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Former President Clinton Defends Terror Fighting Record And Efforts To Catch Osama bin Laden; Leaked Intelligence Report About U.S. War on Terror Reaches Conclusion That Iraq Increased Threat of Terrorism; Raging Violence Has Changed Ramadan Observance in Baghdad; New Orleans Saints Come Back

Aired September 24, 2006 - 22:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm shocked at how poorly he handled it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I would say on the contrary, it's refreshing to see a president that actually knows the facts.

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ANNOUNCER: No hold's barred. The interview that has everybody talking. Former President Clinton gives Fox News a piece of his mind.

The White House says American soldiers are dying in Iraq to help keep you safe, but a new report says nothing's further from the truth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The war in Iraq has intensified Islam fundamentalism and radicalism.

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ANNOUNCER: War is not a game. One man pushes that point to the limit to keep new recruits off the battlefield.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably not. It's a pretty bad thing that he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: And the Feds call this fugitive the most hated man in America. His son, the biggest victim of all. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM, your connection to the world, the Web, and what's happening right now. I'm Carol Lin. You've been busy today so let's get you plugged in on the headlines.

Former President Clinton defends his terror fighting record and his efforts to catch Osama bin Laden. He says he wanted bin Laden killed. In a testy interview with Fox News, Clinton said he took bin Laden more seriously than his critics did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But at least I tried. That's the difference in me and some, including all of the right wingers who are attacking me now. They ridiculed me for trying. They had eight months to try. They did not try.

I tried. So I tried and failed. When I failed, I left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy. And the best guy in the country, Dick Clark, who got demoted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: He's not finished. You can hear much more of President Clinton's interview coming up in about one minute.

Now The New York Times is reporting today that we're more likely to be attacked by terrorists because of the Iraq War. Well, the White House says the paper misses the bigger picture. The Times is basing the report on a classified document that assesses national terror threats. More details of that report coming up in about 10 minutes.

And Pope Benedict XVI playing host tomorrow to ambassadors from several Muslim nations, Iran and Turkey among them. He's working to diffuse tensions with the Islamic community. They've been mounting since he used a quote that associated Islam to violence.

And innocent faces, victims of a shocking crime near East St. Louis, Illinois. Authorities say the kids were probably drowned. They were found in a washer and a dryer last night. Their mother's body discovered three days earlier, her unborn baby cut from her womb. A family friend is in custody and is expected to be arraigned tomorrow.

And back in the game, the superdome. A year ago, it was a hurricane shelter for thousands of desperate people. Tomorrow night, the dome gets back to the business of Monday night football. A special pre-game concert, green day and U-2. Here's U2's guitarists, the Edge.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The music of New Orleans is so unique, so special. Maybe it's the musician's perspective to get that, but it's certainly one of the reasons why I love America.

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LIN: And falling crude oil prices mean falling gas prices for you and me. Well, today, the national average for self serve regular unleaded is $2.42. That's down nearly a quarter over the past two weeks.

And now it's your turn choose the news. What stories do you want to hear more about? E-mail us at Weekends@CNN.com. And we're going to get you flash feedback within the hour.

The weekend furor over the reported death of Osama bin Laden has faded. A French paper began the speculation by reporting on a top secret French document that said bin laden was dead.

Saudi intelligence tells CNN, however, that credible reports say bin Laden is very, very sick, but there's no confirmation from any government or source that bin Laden has actually died.

All right, so bin laden -- Osama bin Laden is probably still alive. And five full years after 9/11, former President Clinton still finds himself being challenged about what he did to capture or kill bin Laden.

Now, this is how he handled the criticism during a Fox News interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: You asked me why didn't I do more to bin Laden. There was not a living soul. All the people who now criticize me wanted to leave the next day. You brought this up. So you'll get an answer.

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I'm perfectly happy to do so.

CLINTON: All right, secondly ...

WALLACE: Bin laden says...

CLINTON: Bin Laden may have said that ...

WALLACE: ...that it showed the weakness of the United States.

CLINTON: But it would have shown the weakness in if we'd left right away. But he wasn't involved in that. That's just a bunch of bull.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Well, that was just a taste of the former president's Fox News interview. And it went downhill pretty fast.

CNN's Gary Nurenberg has more on the president's vigorous defense of his record, and the reaction from the current administration.

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GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former president Clinton was asked why he didn't do more to put Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda out of business. He compared his efforts to the early months of the Bush administration.

CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Do you think you did enough, sir?

CLINTON: No, because I didn't get him.

WALLACE: Right.

CLINTON: But at least I tried. That's the difference in me and some, including all the right-wingers that are attacking me now.

They ridicule for me trying. They had eight months to try. They did not try. I tried.

So I tried and failed. When I failed, I left a comprehensive anti- terror strategy, and the best guy in the country, Dick Clarke, who got demoted.

NURENBERG: Clinton says he particularly focused on bin Laden after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, and then drew a contrast with the Bush administration.

CLINTON: What did I do? I worked hard to try to kill him. I authorized the findings from the CIA to kill him. We contracted with people to kill him.

I got closer to killing him than anybody's gotten since. And if I were still president, we would have more than 20,000 troops here trying to kill him.

Now, I've never criticized President Bush, and I don't think this is useful. But you know we do have a government that thinks Afghanistan is only one-seventh as important as Iraq.

NURENBERG: The White House Sunday issued a statement saying only, "The records paints a very different picture than what President Clinton is suggesting. Looking forward, we will fight the war on terror by staying on the offense."

John McLaughlin helped run the CIA in both the Clinton and Bush administrations.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: President Clinton did aggressively pursue Osama bin Laden. I give the Clinton administration a lot of credit for the aggressiveness with which they went after al Qaeda and bin Laden.

NURENBERG (on camera): Five years after 9/11, presidents Bush and Clinton do have one thing in common. Each wants to avoid history's judgment that his administration is responsible for failing to stop bin Laden before the attacks.

Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: So let's go deeper now into former President Clinton's interview. David Remnick is in New York tonight. He is the editor of "The New Yorker." His profile of President Clinton appeared in the September 18th issue.

David, good to have you.

DAVID REMNICK, EDITOR, "THE NEW YORKER": Hi, how are you?

LIN: You take a look at this interview. Do you think that President Clinton got sandbagged? Or do you think he knew that this would come up during that interview?

REMNICK: No, I don't think President Clinton is capable of being sandbagged. He's very savvy when it comes to the press. And I think we should remember there's an election coming up in a very few weeks. And President Clinton is the foremost spokesman for the Democratic Party.

And the biggest argument in the country and the argument that's bringing President Bush's poll numbers remarkably back up a little bit is his speeches across the country about national security. And in some ways, subtly, I think President Clinton went on the offensive against President Bush as well as Fox News.

LIN: But why the outburst? I mean, we have never the president like this on the air.

REMNICK: Sure you have. You've seen President Clinton angry as well as subtle. And he's done it with reporters and television reporters.

I think his timing was very careful today. He took a question. And then he got right in Chris Wallace's face. And I think he was speaking to, not only the conservative audience that tends to watch Fox News, but he knew very well that that kind of performance and after all a television interview is a kind of performance...

LIN: Uh-huh.

REMNICK: ...he knew it would go national. And he knew it would be in all the papers tomorrow morning. It was a very savvy move.

LIN: All right. Let's take a look at then something that he also said during this interview. It got personal with Chris Wallace. Let's listen in.

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CLINTON: You did Fox's bidding on this show. You did your nice little conservative hit job on me.

WALLACE: Wait. I'm asking a question. You don't think that's a legitimate question?

CLINTON: No, it was a perfectly legitimate question, but I want to know how many people in the Bush administration you've asked this question to?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: All right. So does this hint at President Clinton still thinking that there's a right wing conspiracy that's after him?

REMNICK: I think President Clinton knows that there was a right wing attack that was sustained against him for years when he was in the White House and continues to this day. All you have to do is go into the blogsophere or into the right wing press to see it.

So I don't think it's an imagined conspiracy at all. I think it's a concerted effort that also is tied to Senator Clinton's possible efforts to run for president.

LIN: So you don't think this has hurt her? You think it might even help?

REMNICK: Absolutely. I think the Clintons believe the following. That Al Gore and John Kerry were not able to control their own public images. They were controlled to some extent by the conservative arguments against them that tied them up and down. And they lost their elections, whether it was on swift boats, or the notion that Al Gore was somehow dishonest.

And President Clinton is of a different timber. And he believes in fighting back and fighting back hard. That was what the war room in 1992 was all about. And that's what this interview was all about.

LIN: David Remnick, also very fascinating article in The New Yorker. You really captured a side -- a vigorous side to the president in his post White House days. Appreciate your time tonight.

REMNICK: Thank you.

LIN: So we want to hear from you. Tonight's last call, what do you think about former President Clinton's comments? Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620. We're going to air some of your responses later this hour.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Iraq is making the world less safe. We should -- the president should not be saying we're turning to corner in Iraq.

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LIN: Intelligence on Iraq and insurgents, not a pretty picture.

Also like father, like son, not. A relationship run amuck and the dad's still running.

And one year ago, it looked like doomsday. But tomorrow's another day for New Orleans, the Superdome. Stay right here in the NEWSROOM.

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LIN: We love to see what our viewers are most interested in. So this is what you've been clicking on most at CNN.com. First, our most popular. It's his story, and he's sticking to it. A French journalist defends his assertion that Osama bin Laden is dead.

Meantime, former President Clinton minces no words with a Fox TV interviewer over his administration's efforts to get bin Laden. Clinton even pointed out what he called the anchor's clever smirk.

And why do good toys make people do bad things? Take a look at this next -- OK, you saw Elmo last week, right? Well, the demand for this hyper ticklish Elmo sparked a buying frenzy.

Now this isn't funny. Somebody actually pulled a gun. These stories and the whole day's news. You can shake your head. Just go to -- just type your fingertips and go to CNN.com.

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LIN: A leaked intelligence report about the U.S. war on terror reaches a troubling conclusion, that the war in Iraq has increased the threat of terrorism. Now Democrats are trumpeting the findings, but the White House says the leak is only part of the story.

Our White House correspondent Elaine Quijano has more.

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ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The stories appeared on the front pages of "The New York Times and The Washington Post," outlining conclusions selectively leaked from a classified national intelligence estimate dealing partly with Iraq.

The estimate, completed in April, cites the Iraq war and insurgence as the main recruiting vehicle for new Islamic extremists. Yet former deputy CIA director John McLaughlin, who has not seen the estimate, says the information is sobering but not surprising.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: Frankly, I didn't find a lot new in this press article. We've known for months that the movement is decentralizing. It's clear that Iraq is a major problem, and that the only real question is what do you about Iraq at this point?

QUIJANO: Six weeks away from congressional midterm elections, Democrats are using the leaked report to argue that Republicans have mismanaged Iraq and the larger war on terror.

REP. JANE HARMAN (D-CA), INTELLIGENCE CHAIRWOMAN: Even capturing the remaining top al Qaeda leadership isn't going to prevent copycat cells and it isn't going to change a failed policy in Iraq.

QUIJANO: But Republican Senator John McCain, who just last week reached a compromise with the White House after a public rift over detainee legislation, says success in Iraq is still crucial.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: They didn't need any encouragement to attack us on September 11th. These people are after us anyway and we've got to win the war both psychologically, as well as militarily. QUIJANO: And in a rare occurrence, Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, weighted into the political debate saying, quote, "the estimate highlights the importance of the outcome in Iraq on the future of global jihadism, judging that should the Iraqi people prevail in establishing a stable political and security environment, the jihadists will be perceived to have failed."

(on camera): In a statement, a White House official reiterated the administration's policy of not commenting on classified documents. But in a sign of the high political stakes, this official did go on to comment, saying that "The New York Times" characterization of the intelligence estimate was not representative of the complete document.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Another explosive debate in the U.S. war on terror -- the treatment and legal status of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A delegation from the International Red Cross arrives at Gitmo tomorrow morning.

Now earlier, I spoke with Red Cross spokesman Simon Schorno.

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LIN: So if a prisoner tells you that they have been tortured and abused, what's the intervention there then?

SIMON SCHORNO, INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS: Well, first of all, we try to understand where the abuse took place and if it did take place, and the kind of treatments that might have taken place. And then we discuss our findings with the authorities, in this case DOD. And we will follow up the file case by case and try to...

LIN: How do you follow it up? What if the DOD says well, they're lying? You know, that didn't happen.

SCHORNO: Well, you know, for us it's a long-term process. The process of dialogue with authorities in detention is a really difficult one. I'm not saying this is...

LIN: Well, in this case, I mean, there's a political overtone. They have every incentive in the world to make the United States look bad.

SCHORNO: Sure, but again, you know, we are professional. For us, we do listen to the point of view given by the authorities. We have our own observations. And again, we've done this for years all over the world. And then we bring in also the perspective that they need.

So our sources trusted by the American government, by the authorities to do this work because it does it professionally and is able to bring this professional clinical approach, if you will, to this work in order to bring information to the government that might also be useful for -- to the government.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

You might say California burning, north of Los Angeles at least. Winds are slightly calmer, but still high and lots of watering from planes and helicopters have won firefighters the upper hand at least for now.

The edge of this brush fire was creeping toward Ohigh, California. And last we heard, it was about 40 percent contained. It's already scorched 127,000 acres. But hopefully weather conditions will keep working in the firefighters' favor. Nobody knows that better than Jacqui Jeras at the CNN Weather Center.

Jacqui, this is a time of year with those hot, dry, desert winds blow out towards the ocean. And it's really catching in that area of Ohigh, California.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. Those Santa Annas have been quite strong throughout the weekend. The offshore winds that you were mentioning were quite strong today. And we even saw some wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour.

Now the winds have been calming down as we approach the evening hours here. And what's going to be happening is these weather systems are going to be shifting eastward a little bit, at the same time this low out in the open waters will be getting closer.

Winds rotate counterclockwise around low pressure. So we'll watch for the winds to shift to the southwest gradually tomorrow. And what that's going to do more than anything is bring an increase in humidity. And so that certainly should help the situation.

Too much humidity, too much moisture was the big story across parts of the east this weekend. Just tremendous flash flooding across the Ohio and Tennessee River Valleys. Today, it's across parts of the southeast -- whoops, sorry about that -- across parts of the southeast and to the northeast. Has been causing major travel delays. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Carol, almost four-hour arrival delays. Four -- that's two movies.

LIN: Two movies?

JERAS: Sitting there waiting for your flight.

LIN: Yes.

JERAS: We'll have more flights for tomorrow.

LIN: Happy meals for the kids. Keep them happy. All right, thanks, Jacqui.

JERAS: OK. LIN: All right, did you know that the Army uses video games to recruit new soldiers? Well, one man thinks using fantasy to lure young men to war just plain stinks. So we're going to show you his unusual form of protest in 20 minutes.

But first, a reality check on the real war. Death takes no holiday in Iraq. That's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Muslims in Indonesia are among the one billion people observing the holy month of Ramadan. Now Ramadan is a time for worship and reflection. It includes a daily fast from dusk to dawn.

But in Baghdad, raging violence has changed the way people there observe Ramadan. As CNN's Arwa Damon reports, it's no longer a time marked by public celebrations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the last Thursday before Ramadan, a wedding guest commented that it was celebrations like these that would eventually change the tide in Iraq.

ALI HUSSEIN, DR., BAGHDAD UNIVERSITY (through translator): The terrorists have to understand all those that are detonating themselves, let them look to Thursday, see someone getting married. See a man with his bride. They will remember humanity.

DAMON: But far from any act of humanity, the first Ramadan weekend brought more familiar Iraqi sites. Ramadan is normally a month of kindness and peace, a time of compassion. As residents here try to salvage what they can from the aftermath of one of the attacks, frustration quickly turns into anger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): All the government cares about is their position. And it's the poor people trying to make a living who pay the price. And this is a happy Ramadan?

DAMON: These images now common, seared into Iraqis' minds keep many at home, away from crowds.

During better times, this popular Baghdad marketplace would be packed with people. Now Iraqis only hit the streets out of necessity. This market place has been hit before, so it's not hard to imagine what a single bomb here can do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Ramadan used to be fun, families shopping. Now with no security, it's just like every other day in Iraq -- bombs and death.

DAMON: Shop owners have noticed a significant change from Ramadan's past. Each Ramadan, the shopping is less and less, he says.

(on camera): Normally, the streets during Ramadan would be filled with people. Large gatherings to break the fast, even parties. But this year due to the ongoing violence, many Iraqis will remain where they feel safest -- in the relative security of their own homes.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: We all know that war is not a game, but one man is pushing that point to the limit. Coming up later this hour, find out how he's using the Army's online recruiting game to do it.

And much more to come in our next half hour. The dad who got a get out of jail free card.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think you could ever forgive him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Forgive him, probably not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: His son speaks out on lost love.

Also, former President Bill Clinton, his fiery remarks, your reaction. It's tonight's last call. What do you think about Clinton's comments? Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: And now, the headlines tonight and tomorrow. Former President Bill Clinton on the defensive over whether he tried to stop Osama bin Laden. In a contentious interview with Fox News, Clinton emphatically stated he did more to go after bin Laden than his critics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: But at least I tried. That's the difference in me and some, including all the right wingers who are attacking me now. They ridicule me for trying. They have eight months to try. They did not try.

I tried. So I tried and failed. When I failed, I left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy and the best guy in the country, Dick Clarke, who got demoted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: And there's more speculation tonight over reports that bin Laden is dead. Saudi Arabia has now issued the same statement as France. They say that there's no evidence to confirm that bin Laden died. The French government is investigating a leak that apparently prompted a newspaper to publish the claim. An intelligence report indicates the war in Iraq has escalated terrorism. But the Bush administration says "The New York Times" isn't telling the whole story. The paper obtained a classified document that hasn't been released to lawmakers yet. It's stirring a bipartisan firestorm on Capitol Hill.

And Houston police blame federal agents for an officer's death. An illegal immigrant is charged with shooting officer Rodney Johnson during a routine traffic stop. The suspect had apparently been deported but returned to Texas. The police chief says if federal agents had done their job Johnson would be alive today.

And Majority Leader Bill Frist is urging the Senate to vote on a scaled-down immigration bill. Instead of legislation that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens, this measure focuses on border security. But Frist admits he doesn't expect it to pass before the November election.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do have a winning check ready to go.

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LIN: Now, no one has come forward just yet, but there's a lottery ticket worth $200 million out there somewhere. The drawing was last night. The winning ticket was purchased at a convenience store outside Des Moines. This is the sixth time the winning ticket has been sold in Iowa.

And now it's your turn to choose the news. Just 30 minutes ago we asked you to send us your questions regarding stories you haven't seen covered in the media. So here's your "Flash Feedback."

Katherine Hague wanted to know more about two big stories from earlier this week, the coup in Thailand and the violence in Hungary.

Well, Katherine, the military leaders of Thailand's coup have given a new committee the power to seize the assets of politicians and their families. The committee will also investigate alleged wrongdoing by the deposed prime minister.

Now, in Hungary, several thousands gathered in a Budapest square today to once again demand that the prime minister there resign. But the crowd was a lot smaller than the ones we saw earlier this week. The protest began when a videotape surfaced. It showed the prime minister admitting that he lied to win reelection.

And we have learned that those three children found dead in Illinois were apparently drowned. That is according to early autopsy reports. Police found the bodies stuffed in a washer and dryer at their home, but a coroner says that the children were killed somewhere else. The mother's body was discovered Thursday, and her autopsy suggests that she was still alive when her unborn baby was cut from her womb.

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CAPT. CRAIG KOEHLER, ILLINOIS STATE POLICE: I have children of my own, and all of these investigators have children of their own. So it's a very emotional time for all of our departments and the families involved in this case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: A family friend has been arrested. She is charged with two deaths and is expected to be charged with the others.

Now, you may remember this next story, a 16-year-old boy in dire need of a kidney transplant. His father, a perfect donor match, lands a temporary get-out-of-jail card to save his son. But instead, he saves himself and goes on the lam.

Well, tonight the son speaks out to CNN's Susan Candiotti.

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DESTIN PERKINS, KIDNEY RECIPIENT: See what I mean?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like any new golfer, Destin Perkins admits he needs some work on his swing.

PERKINS: I shanked it.

CANDIOTTI: But for him that's not what playing golf is all about.

PERKINS: It's just fun. Especially when you've got your friends with you, it makes it a lot of fun.

CANDIOTTI: Fun is not what Destin was having last winter. The 16-year-old was badly in need of a kidney transplant. And the man he counted on for help, skipped out on him.

(on camera): Do you think you could ever forgive him?

PERKINS: Forgive him, probably not. That's a pretty bad thing that he did to me.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): That he, is Destin's own father. U.S. marshals call by Destin's dad, Byron Perkins, the most hated man in America.

Are you any closer to catching Byron Perkins?

DEPUTY DAWN IZGARJAN, U.S. MARSHAL SERVICE: We are no closer for catching Byron Perkins or Lee Ann Howard.

CANDIOTTI: Perkins took off with his fugitive girlfriend, Lee Ann Howard, last January. He was temporarily freed from jail while awaiting a maximum life sentence so he could donate a kidney to his son. After CNN first ran the story last February, American tourists vacationing near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, told police they recognized the couple, but not before Mexican villagers say they bought Perkins' sob story that his money was stolen and were never repaid for bailing him out.

Though they've run down leads from Canada to Kansas, U.S. marshals suspect the couple is still in Mexico pulling off scams.

IZGARJAN: I don't want the public to forget about Byron Perkins and Lee Ann Howard just because Destin is doing is great right now. We need to catch him and we need to bring him and face the charges. This is my working file on Perkins and Howard.

CANDIOTTI: Authorities say they hope the publicity will generate fresh leads.

(on camera): What, do you think he'll just slip up?

IZGARJAN: Everybody makes a mistake, and he will eventually make a mistake, and we'll just wait.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Destin's mother also is waiting for that day.

ANGELA HAMMOND, DESTIN PERKINS' MOTHER: He will mess up. He always did.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Do you still love him because he's your father?

PERKINS: Yes, I love him because he's my father, but I still don't think I could forgive him. I really want him back behind bars.

CANDIOTTI: You think he should be punished?

PERKINS: Yes.

CANDIOTTI: Put behind bars?

(voice over): The person who gets credit for saving Destin Perkins? An anonymous organ donor who died in California.

(on camera): Do you think this has made you a stronger person?

PERKINS: Oh yes, I think I could probably do anything now.

CANDIOTTI (voice over): Including showing off his transplant scar that may fade faster than the emotional wounds left by his fugitive father.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Jamestown, Kentucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Waist deep in water. Jefferson County, Kentucky, got drenched with 10 inches of rain overnight, stranding people in their cars and forcing others from their homes and knocking out power for thousands. The line of storms is blamed for eight deaths in Kentucky, two in Arkansas, and two in Illinois.

Jacqui Jeras, when are they going to get a chance to just get a break in this severe weather?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, a lot better today, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Now, "Across America" tonight, protection from eminent domain? A New England woman is urging New Hampshire voters to pass a constitutional amendment. It would shield property owners from the government's power to seize property if it's in the public interest. Now, Suzette Kilo (ph) was forced to move under the new federal eminent domain decision.

In Elliott Bay, west of Seattle, a Ford Explorer carrying six teens rolled off the road into the water before dawn on Sunday and two of them were killed. The others are badly hurt. Police aren't saying if drugs or alcohol were involved, but they're sure that the SUV was traveling simply too fast.

And they're off. Sort of. Two healthy and energetic California sea lions back where they belong today thanks to volunteers at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. They've been nursing those animals back to health since June. And when they turned up on Laguna Beach dehydrated and starving, they had to help them.

And look, they look terrific today.

Now, there's a big party in New Orleans tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the Superdome, and see the improvements. It just started motivating us. And I could tell by the people working how excited they were every day by getting the improvements. So the improvements I think made us forget about some of the bad memories we've had here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: The Superdome under the superspotlight. That's coming up later.

But first, playing this U.S. Army video game you try not to get shot, but one man's goal is to get hit every time. Next, meet the art professor who's taking aim at a much bigger issue.

You're in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LIN: Well, we all know that war is not a game, but the U.S. Army turns fighting into fantasy in a series of online video games. It's a form of recruitment that draws millions of players to virtual battlefields, but one man wants potential recruits to see the realities of war. So each time he logs on he posts the names of American soldiers killed in Iraq, the dates they died, and their ages.

Joining us is Joseph DeLappe. He is chairman of the University of Nevada's art department, and he is a media artist in his own right.

Joseph, good to have you.

JOSEPH DELAPPE, MEDIA ARTIST-PROTESTER: Thank you, Carol.

LIN: So you sign on as a player, and you allow yourself to be killed in this game, right?

DELAPPE: That is correct. I log in as a passive visitor. I'm neutral. I stand still, and I simply proceed to type using the text messaging system for the game in each name in consecutive order of the soldiers who have died and the dates of their deaths.

LIN: Joseph, I want to show our audience what the screen looks like as you're playing the game so they have a sense of how you communicate with the other players there. You see the game itself, and if I can draw the audience's eye to the upper left-hand corner, you see some of the text messages there, right?

DELAPPE: Right.

LIN: That's how it works. So you're communicating with them.

So Joseph, what kind of a message are you trying to send when you type these names, the date they died, their ages? What is it that you want the other players to know?

DELAPPE: Well, I look at this project as a memorial, as a way of directly connecting on a personal level with these very real human sacrifices that are taking place in Iraq in our name. And I seek to encourage the players of the game to consider the very real cost of war, that it's not a game, and that we very much need to think carefully about what is going on.

LIN: Well, you're not preaching to the choir, are you? I mean, these gamers can get pretty nasty with you, and you've even heard from one whose friend died in Iraq.

DELAPPE: Actually, it was the brother of a soldier who had died, and he e-mailed me and asked if I would not include his brother's name in my memorial. And I e-mailed him back, I looked through my records, and I had already included his name. And I apologized, but I also told him that I'm impassioned in my belief that part of the problem today in our country is that we share -- we don't share in the sacrifice, it is only the family members who are able to mourn and consider the very real cost of what is going on. This is my way of paying tribute to them while at the same time questioning this game, the war, and what is going on.

LIN: So do you honor their sense of privacy, though, these families who don't want their loved one's name up there?

DELAPPE: You know, that's a very -- that's a very difficult question. And the more I've thought about it, again, if we only allow the family members to mourn the losses in Iraq, that's part of the problem, that we -- we have not as a nation been given an opportunity to grieve. We don't see the coffins, we don't see the funerals, we don't see the deaths.

We have no way of making any real sort of connection with what's happening to our fellow Americans. And that's -- that's why I'm doing this.

LIN: Joe, what do your -- what do your students think about what you're doing?

DELAPPE: My students are generally fairly curious about it, many of them are gamers themselves.

LIN: Have they gone on? Have you had any communication with your students online here?

DELAPPE: Not in -- not in this context, no.

LIN: Interesting. All right.

Thank you very much.

Joseph DeLappe, performance artist.

DELAPPE: Thank you.

LIN: Your students are learning a lot from you, to be sure.

Well, a symbol of outrage is now a symbol of hope.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Symbolically, this is our World Trade Center. You know, it's been resurrected, it's been rebuilt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Tomorrow's the big day for New Orleans and the Superdome. A preview next in the NEWSROOM.

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LIN: To some it may be just a "Monday Night Football" game, but for anyone sitting in the Superdome tomorrow night it will be so much more. Before the Saints ever step on to the field, New Orleans has scored a victory. An emotional championship a year in the making.

Here's CNN Sean Callebs. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The last time the Superdome opened its doors, it was a refuge of last resort, the only place for some 30,000 citizens of New Orleans to try to find shelter from Katrina. People like Delina (ph) and Leccee Coco.

LECCEE COCO, NEW ORLEANS: I was scared for our lives because I didn't know how we were going to get out of here. People saying, you know, the water's still rising. I didn't know if the water was going to come in here.

CALLEBS: Now the city is trying to purge the horrific memories of the aftermath of Katrina. Following a $185 million facelift, the Superdome is reopening in grand fashion: a nationally televised game between the New Orleans Saints and arch rival Atlanta Falcons.

DOUG THORNTON, GENERAL MANAGER, SUPERDOME: There were a lot of folks who had written us off, didn't think the dome would ever reopen. But it's going to be a very proud moment on Monday night.

CALLEBS: But make no mistake, one night of lights, camera, action doesn't mean this city is anywhere near whole again. City leaders have no plan for repopulating New Orleans or rebuilding neighborhood devastated when levees gave way.

But the volunteer spirit is helping out where residents say government at all levels failed them. The bands U2 and Green Day will perform a new song called "The Saints Are Coming" before the game, a way rock stars are helping out this city's down and out musicians.

DAVID "THE EDGE" EVANS, U2: You know, there's a lot of people concentrating on rebuilding the bricks and mortar, as it were, the body of the city, but we feel that music is the spirit and the heart and the soul of the city, so that's what we're trying to work on.

CALLEBS: Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong knows the world will be watching on Monday.

BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, GREEN DAY: I don't know. I think I might have a heart attack. I'm not really sure.

CALLEBS: A year ago this city was in ruins, and no one knew if the Superdome would ever reopen.

THORNTON: This building I think is good for the psyche of New Orleans. Symbolically, this is our World Trade Center. It's been resurrected, it's been rebuilt.

CALLEBS: And a symbolic moment that shows if even oh so slowly, New Orleans is taking steps in a long march toward normalcy.

Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LIN: CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" will be live from New Orleans bright and early tomorrow morning. You can watch Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien starting at 6:00 a.m. Eastern.

OK. "Flash Feedback" time. We asked and you answered.

Judy writes in, "Why is the price of crude coming down?"

Well, Judy, several forces are combining to drive crude oil prices down. A big one is BP's announcement that output at Alaska's Prudhoe Bay is about to restart, and that will add about 150,000 barrels a day to the American supply.

Another involves international relations, which as you know has had a real impact on all markets. Crude prices fall to a six-month low in New York a few days ago after Iran's president said he may consider holding talks on his nuclear program. Fear of an oil supply disruption from the Middle East was making investors nervous and keeping prices up.

Thanks for the e-mail.

A check of the hour's headlines after the break, but first your responses to our "Last Call" question. What do you think of former president Bill Clinton's comments on the hunt for Osama bin Laden?

Here's what you had to say.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CALLER: Tom, from Elizabeth. I think he seemed very angry -- I never saw him that angry -- and very aggressive.

CALLER: This is Irene (ph) from Austin, Texas, and I think President Clinton's comments are very insightful. I was really impressed with his -- his ability to put such complicated issues in such clear perspective.

CALLER: This is Helen (ph) from Castle Rock, Colorado. I think President Clinton had some valid points about going after bin Laden, but I think he totally blew it when he accused the questioner of smirking at him.

CALLER: Lynn (ph) from Russellville, Arkansas. I think Clinton is right on target. I think we need more talk like that. I think that he is intelligent and articulate, and I miss that.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": Ed Zander is the CEO of Motorola, which is one of America's foremost technology companies. He came in and this company turned itself around. And now what used to be a sickly company is now running on all cylinders. Ed Zander has brought excitement back to Motorola, and he created an environment where people want to succeed.

ED ZANDER, CEO, MOTOROLA: I believe in technology inasmuch as your revenue and profits and your products as if you were your customer can really engage in dialogue around thought. It is just an incredible -- incredible vantage versus your competition.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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