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Ballot Bowl '08: Rudy, Ron Paul Recorded Comments; Duncan Hunter Interview

Aired January 01, 2008 - 13:00   ET

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

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back to CNN's Ballot Bowl where we're bringing you the candidates from the campaign trail all day long, raw, unedited, unplugged. We're going to give you a glimpse of what us reporters get to see on the campaign trail every day with these candidates.
I'm Dana Bash, reporting from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. And here Mike Huckabee is going to have a live event. He is meeting with voters. The voters are actually arriving as we speak at the Elks Lodge. This is a really typical campaign event that we are seeing here.

Republican candidates, Democratic candidates do it as well. They show up. They have very small events with room for about 30 to 40 people. And they make their case. And we're going to show you exactly how the candidates like Mike Huckabee make their case.

And in the next hour we're going to have a live event from John Edwards. He's going to be speaking to voters in Ames, Iowa. And also Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate for president, the former governor of Massachusetts, he's going to be in Clive, Iowa. He is spending the day having what his campaign is calling a "house party huddle." Of course, just like the Ballot Bowl, this is a play on what a lot of people also do today, and that is watch football.

Now before we get to those live events, we want to give you some of what we have been looking at, some of what we have been able to witness on the campaign trail recently with all of these candidates. Right now we want to give you Rudy Giuliani.

Rudy Giuliani is somebody who has not spent a lot of time here in Iowa. He isn't expected to do very well, but he did come back recently for a very brief visit. Take a listen to what he was telling voters, also in Clive, Iowa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 2008 is going to be a great year, and it's going to be a great year. And the first 20, 30, 35 days of the year are going to be something like 29 primaries and caucuses so it's going to happen swift, fast, and I believe we're going to win. And we're going to win with your support, with your help and your support.

(APPLAUSE)

GIULIANI: No need to go into all of the details of the campaign. You know them better than just about anyone because you've been involved in this for quite some time. You know our campaign is based on a stronger and better America, a more secure America, an America that's more prosperous, an America in which everybody lifts up their eyes and goes toward the future instead of some of the feeling that exists now, people with their heads down, people thinking America is not going to be as great in the future as it was in the past.

That's all about our decisions. I mean, we get to decide if America is greater in the future or not based on the decisions that we make, the people that we elect, the policies we put into effect. And that's why we have laid out the 12 commitments to the American people. They are a group of specific goals that we have, for this country.

You have my book "Leadership," right? Thank you. It's in that book. Here you go. I'll show you. I'll show you. You can look at the chapter headings, right. Here's -- "Stand Up to Bullies." You think that's something that's necessary? Now I would say that's necessary now. Right?

"Everyone Is Accountable All of the Time." "Prepare Relentlessly." "Organize Around a Purpose." I pull that out because the campaign that we have has to be about -- for every candidate, if it's worth anything the campaign you have is about what you believe. It's about what you believe you can accomplish. And then it's asking the American people to have confidence in you that you can accomplish these things.

So that's why we laid out the 12 commitments. It begins with one that is the most important, and we have said it from the beginning and we keep saying it, all 12 commitments are very important, as to the other 11, you could put them in any order you want, but the first one is that America must remain on offense in the terrorist war on us.

(APPLAUSE)

GIULIANI: We have to be strong in the face of this terrorist threat. It presents itself in various parts of the world, tragically it has presented itself here with the attacks of September 11th and the attack back in 1993.

Since that time there have been other attempts that have been stopped, at least 22 or 23 that I believe I can find in the newspapers. There have been situations that happen like in Pakistan just the other day, terrible, horrible tragic event.

But not just an event. The attack in Pakistan, the attack in London a couple years ago, the attacks in New York, the attacks that have taken place in other parts of the world are not just events. They come about because there is an effort against us called Islamic terrorism and it's pointed at us.

It's pointed at our way of life, it's pointed at what we believe in. And in the past, meaning before September 11th, maybe because people didn't see the (INAUDIBLE) of this, the length and breadth of it -- that's easier to say, the length and breadth of it, they reacted to it in a defensive way. My point in that first commitment to the American people is we have to react to it by being on offense. We need a strong military, we need strong intelligence services, we need to invest in those, we need to rebuild them after the peace dividend of the '90s.

We need to anticipate as much as we can what these terrorists might do and stop them before they do it. And we need to have very, very strong -- and this is a separate commitment but it's tied into the whole thing, we need to have very strong homeland security.

We need to recognize that it's the local police, here, and the local firefighters here, that in case something happened here would be the first responders. And they need the training and they need the help and they need the assistance so there is no place in America that might be considered a place of less resistance.

So the terrorists might think well, we can take advantage in this place or that place. That's the whole reason for homeland security, whole reason for the federal government's involvement in it.

It's not that the federal government can be there and do it, but that the federal government can help make sure in advance that everybody is up to a level of preparation that means they can handle anything that is thrown at them, anything that is thrown at them in the way of terrorist attack or anything that's thrown at them in the way of natural disaster.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: There you hear Rudy Giuliani giving what is really the main theme of his campaign and of his candidacy, in a very small room in Clive, Iowa. He is talking about his leadership, talking again and again, as you heard, about 9/11 and the terrorism and the threat that he says he would try to help resolve if he were president.

Now that kind of event is really typical of what we see here in Iowa. You see these candidates trudging through the snow, trudging to get to these small groups. These are men and one woman who of course want to run a country of 300 million people. But they are having to speak to rooms of 30 and 40 people. That's what makes Iowa and of course across country, New Hampshire, so interesting.

And we're going to bring you a lot more of that live throughout the afternoon, these candidates unplugged. We're going to have live events later this hour from John Edwards. He's going to be speaking from Ames, Iowa, at Iowa State University. And then we're also going to Mitt Romney. He is going to be at a house party and actually somebody's living room, a great example of how it works here. He'll be in Clive, Iowa.

And then we're going come right here to where I am in Cedar Rapids. Mike Huckabee is going to be arriving here momentarily. He is going to be speaking to members of the Elks Club here behind. All that and much, much more coming up on CNN's Ballot Bowl. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN's Ballot Bowl. This is your opportunity, your chance to hear from all of the candidates. We're talking raw, live, unscripted, unplugged, all throughout the day. We are going to hear within this hour Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and John Edwards, all of them just coming up within moments. And of course we'll go to Kyra Phillips.

Kyra, you have got all of the other day's news. But I'm telling you, this is where it's happening. We have got all of these candidates out here trying to make their case to be the next president. So viewers are obviously paying very close attention here. Kyra, before we go to you, I want to go to Candy Crowley, who obviously is taking a real quick look and a real close look at the Democrats -- Candy.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, what has been interesting here is listening to both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton today is that in some ways they are going back to the same issues. These are definitely bread and butter speeches that they are closing with. What we have is discussion about energy policy, taking oil subsidies away from the big oil and gas companies, pumping them into research for alternative fuels.

We hear about universal pre-K for children so they get off to a good start. We hear about student loans and making those interest rates lower. We hear about any number of items that when you have traveled through Iowa and indeed through New Hampshire, you hear coming up all the time.

Yes, there is also talk about the war. At this point, Iowa voters, at any rate, and to a certain extent, New Hampshire voters, have pretty much looked over these Democratic candidates and figured, yes, they will all get us out of this war, so right now the talk seems to have turned more toward what we're going to do with that money when we begin to pull the troops out.

So we're hearing similar arguments with their own policies of course attached to it by many of those in the Democratic field, because in the end, what this gets back to is how these Iowa caucus- goers see their future and who they see it with -- Dana.

MALVEAUX: I'll take that, Candy. Obviously, Candy in Ames, Iowa, following Hillary Clinton. And of all of the Democratic candidates here in the Ballot Bowl, obviously lots of people coming forward, trying to make their pitch for why they should be president and opportunities for viewers to hear them raw, unscripted and live.

But first let's go back to Kyra Phillips in Atlanta for all of the other day's top stories -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks, Suzanne. Let's take a look at what is "Now in the News." President George W. Bush offering the nation his New Year's best wishes. He and first lady Laura Bush spent the holiday in Crawford, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've just come off the ranch, had a good rest and a good New Year's with some friends. And I'm looking forward to getting back to Washington to work on policy to keep this country safe and to keep this country prosperous. But I just wanted to stop by and wish everybody a happy 2008.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The president also singled out U.S. troops, saying quote "this country respects you." The Bushes head back to the White House today.

Now getting ready for another winter blast, the Northeast is bracing for even more snow. Parts of New Hampshire already have about a foot on the ground and the region could get nine more inches today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, an American diplomat has been fatally shot in Sudan. John Granville worked for the U.S. Foreign Service. A gunman opened fire on his car earlier today in Khartoum. Granville's Sudanese driver was also killed. The U.S. embassy there says that it's working with Sudanese officials to determine if this was a targeted attack. The country's foreign ministry is downplaying that idea, saying the shooting erupted after a street argument.

Let's take you back to Iowa now, and Ballot Bowl 2008 and our Suzanne Malveaux.

MALVEAUX: Well, thanks, Kyra. And just ahead on the CNN Ballot Bowl, we're going to hear from Senator John Edwards, Governor Mitt Romney and Governor Mike Huckabee as they make their final arguments to the people of Iowa. We're going to take you to each one of those events live. We have much, much more ahead as the CNN Ballot Bowl continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Welcome back to the CNN Ballot Bowl. We're here hearing directly from the candidates, unfiltered and raw. Coming up, we'll take you live to Ames, Iowa, that is where we're waiting to hear live from John Edwards, and then to Clive, Iowa, where we're waiting to hear from former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. He's going to be speaking to voters in an Iowa living room, if you can believe that.

But first, Congressman Ron Paul spoke in Des Moines, Iowa, just last week. His campaign's core issue has been the war in Iraq. And that's where he started his remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The one major reason -- well, there's quite a few reasons why we should stay out of war, but definitely we should never be involved in preemptive war. This country now has, you know, started a war. I guess the country that was not a good country, and not a good leader, but less chaotic than it is today over there.

But of course we went into Iraq under false pretenses, weapons of mass destruction, participated in 9/11, and all these threats and intimidation that if we didn't go in there our national security would be threatened.

And yet what did we end up with? We've spent nearly $1 trillion and there is no intent to leave. The other candidates won't even take off the table a nuclear first strike against Iran. They're not talking about closing the bases down. We have an embassy there bigger than the Vatican -- at least as large as the Vatican.

That means that we plan to stay there forever. What I'd like to do is change that and tell the people we're tired of running your life. What we want to do is come home and let you take care of your problems, you develop your self-determination. You don't need us telling you how to live and what to do.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

PAUL: A lot of people would say, well, that's different, we can't do that because we've got to protect our oil. When did it become our oil? You know, and how much good did it do? We spent this nearly $1 trillion over there protecting our oil, which was part of the inflationary problem, part of the reasons the inflation goes up, that raises prices.

But we went over there and the Iraqis now produce half as much oil as they used to produce. And now oil went from $27 a barrel up to $97 a barrel. I would say that's not a very successful foreign policy.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: You know, in medicine, if you keep doing the wrong thing, what happens to the patient? They don't do well. You have to change course and wise up. In foreign policy, if we make mistakes and keep doing something wrong that is hurting, we keep doing the same thing over and over again and we've been doing that too long.

And it hasn't been just this administration. It has been going on for many, many decades. That's why we need a change in foreign policy. We need to understand why it's to our advantage.

Every great nation, every great empire has always been brought to their knees not by a foreign adversary, not for military reasons. They are brought to their knees because of financial reasons. And that is what we're facing today, a financial crisis in this country because we overspend at home, we overspend overseas, we have less friends than ever before, more enemies, and not only are we in Iraq, we're in Afghanistan, threatening Iran.

Turkey, we pay them to be our buddies and they are using our weapons and our complicity in them attacking northern Iraq. I mean, you talk about chaos. And now if we don't change our tune, we're going to be very much involved in Pakistan. Every question today was, what would you do, how are you going to do, how are you going to handle this, how fast will you go in there, what are you going to do. Well, why don't we just let them deal with that?

But this war is going to spread. I'm seriously concerned that when it spreads and gets out of control, there's going to be a military draft. We don't need a military draft again.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

PAUL: So, what are we going to do about it? We have to start cutting if we're going to avert the crisis. Because empires do come down and they come down hard. And they come down by destroying their currency.

And today if any of you are paying attention to the financial markets, you know the dollar is not doing well. It's sick. It has been sick for a good many years but it gets propped up now and then and the world has trusted us because we have been an economic powerhouse and military powerhouse, which can convey a false illusion and support for a currency.

We have been the issuer of the reserve currency of the world because we used to have the dollar, was as good as gold. But it hasn't been since 1971. But the world up until now has had -- has placed too much trust in the dollar, that they are placing less trust in the dollar every single day.

Even on this very day it went down about almost 1 percent in one day. That is going to continue. And when the dollar goes down sharply, it's going to be devastating because prices are going to go up and taking care of the elderly who have become dependent or providing medical care for anybody, or for us to run a good economy, you can't do it without a sound currency.

And that is the reason why the most important thing we do now is get together and decide that we're going to live within our means. Most people say now that's too tough because weaning people off is too tough. But waiting until everybody has nothing is that much worse.

To me, I compare it somewhat like drug addiction. You know, if you are trying to treat a patient that's addicted to alcohol or any drugs and you try to take them off, they have withdrawal symptoms and they are very, very bad. And you can alleviate the withdrawal symptoms by giving more alcohol or more drugs.

But what happens to the patient? You know if you keep doing that the patient eventually dies. But nobody wants to be weaned off, and that's the way inflation and big spending is, is that the -- there's too much dependency and yet it is crucial that we do it because we don't want to have to face the crisis.

Under these conditions, and we have seen already, ever since 9/11, we've gotten so involved in these active wars in the Middle East, but we've also had an attack on our civil liberties at home. So, Randolph Bourne was absolutely right when he said that war is the health of the state.

When there's a war fever going on, whether it's war overseas or war against terrorism or war against drugs, it conveys a mentality that says that people have to be like sheep and succumb to the pressures of government to undermine our personal liberties.

And that is what's happening today, the government was created by the founders of this country to protect liberty, not to deliberately undermine our liberties. And we need to reverse that trend.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: You've been listening to Congressman Ron Paul speaking to voters right here in Des Moines. Just ahead on the CNN Ballot Bowl, we're going to take you live to Ames, Iowa, that is where former North Carolina Senator John Edwards will be speaking to his supporters.

We'll also go to Clive, Iowa, that is where former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will be speaking live to voters who have gathered in a living room. Yes, I'm saying a living room.

And we're also waiting for former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee to speak to a group of voters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Much, much more ahead as the CNN Ballot Bowl continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Our own John King has caught up with another presidential candidate. John?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, thank you. I'm in Concord, just in front of the statehouse here, the state capital here in New Hampshire. And I said earlier that John McCain was the only candidate in New Hampshire. Mark me wrong on that score. Another one of the Republican contenders, Congressman Duncan Hunter is here and he joins us live. Congressman, let me begin by asking you about this, the headline in the "Union Leader" here today, the newspaper. As things now stand, you will not be included in a Republican debate this coming weekend. I assume that does not sit well.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, I read about that this morning in the paper as we're campaigning. We just did three hours of talk radio. But in my 26 years in politics, I've got a motto -- don't whine, stay focused, continue mission.

So we're out talking about a strong national defense, enforceable borders, building that border fence, bringing back high-paying manufacturing jobs to places like New Hampshire. I think we're making a lot of ground. What I worry about is things that I can change. If they have rules that say that we don't get to make this next debate, we'll be out campaigning on the streets doing lots of television, lots of radio. We just now started our media campaign in New Hampshire and we've got direct mail going out. So I feel good about the campaign. You know, if they didn't include us in this thing, that's the way show business is. You keep on charging.

KING: Let's talk a little bit about that, because you're here for the duration. You're not going back to Iowa. You have decided to try to plant your flag here in New Hampshire, not in the state of Iowa. Talk a little bit about how difficult it is. You're well-known in Washington. You were chairman of the Armed Services Committee, a very well-known figure in Washington. When you're running for president, you're that congressman guy. There are other candidates who are better know, who are able to raise more money. Tell us a little bit about the frustrations and maybe the upside of being one of the underdogs.

HUNTER: Well John, it is a big country. The first thing you realize when you run nationally, you look down as you're flying over the country, you see hundreds of thousands of homes. And you think, I've got to communicate with each of those people, or at least a large number of them. There's hundreds of millions of people you've got to contact.

But actually it's a great experience, and it's a privilege. It's been very, I think, worthwhile to talk about national defense, enforceable borders. I built that border fence in San Diego that worked so well. I wrote the law that takes it across the southwest. I think I still have a chance to win this thing. I think there's some daylight out there because nobody has surged into a commanding lead.

And so even though we have been outspent probably by the next guy by 10 to 1 and probably by people like Governor Romney by 300 or 400 to 1, we have a great message and I think the first 10 debates that we did do have been very good for me. I've gotten a good bump out of those debates. A lot of people know me who didn't know me six months ago. So I'm optimistic. And this is a great life. It's a great privilege to run for the presidency of the United States, and I think we've got the message this year, enforceable borders, strong national defense.

In fact, I'm the only guy, Democrat or Republican, who has ever chaired a security committee. I know about nuclear weapons. I know about Pakistan. I know what it takes to keep the country safe. So it's a good message. It's a little chilly out here, a little change from good old San Diego weather.

KING: Last saw you in San Diego after the wildfires in your district. It is a little different out here. We need to go. But let me ask you quick, if it's not Duncan Hunter, you've looked at these candidates. You know the other candidates. You have debated them many times as you say, who would you pick?

HUNTER: Well listen, let's not leave this optimistic atmosphere that I'm trying to create here. I think I've got a good chance to win. I like all of these guys. They're good guys. I've gotten to know them over the debates. They've all got strengths, some weaknesses. You know, in terms of character, I've stood next to Mike Huckabee at a lot of the debates. He has got great character. I like that a lot.

But I still that that I've got the right message -- strong national defense, enforceable borders, a big issue this year, and bringing back the industrial base of this country that presently we're fracturing, sending offshore to places like China. This state, New Hampshire, has lost 13,000 high-paying manufacturing jobs to China alone. That's kind of a sleeper issue with the people of this country. It's not a social issue. It's not a sexy issue. But jobs in the industrial base of America, I think are very connected to you're long-term economic and national security.

KING: We will keep an eye on you in the final week here in New Hampshire. Thanks for braving the snow with us. Congressman Duncan Hunter, Republican of California, his district right along the Mexican border. So the climate here a little bit different than Duncan Hunter is used to. But he'll be campaigning here, as he says, for the duration in New Hampshire. I think we'll go back now to Des Moines, Iowa, and Suzanne Malveaux.

MALVEAUX: Thanks, John. You're watching Ballot Bowl 2008. The political plays of the day from Iowa two days from the caucuses.

Coming next, Hillary Clinton live in Iowa. We'll take you to Ames where she's making her closing arguments to the voters of Iowa.

Plus, Senator John McCain talks about the economy as the CNN Ballot Bowl continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Welcome back to the CNN Ballot Bowl. I'm John King live in Concord, New Hampshire, standing out front of the state capitol building. All day long, we are bringing you the candidates in their own words, unfiltered, the Democrats and the Republicans campaigning in Iowa. The caucuses just two days away. Here in New Hampshire, the lead-off presidential primary just one week away.

Tight races, remarkably tight races on both the Democratic and Republican side. Here in this state later today -- you just heard from Congressman Duncan Hunter, one of the long shot Republicans. Soon you'll hear live from Senator John McCain. Remember, he stunned George W. Bush here in New Hampshire back in 2000. He's hoping to be the comeback kid in this 2008 campaign. John McCain focusing most of his time here in New Hampshire where he has a deep support network. But he did go to Iowa this past week trying to so see if he can pull off a surprise finish there. For John McCain, third place in Iowa would be a very big deal. Let's listen to Senator McCain campaigning recently in Des Moines.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ma'am, I'm going to give you some straight talk. We're in a global economy, America has, because of this information technology revolution that we are in, we've created millions of jobs and we've had a very strong economy for a long period of time. A lot of these jobs are never coming back. The textile mills, a number of others are not coming back.

But there's two things that we can do -- one is maintain our technological lead, which means that we are the greatest exporter, the greatest innovator, the greatest importer, the strongest economy in the world, and we can continue that.

I will open every market in the world to our agricultural products here in Iowa. That's the smartest, most efficient, best producer of agricultural products in the world reside in Iowa and the Midwest of the United States of America. And I will open those markets to their products.

But we also have to make sure that we take care of those who are left behind, and that's where we have failed. We have failed to take care of the worker who's left behind because that job has gone overseas. And we need to put in education and training programs that work. There's six federal programs today. None of them work. Put them in that work so that when someone loses their job in Detroit, when someone loses their job in the textile mill of South Carolina or here in Iowa, that we give them a chance to get back into the economy.

And that is going to the community colleges. Community college should design and implement training programs so people can meet the job needs of the local community. We can do that.

And I'll tell you what else I would even do. If someone loses a high-paying job and the only alternative is a much lower-paying job, I would be willing to compensate that worker at least for a period of time for the difference between the job that they lost and the job that they have to get. That's better than putting them into a permanently unemployed status and losing their chance for a better America.

I will do everything that I can and I know there's a lot of things that do to take care of the displaced workers, but I cannot enact protectionism. I will not and I'm a student of history and I believe that protectionism has had always disastrous effects on the economy and sometimes the world. I thank you very much for your question. Yes, ma'am?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, senator. I need to hear what you have to say about the North American union.

MCCAIN: You know, I keep hearing about this North American union, and I know that there's stuff on the Internet about it. But I want to look you in the eye and tell you -- I've been in the Congress for a long time. I know of no Congress that could ever be convened nor any president under any circumstances that would approve of dissolving our boundaries between the United States and Canada and the United States and Mexico. I promise you there will be no North American union when I'm president of the United States. I promise you that. I promise you.

Someone very eager, go ahead. Yes, sir? Real quick. He finally showed up. He's on a work release program. Finally showed up, good, good, go ahead. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator, we appreciate your efforts to save the taxpayers money. Why should taxpayers' money be spent to fund outrageous retirement plans and health benefits for elected politicians and how do you feel about term limits?

MCCAIN: First of all, we don't neglect either to vote ourselves pay raises, as you know. May I finally add since the 1980s, I have given my pay raises to charity. And when I think I earn it, I will take it anyway. I think it's -- it contributes to the cynicism that people have about Congress today, that they think we live different lives.

And when you look at some of those benefits, certainly that's the case. Now, we did put ourselves under the regular Social Security system some years ago, but all I can tell you is that it's not an accident that the approval rating of Congress is in the teens, 14, whatever you say.

It's down so low, it's down to blood relatives and paid staffers. Can't get any lower. Look, the only thing I have against term limits is that I see people like Dick Lugar, for example. He's been in the Senate for a long time, one of the most respected people in America on national security issues and others. I think to arbitrarily say that he has to leave, I don't think is correct.

What we need to do, in my view, is have a better gerrymandering or redistricting and do away with the gerrymandering. In Arizona, we have adopted a procedure where retired judges and other respected officials do the redistricting, not the political parties.

If you had more competition, then I think you would see less pressure towards the issue of term limits. It's my recollection that the state of California has 53 members of Congress and I've forgotten how many members of their assembly. They did such a great job, not only that but gerrymandering that a couple of years ago, every single one of them were reelected. It's marvelous to have that kind of servants.

So I think you need to really -- I'll be glad to sign that for you, sir. So I think we need to have more balanced districts that are more competitive than rather than them being lifetime seats in some respect.

I understand that. Could I just say, my friends, I'm asking for your vote. I'm asking for your vote because I believe that the transcendent challenge of the 21st century is radical Islamic extremism. I believe my life and my experience and my knowledge and my judgment qualifies me to serve you.

I wouldn't be seeking this office if it were not for that challenge that I think we face. I'm grateful you would come out this morning. It's great to be back, and I look forward to seeing you all at the caucuses. Again, I'm greatly honored that so many of you would come out and greet me so warmly this morning.

And I just want to tell you, as president of the United States, there will be times when you strongly disagree with me, but it won't be because I have taken any political position. It is because I've done what I think is the right thing. I will never let you down. Thank you very much and thank you for being here.

KING: The unique style and dry sense of humor of Senator John McCain of Arizona there campaigning in Iowa earlier this week. That's in Des Moines. He'll be here in New Hampshire later today and we'll bring it to you live on the CNN Ballot Bowl.

Also coming up -- Senator Hillary Clinton campaigns in Iowa, Senator Barack Obama and Senator John Edwards as well. All three of the top Democratic candidates campaigning in the state of Iowa today, just 48 hours before the lead-off presidential caucuses. Followed one week from then by the campaign here, the kick-off primary here in the state of New Hampshire. All day long, the candidates in their own words unfiltered. Stay with us. You're watching the CNN Ballot Bowl.

(COMMERCAIL BREAK)

CROWLEY: I am Candy Crowley in Ames, Iowa. Welcome again to the CNN Ballot Bowl. We are about two minutes away from seeing Hillary Clinton here in Ames, where she will push home her drive to say that she is both the agent of change and the person with the most experience to make that change happen. We, of course, will bring this to you live as the Ballot Bowl continues. Now we want to go back to John King in New Hampshire.

KING: Thank you, Candy. I'm John King outside of the state capitol in Concord, New Hampshire. A spectacular New Year's Day in New Hampshire with one week from today the lead-off primary. While we wait for Senator Clinton, we're also standing by to hear from another leading Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, the senator from Illinois.

But for now, let's dip in again and listen to one of the Republican contenders for president, former Senator Fred Thompson speaking in Coralville, Iowa.

FRED THOMPSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I could limit the bills that Hillary Clinton could introduce to maybe one a year.

Well, I mentioned the debt. It's an important question, and it's an important issue. As I said, we owe about $9 trillion, and it's going up. And what that means is that we're dependent on a lot of people in a lot of ways, people by our dollars. Our dollar is going down right now. It fluctuates.

We have to be careful when that happens because we don't want people who own our currency to dump it on the market and have no confidence in our dollar and so forth. We wouldn't have that big a problem if we didn't have that big of a debt. But it's out there so we have to be mindful of things like what the Chinese are thinking about it and others are thinking about it, that it would be best if we didn't have to worry about things like that so much.

It all gets back to one fundamental problem, and that is the level of spending that this nation does. In a Democratic society, the number one challenge for a democracy's people is to restrain themselves after they learn that they've got the keys to their own treasury.

Because you're always going to have politicians out there saying, I'll do this for you, I'll do that for you, I'll do the other for you, I've got a program that's only going to cost this much for you, it costs three times as much. Guess who that is? We know who it is.

The temptation is going to be always to say, yeah, that's great. They're going to do this for me; they're going to do that for me. That's why you always have got to have somebody stand up and say, we've got to draw the line. We can't go down this road this way this long and somebody's got to pay for this.

It's either us or our kids, and they don't have a seat at the table. It's a moral issue as well as an economic issue so we -- we're locked into a situation now that's kind of beneath the radar screen, and I alluded to it earlier. It is unsustainable.

You don't hear as much about it now because our deficit really is within historical norms, you might say, in terms of a percentage of our economy.

But if you look -- and the projections you know include things such as we're going to spend less on national defense once this Iraq thing is over. Baloney. We're not going to spend less on national defense. It would be irresponsible to. We can't do that.

With the kind of challenges we've got out there facing us and the rebuilding we need to do with our intelligence and our military, that's not going to happen, No. 1. But all of these projections, we're going to do this, we're going to do that, and everybody projects what the deficit is going to be.

What they don't tell you is the next year after their projections. We fall off the table because we're spending through the Social Security surplus, we're getting older as a society because of the blessings we have received.

Health care costs continue to go up, and all of that equals an entitlement situation that cannot be sustained. I say, let's take the easy part first. Social Security is the easiest part because it doesn't depend on the price of a particular good.

We can set up an individual private account for folks and have the government -- have them contribute to their own savings for their own retirement, not have to depend on the government or a system that most people think is going to go bankrupt because, in fact, it is. And kids have no confidence in it. Let the government match that at different levels along the years, and they he can make a lot of money off that money.

At the end of the day, the average worker will have a few thousand dollars of his own and the government will benefit from it, too, and save trillions of dollars over a 75-year period. It will be actuarially sound if you do one other thing, and that is re-index the retirement benefits to inflation so that dollar for dollar everybody gets the same thing and always will. It increases with inflation.

What we're promising now is that into the future, we'll be paying retirees a lot more than what current retirees get because politicians always, you know, like to promise more than they can deliver. We can't keep that commitment. It can't be done. It will take everything we've got, including national defense, to keep that commitment.

So let's do some common-sense things. Let's say, OK, let's swap that for a commitment what we can keep. You get dollar -- everybody gets dollar for dollar the same thing. Future retirees, inflation goes up, their benefits go up. Everybody else's does, too.

We can match inflation. We can match inflation. But let's have people not be totally dependent on the government but let's let the government's parts be something that's sustainable, not just for us but for our kids and our grandkids. My plan wouldn't touch anybody on Social Security today or even close to retirement age, but it would sustain it for the future. And that's what this is all about. It's every generation's obligation to leave this place a little better than we found it.

KING: Senator Fred Thompson speaking there in Coralville, Iowa, one of the Republican candidates we're bringing you today as part of the CNN Ballot Bowl. As you have a score sheet for all the bowl championship series football games, maybe you need one for all the presidential candidates as we continue our live and taped unfiltered coverage today of the candidates in their own words. When we are back, Hillary Clinton has just started speaking at a Democratic presidential event in Ames, Iowa. We will take you there live. Stay with us, you're watching the CNN Ballot Bowl.

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CROWLEY: I'm Candy Crowley in Ames, Iowa where the CNN Ballot Bowl continues, where we are giving you all of the candidates unedited and in their own words. So as promised, Hillary Clinton from Ames, Iowa.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Those of you who are still deciding, those of you who have never caucused before will decide that you've got to be part of taking our country back.

You know, everyone running for president is talking about change. We all want change. We desperately need change. Our country yearns for the right kind of change. You know, some people think you get change by demanding it and some people think you get change by hoping for it. I think you get change by working really, really hard every single day in order to make life better for each other.

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