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Candidates Making Final Push for Super Tuesday Voters; Israel Hit by Suicide Attack for First Time in Year

Aired February 04, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: You're with CNN. You're informed. Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on Monday, the 4th day of February. Here's what's on the rundown.
Candidates making a final push for Super Tuesday voters. We're going to hear from them live on the trail all day long.

And Israel, hit by a suicide attack for the first time in a year. Live to the scene in southern Israel.

One year ago they were working for al Qaeda in Iraq. Now they're on the American payroll. Paying for peace in the NEWSROOM.

Super Tuesday on the doorstep. Crucial contests taking place from coast to coast. Here's a look at the map now. Delegates up for grabs in 24 states. A flurry of activity for the candidates today.

For John McCain, a chance to keep that momentum going and solidify his lead over Mitt Romney. Romney is making a final push in key states like California.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama running neck and neck in most states. They're both campaigning in the northeast today.

We have brand new polls to show you this morning, as well, for both Democrats and Republicans.

Let's start with the Democrats. The new national CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll shows Barack Obama with a three-point lead over Hillary Clinton, but that is well within the sampling error. Contrast that, though, with our poll of polls. The average of five national polls shows Clinton with a two-point lead.

On the Republican side, the new CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll shows John McCain with a comfortable lead, 44 percent to Mitt Romney's 29 percent. And Mike Huckabee comes in third with 18 percent. The Republican poll of polls has similar numbers, too. John McCain with 45 percent, Mitt Romney 24, and Mike Huckabee 17.

John McCain campaigns in the northeast today. His super Tuesday strategy, playing out in Mitt Romney's backyard.

CNN's Dana Bash is following John McCain today. She's in Hamilton, New Jersey this morning. Hi there, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. Well, John McCain is going to be here in Hamilton in just a short while. But as you said he spent the morning in Mitt Romney's home state of Massachusetts. It's kind of an in-your-face move there, one that Mitt Romney's campaign says is a big mistake and a big waste of time for him to be trying to campaign in Massachusetts where there are a whole bunch of states aware they believe that they are going to do better than John McCain and that he could be better spending his time.

But you know, the whole concept of John McCain's campaign right now is to sort of have this err of inevitability, to sort of show that he's not only got the momentum but he's cruising towards the nomination, and that is shown not just in his strategy -- in his travel strategy but also in what he is saying on the stump, talking for the most part about Democrats, about even reaching across the aisles to Democrats if and when he is the president.

So a lot of confidence there. Perhaps confidence that we'll see if this is well-founded confidence tomorrow. But you know, the other issue for John McCain, Heidi, is the fact that he is still really has some problems with his conservative base. And that is what Mitt Romney is trying to tweak him on over and over again. And today, Mitt - excuse me, John McCain when talking to reporters just a short while ago hit right back at Mitt Romney on that issue of who's a real conservative.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCAIN: We all know that he raised taxes as governor by $730 million. We know that there was job loss here in Massachusetts, which is massive. I'm proud of my record. I'm very proud that Governor Cellucci and Governor Swift would be supporting my candidacy. I think they know him pretty well and I think they know that I am a conservative and that that's my record. So I think it's very clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now that was in response to sort of the underlying theme and dynamic of what's going on in this Republican race right now. John McCain, if you see the national polls as you talked about, seem to be doing very well, seems to be -- seems to have a lot of momentum behind him. But Mitt Romney is trying to present himself as a conservative alternative to John McCain, trying to sort of tap into that frankly anger at John McCain for a whole host of issues that he supported in the United States Senate that many conservatives didn't like, from the fact that he voted against tax cuts to the fact that he supported campaign finance reform.

Listen to the gist of what Mitt Romney is telling voters over and over again on the stump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We disagree on a number of issues. And if you look at Senator McCain's position on a number of issues, you have a hard time distinguishing him from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. When it comes to -- not on all issues, not on all issues, but on many. So if it comes to the Bush tax cuts, who was it that said that these were tax cuts for the rich? Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: You hear Mitt Romney essentially trying to say if you want a real Republican to Republican voters, vote for me and not John McCain. He's doing everything he can to sort of stop the John McCain train from going into the station to become the nominee -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes. And there's still another contender in this whole thing, of course, Mike Huckabee. He doesn't really seem to be very fazed by any of the latest poll numbers, either.

BASH: He doesn't. And he is saying over and over again that this is not a two-man race. And you know what? He's right. It is absolutely not a two-man race. And he has been campaigning very hard in a lot of the southern states, in Alabama and Tennessee, in Georgia, and of course, in his home state of Arkansas, which do have a lot of delegates, very important states in tomorrow's super Tuesday race.

And the point that he is trying to make is that he still thinks that he, not Mitt Romney, he is the real conservative. He had kind of an interesting message to supporters on e-mail this morning, Heidi. He said that he is going to be America's second comeback this week. He compared himself to the Giants.

COLLINS: Yes.

BASH: And he said that he's going to be a big surprise on Tuesday. But you know, I can tell you just in terms of the dynamics that the Romney campaign, they are concerned about the fact that because Mike Huckabee is still in the race, it is still somebody who could siphon off votes, that those votes...

COLLINS: Sure.

BASH: ...could come from people who would otherwise vote for Mitt Romney. In fact, one of Romney supporters is saying a vote for Mike Huckabee is a vote for John McCain -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Hmm. All right. CNN's Dana Bash reporting from Hamilton, New Jersey, this morning.

Thank you, Dana.

The Democrats also battling it out in the northeast today. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton take in their final shots before super Tuesday.

CNN's Jim Acosta is following Obama's campaign. He's joining us now from East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Hey there, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. And the race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is shaping up a lot like last night's Super Bowl. In other words, a fight to the finish. Polls show that these two are running neck and neck nationally and poised to split many of the states up for grabs on super Tuesday.

Barack Obama will be here in New Jersey, here in East Rutherford in the shadow of Giants stadium, no less, about as close as you can get to Hillary Clinton's home turf. Hillary Clinton is spending much of her time today up in the northeast shoring up her support in states like Connecticut and Massachusetts.

But Obama is taking aim at the war in Iraq as an issue to draw that contrast between himself and Hillary Clinton saying only he can run against the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain on the issue of Iraq because Hillary Clinton was an early supporter of that war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If John McCain is the nominee, then the Democratic Party has to ask itself, do you want a candidate who has similar policies as John McCain on the war in Iraq or somebody who can offer a stark contrast?

See, when I'm the nominee, John McCain won't be able to say that you were for this war in Iraq because I wasn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, Hillary Clinton is stepping for votes this morning on her old stomping grounds in New Haven, Connecticut, close to the campus at Yale University where she went to school. And she was meeting with a group of women voters this morning emphasizing health care, saying she is the only candidate who can bring universal health care to the country.

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Jim Acosta. Thanks so much for that, Jim.

Quickly want to get to something that we have had our eye on this morning as well. President Bush met earlier today with his Cabinet about the budget for 2009. He sent a $3.1 trillion budget request to Congress. Let's go ahead and listen in.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A lot of issues and one issue is to discuss the budget. I submitted the budget today to Congress. It's on a laptop notebook, it's an e-budget, it saves paper, saves trees, saves money. I think it was the first budget submitted electronically and it's a good budget. It's a budget that keeps an important objectives.

One, it understands our top priority is to defend our country. So we fund our military, as well as fund the homeland security. Secondly, the budget keeps our economy growing. It's essential that we make sure that we deal with the uncertainties, the uncertainties we face. That's why we're working hard with the house and the Senate to get a growth package out quickly. That will put money in the hands of consumers and provide incentives to small businesses and large businesses to invest.

Now, thirdly, we recognize that in order for this economy to grow, it's important to make the tax relief permanent. And that's what this budget reflects. It's a budget to boost money for education and health and housing. It helps deal with the issue of making the tax code more fair for individuals who want to buy health insurance in the individual market.

This budget is one that keeps spending under control. Discretionary spending is less than - held at 1 percent. It eliminates 151 wasteful or bloated programs saving the taxpayers $18 billion. It also takes a hard look at entitlement growth over the next five years and provides specific recommendations to save $208 billion over those five years. And at the same time, the budget achieves balance by 2012. This is a good, solid budget. It's not only innovative budget and that it's come at a time -- over the Internet, it's a budget that's balanced, it gets to balance in 2012 and saves taxpayers money.

And I must say to you and I said to the Congress that there's a lot of talk about entitlement spending. Once again, we propose specific reforms and specific measures. And Congress needs to come up with its own ideas. And Congress needs to respond to this -- these looming deficits as a result of unfunded liabilities inherent in Social Security and Medicare.

Our budget does that. Our budget protects America and encourages economic growth. Congress needs to pass it.

Thank you very much.

COLLINS: So there the president after meeting with his Cabinet on the 2009 budget. That's a $3.1 trillion budget request sent off to Congress.

What does it all mean? In the short and long-term, let's go directly to CNN's Elaine Quijano, standing by at the White House.

So Elaine, he says that the federal budget will be balanced by 2012 but it might be difficult for some people to swallow what's going to happen to the deficit in the next couple of years.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's absolutely right. We'll get to that in a moment.

But first, here it is in paper form, at least part of it anyway, the last budget that President Bush is submitting to Congress during his time in office. As we heard, the president talking about his plan, how he wants to spend some $3.1 trillion in the next fiscal year which starts on October 1st. And here's a closer look at some o those numbers. Again, $3.1 trillion in spending is what the president is proposing. As part of that, though, the Bush administration is planning for a $400 billion deficit. Where would the money go? Well, the military would get a big chunk of that, $515 billion. In addition, some $70 billion would go for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now it's important to note that that is far less than the $200 billion that those wars are estimated to cost this year.

Already, as you can imagine, Heidi, Democrats are pouncing. Senator Kent Conrad, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, says that the president's proposals are only going to lead to more debt for the nation down the road and that these proposals, he says, ultimately undermine the nation's economic security.

But the bottom line in all of this is that this is really only the president's blueprint, essentially, how he would like to see the government spend that money in the next fiscal year. This is far from a done deal, of course. It is no secret some fiscal conservatives within the president's own party are unhappy with the deficit under President Bush's watch.

The national debt is nearly $9 trillion. And some analysts say that the U.S. is dangerously maxed out on credit. So with this being an election year, you can bet both parties, Heidi, are essentially going to be talking about this as they try to position themselves as the party that can basically get America's fiscal house back in order -- Heidi?

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Elaine Quijano breaking it down for us, all $3 trillion of it.

All right. (INAUDIBLE) Elaine Quijano. Thank you.

We're all standing by now in the severe weather center to talk more about this bad weather that we know hit the west. But it's actually starting to clear up now? Is that right?

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Big stakes, which states, though, are still at play on super Tuesday? We're going to talk live with the co-chairman of the Obama campaign coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Covering the angles, uncovering the details. See for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: This morning in the Middle East, an Israeli military air strike in Gaza kills a top Palestinian militant. The attack comes hours after a deadly suicide bombing in Israel.

CNN's Atika Shubert is on the scene in southern Israel this morning.

Atika, what do we know about what happened here? SHUBERT: Well, Heidi, we're actually right at the site where the explosion occurred. Police and medical teams have already combed through this area, collected body parts and now the cleaning crews are here. It was a deadly blast but in fact, it could have been much worse. Israeli police say that two suicide bombers planned the attack but only one of them detonated.

When he detonated, it killed one woman, injured 12 people, including the other suicide bomber, who was knocked down by the force of the blast but he was still trying to detonate his explosive belt when a policeman who arrived on the scene found him, shot and killed him. And that apparently prevented the second suicide bomber from detonating.

Now a number of Palestinian militant groups have claimed responsibility including the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. They claim that the bombers came from Gaza and they passed into Egypt, and from Egypt into Israel to carry out the attack. That confirms the worst fears of Israel, which has been fearing that after Hamas militant blew open the Gaza-Egypt border last month, they were afraid that militants like this would come through and pass into Israel to carry out attacks. So this appears to be a confirmation of Israel's worst fears, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely.

All right. CNN's Atika Shubert live for this morning in southern Israel.

Atika, thank you.

Super Tuesday strategy. Barack Obama targeting key northeastern states looking to keep his momentum going.

For Senate majority leader Tom Daschle is Obama's national campaign co-chairman. He is in Washington this morning and joins us now.

Good morning to you.

TOM DASCHLE, OBAMA CAMPAIGN NATL. COCHMN.: Good morning.

COLLINS: Most of the Democratic primaries on Tuesdays, as I'm sure you know, sort of a war delegates based on this proportional representation. That is to say that nobody's really going to get all of the delegates.

Would you consider a good night for Barack Obama to be -- I don't know, give me an idea, how many?

DASCHLE: Well, we want to stay competitive. And obviously we don't necessarily feel that we have to win every state to do that. We think we're going to show well all over the country, Heidi. And we have tremendous momentum these last 10 days. It's shown in the polls, it shows in the enthusiasm in the crowd. So we think this momentum is going to serve us very well. And the polls are never as good as you'd like them to be in some of these states, but I'm telling you, the last couple of days we've seen dramatic shifts in numbers and we're feeling very good about the way things are shaping up for tomorrow.

COLLINS: What states in particular are you really looking to win big in?

DASCHLE: Well, I don't know that we're going to win big. This is going to be a competitive race in virtually every single state. So I'm not predicting any landslide victories in any of the state. But I think we're going to do extremely well in the west. I think you're going to see us do well in the south. I think it's a very, very close race now in California. And obviously after super Tuesday you go to some other states that we think we're going to show very well in as well.

So this goes on after Tuesday. But at the end of the day on Tuesday, we think we're going to be right where we want to be. We're going to have a large number of these delegates and feeling very good about the way the campaign's going.

COLLINS: You know, I'm sure you heard some of the criticism after last Thursday's CNN debate about the factor or the thought anyway that Senator Obama maybe should have been a little bit rougher, should have taken more risk, more swings at his opponent and that this whole buddy-buddy thing that they had going, a united front, really wasn't going to help him beat her. How do you respond to that?

DASCHLE: Well, I don't -- that's not what I'm seeing anecdotally. I've been all over the country talking to people. I mean people don't want to see the bitter fight that we saw, say, in South Carolina. They don't feel comfortable doing that. They know that we've got to keep the party unified. And I think both candidates showed the other night that it's their desire, too. There are going to be differences. There are significant differences in some areas. But at the end of the day we're going to be together as a party and that's what I think Barack wants to do all the way through the campaign.

COLLINS: Are there differences enough for people to really distinguish between? Obviously that seems to be the fear, if you will, that they are too unified, too similar.

DASCHLE: Well., I think that Barack has personified change from the beginning. That's what his calm cane is about. One of his great asset is that he hasn't been in Washington forever. Showing the fresh face that he has and exciting young voters and bringing Republicans and independents and Democrats together in a way that we haven't seen in a long time. That to me is a representative of the kind of campaign that he's all about.

The issues, I think, show especially with regard to Iraq, with regard to some of the issues having to do with the economy, there are differences. And those have come out in the debates.

COLLINS: You know, there are a lot of people saying, though, that on Wednesday morning this whole thing is not going to be over, a clear candidate will not be ahead. What are the plans for Senator Barack Obama's post-super Tuesday days? DASCHLE: SHeidi, the longer this goes, we think the better it serves our campaign. We can't wait for the primaries in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. We look forward to the primary in Texas as well as in Ohio. We've got some very important states coming up after super Tuesday. And the more we look at them, the more excited we get.

COLLINS: All right, former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle and also the national campaign coach there for Barack Obama.

Thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.

DASCHLE: My pleasure.

COLLINS: A special programming note for you now. Senator Barack Obama will join Wolf Blitzer in the "SITUATION ROOM" today. You can see it 4:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

Neighborhood watch, Iraq style.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are gangs. That's true. And our desire is to make sure they're either employed by the security forces or we can help the Iraqi government create jobs for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Concerned local citizens raise concerns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A new judge takes over the courthouse shooting case in Atlanta this morning. Superior court judge James Bodaford was appointed to preside over the murder trial of accused shooter Brian Nichols. He replaces Superior Court Judge Hilton Fuller who stepped down from the case last week. Fuller said the damage caused by a magazine article about Nichols. In that article Fuller was quoted as saying, "Everyone in the world knows he did it." Fuller insists he doesn't remember making the comment about Nichols. Nichols is accused of killing four people in the shooting spree nearly three years ago.

We are learning more about that deadly shooting at a clothing store. It happened over the weekend in suburban Chicago. Police say five women were killed during a botched robbery at this Lane Bryant store. Now the "Chicago Tribune" says sources tell the paper a sixth victim survived. Police are not confirming that but the paper says that victim is working with police and could help them put to the a sketch of the suspect. The paper is also reporting a family member of one of the victims says police told him the suspect made off with just $200 and some valuables. Right now the manhunt goes on.

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM , Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins 11:30 Eastern Time. Now counting down to super Tuesday. Just one day to go before many of you head to the polls to make your presidential picks. Delegates are up for grabs in 24 states. Just to put this in perspective, Super Tuesday in 2004 included just 10 states.

For the Democrats, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are staying in the northeast today stomping for votes in critical states, including New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. As for the Republicans, John McCain has the momentum. Mitt Romney has the money. Right now there are just a few delegates separating them. McCain is campaigning in the northeast. Romney is swinging from coast to coast today.

COLLINS: Important numbers to tell you about. New national poll just out this morning.

CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider is in New York.

So Bill, what are those polls telling us?

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SEINOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That things are exactly the way they were just a few months ago when Hillary Clinton was way on top of the Democratic field in national polls, and the Republican field was kind of a muddle. Now the Democratic field has become something of a muddle. Our latest national poll shows Obama just narrowly ahead. Barack Obama leading Hillary Clinton but within the margin of error, just a three-point lead. Much too close to call. He has the momentum clearly in the last couple of weeks. If we compare that with other polls that have been taken in about the last week, there have been five national polls. We average them.

They show Clinton slightly ahead by two points. The message is it really is close, depending which poll you look at either Obama or Clinton is slightly ahead. That's a big gain for Obama. On the Republican side, the momentum is with John McCain.

McCain, 15 points ahead of Mitt Romney in our poll, with Mike Huckabee third at 18 percent and Ron Paul fourth. Average the last five national polls you get same picture. McCain with an even bigger lead, over 20 points. Huckabee third and Paul fourth. So the Republican race looks like it's straightening itself out, with McCain as the clear front-runner. The Democratic race, who knows.

COLLINS: Yes, who knows. You think we'll have a much better idea after tomorrow, or are we going to see more of the same numbers like that?

SCHNEIDER: Among the Democrats?

COLLINS: Yes.

SCHNEIDER: You might see more of the same. Simply because the Democrats divide the delegates proportional to vote. So, if the vote is 50/50, the delegates are going to be 50/50. It doesn't matter if someone wins with 51 percent, they're just going to get 51 percent of the delegates.

So the Democratic race may go on, and on, and on. The Republican race may shut down. Their rules allow whoever comes in first in some states, if the states choose to do it this way, to take all the delegates. Here in New York, that's the rule.

So, if McCain does well tomorrow he could up being the presumptive nominee and the Democrats will still be in the wilderness trying to figure out who they're going to nominate.

COLLINS: Interesting how differently the parties do think in all of this. Really interesting. All right, Bill, thanks so much for that. Bill Schneider today.

Delegates do count. As you know, it's what the primaries are all about, in fact. But, dividing them up requires very sharp math skills.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: All together, more than 2700 delegates are at stake tomorrow. But, Republicans and Democrats have different way of deciding who gets what. CNN's Jill Daugherty takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DAUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than the number of hands they shake, more than the number of babies they kiss, the number presidential candidates are really focused on is the number of delegates they can win.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're watching the delegate count closely, and want to be able to rack them up.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: California will have the most delegates and the biggest primary on February 5th.

DAUGHERTY: Delegates are the people who at the national political conventions this summer, will collectively choose their party's nominee for president. They're chosen on a state level as the result of voting in primary elections or in caucuses. The system sounds simple enough, but political experts say it's not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one is really in control of this system, unfortunately.

DAUGHERTY: The rules are set by political parties and state governments, not the federal government. And the two leading parties in the United States, Democrats and Republicans, do it differently for historical reasons.

To win the party nomination, a candidate needs to capture half the party's delegates. For Democrats, the magic number is 2,025. For Republicans, 1,191. So, how do they do the math? Democrats use a proportional method. For example, if 10 delegates are being elected and the candidate gets approximately 60 percent of the vote, he or she gets six delegates.

Republicans leave it up to the individual states. They can use either a proportional method, or winner take all. The candidate with the most votes in a district wins all of its delegates. Both parties have so-called pledge delegates. They're supposed to vote for a particular candidate. But, they don't have to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then, sorry, just to make it a little bit more complicated, there are yet another set of delegates that are added in that are called super delegates.

DAUGHERTY: Super delegates are usually political office holders or party chairmen, and they can vote pretty much as they want. It's the candidates job to woo them. This complex system can yield some strange results.

A candidate could win a majority of states and still end up not winning as many delegates as the other candidate. And this year, more than ever before the race to the White House will be won delegate by delegate. Jill Dougherty, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee trading barbs, the back and forth coming after Romney suggested Huckabee get out of the race. Saying he was just splitting the conservative vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Wow, obviously he's smarting. I don't want to see him get squirrely like that, but the truth of the matter is he's a good man. Everybody has every right to stay in this race until the very end. You know, we all battle in Florida.

Senator McCain and I came in number one and number two, very close. And, he came in a distant fourth. I think by virtue of that, I think most people around the country have said, OK, it's been narrowed down to a two-person race.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Those comments from CNN's LATE EDITION on Sunday. Here is how Mike Huckabee responded this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He suggests that I get out of the race, and has the audacity to say that the reason is is because the voters that I'm getting are voters that would go to him. I think it's incredibly presumptuous and even arrogant to suggest that the voters who are voting for me would automatically gravitate to him. I think they, quite frankly, would not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Today don't miss a full hour of the CNN BALLOT BOWL from noon to one Eastern. Join us for live coverage of the candidates as they make their pitches to the voters. Remember, CNN equals politics.

Thousands of people fleeing conflict in central Africa. It's happening right now in Chad. It's not clear at this moment whether armed rebels are still fighting government troops in the capital. Aid organizations say thousands of refugees are streaming into Cameroon.

French officials say, the rebels entered Chad from Dafur on Saturday in an effort to get rid of the country's president. Moments ago, the U.N. Security Council condemned the rebel attacks, and asked member states to help Chad turn back the rebels.

Civilians killed in Iraq. The U.S. military investigating the deaths of nine Iraqis including a child. The incident happened Saturday near the town of Iskandaria. The U.S. military says coalition forces were pursuing suspected insurgents at the time.

They once shot at Americans, now Americans are paying them. CNN's Michael Holmes reports on Iraq's concerned local citizens.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A year ago Ghazaliya was typical of many Baghdad neighborhoods, killings, bombings and kidnappings common. Today, it's comparatively stable, in part due to these guys. What the U.S. has dubbed "Concerned Local Citizens" or "The Awakening." The nine names for groups some fear are just the latest armed militia in Iraq.

MAJ. GENERAL MARK HERTLING, U.S. ARMY: They're gangs, that's true. And our desire is to make sure they're either employed by the security forces or we can help the Iraqi government create jobs for them.

SHUJA SHAKER, CONCERNED LOCAL CITIZENS (through translator): We mustn't change the area. We fought them and gave sacrifices for that and managed to kick them out.

HOLMES: Or kill them. CLCs, as they're known, take the role of local enforcers, keeping the peace, keeping insurgents at bay. As many as 80,000 members, mainly Sunni, paid by the Americans. To some, heroes, but like most things in Iraq, it's not that simple.

(on-camera): It's a fact that many of the men in these groups were members of the insurgency. They were shooting at Americans a few months ago, but now they're getting a paycheck from the Americans. They're working with the Americans.

COLONEL KEVIN PETIT, U.S. ARMY: I think without a doubt that they were shooting. I was part of the Sunni insurgency, you know, but when al Qaeda over-reached and it became (INAUDIBLE), they came to us and it's a beautiful relationship. And it has worked and it continues to work.

HOLMES (voice-over): But while there's success in tamping (ph) al Qaeda in their own areas is apparent, many fear a new militia has been created, libel to switch sides when the paychecks stop.

HERTLING: It's a short-term solution. We've got to eventually find jobs for these individuals, either pull them in -- some of them into the Iraqi security forces or find other jobs that they can carry on their lives. Because unemployment is so high in this part of the country.

HOLMES: Another problem is until now, CLC members, who are being paid anything from $300 to $450 a month, have been paid in U.S. currency.

(on-camera): You could be paying U.S. dollars to people who were are then giving that money to insurgents?

HERTLING: Right, right. That's true. And as I think you know, one of the things that we are really tightening down the rigor on is not paying any U.S. dollars for anything.

HOLMES: There's no question CLCs have helped reduce the I'll killing in Baghdad. It's equally true the numbers are down because the ethnic cleansing of most suburbs is complete. Dozens of areas becoming virtually sealed off cantons.

CLC commanders say they want continued U.S. support and warn of dire consequences if it's not forthcoming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If U.S. troops would withdraw without recruiting us into formal forces into police and army, the civil war would return again. You will then come and see all of (INAUDIBLE) closed. If you used to see ten bodies, you will see 100 bodies now.

HOLMES: The plan is to phase out CLCs in the months ahead, transition as many as possible into Iraqi security forces, give others government jobs. The concern is what these men will do if they don't get what they want.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: A celebration turns tragic. At least nine people, five of them children, died in an apartment house fire in southwest Germany. A fire official says 60 other people were hurt -- 24 victims still in the hospital. The apartment building was crowded with people celebrating Carnival Sunday. The cause of the fire not yet known.

She says she was roughed up over a rough lawn.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's just trying to cover his tracks, as far as I'm concerned. He really abused me. Brutally abused me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: But now grandma faces charges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Buried in snow. A town too poor to plow. Jane Smith, of affiliate KGW, has the story from Idahna, Oregon. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we got 18 inches between night before last and yesterday.

JANE SMITH, KGW REPORTER: Add to those 18 inches what was already on the ground and the small city of Idahna is snow clogged. Covered rooftops, buried street signs and downed power lines has this city of 200 --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On edge.

SMITH: Idahna mayor, Karen Clark, says residents are frustrated because they can't dig out.

(on-camera): The problem is the city doesn't have any more money for snow removal. It's over budget. That budget would have been adequate for a regular snow year, but with snow five feet high, this year is anything but normal.

MAYOR KAREN CLARK, IDAHNA, OREGON: It's buried in snow.

SMITH: Clark says even if they had the resources to remove the snow, they don't have anywhere to put it. That's why she wants Governor Kulongoski to declare a state of emergency. She says their city is simply --

CLARK: In danger.

SMITH: Help is trickling in. High school students with Lynn County search and rescue attack this yard with shovels. Inmates from Marion County have also pitched in. But they can't reach the snowy rooftops, it's too much of a liability.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I don't keep my chimney ...

SMITH: Kim Lockmut (ph) cleared hers off herself while her husband, who works for ODOT, helps others.

KIM LOCKMUT, IDAHNA RESIDENT: It's kind of devastating. I guess I didn't realize it was going to snow this much.

SMITH: Many of the people here feel powerless over this mountain of snow. Behind this house, a shed roof is partially collapsed and it's not the only one in jeopardy.

CLARK: And as long as you have the snow piling up, and -- to the roofs, and no place for to it go, then that's when their ceilings and roofs are going to cave in on these people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Microsoft wants to buy Yahoo!, but just who isn't saying yahoo to this proposed deal? Well, that's Google. And now it's searching for a way to make sure the merger doesn't happen. Stephanie Elam is at the New York Stock Exchange now with that story. Good morning once again, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi.

Well yes, Microsoft did shock the business world Friday with an unsolicited takeover bid for Yahoo! The price tag, nearly $45 billion. But Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt, has reportedly sprung into action, calling Yahoo! and letting CEO Jerry Yang know that Google will help thwart the take over.

Google has not expected to place its own bid for Yahoo! because regulators would be unlikely to approve a merger of the world's two biggest search companies. But others could decide to get in on this action. I don't know, Heidi, starting to sound a little bit like a soap opera.

COLLINS: Yes, a lot like a soap opera with really weird names. Does Yahoo! want Google's help in any of this?

ELAM: I never thought about the name thing, they sound so normal to me now. But you're right, they're a little weird. Yahoo! is yet to really give us any position on the merger at all. The bid values Yahoo! stock at a huge premium. Then again, Yahoo! has many worldwide investors -- I'm sorry -- investments that some consider to be more valuable than its current share price.

Also, some are comparing a potential Microsoft/Yahoo! deal to the AOL/Time Warner merger which is widely considered one of the biggest failures of all time. Of course, Time Warner is the parent company of this network -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Love saying that with the previous sentence.

ELAM: Yes I know, right.

COLLINS: Meanwhile though, Yahoo! is making some interesting moves that music fans are going to want to know about.

ELAM: Yes. The company is getting rid of its subscription music service. Instead it is partnering with real networks to offer the Rhapsody music service instead of its Yahoo! music unlimited service. And talking about music, there's not a lot of harmony going on here on Wall Street.

Stocks have been stuck in the red since the opening bell. Financial stocks have been among the weakest performers once again, this time due to a downgrade of American Express. Shares of Dow component Annex are down three percent. As you can see the numbers there, the Dow off about 55 points, 12,687. Nasdaq on the downside by 14 points at this time.

Heidi, back to you.

COLLINS: All right. Stephanie Elam. Thanks so much, Stephanie.

ELAM: Sure, thanks. COLLINS: Want to take you to Utah now where a 70-year-old grandmother heads to court in a case that began on and over her scruffy front lawn. Betty Perry was ticketed for yard neglect in July. But when she refused to tell the officer her name, she was cuffed and arrested.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY PERRY, FACING LAWN NEGLECT CHARGES: He's just trying to cover his tracks, as far as I'm concerned. He really abused me, brutally abused me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The investigation, though, cleared the officer of any wrong doing. And Perry goes to trial next week. She is charged with resisting arrest and failing to maintain her landscaping.

Their wild for the jolly blue Giants. Yes, they are. A Super Bowl shocker means a New York party.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Pigs, big rig rollover. A truck accident on the California highway became a rest stop for pigs. A few were content to grab a bite along the side of the road. But other swine took a walk and had to be persuaded to return. The driver was not injured.

A giant win, the New York Giants ending the New England Patriots' perfect season with a thrilling Super Bowl upset. CNN's Larry Smith has a look from Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Nobody ever said history comes easy. Eli Manning came of age in this game, carrying the Giants on a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter as it took a giant to slay New England's Goliath and prevent the first 19-0 season in NFL history.

ANTONIO PIERCE, GIANTS LINEBACKER: It's just special to win, but it is good to quiet a lot of people. We've got a new trademark.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is that?

PIERCE: 18-1, world champion, New York Giants. Write that book.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They tried to rub it in our face. They tried to out -- they tried to just bully us around and, you know, we're a more physical team than them and it showed today. We punched them in the mouth and they didn't want anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't treat them like an unbeaten team, we didn't treat them like some -- you know, some Greek myth or something like that, you know. It wasn't no Godzilla factor. We just went out there and played them like they were some regular guys. And -- they bleed just like us and that's the way we went out there and went to war.

TEDY BRUSCHI, PATRIOTS LINEBACKER: It's not even worth talking about it now because -- its over. I mean -- it didn't happen, it didn't happen.

TOM BRADY, PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: It's good enough for 18 wins. It's just the most important one we ended up losing. And I'm sure we're all going to wake up tomorrow more disappointed when you review the film. I'm sure we're all -- could have done things better.

MICHAEL STRAHAN, GIANTS DEFENSIVE END: You could sense that they were frustrated. I think in a way -- a little surprised. I mean, we were -- we were stopping the best offense in football. And as the record setters -- and I think, of course, they were surprised.

SMITH: New York's defense sacks Patriot superstar quarterback, Tom Brady, five times to complete an improbable run of four playoff wins all away from home. Now, the Giants return home as champions.

Larry Smith, CNN, Glendale, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And what a game it was.

CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now. "Ballot Bowl" is up next with all the latest on the campaigns as the candidates get ready for Super Tuesday.

I'm Heidi Collins. I'll see you tomorrow, everybody.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dana Bash in Hamilton, New Jersey on the eve of Super Tuesday.

This is a special edition of "Ballot Bowl '08" where you hear from the presidential candidates on the campaign trail, in some cases live. John McCain will be here in Hamilton, New Jersey during this hour.

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