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Confusion for Texas Voters; Tennessee Senate Race Gets Testy; Continued Iraq Violence; White House Working on Iraq Timetable?
Aired October 22, 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: Harold Ford looks nice. Isn't that enough?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Terrorists need their privacy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I die, Harold Ford will let me pay taxes again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Ready to rumble, the ads get nastier as the end draws near. Tonight, Tennessee Senate candidates Harold Ford and Bob Corker go head to head live on our air.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAROLD FORD: The kind of campaign he's running is really beneath voters, it's beneath the values of this great state, and it's really beneath him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Children of war, students in Iraq try to learn while dealing with death and destruction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I only remember the destruction, explosions, killings in the street, car bombs. I have no hope that Iraq will be safe again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the 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.
Let's start with the headlines. A brutal ambush of Iraqi police recruits and a bombing at an outdoor market. And now there's a report of a possible timetable for the Iraqis to take control of their country. A full update on all the day's events in Iraq is just minutes away. And a solemn ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. 242 Marines were killed in Beirut on this date back in 1983. A suicide truck bomber crashed into their barracks at dawn. Family, friends, and survivors of that terrible blast gathered today for a remembrance service.
The U.S. built it and then handed it over. Now Panama wants to make it bigger. Voters today approved a plan to spend billions widening the Panama Canal. Supporters say the project could double capacity and would pay for itself. Opponents worry Panama's poor will end up footing the bill.
The Taliban's fugitive leader says the fighting in Afghanistan is about to get much worse. In a new statement, Mullah Omar says that the surge in violence will reach a surprising level. There's a $10 million U.S. bounty on Omar's head.
Add drought to the list of problems facing people in Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands now face food shortages. And the U.N. is appealing for international aid. Farming normally accounts for more than half of the economy in Afghanistan.
Now he didn't know his own name or even where he came from. Now Jeffrey Ingram is getting his life back. His family spotted him on television. They say they last heard from him a month ago when he left on a road trip. More on this story in a little bit.
Now it may sound incredible, but Denver police say Ingram's amnesia is no act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His honesty about it. And I believe this was a medical condition. It wasn't an attempt to hide from anybody or anything going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: She had a successful film career, but most people know her as the mom on TV's "Father Knows Best." Well, actress Jane Wyatt died today. And she also appeared on Broadway and even an episode of "Star Trek". Jane Wyatt was 96.
Well, the election is a little more than two weeks away, and a lot of people think there's a lot of work left to do in Washington. A new CNN poll by Opinion Research Corporation is out, and it finds 78 percent of Americans think our system of government is broken. 22 percent, though, say it's not.
And that is the subject of our last call tonight. Is the government broken? What would you do to repair it? Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620. And we're going to air some of your responses later this hour.
Also, it's your turn to choose the news. Is there a particular story you want to hear more about? E-mail us your question at weekends@CNN.com, and we're going to get the answer to you within this hour.
A sneak attack today north of Baghdad, brutal and shocking even by Iraq standards. Two busloads of brand new police recruits hit by roadside bombs, then attacked by gunmen in the chaos that followed.
Now it happened near Baquba. And tragically, that is not the end of it. CNN's Arwa Damon has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The holiday season here so far has been marked only with violence, a brazen attack by insurgents against Iraqi police recruits traveling from the city of Baquba along a very dangerous route to Baghdad. According to security officials, they were traveling in two to three busloads, when a roadside bomb exploded hitting one of the buses. This was followed by an unknown number of armed gunmen opening fire. At least 11 police recruits were killed, at least 24 wounded.
When Iraqi police responded to the site and tried to recover the dead, another bomb detonating as well. Iraqi police finding at least 15 bombs around the bodies of those who were killed.
This follows a number of attacks in and around Baghdad, mainly targeting Iraqi civilians and busy shopping areas. It is the shopping season here right now as the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end. Those attacks killing at least 23.
And October has been a very deadly month for U.S. troops here. In fact, the deadliest month so far this year with at least 83 U.S. troops killed across the country. All of this coming as Ramadan, the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end as Iraqis prepare to celebrate the holy Muslim religious holiday of Eid.
It is normally a time of shopping, a time of joy, but here there will be very little celebration. Iraqis are turning to their government and finding it ineffective and unable to bring security and stability. And U.S. forces are right now revisiting their strategy for Iraq.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Arwa briefly mentioned those attacks on civilians today in and around Baghdad. Well, the worst of them happened in eastern Baghdad. A suicide bomber blew himself up in Baghdad's oldest and largest market. It was packed with people stocking up on sweets for this week's Islamic celebration. Six people were killed and more than 20 were hurt.
The relentless daily violence, the brink of civil war, and the highest monthly U.S. military death toll this year, it's got opponents of the Iraq War clamoring for at least a partial pullout of American troops. It's a notion the president says he's not even entertaining.
CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO (voice over): It's been part of President Bush's Iraq mantra for months.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You can't win a war if you have an artificial timetable for withdraw.
Many advocating an artificial timetable for withdrawing our troops are sincere, but I believe they're sincerely wrong.
QUIJANO: But "The New York Times," citing senior U.S. officials, reports that the Bush administration is drafting a timetable for the Iraqi government to address sectarian divisions and take on more of the country's security responsibilities. A White House spokeswoman said, "The story is not accurate," adding that "The administration is constantly developing new tactics to achieve its goal," and that4 the administration has been "coordinating with the Iraqis for months on a series of measures they can take to assume more control of their country." With the violence in Iraq showing no signs of letting up and Republicans in Congress nervous about their re-election prospects in just over two weeks, the debate over what to do next in Iraq has intensified. Against that backdrop, the pressure for the White House to change course has come from both Democrats and Republicans.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: I don't believe that a shift in tactics ought to wait until after the election. There are too many casualties there. If we have a better course we ought to adopt it sooner rather than later.
SEN. JACK REED (D), RHODE ISLAND: The strategy of the administration has failed. The strategy of clear, build and hold has not worked. It's been clear, build and wait. And while we've waited without the resources to rebuild the Iraqi economy, the insurgents have snuck back in, the sectarian militias have snuck -- snuck back in.
QUIJANO: One analyst suggests that with Democrats on the offensive over Iraq, the administration may be trying to throw vulnerable Republicans a political lifeline.
NORMAN ORNSTEIN, SCHOLAR, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: And this new announcement of sorts gives Republican candidates an ability to say they're for change without undercutting their own administration. Is politics a part of this? It always is.
QUIJANO (on camera): While the White House calls The New York Times story overwritten, on Friday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged the U.S. is working with the Iraqi government to develop a set of "projections" as to when the U.S. can hand over various security responsibilities.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LIN: In Washington, there's no shortage of disagreement with the president. Many critics believe the only way out of Iraq is to set a date and stick to it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: When the president says we'll stay as long as it takes, he allows Iraqi squabbling politicians to take as long as they want. That's what happens. So you have to set a date in order to begin to push, otherwise our soldiers are put at risk unnecessarily.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Well, it is a sign that the Iraqi people are determined to have as normal a life as possible, despite years of war and bloodshed and chaos. Elementary schools across the country are sticking to their schedules and starting classes, but CNN's Cal Perry reports they're doing so with mixed feelings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the temperature cools in Baghdad, lightning brings rain. And with the change in the weather comes a new school year, at least for some. This elementary school in Baghdad is opening its doors again, but its pupils lives are stunted by war. Image Newman (ph) remembers little else.
IMAGE NEWMAN (ph) (through translator): No, we cannot go outside because it is not safe and the situation is not good.
PERRY: You can't stop kids from playing, whatever their surroundings. And some still have the dreams of the innocent like Reham Haydar (ph).
REHAM HAYDAR (ph) (through translator): I have hope. And god willing things will get better in Iraq. There will be no explosions and no discrimination.
PERRY: Others, though, seem old beyond their years with opinions formed by three years of relentless violence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I only remember the destruction, explosions, killings in the street, car bombs. I have no hope that Iraq will be safe again. Only when the American infidels leave Iraq then everything will be better.
PERRY: Dispute their memories, these children are fortunate. Fewer and fewer Iraqi kids are getting to school because of roadblocks or because their parents fear they'll be kidnapped.
Teachers, like many Iraqi professionals, are fleeing Iraq if they can afford to. And wealthy parents are sending their older children abroad for a college education.
And across Iraq but especially around Baghdad, many children have no hope of school. 100,000 children displaced by sectarian violence according to the Iraqi Red Crescent. Living in camps life is different.
SAID I. HAKKI, DR., IRAQI RED CRESCENT SOCIETY: They left their schools, their work. And they all of a sudden move to a foreign neighborhood. And they're living in a camp instead of a house.
PERRY: From Baghdad to the triangle of death, from Fallujah to Mosul in the north, Iraq's youngest are touched by violence and suspicion. Even the spontaneous freedoms of childhood are stifled here.
Cal Perry, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, the Iraq War definitely figures into election day in two weeks. And politics is getting about as ugly as it can.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he took money from foreign movie producers. I mean, who hasn't?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Wow, we are going to talk to rivals Harold Ford, Jr. and Bob Corker in about 20 minutes. And just what do they think about this ad?
And the man called "Al" now has a new name and a new life, even though he can't remember it.
Also, if you're in doubt about throwing out the egg salad, wait two minutes. We're going to tell you what to do.
Plus, a new poll shows most people think the U.S. government is broken. Are you one of them? That's our last call question tonight. Do you think the government is broken? And what would you do to repair it? Call us at 1-800-807-2620. We're going to air some of your responses this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Here's what you're checking on on CNN.com tonight. There is more controversy over Madonna's plans to adopt a boy from the African nation of Malawi. His father now says he only wanted her to raise the child on his behalf, not actually take him away for good.
Now earlier, the father said his decision to sign adoption papers was his son's -- in his son's best interest.
Now President Bush is gently admonishing his father. Earlier this month, the elder Bush was quoted as saying he hates to think what his son's life would be like if Democrats win control of Congress next month. President Bush says, "He shouldn't be speculating like this." And they're still relatively virus free, but security experts say Apple computers may become the targets of more cyber attacks. Visit CNN.com for details on all those stories and many others. In the meantime, we here in the NEWSROOM will return in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Well, it was an unusual request from an unusual man. If anyone knows who I am, please let somebody know. Well, today the amnesia victim's wish came true. Police say he has a family and a name.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIN (voice-over): For weeks, he was simply known as "Al", a man without an identity and without a known past, a man without memory. He turned up in Denver where the earliest thing he recalls is waking up on a downtown sidewalk last month. What happened before that is a mystery.
JEFF INGRAM, AMNESIA VICTIM: I want my past. I want to know who I was or who I am.
LIN: Now police say the amnesia victims has a name. A woman in Olympia, Washington says he is Jeff Ingram, her fiance.
PENNY HANSEN, JEFF INGRAM'S FIANCE: My reaction is just excitement. I am so happy to know he's alive and well.
LIN: Police say his family recognized him when he made his TV appeal for help in his search for an identity. According to police, his fiance says he left Olympia September 6th to visit relatives in Canada. And that was the last time she heard from him. Police say she reported him missing. Denver police say the focus now is getting them reunited.
VIRGINIA QUINONES, DETECTIVE, DENVER POLICE: The plan is as soon as we can, we plan on making the attempt to get him back to his girlfriend to maybe try to put the pieces of the puzzle together. And once he gets there, I'm sure that there will be some follow-up medical attention.
LIN: Police say his memory loss is no act. He's been diagnosed as suffering from a form of amnesia.
KENNY KLAUS, DENVER POLICE: His honesty about it. And I believe this was a medical condition. It wasn't an attempt to hide from anybody or anything going on.
LIN: Before he was identified, the man previously known as "Al" said he felt totally lost, totally alone, and very depressed. Police say he's now in a better state of mind.
QUINONES: And he really wanted me to express his total gratitude for everyone, the media, in getting his story out there to help him find his life. As we all know now, it was successful. (END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: We all wish him the best. Ingram's fiance says it's not the first time something like this has happened. She says he also experienced an episode of amnesia 11 years ago.
All right, let's focus on your health for a minute. First a spinach scare, and then a lettuce recall, and now there's another reason to check your fridge. Ballard's Farm Sausage is recalling its egg salad in 17 states because of possible contamination. The company says it may contain bacteria that can cause serious or fatal infections in young children or elderly.
Now as you can see, the recall involves most of the eastern U.S. You can return the egg salad containers for a refund.
Well, they've pulled the gloves off in their race for the Senate. Coming up live on our air, Harold Ford, Jr. and Bob Corker running for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee. They talk about the dirty ads and the ambush campaign stops.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
LIN: From political scandals to the war on terror, you will be making critical decisions on a wide range of issues this election year. And a new poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation finds that 78 percent believe the government is broken. But most of them think the problems can be fixed.
So how about Congress specifically? It's often described as do little, do nothing. From corruption to incompetence, the list of missteps is long. Here's CNN's congressional correspondent Joe Johns with the top ten complaints.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Number 10: All pay, no work. Every member of the House of Representatives makes at least $165,000 a year. So far, they've spent only 94 days in session. That's almost $1,800 a day.
Nice work if you can get it.
Nine: What illegal immigrants? Wasn't immigration reform supposed to be about the most important issue this year? And what did they do about it? They voted to build a fence.
Eight: What are you wearing? The skanky way Florida Republican Mark Foley is reported to have talked to former congressional pages in electronic messages and when he got caught like a real profiling courage he announced he was gay, abused as a teenager by an unnamed priest, checked into alcohol rehab and left his colleagues to sort out the mess. REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: And he deceived me, too.
Seven: Oh say can you thieve? Duke Cunningham the former fighter jock turned jail bird once seemed like a poster child for patriotism until it turned out the California Republican was on the take and getting paid with just about everything, but the stars and stripes. Six: The booze made me do it. The congressional pilgrimages to rehab that featured some household names this year including Foley, Ohio Republican Bob Ney and Rhode Island Democrat Patrick Kennedy. People wished them well but were left wondering if rehab wasn't just an easy way out.
Five: Addicted to pork. The Congress is going to face it, it's addicted to pork. Bridges to nowhere, a museum to honor the folks responsible for the New Orleans levees that failed. Emergency money for non-emergencies and at the end, a record deficit.
Four: The "Macaca" moment. Senator George Allen of Virginia called a guy of Indian descent who was shadowing him Macaca and then claimed he didn't know what it meant. Well, it means monkey.
Three: Throwing in the towel. Texas Republican Tom DeLay, he was the House majority leader and got indicted in Texas in a case that was far from watertight, denied wrongdoing and then up and quit. What's up with that? The Capitol's tough guys, "The Hammer," gave up before fighting it out in court.
Two: Frostbite. The case of the cold, hard cash. The feds said they videotaped Louisiana Democrat Bill Jefferson accepting $100,000 and then found 90 grand in his freezer and they're investigating several allegedly shady deals. He hasn't been charged with anything and says he hasn't done anything wrong.
And the winner is number one on the list of dubious accomplishments of the 109th Congress. Jack Abramoff and Bob Ney, the corrupt couple, the lobbyist and the mayor of Capitol Hill, united by guilty pleas, things of value exchanged for official acts, plus a passion for golf, meals, tickets to sporting events and power. Jack is out of the lobbying game, but Ney is still a congressman and still cashing paychecks until his colleagues throw him out.
At $1,800 a day, who can blame him?
A tip of the fedora to old Jack, Bob and a session that many would sooner forget.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: All right. And you've probably been hearing about this Republican National Committee ad in the Harold Ford and Bob Corker campaign in Tennessee. Here's a little bit more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I met Harold at the Playboy party. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: All right, it doesn't get much uglier than that. So I'm going to be talking to the two Senate candidates from Tennessee who are at the center of this all.
And that's not the only ugly campaign ad running. Political analyst Ron Brownstein joins me live to talk about the candidates on the attack.
And we haven't seen him in the public eye lately. Michael J. Fox makes an emotional endorsement of one candidate. You're watching the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We're working on the headlines tonight and tomorrow from the NEWSROOM, and this is what we're finding.
A horrific start to an important Islamic observance. A suicide bomber struck a Baghdad market packed with shoppers preparing for an annual festival. Six people were killed and more than 20 others hurt.
Alberto Fernandez is sorry. He's the State Department official who used some strong language during an interview in Arabic with Al- Jazeera.
In an official release today, Fernandez says -- and I'm quoting here -- "I seriously misspoke by using the phrase 'there has been arrogance and stupidity by the U.S. in Iraq.' This represents neither my views nor of the State Department's. I apologize."
Stop the construction at Ground Zero, that is the cry from families of 9/11 victims who love -- whose loved ones are still missing.. Searchers found 18 more sets of human remains today. Others were found a few days ago in an underground space where the World Trade Center once stood. The mayor promises a full investigation.
And veteran actress Jane Wyatt is dead. Her film, Broadway and television career began back in the 1930s. She's probably best known for her Emmy-winning role as Margaret Anderson in the TV classic "Father Knows Best". Jane Wyatt died at her home in Los Angeles. She was 96.
And no more flu shots in Israel, at least while health officials investigate a possible link between the vaccine and four men who died in the past week. They had all been inoculated for the flu. The French firm that made the batch of vaccine is investigating as well.
And knock on wood. Gas prices are still falling. A survey of 7,000 stations coast to coast is out. It found a drop of nearly 8 cents a gallon over the past two weeks. The national average for self-serve regular, $2.20 a gallon.
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.
Well, Ronmius Patterson, you wanted to know about the progress made in rebuilding New Orleans. Mayor Ray Nagin is about to send the state a handful of reports on the city's recovery needs. A comprehensive plan for the entire state should be wrapped up next year, but Nagin says he can't afford to wait. There's about $445 million in aid that has yet to be divided among 11 parishes hit by Hurricane Katrina.
Just 16 days until the November elections, plenty of time for the Tennessee Senate race to get even more down and dirty. The last 48 hours have been especially bitter.
The Republican Party is spending $500,000 statewide on a new TV ad about Harold Ford Jr. The spot is so tough even Bob Corker, the Republican candidate, wants it taken off the airwaves. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Harold Ford looks nice. Isn't that enough?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Terrorists need their privacy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I die, Harold Ford will want me to pay taxes again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ford's right. I do have too many guns.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I met Harold at the Playboy party.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd love to pay higher marriage taxes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Canada can take care of North Korea. They're not busy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he took money from porn movie producers. I mean, who hasn't?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Harold, call me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Neither the Democrats or the Republicans can afford to lose this Senate race. A lot is at stake. Coming up after a quick break, the congressman, Harold Ford Jr., and his Republican opponent, Bob Corker
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: In just a few minutes I'm going to be talking with Congressman Harold Ford Jr., as well as his Republican opponent, Bob Corker, about this very bitter race for the Senate in the state of Tennessee. It has gotten so bitter in the last 48 hours, there have been confrontations between the two candidates, and even the Republican National Committee is refusing to pull one of their ads from the air even though the Republican candidate has asked them to do so. It has gotten that bitter.
The candidates are lined up, we're working out some audio problems, but we also want to address some other political stories, especially this really interesting one in Texas, the Lone Star State, where Democrats see a real chance of capturing the seat of former congressman Tom DeLay.
As CNN National Correspondent Bob Franken reports, voters in the district are facing some Texas-size confusion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Shelley Sekula-Gibbs has a problem. Who is Shelley Sekula-Gibbs? Well, she is the Houston city councilwoman who was selected to replace Tom DeLay in running for Congress in the next term after DeLay resigned from Congress earlier this year.
She was chosen, but because of the laws here, because DeLay had won his primary, she could not be on the ballot for the election until the next term. And that's specific, because there's also going to be a special election to finish out DeLay's term. Both elections on November 7th.
She is on the ballot for that one, not on the ballot for the other. So she has to try to convince voters to vote twice for her, once by marking the ballot where her name appears, the other one to write in her name.
The Democratic candidate, Nick Lampson, won the more traditional way in his primary. He's on the ballot for the next term of Congress. Polls show that if he had been going head to head with her that he would lose, but her name is not on the ballot.
The Republicans have had problems nationally, but it's still a Republican district. But, of course, there is the big problem about the write-in candidacy.
So this is a very confused situation. Sekula-Gibbs is running commercials, trying to sort this all out for the voters. The voters, we have found out, have had quite a bit of difficulty with this.
Bob Franken, CNN, Sugarland Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Now, in Missouri, Claire McCaskill is getting some high- profile support for her Senate bid. Actor Michael J. Fox appears in a new campaign ad for the Democrat.
Both are strong supporters of stem cell research. And as you know by now, Michael J. Fox has Parkinson's Disease, and he came out and is urging voters to elect McCaskill for her stand on the issue, and he's pretty emotional about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR: As you might know, I care deeply about stem cell research. In Missouri you can elect Claire McCaskill, who shares my hope for cures.
Unfortunately, Senator Jim Talent opposes expanding stem cell research. Senator Talent even wanted to criminalize the science that gives us a chance for hope.
They say all politics is local, but that's not always the case. What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans. Americans like me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Michael J. Fox battling Parkinson's Disease, which is a nervous system disorder.
All right. Getting back to one of our top political stories, have you seen the Republican National Committee ad? It addresses this very, very contentious race in Tennessee for the Senate between Congressman Harold Ford Jr. and his Republican opponent, Bob Corker.
Well, just 16 days until the November elections. There is plenty of time for the Tennessee Senate race to get even more -- more down, you might say. The last 48 hours have been especially bitter.
The Republican Party spending $500,000 statewide on a new TV ad about Democrat Harold Ford Jr. The spot is so tough, even Bob Corker, the Republican candidate, wants it taken off the airwaves.
So, once again, take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Harold Ford looks nice. Isn't that enough?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Terrorists need their privacy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I die, Harold Ford will want me to pay taxes again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ford's right. I do have too many guns.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I met Harold at the Playboy party.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd love to pay higher marriage taxes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Canada can take care of North Korea. They're not busy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he took money from porn movie producers. I mean, who hasn't?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Harold, call me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Congressman Ford can play hardball, too. On Friday, he showed up unannounced at a Corker news conference in Memphis.
Here's how that went.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAROLD FORD JR. (D), TENNESSEE SENATE CANDIDATE: I can never find you in the state.
BOB CORKER (R), TENNESSEE SENATE CANDIDATE: Oh, I've been -- I've been -- I was in Jackson last night. I saw your...
FORD: So tell me, what do you think about this Iraq thing ? I know you're here to talk about my family. I thought you made a promise right after the primary...
CORKER: No, I'm here to talk about you. And...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Well, that's how things are shaping up. So let's hear from the candidates themselves.
Congressman Harold Ford Jr. is the Democratic Senate candidate. He joins us from Washington.
Republican Bob Corker joins us from Chattanooga, the city he once served at mayor.
Welcome, gentlemen. Welcome to both of you.
CORKER: Thanks for having us.
LIN: Appreciate the time.
Mr. Corker I want to begin with you. I understand that you and your campaign didn't have anything to do with the production of this specific ad, but why do you think the Republicans are insisting on continuing to run it?
CORKER: Well, you know, there's these laws that allow no conversation to take place. These are independent expenditure groups. These are laws that were created in the name of campaign finance reform, and what you're doing right now is doing me a favor.
We think the ad is tacky, we think it's not senatorial. We think it has no place in this race, and hopefully the attention that you're bringing to it right now will cause it to come down very quickly.
LIN: Well, we're not trying to do you any favors. We're really trying to get at the truth, because you specifically asked the Republican National Committee to take the ad down. They have refused.
CORKER: Right.
LIN: Do they think that this is going to benefit your campaign? Does this make you look good?
CORKER: I don't like it. I think it's a bad reflection on the entire race. And we want it to come down. And again, hopefully what you're doing now will help whoever is producing this and causing it to be up to take it down.
I thank you for doing this.
LIN: Sir, you have made, though Congressman's Ford's family a part of the campaign. Do you think that's fair? And why are you doing that?
CORKER: Well, the only thing we've referred to is the Ford political machine. There are few families in the state that actually -- or in the country, probably -- that actually have a Ford family ballot. And we've just referred to that.
We've never said a disparaging word about Congressman Ford or any family member as it relates to personal characteristics or character or anything else. But it is unusual to have a race where there's a Ford family ballot with a number of members on it, and we refer to that as something that the state has known about for years, it's something the media in our state has talked about for over a decade.
It's almost a defined term in Tennessee politics. There's nothing, nothing whatsoever been said disparagingly about any Ford or any Ford family member.
LIN: Congressman Ford, please step right in. What has your reaction been to your opponent at least requesting from the RNC to take this ad down?
FORD: You know, I feel sorry for my opponent, because he's losing in the polls, he's come up short so many times on the big ideas that the country's concerned about...
LIN: It is a close race, sir, though. That's why it's getting so much attention.
FORD: Yes, ma'am, but we've come from 20 points behind right after the August primary, which was August 3rd. And I think my opponent has gotten very nervous and skittish, and this isn't the first ad that's been in the gutter.
He's been in the gutter on this campaign since the primary ended in August. He accused me of wanting to let felons out of jail. He's called my father and I crooks because he's accused us -- my dad of lobbying me, which has never, ever happened.
And now he runs an ad and he claims he didn't know much about it, but Ms. Lin, we got a little something on him. The young lady that works for the Republican National Committee actually travels with my opponent wherever he goes. Now, I don't know if they talk or not, but they ride in the same car.
LIN: So what are you implying?
FORD: The truth of the matter is we should get back to talking about the issues, is what I'm implying.
LIN: I do want to talking about the issues...
FORD: Yes, ma'am.
LIN: ... but this has been prominent, you've confronted -- you confronted Mr. Corker in public events, accusing him of using your family in his political ad campaigns.
You have set the family on the stage. I mean, the fact of the matter is your family has some problems. Your father was indicted, though cleared, on -- to pay off charges, you have an aunt and uncle who are facing criminal charges. Your family is...
FORD: No, I don't. No, ma'am. No, ma'am.
LIN: OK.
FORD: I have an uncle who is facing criminal -- I don't have an aunt.
But Ms. Lin, this is the point. I'm running for the Senate. None of them are.
I've made clear, I love my family. There's nothing that you or Mr. Corker or anyone can say to bring any distance between my family and I.
That being said, there are no accusations about me. Mr. Corker has employed a campaign tactic of attacking his opponent's family. In my state of Tennessee, I would remind you that there's a Gore family, there's a Baker family, there's a Cooper family, even Fred Thompson's father was in politics.
This is not an uncommon thing in Tennessee politics...
LIN: No it's not.
FORD: ... for people to run for office.
LIN: But Congressman...
FORD: And I know -- let me just finish.
LIN: Go ahead.
FORD: I know Mr. Corker is upset because he can't brag about the Republican Party in Washington solving the debt problem, he can't brag about a safer Iraq, he can't brag about how we've fixed the borders. And the Republican majority has failed on all three, so he decides to attack me and my family.
And finally -- I mean, this has gotten national attention.
Mr. Corker, you ought to make the promise tonight that we will talk only issues. I showed up in Memphis because you came into my city to attack my dad, my uncle, and my family again. I'm the one running.
What kind of a man attacks another man's family in the face of a campaign? I'll tell you the kind of man. His name is Bob Corker.
And if you want to say to voters back in Tennessee we've had enough of this negative campaigning -- you've lived in the campaigner all campaign long, Mr. Corker. Come out and let's debate Iraq and North Korea and all the other issues that Ms. Lin may want to raise before this segment ends.
LIN: All right.
Mr. Corker, your response?
CORKER: Well, this is kind of the way Congressman Ford has been this entire campaign, and almost everything he said just now is untrue.
I've never said a negative word about his family. He came in, in almost a juvenile fashion, and crashed a press conference on Friday. It's been called the Memphis meltdown. And he just got done saying a load of non-truths.
The fact of the matter is, we've been talking about the issues every single day. Talked about an ethics bill on Friday, talked about homeland security on Saturday.
I love debating Congressman Ford. I look forward to doing that again on this Saturday. And I believe that I'm going to win this race based on my background, my background of public service, and my ability to communicate the ideas of the future. That's how we're going to win this race.
My opponent has been in Congress now for 10 years and has very little -- very little to show for his service there.
LIN: Congressman, analysts predict that you will need a heavy black turnout, but you would also need some Republican, white Republican votes to win.
Do you think they're there in your state?
FORD: Ms. Lin, we knew this when we got in the race, we would need more than my opponent to win. We've not run a black campaign, a white campaign, a Democrat campaign or Republican campaign.
We've run a campaign to move my state and this country forward. I think one of the reasons we picked up 20 points and find ourselves in a statistical dead heat -- some polls show us with a few-point -- a lead with a few points --- is because we've been positive, we've been constructive. And voters all across our state are rejecting the kind of stale, predictable, negative campaigning coming out of my opponent's mouth. And frankly, they realize that American politics is no longer decided on the axis of left and right or liberal or conservative, but it's about moving forward.
People want to know, how do we solve this situation in Iraq? I believe we ought to look at partitioning the country. A political situation is the only way to go.
LIN: All right.
FORD: North Korea, we need to engage in bilateral talks. I mention all these things this evening because my opponent, he turned down every national press -- "Meet the Press" he turned down as well -- debate. He turned down 52 debates...
(CROSSTALK)
LIN: All right, Mr. Corker. It sounds like your opponent is saying that you're running from the issues.
Mr. Corker, it sounds like your opponent is saying that you're running from the issues. Your response?
CORKER: Yes, we've -- our debates have been broadcast internationally actually, and every day -- as a matter of fact, my opponent, it's hard to find him in the state. My understanding is he's preparing for a fund-raiser in New York, 70 percent of the money that he's raised has been out of state. We probably could debate more if he would actually spent time in state with voters, which is what I'm doing.
My opponent has continued to make distortions and untruths, just like he said. I have been the one campaigning in the state of Tennessee. I have been the one here with the voters. I am the one that has lived a Tennessee life, and I am the one because of that that I truly believe is going to be the next senator from the state of Tennessee.
And I'd like to just bring to your attention, the way these Democrat -- the way these committees began was the Democratic National Committee bought $2 million worth of negative advertising. And within the first few days of the general election beginning, throughout east Tennessee, it began distorting my record. That is how this began.
I wish it all would stopped. I am the only candidate in this race that has actually called for ads to be pulled down. I wish my opponent would join me.
LIN: OK. All right. I'm afraid we're going to have to end this here.
FORD: Ms. Lin, I don't travel with the DNC or the (INAUDIBLE) people. I call for them all to come down. We can debate starting tomorrow, sir. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on immigration, Iraq, North Korea, and all of the other big topics facing our state and our country.
LIN: Congressman, we're going to have to leave it there.
FORD: Yes, ma'am.
LIN: Mr. Corker, we're going to have to leave it there.
Thank you very much. Clearly we're not building bridges tonight...
CORKER: Thank you.
LIN: ... but I think both of you were able to get some good points across.
FORD: Thank you so much.
LIN: Election Day coming up.
All right. Also coming up, I'm going to be talking with one of our political analysts, Ron Brownstein. See what he thinks about what the congressman and his Republican opponent had to say.
And also, taking a look at some of the other ads in the key states, what that says about those campaigns, and what's at stake for both Democrats and Republicans.
Ron Brownstein coming up right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: All right.
Joining me from Washington is CNN political analyst Ron Brownstein. He's a columnist with the "Los Angeles Times".
RON BROWNSTEIN, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Hi, Carol.
LIN: Hey there, Ron.
You know, we asked you to join us to talk about some negative TV ads airing around the country, but first, Ron, let's talk about that Tennessee Senate race after I just talked with both of the candidates. You know, some of these ads pale in comparison with the one that the Republican National Committee is airing.
What did you make of their remarks in the debate?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, I was actually down in Tennessee several days last week and wrote about it in the "L.A. Times" today.
Look, this is a race that's growing more acrimonious on both sides. This Republican National Committee ad truly is extraordinary. You know, politics gets tougher ever two years. This is about as tough as it gets. A lot of questions about this ad.
For example, they have a hunter saying that Harold Ford wants to take their gun away. The National Rifle Association says that while it's endorsed Bob Corker, it really has no objection to Harold Ford and is not going to be spending any money against him.
There is a racial question about this ad, about using a white woman to dramatize the charge about him attending a party at the Playboy -- sponsored by Playboy at the Super Bowl a few years ago. I think that's going to be some tough questions for the Republican National Committee.
They've spent a lot of effort. Ken Mehlman, their chairman in the last few years, trying to court African-Americans. I wonder if he would feel comfortable at his next appearance before an African- American group starting his speech by airing this ad.
LIN: Yes. And -- and Bob Corker says that he went to the RNC, he said he asked them to pull the ads. You know, the congressman saying that, oh, no, my opponents travels with this young lady from the RNC.
BROWNSTEIN: And it is true. It is very true. The person quoted in the newspapers in Tennessee yesterday saying that the Republican National Committee would not pull the ad off the air is the same person who travels and talks to the press on behalf of Bob Corker every day. So the whole thing looks a little incestuous.
LIN: All right. So, in the meantime, there -- these -- that's not the only ad that they're running. There are actually a couple of others.
Tell me about them.
BROWNSTEIN: Oh, there's lots of them. You know, when you look at Tennessee, you see many of the common themes that you're seeing in other races around the country.
Harold Ford's big argument is change. Change the course, especially in Iraq. Bob Corker raising a lot of personal issues, and also trying to tie Harold Ford to the National Democratic Party, which is less popular in Tennessee, a state that has been moving toward Republicans in the last decade.
LIN: All right. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You see Harold Ford Jr. on TV and you think he's going places. Well, he is, and he travels in style. Sixty-nine privately-funded junkets, more than Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy combined.
(END VIDEO CLIP) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CORKER: We are in Iraq, our country is in Iraq. I think we should stay the course. We should stay the course.
FORD: I'm Harold Ford Jr. I've been to Iraq four times. I support our troops and I voted for the war. But we shouldn't stay the course, as Mr. Corker wants. Even the president's own report says we're actually creating more terrorists than we're killing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: All right, Ron. There it is. How are voters going to decide?
BROWNSTEIN: Three words: nationalize or localize. Democrats around the country are using their advertisements to try to nationalize the race into a referendum on the direction of the country. Republicans are trying to localize and personalize, make this a choice between two individuals and try to reduce the -- narrow the lens to that. That's what the race is really about.
LIN: And Ron, the bottom line is, though, the Democrats can't afford to lose Tennessee.
BROWNSTEIN: Tennessee -- well, they have to win two out of three of Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia, even if everything else goes their way to take the Senate.
LIN: All right. Ron Brownstein, great to have you. Thank you.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.
LIN: A check of the hour's headlines after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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