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Foley Scandal Worries Some GOP; China, Japan Condemn Possible North Korean Nuclear Tests; Violence in Iraq Claims 3 U.S. Soldiers

Aired October 08, 2006 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We'll start with the Foley scandal.
Here's what we know. A former House aide will testify this week about his efforts to stop Mark Foley's advances toward boys in the House page program. Kirk Fordham, who worked for Foley, says he reported the problem years ago to House speaker Dennis Hastert's top aide.

A House Republican close to the scandal maybe sinking in the polls. New York's Tom Reynolds now trails his opponent by 13 points, according to a Newsday survey. Yesterday in a TV ad, Reynolds apologized that more wasn't done to stop Foley's contacts with teenage boys.

An unnamed U.S. soldier in Iraq has attack talked to the FBI about Foley. His soldier served as a page on Capitol Hill.

We'll start our coverage on the Foley scandal with CNN's Dana Bash live from Washington -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

Well, a Republican congressional aide who says he warned the House speaker's top aide about Mark Foley's inappropriate behavior towards pages, expects to testify before the House Ethics Committee this coming week.

Kirk Fordham's attorney tells CNN that Forham will tell the panel under oath what he has been saying publicly, that the speaker's chief of staff, Scott Palmer, knew about Foley's worrisome conduct long before the speaker's office admits that they knew about this.

Now, in fact, sources familiar with Fordham's account of events tells CNN he was so concerned about Foley's behavior, he arranged a meeting with Foley and Palmer sometime in or before 2003 in order to show Foley they were serious about making him stop his inappropriate conduct with pages.

Now, Palmer's only response so far has been, quote, what Kirk Fordham says did not happen. And the speaker's spokesman simply says that the standards committee is investigating the matter and will determine the real facts.

Now, that will be the challenge for the Ethics Committee over the next few weeks -- is there documentary evidence, e-mails, calendar entries or witness that is could provide -- that the speaker's chief of staff really did try to raise concerns with Foley as Kirk Fordham is alleging, Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And Dana, it was all the talk on all the Sunday shows today exactly what was being said across the board?

BASH: Well, you know, that could really be answered pointing to one last-minute change in the lineup this morning. Congressman Tom Reynolds, Republican of New York, abruptly canceled a long-planned TV appearance this morning, a day after airing a stunning ad in his Buffalo district, insisting he told the House speaker about a questionable e-mail from Foley to a former male page and saying he was sorry in that ad.

But this morning, Republicans did their best to rally around the embattled House speaker and try to shift the discussion to the issues. But many admitted that will be hard and this whole scandal will hurt them on election day, one month from now.

WHITFIELD: Dana Bash, thanks so much.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM PUTNAM, (R) FLORIDA: I can think of about three seats that are under a little more heat now as a result of the fallout from the Foley scandal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, Republicans also did continue to blame Democrats, alleging that Democrats actually knew about this for some time, but held the information in order to make a bigger splash closer to election day.

Now the Democrat in charge of getting fellow Democrats elected, Congressman Rahm Emmanuel said he never saw any Foley e-mails, but he also did not say he wasn't aware of them -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dana, thank you so much, from Washington.

The Foley scandal could turn into political poison for Republicans on election day, just four weeks away. CNN's Mary Snow, part of the best political team in television, is gauging just how angry conservative voters are about all of this. She joins us now from Norfolk.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Fredricka, to gauge that anger we came from the northern tip of the Bible Belt here in Norfolk, also neighboring Virginia Beach, home of Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network. And also this is a large military community, the Norfolk Naval Base is here. And Christian conservatives are being looked at, because some Republican strategists believe that they perhaps may sit out voting this November to send a message because of their disappointment in Washington politics.

Now, churchgoers we spoke with this morning, some of them said they are undecided in a closely watched race here in the second district, and this is between incumbent Congresswoman Thelma Drake. She is already facing a tough challenge, and the Foley scandal could not have come at a worse time for her in this race.

Her Democratic challenger, Phil Kellam, this week began reairing an ad that once aired this summer. And it particularly talks about protecting children from sexual content on the Internet.

Now, will the Foley scandal have a big impact on this race? Both candidates have a different opinion about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. THELMA DRAKE, (R) VIRGINIA: Certainly, because Mark Foley did something wrong doesn't mean that Thelma Drake had anything to do with that. I'm a mother. I'm a grandmother. And I absolutely believe anyone that had that information and did not act immediately to protect our children is wrong and needs to be dealt with.

PHIL KELLAM, (D) CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: It's already having a tremendous impact. I think that people throughout the second district and certainly people that I've talked to at work, at church, around the community, are concerned about this. They're concerned about this culture of corruption in Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Now, while the impact remains to be seen, both candidates were questioned about the Foley scandal on the campaign trail this week. And as far as the Christian conservative voters we spoke with this morning, who say that they traditionally vote Republican, some of them said that while they do believe that they will show up at polling places, because they say they feel it's their Christian duty to do so, a number of them also expressed disappointment overall with the way things are going in Washington -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Mary Snow, thank you so much, in Norfolk.

And we'll have much more on the Foley scandal a bit later, including the thoughts of CNN Bill Schneider and political analysis from Ron Brownstein as well.

For the latest on the Foley story and other political news, log in to CNN's political ticker at CNN.com/ticker.

Our other big story, North Korea's threat to test nuclear weapons. Today, Japan and China sent their Asian neighbor a strong message. They said a North Korean nuclear test cannot be tolerated.

CNN's Kathleen Koch is standing by at the White House with more on that -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, that's certainly a promising development in this continuing standoff over North Korea's nuclear program. Estranged neighbors Japan and China holding their first summit, their first one on one talks in five years. The countries' estranged neighbors, showing a united front in their insistence that North Korea abandon its nuclear program.

Of course, China can potentially play a very, very critical role here, because it provides food, energy and more to North Korea and thus should have some significant leverage.

Other developments, word that North Korea informed China that it may stop its threatened nuclear test if the U.S. agrees to one-on-one talks. But the White House so far continues to refuse. A spokesperson saying, quote, "our position on bi-lateral talks is clear, we continue to encourage North Korea to party in six-party talks."

A senior U.S. lawmaker, though, warned that now, in particular, the U.S. should reconsider its position and engage directly with Pyongyang.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHINZO ABE, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (through translator): We can never tolerate a nuclear test by North Korea. At the summit meeting today, we saw eye to eye that both our countries can not tolerate this.

And this, by itself, is a strong message to North Korea. As I mentioned earlier, North Korea should return. China will exercise its influence on North Korea to return to six-party talks without any condition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: That, of course, was not the sound bite from Senator Joe Biden. However, it was an expression of the resolve of both China and Japan that North Korea abandon its nuclear program.

Their concern is that North Korea might launch a test as soon as today -- experts pointing out that it often does choose special holidays, significant events such as this summer, on July 4th when it launched some seven missiles. So, there was speculation that today, the ninth anniversary of Korean -- North Korean leader's Kim Jong-il's appointment as head of the Korean worker's party that they might take some action today.

But Fredricka, so far, there have been no reports of any evidence of any sort of test whatsoever. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kathleen at the White House, thank you so much.

KOCH: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Discouraging, even shocking words out of Afghanistan now on this fifth anniversary of the start of Operation: Enduring Freedom. The commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan said today he would understand if many Afghans shift their allegiance back to the Taliban. The reason? He says it's the failure of international forces to deliver what's needed and promised improvements. Now to Iraq where the military says three U.S. soldiers and three marines were killed in separate attacks over the weekend. U.S. military launched an overnight raid south of Baghdad and sectarian violence continued to rage.

CNN's Arwa Damon has the latest from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heavy fighting broke out in the southern city of Diwani (ph), about 90 miles south of the capital Baghdad and a known Mehdi militia stronghold. That is the Shia militia loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al Sadr.

The U.S. military saying that they were launching a raid alongside with Iraqi security forces into the area looking for a high- value target. As they entered the area overnight on Saturday, they say they came under heavy small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire.

The U.S. military saying that they were attacked by at least ten of these rocket-propelled grenade firing squads. They say they destroyed six of them in the fighting thereafter. They say at least 30 suspected terrorists were killed.

They say that they detained this high-value target that they were looking for. He is believed to have been responsible for the murder of Iraqi army soldiers back on August 28th.

Now on August 28th, what happened was that insurgents overran the Iraqi police stations. They were driving out the Iraqi police, who then called in for Iraqi army backup, heavy fighting erupted.

Again, at that point in time back in August, fighting there killed at least 23 Iraqi army soldiers over 38 suspected insurgents.

Following those attacks, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense did send down two additional Iraqi army brigades.

Now, this is, again, a stronghold for the Mehdi militia. Of course, the issue of disarming the militias is one of the greater challenges that the Iraqi army faces, coming under heavy criticism to not taking specific active action to disarm these militias.

Violence, again, erupting across Iraq over the weekend. At least 23 Iraqis were killed over 60 wounded, violence stretching from Tala'ba (ph) all the way south through Salahudin (ph), Dialla (ph) Province and in the capital Baghdad.

And in Baghdad, Iraqi emergency police saying that over the weekend they found at least 75 bodies.

All of this, of course, as U.S. and Iraqi forces are continuing operations to try to bring stability to this country and a growing sense of despair amongst the Iraqi population.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD:: October has been a rough month all the way around in Iraq. Nineteen U.S. soldiers have died there this month alone. So, what now? Is the U.S. military strategy simply failing?

We spoke to our military analysts -- Generals James Marks and Don Sheppard to get their advice.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEN. JAMES MARKS (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: What we need to do is concentrate the forces in that area where the attacks are predominant and do what's called an economy of force or minimize our presence elsewhere. That fundamentally is called an oil-stained strategy. And what that means is you work the problem from the inside out in several selected areas.

GEN. DON SHEPPARD (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: To win, we've got to go to head to head with the militias. We have to clear Sadr City. And after we clear Sadr City, we really have to continue to put pressure on the Iraqi forces to take on more of the load and fight these militias.

These are really, really difficult times in Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Tune in starting at 5:00 eastern. More of the generals' advice on how to win the war in Iraq.

And at 10:00 pm Eastern, Carol Lin will have an exclusive interview with the former coalition forces spokesman in Iraq.

Still ahead, what do Democrats and Republicans have to do to win in November?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: If conservatives are embarrassed by the congressional scandals, a lot of them could stay home, just as they did after Watergate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: How the Foley fallout will affect both parties.

And why did the man who wants to terminate Arnold blast Bush six times in a debate? You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

WHITFIELD: The mid-term elections just a month away. And our look at how America votes begins with the governor's race in California. And despite Governor Schwarzenneger's bipartisan popularity, his Democratic opponent seeks out vulnerabilities.

Our Chris Lawrence has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was billed as Arnold Schwarzenneger versus Phil Angelides.

PHIL ANGELIDES, (D) CA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: And next year if Governor Schwarzenneger is reelected, I can guarantee you education will be cut, like he cut it before.

LAWRENCE: California's Democratic state treasurer versus its sitting Republican governor.

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, (R) CALIFORNIA: Look out there right now and just say I love increasing your taxes. Just say it.

LAWRENCE: But Angelides's strategy involved another Republican.

ANGELIDES: You sound like George Bush attacking me on taxes. It's just like the ones in Washington under George Bush.

LAWRENCE: Angelides mentioned the president at least six times.

SCHWARZENEGGER: During the most incredible decline of our economy just a few years ago, you were part of that. Your were the treasurer.

ANGELIDES: No. Well, your policies are the Bush policies. And I prefer Clinton to Bush any day.

SCHWARZENEGGER: Don't talk about Bush. Because if you want to do that, go to Iowa, have the debate in Iowa OK.

LAWRENCE: You went to Ohio, governor. I didn't. You stood with President Bush and you helped him get reelected.

LAWRENCE: But will voters truly link Schwarzenneger with Bush?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Polling data, tracking data indicates it's not resonating with the voters. It's a strategy they're following.

LAWRENCE: Voters say their top concerns are education and illegal immigration. Schwarzenneger and Angelides battled over tuition increases and school funding, but they have somewhat similar immigration policies which left other issues to attack.

ANGELIDES: Who can you trust next year to do the right thing? For three years, Arnold Schwarzenneger was very consistent. Only in the last 60 days has he sought to save his own job, has he tried to move to the middle, so to speak.

SCHWARZENEGGER: You are now ready to go in there again and promise the people everything and then increase the taxes.

ANGELIDES: No.

LAWRENCE: It was the first and only meeting between the two men before voters get the last word.

(on camera): Chris Lawrence, CNN, Sacramento.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD:: Florida Governor Jeb Bush found out just how tough it is to campaign in the Keystone State. The president's brother reportedly had to retreat into a Pittsburgh subway station closet to avoid anti-Republican demonstrators. Governor Bush wasn't hurt. Police had to use stun guns on a couple of the protesters who were chanting "Jeb go home." Bush was there supporting Rick Santorum's reelection campaign.

From local politics to national elections, our political guru joins me to talk about the ripple effect of the Foley scandal, how it may impact the GOP.

Also, one of the Kremlin's most outspoken critics killed in cold blood, a dogged and admired investigative journalist in Moscow. Was this a political hit?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Fearless and uncompromising: words often used to describe a Russian investigative journalist, gunned down this weekend in Moscow. Her death has sparked outrage among Russians who believe she was targeted in a political hit.

CNN's Matthew Chance reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Grainy images of a man police say could be the killer of one of the Kremlin's most outspoken critics. Captured on closed circuit television cameras, few believe he was anything more than a hired gun.

Anna Politkovskaya, a prominent Russian journalist, was found slumped in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building, shot four times in the head and chest. Prosecutors say it looks like a contract killing linked to her work.

A determined investigative reporter and a fierce critic of President Vladamir Putin, Anna made powerful enemies. Her reporting of Russia's war in Chechnya was relentless. She was one of the only independent Russian journalists who continued to travel there, exposing human rights abuses despite the risks.

Each time I return from Chechnya I appreciate my life, she says. I love my life, because it can be finished at any time. On occasion, Anna stepped outside the role of journalist, negotiating with Chechen militants who took hundreds of hostages in a Moscow theater in 2002.

In 2004, during the Beslan school siege, she believed she had been poisoned to prevent her from covering what turned out to be a fiasco, with more than 330 killed.

As the mother of two, she spent periods of time outside Russia to protect her family from death threats. She often spoke to colleagues about what she believed was the official campaign of intimidation against her.

PAVEL FELGENHAUER, JOURNALIST: Putin's Russia is an authoritarian aggressive dictatorship where people who are trying to write real journalism are constantly under threat.

CHANCE: But till the end, Anna continued to report. Her recent work was sharply critical of the Kremlin-backed administration in Chechnya and the militia controlled by its controversial prime minister.

(on camera): Tributes are pouring in for Anna Politkovskaya, a woman of enormous courage in a country where, as she often reported, the powerful operate above the law. As a journalist who tried to hold the powerful to account, she knew very well the risks that she was taking, but had a passionate belief in her duty not to give in, a belief that eventually that cost her her life.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Coming up next, Republican anxiety just 30 days away from election day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: This year, conservatives are not just embarrassed, many of them are angry over government spending and a big new prescription drug program and the failure to win a decisive victory in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And then there's the Foley scandal. So, what can the GOP do to win?

And what winning is really all about through the eyes of a boy with rods in his back and a strength in his soul.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Bottom of the hour. Now in the news, another bloody weekend in Iraq. The latest round of insurgent attacks targeting police and the military have left 16 people dead and 40 more wounded. Police also found 15 bullet-riddled bodies across Baghdad.

Tensions are escalating in the Korean Peninsula as speculation grows that North Korea may conduct a nuclear test. Today, North Korea's state-run media is reporting that U.S. troops in South Korea are preparing for war against Chong Yang (ph).

The recent rash of school shootings is prompting President Bush to hold a conference on student safety. Tuesday, the president will meet with educators and law enforcement and joining the president will be education secretary Margaret Spellings, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the first lady, Laura Bush.

And Iowa meat company says the federal government got it wrong. Its ground beef is safe. Jim's Market & Locker voluntarily recalled 5200 pounds of ground beef over concerns of possible E. Coli contamination. There had been no reports of illnesses associated with the recalled beef.

The Foley fallout, from the White House to the water cooler, just about everyone is talking about it. The question is, will personal outrage translate into losses for the GOP? Our Bill Schneider checks the political pulse of the Republican base.

SCHNEIDER: Republicans are afraid their base could abandon them, just as it did in the Watergate mid-term of 1974.

PAUL WEYRICH, FREE CONGRESS FOUNDATION: Reagan's pollster Dick Worthlane (ph) coined the term the embarrassed Republican vote and he mentioned that because the Democrats won this huge landslide in 1974, only the vote for them was the same as it was four years earlier in 1970, the difference being the extraordinary drop-off of Republicans.

SCHNEIDER: This year, conservatives are not just embarrassed. Many of them are angry over government spending and a big new prescription drug program, and the failure to win a decisive victory in Iraq.

RICHARD VIGUERIE, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL CONSULTANT: It is certainly appears to be like the final nail in the coffin for six years, the conservatives have gotten basically lip service from this administration. They've been used and abused.

SCHNEIDER: Republicans are totally dependent on the conservative vote. Here's why. CNN's polls show liberals voting solidly Democratic. Republicans have lost the middle. Moderates favor Democrats by nearly 2-1. More than 60 percent of conservatives still plan to vote Republican. But nearly a third of them say they'll support the Democrat. If conservatives are embarrassed by the congressional scandals a lot of them could stay home, just as they did after Watergate. The White House hopes they'll put the scandal aside.

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Come election day, the question is whether people are going to be voting on the basis of disgusting IM's between a grown man and a young man or something that is probably more important to everybody, which is safety, security and prosperity. SCHNEIDER: Don't know yet, but expert's say a lot of new races could be in play that were not in play a week ago.

STUART ROTHENBERG, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: And I think the biggest question is could there be a whole set of seats that we haven't been looking at? That focuses on Republicans and missteps and misdeeds suddenly come into play in the next few weeks. I think it's likely there are races that, right now, we can't even identify.

SCHNEIDER: That rumbling noise you hear may be the political landscape shifting. Those people running for cover, they're Republicans.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider, part of the best political team on television. Joining us now with more on how the Foley scandal could affect the upcoming elections, political analyst Ron Brownstein. Good to see you Ron.

RON BROWNSTEIN, POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well this learning out of Bill's piece many conservatives either voting for Democrats or staying home all together, how do you see it?

BROWNSTEIN: Well I think there's a risk for Republicans of depressing the conservative base with this kind of scandal, especially since so much of that base is now driven by social issues. But I actually don't think that's biggest threat to them. You know this comes at the end of two years as Bill suggested in which the Republican Congress has labored under a very low approval rating, especially with independent voters.

I think in the end, that is probably the bigger risk; it is not that Americans are going to say that Republicans are especially morally corrupt. I think Americans understand that human frailty is pretty evenly distributed along the partisan and ideological spectrum. But that this Congress has simply from the beginning, whether it was Terry Schiavo, Jack Abramoff, Tom Delay, they have a whole series of Social Security reform that was -- ran very poorly in the polls. They had a whole series of events in which they seem not to be getting the public's business done. This is just one more brick on that load; I think that may be the biggest risk.

WHITFIELD: So you see this as being a response to the GOP leadership as a whole, not necessarily because of the latest Foley flap?

BROWNSTEIN: I mean the context for this scandal is a Congress that was suffering under the lowest approval ratings that Congress has had since 1994. And we all know what happened to the party of power in 1994, the Democrats they suffered an historic loss, losing both chambers of Congress, losing control of the house for the first time in 40 years.

So yes, there is a backdrop to this. When you look at the kind of districts that are in play, a lot of them are swing suburban voters, who I think this is going to weigh very heavily with. Not so much on a moral, morality issue as an accountability issue. And is Congress really, have they become arrogant, insular? Those are the kinds of questions that I think these Republicans members are going to have to face down in the next few weeks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's zero in on the Foley scandal for a moment and talk about this former aide, Kirk Fordham, who will be testifying before the House Ethics Committee as well as being questioned by the feds. Worst and best case scenarios about what exactly he might say?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, the best case scenario for the Republicans is that it simply becomes a he said, he said dispute with aides and speaker Hastert's office about who was informed when. The worst case is as was suggested in articles over the weekend that other aides will confirm that Mr. Fordham warned the speaker's office years ago that there were concerns about Representative Foley's behavior, which would obviously raise more questions about the way they reacted in the fall of 2005 when they were presented with those e-mails. That would be the worst case, because it would reinforce the suggestion that they were looking the other way for fear of political consequences.

WHITFIELD: Are the Democrats seizing on this? Are they exploiting it at all in any way?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, well Democrats are using it obviously in advertising already. You know, you have to be careful there. I don't think that the average voter in Indiana or Iowa is going to say that their representative is somehow culpable for this. I think what it does is reinforce a time for a change message, a sense, as I said, if you look at the whole series of events over these two years where there was Abramoff, Delay, Terry Schiavo, Social Security, there is a great deal of unease about the directions Congress has set and this kind of reinforces the sense that perhaps they have grown more concerned about the partisan interest than the national interest.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about the top Republican, President Bush approval -- or poll approval ratings in the toilet. On average, these news organization ratings are showing about 37 percent approval rating. Is this mostly Iraq or is it something else?

BROWNSTEIN: I think it is mostly Iraq. It is very ominous, obviously, to the party in power when the president is down this low as Stu Rothenberg (ph) suggested. It puts seats in play that might not otherwise be there. This is an extraordinary position for the White House to be in. In September, they probably had their single best month since President Bush's reelection. They began to move the numbers in their direction and more importantly they began to regain control of the dialogue by focusing on terrorism and 9/11.

Then a series of things happened the publication of that national intelligence estimate raising questions about whether Iraq was becoming a rallying point for terrorist recruitment around the world, the publication of Bob Woodward's book "State of Denial" and now the Foley scandal. And after all of that, after that extraordinary offensive of the president in September they are now in a weaker position than when they started and raising the question, obviously, do they have something else up their sleeve to change this national climate? If they don't, it could be a very difficult November for the Republicans.

WHITFIELD: Fascinating stuff. Ron Brownstein thanks so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Have a good week.

Still ahead, two amazing people beating the odds. First, he fought against desegregation in the '60s. Now the university that threw him out as a student invites him back as a professor.

And a child who is pushing the limits and winning everyone's heart.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Next, the amazing story of a man who made his point and got kicked out of Vanderbilt University because of it. Now 46 years later Rev. James Lawson is packing classrooms as a visiting professor at Vanderbilt. Why did it take all these years and what's the lesson for everybody involved in. Joining me now live from Nashville, Tennessee is Reverend James Lawson. Good to see you.

REVEREND JAMES LAWSON, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right. So participating in a sit-in at Vanderbilt University 46 years ago is what started all this. Really is this the first time you've been back to Vanderbilt since?

LAWSON: No it is not the first time I've been back to Vanderbilt. Actually, astonishingly, I feel that my relationship with Vanderbilt over the past 46 years have been excellent.

WHITFIELD: Really?

LAWSON: Oh, yes.

WHITFIELD: In what way? You got kicked out.

LAWSON: Yes, but that was because we were in the midst of the sit-in movement in 1959 and '60 and a couple of ardent segregationists who were on the executive committee of the board of trust I think were the pressure people, the pressure points and so I was expelled without any kind of due process. But I was not, by that expulsion hurt personally. I didn't hold anything against the chancellor or the school.

WHITFIELD: Why didn't you? LAWSON: Because I had two very good years of study in the school of theology. They were wonderful years and made lifetime friends. In addition to that, I take a radical position of Jesus, that you do not hate those who push you around and persecute you or who expel you from a university. That was my wife's point of view and that was my point of view.

We had no animosity as we were -- when we were expelled. We were surprised by it. Did not anticipate it. On the other side of the coin, we were of the mind if we wanted to desegregate downtown Nashville and we going to stay involved in that that there could be costs to it personally.

WHITFIELD: And what is interesting to is after this expulsion you went to on to Boston University where you completed divinity school and then you returned to Nashville as a pastor in the shadows of Vanderbilt University. Somewhere in your mind all that time were you thinking I do have reason to have great disappointment? I do have reason to be angry? But somehow you never found that in your heart?

LAWSON: Well, I never thought I had a point for being angry. I knew that there were risks in developing the kind of ministry that I was developing, a ministry that included the need to break down the barriers among people, not only to reconcile persons, but to reconcile the social environment and to do this from a non-violent perspective. That was as radical -- that was radical in 1960 as it is today. It was as radical today as it was in the time of Jesus, who was the one who first taught me the meaning of grace and radical and unconditional love.

WHITFIELD: So now your students there at Vanderbilt University, do you think they get it; they really get what you went through? They really get what your life lessons are? Do they hear you?

LAWSON: I have a very good class. They're really fine people. They're a real mixture of the university itself, and they are folk who have some background, they are a diverse group. Do I think they will get it? I think many of them are in the class because they recognize in the 21st century the problems have not yet been solved. The United States has to yet become a better country.

WHITFIELD: So what does it feel like for you to be back on that campus, knowing what your experience was 46 years ago and now fast forward 46 years later. You were there as a visiting professor.

LAWSON: Well, my wife and I were quite astonished. We were surprised. At the same moment, we're very excited by it. I count myself as being full of grace because I've lived long enough to be able to be invited back to the university as a whole. That in it was both scary, but it's a great opportunity for me to continue to learn. It's a new experience for me. And part of my whole life has been venturing into new occasions and new experiences.

WHITFIELD: Reverend James Lawson, I have a feeling Vanderbilt University has embraced you and certainly knows they are lucky to have you back and those students are lucky to be taught by you. LAWSON: That's very kind of you.

WHITFIELD: Well thank you so much for your time.

LAWSON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up next, meet another hero. Doctors said Chris would never walk again. He proved them very wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chris Phillips, just 4 feet, 50 pounds, with teammates by his side. He's in last place, yet first in the hearts of everyone looking on.

WHITFIELD: How this boy proved to himself and the world the meaning of the world courage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A little bit of love can go a long way. Ask Khris Phillips, a boy who doctors said would never walk, much less run. Now just watch as he dashes into your heart with his amazing story of perseverance and faith. From CNN affiliate WBIR. Here's Russell Bivens.

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RUSSELL BIVENS, WBIR (voice over): Tuesday evening sports event in West Knoxville. Hundreds of middle school cross country runners are hoping to make a name for themselves. But on this day, only one takes the spotlight. When Kris Phillips was born, doctors said he would never walk. The family took that as a challenge and at 6 years of age, little Kris had rods placed in his back. A few years later, another surgery, this time to fix a problem that was causing Kris to stop breathing. The Carnes Middle School is one of several competing in this event in Knoxville. It seems every race the crowds get bigger and bigger. While the parents are first and foremost cheering their own children on, they're also there for a sight that's almost too much to take in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gives me the chill bumps.

BIVENS: The runners cross the finish line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice job.

BIVENS: Then quickly get a spot to witness what sports are really all about. In the middle of this entourage of runners who have already finished is that little boy who doctors said would never walk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, Kris!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go, Kris!

BIVENS: Kris Phillips, just four feet, 50 pounds, with teammates by his side. He's in last place, yet first in the hearts of everyone looking on. At the finish line, something much better than any trophy or blue ribbon could provide. Kris' mother, Deb.

When you're real, real tired and that kind of thing, what keeps you inspired to keep you moving?

KRIS PHILIPS, CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER: Because my mom's there.

DEB PHILLIPS, MOTHER: Just to see him finish, it's just amazing, because this course is huge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's the best runner on the team. He has the most heart of all of us. He could inspire anybody that he talks to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't care if you're a mom, a dad, whatever. You cry. It's just the most incredible scene. It's just heartwarming.

BIVENS: In the race of life it's not always having the fastest feet that matters, but the biggest heart.

For people out there going through some hard stuff, what would you tell them?

K. PHILLIPS: To keep on going and if there's ever bad, there's always going to be a good side.

BIVENS: And sometimes the heart of a champion is shared and strengthened by the runner, his teammates and his competition.

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WHITFIELD: Not a dry eye in the house. That Kris is so cute, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: He is cute and definitely has a big heart. Fredricka, folks in western -- or eastern Virginia are breathing a sigh of relief. All the rain has moved down to the south. Folks that live on the border of North and South Carolina getting most of the heavy rainfall today. Tomorrow, it will stay there. They'll see another couple of inches and high tides today have taken away some of the beaches and a pretty good storm system moving into inner mountain west. Could see some snow in parts of Wyoming, cooler air moving down across the upper Plains as well.

A quick check of your allergy report, we do have some high numbers in Texas and in parts of Utah, some ragweed and sage seems to be the problem. We certainly hope you're feeling well today.

Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead in the newsroom, a new ad says aids is a disease unique to only gay people. You may be surprised when you find out who is behind that campaign.

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