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American Morning
President Bush Announces Replacement for Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham; Discussion with Governor Bill Richardson
Aired December 10, 2004 - 09:31 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.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back. It is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING, the home stretch for Miles O'Brien and myself. We're in for Bill and Soledad today. Good for you all to be here.
We are waiting for an announcement from President Bush in about 15 minutes as he continues to rebuild his cabinet. A replacement is expected for Spencer Abraham, the energy secretary, who decided to resign. We will find out who that is.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It could be Carol Costello. We're not sure, but we'll find out shortly.
Also we'll meet a Florida grandmother who spotted an overturned car, and wound up helping rescue a whole family from drowning, and then she beat it out of there as fast as she could. Who was that masked lady? Well, she didn't want anyone to see her in her pajamas, as it turns out. As heroes go or heroines go, this lady is a real charmer. You want to hear her story.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: She didn't want to be seen in her pajamas.
O'BRIEN: Carol Costello is here with headlines.
Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: I am indeed. Good morning, everyone.
Now in the news, jurors in the Scott Peterson case begin day two of deliberations in the penalty phase of the trial. Peterson's life hangs on their decision. Prosecution wants the death penalty, calling the convicted double murderer the worst kind of monster.
Attention now on containing thousands of gallons of oil spilled near an Alaska wildlife refuge when a freighter broke up in the Bering Sea. In the meantime, the search resumes today for six men lost when a Coast Guard helicopter that plucked the men off the disabled ship crashed into the water. Rescuers say there's little chance the men, all members of the ship's crew, will be found alive.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner earlier this morning. It goes for the first time to an environmentalist. The winner Kenyan Wangari Matai (ph) accepted the award. She said most wars are fought over natural resources, so only by properly managing the environment can world peace be achieved. And NASA is putting the International Space Station on a diet. The two astronauts on board are being asked to cut their caloric intake after dipping into a food reserves a month earlier than expected. So it's not that they're gaining weight, it's just that their food supplies are running out. The station will be restocked on Christmas Day.
Over to you, Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks so much.
Well, now we're talking about Democratic leadership, you know, that Democratic leadership that just lost the presidential election by three million votes, not to mention seats in the house and the Senate. So, what is the party going to do now? Go to Disney World, of course. Democratic leaders will gather in Orlando this weekend, and high on that agenda, finding a message and a messenger.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think looking forward...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't just rely on turnout...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The party's under construction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The way to rebuild the Democratic Party...
WALLACE (voice-over): The first step to fixing a problem, realizing you have one, and Democrats, all smiles earlier this year, now they say need to do something, and quickly.
LINDA KAPLAN THALER, ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE: The Democratic Party is in a crisis mode in terms of branding. It doesn't really have a brand. That's the problem.
WALLACE: If a brand's in trouble, who better to talk to than Linda Kaplan Thaler, a Madison Avenue maven and author of the book "Bang: Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World." She says after an election in Republican red states spoke loudest, Democrats need to come up with a new message that will sell.
THALER: The biggest mistake the Democrats could make is try to copy the Republicans. There's nothing people hate more than an also- ran product. They have to find their own voice.
WALLACE: And their own messenger. The party, just five weeks after '04, already abuzz with contenders for '08, names like Clinton, Edwards, and others, including Kerry, Bayh, Richardson and Dean. The immediate challenge, however, deciding who should become chief of the party, with the former Vermont governor considering tossing his hat into the ring.
HOWARD DEAN (D), FMR. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our challenge today is not to rehash what's already happened, but to look forward, to make the Democratic Party a 50-state party again. WALLACE: And Democrats are looking at something else, whether Iowa and New Hampshire should share the spotlight with other states in the opening of the presidential primary season.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: As New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson could be one of those presidential contenders in 2008. He is the new chief of the Democratic Governor's Association, and he joins us now from Santa Fe this morning.
Good to see you, governor. Thanks for being here.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Thank you, Kelly.
WALLACE: Governor, what's your first sense of the main problems right now affecting the Democratic Party?
RICHARDSON: Too much policy in the Democratic Party has been made in Washington, in the Senate, in the House, and as governors, what we're saying, Democratic governors elected in red and blue states who have to balance budgets, who have to set new policies on health care, and education and job growth, we're saying the party has to rebuild, has to be rebuilt at the grassroots, that the most innovative policies are happening in the states, and that we should start listening to our own Democratic voters. We should start delivering a message that is not left or right, but a message that is pragmatic, that is centrist, that works on policies that work, that deal with people's problems.
We're not in crisis. We've got problems. We didn't win in the House. We didn't win the Senate. We lost the presidency. We didn't lose anywhere in governorship. So Democrats are doing something right. We shouldn't be so pessimistic. We should recognize that we've got some cleaning up to do.
But one major point is we can't give up whole regions -- the West, the South. We've got to demonstrate to the American people that we can deal with issues of national security, and stand for policies that work.
WALLACE: You know, a lot of attention right now, of course, who should be the chief of the Democratic National Committee? A decision the party will ultimately make in February. I want you to take a look at something. The independent group moveon.org sending it out to its supporters today, saying, quote, "We can't afford four more years of leadership by a consulting class of professional election losers. In the last year, grassroots contributors like us gave more than $300 million to the Kerry campaign, and the Democratic National Committee. Now it is our party. We bought it, we own it, and we're going to take it back." What's your reaction to that, governor?
RICHARDSON: Well, I think I like their message. I didn't like that thing that we bought it, but I do like the message that the party leadership should be selected by the grassroots. This is why in Orlando, where we're picking a new Democratic National Committee chair, it shouldn't be the Senate leadership, or House leadership or governor's leadership that says this is the person that's going to be. Let all the candidates strut their stuff. I know there are about 10 of them. Let the grassroots, let those Democratic voters out there that turned out, the new younger voters that we did attract, all around the country, have a full debate about this. The race isn't until February for Democratic chair. We shouldn't be anointing anybody. There shouldn't be a coronation.
Let there be -- the Democratic governors do feel two things. One, we should have a party spokesman and a CEO-type that manages the date-to-day operations of the Democratic National Committee. Our second criteria, it shouldn't be somebody from Washington, d.c., it shouldn't be from inside the beltway; it should be from the heartland. So in essence, I agree with that. Let there be a full debate. We don't have to settle this right now, but it should be the right messenger and the right message.
WALLACE: And very quickly, probably a little too early to ask you about '08, perhaps?
RICHARDSON: Well, it is. I mean, we haven't even gotten through the last election. And you know, you are a New Mexico expert. I got to concentrate on the legislature. I've got to get myself re-elected. I'm chairman of the Democratic governors. Beyond that, who knows.
But again, Kelly, right now let's lick our wounds, let's have a full debate on the future of our party, let's be open about admitting our mistakes, but let's get our act together and get some new ideas, and get some bigger back in the party, and that's going to happen. I'm optimistic.
WALLACE: All right, governor. We have to leave it there. Plenty of time for us to keep asking you that question. Send a hello to our friends in the land of enchantment. Thanks so much -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Sounds like he's running, Kelly. I'd take that as a yes.
All right, in Southern California, getting ready for the worst, and it all starts by blowing up a taxi cab. No, that's not what happens when you don't tip the driver well. Forty-five federal, state and local agencies put themselves to the test yesterday, proposing or responding to a fake dirty bomb attack. A dirty bomb is a conventional explosive containing nuclear material. About 600 first responders participated in that drill.
WALLACE: All right, Miles, still to come here, the president expected to announce his choice for energy secretary. That's coming at 9:45 a.m. Eastern. We will have it for you live, plus some "90- Second Pop." Why is one of the richest men in the world taking a handout just before his next wedding? For the answers, you'll have to stay with us, here on AMERICAN morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Live now to the White House. President Bush announcing his replacement for Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Let's listen in.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you. Good morning.
Today I am announcing my nomination of Sam Bodman as secretary of energy.
I am pleased to welcome Sam's wife Diane and all his family members -- and I emphasize all -- for coming today.
Welcome to the White House.
Sam is an experienced executive who has served in my administration as deputy secretary of commerce and deputy secretary of the treasury.
During his varied and distinguished career in the private sector, Sam has been a professor at MIT, president of an investment firm, the chairman and CEO of an industrial company with operations worldwide.
In academics, in business and in government Sam Bodman has shown himself to be a problem solver who knows how to set goals and he knows how to reach them.
He will bring to the Department of Energy a great talent for management and the precise thinking of an engineer.
BUSH: I thank him for agreeing to serve once again.
The Department of Energy has responsibilities that directly affect all Americans, from the security of nuclear facilities, to reducing the risk of nuclear proliferation around the world, to environmental cleanup, to enhancing conservation and developing new sources of energy for the future.
Every day employees at the Department of Energy are working to protect the American people and to ensure that our country's homes and businesses have reliable, safe and affordable supplies of energy.
During the last four years, the Department of Energy has been active and effective and has delivered important results for the American people. We've taken vital steps to upgrade the nation's energy infrastructure. We have begun an ambitious research program to develop a viable hydrogen-powered automobile. We have strengthened cooperation between the United States and foreign governments to safeguard nuclear materials and to fight proliferation.
For these achievements and more, the nation is grateful to Secretary Spencer Abraham.
As a United States senator and a Cabinet secretary, Spence has shown himself to be a man of integrity and wisdom. He's a good man, a superior public servant and a friend. And I thank Spence for leading his department so ably. And I wish him and Jane all the best.
During the next four years, we will continue to enhance our economic security and our national security through sound energy policy.
BUSH: We'll pursue more energy close to home in our own country and in our own hemisphere so that we're less dependent on energy from unstable parts of the world.
We'll continue improving pipelines and gas terminals and power lines so that energy flow is reliable. We will develop and deploy the latest technology to provide a new generation of cleaner and more efficient energy sources. We will promote strong conservation measures.
In all these steps, we will bring greater certainty of cost and supply, and that certainty is essential to economic growth and job creation.
And we will continue to work closely with Congress to produce comprehensive legislation that moves America toward greater energy independence.
I'm optimistic about the task ahead, and I know Sam Bodman is the right man to lead this important and vital agency. So I urge the Senate to confirm his confirmation without delay.
Congratulations, Sam.
SAMUEL W. BODMAN, ENERGY SECRETARY NOMINEE: Thank you, sir, very much.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Present with me today is my wife, Diane, my daughters, Beth and Sarah (ph), their husbands, Charles Mott (ph) and Bob Greenhill (ph), my stepson, Perry Barber (ph), and five of our eight grandchildren: Sam, Colin (ph), Eliza (ph), Liza (ph) and Lindsay (ph).
On behalf of my entire family, Mr. President, I thank you for the opportunity to continue serving you as a member of your administration.
BODMAN: Also want to thank the extraordinary employees of the Department of Treasury and the Department of Commerce with whom I have served these past four years.
Their dedication and efforts on behalf of your administration, sir, have allowed Secretary Snow and Secretary Evans and me to do our jobs that much better.
Mr. President, the job as energy secretary in many ways combines all aspects of my life's professional work. I started as a teacher...
WALLACE: And there you see Samuel Bodman, the new President Bush's choice to lead the energy secretary. This White House knows how to keep a secret. That is not a name that we heard tossed around. He's deputy secretary of the Department of Commerce, an engineer by training, 31 years experience in the private sector. Nine in total cabinet secretaries resigning. Only six remaining. And I believe just one more post for President Bush to announce his replacement, the Department of Health and Human Services. A busy White House indeed.
O'BRIEN: I should say that personnel office stacked with resumes, as they've gone through all this, but they've done it with great precision. I guess this was kind of in the works.
WALLACE: I think they were planning it for awhile -- OK.
O'BRIEN: We'll be back with more AMERICAN MORNING in just a moment. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: And welcome back. In today's "Extra Effort" an incredible story. Meet a grandma who can best be described as simply a superhero.
As John Zarrella reports, she sprang into action to save lives after a terrifying accident.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vicki Ragin's vest reads, "ask me, I can help." But the Salvation Army thrift store cashier...
VICKI RAGINS, GOOD SAMARITAN: This one's a dollar -- it's a dollar and up.
ZARRELLA: ... didn't need to be asked for help on a recent Sunday morning.
RAGINS: Everyone's making a big deal about it, and I did the only natural thing that a grandmother or any mother would do. I just saw someone that needed help.
ZARRELLA: An SUV carrying a Georgia family had gone into a canal along the side of the Florida Turnpike. Ragins, driving by, pulled over went in the water and with the help of others...
RAGINS: We just started pulling the bodies out of the truck, and we got about six or seven people out.
ZARRELLA: A 13-month-old girl was the last to come out. She wasn't breathing.
RAGINS: And it was wet, muddy, the baby kept sliding. I kept screaming for people to give me a T-shirt, someone to help me. And I was saying oh, God, don't let me lose this baby and I puffed and puffed.
ZARRELLA: Ragins revived the child, then went on her way, not wanting any attention.
RAGINS: I had no makeup on, I was in my pajamas. I had, you know, tank tops and barefooted, and I had -- I was in black mud up to my knees.
ZARRELLA: Two days later, at a West Palm Beach hospital, she was reunited with the Georgia family whose lives she helped save.
RAGINS: I don't feel like no hero. I saw myself on TV. I'm going to definitely go on a diet. But I don't feel like a hero.
ZARRELLA: Ironically, this Salvation Army cashier hates the water, and can't swim. She acted on what she says were simply the instincts of a mother.
John Zarrella, CNN, Tamerack (ph), Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: So modest and courageous from the beginning to the end. Well, Mrs. Ragins was reunited with the baby she helped save in the hospital intensive care unit, where the child was breathing with the help of a respirator.
O'BRIEN: She is a hero. Wow, what a great story.
WALLACE: Great story.
O'BRIEN: All right, coming up on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING, a terror threat that sounds like it's out of "Star Wars" or something, laser beams bringing down jetliners. Authorities are worried about the possibility, but how real is it? A CNN security watch coming up in the next hour -- actually on not on AMERICAN MORNING, but on "CNN LIVE TODAY" with Rick Sanchez and Carol Lin today.
Our program, AMERICAN MORNING, will be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right, just a little bit of time to check in with Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Should parents have the right to eavesdrop on their kids, is the question?
Paul writes from MacCammon (ph), Idaho, "Maybe if we'd listened in to our son's conversations, he wouldn't have ended up in the Idaho state prison. Parents have an obligation to see that their kids are safe from the predators with their drugs and such."
Laura in Pine Bush, New York, "If the government must take over my kids, they can feed them, and buy their clothes and break up the fights and cart them around, and tuck them in bed at night. As long as there's no abuse going on, the government should butt out."
And Cindy writes from West Virginia, "Jack, this is an outrage. My daughter threatened to call that 1-800 number given to her by the school one time. I told her, go ahead and call them. By the time they get here, you'll need them. I never heard that threat again."
WALLACE: Wow, that one about the one in prison. That's a really tough sell.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
ANDY SEWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Any kids e-mail you and say forget it?
CAFFERTY: Yes, I one the last segment from a young girl who said, you know, we have issues and we're entitled to our privacy. And there's a point to be made there, too. But you know, that's a tough call I suppose.
SERWER: So to speak.
O'BRIEN: Just trying to figure out how to eavesdrop on the instant messaging. That's the important thing.
All right, Bill Hemmer's -- everybody's gone today.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: What do you mean everybody's gone? What about yourself? You have a self-esteem problem.
O'BRIEN: I do. I do. Major insecurities. But here I am, reading for food once again, AMERICAN MORNING in Japan. Starts when? Monday.
SERWER: Bill hemmer from Tokyo.
O'BRIEN: Bill Hemmer from Tokyo in Japanese, and it will be of course primetime in Japan, as it always is for this program. And we invite you to tune in for that. We will be right back shortly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right. AMERICAN MORNING will be live from Tokyo on Monday. We'll be back on our day jobs doing something else.
WALLACE: Yes.
SERWER: We'll miss you.
O'BRIEN: We'll come back. We'll come back.
WALLACE: I'll actually be here Monday off. Heidi's off, or Heidi's filling in for Anderson on...
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: A lot of juggling.
O'BRIEN: In any case, Rick Sanchez and Carol Lin are at CNN Center to take you through the next couple of hours on CNN.
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 December 10, 2004 - 09:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back. It is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING, the home stretch for Miles O'Brien and myself. We're in for Bill and Soledad today. Good for you all to be here.
We are waiting for an announcement from President Bush in about 15 minutes as he continues to rebuild his cabinet. A replacement is expected for Spencer Abraham, the energy secretary, who decided to resign. We will find out who that is.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It could be Carol Costello. We're not sure, but we'll find out shortly.
Also we'll meet a Florida grandmother who spotted an overturned car, and wound up helping rescue a whole family from drowning, and then she beat it out of there as fast as she could. Who was that masked lady? Well, she didn't want anyone to see her in her pajamas, as it turns out. As heroes go or heroines go, this lady is a real charmer. You want to hear her story.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: She didn't want to be seen in her pajamas.
O'BRIEN: Carol Costello is here with headlines.
Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: I am indeed. Good morning, everyone.
Now in the news, jurors in the Scott Peterson case begin day two of deliberations in the penalty phase of the trial. Peterson's life hangs on their decision. Prosecution wants the death penalty, calling the convicted double murderer the worst kind of monster.
Attention now on containing thousands of gallons of oil spilled near an Alaska wildlife refuge when a freighter broke up in the Bering Sea. In the meantime, the search resumes today for six men lost when a Coast Guard helicopter that plucked the men off the disabled ship crashed into the water. Rescuers say there's little chance the men, all members of the ship's crew, will be found alive.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner earlier this morning. It goes for the first time to an environmentalist. The winner Kenyan Wangari Matai (ph) accepted the award. She said most wars are fought over natural resources, so only by properly managing the environment can world peace be achieved. And NASA is putting the International Space Station on a diet. The two astronauts on board are being asked to cut their caloric intake after dipping into a food reserves a month earlier than expected. So it's not that they're gaining weight, it's just that their food supplies are running out. The station will be restocked on Christmas Day.
Over to you, Kelly.
WALLACE: Thanks so much.
Well, now we're talking about Democratic leadership, you know, that Democratic leadership that just lost the presidential election by three million votes, not to mention seats in the house and the Senate. So, what is the party going to do now? Go to Disney World, of course. Democratic leaders will gather in Orlando this weekend, and high on that agenda, finding a message and a messenger.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think looking forward...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't just rely on turnout...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The party's under construction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The way to rebuild the Democratic Party...
WALLACE (voice-over): The first step to fixing a problem, realizing you have one, and Democrats, all smiles earlier this year, now they say need to do something, and quickly.
LINDA KAPLAN THALER, ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE: The Democratic Party is in a crisis mode in terms of branding. It doesn't really have a brand. That's the problem.
WALLACE: If a brand's in trouble, who better to talk to than Linda Kaplan Thaler, a Madison Avenue maven and author of the book "Bang: Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World." She says after an election in Republican red states spoke loudest, Democrats need to come up with a new message that will sell.
THALER: The biggest mistake the Democrats could make is try to copy the Republicans. There's nothing people hate more than an also- ran product. They have to find their own voice.
WALLACE: And their own messenger. The party, just five weeks after '04, already abuzz with contenders for '08, names like Clinton, Edwards, and others, including Kerry, Bayh, Richardson and Dean. The immediate challenge, however, deciding who should become chief of the party, with the former Vermont governor considering tossing his hat into the ring.
HOWARD DEAN (D), FMR. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our challenge today is not to rehash what's already happened, but to look forward, to make the Democratic Party a 50-state party again. WALLACE: And Democrats are looking at something else, whether Iowa and New Hampshire should share the spotlight with other states in the opening of the presidential primary season.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: As New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson could be one of those presidential contenders in 2008. He is the new chief of the Democratic Governor's Association, and he joins us now from Santa Fe this morning.
Good to see you, governor. Thanks for being here.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Thank you, Kelly.
WALLACE: Governor, what's your first sense of the main problems right now affecting the Democratic Party?
RICHARDSON: Too much policy in the Democratic Party has been made in Washington, in the Senate, in the House, and as governors, what we're saying, Democratic governors elected in red and blue states who have to balance budgets, who have to set new policies on health care, and education and job growth, we're saying the party has to rebuild, has to be rebuilt at the grassroots, that the most innovative policies are happening in the states, and that we should start listening to our own Democratic voters. We should start delivering a message that is not left or right, but a message that is pragmatic, that is centrist, that works on policies that work, that deal with people's problems.
We're not in crisis. We've got problems. We didn't win in the House. We didn't win the Senate. We lost the presidency. We didn't lose anywhere in governorship. So Democrats are doing something right. We shouldn't be so pessimistic. We should recognize that we've got some cleaning up to do.
But one major point is we can't give up whole regions -- the West, the South. We've got to demonstrate to the American people that we can deal with issues of national security, and stand for policies that work.
WALLACE: You know, a lot of attention right now, of course, who should be the chief of the Democratic National Committee? A decision the party will ultimately make in February. I want you to take a look at something. The independent group moveon.org sending it out to its supporters today, saying, quote, "We can't afford four more years of leadership by a consulting class of professional election losers. In the last year, grassroots contributors like us gave more than $300 million to the Kerry campaign, and the Democratic National Committee. Now it is our party. We bought it, we own it, and we're going to take it back." What's your reaction to that, governor?
RICHARDSON: Well, I think I like their message. I didn't like that thing that we bought it, but I do like the message that the party leadership should be selected by the grassroots. This is why in Orlando, where we're picking a new Democratic National Committee chair, it shouldn't be the Senate leadership, or House leadership or governor's leadership that says this is the person that's going to be. Let all the candidates strut their stuff. I know there are about 10 of them. Let the grassroots, let those Democratic voters out there that turned out, the new younger voters that we did attract, all around the country, have a full debate about this. The race isn't until February for Democratic chair. We shouldn't be anointing anybody. There shouldn't be a coronation.
Let there be -- the Democratic governors do feel two things. One, we should have a party spokesman and a CEO-type that manages the date-to-day operations of the Democratic National Committee. Our second criteria, it shouldn't be somebody from Washington, d.c., it shouldn't be from inside the beltway; it should be from the heartland. So in essence, I agree with that. Let there be a full debate. We don't have to settle this right now, but it should be the right messenger and the right message.
WALLACE: And very quickly, probably a little too early to ask you about '08, perhaps?
RICHARDSON: Well, it is. I mean, we haven't even gotten through the last election. And you know, you are a New Mexico expert. I got to concentrate on the legislature. I've got to get myself re-elected. I'm chairman of the Democratic governors. Beyond that, who knows.
But again, Kelly, right now let's lick our wounds, let's have a full debate on the future of our party, let's be open about admitting our mistakes, but let's get our act together and get some new ideas, and get some bigger back in the party, and that's going to happen. I'm optimistic.
WALLACE: All right, governor. We have to leave it there. Plenty of time for us to keep asking you that question. Send a hello to our friends in the land of enchantment. Thanks so much -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Sounds like he's running, Kelly. I'd take that as a yes.
All right, in Southern California, getting ready for the worst, and it all starts by blowing up a taxi cab. No, that's not what happens when you don't tip the driver well. Forty-five federal, state and local agencies put themselves to the test yesterday, proposing or responding to a fake dirty bomb attack. A dirty bomb is a conventional explosive containing nuclear material. About 600 first responders participated in that drill.
WALLACE: All right, Miles, still to come here, the president expected to announce his choice for energy secretary. That's coming at 9:45 a.m. Eastern. We will have it for you live, plus some "90- Second Pop." Why is one of the richest men in the world taking a handout just before his next wedding? For the answers, you'll have to stay with us, here on AMERICAN morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Live now to the White House. President Bush announcing his replacement for Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Let's listen in.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you. Good morning.
Today I am announcing my nomination of Sam Bodman as secretary of energy.
I am pleased to welcome Sam's wife Diane and all his family members -- and I emphasize all -- for coming today.
Welcome to the White House.
Sam is an experienced executive who has served in my administration as deputy secretary of commerce and deputy secretary of the treasury.
During his varied and distinguished career in the private sector, Sam has been a professor at MIT, president of an investment firm, the chairman and CEO of an industrial company with operations worldwide.
In academics, in business and in government Sam Bodman has shown himself to be a problem solver who knows how to set goals and he knows how to reach them.
He will bring to the Department of Energy a great talent for management and the precise thinking of an engineer.
BUSH: I thank him for agreeing to serve once again.
The Department of Energy has responsibilities that directly affect all Americans, from the security of nuclear facilities, to reducing the risk of nuclear proliferation around the world, to environmental cleanup, to enhancing conservation and developing new sources of energy for the future.
Every day employees at the Department of Energy are working to protect the American people and to ensure that our country's homes and businesses have reliable, safe and affordable supplies of energy.
During the last four years, the Department of Energy has been active and effective and has delivered important results for the American people. We've taken vital steps to upgrade the nation's energy infrastructure. We have begun an ambitious research program to develop a viable hydrogen-powered automobile. We have strengthened cooperation between the United States and foreign governments to safeguard nuclear materials and to fight proliferation.
For these achievements and more, the nation is grateful to Secretary Spencer Abraham.
As a United States senator and a Cabinet secretary, Spence has shown himself to be a man of integrity and wisdom. He's a good man, a superior public servant and a friend. And I thank Spence for leading his department so ably. And I wish him and Jane all the best.
During the next four years, we will continue to enhance our economic security and our national security through sound energy policy.
BUSH: We'll pursue more energy close to home in our own country and in our own hemisphere so that we're less dependent on energy from unstable parts of the world.
We'll continue improving pipelines and gas terminals and power lines so that energy flow is reliable. We will develop and deploy the latest technology to provide a new generation of cleaner and more efficient energy sources. We will promote strong conservation measures.
In all these steps, we will bring greater certainty of cost and supply, and that certainty is essential to economic growth and job creation.
And we will continue to work closely with Congress to produce comprehensive legislation that moves America toward greater energy independence.
I'm optimistic about the task ahead, and I know Sam Bodman is the right man to lead this important and vital agency. So I urge the Senate to confirm his confirmation without delay.
Congratulations, Sam.
SAMUEL W. BODMAN, ENERGY SECRETARY NOMINEE: Thank you, sir, very much.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Present with me today is my wife, Diane, my daughters, Beth and Sarah (ph), their husbands, Charles Mott (ph) and Bob Greenhill (ph), my stepson, Perry Barber (ph), and five of our eight grandchildren: Sam, Colin (ph), Eliza (ph), Liza (ph) and Lindsay (ph).
On behalf of my entire family, Mr. President, I thank you for the opportunity to continue serving you as a member of your administration.
BODMAN: Also want to thank the extraordinary employees of the Department of Treasury and the Department of Commerce with whom I have served these past four years.
Their dedication and efforts on behalf of your administration, sir, have allowed Secretary Snow and Secretary Evans and me to do our jobs that much better.
Mr. President, the job as energy secretary in many ways combines all aspects of my life's professional work. I started as a teacher...
WALLACE: And there you see Samuel Bodman, the new President Bush's choice to lead the energy secretary. This White House knows how to keep a secret. That is not a name that we heard tossed around. He's deputy secretary of the Department of Commerce, an engineer by training, 31 years experience in the private sector. Nine in total cabinet secretaries resigning. Only six remaining. And I believe just one more post for President Bush to announce his replacement, the Department of Health and Human Services. A busy White House indeed.
O'BRIEN: I should say that personnel office stacked with resumes, as they've gone through all this, but they've done it with great precision. I guess this was kind of in the works.
WALLACE: I think they were planning it for awhile -- OK.
O'BRIEN: We'll be back with more AMERICAN MORNING in just a moment. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: And welcome back. In today's "Extra Effort" an incredible story. Meet a grandma who can best be described as simply a superhero.
As John Zarrella reports, she sprang into action to save lives after a terrifying accident.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vicki Ragin's vest reads, "ask me, I can help." But the Salvation Army thrift store cashier...
VICKI RAGINS, GOOD SAMARITAN: This one's a dollar -- it's a dollar and up.
ZARRELLA: ... didn't need to be asked for help on a recent Sunday morning.
RAGINS: Everyone's making a big deal about it, and I did the only natural thing that a grandmother or any mother would do. I just saw someone that needed help.
ZARRELLA: An SUV carrying a Georgia family had gone into a canal along the side of the Florida Turnpike. Ragins, driving by, pulled over went in the water and with the help of others...
RAGINS: We just started pulling the bodies out of the truck, and we got about six or seven people out.
ZARRELLA: A 13-month-old girl was the last to come out. She wasn't breathing.
RAGINS: And it was wet, muddy, the baby kept sliding. I kept screaming for people to give me a T-shirt, someone to help me. And I was saying oh, God, don't let me lose this baby and I puffed and puffed.
ZARRELLA: Ragins revived the child, then went on her way, not wanting any attention.
RAGINS: I had no makeup on, I was in my pajamas. I had, you know, tank tops and barefooted, and I had -- I was in black mud up to my knees.
ZARRELLA: Two days later, at a West Palm Beach hospital, she was reunited with the Georgia family whose lives she helped save.
RAGINS: I don't feel like no hero. I saw myself on TV. I'm going to definitely go on a diet. But I don't feel like a hero.
ZARRELLA: Ironically, this Salvation Army cashier hates the water, and can't swim. She acted on what she says were simply the instincts of a mother.
John Zarrella, CNN, Tamerack (ph), Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE: So modest and courageous from the beginning to the end. Well, Mrs. Ragins was reunited with the baby she helped save in the hospital intensive care unit, where the child was breathing with the help of a respirator.
O'BRIEN: She is a hero. Wow, what a great story.
WALLACE: Great story.
O'BRIEN: All right, coming up on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING, a terror threat that sounds like it's out of "Star Wars" or something, laser beams bringing down jetliners. Authorities are worried about the possibility, but how real is it? A CNN security watch coming up in the next hour -- actually on not on AMERICAN MORNING, but on "CNN LIVE TODAY" with Rick Sanchez and Carol Lin today.
Our program, AMERICAN MORNING, will be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right, just a little bit of time to check in with Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Should parents have the right to eavesdrop on their kids, is the question?
Paul writes from MacCammon (ph), Idaho, "Maybe if we'd listened in to our son's conversations, he wouldn't have ended up in the Idaho state prison. Parents have an obligation to see that their kids are safe from the predators with their drugs and such."
Laura in Pine Bush, New York, "If the government must take over my kids, they can feed them, and buy their clothes and break up the fights and cart them around, and tuck them in bed at night. As long as there's no abuse going on, the government should butt out."
And Cindy writes from West Virginia, "Jack, this is an outrage. My daughter threatened to call that 1-800 number given to her by the school one time. I told her, go ahead and call them. By the time they get here, you'll need them. I never heard that threat again."
WALLACE: Wow, that one about the one in prison. That's a really tough sell.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
ANDY SEWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Any kids e-mail you and say forget it?
CAFFERTY: Yes, I one the last segment from a young girl who said, you know, we have issues and we're entitled to our privacy. And there's a point to be made there, too. But you know, that's a tough call I suppose.
SERWER: So to speak.
O'BRIEN: Just trying to figure out how to eavesdrop on the instant messaging. That's the important thing.
All right, Bill Hemmer's -- everybody's gone today.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: What do you mean everybody's gone? What about yourself? You have a self-esteem problem.
O'BRIEN: I do. I do. Major insecurities. But here I am, reading for food once again, AMERICAN MORNING in Japan. Starts when? Monday.
SERWER: Bill hemmer from Tokyo.
O'BRIEN: Bill Hemmer from Tokyo in Japanese, and it will be of course primetime in Japan, as it always is for this program. And we invite you to tune in for that. We will be right back shortly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right. AMERICAN MORNING will be live from Tokyo on Monday. We'll be back on our day jobs doing something else.
WALLACE: Yes.
SERWER: We'll miss you.
O'BRIEN: We'll come back. We'll come back.
WALLACE: I'll actually be here Monday off. Heidi's off, or Heidi's filling in for Anderson on...
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: A lot of juggling.
O'BRIEN: In any case, Rick Sanchez and Carol Lin are at CNN Center to take you through the next couple of hours on CNN.
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