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American Morning

Tony Snow to be Announced as Press Secretary; Bush's Approval Ratings Fall as Gas Prices Rise; Internet 'Border Control' Game Outrages Activists

Aired April 26, 2006 - 08:30   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Falling approval ratings, rising gas prices. Kind of a toxic cocktail for any president. The president i8s hoping those new energy plans can change the direction of both those numbers. We'll talk about that this morning.
Also, have you seen this Internet game? A new low even for the Internet, where the goal is to shoot and kill Mexicans as they cross the border. We'll tell you about this story.

And a successful playwright, he's fed up with Jay Leno's gay jokes, sends an open e-mail. The host gets a private response. We're going to tell you what Jay Leno said to him just ahead.

Welcome back, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us this morning.

S. O'BRIEN: Anxiously awaiting word from the president this morning. The press secretary, he's going to announce officially -- just a few minutes ago we heard that he's going to make that announcement at 9:10 a.m. Eastern, so about 40 minutes or so. Sources are telling CNN that it's going to be Fox News analyst Tony Snow.

Let's get right to Elaine Quijano. She's live at the White House. Hey, Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.

That's exactly right. It will soon be official, about 40 minutes from now, as you just said. President Bush in the briefing room here at the White House, expected to announce his decision, his choice of Tony Snow of Fox News to succeed White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan.

Now, senior administration official this morning already responding to what is expected to be criticism, that critics of the president will certainly raise. And that is the fact that Tony Snow in the past, in columns and as a commentator, has had some harsh words for this administration. The senior official saying this morning that it shows that the White House and the president are open to different views, that Tony's insight and opinion, they say, will be very helpful. And they believe that he is going to be a forceful advocate for President Bush. So about 40 minutes from now, expect to see Tony Snow here at the White House alongside President Bush when that announcement is made in the briefing room -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE) get with the program and basically support the policy that the president now puts forth? I mean, that's kind of his job now, right?

QUIJANO: Well, certainly, he will be tasked with having to defend administration policies, so it will be an interesting task for him ahead. But again, what the White House believes is that by doing this, they are showing that they are open to other viewpoints. And perhaps it may better prepare them for anticipating what criticisms might be to come -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Elaine Quijano for us at the White House. Elaine, thanks. We're going to bring you, as I mention, the president's announcement live when it happens, 9:10 a.m. Eastern time.

(NEWSBREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: The gas gauge meets the political barometer this morning. With his approval seemingly inversely proportional to the rising price of oil, the president stepped up to the bully pulpit yesterday to offer a four-point plan to address the energy crisis. The president wants to investigate price manipulation, promote greater fuel efficiency, boost gasoline supplies and encourage energy companies to invest in alternatives.

For some political gas, we turn now to CNN political analyst Ron Brownstein of the "L.A. Times."

RON BROWNSTEIN, "L.A. TIMES": I think that's a compliment.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it is.

BROWNSTEIN: Oh, OK.

M. O'BRIEN: It is. Good to you have with us, as always.

BROWNSTEIN: Good to be here.

M. O'BRIEN: Really didn't take long for Democrats to fire back on this. And, of course, one of the things they went after -- and it's an easy target, given the fact that the president is a former oil man -- is the perception that the president is going easy on big oil. Let's listen to a couple of leading Democrats for a second.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: There are five words missing from the president's speech today. Get tough on big oil.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: We have two oil men in the White House. The logical follow-up from that is $3 a gallon gasoline. There is no accident. It is a cause and effect. (END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: OK. The Democrats, going to be able to make some hay over that?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, as I see it, the energy -- the failure of both parties to make progress on serious solutions to our energy problems really is as precise an indictment of our political system and the way it now operates as anything that has happened in Washington in the last few years. Miles, it's not exactly a profile in courage for Democrats to go out there and bash big oil when the energy companies give about 80 percent or more of their money to Republicans in each of the last four elections.

But do you hear Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer saying they're willing to take on the auto workers union and the auto industry that has prevented Democrats from unifying around a position to raise fuel economy standards? Something the U.S. has not done in 20 years for cars and trucks?

Both sides are reflexively and inevitably expressing outrage about these high prices, but are either one them willing to take on constituencies in their own coalitions or their ideological -- their own ideological suppositions to make tough changes to increase production, to improve conservation and encourage alternative fuels? The answer so far has been no.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's take it one step further. Is anybody courageous enough to point the finger at their own constituents? Let's dial the way back machine to 1979, summer of 1979. Jimmy Carter, the first energy crisis. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY CARTER, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every gallon of oil each one of us saves is a new form of production. It gives us more freedom, more confidence, that much more control of our own lives. So the solution of our energy crisis can also help us to conquer the crisis of the spirit in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: So Jimmy Carter had the audacity to ask us to conserve. Now, his approval ratings at the time about the same as the president's right now, right around 30. Actually had a little uptick after that speech. Didn't really hurt him one way or the other. Why aren't we hearing that kind of rhetoric?

BROWNSTEIN: Sacrifice is gone as a concept in American politics. Look at what's happened over energy over the last five years. The first two years of the Bush administration, the House and Senate each passed separate bills, deadlocked in conference between Democrats and Republicans; '03, '04, same thing, deadlocked between the Republicans and Democrats. Republicans want to focus on more production. The White House wanted to focus on more production. Democrats lean towards conservation, although, again, not to the most significant thing they could do, which is raise fuel economy standards.

Finally in '05, after four years of bruising partisan conflict, we pass an energy bill, August of '05, the president signs it, but only after each side has succeeded in knocking out the most consequential ideas of the others. The Democrats succeeded in blocking the major proposals from the president to expand domestic production. The president unwaveringly opposed any of the efforts by Democrats to mandate movement towards alternative fuels. For example, by requiring utilities to generate 10 percent of their electricity from alternatives by 2020 or fuel economy standards.

And as a result, we passed a bill that virtually did nothing. Neither side has had the imagination or the courage, I would argue, to envision a grand bargain in which each would allow the other to do some of the things they want to do as a price for getting what they want done, as well.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, profiles in cowardice, I guess you could call it. Quick thought here, we're pretty much out of time here, but your thoughts on Tony Snow? Is that a good call by the White House to put him in the press secretary slot?

BROWNSTEIN: I think it's striking. I think this White House is probably the less concerned about how it's portrayed in the mainstream mass media than any president that I've been in Washington to see. They've seen mostly -- they've mostly been focused on communicating with their own base, through their own narrow channels. I think this is a clear sign that with the president at his lowest approvals ever, they feel they have to reengage with the mainstream mass media in a way that, frankly, they haven't always done in these first five years.

M. O'BRIEN: Our political tank runneth over. Ron Brownstein, thank you for your time as always. He works for us and the "L.A. Times" as well, and part of the best political team on television, we might add. Thanks for your time.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: The FBI is investigating death threats that have been sent to elected officials in California. The threats sent to Hispanics, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, as well. One threat said this: "The only Mexican is a dead" -- "Good Mexican," rather, is "a dead Mexican." That was the threat. Both of those politicians are vocal supporters of immigrant rights.

So it is not a difficult segue to tell you about a new game on the Internet, really a new low, I think it's fair to say. The point of the game is to shoot and kill Mexicans as they cross the border. CNN's Dan Simon has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The creators of a video game called "Border Patrol" won't win any awards for graphics or creativity, but could take home a prize for bad taste. (on camera): This isn't some expensive game for the Xbox. It's simple, free and on the Internet and, according to the Anti-Defamation League, dangerous.

JONATHAN BERNSTEIN, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: It puts in the mind of the player that they should be resorting to violence.

SIMON (voice-over): The objective? To shoot and kill Mexicans crossing into the U.S. The game's targets? Mexican nationalists, drug smugglers and most outrageous, breeders, pregnant women running with children. The more you kill, the higher your score.

CRIS FRANCO, COMEDIAN/SATIRIST: You're killing a pregnant woman, and if you can feel good about that, well, have at it.

SIMON: Sarcasm comes naturally to Latino comedian Cris Franco. All joking aside, though, Franco was concerned when we showed him the game.

FRANCO: What sort of makes it innocuous is sort of the thing that makes it so very dangerous, is that you might have kids getting up there and they're killing Mexicans. You know? And now that's a fun thing to do I gather, in our world. I think most people of conscience would not think this was a good way to spend your time.

SIMON: "Border Patrol" has become a showcase on hate group Web sites, alongside other games that target African-Americans, homosexuals and Jews. USC professor Peter Vorderer has written books about the aspects of video games on society.

PETER VORDERER, UNIV. OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: I don't think that a game like this would attract anybody who is serious player, other than those who share that sentiment or attitude.

SIMON: Still, Vorderer says that certain children can be swayed by such violent images.

VORDERER: If somebody knows nothing, let's say, about a specific ethnic group and the only way he or she learns about that ethnic group is through the media -- in this case, through a video game -- then this video game has a great potential of, you know, impacting that person's view about this ethnic group.

SIMON: And that fits right in with the goals of the National Alliance, a white supremacist group. Shaun Walker calls himself the chairman and CEO. He says teenagers who might not read his books instead will buy one of its games.

SHAUN WALKER, WHITE SUPREMACIST: We gain several thousand new customers immediately that we wouldn't have had contact with.

SIMON: Walker's group is behind a game called "Ethnic Cleansing." The goal? To kill anybody who isn't white. The National Alliance says it has fulfilled a niche for people who want their entertainment skewed toward their racist ideology. WALKER: This allowed all the racially conscious white people that play video games to suddenly have a pro-white video game. So it was unique, and it's proven to be successful.

SIMON: How successful, the group won't say, but the game sells for $15. As for "Border Patrol," it's unknown who created the game. But what some call entertainment, others are calling violent and racist propaganda.

Dan Simon, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Dan's report first aired on PAULA ZAHN NOW, which you can catch weeknights at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

S. O'BRIEN: Americans, believe it or not, speaking of money, spend billions every year on natural remedies. What you don't know about those remedies could actually hurt you. Coming up, we're going to talk to folks from "Consumer Reports" guide about what is safe and what is not.

Plus, a Tony Award-winning playwright gets so fed up with Jay Leno's gay jokes that he sends off a scathing e-mail. Well, Jay answers him back. We'll tell you how. That's in a moment.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: We're watching the White House briefing room very closely. We expect the president to come in at 9:10 Eastern time. That's about 17 minutes from now. We also expect to be at his side Fox commentator and conservative radio talk show host Tony Snow, who will be announced officially as the next White House press secretary. Stay tuned for that.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Jeff Whitty has had enough of Jay Leno's gay jokes, so the playwright and creator of the Broadway hit "Avenue Q" sent a scathing e-mail to the "Tonight Show" host. Well, that e-mail made it onto the blogs and eventually advocate.com, a gay news site. That got Leno's attention and the comedian called Whitty to talk about that e- mail.

Jeff Whitty is in London this morning. Good morning, nice to talk to you, Jeff.

JEFF WHITTY, PLAYWRIGHT: Good morning.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks for being with us. Your e-mail that you drafted was long and thoughtful and very angry. And I'm curious if there was sort of one joke that he did that sent you over the edge? Was there one moment where you said, enough is enough? Or was it sort of an accumulation of things?

WHITTY: You know, it was an accumulation. And, you know, this started off as a very personal letter to Mr. Leno. I had no idea it would take on such scale. But, you know, it was a joke about gay history, which is something that I take very seriously because I feel like it's something that no one ever talks about, you know, the huge contribution that we have made to American culture. You know, we're used as a wedge issue so much, but we want to be citizens. And so it was more just a frustrated personal e-mail that become very public very fast.

S. O'BRIEN: Partly because you blind CCed some of your friends on it, too. But before I get into that part of it, let's share with people the e-mail, if they're not familiar with it.

Part of it says this: "When you think of gay people" -- you're writing to Jay Leno -- "it's funny. They're funny folks. They wear leather, they like Judy Garland, they like disco music. They're sort of like Stepin Fetchit as channeled by Richard Simmons."

And then you go on to write: "When I think of gay people, I think of a brave group that's made tremendous contributions to society in arts, letters, science, philosophy and politics."

And the e-mail goes on and on and on. Why would you go ahead and send that not just to Jay Leno, and one has to imagine kind of end up in his e-mail box of "The Tonight Show," maybe not the first thing he'd read in the morning, but you sent it...

WHITTY: Exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: ... to other people, too. Why?

WHITTY: I sent it to three friends who, you know, I thought might find it interesting. And they asked if they could send it to their friends and it became kind of like the shampoo commercial. And they told two friends and so on and so on, and suddenly I'm here. It was very fast. A very passionate response from a lot of people.

S. O'BRIEN: Gained momentum really, really quickly. I want to play for folks a little bit of what Jay Leno talks about. You know, and he mocks everybody. You got to admit, he really pokes fun at everybody.

WHITTY: Yes...

S. O'BRIEN: Here's a clip where he is mocking gays, which he did on "The Tonight Show." Listen for a sec.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, "TONIGHT SHOW" HOST: The real shocker last night was that "Crash" upset "Brokeback Mountain" to win Best Picture. Oh, I tell you, they were not happy in West Hollywood. They were looting Pottery Barns flipping over Volvos, smashing Liza Minnelli records. It was ugly! Did you see it? Ugly! Actually, both "Crash" and "Brokeback Mountain" had similar themes. Whether you're a driver in L.A. or cowboy in Montana, keep checking your rearview mirror. You don't know who's coming up behind you, you know what I'm saying"

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: OK, the crowd loved it. Everybody's laughing. You're a comedy writer. I mean, "Avenue Q" is very funny and very risque in a lot of ways. And, you know, comedy writers make fun of people and they mock people, and they mock gays and Jews and blacks and women and the president all the time. I mean, isn't that sort of OK, then?

WHITTY: Of course. And, you know, the last thing I want to seem like some kind of comedy nanny. That's, you know, a horribly pretentious and a difficult, awkward position for me to be in, because so much of what I like is very edgy. But the difference for me is that it's -- it's incredibly -- just expected and tired, these stereotypes, some of which have been around since the '60s. So, you know, it was my response to Jay Leno. And I'm sure that I have offended people in the past. And, you know, they could write letters to me and I'll write letters to Jay Leno.

S. O'BRIEN: What did he say, and what's he going to do about it?

WHITTY: You know, we talked on the phone yesterday for a good half hour, and it was a very feisty discussion. And I really appreciated him calling. And, you know, the basic agreement we made is that comedy's tough. And, you know, for me, the issue of the gay jokes is just this tiny part of the problem. The larger issue is the way gay people are just constantly portrayed as the villain in the media. And we're not. We want to be part of the community. We want to be part of the family.

And, you know, to me, they talk so much about sexual issues, the right-wingers, these days, but to me, being gay is an issue about love, really. And that's very complicated and very nuanced. And that's the discussion I want to be having.

S. O'BRIEN: We'll see what Jay Leno does in the future days to come. Playwright Jeff Whitty, thanks for talking with us this morning. We appreciate you sharing that e-mail with us...

WHITTY: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: ... and I guess everybody else, too, now, online. Thank you.

WHITTY: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Short break. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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