speaking, outside of the political spin, how is that going to change? I mean, the margin in the Senate, the Republicans in the margin in the House?

SLATER: You bet. That's exactly where we are. We may be a divided country, but we're a one-party government right now.

George Bush has two choices. One is, in his second term, especially the first two years, which are the period before a president becomes a lame duck, do you bring the country together, do you reach out? Do you become, really, the George Bush we saw in Texas, working with Democrats, being conciliatory, being compromising?

Some people say -- a friend of mine, an old Bush adviser back in Texas the other day said, "This is one for the history books. Bush can do that."

On the other side, look who brought Bush to the dance, evangelical Christians, people who like his position on taxes. Constituencies that Bush will have to deliver for. That militates against conciliation. We may very well see a continuation of a very hard-edged, very strong Republican conservative agenda. And in this case, with even a stronger Congress backing him.

O'BRIEN: And a strong popular vote. I mean, if you're ever going to have the support of the nation or feel like you have the mantle of the support of the nation, now is the time certainly for President Bush.

SLATER: You know, the funny thing, I talked to George Bush after 2000. And one of the things that was very clear was not that he had equaled the father by winning the presidency, but he knew at that time, in order to redeem the father's defeat -- and that was really always in his heart -- redeeming the father's defeat, he had to win re-election. Today, he did. And he did not only with the electoral vote, which likely will happen now, but also with the popular vote. He is, clearly, the president.

O'BRIEN: Might be looking, though, towards the history pages, as you say. Wayne Slater from "The Dallas Morning News," nice to see you. Thanks for coming to talk to us. We certainly appreciate it.

Let's send it back to Bill in New York City -- Bill?

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Aired November 3, 2004 - 10:59   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. For months they've been the most visible men in America. Now John Kerry and George Bush are nowhere to be seen. It's the waiting game of election 2004. Will one man claim victory? Will one concede defeat on this AMERICAN MORNING?
ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

Good morning. November 3, 11:00 in the morning here in New York City. As we continue our coverage, our special five-hour coverage here of AMERICAN MORNING, is it not ironic that President Bush yesterday, on his way back to the White House, made one last campaign stop and that stop was in the city of Columbus, Ohio? A lot of attention given there today. That's where we find my partner, Soledad O'Brien.

Good morning, Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Bill. Good morning to you.

You know, we heard the president, as he was voting yesterday, say that he was going ahead to Columbus in order to thank his volunteers. What he was also doing was literally picking up the phone himself and talking to voters, encouraging them to get out to the polls. And they did, in big numbers for him.

Good morning from Ohio. This, of course, is the state today that holds the key to the White House. The Bush campaign claiming to have an insurmountable lead over Senator John Kerry here in the Buckeye State. And the White House chief of staff declaring victory for Mr. Bush in the presidential race earlier today.

But CNN considers Ohio still too close to call. Our estimates now give President Bush 254 electoral votes, short of the 270 that are needed to win. John Kerry with 252 electoral votes.

The votes, though, are still being tallied in Iowa and New Mexico. But it is Ohio's 20 electoral votes which will determine the winner -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

We're getting news out of Florida right now. A hotly-contested Senate race between Mel Martinez and Betty Castor. Betty Castor, the Democrat, has just offered her concession. So officially, that race is now over.

She's speaking with reporters down there in Florida. Give it a quick listen here and we'll come back after this.

BETTY CASTOR (D), FLORIDA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: And I think people are very much divided on -- on how you resolve some of the issues facing this country.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can you say exactly why -- why did you not win? Other than the fact that you didn't get more votes.

CASTOR: No, wait a minute. You're going to have to answer that question yourself.

HEMMER: Betty Castor there giving her concession speech down in Florida. Mel Martinez, the first Cuban-American to serve in the U.S. Senate. Substantial news, especially from the state of Florida, where the Cuban-American population there is so prominent.

Now, the Kerry campaign still taking stock in the numbers game in Ohio. President Bush, however, poised to face the nation and declare victory. Let's get there this morning with Suzanne Malveaux, watching and waiting for the Bush team there. Also, Kelly Wallace up in Boston, Massachusetts.

Let's begin now this hour with Suzanne Malveaux at the White House.

Good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Bill. The president is hunkered down with his top advisers in the Oval Office. That meeting continues as we speak, for about 90 minutes it has gone on.

The vice president, as well as Karen Hughes, his confidant, his top political strategist, Karl Rove, all of them trying to figure out just how to proceed with this. We are told, however, that the president is going to address the American people later today, that he is going to declare victory.

They are simply giving Kerry a courtesy, they say, a chance to kind of digest these results. But they will move forward.

One aide I spoke to said that they are supremely confident this is all going to be wrapped up by the end of the day, when it's all said and done. It was earlier this morning, about 5:30 in the morning, when White House chief of staff, Andy Card, went to the Ronald Reagan building to make the case, the president's case that this is a clear win before his supporters.

He said that the president has the 286 electoral votes necessary, a 3.5 million margin when it comes to the popular vote. And also they believe a decisive win when it comes to Ohio, about a 140,000-vote lead.

What they are most proud of, however, is this popular vote. They feel it gives the president even more legitimacy when it comes to this win. We're talking about a popular vote, Bush, 51 percent to Kerry's 48.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW CARD, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: President Bush's decisive margin of victory makes this the first presidential election since 1988 in which the winner received a majority of the popular vote.

(APPLAUSE)

CARD: And in this election, President Bush received more votes than any presidential candidate in our country's history.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And they are talking about, back in 1998, of course, President Bush's father.

Now, it was earlier in the evening that President Bush gathered with close family and friends at the White House residence to watch the results come in. When they heard of the controversy over Ohio, it quickly turned into a high-powered strategy session.

Initially, the thought was the president would go before his supporters, declare victory early on. The thinking was, however, they would pull back, they would allow Kerry to make his concession speech first.

The bottom line here is they believe if they allow this to unfold this way -- they're confident that this is a win -- that it will really give a sense of legitimacy to this process, as well as this win, and convince the American people that this really is the real deal -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right. Suzanne, thanks for that.

To Boston now, Kelly Wallace.

Kelly, what are you picking up on at this hour?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, I just talked to a senior adviser for Kerry to see what the situation is. This adviser says no final decisions yet. The adviser saying that Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards continue talking with Mary Beth Cahill -- that is the Kerry campaign manager -- to figure out what this campaign will do.

Early in the morning, the first indication we got from a top adviser was that the campaign would clearly look at the numbers, look at the number of provisional ballots, look at the gap between President Bush and Senator Kerry. And then in the words of this adviser, look to see what the reasonable prospects would be for Senator Kerry to turn Ohio around. That the senator would have to make that assessment and make a decision. So lots of -- a sense of a waiting game. We are getting some sense from the campaign that we should get some sort of update late morning, early afternoon.

We have not seen the senator today. We did not see him last night. We believe he is at his Boston home with his wife, Teresa, his daughters, talking to aides. And again, really sort of -- at this point in time, the word we have, no final decision, conversation still continuing -- Bill.

HEMMER: Yes. Do you know about his schedule, about his plans, what he's been doing so far this morning, and especially what his campaign management team has been doing, Kelly?

WALLACE: Well, they certainly met early this morning. Some of them went to sleep. Just maybe an hour or two. After Senator Edwards came out here and after the campaign said we really wouldn't be hearing anything until 10:00 a.m. this morning at the earliest, they met this morning.

We understand that they were talking to their folks on the ground in Ohio. Also talking to experts, trying to assess what the options would be, looking at the numbers.

As for the senator, again, we understand he's spending a lot of time talking with Senator Edwards, talking with his campaign manager, really trying to assess what the best step would be to continue to raise questions, to continue to fight, to continue to explore the numbers in Ohio, or to reach the conclusion that it would be time to concede this election to President Bush. Again, the word we're getting, still talking, no final decision yet -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Kelly. Thanks. Kelly, keep us posted there up in Boston. I am certain you will. So we'll check back with you in a moment.

As we continue our coverage, back to Rick Sanchez at the CNN Center.

Hey, Rick.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Bill.

More election headlines now that we're following for you. At least 112 million Americans turned out to vote Tuesday. Yes, it's a record.

Many stood in long lines. And in some places, didn't get to cast a ballot until after the election -- the official closing time. The number of voters for 2004 will grow once early and absentee voters are figured into the mix.

Republicans will pick up at least three seats in the Senate in 2005. The biggest upset came in South Dakota, though. This is one they're still talking about. Former Republican Congressman John Thune ousted Senate Minority Leader, former Majority Leader Tom Daschle. The balance of power in the Senate stands at 54 Republicans, 44 Democrats, and one Independent. The race in Alaska remains, by the way, too close to call.

In the House, Republicans solidified their control, picking up a net gain of at least four seats. Republicans hold at least 229 seats. Democrats, 200. And one Independent in the new Congress. Two more House races from Louisiana will have to be decided by runoffs, we understand.

And from California, voters approve a measure allowing the state to raise $3 billion to finance human embryonic stem cell research. California Governor Schwarzenegger split with President Bush and the national Republican Party on this issue, the stem cell issue.

He lobbied voters to pass the measure. Almost two-thirds of Californians said "yes" to Proposition 71.

Let's go back out to Ohio and pass things over to Soledad.

Hi, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Rick. Hi. Thanks very much.

Still to come this morning, we're going to talk with a reporter who's been covering Mr. Bush since his days as a Texas governor. He's got some interesting things to say about the likelihood of the president reaching out to Democrats if he wins this election. A look at that ahead.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. We've got this news just in to CNN. John King is telling us that in fact Senator John Kerry has called President Bush to concede the election.

We've got Kelly Wallace, who's been traveling with the Kerry campaign through this long and often ugly campaign. She's got the very latest on this for us this morning.

Kelly, first and foremost, there was much hand-wringing and wrangling over what was happening here in Ohio, but in the end, it didn't last that long, did it?

WALLACE: It didn't. And we can confirm from this end, Soledad -- I just talked to a senior Kerry adviser, who said that seven minutes ago Senator Kerry, in fact, telephoned President Bush to concede the election to him.

This adviser saying that the senator congratulating President Bush, but -- and that President Bush called him an honorable and worthy opponent. This adviser also, though, saying that Senator Kerry believing the nation is too divided and that he thought that something needed to be done to unite the country.

We are told that the president agreed with him. And that was the nature of this discussion. We also understand Senator Kerry will, in fact, be making a speech at 1:00, at Faneuil Hall here in Boston, clearly to announce the decision he has made.

Early in the morning we did get a sense, Soledad, that decision would be made quickly and that it would likely come down to the numbers. That Senator Kerry would look at the numbers, the number of provisional ballots in Ohio, look at the gap between himself and President Bush, and make a decision.

So we have confirmed Senator Kerry conceding this election to President Bush. The speech this afternoon, 1:00, Faneuil Hall -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Kelly Wallace with the Kerry campaign. Kelly, thanks.

Another one of those numbers, as Kelly was just talking about, 274. That, of course, the number of electoral votes now in President Bush's column this morning. Let's go right to John King at the White House for the very latest from there.

John, good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.

Because of that call from Senator Kerry, President Bush will now wait, we are told, by senior administration officials. He was to issue a statement perhaps in the next hour or so. He will now let Senator Kerry go forward with his speech in Boston, we are told.

Then the president himself will make a speech to the American people. And, of course, a global audience.

That call took place a short time ago. Aides say Senator Kerry was quite gracious. The Bush inner circle was huddled in the Oval Office trying to debate what to do if Senator Kerry did not concede the election this morning.

They were prepared to go forward with a statement from the president, saying that he believed there was no longer any doubt, and that he had won a second term. But now they will, in fact, wait, let Senator Kerry go first. President Bush will speak some time early this afternoon -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: We have heard that -- that Senator Kerry said he felt the nation was too divided and that President Bush concurred. But what happens next? I mean, if both men agree to this, what are the next steps toward healing what has been a very nasty campaign?

KING: Well, President Bush will say in his statement, we are told, and he was prepared to do this even before the call, that he believes it is now time for the country to come together. One advantage the White House believes the president has is his victory in the popular vote and his majority in the popular vote.

They say that he can now say that the country is more united then it was after the election four years ago, when no candidate won a majority. And he will commit to reaching out to Democrats, he will praise Senator Kerry for a hard-fought campaign, and he will promise in his second term to reach out to Democrats. That will be one of the key questions looking forward.

Some Republicans are quite emboldened. They gained seats in the Senate, they gained seats in the House, they protected their congressional majority. Still a narrow majority, but the Republicans feel quite emboldened by the results last night.

It will be up to this president, if you will, to try to tamper some of that Republican optimism, or certainly not have it turn into a push-away to the Democrats. The president, aides say, understands that challenge. He very much wants to reach out, and we will hear that language from him today.

Of course the challenge is turning that language into governing. That challenge, of course, will come in January -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Yes, a big challenge there. John King for us at the White House. John, thank you very much.

11:00 this morning, we're finally getting word that Senator John Kerry conceding the election to President Bush. Of course as we woke up this morning, all eyes in the nation were on Ohio. No longer the case. It is officially over at this point.

Let's go right back to Bill Hemmer in New York City -- Bill.

HEMMER: Soledad, it is over. George Bush has won that second term. And now we can take a step back and look at the results from yesterday, with the U.S. Senate now going firmly in Republican hands, with about 55 for the Republican column at this point. The House is still firmly in Republican hands. And the White House remains there as well.

The question today, why has this country gone so far in the conservative direction? And Carlos Watson is back with us here this morning to try to answer that question.

Good morning to you.

CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.

HEMMER: No one predicted this before the votes were cast yesterday. Why is it that we see this tilt toward the right across the country?

WATSON: It's clear, there's a confluence of events, not only foreign policy and, indeed, national security issues, but on cultural issues, on values issues. There seems to be a clear push by the American people across a wide variety of states to the right. And we see that again, not only in congressional races, but the presidential level as well.

HEMMER: The popular vote now, again, for the president, almost four million votes. He won that late last night when the votes were tabulated, a three point -- 51 to 48 percentage point there. Why is it do you believe, as you reflect now, that John Kerry's approach to a fresh start in Iraq and a fresh start for America did not work?

WATSON: Again, I think on at least three levels you can fairly and analytically critique it. I think as a man, if you will, as the messenger, John Kerry had his own flaws. He wasn't as easy going and as empathetic maybe as a Bill Clinton as a candidate.

His message, I think at times he wasn't as sharp, particularly in his critique of Iraq. And you heard the $87 billion quote over and over again throughout the campaign.

And last but not least, I think the campaign itself, remember that he changed leadership of his campaign at least three times over the course of the campaign. And I think that could have been an issue as well.

HEMMER: Now 20 electoral votes in Ohio firmly in George Bush's column. That puts him over the 270 mark. The 43rd president remains just there in the White House.

WATSON: The 43rd president. The only other time we've seen a father-son combination, both the father and son were single-term presidents. This president, George W. Bush, breaks that spell and wins the second term in office.

HEMMER: That was John Adams and John Quincy Adams early 1800s. Carlos, thanks.

WATSON: You bet. See you.

HEMMER: Back to Soledad again.

O'BRIEN: And Bill, in fact, Ohio no longer the focus now as our story moves firmly to Washington, D.C. And that's where we find John King, who has more details on what has transpired over the last couple of hours.

John King, who has been chatting to discuss really what happened in that period of time when many Republicans had come out and said that the election was over, that it was all over. And then, in fact, Senator Kerry taking his time to concede what many people thought had already been written in stone overnight. It was a numbers game at the end.

Again, let's go to John King at the White House -- John.

KING: Soledad, they are, as one senior aide just put it, whooping it up in the West Wing. The word spreading throughout the White House that Senator Kerry has called and conceded. President Bush, we are told, will now wait until 3:00 Eastern Time, 3:00 here in Washington, he will deliver a statement declaring victory for this election.

Aides throughout the West Wing now preparing for that event. But they also are celebrating.

There was a point last night when the early exit polls came in, when they thought they were headed for a pretty resounding defeat here at the Bush White House. So a very celebratory atmosphere right now, even though most aides didn't sleep at all. Some perhaps an hour, an hour and a half, after staying up for the results.

The challenge now, of course, is to put this bitter campaign behind and govern. Aides say Senator Kerry was quite gracious in the phone call. They say they received a heads up.

Senior officials in the Kerry campaign talking to senior officials in the Bush campaign a bit earlier this morning to tell them to expect that call was coming from the Massachusetts senator. A hard-fought campaign. Not much likability between the two sides, if you will.

All now saying it is time to move on, that the president will praise his opponent in the campaign for a hard-fought contest and promise to reach out to Democrats. That, of course, will now be the challenge.

They will celebrate today. But this is a president, of course, who is the commander-in-chief for a war in Iraq.

There's a major offensive perhaps planned in Falluja, a State of the Union Address, and a second term agenda, now to prepare at a time, Soledad, when some Republicans are quite happy because of their gains in the Congress. And this White House acknowledges a key challenge for this president will be reaching out to Democrats. He will do so by saying one of the mow remarkable facets of this election is that he won the popular vote with a majority, the first candidate for president to do that since his father back in 1988 -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: John King at the White House for us. John, thank you for that update.

Let's take a look at this scene in Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts. This is Senator John Kerry's home. We are, of course, watching this to see if, indeed, the senator comes out to make any remarks to some of the media that's assembled now outside of his home, as we now hear word that Senator Kerry is conceding the election to President Bush.

Kelly Wallace has been traveling with the Kerry campaign. A grueling schedule finally coming to an end this morning -- Kelly.

WALLACE: That is for sure. And obviously, a lot of sadness on the part of the Kerry campaign, because, Soledad, as you know, we were reporting the campaign seemed increasingly confident, yesterday, especially as it looked at some of that exit polling. And then as the returns came in last night, that confidence turning to some concern. I was talking to a senior Kerry adviser and asking what ultimately had the senator make the decision concede this election to President Bush. This adviser saying that there was just not an easy route to get the votes we wanted to get in Ohio. But also, the adviser saying, "We didn't want to contribute to further division in the country."

And that was clearly Senator Kerry's message to George Bush. We're told the two men spoke for under five minutes. The call made shortly after 11:00 a.m.

It was described as courteous. Again, Senator Kerry congratulating President Bush. But according to this adviser, Senator Kerry pressing President Bush to do something about how divided the country is and how important Senator Kerry feels it is to bring the country together.

We understand the senator is now working on this speech. Asked the message, this adviser couldn't really go there yet, saying the senator is working on it. But you can bet we will hear from Senator Kerry along these lines about how he feels the country is divided, and how he is hoping and he is going to be pressing President Bush to do something about trying to bring the country together -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Kelly.

And we should mention that we're expecting to hear from Senator Kerry around 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. And from President Bush, we're expecting to hear from the president at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Let's head it back to New York City, where we find Bill Hemmer again.

Hey, Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

We continue to gather reaction. And we will throughout the day here, as the day grows older.

Carlos Watson still with me here. And I'm just wondering, for two competitive men like John Kerry and George Bush, how difficult that phone call must have been for him to make today.

WATSON: Extraordinarily difficult. Not only because obviously a public servant who spent more than half his professional life in office, or seeking office, but because as a person, this is with someone who idolized JFK, who believed deeply in the mission of running for the presidency, probably has spent two-thirds of his life thinking about it in one form or another. It's got to be very painful.

HEMMER: You heard John King say 51 percent of the popular vote, hasn't been done since 1998, when his father did it, beating Michael Dukakis. Some may argue that that now gives the current President Bush a bigger mandate. Does it, and, if so, how does at the handle it?

WATSON: Oh, unequivocally. And not only the win in terms of the popular vote, but the wins that you see on the congressional side.

HEMMER: Let me hold you one second. Sorry.

In Florida now, Jeb Bush, the governor and the brother of President Bush, let's listen here.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: ... and for that, I appreciate her doing that because it allows us to move forward now. And I congratulate both the president and the vice president, as well as Senator-Elect Martinez.

With that, Glenda, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you very much.

HEMMER: Just a short statement. He mentioned Betty Castor and Mel Martinez.

We heard last hour, Betty Castor came out and conceded that race to the Cuban-American, Mel Martinez. He wins a Senate seat. That's a pickup for the Republicans, again, in the state of Florida.

Don't discount the popularity now for Jeb Bush in Florida. Approval ratings right around 70 percent, and all of it -- well, a lot of it, anyway, coming from the hurricane coverage and the response that we saw, going back to the month of August.

Four hurricanes hitting that state over a period of about two months. And Jeb Bush was on the front page of newspapers and in the headlines every single day. Floridians responded to his leadership, and perhaps that popularity and that support that he has given his brother down there in Florida, reflected in the vote we saw yesterday.

Want to get back to Carlos. Didn't mean to interrupt you now. But as you look ahead to another four years for George Bush, scan the landscape for us. How does it appear to you?

WATSON: Well, remember, this was a very active president legislatively, even without having won 50 percent. And even when he, at one point, lost control of the Senate, when Jim Jeffords went to the other side. Now you've got to believe, when it comes to the Supreme Court, when it comes to making additional tax cuts, when it comes to extending some of his educational reform efforts to the college level, that you will see a very activity president, both domestically and internationally.

HEMMER: Back on the topic of Florida, George Bush cleaned up down there. And we saw these returns coming in right around 6:30, 7:00 Eastern Time last night. And George Bush was increasing his voter turnout in just about every county that we located.

The other factor in Florida that you don't have in places like Ohio and Michigan, the economy's pretty solid in Florida. It's actually shown a jobs gain in the past four years.

WATSON: It has. So the unemployment rate in Florida, 4.5 percent, instead of 5.4 percent nationally, fairly significant. On job growth, for something like 18 months in a row, which was also fairly significant. And so the economy wasn't as big an issue.

And as you said, they did an incredible job of increasing turnout. They ultimately won by five percentage points, when a lot of people thought at best one person or the other might have won by 1 percent or 2 percent.

The last thing I'll say is that they took very different approach to voter turnout. You saw the Republicans very centralized, very coordinated. They had captains down to a precinct level.

Whereas Democrats were relying on outside groups, these so-called independent 527 groups, to do a lot of the phone-calling and door- knocking. That clearly didn't work as well as the centralized coordinated Republican approach.

HEMMER: Republicans had volunteers mostly, and Democrats had hired folks there from outside groups. You're right. Carlos, thanks. Talk again in a moment.

WATSON: You bet.

HEMMER: All right. Back to Columbus, now. Here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill. Thanks.

A reminder. Again, we're expecting to hear from Senator Kerry at 1:00 Eastern Time. He'll be addressing folks from Faneuil Hall.

Also, President Bush, will then be talking to media and the nation at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. He'll come to us from the Reagan building in Washington, D.C.

We're going to bring those addresses to you.

Big question now, of course. What can we expect over the next four years?

One man who is very familiar with the president's style of governing is Wayne Slater. He's watched Bush from his perch at "The Dallas Morning News." He is a political reporter there.

Nice to see you.

WAYNE SLATER, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS": Good to be here.

O'BRIEN: First, any surprise that this concession came?

SLATER: A little bit. I mean, it was pretty clear to me last night, as I looked at the numbers here at the State House, about 1:00 and 2:00, there was no way that Kerry could win. It looked like it was over. And it was only a question of how much litigation was going to happen.

O'BRIEN: You know, interestingly, we talked a lot about the numbers of attorneys being dispatched, too. I think there was a line that said they could get to any state within a number of hours, 10,000 attorneys in the air, as the election was going on. In the end, really, we heard very little about any legal challenge. And it came down to numbers.

SLATER: It did. Really, it was a function of political calculus, no skullduggery, no crooks, no stolen ballots. It's a function of who had the votes, what was the margin that would make up those votes? In the end, John Kerry said, I can't do it.

O'BRIEN: At the same time, many myths were exploded. Because there was a sense, certainly, that the conventional wisdom was that the more turnout, the better it is for the Democrats. Big turnout, not true.

SLATER: No, and I think the reason for that is because there was a compelling message independent of that. The compelling message was the war.

People were worried about the war. People were fickle. People didn't know how they wanted to deal with it.

Some wanted Kerry to make a change. Some wanted Bush to stay on. In the end, that drove turnout, despite negative campaigning and enormous turnout.

O'BRIEN: There is a sense, as we heard, that Senator Kerry, in his phone call to President Bush, we're told, conciliatory, said he's concerned about the divisiveness in the nation and wants to move forward from there. President Bush apparently saying that he understands that, is taking that to heart.

Realistically speaking, outside of the political spin, how is that going to change? I mean, the margin in the Senate, the Republicans in the margin in the House?

SLATER: You bet. That's exactly where we are. We may be a divided country, but we're a one-party government right now.

George Bush has two choices. One is, in his second term, especially the first two years, which are the period before a president becomes a lame duck, do you bring the country together, do you reach out? Do you become, really, the George Bush we saw in Texas, working with Democrats, being conciliatory, being compromising?

Some people say -- a friend of mine, an old Bush adviser back in Texas the other day said, "This is one for the history books. Bush can do that."

On the other side, look who brought Bush to the dance, evangelical Christians, people who like his position on taxes. Constituencies that Bush will have to deliver for. That militates against conciliation. We may very well see a continuation of a very hard-edged, very strong Republican conservative agenda. And in this case, with even a stronger Congress backing him.

O'BRIEN: And a strong popular vote. I mean, if you're ever going to have the support of the nation or feel like you have the mantle of the support of the nation, now is the time certainly for President Bush.

SLATER: You know, the funny thing, I talked to George Bush after 2000. And one of the things that was very clear was not that he had equaled the father by winning the presidency, but he knew at that time, in order to redeem the father's defeat -- and that was really always in his heart -- redeeming the father's defeat, he had to win re-election. Today, he did. And he did not only with the electoral vote, which likely will happen now, but also with the popular vote. He is, clearly, the president.

O'BRIEN: Might be looking, though, towards the history pages, as you say. Wayne Slater from "The Dallas Morning News," nice to see you. Thanks for coming to talk to us. We certainly appreciate it.

Let's send it back to Bill in New York City -- Bill?

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