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Ballot Bowl '08

Aired January 01, 2008 - 09:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to CNN BALLOT BOWL '08. This is where we allow you, the voters -- the informed voters -- to become Iowans for a day. We are going to be here all day, seven hours. Ballot Bowl '08 from the CNN election express. It is just two days before the first votes of 2008 and the presidential candidates are calling the plays for CNN's political version of the college bowl games. We're going to hear them live, raw, unfiltered today. Everybody is going to get a chance to hear the best political team on television bringing you ballot bowl '08 right now.
Well, it's a new year and a new leader for the next seven hours, that's right -- seven hours and seven degrees. You're going to hear the candidates in their own words in-depth on the major issues. We're talking about the economy, the war in Iraq, health care, immigration, abortion, clips from the campaign trail -- a dozen live events as they unfold during the hours guiding us across Iowa. Of course, the best political team on television: our own Bill Schneider is with me in Des Moines, along with Candy Crowley and Jessica Yellin and Mary Snow, as well, and Dana Bash will join us from Cedar Rapids.

John King, of course, is going to look ahead to the next battle ground, the primary state of New Hampshire. He will join us from Concord. Now we have a new poll this morning that shows Iowa race is too close to call. Our CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider, joining us from nearby, an Iowa watering hole, to break down all of those numbers for us. Obviously, this seems to be a political dog fight in Iowa. The next days could be critical for both parties. Hey, Bill, what do you see?

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right, Suzanne. First of all, happy new year!

MALVEAUX: Happy new year!

SCNEIDER: I'm at Buzzard Billy's Flying Carp Cafe, finest in downtown Des Moines. And, we have a cliffhanger -- in fact, we've got two cliffhangers -- here in the Iowa caucuses. On the Democratic side, what had been a three-way tie between Obama, Clinton, and Edwards is now a two-way tie between Obama and Clinton -- neck and neck, too close to call. The "Des Moines Register" poll shows an edge for Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, about seven points. Their poll includes a large constituency of first-time voters, young voters, independents, unusual in an Iowa caucus but if those voters show up, it will give Obama the edge that the "Des Moines Register" poll is predicting.

On the Republican side, what we're showing is that an eight-point lead for Mike Huckabee just two weeks ago has turned into a dead heat between Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. Romney has been gaining support, particularly among women. The big issue in the Republican race is the economy and that is the issue where Romney has built his big lead among Republicans.

So two races, both of them close to call. By the way, the "Des Moines Register" poll shows Huckabee still leading by a fairly narrow margin of just six points. So, no matter which way you look at it, it's going to be a very, very exciting caucus night. Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Obviously, shape up to be a very exciting night, Bill. Good to see you inside, warm there. I'm going to come visit you a little bit later.

SCHNEIDER: OK.

MALVEAUX: A political dog fight obviously here. The next two days critical for both sides. Let's now go to our CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley in Des Moines. Candy, what do we expect to see from the Democrats?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, from the Democrats, we're going to see closing arguments that are really very similar to their opening arguments. Barack Obama has relied heavily on the theme of changing Washington, of taking lobbyists out of the mix, of reforming health care, of bringing everybody to the table. He, of course, has a health care plan different from that of Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, the other two leading contenders in this.

John Edwards, again, back to his roots. He is a populist in this race. He is the one saying what we need to do is go in and fight all those interests; that we can't have a universal health care which he proposes unless we get rid of all that money and all that lobbying. Hillary Clinton also proposing a similar kind of health care, mandating insurance for everyone, talking about that a lot. I suspect we'll hear that today from her. She is saying, of course, that she is the best person to bring about change because she says she has the most experience in the race, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Candy, you've been out there for quite sometime talking to all of those candidates. I know there's a little bit of buzz. We don't know how serious to take the rumors but I do know that there is some buzz about John Edwards possibly being the one to take this. What are you hearing? What is your sense?

CROWLEY: Well, obviously, you know, it's so hard to kind of read through this, because every campaign is going to tell you that they're on the rise, that they are moving. John Edwards has staked a lot of his fortunes here in Iowa, although they say not all of them, that he is prepared to move on, regardless of what happens here. But, he has been in those rural areas preaching to -- about bringing the middle class up through changing trade deals, that sort of thing. They believe that message has some real resonance here in Iowa where the median income is slightly over $40,000. They think that, again, that that populist anti-international trade agreements, unless they have specific restrictions on them -- about removing Washington greed and money from the negotiating table -- they are saying this has, in these closing days, some real resonance out there because they also believe that these voters are looking at Washington and seeing big powerful interests taking over.

MALVEAUX: OK, Candy, I know we're going to be checking in with you all throughout the day. You're heading to, I believe, Ames, Iowa, following the Clintons, so stay warm and we will talk soon. Thanks, Candy. So, let's get started with the BALLOT BOWL. The candidates in their own words. Senator John McCain held a town hall meeting in Dover, New Hampshire, just a couple of days ago. He spoke at length about global climate change, health care for veterans. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MCCAIN, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Suppose that those who believe that climate change is real and taking place and affecting our planet and the future of young Americans are wrong. Suppose that there is no such thing as climate change but we move ahead with green technologies, nuclear power, all the things necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including a proposal of Joe Lieberman's and mine called cap and trade where if an enterprise is emitting greenhouse gases and they reduce them they earn a credit and they can sell that credit and the Europeans are doing that now. We did it in the case of acid rain. But, suppose we take those steps. Then all we've done is give our kids a cleaner planet. But suppose we are right and do nothing? Suppose we are right and do nothing. What kind of a planet are we handing that young lady over there? What kind of planet are we handing Jamie here?

Well, my friends, it seems to me that we should err on doing whatever is necessary to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in order to give our kids a cleaner planet. And I've traveled around the world. I've traveled usually at your expense. And I've traveled to the Arctic. I've traveled to the South Pole. I've traveled to Greenland. And the preponderance -- not all -- but the preponderance of the scientific opinion on the American world is greenhouse gas emissions are taking place.

We also must reduce our depends on foreign oil which is directly affecting our economy. A billion dollars of your dollars every single day is going overseas to OPEC countries. Every single day, a billion dollars. And some of that money is ending up in the hands of terrorist organizations that want to harm America and destroy us. My friends, we must have oil independence. When it's in the hands of people like Chavez and Venezuela and Putin and the Iranians and Nigeria and other places -- my friends, it's too fragile. About two years ago, there was an attempted attack on a huge oil refinery in Saudi Arabia by a suicide bomber and it failed. The experts say that that attack had succeeded , oil would have gone to $150 a barrel overnight. My friends, we've got to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and we've got to reduce our -- gradual eliminate our dependency on foreign oil.

My friends, the French, we all admire the French. The French: 80 percent of their electricity is generated by nuclear power. OK? 80 percent of their electricity. By the way and I'm sure you noticed, that we now have a pro- American president of France -- which shows if you live long enough, anything is possible in America. By the way, he has excellent choice of vacation spots, as we also know. The problem with nuclear power, my friends, is not that it's not safe. We've sailed navy ships around the world for 60 years with nuclear power plants on them and we've never had an accident. The question is what you do with the waste? And now, we have the worst of all worlds because there's waste sites around every nuclear power plant in America. I know how emotional this issue was some years ago because of Seabrook -- I understand that. But, I think, that has to be part of the answer. I just want to mention two more subjects with you very quickly. One is health care. We have a lot of veterans here today. And, my friends, we all know about the scandal at Walter Reed. We know that there is American personnel being kept in conditions which are intolerable there, at Walter Reed, and it's unacceptable. And we need to fix it.

One of the great tragedies of this war is that because of the failed policies, we did not expand the V. A. facilities the way we're going to have to. My friends, there's going to be a lot of PTST out of this conflict. There is going to be need for prosthesis. There's going to be burn victims because of this terrible IED effects that had caused so many casualties. And we've got to take care of our actions. And, I'd like to -- I'll be glad to talk about the whole issue of health care with you.

But I'd just like to quote to you a card I carry around with me all the time. George Washington in 1789 -- George Washington -- he said, "willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their country." That's what George Washington said in 1789. It's as true today or more true today than it ever was.

We have a volunteer force, all-volunteer force, my friends. We don't have a draft. We've got to continue to motivate the best and the finest of Americans to serve their country in the military. So we're going to have to expand the V. A. capabilities to treat those injuries that I talked to you about. But what we also need to do is relieve some of the overcrowding. I think there are veterans here today who will tell you they have to drive for long distances and then get an appointment to get an appointment for a routine health care need. My friends, I want to give every one of those veterans a plastic card and say if you've got a routine health care need, take it to the health care provider of your choice and the doctor of your choice and get treatment and don't have to wait in line for anybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We leave this John McCain event and we're going to go to Mary Snow in Ankeny, Iowa. Mary, I know that John McCain really was not banking on spending a lot of time in Iowa, but it certainly seems like he is changing strategy here. What is behind that?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Suzanne when he came here last week, he certainly got a lot of attention and you're right -- everybody kept talking about how John McCain really pretty much had written off Iowa. But, when he saw that resurgence in New Hampshire, he had a number of influential endorsements from newspapers there, Joe Lieberman had endorsed him, and John McCain started picking up steam, coming here, back to Iowa to try and build on that momentum. You may remember, he also skipped the straw polls back in the summer. So, as he has been gaining that momentum in New Hampshire, no one really expected him to win here but to have a stronger presence. Certainly they are hoping that will help him build momentum going into New Hampshire. Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Oh, sorry, Mary. I didn't know you were finished there. John McCain, I know, he spent a lot of time there. You say that wasn't part of the play here. Clearly, it seems like the Republican race seems to be changing, the dynamic, at least within the last couple of weeks or so. He has been under fire by Mitt Romney. Does it help or hurt his campaign at this point?

SNOW: Well, you know, one thing that has been happening here is that fact that Mitt Romney has been attacking John McCain has really been getting a lot of attention for McCain, because, not only is he responding, but you saw over the weekend, Mike Huckabee tried to kind of show a straight sign of unity by saying that Mitt Romney was going after him and John McCain and he talked about the fact that John McCain was an honorable man and that he shouldn't be attack. So, all those negative attack ad campaigns has really been putting John Mccain in the spotlight, whether or not Mitt Romney intended to do that or not.

MALVEAUX: OK, thanks, Mary. We'll get back to you in a little bit. Let's call the next plays in the BALLOT BOWL. I'm going to talk with Bill Richardson live aboard the CNN election express. And Mike Huckabee meets voters outside Sioux City and Mitt Romney holds a house party at the Harmond family home in New Orleans(ph), Des Moine. You are watching CNN's BALLOT BOWL '08, the best political team on television.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: You're watching CNN BALLOT BOWL where throughout the day you will hear the candidates in their own words. We're live from Des Moines, Iowa. Senator Barack Obama spoke to around 900 supporters in Sioux City, Iowa. He talked to them about the urgent need for health care, sharing his own personal story.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm in this race because I'm tired of talking about the outrage of 47 million people without health insurance. I want to start doing something about it. And this is personal for me. You know, my mother died of cancer when she was 53 years old and that was tragedy enough. You know, she didn't get to meet her grandchildren and that has always been one of my deepest regrets. She would have loved those little girls. But, you know what compounded the tragedy is that in the last few months of her life, she wasn't thinking about just getting well, she was reading insurance forms because she had just taken a new job and the insurance companies were saying maybe is there a pre-existing condition. Maybe, we don't have to pay your medical bills.

And I remember her worry. I remember being so angry because I've seen a loved one suffer not just because they are sick, but because of a broken health care system. I know what that is like. That is why I've said as president, I will put forward a plan to make sure every single American can get health care that is at least as good as the health care of congress and they will not be excluded because of preexisting conditions and we will negotiate for the cheapest available price to drugs and we will put more money into prevention and we will lower premiums for people who have health insurance and we won't wait 20 years from now to do it! We won't wait ten years from now to do it! We will do it at the end of my first term as president of the United States of America!

I'm in this race to make sure that we are providing the best education America has to offer to every child. From the day they are born to the day they graduate from college. We know what to do. We know that if we invest in early childhood education we can close the achievement gap. Every dollar we invest in early childhood education, we get $10 back in improved reading scores, reduced delinquency rates, reduced drop-out rates. I will be a president that doesn't just talk about how great teachers are. I will reward them for their greatness by paying them higher salaries and giving them more support! We will fundamentally change no child left behind. We won't leave the money behind and we will make sure that we're not just teaching to a standardized test that excludes art and music. We can raise high standards and still give a well-rounded education to our children! And I don't know about you, but I think that it's about time we made sure that college was affordable and accessible to every single young person in America! We're going to provide a $4,000 refundable tax credit every year for every American student. And we will ask something in return. We will say to those young people, we will help you pay for your education and you will help your country by serving a few hours of community service in a homeless shelter or a veterans facility or by deciding that you want to teach in a rural school that needs a teacher, or in an inner city hospital that needs a nurse. We will make a bargain with you -- we will invest in you and you will help build America. That's a bargain that the American people are looking for.

I'm in this race because I'm tired of us sending 800 million, billion dollars everyday to hostile nations because of our addiction to foreign oil and melting the polarized caps in the bargain. We know what should happen in terms of energy policy. We have to cap greenhouse gases to prevent global warming. That will generate billions of dollars from polluters that we can use to invest in a power project for green technologies and solar and wind and bio-diesel and alternative fuels. We know that if we increase fuel efficiency standards on cars to 40 miles per gallon we will save the equivalent of all the oil we import from the Persian Gulf. Imagine what that would do not just for our environment and our economy but for our national security.

By the way, when I made that proposal, I didn't do it in front of some environmental group. I went to Detroit. I went to Detroit, in front of the auto-makers and told them they had to change their ways. You've got to build for the future, look past your current situation. We will help you, but you've got to change and I had to say the room was really quiet. Nobody clapped. But that is OK. Because part of what you need from the next president is somebody who will provide some straight talk about where we need to go as a nation.

I'm running because I'm tired of politicians thinking the only way to look tough on national security is to act and talk and vote like George W. Bush. You know, when I'm the Democratic nominee, my opponent will not be able to say that I voted for the war in Iraq because I didn't. They won't be able to say that I supported Bush's policy towards Iran because I haven't. I will end this war in Iraq. I will bring our troops home within 16 months. As commander-in-chief, as president, I will do everything necessary to keep you safe and I will not hesitate to use the finest military in the history of the world to protect America and its interests. But I also know -- but I also know that the way we do that is to make sure that we are using good judgment in deploying our military, that we stay focused on the real threats. And that is why I will finish the fight against Al- Qaeda and Afghanistan which is where we should have been focused in the first place! They are the ones that killed 3,000 Americans! We have to finish the job there!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: That is Barack Obama in Sioux City a few days ago. Now, we're going to our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley. Give us a sense of what Obama's closing strategy within the coming days here. what are you getting a sense?

CROWLEY: Well, my sense is that his is the same really as the other Democrats and, indeed, the Republicans in the race. What you're going to hear and what you just heard was some sort of the "Reader's Digest" form of where they stand on the issues. They've given long policy speeches over the past year on separate subjects. What you heard just then and what you will hear in the next couple of days are a return to those home and hearth issues. A return to those issues that appeal to middle class voters which, of course, make up the bulk of the voting block here in Iowa and, indeed, across the country.

So, what did you hear? You heard Barack Obama saying, "listen, I'm going to make sure health care is affordable for everyone. I'm going to try and drive down the cost by letting the government negotiate for Medicare cost and pharmaceuticals. You heard about putting more money into pre-K programs. You heard about a "no child left behind" which is a huge issue in the Democratic party, particularly because they are backed by the teachers' unions and they all hate "no child left behind" because, they say, there's no money behind it and it's sort of cheating into the tests.

Energy -- he talked about how he wants even further restrictions on cars as to how much they should get per miles. So, you heard a litany of some of those things that he has been campaigning on kind of individually and those are the issues that hit home with the voters that are going to these caucuses in two days. MALVEAUX: Thank you, Candy. Obviously, you'll be traveling on to Ames to cover Hillary Clinton very shortly. And as you can probably realize, behind me, a good crowd is gathering. I guess, they are anticipating our talk with Gov. Richardson who's going to be a breather on CNN Election Express. The presidential candidates all live, raw, unfiltered all day in the BALLOT BOWL '08.

Of course, Mitt Romney visiting the Harmond(ph) family outside Des Moines -- that's coming up later.

Plus, the day's news, headlines with Kyra Phillips. You're watching CNN's BALLOT BOWL '08 from the best political team on television.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Suzanne Malveaux with the CNN Election Express in Des Moines, Iowa. Just two days to go until the Iowa caucuses. More of the CNN Ballot Bowl coming up. Candidates in their own words. But first, a quick check of the day's top stories. Our own Kyra Phillips standing by at the CNN Center. Nice and warm inside. Kyra, what's going on?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, but you look so good in that hat! I must say. Happy New Year, my friend.

MALBEAUX: Happy New Year!

PHILLIPS: You are always beautiful. Suzanne Malveaux, all right, we'll talk to you in just a second. Let's get to those other stories happening right now.

Unrest and uncertainty for a key U.S. ally. Pakistan's election commission says it will be impossible to go ahead with voting January 8th -- too much turmoil after Benazir Bhutto's assassination. An announcement on a new election day is expected tomorrow we're told. Pakistan's interior ministry is backing off its claim that Bhutto died because she hit her head on the sunroof. The ministry now waiting for more forensic findings.

Getting ready for a winter wallop in the Northeast. Bracing for another round of snow. Parts of New Hampshire already have about a foot on the ground and the region could get nine more inches today. Jacqui Jeras is tracking it all for us. Should we start in the Northeast?

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Fire at a condominium in Boston. This morning we're told one person dead and dozens of people homeless. It's believed that that fire started in a kitchen in the back of the building.

Well I'm Kyra Phillips. We're going to get back to Suzanne Malveaux and Ballot Bowl 08. She is warming up for us!

MALVEAUX: Thanks, Kyra. Coming up, more of the candidates in their own words, including John Edwards. Does he have a presidential resume?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think I was less sure last time. I am a 100 percent sure now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Well the experience of the various candidates. Back here, Ballot Bowl '08 returns on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We want to welcome you back to an extraordinary political event here on CNN. We let the presidential candidates speak directly to you, the voters. And the reason is simple. In just two days, the first votes will be cast in the presidential race and you're going to hear what the candidates had to say to these votes. They are going to be in high school gyms, small town diners, even in people's living rooms. Fanning out across Iowa, the best political team on television.

Bill Schneider is with me here in Des Moines, along with Candy Crowley and Jessica Yellin. Mary Snow as well. And John King looks ahead to the next battle ground, the primary state of New Hampshire. He will join us from Concord.

Well they say that the road to the White House goes through the Merrimack Diner. The Manchester, New Hampshire landmark is a traditional stopping point for candidates. John Edwards made a visit to the diner sitting down with a group of voters and answering some questions you usually don't hear on the campaign trail, including his pizza preference.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We ordered you the anchovy pizza. Is that OK?

EDWARDS: No anchovies. I don't know about anchovies. I don't know about anchovies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't have them in North Carolina?

EDWARDS: We have them, I just don't eat them. Is the food good? I've eaten here before. The food is very good. Actually, I wouldn't mind having a scallop.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You look remarkably healthy for somebody who leads your kind of life. What do you do to stay healthy?

EDWARDS: I usually run most days. I'll run four or five miles a day. It's what keeps me sane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you ever wake up in the morning during the more campaign and go, what am I doing?

EDWARDS: Usually you wake up about 3 in the morning, in the middle of the night. Also trying to figure out where you are because you honestly can't remember where you are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you miss your family a lot?

EDWARDS: A lot, a lot. Elizabeth is with me a fair amount. And my kids, who are in public school in North Carolina, were actually -- we are actually home-schooling them this year so they can travel more with us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is your biggest parenting challenge and would you have done anything different?

EDWARDS: Elizabeth and I had our son Wade and our daughter Kate. My son Wade was killed in an automobile accident in 1996. So we had this, how do you deal with one child left, who feels in Kate's case, feels such a huge responsibility for their parents?

It did feel honestly for a while like she was parenting us. Kate was amazing through all of that. She was the source of a lot of strength for us. I don't know how we would have done it without her, honestly. She's a smart kid but a good kid. She takes after her mother.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is your wife doing? Also concerned about her.

EDWARDS: Thank you for asking. She is doing real well. She has no symptoms. She -- we're monitoring her health. She feels good. We have testing regularly. It's all been encouraging. So, you know, knock on wood, it seems to be going very well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't you just go back to North Carolina and live in a big house?

EDWARDS: It would be the easiest thing in the world for me to do. The easiest thing in the world to do would be to go home and enjoy my life and go sit on a beach somewhere.

I cannot live that way. Elizabeth cannot live that way. What you want is what you expect from a presidential candidate is I promise you this, I promise you this, I promise you this. This is what I have to say to you.

You have to be willing to sacrifice to make America what it's capable of being. One Sunday after church, we went to lunch. He took all of us, the whole family to lunch. We were all dressed up. I was very dressed up.

We sat down, we got our menus, just like here and we were sitting there and I was about to choose what I would eat and my father said we have to leave. And I had no idea what was going on. I said why? He said we have to leave, we have to leave now. We put the menus down. I was so embarrassed because I felt like everybody was staring at me. And we went outside. I said, daddy, why did we do that? He said I can't pay those prices.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How have you changed from what your father was?

EDWARDS: Nothing inside me has changed, nothing. But I don't have to worry anymore about if I go out to dinner, whether I can pay the bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is the best teacher you ever had and what made that teacher?

EDWARDS: It was a woman named Iris Burns. She was my high school English teacher. And she just -- best way to describe it, she believed in me. When I was in high school, I was much more interested in sports and girls instead of studying. And what happened to me was when I went away to college and I actually was having to borrow the money and work to pay for my way through school, I took it very seriously there.

But then I finally got her to go out with me. I'll tell her story. She says we went out, we went to this dance place. I made her dance with me. It was one of those loud places where you can't even hear anybody talk. And she kept thinking, oh, what a mistake! What a mistake! And we got back to her door and I said thank you and I kissed her on the forehead and left and she said that was it, that did it!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Springsteen on your iPod.

EDWARDS: My wife is like falling in love with Springsteen. She had dinner with him in New York. He sang to her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did he sing?

EDWARDS: She told me but I don't remember.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My question is going to be if you could have dinner with Franklin Roosevelt who you mentioned a couple times or Bruce Springsteen, whom would you prefer to have dinner with?

EDWARDS: Oh, I would probably have dinner with Franklin Roosevelt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Elizabeth would have dinner with Springsteen?

EDWARDS: But I love the boss.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of books do you like to read?

EDWARDS: I read everything. I have three books. John Grisham's new book, which I haven't started. The columnist for "The New York Times". Not Friedman. If you say it, I'll know it. Krugman, Paul Krugman's new book and I've actually read most of that. And the third book I have is on Johnny Unitas. When I can get a nanosecond to watch any college basketball or football on television, all of us are Red Sox fans, not for your benefit. What happened was my children became Red Sox fans because one of their friends was a huge Red Sox fan. And so my son Jack walks around with his Red Sox hat on all the time. So we are Red Sox fans, not Yankee fans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One last question that I never got to ask you.

EDWARDS: Sure, you can ask.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you in a fraternity?

EDWARDS: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good answer!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you sure you really want to be president?

EDWARDS: Yeah, I am.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The challenges that are out there, you're going to get --

EDWARDS: I think I was less sure last time. I am a 100 percent sure now. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're welcome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: So you've been watching and listening to John Edwards in Manchester, New Hampshire.

And joining me very shortly here in the CNN Election Express, Governor Richardson, happy New Year.

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Happy New Year to you, thank you.

MALVEAUX: It's great to see you again. We will be right back after this break and snowy and cold, very cold! Des Moines, Iowa.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Thanks for joining us. Back again in snowy Des Moines, Iowa. Pretty snow falling here, but also nearby, a watering hole where there is some supporters that are gathering for Governor Bill Richardson, a big applause. A lot of enthusiasm and excitement for him and that, of course, is because he joins us here at CNN Election Express to talk about why he thinks he should be the next president of the United States. And obviously it's very nice to see you indoors here joining us.

RICHARDSON: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Happy New Year.

RICHARDSON: Happy New Year to you.

MALVEAUX: You have spoken to a lot of Iowa voters, but today is really an opportunity for you to reach out beyond them and talk to viewers who are just watching today who, for the first time, are checking into your candidacy. Why do you believe that you should be the one they should select and pay the most attention to?

RICHARDSON: Because I think this race is about who can bring this country together, who has the most experience. I'm a governor. I've been a diplomat, U.N. ambassador. I've negotiated with foreign countries and mainly because I think I'm optimistic about resolving the problems in this country.

There's too much negativism. We need bipartisanship and all my life, I've brought countries together, people together. And I just ask the voters to look at the candidates not on who has the most money or who has the most charisma or who was the best political pedigree, but factor in who can change this country and is able to change this country, to give it hope. You need experience, you need a record and that is why I'm running.

MALVEAUX: Why do you suppose the whole issue of experience hasn't punched through more for you? I know we spoke earlier, a couple of days ago, and the whole issue of Pakistan, the turmoil there certainly put that on the front burner. Are people paying attention to that or are there other issues that you think you need to speaker a little bit louder about?

RICHARDSON: Well, voters want change, that is fundamental. They hate the dysfunctional relationship between Washington and the president. So they want somebody that cannot just govern, but bring the country together.

And the point that I make is that you need experience. You need a record to bring change. And that is what I'm trying to convey. You know, the reality, Suzanne, voters haven't even gone to the polls yet so we'll find out soon what they really want in a candidate. And right now, it is so early. There hasn't even been one vote cast.

MALVEAUX: What do you think is the thing that you've done, your biggest accomplishment that you'd like people to know about?

RICHARDSON: That I have been a negotiator with countries like North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Iraq. I've got hostages out. I've gotten peace agreements, cease fires. That I can negotiate with diplomacy to resolve our problems, our big problems today. You mentioned Pakistan. You mentioned Iran, the Middle East peace crisis, Iraq. I think I can negotiate a resolution to the Iraqi issue with diplomacy, not with force. And that is what I think I bring to the table.

MALVEAUX: If you could identify a weakness for us, what would it be? RICHARDSON: Well the weakness is I'm not known. I'm a governor of western state, a great state in New Mexico and a lot of my supporters out there are Iowans and New Mexicans that you saw.

But so I don't have the charisma or the projection that these candidates that are based in Washington in the Senate. And they are good senators, they are good candidates. But I've been a governor. I've been a CEO. I've balanced budgets. I've brought people together. I've increased access to health care. A lot of these other candidates haven't done it and we haven't elected a senator in 48 years to the presidency.

MALVEAUX: Let me ask you this. What would be the first you would do if you were elected president?

RICHARDSON: Get the troops out of Iraq. The second thing I would do is make us energy-dependent and universal health care and then I would simply sit back and say, as president, I will follow the constitution of the United States. Be a very busy first week. I may have to take the fourth day off.

MALVEAUX: You deserve a day off, that's OK, that's all right. There has been a lot of heavy campaigning, obviously. What -- is there anything you'd like to do differently going into the days ahead?

RICHARDSON: Today is New Year's, so everyone is at home. So we're going to campaign at some of the bowl games and some of the sports bars. We go to the voters. We have house parties, too, where I have questions and answers. It's all grassroots here in Iowa. You know, this is all not big media, not big technology. You go straight to the voters living room, their home. You go to where they are going to be watching bowl games. You seek them out.

These are very sophisticated voters. They actually have very good questions. I've been to every corner in Iowa and I've been to every county. It's a great experience to run for president. You know, people that are voting, they want somebody to can bring them together. They are inspired by somebody that can resolve problems and I'm going to do well. You watch. I'm going to shock the world as we move into these early primaries.

MALVEAUX: Last question for you, governor. Obviously, it's New Year's Day. What is your New Year's resolution?

RICHARDSON: Well it's what it is every year, lose weight. I lose it a little bit at the start of the year but at the end of the year, it comes back. You know, in a campaign, just can't lose weight because you're eating, you're tense, people give you things to eat and you can't turn them down or you lose votes. It's the same resolution every year for me.

MALVEAUX: It's a tough one for a lot of folks. Thank you so much, Governor Richardson, for joining us here on the Election Express. How did his supporters do in that watering hole? What do you guys think?

CROWD: Go, Bill, go!

MALVEAUX: Sounds like they are pretty happy about it.

Coming up after the break, we will be checking in with Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and also Hillary Clinton out in Ames, Iowa. This is the Ballot Bowl 08 coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The snow has stopped here in Des Moines, Iowa. We have come back here. This is the Ballot Bowl 08. I am aboard the CNN Election Express. We are now going to go to Rudy Giuliani, who is speaking at The Villages, Florida before a group of seniors and he is pushing forward his message about the war on terror.

RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think this campaign and this election is going to send the direction one way or the other on two big things. One is what do we do about terrorists? Now, if you listen to these Democratic candidates, it's almost as if there's nothing going on. They don't mention Islamic terrorism. They are going to have a debate tonight. I have to listen. If you want to listen, you can, but I guarantee you they will not say the words Islamic terrorism.

Now, why? Why? I believe -- I believe they are not realistic. I don't believe they are facing the enemy that we have realistically enough. Now, suppose -- suppose during -- suppose during the second World War we had people that wouldn't say the word Nazi. Do you think they would be able to effectively lead this country? No. Do you think during the Cold War if we had people that were afraid to say communist? They were effective enough to lead this country? Of course not.

You have to face your enemy realistically with strength and courage, clearness and honesty. If you can't, you can't lead! I've learned lessons from the 20th Century. All of you lived through the 20th Century. Let's see if these lessons aren't correct. When you have to face a tyrant, a bully, a terrorist, a supporter of terrorism, what is the better way to do it? From weakness or from strength? Do you find yourself afraid to utter the words Islamic terrorist? Do you find yourself begging to negotiate with people like this Ahmadinejad in Iran?

I mean, how can you possibly negotiate with your enemies begging them to negotiate with you? Does this make any sense?

CROWD: No!

GIULIANI: You have to negotiate from strength. And here we have Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama getting into an argument. As far as I can tell, here is it what they are arguing about. Barack Obama wants to invite him to his inauguration and Hillary Clinton is saying no, that is irresponsible, that's naive, I'll invite him to the inaugural ball. I cannot tell you in mixed company where I would invite him. But I think -- but the point is all they are doing is they want to negotiate with him and they want to talk with him and they want to have no preconditions and they say, you know, this was like Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan spoke to the enemy. He spoke to the communist and the Soviets. Well I worked for Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan is my hero. I don't know how to tell him this. Neither one of them is Ronald Reagan.

Of course, here is how Ronald Reagan dealt with the enemy. First, he called the Soviet Union the evil empire. "The New York Times" went crazy. Oh, how terrible, how awful! He is going to star a war.

Then he went ahead and he spent billions of dollars building up our military to the strongest force that we had had in years. And every dollar he spent, the liberal media made fun of him. The liberal media said he was a war monger. They said he was going to start World War III and he was going to start a nuclear war.

Then Ronald Reagan deployed all of these missiles, these medium- range ballistic missiles. He put them in Europe, I think in three different countries in Europe and he pointed them at Russian cities and he put the names in the Russian cities on them, I think.

And after he did that, he said "Let's negotiate." That's called negotiating from strength. Not from the kind of weakness that Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and all the rest of them and that's the way America has to negotiate.

We are the strongest country of Earth. We have to begin with this as a basic. We need a very, very strong military to protect us and to defend us. And if I'm elected president of the United States, I will rebuild our military. I will make up for the damage that Bill Clinton did to our military.

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