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Top U.S. General, U.S. Ambassador Update Iraq War Efforts; YouTube and Politics; Democratic Woes; Obama Buzz
Aired October 24, 2006 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You're with CNN. You're informed.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.
Information keeps coming into the NEWSROOM on this Tuesday, October 24th.
Here's what's on the rundown.
Stepping up. Iraqi leaders now talking timetables for taking more control of their country.
HARRIS: Countdown to the midterm elections. Once riding high in Washington, the GOP now struggling to hold on to power. Former White House insider, author, talk show host and Republican Bill Bennett on what's wrong with politics as usual.
COLLINS: And remember this story, the gorilla that kidnapped the kid? New information about the man accused of being inside the hairy suit this hour in the NEWSROOM.
The battleground is Iraq, but make no mistake, the entire Middle East is at stake. That according to the top U.S. general in Iraq and Washington's ambassador to that country. Their joint news conference also included some sobering assessments of the war.
Let's get the latest now from CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
Hi, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Heidi.
Well, General Casey and Ambassador Khalilzad trying to make it clear that they believe Iraqi security forces will be able to take over security in that country in 12 to 18 months. But how to get there to make all of that happen, of course, is the question on the table.
General Casey, as always, not rejecting but not quite accepting the notion that there might be the need for more forces, especially more U.S. forces in the fight.
Here's a bit of what General Casey had to say about all that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. GEORGE CASEY, COMMANDER, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: I'm not going to get into specifics of what we're going to do with the Baghdad security plan because I don't necessarily want to telegraph what we're getting ready to do here with the enemy. That's it. I think you can expect us to continue to hold on to the focus areas with the Iraqi security forces and to follow through on what we're trying to do here on the build (ph) phase to help with the basic -- improve basic services for the population of Baghdad.
Now, do we need more troops to do that? Maybe. And as I've said all along, if we do, I will ask for the troops I need, both coalition and Iraqis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: So, Heidi, a firm "maybe" from the general about more troops for Iraq.
It became pretty clear that the focus of this press conference was to really try and lay out that there is a plan, there is a timetable, that the U.S. is working with the new Iraqi government on a host of ideas to try and get the situation under control, security, economic, political advancements. But still, one of the crucial issues, the militias, the death squads that are causing so much of the mayhem on the streets. It's going to take a lot to get them under control, both men agree -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. And on that note of security, Barbara, I also found it interesting that General Casey said that 90 percent of the violence take place in five different provinces, but that this is not a country awash in sectarian violence.
STARR: Well, that is -- yes, that is what they said. I thought the five provinces was kind of interesting, frankly, because until now, there's been maybe four provinces, maybe two provinces. But what we are seeing clearly is that most of the violence is taking place in and around Baghdad and in western Iraq, in Anbar province, as well as down south.
There are certainly centers of violence, and it pretty well corresponds to the centers of population. Remember, a lot of Iraq is desert, very deserted, not a lot of people there. So there hasn't really been much activity. But where there are people, there certainly are still very serious ongoing problems -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us today.
Barbara, thank you.
Meanwhile, a search for answers in Baghdad. Was a U.S. soldier kidnapped, or did he abandon his duty? The U.S. military's official line is, whereabouts unknown, as American forces conduct door-to-door searches in Baghdad. The missing soldier has not been identified. CNN has learned he is an Iraqi-American working as a translator. HARRIS: The Democrats or the Republicans? Who gets your vote on Election Day?
The midterm elections now just two weeks away. If you believe the polls, Americans are in a foul mood right now. There's the Iraq war to worry about, plus some economic and ethics issues.
Polls show the Republican Party in danger of losing control of the House and maybe even the Senate. Democrats need to pick up 15 seats to take back the House and six seats to rule the Senate again. The GOP has controlled both houses for a dozen years.
Below-the-belt politics or showing it like it is? Video-sharing sites take campaigns to a new level.
CNN's Gary Tuchman reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Conrad Burns is campaigning fiercely to try to keep his U.S. Senate seat.
SEN. CONRAD BURNS (R), MONTANA: I know how contagious it can be whenever -- whenever everybody gets together.
TUCHMAN: And when the Montana Republican hits the trail, he is shadowed by this man with a video camera. A man who comes faithfully to Conrad Burns' events, but who does in the come with good intentions.
KEVIN O'BRIEN, TESTER CAMPAIGN EMPLOYEE: I definitely want John Tester as next senator for Montana.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we should talk about taxes a little bit.
TUCHMAN: John Tester is the Democratic challenger. Kevin O'Brien keeps his camera on Conrad Burns, hoping the three-term incumbent says something wrong or embarrassing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll call Hugo. I'll call you back, Hugo.
TUCHMAN: So he can put it for the world to see on the immensely popular video sharing web site YouTube. This campaign event took place in Tulsa, Montana.
BURNS: OK, that's you go. Hugo is a nice little mountain man who's doing some painting for me in Virginia.
TUCHMAN: Terrorism was a topic at this picnic in Mile City.
BURNS: To fight this enemy that's a taxicab driver in the daytime but a killer at night.
TUCHMAN: And more of the same two days later in Butte.
BURNS: Where our kids can go to bed at night and not worry about the guy that drives a taxicab in the daytime and kills at night.
TUCHMAN: Campaign operatives are taking advantage of this new technology to try to politically harm their candidate's rivals, as Virginia Senator George Allen learned.
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), VIRGINIA: The guy over here in the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is, he's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere.
TUCHMAN: To some, the word "Macaca" is racially insensitive. Allen issued an apology.
Kevin O'Brien is paid by the Tester campaign. He says he's put nearly 17,000 miles on his car in less than half a year following Conrad Burns.
O'BRIEN: Sometimes I'm stunned and, you know, have to go back to the videos to make sure that my eyes and my ears weren't tricking me.
TUCHMAN: His eyes weren't tricking him when Conrad Burns started nodding off in agriculture hearing held in Montana. This clip, with music dubbed in, has been downloaded more than 90,000 times, according to YouTube. But is this below the belt politics?
John Tester doesn't think so.
TESTER: A lot of people fall asleep. I'm sure you fall asleep before.
TUCHMAN: Is that a little unfair?
TESTER: That meeting was about meat policy. Montana's No. 1 industry is agriculture. I wouldn't be falling asleep when we're talking about a policy that's important to our economy.
TUCHMAN: Not surprisingly, Burns campaign workers don't enjoy seeing their candidate ridiculed.
BURNS: It looks like a big lunch.
TUCHMAN: But at this campaign event at the senior center, the senator and the renegade cameraman take some time to say hi to each other.
BURNS: I'm hungry, dear. I'm hungry. I get over here and there's calories and cholesterol.
TUCHMAN: Senator Burns, it seems, likes O'Brien.
BURNS: We love him. He's really a nice guy. And we have to feed him at our picnics and our dinners because I don't think the Democrats are paying very much.
TUCHMAN (on camera): In the last congressional election in 2004, YouTube did not exist so this is new territory for politicians like Conrad Burns, whose opinions about it may be shaped by whether they win or lose.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Bozeman, Montana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The Democratic Party on the outside looking in. The party hasn't controlled Congress for a dozen years. The White House in Republican hands since the 2000 election.
So, what are the Democrats doing wrong? And how do they win over skeptical voters?
CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley looked into a North Carolina race where a six-term Republican congressman faces a challenge from a political newcomer, Democrat Heath Shuler.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you a Nancy Pelosi Democrat?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I don't like to classify.
CROWLEY (voice over): Washington liberal does not play well in North Carolina conservative. It is part of why over the past three decades, southern and rural mostly White Democrats have looked inside the National Democratic Party and gone elsewhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our biggest problem is that of late we've been losing elections.
CROWLEY: What is wrong with these people? From Virginia to Montana to Georgia, crack open a Democrat and they'll tell you, it's the wussy factor.
MAX CLELAND (D), FMR. U.S. SENATOR: You've got to lance that bubble. I mean, you know, it's been a narrative for the Republicans for decades now, kind of an underlying narrative against the Democrats, that their soft on communism and not soft on terrorism.
CROWLEY: It's the culture.
DAVID "MUDCAT" SAUNDERS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: And the culture (INAUDIBLE) the Democrats have been losing elections. It has nothing to do with policy. It has to do with culture.
CROWLEY: It's the guns.
GOV. BRIAN SCHWEITZER (D), MONTANA: People ask me how many guns I have, I tell them, "None of your damn business." And I tell them, "Not as many as I'd like."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This used to be an (INAUDIBLE) Democratic area right here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it still is. I think it still is. CROWLEY: If his journey is to end in Washington, Heath Shuler needs 11 district Democrats to come home.
HEATH SHULER (D), CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Well, that's why we have to do a good job of being in the district (INAUDIBLE) where they can talk and they can spread the word and say, you know, he's not like some of the national Democrats, you know? He's one of us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: America's so-called broken government. We're taking an in-depth look at that issue all week long right here on CNN. Tonight, "Two Left Feet."
And our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, is joining us now. She's taking a look at the Democratic Party and its problems.
Candy, tell me, how tough is it for Democrats like Shuler to actually win in the South?
CROWLEY: Well, they do win, obviously. Not on the national level.
In the last two elections, Gore and Kerry, didn't win a single southern state. So I would say on a national level, it's a problem.
And what you're seeing in Democrats like Heath Shuler more and more is a Democrat that breaks the template. He is anti-abortion. He is pro-gun rights. He is anti-gay marriage.
So, there are a number of things, and it's particularly on social issues, where Democrats are breaking from the party template in order to speak to their own conservative constituencies.
COLLINS: But you have spoken with a lot of Democrats. What do they tell you is their biggest problem, the biggest challenge in actually winning an election?
CROWLEY: Really, it all comes down to the fact that you do have a party that cannot win on liberal votes alone. They have to have conservative Democrats. They have to have moderates.
So it's that juggling act between keeping the liberal core of the party, and that is the people who are most reliably able to show up at the voting polls, and the moderates and the conservative Democrats who can swing to the Republican Party pretty easily. They haven't been able to put together that majority.
COLLINS: Well, if Democrats make gains in this election, does that mean that that trend of losing could be over?
CROWLEY: Well, we'll see. You know, everybody looks to at least some minimal gains by Democrats this year. But all the Democrats I talked to -- we talked to a lot of them over the past month -- said, "Listen, if we win this year, it's not because we're getting it together. It's because Republicans are falling apart." So not a true test at this point. It's really something that takes place over a couple of election cycles.
COLLINS: And again, I always go back to, what is it, 40 to 60 percent of Americans do not vote.
CROWLEY: Exactly. Exactly. They need something that really gets them out there.
I mean, if there is a really electric candidate, you see more people come out. But, you know, it's a pretty poor voting record when you look at the raw numbers.
COLLINS: America's so-called broken government, we're taking an in-depth look at that issue all week long on CNN. Tonight, "Two Left Feet". Our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley. takes a look at the Democratic Party and its problems. It's at 8:00 Eastern and something you will see only on CNN.
And the countdown is on. Some major decisions to make, and midterm elections just two weeks away. At stake, Republican control of Capitol Hill.
Ahead, election strategy perspective from Bill Bennett, a well- known Republican.
HARRIS: And an update now on a story we reported last week. Remember this from the Seattle area, a man accused of dressing in a gorilla suit and grabbing a 5-year-old boy at a store? Well, he's back behind bars today.
The accused man turned himself in on Friday and was released on $5,000 bail. Well, that didn't go over well with the boy's parents. The child's mother went back to court yesterday and asked a judge to reconsider. He did. Suspect Isaiah Jackson (ph) is back in jail, bail a bit higher this time around, $15,000.
Youth sports and parents behaving badly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All we heard was "Gun! Gun!" And I looked to the sidelines and saw...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A wakeup call for parents sitting on the sidelines, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
And his name is on everyone's list. Well, sort of, almost, kind of.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barack? Barack?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does he do, anything good? Never heard of him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama, never heard of him, to tell you the truth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His name is like Iraq Obembalah (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Oh, well. Could his name wind up on everyone's ballot? We'd figure it out then.
That story in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Here's a wakeup call now for parents. It comes from Philadelphia, where police say a dad pulled a gun on his son's football coach because his son wasn't getting enough playing time. The age of the kids, 5 and 6 years old.
Here now is an eyewitness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And all we heard was, "Gun! Gun!" And I looked to the sidelines and saw two gentlemen fighting. And I turned and got all the kids off the field. And I said, "Boys, let's go this way."
I got them all down. I said, "Get down on the ground."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: No shots were fired, just to be clear. And the father was charged with assault and endangerment.
HARRIS: Well, he's opening the door and letting in the buzz. Democratic senator Barack Obama testing the waters for a White House run.
And as our Jeanne Moos reports, he's the talk of the town.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN VIDEO COLUMNIST (voice-over): Barack Obama has been generating buzz, from Africa to Oprah.
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Barack Obama.
MOOS: You'd be doing a little dance too if everyone were asking you...
TIM RUSSERT, HOST, "MEET THE PRESS": Are you running for president?
BLITZER: Is it a silly question? OBAMA: Making sure the Democrats...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're too busy to think about running for president?
MOOS: But we're not too busy to ask. Will he or won't he? We now have an answer, sort of. He will, maybe, possibly, some day -- maybe some day soon.
RUSSERT: But it's fair to say you're thinking about running for president in 2008?
OBAMA: It's fair, yes.
RUSSERT: It sounds as if the door has opened a bit.
OBAMA: A bit.
MOOS: Can you imagine if he opened it all the way?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We certainly have seen a lot of him lately, haven't we?
MOOS (on camera): Too much or not enough?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well you know, I didn't pay attention. He certainly makes sense when he talks, which a lot of them don't.
MOOS (voice-over): Reporters love digging out those old sound bytes from back when the door was closed.
RUSSERT: So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008.
OBAMA: I will not.
WINFREY: Would you announce on this show?
MOOS: And Obama's the cover boy on "TIME" magazine. It sure beats the cover of questioner held up at Hillary's latest Senate debate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From "TIME" magazine.
MOOS: That's Senator Clinton giggling. She is used to deflecting the "are you running for president question."
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I have made no decisions about any future plans. I don't know what the future holds. I can't make a decision now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, senator. You haven't thought about it at all? About running for president?
CLINTON: I didn't say that. MOOS: The Obama watch has already started churning out puns. "Hil better watch her Barack." What's next? Barack to the future? Folks on the street seem to think he has a future.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's awesome.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he is fabulous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Best thing since Bill Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He certainly is an attractive person and that's a pleasant change.
MOOS: Speaking of changes, while Senator Clinton proposed changing defense secretaries, getting rid of Donald Rumsfeld, her Senate opponent fired back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are not president yet, Mrs. Clinton, so do not call for that.
OBAMA: There is a famous saying that every United States senator wakes up in the morning and looks in the mirror and looks at a future president.
MOOS: But at least when a senator looks in the mirror...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... Brixman Omen (ph)? Something like that?
MOOS: ... he knows how to say his own name.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barrack?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does he do? Anything good? Never heard of him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama? Never heard of him, to tell you the truth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His name is like Iraq Obembalah (ph).
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Well, they both want control and they have two weeks to either get it or keep it. We'll talk politics and policy coming up with conservative radio talk show host Bill Bennett.
HARRIS: And we've got the motivation you need to get up and get going. Your daily dose of health news, up next.
You're in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: A couple of health stories we want to put on your radar this morning in our "Daily Dose". This first one about walking and weight.
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh studied 209 middle- aged people who were 15 to 29 pounds overweight. After 18 months of study, here's what they found: Those who walked 40 minutes or more daily lost seven pounds. People who didn't exercise regularly gained seven pounds.
COLLINS: In health news now for women, a link between how much women weigh and how well they will handle ovarian cancer. The studies show overweight or obese women with ovarian cancer fare worse than patients who have a more normal weight. One of the study's researchers says this is just one more reason women should work to keep the extra pounds off.
HARRIS: And promising news this morning for smokers trying to recover from lung damage. New hope may come from drugs used to lower cholesterol known as statin drugs. Researchers have released study results showing that current and former smokers who use the statin drugs lost less of their lung's ability to function than those who didn't use the statins.
To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness.
It is all there. The address, cnn.com/health.
COLLINS: We want to get straight over to Chad Myers once again with an update on Paul.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Clinging to life on the high seas, made even higher by stormy weather off South Korea's coast. Take a look at these pictures.
Rescue teams saved five crew members from a sunken Russian cargo ship. The body of another seaman was recovered. A dozen more are still missing. Poor weather have kept some ships and aircraft from joining in the search.
COLLINS: Well, it's two weeks away. So, are you going to vote? What midterm elections could mean to you. We'll be talking with conservative radio talk show host Bill Bennett -- there is he now -- about soldiers in Iraq and other policies. We're going to talk about that in just a minute.
Bill, see you then.
HARRIS: And still to come, would more U.S. troops mean more targets? U.S. military commanders looking for a better solution in Iraq.
That story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins and Tony Harris.
COLLINS: More time, and maybe more troops, that according to the top U.S. commander in Iraq. General George Casey says Iraqi security forces will not be ready to take the lead for at least another year. And he says he won't hesitate to ask for more troops if they are needed. Casey held a joint news conference with the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq earlier this morning. Both men say the war can still be won.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. GEORGE CASEY, CMDR. MULTI-NAT'L. FORCE, Iraq : Make no mistake about it, we are in a tough fight here in the center of the country in an Anbar Province. I think it's important to remind people that 90 percent of the sectarian violence in Iraq take place in about a 30-mile radius from the center of Baghdad.
And secondly, that 90 percent of all violence take place in five provinces. This is not a country that is awash in sectarian violence. The situation is hard, but it's not a country that's awash in sectarian violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Changing the message, not the strategy. The White House switch in Iraq falls short for critics. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN NEWSROOM (voice over): A stunning about face from the White House today. The administration announcing it's throwing out its Iraq war rallying cry.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will stay the course.
We must stay the course.
MALVEAUX: No more of that from Mr. Bush, his spokesman said. That message wasn't working.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It allowed critics to say here's an administration that's just embarked upon a policy, not looking at the situation is. When, in fact, it's just the opposite.
MALVEAUX: It turns out, as the president explains --
BUSH: Stay the course is about a quarter right. Stay the course means keep doing what you're doing. My attitude is, don't do what you're doing if it's not working. Change. MALVEAUX: Change is exactly what Democrats and now some prominent Republicans have been calling for as midterm elections approach.
October is now the deadliest month for U.S. troops in nearly two years and about 100 Iraqis are killed each day. The Bush administration is under tremendous political pressure to change course.
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.
MALVEAUX: Over the weekend, the president huddled with his top officials at the White House to strategize what to do next. The plan is to push the Iraqis to take over their own security as quickly as possible.
DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: It is appropriate to have benchmarks and milestones.
MALVEAUX: But Democrats say the administration's proposal is the height of hypocrisy.
SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) DELAWARE: We set out benchmarks, we tried to get them to accept benchmarks a year and a half ago. The president called it cutting and running. Now the president is calling for benchmarks.
MALVEAUX (on camera): But White House officials say those benchmarks are not for withdrawing U.S. troops, which they believe would be catastrophic to Iraq's future. But the truth is, the distinction is largely semantic.
(Voice over): President Bush has said repeatedly as soon as the Iraqis can protect themselves, the troops will be able to come home.
NORMAN ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: It's a non- denial, denial. It's clear they're sending a signal that they're changing the course now, not staying the course.
MALVEAUX: While the White House says it has abandoned the stay the course message, its strategy remains the same.
SNOW: Are there dramatic shifts in policy, the answer is, no.
MALVEAUX: And some critics say that's exactly the problem.
FRED KAGAN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: This is the same strategy that's produced so much failure so far.
MALVEAUX: The strategy has resulted in falling poll numbers, both for the president and those in Congress who supported him. They face voters in two weeks; voters who say Iraq is their number one issue. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: A search for answers in Baghdad. Was a U.S. soldier kidnapped or did he abandon his duties? The U.S. military's official line at this time, whereabouts unknown, as American forces conduct door-to-door searches in Baghdad. The missing soldier has not been identified and CNN has learned he is an Iraqi-American working as a translator.
HARRIS: The midterm elections just two weeks from today; control of Congress hanging in the balance. So, which party has a clear plan to solve the nation's problems? Well, according to a new CNN poll, not much to brag about for either party. In the survey by Opinion Research Corporation, 38 percent of the respondents say, Democrats have a clearer plan, 58 percent say they don't.
For the GOP, it's even worse, 31 percent say Republicans have a clear plan, 67 percent they don't. Another question, which party can provide strong leadership? 63 percent of the respondents say Democrats, 49 percent, say Republicans. America's so-called "Broken Government," we're taking an in-depth look all week long here on CNN. Tonight, "Two Left Feet." Our Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley takes a look at the Democratic Party, and its problems. It is at 8:00 Eastern Time. It's something you will see only here on CNN.
COLLINS: A midterm election with big-time stakes. President Bush's ability to shape the nation's agenda for the next two years rests largely on which party wins midterm elections two weeks from today. Control of both Houses of Congress hangs in the balance.
Bill Bennett served as President Reagan's Secretary of Education and was drug czar to the first President Bush. He's a CNN contributor and host of his own radio show.
I'm running out of breath, Bill.
"Bill Bennett's Morning in America."
BILL BENNETT, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: All right.
COLLINS: Pleasure to have you.
BENNETT: Sounds like a epitaph.
COLLINS: Yeah!
BENNETT: Yeah, right.
COLLINS: I hope not.
Let's start with this, Bill. Because just a little bit earlier in the program we were able to speak with DNC Chairman Howard Dean and RNC Co-Chairman Joanne Davidson. I noticed some very big differences in what they called their agenda.
For the Republicans, she was telling us, number one, war on terror, and number two, the economy. Howard Dean saying, for Democrats, purely domestic, minimum wage, ethics and health care. Your thoughts?
BENNETT: No, I think that's right. I mean, I was a Democrat for 25 years. The reason I switched to the Republican Party, Heidi, was because of foreign policy. The Republican Party, a long time ago, was an isolationist party. It's now the Democrats' Party turn, it seems, to be the isolationist party.
That means it doesn't really want to offer solutions on Iraq. There are a couple Democrats that propose solutions on Iraq. By the way, I have a prediction about what's going to happen there.
COLLINS: What's that?
BENNETT: Well, watch the Baker-Hamilton Commission.
COLLINS: Exactly. The Iraq survey group.
BENNETT: Exactly right. Because today in the "The Wall Street Journal," I don't think anybody has made this point, Joe Biden's and Les Galleb (ph) wrote -- for the Democrat moderate side -- pointed to the Baker Commission, at the beginning and the end of their editorial. The Bush White House is putting the Baker-Hamilton Commission out all the time, referring people to them all the time. Watch for them to come up with the idea that brings the Joe Biden ideas and the Bush White House ideas a little closer together -- or maybe a lot closer together.
COLLINS: All right. Well, it's fascinating. We're not sure exactly when James Baker and Lee Hamilton are going to give the results of the Iraqi survey group. It's interesting to think about, if that means, since the Bush administration is talking about it a lot, that they will listen to those suggestions.
BENNETT: Oh, I think they will. Otherwise, I don't think they would be pointing the all media in their direction and giving them so much time, giving them so much time with those plaques in front of them and those good settings. That means -- that's a signal in Washington, sit up and pay attention to this.
COLLINS: Definitely. We'll certainly keep our eye on that one. I want to ask you about something else, though.
BENNETT: Sure.
COLLINS: That we heard from DNC Chair Howard Dean a little bit earlier. Let's listen to some sound as he discusses how things would change if Nancy Pelosi was house speaker. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD DEAN, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CMTE.: Should Nancy Pelosi be speaker, I think you'll see a much more serious approach to legislation. The Democrats tend to care about policy, not just politics.
I think the one -- the Foley scandal, for example, was not just about say guy who was chasing after pages, a Republican congressmen. It was about the Republican response to that, which was to think of their own political backsides before they thought of this family and the pages.
That you won't see from Speaker Pelosi. You'll see a tough leader who's willing to take on people in her own party and discipline them should they do things that are inappropriate and do it quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: So as we listen to that, Bill, I also want to show you these polls that we have done here at CNN. Look at this now. The question was, do Democrats have high ethical standards? Yes, 49 percent, no, 46 percent. And then we look at do the Republicans have high ethical standards? Yes, 46, no, 52. It's a wash on both sides.
BENNETT: Right. Yes, well, you know, both parties be damned in some ways, is what the American public is saying. Look at the approval rating at 16 percent. It's an interesting move by Howard Dean, though, he says we're interested in policy and then he talks about the Foley scandal and handling of it. That's administration, not policy. It would be interesting to hear the Democrats' policy and their view of the history of sexual predation in Washington, D.C., and whether they think they have a spotless record on it.
But apart from that, look, the president's proposed lots of policies. The Republicans have, too. I think the key to the election on either side is take the issues that you think are most important. This is what I'm urging among Republicans. Take the issues most important, war on terror, taxes, immigration, concede that in the case of Republicans, Heidi, that you're unhappy with the party in power. It hasn't done enough, it's done too much, whatever.
COLLINS: Right.
BENNETT: Now, do you think you'll be better off, happier, with what the Democrats do? I was in Chicago and the Chicago suburbs talking to Republicans. They, to me, seemed motivated. So I don't know what's going to happen.
COLLINS: It's fascinating, too. We keep going back to this. I'll mention this again; 40 percent to 60 percent of Americans do not vote. Are they unhappy enough, or enthralled enough with whoever the candidate may be in 2008 to go to the voting booth?
BENNETT: Well, or they don't think it makes sufficient difference. Particularly young people don't vote. Former secretary of Education here, that really bothers me that they still don't vote.
COLLINS: Right.
BENNETT: They think it doesn't make a different. But it does make a difference. We will see. Now, will the republic fall if the Republicans fall? I have to tell you, it will not -- not in two years. But power, once lost is very hard to get back in this town. Those committee chairmanships are very important. So we shall see, what we shall see.
COLLINS: You, as a policy man, quickly, before we let you go, I want to have you hear one more sound bite from Howard Dean. This is regarding Iraq.
BENNETT: Good.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: President's policies have created a climate of terror in Iraq, that we can't leave because we can't risk that. There's a plan that's been adopted by many Democrats, certainly not all of them, called strategic redeployment, which gets us out of Iraq over a reasonable period of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Is that going to make the difference, Bill? Is that going to make the difference to get people to the voting booths on that idea, the Iraq idea, from Democrats?
BENNETT: I don't think so. Did you hear the introductory sentence? We can't leave. We can't do that. That's a different point of view than we were hearing a few weeks ago. It's interesting to see the more responsible Democrats, I don't include Dean there, but people like Biden stepping up and I think, again, moving toward the middle. Look to the Baker-Hamilton commission. That's after the election. But lots of responsible voices are saying you can't leave.
Look at the funny thing in this election, Joe Lieberman, the one Democrat who was full-throatedly for supporting the war, looks like he'll win in a northeastern liberal state. How does that happen?
COLLINS: I don't know. But we're going to be watching it. It's going to be dicey, all of it. That's for sure.
BENNETT: You bet.
COLLINS: Pleasure having you again.
BENNETT: Thank you.
COLLINS: Bill Bennett, CNN contributor and host of "Bill Bennett's Morning In America." Thank you.
BENNETT: Thank you.
HARRIS: We want to update you on a story from last week, a man on a gorilla suit, a child grabbed. Remember this? Now there's an update. We'll give that to you, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: An update on a story we reported last week. Remember this, from the Seattle area, a man accused of dressing in a gorilla suit and grabbing a five-year-old boy at a store. He's back behind bars today. The accused man turned himself in on Friday and was released on $5,000 bail. That did not sit well with the boy's parents. The child's mother went back to court yesterday and asked the judge to reconsider. He did. The suspect, Isaiah Jackson is back in jail, bail a bit higher this time around, $15,000.
COLLINS: I bet it is.
All right, we want to get to "Your World Today" and Jim Clancy who's standing by to tell us what he'll have in his show.
Hey, there, Jim.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR, YOUR WORLD TODAY: Hi, Heidi. Tony, hello to you today.
We'll take you around the world for all the developing stories with an eye on events in Iraq where U.S. officials stepped up to the podium today. They pointed a finger at Iran and Syria, blaming for them fomenting violence there and they really called on Iraq officials themselves to stand up, take charge of their own security.
Then we'll take to you Africa. The United Nations official who was kicked out by the Sudanese government, for his blunt talk about the atrocities in Darfur. Just who is he? You will meet Yan Prock (ph) and hear exactly what the government in Khartoum doesn't want you to hear.
Beauty, it may not even be skin deep. A revealing look at how the eye of the beholder is often fooled not just by make-up, but computer imaging.
Heidi and Tony, I want to know why they never did that for me.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: I could use a little of that help.
Appreciate, it Jim. See you at the top of the hour.
Business news coming up in a moment. Susan Lisovicz is here now with a preview.
Hi, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN NEWSROOM: Hi, Tony and Heidi.
Well, we have yet another milestone on Wall Street. This time for the most expensive stock ever. I'll tell you which one when NEWSROOM returns. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We've been telling you how expensive GOOGLE shares have gotten recently, right? But they are not even close to the most expensive stock on Wall Street. Susan Lisovicz joining us now. I'm sure you have several shares, right, Susan?
LISOVICZ: Berkshire Hathaway, oh, boy.
I'd have to sell my home and all of my meager assets to buy one share. Tony and Heidi, it's Berkshire Hathaway, billionaire Warren Buffett's company. Yesterday it became the first stock to ever close above $100,000, per share.
Even GOOGLE, which hit its highest level ever yesterday trades around $480 a share. So, let's put Berkshire's stock price in perspective. For $100,000 you could buy, for instance, a top of the line Mercedes sports car, a 74-day, around the world cruise in the royal suite on the Queen Mary 2, or more than 200 shares of GOOGLE. Buffet built his investment company from a small New England textile firm, when he began buying Berkshire shares in 1962. They traded in the single digits. Wouldn't it have been nice to get in early on that one.
COLLINS: Why don't we ever have that foresight, you know?
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: Timing is everything. Seriously, there's another class, right, that Berkshire has that doesn't cost that much?
LISOVICZ: Yes, it's more affordable, but relatively speaking. Buffett introduced Class B shares in 1996 to give investors a less expensive option. But they're not cheap either at about $3,300.
HARRIS: Oh, my goodness.
LISOVICZ: The reason the Berkshire shares are so pricy is because Warren Buffett refuses to split them as most successful companies do, for comparison. If General Electric had that same policy and had not split its stock nine times since going public in 1892, it would trade at about $163,000 a share, rather than $35. A company splits to make the stock more accessible to us common folk.
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: Yes, I was going to say.
HARRIS: Not common enough for me. Anyway, not possible, I don't think.
LISOVICZ: Today's Berkshire shares are adding another $600. The overall market is not moving. That's about half a percent by the way. We are seeing some weakness in tech stocks after a disappointing earnings out look from Texas Instruments, the big chip maker for cell phones. It's share, right now, TXN, are down about 3 percent. Dow industrials, however, have come back. They're on the plus side.
HARRIS: There you go.
LISOVICZ: Up about 5 points. Again, not only above 12,000, above 12,100. The Nasdaq Composite, meanwhile, still on the soft side. It's down 9 points, or about a third of a percent. That's a wrap from Wall Street.
Heidi and Tony, save up for Berkshire Hathaway, ticker symbol, BRK.
HARRIS: BRK?
COLLINS: BRK -- Bring your cash. Oh, that would be a C.
HARRIS: Right.
COLLINS: All right. Thank you, Susan.
HARRIS: You're back in the NEWSROOM, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. This afternoon, Kyra Phillips, here now with a preview of what we can look forward to in the NEWSROOM.
(CROSS TALK)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: I feel like I'm in the boxing ring. I'm already the champ.
HARRIS: I'm happy to see you, Kyra. That's all.
PHILLIPS: You know, Randi Kaye actually investigated this story from the very beginning. She told us about it. I think it's almost a year later. We'll talk about dumping patients on the streets, just flat out. Now, the Los Angeles police department goes undercover and exposes this heart wrenching routine. Hospitals discharge them, ambulances set -- well, they abandon them right on skid row. We're going to investigate.
Also, he disappeared without a trace. Now, a man with a rare form of amnesia is found, reunited with his family and fiance. His mother will join us live and talk about the whole ordeal. You can join Don Lemon and me, 1:00 p.m., right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: That is unbelievable story, isn't it? \
HARRIS: That really is.
PHILLIPS: Well, yes, and a lot of us doubted it, at the beginning. But doctors said --
COLLINS: Gotta be a little fishy.
PHILLIPS: No, there's something going on here. It's not fishy. We'll talk to mom.
HARRIS: Great. Good to see you.
COLLINS: Thank you, Kyra.
HARRIS: Which political party has all the right answers? We've got the hard, cold facts. What you have to say, next in the NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The midterm elections just two weeks from today, control of Congress hanging in the balance. Which party has a clear plan to solve the nation's problems according to a new CNN poll, not much to brag about for either party.
In the survey by Opinion Research corporation, 38 percent of respondents say Democrats have a clear plan, 58 percent say they don't. For the GOP, it's even worse. 31 percent say Republicans have a clear plan, 67 percent say they don't.
Another question, which party can provide strong leadership? 63 percent of the respondents say Democrats, 49 percent say Republicans. America's so-called "Broken Government," we're taking an in-depth look at that issue all week long on CNN. Tonight, "Two Left Feet," our CNN Candy Crowley takes a look at the Democratic Party and its problems. It's at 8:00 Eastern and something you'll see only on CNN.
COLLINS: Is that it?
HARRIS: That's it.
COLLINS: The show's over?
HARRIS: Three hours, like that.
COLLINS: I was having so much fun. There's more fun to be had. CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now.
"YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe.
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