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Ballot Bowl 2008
Candidates Discuss Issues; Continued Flooding in the Midwest
Aired March 23, 2008 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN, ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to a new edition of CNN's "Ballot Bowl." I'm Jessica Yellin in Washington, D.C.. Over the next two hours, you'll have a chance to hear from the presidential candidates on the stump and in their own words, unfiltered, discussing the issues that are important to you. My co-anchor, Jim Acosta, is in Philadelphia today, home of the next big delegate-rich prize in this race, Pennsylvania. Hey, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN, ANCHOR: Hi, Jessica. Yes, we are in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, and yes, the Pennsylvania primary now less than a month away, and it is a quiet Easter Sunday out on the campaign trail. But our basket is still full, right next to the chocolate bunnies. Plenty of sound from the presidential candidates. As we mentioned, it's a down day for those contenders. We should note where they are on this Easter Sunday.
John McCain is wrapping up a tour overseas. He is spending Easter in London. He has been touring across Europe and the Middle East over the last several days. As for Hillary Clinton, she and the former president are spending time away from the cameras at their home in Chappaqua, New York, right outside of the big apple in Westchester County. And as for Barack Obama, he and the other Obamas, the Obama family, they are also enjoying a down day on this Easter Sunday, spending some time away from the cameras as well.
And this has been a very interesting and difficult week for the senator from Illinois. He had that dust-up about five or six days ago over his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. He had that big speech on the subject of race. And then the day -- excuse me, the week ended on a very positive note for Barack Obama. He picked up a crucial endorsement from the governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, an endorsement that was heavily sought after by Hillary Clinton and her husband, former president Bill Clinton. But no, Barack Obama picked up that key endorsement, and with that I will turn it back to my colleague, Jessica Yellin, who is just down the road from me in Washington, D.C.. Jessica.
YELLIN: Thanks, Jim. That's right. Governor Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama, it seemed to take the Clintons off guard. They are long-time friends of his. They had called him just as recently as a Friday prior to the endorsement to ask for his support. He was even a member of former president Bill Clinton's cabinet. But according to the "New York Times," now Clinton's adviser James Carville, he's a man who has consulted with the campaign, called Richardson's decision "an act of betrayal." "Mr. Richardson's endorsement came right around the anniversary of the day when Judas sold out for 30 pieces of silver, so I think the timing is appropriate, if ironic."
Again, the endorsement happened on Good Friday, and James Carville not one to mince words. Well, facing fire from fellow democrats like that, Bill Richardson was defending his decision to back Barack Obama. He says he remains loyal to the Clintons, though.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I'm not going to get in the gutter like that. And you know, that's typical of many of the people around Senator Clinton. They think they have a sense of entitlement to the presidency. You know, and I got in this race myself. I am very loyal to the Clintons. I served under President Clinton. But I served well. And I served the country well. And he gave me that opportunity. But you know, Chris, it shouldn't just be Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton. You know, what about the rest of us?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: Hmm. Bill Richardson said his call to inform Senator Clinton that he was going with Obama was not the easiest conversation of his life. Not surprising.
We all know the Clintons have been heavily courting Bill Richardson, so his endorsement did come as a blow to their campaign. The one-time rival now sounds giddy as a school girl.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARDSON: You are a once-in-a-lifetime leader. 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 (voice-over): It wasn't always this way. Hamlet. That's the name one Clinton staffer gave Richardson, because he couldn't decide which candidate to back, even after his former boss parachuted in to join him for "Super Bowl."
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Do not get between Bill Clinton and Bill Richardson and the TV set when the "Super Bowl" is on.
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 BERGEN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I 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, you know, chance has gone poof. It's not out there. He's taking 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 know Scott mentioned everybody else, in the poll, he didn't mention me. But that's OK.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 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's time, however, for democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and prepare -- 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. John Edwards is playing coy.
JOHN EDWARDS (D), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think both -- either of them I think will be a great candidate, and I think either 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: Well, if you're a Clinton, that's got to hurt. The Clinton campaign issued a response to the Richardson endorsement saying, "Senator Clinton likes and respects Bill Richardson, but both candidates have many great endorsers, and the voters, not endorsers, will decide this election. There are still millions of voters in upcoming contests 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."
That is a barbed response from the Clinton camp to the Obama endorsement news, a dig at him for not standing firmly behind the plans to hold revotes in Florida and Michigan. I should say the proposals to hold revotes. Jim, it was quite a tough week for both Obama and Clinton. I've got to say I would rather have had Obama's week than Clinton's. She seemed to get the worst of it this past week.
ACOSTA: Very interesting, Jessica. And I love that comment from Bill Richardson. After he made that phone call to Hillary Clinton to break the news, I think he said something along the lines of "I've had better conversations with Hillary Clinton."
YELLIN: Yes. You wonder - I was saying earlier if the words "you're dead to me" were included in that conversation anywhere. It could not have been a lot of fun.
ACOSTA: Ouch. Absolutely.
YELLIN: Are you a chocolate bunny kind of person? I'm more of peeps kind of person myself.
ACOSTA: Yes. Yes. And remember those eggs, when you bite into it and it had that candy yolk in it? Were those the Cadbury eggs?
YELLIN: Yes.
ACOSTA: I just couldn't eat those growing up. Those were just too gross. I'm sure it's a wonderful product but...
YELLIN: That's why we're both at work today.
ACOSTA: That's exactly it. That's right. Thanks, Jessica, very much. And as you mentioned there, Barack Obama had a very interesting week last week, quite the roller coaster ride, and he was not just campaigning with Bill Richardson, he also had an event in Oregon which had a lot of democrats wondering, my goodness, is Barack Obama looking past the keystone state of Pennsylvania, perhaps thinking that he needs to work on some of those states coming after Pennsylvania, and so he was campaigning, Barack Obama was, in Medford, Oregon, talking about some of the distractions out there on the campaign trail.
And Barack Obama knows about those distractions all too well. Here's Barack Obama in Medford, Oregon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The reason that we have to talk about and deal with these divisions is because we get distracted every political season and election cycle by these divisions and then we end up ignoring these big problems. I mean, think about what these last few election cycles have been about. We argue about immigration, but we don't try to solve the immigration problem. It's an argument that is all about people's passions instead of trying to figure it out.
We argue about gay marriage. You know, in the meantime the planet is, you know, potentially being destroyed. We've got a war that is bankrupting us. And we're going to argue about gay marriage? I mean, that doesn't make any sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So there is Barack Obama campaigning in Oregon, another one of those very important states following the Pennsylvania primary, making some democrats wonder whether Barack Obama is serious about winning this state. As for his rival here in Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton, she is also looking ahead to some of those states following the Pennsylvania primary. She was in Evansville, Indiana. She was accompanied by a very influential superdelegate and surrogate in that state, Senator Evan Bayh, a very popular senator in the Hoosier state. And Hillary Clinton was talking about many issues there in Evansville, Indiana. But she also put forward her argument as to why she's up for the challenge of being president of the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Sometimes I just imagine what it would be like January 20th, 2009, we swear in our next president. And waiting in that Oval Office will be a stack of problems. We have so much work to do. And sometimes people say to me, well, don't you worry about everything that's going to face our country. Well, of course. But you know what? I'm absolutely confident we can do this. There isn't anything America can't do.
Once we put our minds to it -- that's right. Once we decide that we're going to start acting like Americans again. Because you know, we are the problem solvers. We're the innovators. America has made the future. We are the country that is always looking to make tomorrow better than today. And there is no reason why we won't do that again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So there is Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, the junior senator from New York, in Evansville, Indiana looking ahead to one of those important states following the Pennsylvania primary.
As for republican candidate, John McCain, he has been out on the world stage, having wrapped up -- or all but wrapped up the republican nomination for the White House. He was not only in Iraq and Jordan and Paris, he was in London, which is where he also made his case for why Europeans, why the British should continue to stay with the United States as they try to get out of Iraq with some sort of what he considers to be a successful conclusion to that conflict. So here is John McCain on the issue of Iraq in London.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 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 that 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 there is John McCain trying to address a very skeptical crowd over in Great Britain about the current strategy in Iraq, the current American strategy, which is very much about the surge and John McCain arguing that America, that the rest of the world should give this surge a chance to succeed in that country. And coming up after the break here on "Ballot Bowl" on CNN, we'll be getting back to that very explosive and important speech from Barack Obama on the subject of race. Did it help or hurt his campaign? The fallout from that speech, coming up. This is "Ballot Bowl" on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
YELLIN: America's history of racial division has become a topic of conversation on the campaign trail, and last week Barack Obama used that discussion to frame a denunciation of some of the fiery comments made by his pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. As he was trying to put an end to the flap over those words when they were leaked in a video that got a lot of play. Obama also spoke in that speech about white resentment. It was before a gathering in Philadelphia. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They've worked hard all their lives. Many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pensions dumped after a lifetime of labor. They're anxious about their futures. And they feel their dreams slipping away. And in an era of stagnant wages and global competition opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town, when they hear an African-American is getting an advantage and landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed, when they're told that their fears about crimes in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: So if any of Obama's supporters were turned off by the comments of his long-time pastor, the big question is did Senator Obama's speech help repair any of that damage? Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider tells us what the polls say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: When tapes of 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 ten-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 was like wow, you know, this guy really is on to something.
SCHNEIDER: Look at the trend lines 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: 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.
YELLIN: So you've heard some of what Reverend Wright has said, but tonight CNN's Rick Sanchez goes beyond the sound bite to examine what the reverend said leading into and following the comments that stirred up so much controversy. So tune in tonight at 10:00 Eastern only on CNN to hear more.
And coming up on the other side of this break, we'll tell you the latest on that controversy over who looked at the candidates' passports. All that on the other side of this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Welcome back to "Ballot Bowl '08." I'm Jim Acosta in Philadelphia. And we heard a lot last week about that passport snooping that was going on in the State Department. As it turns out, the passport files for Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton, and John McCain were all looked into by contractors working on behalf of the State Department. Our very own Kate Bolduan has been looking into that. She has the latest on the controversy.
(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 T.A.C., 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, Phillip Nolan, the head of Stanley, contributed $1,000 to the Clinton campaign in January, and according to a source familiar with T.A.C. 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 T.A.C. employee caught accessing Obama's and McCain's passport files. The source says T.A.C. 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. The source says they believe the motive was nothing more than idle curiosity, echoing the State Department's comments Friday..
SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: It is still our initial take. I referred to it as imprudent curiosity. You can use a lot of other terms for it. But we are 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, a 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 VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Thanks very much to Kate Bolduan. And coming up after the break, here on "Ballot Bowl" on CNN, we'll be looking at other stories in the news, including how the pope is celebrating Easter at the Vatican. That's coming up after the break. This is "Ballot Bowl" on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN, ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "Ballot Bowl '08" continues in a moment. But first, these headlines. Christians around the world are celebrating Easter, the holiest day on the Christian calendar. At the Vatican thousands of pilgrims, tourists and Romans brave the downpour for Easter mass in St. Peter's Square. Pope Benedict XVI led the worshippers. He called for solutions to the conflicts in Tibet, Iraq, and the holy land.
Thousands gathered at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia this morning for an Easter sunrise service. Other major memorial services are held at its amphitheater each year on Veterans as well as Memorial Day.
The coast guard rushing to the scene today after a fishing boat started sinking in the Bering Sea west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. All 47 crew of the "Alaska Ranger" abandoned ship for life raft. At last report 26 had been safely rescued.
Police in Springfield, Massachusetts have arrested this man in the deadly stabbing of his roommate's nephew. They say an argument Tuesday over a missing loaf of bread escalated, ending this weekend with the nephew dead, his uncle wounded, and the accused due in court tomorrow.
And if you've bought any cantaloupes lately, check them. The FDA has issued an alert about melons shipped by a Honduran company that may be linked to a salmonella outbreak. About 50 people in 16 states have gotten sick, 14 of them had to be hospitalized.
And scrambling for higher ground in Arkansas. The White River is still rising, and forecasters warn of potentially historic flooding. Flood waters cut off one small town near the Arkansas River, and residents could be stuck for up to a week. Authorities have recovered the body of a man who disappeared when his truck was swamped. One other person is still missing.
And on the flood watch this weekend, Jacqui Jeras not wearing the waders this time. Now you're on dry ground. But give us a --
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Better than yesterday.
WHITFIELD: No kidding. Just give us the scope. How bad is it out there?
JERAS: Extremely bad. Water everywhere across parts of the Midwest, and it's a big problem for a lot of people, not just those directly impacted by their homes but also trying to travel on this holiday weekend. Now, several of the rivers have crested here across parts of Missouri into Illinois and Indiana, for example, but it takes a long time for the water to go back within its banks and, you know, leave the flood area. So we're talking, you know, mid-week for many people before they're going to be able to get back into their homes.
Now, notice this. Green all the way down there. That's the Mississippi River. A lot of these tributaries and streams flow into the Mississippi and then it goes on down. So we're watching those waters rise in places like Arkansas down into Louisiana. They're not even going to be cresting until, say, Wednesday into Thursday. So we've got a long week ahead of us with flooding. Now, the best news I can tell you is there's not a lot of additional rainfall. Most of that happened already early last week. And then the snow melt on top of that is causing the problems. This system here across the Corn Belt states is really producing very light amounts of rainfall. You might get a quarter of an inch at best out of this. And in terms of the snowfall very little accumulation, just a nice dusting perhaps. I know its spring but you've got a little winter out there.
Spring showers across parts of south Florida, really heavy in Broward and West Palm Beach County. We had a tornado warning earlier. That right there has weakened now and has moved offshore but we'll be keeping an eye on these showers and thunderstorms. I know it's not a great day for the beach, but could use a little bit of that rain.
We also have some wet weather going on in the Pacific Northwest. Let's cheer you up, on a holiday right? Check out this picture. From our I- reporter. There it is. Isn't it? I know. Everybody right now altogether. Matt from Sauk Centre, Minnesota woke up this morning and surprised their families.
WHITFIELD: How long did it take to put that together?
JERAS: I'm guessing hours. And that's Matt's son Carson right there taking a ride on the Easter bunny.
WHITFIELD: That is sweet.
JERAS: From our I-reporter. They've been doing a great job with flooding and funny Easter photos, all kinds of stuff.
WHITFIELD: We get some great images. Thanks to everybody who's an I- reporter out there. And that's very uplifting, isn't it?
JERAS: It is.
WHITFIELD: So sweet. Thanks so much, Jacqui.
Well, remember, just moments ago I told you about a fishing boat that had sunk west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Well, now we're getting confirmation that four are confirmed dead. At last report 26 people had been safely rescued, 47 members of the crew on board of the fishing boat "Alaska Ranger." Of course, if we get any more information about perhaps any other rescues, we'll be able to bring that to you. But the latest confirmation now, four dead from that fishing boat that is sinking.
Meantime, something that certainly does apply to just about everyone from coast to coast, record pain at the pump for drivers. The latest national survey on gas prices from Lundberg shows a seven-cent spike at the pump over the last two weeks. That means we're now at an all- time inflation-adjusted high of $3.26 a gallon for self-serve regular unleaded. And how would you like to pay only $1.99 for a gallon of gas? Who wouldn't? Well, drivers in Cady, Texas shelled out just that on Saturday as an area church donated the difference at the pump. The church says they saved cash-strapped families as much as $6,000.
The land and the road just simply falling away north of Phoenix, Arizona. Both directions of state Route 87 have been closed after a spring bubbled up through the pavement, weakening the ground, as you saw. Work crews hope to reopen at least one side of the road by tomorrow morning. Boy, a scary-looking situation there.
Now, would you vote for a politician best known as Dr. Death? Seventy nine year-old Jack Kevorkian. Remember that name and that man? He served eight years behind bars for assisted suicide. And he says he now wants to serve as a congressman for Michigan. He's expected to formally announce his bid for the 9th district seat tomorrow morning and probably would run as an independent.
And with the help of UNICEF some women in Yemen are taking a stand working to further girls' educations. CNN's Betty Nguyen has more on a story impacting your world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For most girls in Yemen, this is daily life, doing chores in the house. But these girls want to go to school. In Yemen becoming a teacher or doctor is less likely for a woman. Cultural and religious restrictions do not allow girls to be taught by male teachers after they reach a certain age. And male teachers dominate the education system.
With such challenges, female teachers are taking a stand and protesting for the right to teach young girls, and they're getting help from UNICEF.
MAJEEDA AHMED MOHAMED, OM SAID SCHOOL (via translator): "Education is like light. If they send their girls to school, they will help their families, their community, and the country."
NGYUEN: And just outside of Hodeda, this UNICEF school is a sign of change and an example of progress.
ABOUDOU KARIMOU ABJIBADE, UNICEF REPRESENTATIVE: Education is key here. When you have a huge number of women illiterate. When you have girls who are not going to school, that is the cycle of poverty.
NGUYEN: A cycle that may be broken with the help of ambitious women willing to teach and young girls who aspire to learn.
Betty Nguyen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And to check out more stories about people making a difference in the world, go to CNN.com/impact. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta. More news headlines next hour. And we'll get back to CNN's BALLOT BOWL '08" right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
YELLIN: Welcome back to CNN's BALLOT BOWL, your chance to hear from the presidential hopefuls in their own words and unfiltered. They have had something of a quiet weekend, down for Easter today. But the weekend has not been without controversy. My co-anchor, Jim Acosta, is in Philadelphia with more. Hi, Jim.
ACOSTA: Hi, Jessica. That's right. And this uproar started just before the Easter weekend got under way when we heard from Bill Clinton, not really talking about the candidates in their own words here, we're talking about the surrogates in their own words with this upcoming segment, but former president Bill Clinton campaigning for his wife in Charlotte, North Carolina said something to the effect of -- and we don't have the exact words here. We will in just a moment.
That if only we had two people in this race that loved their country debating the issues. And as soon as the Barack Obama campaign heard those words to that effect, they fired off all sorts of e-mails to us and the press accusing Bill Clinton of saying something he shouldn't have. And then one of Barack Obama's chief surrogates, one of his military surrogates, I should say, retired general Tony McPeak, air force general Tony McPeak, took Bill Clinton to task, comparing him to Joe McCarthy. Well, our very own Rick Sanchez now has a look at that controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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 --
BILL CLINTON, FMR. PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: And I think it would be a great thing if we had an election where you had two people who love this country and were devoted to the interests of the country and people could actually ask themselves who's 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 on Obama's patriotism. He told an "Associated Press" reporter, it sounds more like McCarthy."
GEN. MERRILL "TONY" MCPEAK, NATL. 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's 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 kinds 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.
BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not only do I consider general McPeak a friend and an 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 Website 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.
MCPEAK: 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 VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And on one of the Sunday talk shows this morning we should note that Barack Obama's new super delegate supporter from New Mexico, the governor there, Bill Richardson, he was asked whether he thought Bill Clinton was questioning Barack Obama's patriotism and Bill Richardson we should note said no, he did not.
And I'll bring in my colleague, Jessica Yellin. This is not the first time that Tony McPeak has created some controversy. We heard Barack Obama there compare him to Clint Eastwood. Is Tony McPeak, Barack Obama's, and Chuck Norris in this race, Jessica?
YELLIN: I guess you could say that. That is a good one. McPeak, what is interesting, is that McPeak got in trouble for comments he made back in February that are very similar to some of the comments that Obama's own aides are making these days. And what's interesting is it just marks such a shift in the tone of the campaigns.
Back in February McPeak got in trouble for comments -- among other comments, he said that Senator Clinton -- or Obama has "real gravitas, not artificially created focus grouped, poll-directed rehearsed gravitas," suggesting that Senator Clinton is completely calculated and never authentic.
Well, these days, just on Friday, the head of the Obama campaign was on a conference call and said that Clinton has consistently engaged in political calculation to mislead voters. "She's a deeply flawed nominee. There are character issues here. There is no apology issued after the campaign manager made these comments this week. But Barack Obama personally apologized when McPeak made similar comments in February. So you can see how much the tone of this campaign has shifted.
And it's getting into the terrain of name calling on a daily basis with these conference calls we're endlessly asked to be on in which they basically say, hey, teacher, this one called me that, hey teacher, this one called me that. And it's getting to be rather petty. Jim. ACOSTA: It is. And it's interesting, Jessica, because when McPeak sort of overreached there, I guess you could call it, in questioning what Bill Clinton had to say, I guess what he did is sort of take away from what was a very interesting and provocative comment coming from the former president. The Clinton campaign has bent over backwards to say that oh, no, no, no, he didn't say that. But Jessica, I have to ask you, and I don't want to ask you to render an opinion here.
But when you look at what the former president said in Charlotte, if we had two candidates in this race who loved their country, to make that kind of comment right on the heels of all of that talk about Jeremiah Wright and the heat that Barack Obama was under because of the comments that Wright had made, it is curious, would you not say?
YELLIN: Well, he's clearly trying to look -- leapfrog past the primary into the general election, and he's -- you could make the argument that he was simply saying that Hillary Clinton loves her country as much as John McCain and, question mark, is he just limiting Barack Obama from the equation because he wants to say she's the one who will get there, or is he suggesting that Barack Obama should not be in the equation because he's not as patriotic.
You know, he didn't say it explicitly. So to call it McCarthyite is really a bit harsh. Given the context and given the history of accusing Bill Clinton of so much, we see Bill Clinton step into it a lot of times. This one I think is a bit of a gray area. That's my view. Jim.
ACOSTA: Interesting. Well, he was back in the Carolinas. So you just never know. That was the question I had. But we'll leave it there. Thanks very much, Jessica. Coming up after the break here on BALLOT BOWL on CNN, more on the bitterness between these two campaigns. That's coming up after the break. This is BALLOT BOWL on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
YELLIN: Welcome back to BALLOT BOWL. Some Democratic Party leaders have expressed concern that the bruising nature of the Democratic primary could mean serious consequences come November. That hard feelings and harsh words between the Clinton and Obama camps could fracture the party irreparably. Are the candidates slinging the kind of mud that just doesn't come out? Here's CNN's Carol Costello.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRSIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Taking the lead on the --
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Obama versus Clinton. For many of their respective fans, the rivalry has become as intense as, well, the Mac daddy of all rivalries, the Yankees versus the Red Sox. And while fan passion can be a good thing, it may not be the best thing in a political primary. Just as a Yankees fan would never root for the Red Sox, some Obama fans now would never root for Clinton. Even if she wins the nomination.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I will not vote for Hillary. (UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): I will move to Canada.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): It could be a very polarizing --
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): There will be a deep divide.
COSTELLO: They're not alone. According to a CBS poll if super delegates put Clinton on top, more than 90 percent of Obama supporters say they'll be angry or disappointed. Clinton supporters feel almost as strongly. If Obama gets the nod, 73 percent of Clinton supporters would also be angry or disappointed. Voters are frustrated over the nasty fight for super delegate support, and they don't much care for the name calling, either.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Shame on you, Barack Obama.
OBAMA: I mean, Senator Clinton has been completely disingenuous.
CLINTON: Representing your contributor, Rezko in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago.
COSTELLO: Analysts say the increasingly bitter Democratic battle and the burgeoning bitter split among Democratic voters should worry the party. If the anger out there gets out of control, it could spell Democratic doom in the general election.
MARK HALPERIN, POLITICAL ANALYST, TIME.COM: The key moment to try to defuse the anger that a lot of voters claim they'll feel now will come after one of these two Democrats sews up the nomination. Then it's going to be up to the loser to step forward and say to his or her supporters support the winner. If that happens the Democratic Party I think will be brought back together in a big hurry. If it doesn't happen, things are going to be very tough for the Democrats against John McCain.
COSTELLO: The problem is even if the losing candidate steps up to support the winning one, will anything nice they say seem sincere? Sincere enough for anyone to really believe.
Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: And one more source of bitterness in the Democratic side, the tug of war over possible redos in Michigan and Florida. We'll get to that after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
YELLIN: Welcome back to CNN BALLOT BOWL. I'm Jessica Yellin in Washington. Over the next hour we will bring you the presidential candidates on the stump and in their own words, unfiltered, discussing the issues that are important to you. My co-anchor Jim Acosta is in Philadelphia today in the home of next month's delegate-rich prize, Pennsylvania. Hey, Jim, looks like it's warm over there, for a change. ACOSTA: Hi, Jessica. Well, it's not that warm. I'm just very close to the rocky steps here in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and I just thought, what the heck? You know, let's toughen up a bit and take the coat off, at least act like its spring. That's right, I am in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, and we are fast approaching the Pennsylvania primary, the very important Pennsylvania primary, in this race for the White House. We'll be talking about Pennsylvania over the next hour.
Also, this is a quiet Easter Sunday, but this coming week we'll be very busy out on the campaign trail. The subject of Michigan and whether or not there will be a revote in that state, that is a very important issue that appears to be resolved and it looks at this point that there won't be a revote in that state, but who knows? Another campaign week is upon us. Anything can happen.
We'll also be taking a look at Republican presidential candidate John McCain. He was talking about the issue of the war in Iraq across the pond, as we like to say. He was over in Europe and in the Middle East, talking about what he considers to be improving conditions on the ground there. And as we talk about the subject of the war in Iraq, we'll be getting to the Democratic presidential candidates as they take a look at this war. As that war passed its fifth anniversary this past week.
We also want to talk about Barack Obama. He had a very interesting, sometimes difficult and sometimes very good week for the Illinois senator. He picked up a key endorsement from New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. And with that I will toss it back to my colleague, Jessica, who is just down the pike in Washington, D.C. Jessica.
YELLIN: Thanks, Jim. Well, Governor Richardson's Obama endorsement was unpleasant news for the Clintons, to say the least. They are long- time friends of his. Richardson was a member of former president Bill Clinton's cabinet. And I'm told both Clintons called Richardson to ask for his endorsement as recently as a week ago Friday.
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