Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

State of the Union Expectations; Interview with George Galloway; Academy Awards Forecast

Aired January 31, 2006 - 09:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Moments ago on Wall Street, this was the scene as the opening bell was rung. Another day of trading. The Dow Jones Industrial average beginning at 10,899, off seven points in yesterday's trading.
What's with the yellow towels there? I don't know.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I can't really tell...

M. O'BRIEN: I don't know the story.

S. O'BRIEN: ... what's with the yellow towels.

M. O'BRIEN: Little homer hankies?

S. O'BRIEN: More enthusiastic than usual.

M. O'BRIEN: Pittsburgh fans. They're Pittsburgh fans. Maybe that's it.

S. O'BRIEN: Is that what that is?

M. O'BRIEN: I don't know.

S. O'BRIEN: We'll find out.

(NEWSBREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Let's turn and talk politics now. We're taking the pulse of average Americans before the State of the Union speech tonight. AMERICAN MORNING's Kelly Wallace has been tracking one group since last year.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again. Yes, we tracked them last year. We wanted to get a sense of what everyday Americans wanted from the president in his second term. So we talked to this group of people last year before and after the State of the Union address, and we decided to bring them back again.

In yesterday's story, you saw how our panel mixed it up when it comes to Iraq. Well, today you'll see about the only thing they agree on, the amount of work likely to get done in Washington this year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WALLACE (voice-over): Our panel agreed it was a year that left them with a new concern. Can the government handle another natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina? Roseann Salanitri is a strong supporter of President Bush.

ROSEANN SALANITRI, BUSH SUPPORTER: And it was just a major case of disorganization all over, and I couldn't help but contrast that to 9/11 and how quick the responses were.

BOB AGNES, BUSH SUPPORTER: I think that it was just an unfortunate mismanaged problem from every facet. I don't think you can blame the president. I don't think you can blame the administration.

WALLACE: Retired police chief John Pollinger disagrees.

JOHN POLLINGER, BUSH CRITIC: I fault the federal government the top people in the fact that the top people in FEMA were political hacks.

WALLACE: The sparks really flew when we brought up the use of domestic wiretaps without a warrant.

POLLINGER: I don't want my elected officials deciding for me what's legal or illegal. I'd rather have a judge do it, and we have a court for that purpose.

WALLACE (on camera): Dawn, you're shaking your head.

(voice-over): Dawn Jimenez is a mother of three whose husband returned from Iraq last year.

DAWN JIMENEZ, BUSH SUPPORTER: If you have nothing to worry about, you shouldn't care who's listening in.

POLLINGER: That's a frightening thought, Dawn. If you have nothing to side, then submit to a polygraph every day. If you have nothing to hide, open up your luggage. If you have nothing to hide, strip search.

AGNES: I don't think that's the issue. I find it really hard to believe that the U.S. government is after Mr. Average citizen to find out whether or not he cheated on his income tax or not.

WALLACE: Roseann seemed the most conflicted.

SALANITRI: I just have a hard time accepting that it is OK to have wiretaps on our own citizens.

WALLACE: One thing they all agreed on last year, they all wanted the president to try to heal a bitterly divided nation.

Ilana Reich, a psychologist, is critical of many of the president's policies.

(on camera): Do you think the president has succeeded? ILANA REICH, BUSH CRITIC: No, I don't think so. I think we've had lots of difficult times. Just the Supreme Court nominations I think helped to divide the country even more.

WALLACE: Switching gears a bit. Tell me what you think about Congress. The reactions -- Dawn.

JIMENEZ: If we start with Congress and we go back to the Alito confirmation, I'm appalled by them for making that the poor man's wife cry. They should be ashamed of themselves. Smack them all on the wrist!

POLLINGER: But there's enough blame to go around between the Democrats and the Republicans, because it is so partisan.

WALLACE: With a show of hands, who is optimistic Congress is going to get a lot of work done this year? No one. You're all pessimistic.

AGNES: Very.

JIMENEZ: Very.

WALLACE: Very.

AGNES: Lame duck president, pretty much.

POLLINGER: People running for reelection. I'm waiting for the next presidential election already.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: Not a lot of optimism there. We asked them what issues they want the president to focus on in tonight's speech. They mentioned prescription drug coverage under Medicare, gas prices and what to do about Iraq, Iran and North Korea. Very interesting, one issue they barely mentioned, Social Security.

S. O'BRIEN: And it just was last year's big issue.

WALLACE: Last year's big issue. They pretty much think that issue is stalled right now.

S. O'BRIEN: And that issue is pretty much stalled right now.

WALLACE: I think they're right on, there.

S. O'BRIEN: Interesting. Interesting panel. All right, Kelly, thanks.

WALLACE Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, ladies. What would we do on a slow news day without the likes of George Galloway, M.P.? He gave us this scene, yes, lapping up a milk like a kitten with an actress providing the bowl with her hands. And then there's this scene, too, prancing around in a leotard as the British politician spent some time on the British "Big Brother" reality show. He's out now, and he has some explaining to do.

George Galloway with us from London.

Mr. Galloway, good to have you with us. I think we can all agree red is not your color, right?

GEORGE GALLOWAY, BRITISH PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Absolutely. A leotard is not my garment, that's right.

M. O'BRIEN: What...

GALLOWAY: Nobody looks good in a leotard.

M. O'BRIEN: No, no. I wouldn't wear one either. Are you embarrassed?

GALLOWAY: No, look, it's a tradition in Britain for charity, for well-known people to dress up and act foolishly and it raises a lot of money for good causes. And that's what I did. I raised a very large sum of money for Palestinian refugees, for whom there's not much other fundraising going on.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about that Palestinian group that you're giving money to. How much money is going, first of all? How much money...

GALLOWAY: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: And...

GALLOWAY: I don't know yet. It's the TV company. The TV company gives 16 pence out of every phone call revenue, which is 56 pence.

M. O'BRIEN: I see.

GALLOWAY: So it depends on how many million people called in. They're still calculating that.

M. O'BRIEN: This group you're providing money to has been, in some quarters, linked to terrorist organizations. What do you say about that?

GALLOWAY: Well, it's only linked with terrorist organizations by George W. Bush and the Zionist lobby on Capitol Hill, and nobody takes either of those very seriously over here, I can tell you.

M. O'BRIEN: So you don't feel as this group has goals linked to suicide bombings, for example?

GALLOWAY: Well that would be highly defamatory were you to broadcast that in Britain, because this is a registered charity in good standing with the British authorities and the British Charity Commission. So you really ought to be more carefully without tossing allegations like that around.

M. O'BRIEN: OK.

Let's talk about your views on the war in Iraq. Part of why you went on the "Big Brother" program, I'm told, is to talk about your feelings about Iraq. Do you feel you accomplished that, first of all?

GALLOWAY: No, they did tell me that it would be a 24-hour a day three-week platform to talk about my views on the war. And then whenever I talked about the war they played bird song over what I was saying, and I feel pretty sore about that. Though I hadn't gone on, I wouldn't be on your show now and I wouldn't be on all the shows I've been on since I came out of the house. So undoubtedly, to some extent, I've managed to get a bigger platform, get a bigger soapbox to talk from.

But in a way events of the biggest recruiting sergeant for the anti-war movement here. Today we are mourning the death of the 100th British soldier in Iraq. We've just sent thousands of new soldiers to Afghanistan, if anything, an even more dangerous mission, and events are marching ineluctably (ph) in the direction of the vindication of the anti-war movement. Everything we said turned out to be right. Everything Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair said turned out to be false, except where it was a deliberate falsehood.

M. O'BRIEN: Tell me, though, as you talk about this, how much credibility you think you have right now. Let me share with our viewers a picture of you shaking Uday Hussein's hand, one of Saddam Hussein's sons, who had his own private torture chamber, and there are allegations which sort of cropped up, as a matter of fact, while you were inside the "Big Brother" program location there, that you somehow profited from that infamous Oil-for-Food program marshaled through by the United Nations. What do you say to all of that?

GALLOWAY: Well, I mean, I'd even shake hands with George W. Bush, and he has his own private torture chambers, too, in Guantanamo Bay and in the third countries to whom he is shipping price whom he has illegal captured so that they can be tortured in other countries. He had one or two torture chambers in Abu Ghraib Prison, and the whole world saw the result, the evil, wicked result of that.

But I'd still shake hands with him, because I believe it's better to talk to people than to go to war with them, and that wars are easier to start than they are to finish. And your viewers will be well familiar...

M. O'BRIEN: Do you think Iraq would be better off...

GALLOWAY: I was going to deal with the -- I was going to deal with the other point that you made first, if I may.

M. O'BRIEN: OK, go ahead.

GALLOWAY: Your viewers are well familiar with the false allegations against me about the Oil-for-Food program. The newspapers which carried those claims have now paid out millions, almost three million pounds -- that's almost $6 million to me -- in damages and costs for the false allegations that they made against me. So Saddam Hussein never gave me any money, but the newspaper, including American newspapers which claimed he did, have given me plenty.

M. O'BRIEN: What's next for you, sir?

GALLOWAY: I'm going now to a vigil outside parliament, to read out the names of 100 British dead. I know your viewers will compare that with well over 2,000 United States dead now. And of course neither of our countries are counting the dead Iraqis. It all adds up to another melancholy milestone in this dismal story. And I'm going now to read out the name of the hundred dead outside the British parliament. There will be quite a number of activist there, and it will be mirrored by similar activities across the country.

And our battle against the war continues and our battle to stop the next war is being stepped up because it has to be. It's clear enough that the Bush administration would like to attack Iran in one way or another. We believe that would have catastrophic results, and we are determined to stop it.

M. O'BRIEN: We're out of time, sir. George Galloway, British parliament member and veteran of the "Big Brother" program there. Back with more in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MARKET REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a little "A.M. Pop" for you. Who's got the inside track on this year's Oscar race? The nominees were just announced a little while ago. We are going to break down the big categories.

That is coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEATH LEDGER, ACTOR: Well, maybe not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: No surprise here. "Brokeback Mountain" has been nominated for eight Oscars, including best picture and best director and best actor for Heath Ledger. "Brokeback Mountain" also won best film at the Golden Globes.

Here's how the field made out. Six nominations for "Crash," six also for "Good Night and Good Luck" and "Memoirs of a Geisha." Five each for "Capote" and "Walk the Line."

"US Weekly"'s Bradley Jacobs is going to handicap the nominees. Any big surprises, do you think, Bradley, in this announcement?

BRADLEY JACOBS, "US WEEKLY": The biggest surprise this morning was "Crash." I think a lot of people loved this movie, but no one was quite sure would it go this far and get, you know, a best picture nomination and best acting nomination -- best supporting acting, that is, for Matt Dillon. You know, I think that there's a lot of renewed interest in that film now.

S. O'BRIEN: Which is great news for the film.

M. O'BRIEN: So for best picture, what do figure? "Crash" gets it? "Brokeback," what do you think?

JACOBS: Oh, Miles, this all about "Brokeback Mountain." It's won -- you know, it's pretty much won every award it can up until now. I don't see anything stopping "Brokeback Mountain" at this point. I don't see anything stopping the momentum.

S. O'BRIEN: Even though the SAG Awards completely reversed what you just said?

JACOBS: Yes, you know, I don't think. I think the SAG Awards were an exception, and I think you're going to see "Brokeback Mountain," you know, go all the way. And it's going to win and probably its director will win, et cetera, et cetera.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. So let's talk about best actress. Who do you like in that category?

JACOBS: You know, as I've said for months, this is Reese Witherspoon's category. It's all locked up. She's won every critics' award. You know, she's really head and shoulders above the competition. The only one who really could possibly take it away from her would be Felicity Huffman, who won, you know, the Golden Globe in the dramatic category. But I do feel like Reese Witherspoon is owed. She's loved in the business. It's a knock-out performance. She's -- you know, she's loved. I think it's all hers.

M. O'BRIEN: Slam dunk. Slam dunk.

S. O'BRIEN: It's weird how "North Country," which I think early on people had great buzz for winning...

JACOBS: It just did so poorly at the box office. But because the best actress category is particularly weak this year, I think that's why I think you saw Charlize Theron get a nomination anyway.

S. O'BRIEN: Interesting. All right. Let's talk best actor.

JACOBS: Best actor. It's a race between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger. That's for "Capote" and "Brokeback Mountain," respectively. These are the two guys who won the Golden Globes and I think it's very likely to go to Philip Seymour Hoffman.

S. O'BRIEN: I don't know.

JACOBS: Soledad, you disagree.

S. O'BRIEN: It's a great category. And you know, I mean -- I always defer to you. But the category is so good this year. It just has -- the women sort of, it's not such a great category, I think. You know, there's only really one really strong candidate. I think you look at the men...

JACOBS: It is really strong. Terrence Howard pulled it out, got a nomination for "Hustle and Flow." Not a huge...

S. O'BRIEN: "Good Night and Good Luck" got amazing reviews...

JACOBS: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: I don't know.

JACOBS: But I think ultimately if we're talking about who's going to win, or you know, who the category is going to be between on March 5, I think it's those two actors.

S. O'BRIEN: And who do you pick out of those two?

JACOBS: I think it's going to be Philip Seymour Hoffman, in the end, for "Capote."

S. O'BRIEN: Interesting.

M. O'BRIEN: Supporting actress?

JACOBS: Supporting actress. This is sort of a category made up of a lot of people who aren't stars. I mean, Amy Adams for "Junebug." Look at this list. Catherine Keener most people know. Frances McDormand won ten years ago for "Fargo." Rachel Weisz for "The Constant Gardner." She won the Golden Globe. And Michelle Williams for "Brokeback Mountain."

I think this is an interesting race. I think it's mostly likely going to go to Rachel Weisz in the end for "Constant Gardner."

S. O'BRIEN: Although it would be great if Catherine Keener got a big award.

JACOBS: It would, because...

S. O'BRIEN: She's a terrific actress.

JACOBS: She's a terrific actress. And it would be really be a career award, because she's been doing this -- she's been turning in great performances for a long time now.

S. O'BRIEN: How about supporting actor?

JACOBS: Supporting actor. Now this is the killer category. This is a category chalk full of amazing nominees. Look at that. Of course, Clooney, you know, for "Syriana." Matt Dillon for "Crash." This is his first nomination in, like, a 26-year career. Paul Giamatti, who's been snubbed two years in a row, finally got his first nomination. Jake Gyllenhaal, who was snubbed at the Golden Globes, got an Oscar nomination this morning. And then William Hurt, who won, you know, a decade and a half ago, best actor, for "Kiss of the Spiderwoman."

I think this is a category that's likely going to go to George Clooney because, again, he's loved in Hollywood. He had -- this is the most incredible morning of his life, right? Three nominations in three different categories.

M. O'BRIEN: Not bad.

JACOBS: But I think, you know, "Syriana," much as it was a little confusing and hard to follow, I think, you know, you wouldn't -- you can't ignore Clooney's performance in that film.

S. O'BRIEN: We are totally out of time, so just tell us who you think best director is going to be for what and then we got to run.

JACOBS: I think Ang Lee is going to win for best -- I'm sorry, for "Brokeback Mountain," and the film is going to win as well.

S. O'BRIEN: So you're predicting a big night for them.

JACOBS: Big night for "Brokeback."

M. O'BRIEN: All right, you're on record.

(CROSSTALK)

S. O'BRIEN: Quite good. Quite stellar.

JACOBS: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Bradley.

M. O'BRIEN: Winner of the Emmys. It's all on the line right now. Bradley Jacobs of "US Weekly." Thanks, as always.

JACOBS: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: A short break. We're back in a moment.

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