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American Morning
Gloves Come Off in GOP Presidential Debate; New Jersey Wildfire; Wolfowitz Under Fire
Aired May 16, 2007 - 08:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Under fire. The military may have sparked a massive wildfire. On the move in New Jersey right now.
Plus, tragic twists. A soldier listed as dead on MySpace turns up safe, but now is among the missing.
THERESA ANZACK, MOTHER OF MISSING U.S. SOLDIER: I believe in miracles and I believe in prayer. And we need a miracle here.
ROBERTS: His parents' desperate plea on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And good morning to you. It is Wednesday, May 16th.
I'm John Roberts in Washington, D.C.
Good morning, Kiran.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
And I'm Kiran Chetry in New York.
You know, our heart goes out to all of the families, those getting the bad news about the deaths of the soldiers, but also those still waiting on pins and needles to find out. As we heard from Arwa, they are not getting any sleep, they are going door to door, and they are continuing this nonstop in an effort to find those captured soldiers in Iraq.
ROBERTS: Yes, very, very difficult for all of the people involved, from those searching for them, to the family at home that are waiting for any word.
Hey, were you up late last night?
CHETRY: Well, we were watching the debates. Who could miss it? And in fact, this one was a little bit more exciting, because the candidates actually took shots at one another on some of those serious issues.
Some lighthearted moments, too. One in particular that we talked about before at the expense of a certain Democratic candidate. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've had a Congress that spent money like John Edwards at a beauty shop. And it's high time that we have a different kind of tax structure, and the fair tax would get us there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Zing.
CHETRY: There was Mike Huckabee. You know, you can't throw stones, though. I bet you there's a lot of behind-the-scenes research going on to see how much each of those 10 paid for their haircuts.
ROBERTS: I'm sure there is, but I don't think Mike Huckbee, looking at how much hair he's got, is paying a whole lot of money for haircuts.
CHETRY: We also have full coverage, of course. The best political team on television, we're going to break down some of the highlights of the debate coming up.
ROBERTS: Hey, you ever been stuck in an ugly commute?
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: Stuck in the road, stuck at a train station, waiting for the subway? Take a look at this. New video coming in this morning.
Riots in Argentina all over delays in evening train service. We'll show you some more of that as the morning goes on.
CHETRY: You know, apparently they hit their breaking point, because it was happening too often and they felt they were waiting too long. Riot police called in.
We're going to show more pictures of that a little bit later.
ROBERTS: They expressed their displeasure, to say the least.
We begin, though, this morning with the gloves coming off in the second GOP presidential debate. The 10 candidates really went at one another last night.
CNN's chief national correspondent, John King, was there. He joins us now live from Columbia, South Carolina.
This one a lot more interesting, John, in tone and texture than the first debate in California.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No question about it, John. The reviews after that first debate in California were that it was very cautious. In fact, even subdued. But last night here in Columbia, a lot more energy and excitement.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice over): It was far more feisty and pointed than the first go-around. The tone set by lesser-known candidates looking to chip away at the frontrunners.
REP. TOM TANCREDO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I trust those conversions when they happen on the road to Damascus and not on the road to Des Moines.
KING: Rudy Giuliani was a frequent target. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee mocked the former mayor's statement that he morally opposes abortion yet supports a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy.
HUCKABEE: If something is morally wrong, let's oppose it.
RUDY GIULIANI (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that we can respond to all that and discuss all that, but...
KING: But he didn't. Instead, Giuliani suggested Republicans should worry less about infighting and more about who is the strongest opponent for, say, Senator Hillary Clinton.
GIULIANI: There's something I think really big at stake here.
KING: Another flash point came when former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney criticized John McCain's work with Senate liberals.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My fear is that m McCain-Kennedy would do to immigration what McCain-Feingold has done to campaign finance and money in politics. And that's bad.
KING: McCain was quick to return fire, suggesting Romney waffled on issues like abortion, depending on whether he was courting a liberal electorate in Massachusetts or the conservatives who settle GOP presidential fights.
JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have kept a consistent position on right to life, and I haven't changed my position on even numbered years or have changed because of the different offices that I may be running for.
KING: There was little new on Iraq.
MCCAIN: We cannot fail, and I will be the last man standing, if necessary.
KING: What was new was more humor...
HUCKABEE: We've had a Congress that spent money like John Edwards at a beauty shop.
KING: ... and anger. REP. RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Listen to the people who attacked us and the reason they did it.
KING: Near the end, libertarian Ron Paul suggested 9/11 would not have happened if the United States had not fought the first Persian Gulf War.
An indignant Giuliani interrupted.
GIULIANI: That's an extraordinary statement. As someone who lived through the attack of September 11th, I don't think I've ever heard that before, and I have heard some pretty absurd explanations for September 11th.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: That moment at the end for Giuliani, by all accounts, in the spin room after -- even consultants from other campaigns conceding a sure foot to Giuliani in round two, John. He needed that, because out of round one he was accused of being stumbling somewhat on the abortion question.
All of the frontrunners emerged though saying they didn't think they took any damage from all those blows. We'll see how the debate continues as we move from Columbia on to more debates ahead, including a CNN debate coming up quite soon -- John.
ROBERTS: Yes. Well, we'll give you the dates for those coming up in just a second.
But back to Giuliani for a minute, John, how important was it for him to do well, not just at the second debate, but to do well in South Carolina?
KING: Very important, because there's a big question here, is are his views on social issues enough to win a very conservative state like this, or at least be quite competitive? And there was the bigger question of leadership.
This is a person whose whole campaign is based on who he was in those moments right after the attacks of 9/11. And when he couldn't give definitive, strong, emphatic answers on abortion in round one, many said not only were they questioning his views on abortion, they were questioning his projection as a leader.
So, that moment last night, candidates prepare these things, they're looking for an opening. They have lines prepared to jump in. So perhaps it was contrived a bit, but that's how all debates work.
He seized the moment, he took charge of the debate for that moment. And even members of other campaign staffs were saying, you know what? He helped himself last night.
ROBERTS: Yes. And almost a free-for-all, as well, which I personally would have liked to have seen.
John King for us in Columbia, South Carolina.
Good work. Thanks very much, John. Appreciate that analysis.
KING: Thank you.
ROBERTS: And a programming note now. Big debates coming up here on CNN, as John said.
The Democratic 2008 hopefuls debate on June 3rd. Republicans debate June 5th in the important primary state of New Hampshire.
We're going to have all kinds of coverage wrapped around those debates, as well, so make sure that you keep it right here on CNN.
CHETRY: And now let's head to the huge wildfire that is burning in New Jersey. Officials this morning saying right now it is only 10 percent contained.
Thousands of people have been asked to leave their homes. They've evacuated. And now the National Guard is saying that it could have been a flare from a fighter jet that caused it all.
CNN's Allan Chernoff is live in Warren Grove, New Jersey, this morning.
So, they're talking 10 percent containment. What are they looking at today?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: They are hoping to increase that number, but they certainly cannot guarantee it, Kiran.
You can see behind me some of the smoke. So far, this fire has spread across more than 20 square miles. That's better than 13,000 acres. And it is really tough to fight.
The wind here has gusted well over 20 miles an hour. It is extremely dry here. And that means that pine needles like this are very flammable. Keep in mind, this is the New Jersey pine barrens, and as you said, only 10 percent right now contained.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF MARIS GABLIKS, N.J. FOREST FIRE SERVICE: And it still has the potential to grow. We're currently working on the fire, looking at putting in containment lines around the fire to contain it.
Firefighters worked since 2:30 yesterday on the fire. And we had quite a few crews out overnight working on getting a containment on the fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: Twenty-five hundred homes have been evacuated and 50 homes have been damaged, either by fire or by smoke. Now, as you said, the New Jersey National Air Guard has indicated that yesterday afternoon one of its F-16s during maneuvers dropped a flare, and apparently the flare was dropped too close to the ground. These flares are supposed to flame out in the sky.
Apparently, that didn't happen, and the New Jersey National Guard saying it believes that may have been the cause of this fire. Of course, it's under investigation -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. We'll check in with you a little later.
Allan, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz is standing on shaky ground this morning. The White House support for Wolfowitz is beginning to slip, with a statement saying, "All options are on the table."
They sent a message to the World Bank that they would be OK with replacing Wolfowitz.
State Department Correspondent Zain Verjee has been watching this story and is here with us now.
So, Wolfowitz had a chance yesterday to talk with the board of the World Bank. What did he say?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, he made a very impassioned plea to the World Bank to keep his job. He handed them a lot of documents that says, look, you know, it proves that I acted, he says, in good faith, when I arranged for a promotion and pay raise for my girlfriend.
What he said was, "To criticize my actions or to find them as a basis for a loss of confidence would be grossly unfair." He went on to say that he had accomplished a lot at the World Bank, and he told the board, "Think about the long-term interests of the bank itself." He said, "I implore each of you to be fair in making your decision because your decision will not affect not only my life, it will affect how this institution is viewed in the United States and the world."
Opposition against Paul Wolfowitz, though, very high. He is under a huge amount of pressure to resign, and we're not really sure if this appeal to the bank will really stave off a rebuke.
ROBERTS: Well, they just don't like his management style, though, do they? Which he pledged to change, and he also apologized.
VERJEE: Yes, he did. He said to the board that, "I have said that I'm not without fault in this matter. Rather than fix blame for something that wasn't wrong, we should all acknowledge our responsibility, as I have acknowledged mine."
You mentioned his management style. There's been a huge amount of frustration over that, and he promised, look, I'll delegate more, I'll trust the staff more, I won't rely on Bush administration officials that I brought in. So he's making promises, but who knows if it will work.
ROBERTS: You know, when it comes to statements from the White House, the only thing it seems is worse than, "You're doing a heck of a job, Brownie," is when they say "All options are on the table."
Is he...
VERJEE: Exactly. Well, I mean, the real key here is whether the White House is going to back him or not. All along they've been saying, you know, you have our full support, we're standing by our man.
ROBERTS: Not so much now.
VERJEE: But there are indications now that were he to resign voluntarily, the White House wouldn't necessarily oppose it. So, it's definitely showing flexibility by saying all options are on the table.
ROBERTS: We'll have a decision when?
VERJEE: Any time. It could happen as early as this week. They have three choices: fire him, ask him to resign, or reprimand him.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks. Zain, good reporting. We know that you're going to stay on this important story for us as well.
VERJEE: Thanks.
ROBERTS: Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, we learned this morning that the oldest daughter of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. has died. Yolanda King, just 51 years old. She was an actress and inspirational speaker.
The family saying not sure right now the cause of Yolanda's death. They think that it may have been a heart problem.
And the Reverend Jerry Falwell being remembered this morning as a preacher and a political force who became the face of the religious right. Reverend Falwell collapsed and died yesterday at his office at Liberty University. He was just 73 years old.
CNN's Brianna Keilar is live in Lynchburg, Virginia, for us this morning.
Hi, Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kiran.
And if you look here at the news in advance, the front page of the Lynchburg paper here, this really spells out how people here are feeling. This is a picture of Falwell's portrait here at Thomas Road Baptist Church, which he founded, and there's two people in front of it hugging, one of whom is crying. People here are teary-eyed, they are grieving for the loss of Reverend Falwell. But one member of the church also told me, you know, he's in a better place. And even in death his message will live on. They say he lived what he preached, and this ask something we heard echoed by Liberty University students this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rest of the world kind of sees him as a bigot and stuff, and you don't see his true heart.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yesterday, like, I think it really affected me. I just felt like he was the father figure around here. And so, it really hit me, like, when I found out that he died.
Like, I started balling my eyes out, even though, like, I've never met him. But just knowing that he's not around anymore. But knowing, too, that he's in heaven just -- that really helps out a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The executive vice president of Liberty University said Falwell was discovered in his office late yesterday morning. He was unconscious, he didn't have a heartbeat, and paramedics tried to revive him in his office and en route to the Lynchburg hospital here, but they weren't able to.
Of course, Falwell does have a history of heart issues. In 2005, he was hospitalized twice for congestive heart failure.
Meanwhile, the funeral is scheduled for Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. Starting tomorrow, Falwell will lie in repose here -- or on the campus of Liberty University for a handful of days before the funeral -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks so much.
Brianna Keilar live for us in Lynchburg.
Let's just show this picture really quick. It's taken about 10 years ago, and it's a shot -- a huge sports fan, by the way, Jerry Falwell. And there is a picture of him crowd surfing.
It was 10 years ago, he was 63 years old. Very robust, full of energy. And clearly, enjoying his time with some people much younger than him.
A huge sports fan. There he is.
Who knew, John, Jerry Falwell crowd surfer, among many other things?
ROBERTS: You have got to do what you have got to do.
Hey, the next time that you're involved in a commute that is just about to drive you out of your mind, keep these pictures in mind. Amazing video to show you this morning from Argentina.
Train delays spark a huge riot at a Buenos Aires train station last night. Commuters broke windows, set fires, looted nearby shots. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas. Sixteen people in all were arrested.
CHETRY: And another story to show you caught on camera, the shot of the day. Two children barely escaping a terrifying brush with a lightning bolt. We'll show the picture one more time and you'll see just how close -- there it is, just a few feet away from those kids running through a storm.
Also, a soldier's story. Wrongly reported killed in action on a MySpace page, his family terrified. Then he turns up safe, and now he's among the missing. His father is going to be joining us next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: Well, Teresa and Joe Anzack now know that their son is one of four soldiers whose fate is unknown right now in Iraq. This time though is not the first time that they have gotten word that Joe Jr. may have been harmed.
Joe Anzack Sr. joins us now from California this morning.
Thanks for being with us, Joe.
JOSEPH ANZACK, FATHER OF MISSING U.S. SOLDIER: Good morning.
CHETRY: Well, first of all, I want to just say our hearts go out to you. We heard from one of our reporters who is currently embedded with fellow soldiers in your son's brigade, and they're doing the- door-to-door searches right now, doing anything they can to try to make sure your son, as well as the others with him, are found safe and sound.
Are you getted updated on the status of what's going on in Iraq?
ANZACK: Yes, but we haven't really heard too much from -- he's just missing in action.
CHETRY: How did you find out?
ANZACK: Well, the military came to my home and told me personally.
CHETRY: And this comes on the heels of a scare for your family thinking that Joe was killed. What happened there?
ANZACK: Well, there was -- there was a rumor that went around. There was a rumor that somebody died in D Company. Well, D Company is a big place, and somebody just put the name with it, and it just got misled. And that's where that rumor came from.
But I knew that rumor was false because I felt it in my heart. Nothing like that was happening. And plus, the military didn't get a hold of me.
CHETRY: And what are you feeling in your heart right now as your son's whereabouts are unknown?
ANZACK: Well, my son, he's doing what he has to do to stay alive. I understand that. And he'll do what he can to help. You know, I'm sure he might be in a very difficult position, but I know he's giving it his best.
CHETRY: And who is supporting you and Teresa right now as you go through the unimaginable?
ANZACK: Well, family members, and the military also has sent out a detachment just for us to help us through this time, and to help us with counseling and stuff like that. They've been very helpful.
CHETRY: Tell us a little bit about Joe. When was the last time you were able to talk to him?
ANZACK: Well, I got to talk to him on Thursday, the Thursday -- just last Thursday. And we got to talk, a little bit of small talk.
He gave me a call in the morning, and kind of getting caught up on stuff. We got to talk about gut feelings and stuff like that, and instincts.
And I told him flat out, you know what? You're a natural at this stuff. Because he was telling me that he is getting better at what he's doing, and that -- you know, I told him he's a natural at this stuff, and you will get better, and to listen to your gut instincts. And that could be why he's missing and not killed.
CHETRY: That's very true.
What is -- what is he doing right now, and what is his feeling about the mission that he's doing in Iraq?
ANZACK: There was no ill feelings or anything like that. He has a job to do, and he understands that. And he just goes to it the best he can.
CHETRY: You have faith that he's going to be found alive and be back soon?
ANZACK: Oh, yes. I have best faith.
We're going to Vegas. You know? We have things to do, unfinished business.
I would wish everybody out there to give your positive thoughts on this issue and to help us through this. And if everybody gives us their prayers and their positive thoughts, this stuff is doable. We can get it done.
I know the military are doing all they can to do whatever they can, and the positive thoughts are very important right now.
CHETRY: And you have prayers from millions of us all around the country that your son, as well as the people, the comrades that he's with, are found safe and sound.
Joe, thanks.
ANZACK: Yes. You're welcome.
ROBERTS: Our heart certainly goes out to him.
What does it take to wrap up one of the biggest corporate scandals ever? About $3 million -- make that $3 billion, with a "B," to shareholders who say they were duped.
Ali Velshi explains, coming up next.
And you once thought it was cool, but what will it cost to get rid of that tattoo? It's a booming market. Greg Hunter's on the case.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: And welcome back, 26 past the hour.
Now Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business".
Hello.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there.
We've had a settlement in the Tyco case. This was one of the big scandals of the early 2000s.
Tyco has agreed to settle most of the class action suits against it for -- what is the amount that they're looking at settling for? It's a big amount. I'll find it in a few minutes. Oh, it's $3 billion. Just under $3 billion.
CHETRY: That's pretty big.
VELSHI: Minus legal fees. So, you'll get -- you know, if you have money in this, you'll get it after the legal fees are taken.
You'll remember back in 2005, Dennis Kozlowski and the former CFO, Mark Swartz, were sentenced. They were found guilty of looting $600 million from Tyco.
The things that stand out about this case were the excesses. You know, Dennis Kozlowski had a $3,000 -- or a $6,000 shower curtain. I don't even know where you find those. CHETRY: And I still remember the famous ice sculpture.
VELSHI: The umbrella stand. And then this was the party, the big toga party. He flew people to Sardinia for this for his wife.
This was the fourth overall biggest settlement in a securities case. Enron was the biggest at $7.2 billion, WorldCom at $6 billion. So, at $3 billion, it's a pretty big settlement, but again, it's going to be -- by the time people get their payouts, usually it's 30 to 40 cents on the dollar if they're lucky.
CHETRY: Right. So after all the litigation and everything, I mean, they win it morally, but they're still in the lurch.
VELSHI: Right. You get justice, but again, you're losing money.
CHETRY: Let me ask you this. "Ask Ali," and a lot of people were wondering about different things. We talked about the gas -- the national average being $3.10.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: Someone -- Patty writes in from South Bend, Indiana, "Why are the prices in my area higher than the national average?" They say they're at, I think, nearly $3.40 a gallon.
VELSHI: Yes. And in San Francisco it's over $3.50.
Generally speaking, it's the taxes in different states that cause gas prices to be different. There's a little bit at the front end, the distribution, you know, how far you are from refineries. But typically, now that everybody uses the same mix of gasoline around the country -- it used to be that there were different additives -- now it's mainly taxes. So, places where the governments tax more on the gas, that's where your fluctuation is likely to be.
CHETRY: Good to know.
And if you've e-mailed in a question for Ali, he's going to get some more answers, do some digging, and get some more answers tomorrow.
VELSHI: Yes, absolutely.
CHETRY: Thanks a lot -- John.
ROBERTS: Coming up, tattooing your boyfriend or your girlfriend's name on your body may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but, well, what happens when that relationship goes south? Getting the tattoo removed is neither cheap nor easy.
Greg Hunter is on that story for us this morning. He does have some solutions.
And you may have thought a drink of milk or cup of yogurt was your ticket to weight loss. Put down your spoons. We're paging Dr. Gupta ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
The most news in the morning is on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Look at the Iwo Jimo Memorial there this morning on a beautiful day in Washington, another one. Our thanks to the folks at WJLA TV for that picture.
Good morning to you. It's Wednesday, May 16th.
I'm John Roberts in Washington.
CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry.
What a beautiful -- one of my favorite sculptures, especially that high. You can see all the lush trees surrounding it as well, pretty shot.
ROBERTS: Yes, it's a very nice area. That's in Arlington, Virginia, by the way, right close to the Arlington National Cemetery, just a little bit to the north of it.
CHETRY: All right. And I'm Kiran Chetry here in New York. We have lots to get to this morning. A big night last night for the GOP presidential candidates. A lot of sparks flew actually in that big second debate -- John.
ROBERTS: Absolutely. The second GOP debate was far different from the first one. In South Carolina last night the 10 candidates were, again, touting their conservative credentials, but this time the gloves came off, making for some pretty interesting moments.
Jim Vandehei is the executive editor of politico.com. He actually was a participant in the last debate, which was hosted on a rival cable network. He joins us with some morning-after analysis.
So a lot of substance last night, a little more than last time, I think, which is not saying anything against you guys. But who came off the most presidential?
JIM VANDEHEI, EXEC. DIR., POLITICO.COM: I thought it was a terrific debate. What you look for in these things are clarifying moments, where voters can look at 10 and try to see the differences and understand the nuances of the candidates. I thought Rudy Giuliani came off terrific, mostly because he got that softball, where Ron Paul lobs it to him and basically blames the U.S. for the 9/11 attacks.
ROBERTS: Let's take a quick look at that and then you can keep going on that. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RON PAUL (R), PRES. CANDIDATE: They attack us because we've been over there; we've been bombing Iraq for 10 years. RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRES. CANDIDATE: That's an extraordinary statement, as someone who lived through the attack of September 11th, that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don't think I've ever heard that before, and I've heard some pretty absurd explanations for September 11th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So Giuliani in the California debate that you were at was criticized for kind of not showing that the type of heavily, sharply-focused leadership that he is well known for, obviously taking that opportunity there.
VANDEHEI: You can't buy opportunities like that in politics. I mean, this is a guy whose entire campaign is based on, I can keep you safe, I'm the 9/11 warrior, and here he's able to stand up in front of this Republican audience and say, that's absurd. Withdraw your remark.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: You dream of those moments when you're a candidate, that's for sure.
VANDEHEI: Yes, absolutely.
ROBERTS: Romney and McCain also got into it. Everyone was trying to show who's the better conservative, and Romney tried to do at the expense of John McCain. McCain didn't like it. Take a look at this exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRES. CANDIDATE: My fear is that McCain/Kennedy would do to immigration what McCain/Feingold has done to campaign finance and money in politics, and that's bad.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRES. CANDIDATE: I have kept a consistent position on right to life, and I haven't changed my position on even- numbered years or changed because of the different offices that I may be running for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So there you have the big knock on McCain is McCain/Feingold. Conservatives do not like him for that, and then the big knock on Romney is this idea that he triangulates his positions on very sensitive issues, depending on what race he's running.
VANDEHEI: Right.
ROBERTS: I mean, McCain is basically saying, you're a flip- flopper, and he's going right after him on what everyone knows is a fundamental weakness of the Romney campaign. It was a great exchange. Again, it was very crisp and people can clearly understand the dynamic, and that McCain went on TV afterwards and even amplified the remarks. He said, listen, I felt like I was under attack and I've got to draw the line, and I've got to push back.
ROBERTS: Yes, in fact, in one of the questions, one of the questioners referred to -- he didn't call him himself, but he said you've been referred to as flip-flop Mitt. Romney's got a ton of money. He out-raised everybody else. He's lagging way behind in the polls. If you include Fred Thompson in the polling, he's fourth, at 10 percent.
VANDEHEI: Right, but this guy's the Robert Redford of politics; I mean, he's so smooth on camera, he knows exactly what his weaknesses are and he prepares for them, and he's pretty articulate in explaining what he says is an evolution on issues and not flip-flopping. But there is sort of authenticity primary taking place right now where everybody is trying to prove, that yes, you know, in fact, I am a conservative, maybe I haven't been a conservative, but trust me, I am one now.
ROBERTS: And there was a couple of humorous moments as well. John McCain trotted out again -- it's a pretty tried and true line for him, but it worked really well last night, that Congress is spending like drunken sailors, and you know, I know a drunken sailor who said, I take offense at that. And then Mike Huckabee talking about spending as well and then tax cuts. He took a shot at John Edwards. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRES. CANDIDATE: We've had a Congress that's spent money like John Edwards at a beauty shop, and it's high time...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: That was good.
VANDEHEI: It was great timing on Huckabee who, in both debates, I think, has been pretty smooth, pretty articulate, maybe can start to establish himself as a serious...
ROBERTS: I don't know that Huckabee should be making hair jokes.
VANDEHEI: I don't know that he should either, but it's great for that red meat audience, and they love making fun of sort of the masculinity of Democrats and they love to take pokes at people, Democrats who spend a lot of money. They're elites, and that's what they want to -- that's the message they're trying to pound home.
ROBERTS: Well, if that's a sign of how these debates are going to go in the future, you know, I say more, more, more, because it was pretty interesting.
VANDEHEI: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: Jim Vandehei from the politico, thanks very much. Good to see you -- Kyra.
VANDEHEI: Thanks. CHETRY: And coming up, we've heard it does a body good, but does milk really help you lose weight? We're paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta on that one.
Also, if you change your mind about that tattoo that you got on a whim, it will cost you. We're going to show you the science behind effective tattoo removals coming up.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news on the morning is on CNN.
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CHETRY: Well, tattoos may never go out of style, but at some point you may get sick of them yourself and want to erase that work of body art from your memory and your body. Well, it's easier said than done, as AMERICAN MORNING's Greg Hunter shows us. He's here to talk about this.
Tattoo removal, a pretty big industry.
GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A growing industry, and growing for the female kind. I'll tell you, the question is, are you still going to love that tattoo today the same way you loved it today years from now? Well, a lot of people are saying, no, I made a big mistake, and they want it off, now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTER (voice-over): Angelina Jolie, Tommy Lee, Dennis Rodman, just a few of the celebrities who have glamorized skin art. While love sometimes fades, it takes more than that to make a tattoo disappear.
Giustina Rossi had two cherubs tattooed on her lower back when she was 21.
GIUSTINA ROSSI, TATTOO REMOVAL PATIENT: It was impulse, got it done, and just realized that it doesn't look good on me, just wasn't what I'm about.
HUNTER: Today after shots to kill the pain, Giustina got her 11th and final laser treatment to remove those cherubs. Total cost -- about $4,400.
It's a growing market. Tattoo-removal lasers are now big business.
Dr. Bruce Katz, a board-certified dermatologist, has been removing tattoos for more than a decade.
DR. BRUCE KATZ, JUVA SKIN & LASER CTR.: We have not seen so many tattoos in the last few years ever.
HUNTER: Dr. Katz says 80 percent of his clients are women who have changed their minds. KATZ: A lot of woman, today particularly, and some men, have had tattoos placed when they're in college or they're high school, and they get out into the real world of business, or they're on Wall Street or investment banking, and they realize this is not professional, and that's when they decide they want to have them removed.
HUNTER: Tattoos where the ink is very deep in the skin, or with many colors, are hard to take off.
KATZ: They're aqua, yellow, orange, turquoise, they become a lot more difficult, and they also require a lot more sessions to remove them.
HUNTER: Giustina wishes she had known that before she got her tattoo in the first place.
KATZ: Are you all right, Giustina?
ROSSI: Yes.
HUNTER: I should have listened to my parent when they said that I'd be paying for it later on. They were right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTER: So you want to get rid of your tattoo? What do you do? I talked to Dr. Jeffrey Ran (ph), a guy here in New York City that' done 11,000 tattoo removals. That's all he does. And the first thing he says is make sure you go into a qualified doctor. That means board certified. He says a lot of these little shops and spas have grown up like dandelions, and many of them don't have a lot of experience or a lot training, and that's really important.
That brings me to my next tip, and that is to ask about a doctor's or technician's record. How many have you done? How long have you been doing this? What kind of training have you had? And the last thing is, ask to see pictures of before and after. Take a good look at what these people do. Take a good look at their work to make sure they can get it all off.
Now just to let you know, the awesome power of one of these lasers, I had Dr. Katz fire one of his 39 lasers up in his office. Check out what it does to this tongue depressor. It's about a 16th of an inch. It's very strong, a lot stronger than your skin. Look at that. That laser is burning a hole right through in, just in a matter of a few seconds.
Now imagine the untrained person with one of these lasers taking it to your skin. And it can, according to all the doctors and all the experts I talked to, it can burn you, it can leave scars. It can partially remove your tattoo, and many times when you have a mistake with a laser, after all, it does vaporize part of your skin, it's permanent.
CHETRY: Right. And it still never looks perfect at the end. I mean, that one girl went through 11 different laser treatments, and you can still -- I mean, you're never exactly the same.
HUNTER: That was the final one. But a lot of the doctors that I talked to said many times they can get it looking very, very good, almost perfect or perfect, but it takes a lot of treatments and it takes somebody who knows what they're doing.
Another thing, a company will buy maybe one laser. We talk to these doctors about it, and said they have one laser. Maybe times you need two or three different types of laser to take off the tattoo. So you really have to have the right lasers, the right training, the right experience to make sure you get your tattoo removed properly.
CHETRY: Or make sure you're never, ever, ever going to change your mind before you get it.
HUNTER: The Billy Bob with Angelina Jolie.
CHETRY: Billy Bob didn't work out so well.
HUNTER: Can you see Brad Pitt going, hey, honey, can you take off the...
CHETRY: And remove the dragon while you're at it.
Greg, thanks so much -- John.
ROBERTS: The U.S. Agriculture Department is pulling the plug on two national ad campaigns that claim that milk and other dairy products can help you lose weight.
Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now from Atlanta with details. What were they saying, Sanjay, and why were they told to stop?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, it's pretty hard to malign milk, of all things. But there were some letters about whether or not the science was there to promote this idea that milk, dairy products, can actually help you lose weight. There was a big advertising campaign. First of all, they do recommend that you get three allotments of dairy every day, milk, cheese, something like that every single day.
But taking that one step further and saying it could be part of the weight-loss program. There's this bid ad campaign out there for some time. A lot of famous faces out there, talking specifically about how milk can actually make you lose weight.
I think we have some of the ads. Maybe not. OK, there you go. There you see some of them. Kelly Preston, Beyonce got involved as well, Meredith Viera. They show the skinny glass of milk. And all these ads that actually have been approved by the U.S. Agriculture Department, but a group called the Physicians for the Committee for Responsible Medicine are now saying the science is not there to actually prove that dairy products can cause weight loss.
So this is a pretty big step for them, and the USDA listened to that, and said, OK, we're going to look into this a little bit more; we're not sure that dairy actually causes weight loss, so let's look into it a little more. In the meantime, pull the plug on all those ads. PCRM says, you know, this is a big deal for them. They actually got the USDA to listen to them. The Dairy Council says we stand behind our weight loss messages, and the science supporting those messages, as well. So a little bit back and forth there.
I should point out, as well, PCRM is an organization that really advocates a vegan diet. They advocate no animal products whatsoever, and they're very outspoken on a lot of these issues, John.
ROBERTS: So, Sanjay, I have read a couple of articles -- I won't say not studies -- that suggest high doses of calcium can actually help you lose weight. But would there be enough calcium in milk to do that, and what do you believe? Does milk actually help you lose weight or would it help you gain weight?
GUPTA: Well, it's a little bit hard to say, because where the sort of friction is coming here between the USDA and PCRM, the Responsible Medicine Group. It's interesting, what I've learned doing a little bit of homework on this, is that if you're already on a diet and having a diet that's high in calcium can actually help you build some muscle while making you lose some body fat, which doesn't always translate to losing weight necessarily, because you're actually building more of that muscle. But if you're already on the diet, it does seem to have some benefit. It's hard to know exactly how much, what the sweet spot is, if you will, in terms of how much calcium you need to get some of the benefits without starting to add weight, and I think that's where the confusion lies.
The USDA says they're going to look into it a little bit more, but pull the ads for time being.
ROBERTS: All right, Sanjay, thanks very much for this.
GUPTA: Thank you.
ROBERTS: And you can send your questions to Dr. Gupta's Mailbag. Go to CNN.com/americanmorning. Sanjay will answer them tomorrow and every Thursday here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away. Heidi Collins is at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good morning to you.
That's right. We have these stories coming up on the NEWSROOM: We watched the fire fronts in New Jersey and Florida all morning; 2,500 families forced to flee in New Jersey alone.
Thousands of U.S. troops fanning out on a fifth day looking for three American soldiers, the troops believed kidnapped by al Qaeda- linked terrorists. The military reporting several people detained, more than 600 questioned.
And commuters fed up with poor train service -- rush hour riot. That means no train service, period. Pretty amazing video.
Join Tony Harris and me coming up in the NEWSROOM top of the hour right here on CNN.
CHETRY: Yes, they were mad, that's for sure.
COLLINS: Out of control.
CHETRY: Heidi, thanks.
Well, coming up, you can't stop it from raining on your wedding day, but can you buy insurance in case it does? How does that work? What if your soon-to-be spouse gets cold feet. Do you get your money back from that?
Well, a day care center also accused of a big cover up, stashing kids in a storage room. Why did they do it, and what's happening next?
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. You can't buy insurance for a bad marriage, but now you can at least make sure that you're getting a happy wedding day out of it. Robert Nuccio and his firm are offering wedding insurance, and he says it's getting pretty popular.
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ROBERT NUCCIO, R.V. NUCCIO ASSOCIATES: The policy has a basic premium of $95. It starts at $95, and then you can select whatever coverages you want. Cancellation, of course, is the most important coverage and that is the one that would pay you back if you had to cancel your wedding because of a hurricane that closed down the facility or wildfires that are going on in the south right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And he also says for a few more dollars you can actually add a cold feet policy, John. This is in case one party has a change of heart before the big day. Hey, you're covered. Your heart may be broken, but at least your pocketbook and bank account won't be.
ROBERTS: I like that idea, you know, if you get cold feet, change of heart. Remember that runaway bride, if she had insurance she wouldn't have had to go halfway across the country.
CHETRY: You're right, she could of just said, see the policy honey, see the rider and call it cold feet.
Well, we want to answer you Ask A.M. question, Karen wrote to us to askam@CNN.com. She was talking about a lot of the buzz that one particular longshot candidate has been getting on those insta-polls on some of the blogs. Why don't you talk about Ron Paul? All the polls say that he is kicking butt. She's referring to last night's debate, so we've been talking all morning about it, and especially the performance of Congressman Ron Paul.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Republicans were elected to end the Korean War. The Republicans were elected to end the Vietnam War. There is a strong tradition of being anti-war in the Republican Party. It is the constitutional position. It is the advice of the founders to follow a non-interventions foreign policy, stay out of entangling alliances, be friends with countries, negotiate, and talk with them and trade with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So, who is Ron Paul? Well, he's the man described by some of the political analysts as the longest of long shots in a GOP field. He's nine-term Congressman from Texas, an OBGYN from the Houston area actually, and he is barely registering in the polling. In fact, in our CNN polls I think he's under 1 percent. He's also the libertarian candidate, he was, for president back in 1988, didn't do so well, drawing just about 400,000 votes nationwide. He also voted against the defense spending bill and against the 2002 authorization for the war in Iraq. He believes, as he says, in limited government. He's actually calling for, John, the abolishing of the Homeland Security Department, and he wants to take away a lot of the power of the Federal Reserve.
ROBERTS: Yes, I saw that. That's how he would cut the federal budget by abolishing the Department of Homeland Security. He did kind of stick his foot in it, though, when he suggested last night that it was U.S. intervention overseas that was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, which drew the sharp response from Rudy Giuliani, which drew applause from the audience. So it looks like...
CHETRY: That's right, and he didn't back down from it either, so he...
ROBERTS: He didn't, you're right.
CHETRY: Divergent views all around, when compared to some of the other candidates. But, as I said, one of our viewers asked, and so, hopefully we answered your question. And if you have any other questions for us here, e-mail us. It's askam@CNN.com.
ROBERTS: He's certainly providing a lot of color at these debates.
CHETRY: That's for sure.
ROBERTS: Here's a quick look at what CNN NEWSROOM is working on, coming up at the top of the hour.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM...
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need a miracle here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Families anxiously waiting for word on missing soldiers in Iraq.
Yolanda King, oldest child of Martin Luther King Jr., dies in California.
Wildfires flares in New Jersey.
Northern Florida firestorms chasing more than 700 families from their homes.
And the lightning strike that was too close for comfort.
NEWSROOM top of the hour on CNN.
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CHETRY: And we're so glad you joined us on this Wednesday morning. That's all here from AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: I'll see you again tomorrow, Kiran. And we hope to see you all back for AMERICAN MORNING.
CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.
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