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Ballot Bowl 2008

'Ballot Bowl '08': Easter Edition

Aired March 23, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

JESSICA YELLIN, CO-HOST: Hello and welcome to this Easter edition of CNN's 'Ballot Bowl '08," coming to you today from the nation's capital.
I'm Jessica Yellin.

In this hour you'll get to hear all three presidential candidates on the stump, unfiltered talking about the campaign issues that matter to you most.

My co-anchor, Jim Acosta, is in Philadelphia, home of the next big delegate-rich prize in this race, next month Philadelphia, Pennsylvania primary.

Jim, it's a big one and it's just a month away.

JIM ACOSTA, CO-HOST: That's right, Jessica. And today is a relatively quiet day out on the campaign trail on this Easter Sunday. But we still have a basketful of presidential politics in store for our viewers out there. We should go over where the candidates are on this Easter Sunday.

The Clintons are spending the day up in Chappaqua, in their home just outside of New York City, while the Republican in this race, John McCain, is still across the pond. He is still out on his world tour and spending this Easter Sunday in London.

As for Barack Obama, he and his family are spending a brief mini vacation alone and away from the cameras. And Barack Obama had a difficult week last week. We'll be talking about that throughout the hour. But it ended on a high note with the endorsement of former -- excuse me, the current governor of New Mexico, I should say, Bill Richardson.

And with that, I'll toss it back to my colleague, Jessica Yellin, who is down the road in Washington -- Jessica.

YELLIN: Yes. Bill Richardson was not on vacation today. He did a round of the talk shows. He wanted to become the nation's first Hispanic president, but now after two months since ending his White House bid, Richardson is throwing his support behind Barack Obama. A long-time Clinton ally, he says this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportune for this country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Senator Obama could have given a safer speech. He is, after all, well ahead in the delegates count for our party's nomination.

(APPLAUSE)

He could have waited for the controversy over the deplorable remarks of Reverend Wright to subside, as it surely would have. Instead, Senator Obama showed us once again what kind of a leader he is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: The Richardson endorsement comes at a very good time for Barack Obama. His campaign had been forced into damage control after a series of negative incidents, but it still remains to be seen if the Richardson endorsement will force other high-profile Democrats off the fence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YELLIN (voice over): The one-time rival now sounds giddy as a school girl.

RICHARDSON: You are a once-in-a-lifetime leader.

(APPLAUSE)

You will make -- you will make every American proud to be an American.

Barack Obama will be a great and historic president who can bring us the change we so desperately need.

YELLIN: It wasn't always this way. Hamlet -- that's the name one Clinton staffer gave Richardson because he couldn't decided which candidate to back, even after his former boss parachuted in to join him for Super Bowl.

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Do not get between Bill Clinton and Bill Richardson and the TV set when the Super Bowl is on. So...

YELLIN: Some say the Clintons made Bill Richardson's career -- U.N. ambassador, secretary of energy. He joked about becoming Hillary's vice president. As recently as last Friday, both Clintons called him to ask for his endorsement. He called Senator Clinton back with bad news.

DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: It think this was an act that took a lot of bravery, because he was close to the Clintons. They were wooing him. If Hillary Clinton won the nomination, he might well be the vice presidential nominee. That chance has gone poof.

He's not out there, he's taken himself off that list. That's an act of some bravery. YELLIN: The governor says he grew fond of Obama during all those Democratic debates.

RICHARDSON: I noticed Scott mentioned everybody else in the poll. He didn't mention me. But that's OK.

OBAMA: Did that hurt your feelings too?

RICHARDSON: Well, a little bit.

YELLIN: He saw him as a uniquely inspiring figure and decided it was time to pull the trigger.

RICHARDSON: It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and prepare...

(APPLAUSE)

... and prepare for the tough fight we will have against John McCain in the fall.

YELLIN: The timing could not be better for Barack Obama, changing the story after a run of bad news, including damaging stories about his pastor and an indicted former donor, missteps on NAFTA and losses in Texas and Ohio's primaries. So far there's no sign this will cause a stampede to Obama's camp. Aides to superdelegates Al Gore, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden say don't expect any imminent moves.

And John Edwards is playing coy.

JOHN EDWARDS (D), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So I think both -- either of them, I think, will be a great candidate. And I think either one would be a great president.

YELLIN: But it doesn't hurt to have such an outspoken cheerleader on the team.

RICHARDSON: There's something special about this guy, and I want to be a part of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YELLIN: Now, the Clinton campaign issued a response to the Richardson endorsement. It said in part, "Senator Clinton likes and respects Bill Richardson, but both candidates have many great endorsers and the voters, not the endorsers, will decided this election. And there are still millions of voters in upcoming contest who want to have their voices heard. Despite the Obama campaign's push to disenfranchise Florida and Michigan and end this primary early, we believe everyone's vote should count."

And that was not actually a statement from Senator Clinton, but from her spokesperson, Jay Carson, because Senator Clinton has been off this weekend. We have not seen her on the road since Thursday. But she will be back in force tomorrow in the very town where we find out Jim Acosta -- Jim.

ACOSTA: And Jessica, do you get the sense that part of Richardson's endorsement had something to do with some of the Democratic establishment saying to Senator Clinton that perhaps it's time to consider the fact that it's going to be very difficult, if not impossible, for her to capture this nomination strictly through delegates?

YELLIN: Absolutely. You nailed it, Jim. I mean, that's part of what Richardson said himself, though indirectly.

He said that it's time for the Democrats to unify around a candidates so that that one candidate can start focusing on John McCain. And clearly he's talking about unifying around Barack Obama, though I should note that when John King interviewed Bill Richardson and asked him point blank, are you calling Hillary Clinton to dropout of the race? He said, no, I'm not in the position to do that. It's just my sense -- this is Bill Richardson -- that I wanted to help support one candidate and move toward picking our nominee.

So, the big question remains, will this lead to a stampede of others to do the same? So far no indication that it is. But we'll have to wait and see -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Absolutely, Jessica.

And just after that Richardson endorsement there was another dustup on the Obama campaign, and actually the dustup occurred as a result of something that the former president, Bill Clinton, said down in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is just paraphrasing here, but he said, "It would be great if we had two candidates who loved this country who would just sit down and debate the issues coming up this November."

And that -- that definitely ruffled some feathers over at Obama central. The Obama campaign took that to be a swipe at the Illinois senator, saying that because of the controversy dealing with Reverend Jeremiah Wright this week, that perhaps Obama's patriotism is being called into question by the former president.

The Clinton campaign said nothing could be further from the sort. But our own Rick Sanchez takes a look at the controversy. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): So just what was Bill Clinton saying Friday with his line before a veterans group in Charlotte? Talking about his wife potentially running against John McCain, he said...

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I think it would be a great thing where we had an election where you have two people who love this country and were devoted to the interest of the country and people could actually ask themselves who is right on these issues, instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics. SANCHEZ: Obama's adviser, retired general Tony McPeak, claimed that it was an attack open Obama's patriotism. He told an Associated Press reporter it sounds more like McCarthy.

GEN. MERRILL "TONY" MCPEAK, NATIONAL CO-CHAIR, OBAMA CAMPAIGN: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: McPeak earlier this year was forced to apologize for harsh comments about Hillary Clinton. Saturday, McPeak softened his wording a bit.

MCPEAK: The senator has got me on a short string here because occasionally I say something a little earthier.

SANCHEZ: But with Obama at his side, he didn't back down.

MCPEAK: I'm saddened to see a president employ these kind of tactics. He of all people should know better because he was the target of exactly the same kind of tactic when he first ran 16 years ago.

SANCHEZ: Obama never touched the issue himself. But it was no accident the remarks came with him on stage speaking warmly of McPeak.

OBAMA: Not only do I consider General McPeak a friend and adviser, but I just think the fact that he looks and sounds like Clint Eastwood is cool. You know?

SANCHEZ: The Clinton campaign said the remarks are being misinterpreted. They posted a message on the campaign Web site saying, "President Clinton was talking about the need to talk about issues, rather than falsely questioning any candidate's patriotism." And in a conference call with reporters, they took on the Obama campaign's criticism.

HOWARD WOLFSON, CLINTON COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I think most Democrats would be shocked to learn that a two-term Democratic president was compared to Joseph McCarthy. I think comparing Bill Clinton to Joseph McCarthy is an outrage, and ought to be retracted. That is a deliberate misreading of what the president said, and he knows better.

SANCHEZ: Rick Sanchez, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YELLIN: The verbal tit-for-tat continues.

Well, there is a story that is actually fresh on the scene this week. The story of the unauthorized snooping into the passport information of the three presidential candidates.

At this point we still don't know why it happened in the first place, but we do know that two contractors have been fired, a third has been disciplined over these breaches. And it turns out that actually the heads of two companies in question have political ties. CNN's Kate Bolduan has been following it all and has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Friday, the State Department released the names of the contracting companies linked to the unauthorized access of passport files of all three presidential candidates. The companies are the analysis corporation known as TAC and Stanley Incorporated, and both are based in suburban Washington.

Now we find out the company's top executives themselves have political ties. According to the Federal Election Commission, Philip Nolan, the head of Stanley, contributed $1,000 to the Clinton campaign in January. And according to a source familiar with TAC, its president, John Brennan, is an adviser to the Obama campaign on intelligence and foreign policy issues. Brennan also contributed $2,300 to the Obama campaign this year.

Now, the source says at the request of the State Department, no administrative action has been taken against the TAC employee caught accessing Obama's and McCain's passport files. The source says TAC has never had problems with this employee in the past. In fact, the person has extensive experience inside the State Department and is known to be a terrific employee.

Now, the source says they believe the motive was nothing more than idle curiosity, echoing the State Department's comments Friday.

SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: It is still our initial take that this was -- I refer to it as imprudent curiosity. You can use a lot of other terms for it. And -- but, we're not dismissive of any other possibility, and that's the reason why we have an investigation under way.

BOLDUAN: As things stand now, two contractors who accessed Obama's files have been fired. The State Department says a trainee in the passport office accessed Clinton's file over the summer, and McCain's file was viewed earlier this year. On the issue of political contributions, the State Department official told CNN's Zain Verjee Saturday that it awards contracts on a competitive basis, adding that a political affiliation is not one of the factors checked.

Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And coming up after the break here on "Ballot Bowl" on CNN, the John McCain world tour from Iraq to London. That's coming up after the break.

This is "Ballot Bowl" on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

YELLIN: Welcome back to CNN's "Ballot Bowl '08." At least 27 Iraqis were killed today in four separate attacks. The cost in blood for both Iraqis and Americans is clearly expensive. The number of U.S. troops killed nearing the 4,000 mark.

But five years after the war began, many Americans are also thinking the war's cost in treasure is contributing to economic problems at home. In a new CNN poll, 71 percent of Americans say they think the government is spending too much on the Iraq war, and the spending is partly responsible for the economic troubles in the United States.

President Bush marks the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war with a staunch defense of his policies. He said removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right thing to do. He said the war in Iraq is a fight that America can and must win.

The Republican candidate, John McCain, was in Iraq last week and says he's seen a lot of positives on the ground. Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama repeated their opposition to the war and their desire to end it and bring the U.S. troops home.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H. CLINTON: As we continue to police Iraq's civil war, the threats to our national security, our economy and our standing in the world continue to mount. The lives of our brave men and women are at stake. Nearly 4,000 of them have, by now, made that ultimate sacrifice. Tens of thousands more have suffered wounds both visible and invisible to their bodies, their minds and their hearts. Their families have sacrificed too in empty places at the dinner table, in the struggle to raise children alone, in the wrenching reversal of parents burying children.

The strength of our military is at stake. Only one of our Army brigades is certified by the Army to be ready. Our armed forces are stretched to near the breaking point, with many of our troops on their second, third or fourth tours of duty.

Our economic security is at stake. Taking into consideration the long term cost of replacing equipment and providing medical care for troops and survivors benefits for their families, the war in Iraq could ultimately cost well over $1 trillion. That is enough to provide health care for all 47 million uninsured Americans; and quality pre-kindergarten for every American child; solve the housing crisis once and for all; make college affordable for every American student; and provide tax relief to tens of millions of middle class families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: If you believe we are fighting the right war, as John McCain does, as George Bush does, then the problems we face are purely tactical in nature. And that is what Senator McCain wants to discuss, tactics.

What he and the administration have failed to present is an overarching strategy, how the war in Iraq enhances our long term security, or how it might enhance our long-term security in the future. That's why this administration cannot answer the simple question posed by Republican Senator John Warner in hearings last year -- are we safer because of this war? And that is why Senator McCain can argue, as he did last year, that we couldn't leave Iraq because violence was up, and then argue this year that we can't leave Iraq because violence is down.

When you have no overarching strategy, there's no clear definition of success. Success comes to be defined as the ability to maintain a flawed policy indefinitely.

Here's the truth. Fighting a war without end will not force the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future, and fighting in a war without end will not make the American people safe.

So when I am commander in chief, I will set a new goal on day one. I will end this war. Not because politics compels it, not because our troops cannot bear the burden, as heavy as it is, but because it is the right thing to do for our national security and it will ultimately make us safer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's well known that I have supported the surge, and it is at least very clear to most objective observers that the surge has succeeded, where others predicted that it would fail. And having just come from Iraq, I can tell you unequivocally that the situation has improved dramatically over the last year. Iraqi people are going about their normal lives.

But the fact is al Qaeda is on the run. They are not defeated. They are not defeated. And we are going to have to continue training the Iraqi military and doing what we've been doing if we're going to achieve a stable situation in Iraq.

The problem with Iraq, in my view, is because it was mishandled after the initial success. And that caused great frustration and sacrifice and sorrow on the part of the American people and our allies.

We are now succeeding in Iraq. And Americans, at least I believe, are in significant numbers agreeing that the present strategy of the surge is succeeding. And they want us to succeed.

And that will be, frankly, a very big issue in this campaign, as to whether we withdraw and have al Qaeda win, and announce to the world that they have won, and things collapse there, or we will see this strategy through to success and have that impact throughout the region of a stable and functioning, not very effectively, but functioning democracy in Iraq. And I believe that we can achieve that, and I believe if we had done what others are advocating, it would have had disastrous consequences for the United States, chaos and further sacrifice on the part of the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: So, that was Republican presidential candidate John McCain on the war in Iraq five years later.

And speaking of Iraq, Senator McCain was visiting that country just this past week, taking a look at things on the ground there. But that was not the only part of his itinerary across the globe these last several days.

He not only visited Iraq, but made his way into Jordan, where he had that brief verbal slipup about whether or not al Qaeda was actually being trained in Iran and being sent into Iraq. He had Joe Lieberman whispering in his ear to correct him on that account.

And then from there John McCain made his way back into Europe, making stops in Paris to meet with French President Sarkozy, and then also heading to 10 Downing Street in London.

Our own John King was traveling with John McCain and has a look at the Republican presidential candidate's trip across the globe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Last stop, Paris. A meeting with the president and a final effort to make all this about his day job.

MCCAIN: I wish every senator would take the same trip that we have taken.

KING: But only one senator is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and without a doubt, the unspoken goal of John McCain's week on the world stage was to back up a favorite campaign theme.

MCCAIN: I have spent my entire life addressing national security issues. And I know how to handle them. I don't know any on-the-job training. And I am prepared to lead.

KING: Prepared as well, he says, to do some repair work.

In much of Europe, George W. Bush is viewed as a go-it-alone cowboy, Guantanamo Bay as a moral outrage. And, from day one, Europeans felt ignored by Mr. Bush on climate change. McCain promises, he would not be more of the same.

MCCAIN: I will join with them to try to address climate change. We won't torture any prisoner that Americans hold in our custody. I think I can -- can improve those relations and have us work together in a more cooperative -- cooperative fashion.

KING: As Mr. Bush knows, it's often not what you say, but how you say it that can ruffle feathers.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's an old poster out West, as I recall, that said "Wanted: Dead or Alive."

KING: So, while Senator McCain is known to wish the British would keep more troops in Iraq a bit longer, outside of 10 Downing Street, the picture of diplomacy.

MCCAIN: I believe that that decision is made by the British government and people.

KING: No apologies, though, for a musical parody that many around the world took as a true sign of his thinking.

MCCAIN: Bomb Iran? You know, bomb, bomb, bomb -- anyway...

When veterans are together, veterans joke. And I was with veterans and we were joking. And if somebody can't understand that, my answer is, please get a life.

KING: What he calls straight talk may at times seem brusque, like in Israel. When asked about Palestinian complaints, he scheduled no times with their leaders.

(on camera): So if they say it's proof to them you wouldn't be an honest broker, or that at least until you're president you are pandering to the lobby back home?

MCCAIN: Well, they are free to say whatever they want to say.

KING (voice over): And then colleague Joseph Lieberman stepped in to note McCain had telephoned the Palestine president, as he did a day earlier when McCain needed some help.

MCCAIN: We continue to be concerned about Iranians taking the al Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back.

KING: Iran is Shia, al Qaeda Sunni. Lieberman leaned in to remind McCain there is no such training.

MCCAIN: I'm sorry. The Iranians are training extremists, not al Qaeda. Not al Qaeda. I'm sorry.

KING: Not sorry though to spend a little time sightseeing, very much unlike the president he hopes to succeed.

John King, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: So, there they are, the hits and misses from Senator John McCain on the world stage.

But coming up after the break here on "Ballot Bowl" on CNN, a check of other headlines. And you may be wondering why a' 70s radical was rearrested. We'll have the story on that coming up after the break.

This is "Ballot Bowl" on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

YELLIN: Hi there, and welcome back to CNN's "Ballot Bow."

The Democrats' 2008 primary season is still dogged by the question of what to do about Florida and Michigan's delegates. It is a quandary for the DNC with the race between senators Clinton and Obama still so undecided.

Right now 210 delegates remember in stake in Florida, 156 delegates at stake in Michigan. Now, Senator Clinton is not giving up on the idea of a redo or a do-over in either state. In fact, most analysts believe her only chance of success in getting this nomination will be if she can nab those redos in both those states.

So this past week she challenged Senator Obama on a primary re- vote in Michigan. He responded with a nod back to the Democratic National Committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H. CLINTON: It is not in the interest of the Democratic Party or our eventual nominee to be disenfranchising Michigan and Florida. And for the life of me, I don't understand why Senator Obama seems to be afraid of letting there be a revote in Michigan. And you'll have to ask him.

He comes up with all these legalistic answers. The people of Michigan and their legislature made it very clear that they would proceed with a re-vote. Unfortunately, Senator Obama's campaign said no. Two out of the three of us said yes.

So you'll have to ask him what he's afraid of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We're gong to abide by whatever rules the Democratic National Committee puts forward, as we we've done from the start. We were told it wasn't going to count, and so we didn't campaign there. In fact, my name wasn't on the ballot in Michigan.

But I think it's important to make sure that the people of Michigan, the people of Florida, that their delegates are seated. And so, we're committed to, you know, making sure that that happens in a fair and equitable way. And I'm confident that they will be participating fully in the Democratic convention, and I'm looking forward to hopefully campaigning there as the nominee. (END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: The Clinton campaign likes to point out Barack Obama voluntarily took his name off of that Michigan ballot. The assumption there is it was in an effort to curry favor with voters in Iowa who were angry about Michigan's early effort to vote then.

So what do these voting issues in Florida and Michigan mean for the Democratic Party as a whole, and maybe more importantly, for the party's nomination for the presidency, given the scant difference in delegates between Clinton and Obama?

Here's CNN's senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, to make sense of it all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice over): Right now, Barack Obama leads Hillary Clinton in both pledged delegates and popular votes. Can Clinton overtake Obama's lead in pledged delegates? She would need to win about two-thirds of the pledged delegates in the remaining contests to do that. That will be tough.

Can she overtake Obama's lead in popular votes? In the primaries and caucuses to date, Obama has gotten about 700,000 more popular votes than Clinton. We estimate that about six million more people are likely to vote. To overcome Obama's lead, Clinton would have to get 56 percent of those votes. How tough will that be?

In the 28 primaries in February and March, when the Democratic contest became a two-candidate race, Clinton has averaged 46 percent. She's gotten 56 percent or more in only four states -- Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and her current and former home states, New York and Arkansas. The next state to vote is Pennsylvania, where our poll of polls shows Clinton leading Obama by 13 points. If you just look at decided voters, Clinton gets just over 56 percent.

West Virginia and Kentucky are heavily rural states with a lot of lower-income voters, also good for Clinton. Indiana looks like more of a battleground. Many Indiana voters are in the Chicago media market.

North Carolina, with its large African-American population and a lot of upscale voters, is Obama's most promising state. Obama also ought to do well in Oregon, which has a lot of affluent Democrats. Obama has generally done well in western states where the traditional Democratic base is small, like Montana and South Dakota.

The outlook is for Clinton and Obama to split the remaining states. Can Clinton get 56 percent of the vote? That's a tall order.

(on camera): If Michigan and Florida were somehow to redo their primaries, Clinton would need to carry 53 percent of the remaining voters. Even that wouldn't be easy. She's gotten 53 percent or more in only eight of the 28 primaries since Super Tuesday. Of course, the ultimate decision will rest with the superdelegates. They're likely to pay a lot of attention to who's ahead in the popular vote and in pledged delegates.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YELLIN: And the smart thinking is those superdelegates are going to be looking to see if Senator Clinton can win North Carolina or Oregon, two big states that Obama is favored to win.

Coming up next, we're going to have a twist in the race and politics story. When we return, which demographic could make the difference for Hillary Clinton in next month's Pennsylvania primary?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Welcome back to "Ballot Bowl '08."

I'm Jim Acosta in the city of Brotherly Love, where we are just, well, about three and a half weeks away from the Pennsylvania primary in this state. It's creeping up us on us, scheduled for April 22nd.

And we should note to all those Pennsylvanians out there who haven't registered to vote, tomorrow is the deadline to register to vote in the upcoming Pennsylvania primary. And this is a very important contest coming up between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama because of just how tight this race has become.

The delegate lead being held by Barack Obama is slim. But according to some analysts, perhaps insurmountable for Hillary Clinton. Let take a look at it -- 2,024 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. Barack Obama with 1,622 to Hillary Clinton's 1,485.

That is a slim delegate lead for Barack Obama, but it's going to be difficult for Hillary Clinton to bridge that gap. But she is looking to this state of Pennsylvania here, which has 158 pledged delegates up for grabs in this state. She desperately needs to win big in the Keystone State. And according to many analysts here in Pennsylvania, the white, working class male vote of all of the slivers of the electorate out there, that particular sliver of the electorate is being targeted by both campaigns.

And here is our colleague, CNN Randi Kaye, with a story on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At this Philadelphia construction site workers are focused on building a better life, keeping their jobs and keeping money in their pocket. Steel worker Rick Czyzewski believes Hillary Clinton, not Barack Obama, can help him do that.

(on camera): What do you think it's going to take for Barack Obama to win the working class, white man's vote? RICK CZYZEWSKI, CLINTON SUPPORTER: He's got to come out and talk to us and tell us what he wants to do with the economy. All I hear is it's a change, it's a change, but what type of change has he got for us?

KAYE: Here in Pennsylvania, working class white males represent about 27 percent of the vote. They may turn out to be the swing vote simply because there's no obvious place for them to go. The Republicans are looking at an older white male candidate, and the Democrats have Obama or Clinton. So the candidates have to find issues that appeal to them.

(voice over): Obama and Clinton have been seesawing among them. Most recently, in Ohio, white men carried Clinton to victory.

DON KETTL, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: Pennsylvania is really Ohio on steroids if you think about it. It's all the things that made Ohio so hot, but with all the heat turned up even more.

KAYE: In Ohio, we now know more than a quarter of white men there said race was an important factor in their vote. So, here in Pennsylvania...

KETTL: Racial politics are never very far below the surface here in Pennsylvania.

BOB MERK, CLINTON SUPPORTER: I don't believe race is an issue at all. If I knew more about him, knew more about his politics, and he was backing what I wanted, I don't care if he's black, white or green. I would vote for him.

KAYE (on camera): What does Barack Obama have to do to win this voting bloc?

KETTL: It's not only a matter of helping them feel confident about themselves, but what kind of future are they going to have for their children? What kind of situation are we going to have with inflation? What kind of job opportunities are there?

KAYE (voice over): Don Kettl thought he heard hints of that.

OBAMA: ... to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man who's been laid off.

KETTL: White male construction workers looking for the kind of guy they can imagine at some point being able to have a beer with at the corner bar. And Obama, for all of his strengths, has not projected that.

KAYE: To fix that, Kettl suggests Obama show these men he can identify with them, having grown up poor and worked on Chicago's south side. He must get specific about how he's going to help them, Kettl says. That will make the difference.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Philadelphia. (END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And coming up after the break here on "Ballot Bowl" on CNN, that speech that rocked the political world earlier this past week. Barack Obama on the subject of race, that's coming up after the break.

This is "Ballot Bowl" on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

YELLIN: Race in America, it was the topic of the big speech Obama gave earlier this week, and it was triggered by the controversial comments of his pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Obama, addressing these comments which unnerved so many Americans, tried to put his race comments in a larger context and communicate between white Americans and African-Americans across these racial lines.

Here's some of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static. As if no progress had been made. As if this country, a country that has made it possible for one of its own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black, Latino, Asian, rich, poor, young and old is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past.

What we know, what we have seen is that America can change. That is the true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope, the audacity to hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

Now, in the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people. That the legacy of discrimination and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past, that these things are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds; by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations.

It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams. That investing in the health, welfare and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: The speech certainly has triggered a dialogue in America, and it's been reported that several unnamed advisers to Barack Obama tried to encourage him not to give that speech, but he was insistent that he must give it. And as CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider reports, it appears Obama's judgment was on. It was a well-received speech.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice over): When tapes of the inflammatory statements made by Barack Obama's pastor came out last weekend, there appears to have been some negative impact on Obama. A poll of Pennsylvania Democratic voters showed Obama's favorable ratings dropping from February to last weekend.

TERRY MADONNA, POLLSTER: I don't think there's any doubt that the Jeremiah Wright controversy played a role in the 10-point drop in his favorable ratings.

SCHNEIDER: Nationally, Obama's lead over Hillary Clinton narrowed in the CBS News and "USA Today" Gallup polls. Among Pennsylvania Democratic primary voters, Clinton's lead over Obama more than doubled from seven points in February to 16 points as of last weekend. Obama's association with Reverend Wright appeared to be hurting him as of last weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it probably hurt him by association. But I don't think that reflects his views necessarily.

SCHNEIDER: Then on Tuesday, Obama gave a speech on race relations. Did his speech reverse the damage? The Gallup tracking poll, with interviews done every day, shows that the speech may have helped Obama some.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I personally -- it was, like, more Hillary. But after hearing that speech, it was, like, wow, you know, this guy really is on to something.

SCHNEIDER: Look at the trend line showing support for Obama and Clinton among Democrats nationally over the last week. Clinton started moving ahead of Obama last weekend when the Wright story broke. By Tuesday, she had a statistically significant seven-point lead.

Then Obama spoke about his relationship with Wright and his view of race relations. Clinton's lead began to narrow to five points. And as of Friday, two points. Friday's results, statistically a tie, represent the first poll in which all interviews were done after Obama's speech.

(on camera): Tracking polls are not always as reliable as traditional polls. The Gallup tracking poll suggests that Barack Obama's speech may have helped him. But we should wait for additional data from other sources before reaching a firm conclusion.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEOTAPE) YELLIN: And tonight, CNN Rick Sanchez goes beyond the sound bite. You'll hear Reverend Wright before and after the sound bite that stirred up so much controversy. It's what you didn't hear the Reverend Jeremiah Wright say.

That's tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN..

And now to hand tell part this was race I absolutely cannot get my mind around, Jim Acosta will take it from here.

I know it's basketball season. That much I know.

ACOSTA: It is, Jessica. And we should note that I'm standing in front of the CNN Election Express, which is sort of our team bus here at CNN. We have a scrimmage coming up against THE BIG STORY later tonight. No, no. Just kidding about that.

But as you mentioned, it is March Madness, and we want to close out the show by sharing with you some of the candidates' picks. They actually filled out their brackets for the upcoming final four, all except Hillary Clinton. Bill Clinton was able to lend a hand there.

So here they are.

Starting with Republican Senator John McCain, his final four: North Carolina, U-Conn, which is already out, we should mention, Kansas and Memphis. And the senator from Arizona has North Carolina winning the final four.

As for Barack Obama, let's throw his picks up there. He also has North Carolina winning it all, but his other three picks in the final four -- Kansas, Pittsburgh and UCLA.

Sorry, Senator Obama. Pittsburgh already out of the March Madness there. So sorry about that.

But Bill Clinton, I think all four of his picks are still in it, which is very interesting. But no surprise here. Georgetown winning the NCAA tournament, according to the former president. And then the other three picks in the final four -- North Carolina, Memphis and UCLA.

And Jessica, I'll throw it back to you with the final note that I did not fill out my brackets in time before the Thursday games tipped off because, well, we're just so darn busy covering politics out here. There's just no time to fill out brackets. Who has the time for that?

YELLIN: You've got to do your expenses before doing brackets. I know.

ACOSTA: That's -- I have much bigger brackets to worry about. That's right -- my hotel charges, my per diem. That's -- those brackets are the ones I worry about.

YELLIN: Not going to have any credit left.

Thanks, Jim.

And thanks to all of you for joining us on this Easter edition of "Ballot Bowl."

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