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Former White House Press Secretary Slamming President Bush Over War; Hillary Clinton Counting on Florida's Disqualified Delegates

Aired May 28, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But do voters care?
BEN PERSHING, WASHINGTONPOST.COM: I don't think they care that much on the whole. I think a broad attack for missing votes might not necessarily work. I do think a specific vote saying John McCain missed the vote on the G.I. bill of rights can be effective.

You know that's a pretty powerful political ad and it's hard for McCain to sort of give a response that's process oriented saying, well, I -- you know, I supported it, I just didn't make it to Washington. I don't know if that cuts it in a 30-second TV ad.

COSTELLO (on camera): And that certainly sounds familiar. We all remember when John Kerry ran in the last presidential campaign, how he said, "I voted for the Iraq war before I voted against it."

Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And, good morning, again, everyone. You are informed with CNN. I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM on May 28th.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Iraq, by the book. A former White House press secretary slamming President Bush over the war. A short time ago, the White House slamming back.

HARRIS: Hillary Clinton counting on Florida's disqualified delegates to vote her in court this morning trying to make the delegates count.

COLLINS: What next? Oil prices taking a tumble? Have we peaked at the pump? "ISSUE #1" in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And our top story this morning -- what a talker. He served as the public voice of the Bush White House.

Today, Scott McClellan is speaking out and some say selling out the Bush White House. A bombshell memoir, and allegations of deception and propaganda. A terse response from the White House just minutes ago. Working us through the statement, Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony. As you mentioned, we now have the official White House response to the reports of this book by Scott McClellan, former White House press secretary. It comes to us from the current White House press secretary, Dana Perino who, keep in mind, worked very closely with McClellan in the White House press office.

In the statement, she says, quote, "Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House. For those of us who fully supported him before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad. This is not the Scott we knew."

"The book as reported by the press has been described to the president. I do not expect a comment from him on it. He has more pressing matters than to spend time commenting on books by former staffers."

Well, this is the book in question, the book by Scott McClellan that is sending shockwaves throughout Washington, and a look at the full title, Tony, tells you why it is called "What Happened Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception."

In it, Scott McClellan lets loose on the Bush administration on a number of issues including Iraq, writing of President Bush, quote, "He and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and then sustain public support during a time of war."

"In this regard, he was terribly ill-served by his top advisers, especially those involved directly in national security."

Now, we should mention that Scott McClellan spoke briefly to our own Ed Henry last night and said that he stands behind the accuracy of this book, but, again, Tony, the White House coming out in this statement hilting back hard. And also those close to the White House as well defending the administration.

Last night former Homeland Security adviser Fran Townsend was on CNN. She said that, essentially, she feels McClellan should have spoken out a long time ago and says, for him to do this now in this way strikes her as being, quote, "self-serving, disingenuous and unprofessional." Tony?

HARRIS: Elaine, just to...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCES FRAGOS TOWNSEND, FMR. BUSH HOMELAND SEC. ADVISER: As an adviser of the president I or Scott have an obligation, a responsibility to voice concerns on policy issues. Scott never did that on any of these issues as best I can remember and as best I know from my White House colleagues. So it's...

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Never spoke out?

TOWNSEND: No, and so for him to do this now, frankly, strikes me as self-serving, disingenuous and unprofessional.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: So certainly a lot of questions being raised about why this is coming out now. We hope to learn a little bit more from Scott McClellan himself, Tony.

He's scheduled to do some television interviews later in the week -- Tony?

HARRIS: OK. Elaine Quijano at the White House for us.

Elaine, appreciate it. Thank you.

COLLINS: So who is Scott McClellan? Well, here's a look at his career highlights. McClellan, as you know, served as spokesman for George W. Bush when he was governor of Texas and that in 2003 McClellan replaced Ari Fleischer as White House press secretary.

In April, 2006, McClellan announced he was resigning. At the time President Bush praised him for, quote, "a job well done."

A court hearing in Tampa, Florida this hour. At issue, seating Florida delegates at the Democratic convention.

A party activist is suing to have Florida's January primary count.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR DIMAIO, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: This is nuts. I mean this is not right. I mean how can they ignore Florida? I mean, of all the things we Floridians have suffered through, through hanging chads, through Bush versus Gore, and you know, they're sticking it to us again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The Democratic Party rules committee is set to meet on Saturday to take up both the Florida and Michigan controversies.

HARRIS: Boy, it is the question. Democrats' dilemma. What to do about those disputed Florida and Michigan delegates. We may know soon, then again, we may not.

CNN's Brian Todd reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She counts Florida and Michigan as two of her biggest primary victories and Hillary Clinton wants those votes to count even though the Democratic National Committee barred candidates from campaigning in either state and Clinton was the only one on the Michigan ballot.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Democrats in those two states has 2.3 million votes and they deserve to have those votes counted.

TODD: Without Florida and Michigan Clinton's already slim chance of winning the nomination becomes even slimmer. But if she can persuade the DNC rules committee at a critical meeting on May 31st to seat those delegates, she's got a fighting chance.

She'll have help. Florida Democratic superdelegate Jon Ausman will argue his state's case at that meeting.

JON AUSMAN (D), FLORIDA SUPERDELEGATE: This penalty that was opposed last August 25th has gone all the way through May 31st at a minimum. We spent a long time in the penalty box already. It's time to let our people go.

TODD: The DNC maintains that it acted properly and within the rules. There is a difference of opinion, the committee says, and resolving that difference is the purpose of the meeting May 31st.

(On camera): Ausman hopes that all of Florida's superdelegates and at least half the state's pledged delegates will be restored at the meeting. If all the delegates are not restored, he's thinking of pressuring the convention credentials committee in Denver to seat the entire Florida delegation.

(Voice over): This is sometimes called the nuclear option because it could lead to a nasty and very public floor fight.

AUSMAN: I don't think it will be a spectacle on television. I think we can make respectful arguments. I think we can reason together. I think we can have a good conversation and negotiations, that we can do it in a positive and constructive way.

TODD: But even a hint of a floor fight may be incentive enough to party elders to resolve any delegation disputes sooner rather than later.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I don't see any scenario where this issue is resolved in the convention in Denver because the party wants the nomination resolved well before September, and they can't leave this issue hanging out there.

TODD: Jeffrey Toobin says this situation is ripe for compromise. He says Hillary Clinton is not likely to get all the delegates she won in the Michigan and Florida primaries but that Barack Obama's not going to succeed in getting all those delegates excluded either.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COLLINS: And it goes on. Susan Candiotti has been following this case. She is joining us now live in Tampa because, Susan, there's been a decision by the judge.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This is a federal court judge in Tampa that was hearing argument over whether the Democratic National Committee discriminated against the voters of Florida by disallowing all those primary votes.

And in the end, the judge ruled in favor of the Democratic National Committee and ruled from the bench after a hearing that lasted for just an hour and a half saying, in essence, that the DNC has the right as a political body to make its own rules.

That the DNC did not, was not racially divisive and did not discriminate against Florida in favor of other states such as Nevada and South Carolina because of those states' large Hispanic and black populations by allowing those primaries to go ahead of, in essence, the primary and caucuses there, to outweigh Florida voters. And that it did not violate the civil rights of Floridians.

Now the gentleman who brought this lawsuit in Florida is a Democratic Party activist by the name of Victor Dimaio. And his lawyer argued unsuccessfully before this judge that, in fact, there was a violation of the civil rights of Floridians.

But, in the end, the judge said, really, this is all a matter of pride, isn't it? It's a matter of the state that really wants to go first and he made a baseball comparison. He said doesn't everyone want to play shortstop instead of being out in the right field?

Well, look, the judge said, any solution here -- this is a quote -- "any solution lies in the political process." This judge knows very well that on Saturday of this week, the rules committee of the DNC is going to be meeting in Washington to try to resolve this issue of what happens to all those primary votes cast in Florida and in Michigan. And this judge is getting out of it.

Back to you, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, it's going to be very interesting for what this could mean as we look forward to Michigan.

Susan Candiotti, appreciate the coverage. Go ahead. Yes.

CANDIOTTI: I will say, however, that as we reported earlier this morning, the losing side here, Victor Dimaio, this Democratic Party activist, says he does plan to immediately appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, and he knows time is not on his side but he is going to pull out all the stops.

COLLINS: Is that something that could happen actually today?

CANDIOTTI: Well, he says he will try to do it just as soon as he can. I'm sure he's got that filing ready to go because he was prepared for this eventuality. The questions from this judge from the bench were definitely not going his way in this case. I think he saw this coming.

COLLINS: OK. CNN's Susan Candiotti live for us in Tampa.

Susan, thank you.

HARRIS: On the campaign trail today, three presidential candidates campaigning in western states.

Presumptive GOP nominee John McCain is holding a town hall meeting in Reno, Nevada. He met up with President Bush for a private fundraiser in Arizona yesterday. The closed door event raised an estimated $3 million.

On the Democratic side, Barack Obama rallied supporters this afternoon at a town hall meeting in Thornton, Colorado. Hillary Clinton shifts from Montana to South Dakota, holding rallies there this afternoon and evening.

A sense of urgency in China this morning. There's a growing danger for more than two dozen quake lakes, lakes created by landslides after the earthquake two weeks ago. Right now crews are using heavy earth-moving equipment to build spillways to relieve the pressure.

The Chinese government is calling the quake lakes problem, "the most urgent task it is dealing with."

So far about 158,000 people in downstream communities have been evacuated but that number could rise to around 1.3 million.

The death toll from the quake has risen to over 68,000. And more than 19 -- a lot of numbers here -- more than 19,000 people are missing.

COLLINS: Progress and problems in cyclone ravaged Myanmar. Military leaders in the country known as Burma now letting more foreign aid workers into the area hit hardest by a powerful storm early this month.

The U.N. estimates almost 2.5 million people are in desperate need of food, shelter and medical care, but the military generals are not opening up world famous democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. Her opposition party is vowing to appeal the extension of her house arrest. Military rulers have detained the Nobel Peace laureate for more than 12 years.

We do know that you may want to help. At CNN.com we have a special page on the devastation in China and Myanmar complete with links to aid agencies that are organizing help for the region. It's a chance for you to "Impact Your World."

HARRIS: Let's get another check of weather. Jacqui Jeras is in the Severe Weather Center. It seems we've been saying severe weather for so many weeks and, well, months now. Maybe we get a slight bit of a break today from the severe -- oh, maybe not.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Perfect. Yes. Thanks, Jacqui.

COLLINS: Thanks, Jacqui.

The stress of military service startling new numbers coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

A record three-week run at the pump. Gas hits new highs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live breaking news, unfolding developments, see for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Startling new figures this morning on the number of U.S. troops with posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is here now with details.

Boy, I hate to see numbers like these, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It is so sad, Heidi. You know they call it the invisible wound, but posttraumatic stress syndrome is really plaguing a growing number of service members that have been in the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The army yesterday offered reporters some details. It turns out now 40,000 troops have been diagnosed with PTSD since the war began in 2003. That's troops from all of the military services and the numbers may actually be a lot higher than that because a lot of troops still don't report their symptoms for fear of stigma of seeking mental health treatment.

The data shows that the jumps really came in the last couple of years. If you just look at some of the numbers we have, in 2007 last year, about nearly 14,000 cases diagnosed, and that's compared to just over 9,000 cases the year before in 2006.

But, again, these are just the diagnosed cases. The real numbers of service members suffering the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress may be much higher -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes. I know that there are some other numbers that are expected to come out of the Pentagon pretty soon, as well.

STARR: Indeed, Heidi. The army later this week on Thursday is actually going to release perhaps the saddest numbers of all. The statistics about how many army service members committed suicide, took their own lives in the year 2007. All indications are it will be a record number of troops who have suffered that terrible tragedy since the war began.

It's something that the army and all of the military is very concerned about, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have really been trying to urge the troops to seek help when they need it.

But as the war goes on, year after year, the stress, the anxiety, the depression certainly seems understandably to pile up -- Heidi.

COLLINS: CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr this morning.

Thank you, Barbara.

STARR: Sure.

HARRIS: Did Blackwater security guards go too far in a shooting that killed 17 civilians in Baghdad last fall?

A federal grand jury in Washington hears from three Iraqi men -- one, the father of a 9-year-old boy killed in the shooting. Grand jury testimony is private so we don't know what he said.

Investigators are looking at whether the guards illegally fired into a crowded square. The contractor says the guards had been ambushed touching off a firefight.

COLLINS: Let's go ahead and check out the big board now. There we are, down two points. Boy, you know, I haven't seen that in a while. Down just a little itty bitty bit but they are resting at 12545. Obviously, we've seen that number much higher in the past.

We continue to watch gas prices as well, and stay on top of all the business stories for you.

Also being told NASDAQ down about five points, as well.

HARRIS: African-American women targeted by an aggressive killer. A cancer that discriminates.

ANNOUNCER: "Stock Market update" brought to you by...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A fast-moving aggressive type of breast cancer baffling the experts. Difficult to treat and the recurrence can be deadly. Plus experts say this cancer seems to discriminate.

CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: When Cheryl Reed was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2006 she felt confident it was something she could conquer. CHERYL REED, BREAST CANCER PATIENT: I received the diagnosis when I was at work, on my cell phone. So it's kind of like, OK, I hear what you said. OK, now I got to get back to work.

GUPTA: She went through chemotherapy and radiation, and by October 2006, thought the cancer was gone.

She was wrong.

Within a few months it returned with a vengeance, metastasizing to her liver, lungs, chest wall. This time the prognosis was more grim.

REED: I didn't want to listen to anything else that was negative or that told me that this is the -- you know, the deadliest of all.

You can play all you want to but you're never going to win the game.

GUPTA: Cheryl learned she has triple negative breast cancer, a rare fast-moving cancer that has experts like Dr. Funmi Olopade stumped.

DR. FUNMI OLOPADE, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: One, we don't know the risk factors for it. Two, we don't know how to best to screen for it. And three, we don't know how best to treat it.

GUPTA: Fifteen percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer will have the triple negative type, which doesn't respond to many of the common breast cancer drugs.

And Dr. Olopade has found another thing victims of the triple negative cancer have in common.

OLOPADE: The African-American women also have a rate that's much higher than young white women. We just say if you feel that your ancestry is more African than European, then you can get triple negative breast cancer.

GUPTA: Though black women are at lower risk of developing breast cancer overall, as compared to white women, nearly 50 percent of black women diagnosed under age 55 are triple negative. The five-year survival rate is 15 percent lower compared to other breast cancers.

Researchers think a gene mutation is one factor putting black women at higher risk. But right now, research is preliminary and clinical trials like the one Cheryl Reed is in at Emory University are trying to develop drugs specifically targeting triple negative cancer cells.

Despite the grim statistics, Cheryl's doctors say early detection is key.

DR. RUTH O'REGAN, EMORY, WINSHIP CANCER INSTITUTE: All breast cancers are curable if you detect them early enough. So if you have your screening mammogram done and you get the cancer picked up at a very small stage, it's going to have a good prognosis.

GUPTA: Cheryl Reed was diagnosed early and is responding well to the experimental therapy which is why she remains optimistic.

REED: It never occurred to me that, well, I'm going to die from this. It's like, you know, I've got breast cancer. Let's take care of it.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: To get your daily dose of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news in the Health Library and information on diet and fitness. That address, CNN.com/health.

HARRIS: A former White House press secretary goes public. He accuses the president of muddying the truth on Iraq. And new this hour the White House with something to say about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Bottom of the hour. Welcome back, everyone, good to see you in the NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.

Among our top stories this morning, Scott McClellan. He served as a spokesman for the Bush White House, now taking aim at his former bosses in a tell-all memoir.

McClellan, you may recall, was a spokesman who defended President Bush's policies through hurricane Katrina and the early years of the war in Iraq. In the book, due to be released Monday, McClellan says the Bush administration became mired in propaganda and political spin. And he says the White House sometimes played it loose with the truth.

McClellan says President Bush, quote, "was terribly ill-served by his top advisers" and he says Katrina and the botched federal response to it would largely come to define Bush's second term.

Just last hour the White House issued a terse response. Here's what press secretary, Dana Perino had to say: "Scott we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House. For those of us who fully supported him, before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad -- this is not the Scott we knew."

Perino goes on to say: "The book, as reported by the press, has been described to the President. I do not expect a comment from him on it -- he has more pressing matters than to spend time commenting on books by former staffers."

HARRIS: On the run again, people forced to flee their quake- damaged homes, many now on the move because of flood dangers.

CNN's Kyung Lah, is at an evacuation camp.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They've had to move not once but twice. These are some of the 160,000 people who have been evacuated out of the quake lake areas and the government says that this could just be the tip of the iceberg. 1.3 million people potentially are affected by these quake lakes, lakes that have been formed when there have been landslides blocking the river and then there is water pressure there.

So what they're doing is lifting heavy earth-moving material with helicopters, dropping it near that area and trying to alleviate the pressure by creating spill ways. The government says if they're able to alleviate the pressure then they're going to be able to save these towns from flooding over. These residents here, who are waiting without electricity who have moved twice, who are exhausted, say they are hoping for some good news soon.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Yongyian (ph), China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Political turmoil in Israel. The country's defense chief demanding Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, step down.

Live now to CNN's Atika Shubert, who is in Jerusalem, for us this morning.

Atika, Prime Minister Olmert, is battling serious corruption allegations now.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: That's right. He's facing allegations that he took bribes in the form of cash from American businessmen, Morris Talansky, who yesterday described in Israeli court, envelopes of cash. More than $150,000 that he gave to Olmert.

And it's because of those allegations that Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak, is now calling for Olmert to stand down, saying that the prime minister is not able to manager affairs of state while he's battling these corruption allegations.

Now, Ehud Barak, is also the head of the influential Labor Party, which is a key coalition partner. And he has said that if Olmert's political party does not make a decision and find a resolution, that he will call on the Labor Party to pull out of the coalition and call for new elections, effectively ending the Olmert government.

But he did not give a deadline so he stopped just short of pushing Olmert out of office. So there is increasing pressure on Olmert but he's not out just yet, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, that's what I was just going to ask. Is whether or not there was an actual date for this to happen and by not mentioning one, does that seem like less of a threat perhaps?

SHUBERT: It certainly does and many members of the public may be disappointed. Right now many of the people we spoke to on the streets say Olmert has to go but it doesn't seem like any politician is willing quite now to push him out of office.

There is no deadline for Olmert to resign so Olmert could very well hang on for at least a few more months if not longer. He has said that he will resign if he is indicted. But an indictment does not look forthcoming until at least several more months when this investigation is wrapped up.

COLLINS: Wow. Certainly gotten complicated.

Atika Schubert, for us live in Jerusalem this morning.

Thanks, Atika.

HARRIS: Three weeks and counting. Every day you're paying more to fill up. New record gas prices. Today's average: $3.94 for a gallon of unleaded. That is up more than a half cent from yesterday. Diesel is averaging almost $4.78 a gallon.

Diesel is what trucks use to bring things to your stores. And the bounce in oil price, trading lower than $127 a barrel earlier this morning, but now bumping up above 129. And demand for autos and airplanes way down in April. The government says transportation items drag down durable goods orders, orders for other big ticket items like appliances, surprisingly strong.

COLLINS: While we're dealing with rising gas prices every day here in the U.S., the people in Nepal's capital feel that is they have the answer.

Here's Dan Rivers, with this morning's Solutions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid all the tradition and history of Kathmandu, a profound change is in the air. In fact, it might literally clear the air reducing the choking pollution which has blighted this congested valley.

The streets of the capital are gradually being taken over by these new electric vehicles or EVs. Known locally as SAFA Tempos, they are known as clean, green and have become increasingly popular, especially since heavy polluting Vikram Tempo rickshaws were outlawed in 1999. Nepal is already well ahead of the curve, it seems on adopting electric vehicles.

This is one of two companies producing EVs on a small scale. Shree Eco Visionary is churning out five to ten vehicles a month. And the waiting list is already eight weeks.

SACHENDRA DHAKHWA, SHREE ECO VISIONARY: In comparison to the fossil fuel vehicle, electric vehicles are much cheaper. The fossil fuel vehicle costs ten cents per kilometer, where as in electric vehicles, it's 7 cents per kilometer.

RIVERS: With oil going ever higher that cost savings is likely to get even bigger. Sachendra, shows me how each vehicle runs on 12 car batteries, six up front, and six at the back. Charging is no problem.

DHAKHWA: These vehicles are very easy to charge. We just have to take the cord and just plug it into our normal household 15-amp socket. And this vehicle is on board charger, which is very efficient and charges from seven to eight hours.

RIVERS: But if the driver is in a hurry to recharge they can go to one of 32 power stations and simply swap out the batteries for fresh ones in a matter of minutes.

Dan Rivers, CNN, Kathmandu, Nepal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: 1893. How were Americans passing the time? An amazing discovery opens a rare window into the past.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The patriotism debate questions following Barack Obama, CNN's Joe Johns takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Barack Obama doing what you would expect a guy running for president to do on Memorial Day. He's honoring those who sacrificed everything.

B. OBAMA: On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes, our sense of patriotism is particularly strong.

JOHNS: So take a look at this. October of last year, Obama stopped wearing an American flag lapel pin. But after months of buzz about the issue, the lapel pin was back.

B. OBAMA: I started wearing it again at that veterans event because once again, I had been handed a flag pin by a veteran who said it was important.

JOHNS: There's more to this than meets the eye. Obama's got a polling problem on patriotism, and he's trying to fix it.

Pollsters say it's partly his name. Barack Obama is not exactly John Smith. It's also his unusual childhood. Raised in Indonesia and Hawaii. There was also that comment by his wife Michelle that didn't help.

MICHELLE OBAMA, WIFE OF SENATOR BARACK OBAMA: Let me tell you something. For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. JOHNS: Throw in a bunch of whacko e-mails still making the rounds questioning whether Obama is a Muslim. He's not. He's Christian. Whether he puts his hand over his heart for the national anthem, he does, though hasn't always. You get the picture.

Democratic pollster Peter Hart did a focus group in Charlottesville, Virginia, a couple of weeks ago with a handful of independent voters who are just now tuning in to the presidential race.

PETER HART, DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER: What it really comes down to is voters don't know Barack Obama. Patriotism was linked to John McCain. There was no doubt about it. But for Barack Obama, much more uncertainty because his narrative is something they don't understand.

JOHNS: But he's also a different kind of candidate because he's biracial, which brings up the suspicion that his patriotism is being attacked because he's, well, not white. No easy answer to that one. Or is there?

STUART ROTHENBERG, POLITICAL ANALYST: If this was Colin Powell, nobody would raise questions about patriotism. It's the package, the name, the biography, and being a liberal Democrat. He has to deal with all of that rolled up in one ball.

JOHNS: Some analysts who think this could be a problem for Obama are saying he has to fully reintroduce himself and his patriotic values to the voters who don't know him.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Let's take you to Chicago right now. The CTA -- that's the Chicago Transit Authority -- with its hands full right now, as you can see. A train derailment there on the city's south side. This occurred about 10:10 a.m. That's local time. And if you're familiar with the Chicago transit system, this is the green line that runs to the south side from downtown. And this actual derailment taking place at a junction there where the tracks split into two different branches.

There was a great shot a little earlier. Maybe we'll get that for you of the firefighters up there on that -- it's an elevated train system we're talking about here. Yes, here we go. One of the firefighters carrying a young child away from that scene on the edge of the top of the screen to the right. There you go.

No reports of any injuries at this point, and we still don't know what caused the derailment. But this has caused a temporary suspension on that line, obviously some people, boy, on a gurney there, stretcher, being led away. So maybe some minor injuries at the very least. We will continue to follow the story and bring new information as we get it.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES) HARRIS: Up, up and away. The beautiful balloon that was the key to a record freefall attempt flies way. So what do we do now?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let me take you back to Chicago right now. And this is the view from the air, what's happening on the ground in Chicago.

But you see here, it really clearly looks like folks are just gathering their wits about themselves and just taking a moment to regroup here and reorganize, this as a result of a train derailment on the city's south side.

Pictures from just a bit earlier and our thanks to our affiliate WLS, there in Chicago, for providing these pictures. Firefighters with their hands full leading folks from those elevated tracks down to that area we showed you just a moment ago. And this derailment happening at about 10:10 am local time.

The green line impacted here. That runs to the south side from downtown. And this derailment happening, as you can see here, in an area where the tracks split into a couple of different branches. No reports of injuries yet, but we did see someone on a stretcher being taken away obviously to get treated for some kind of an injury. And, of course, as you would expect, this derailment causing all kinds of problems. A temporary suspension of service on that line for now. Again, a look at the activity on the ground now, a couple of pieces of tarp on the ground, as folks sort of gather themselves after this derailment.

We'll keep an eye on the situation in Chicago, for you.

COLLINS: Taking advantage of desperate children. Allegations of abuse aimed directly at U.N. peacekeepers and aid workers.

CNN's Paula Hancocks, has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're traumatized and vulnerable. Children living in a conflict zone are often totally dependent on aid agencies and peacekeepers. But a tiny number of those who should be helping are abusing.

JASMINE WHITBREAD, SAVE THE CHILDREN: Wherever you've got a situation of crisis, you've got local communities, utterly powerless, dependent on outsiders, for food, protection, that's where you're going to have the risk of a tiny proportion of perpetrators carrying out this abuse.

HANCOCKS: Save the Children spoke to hundreds of children in Ivory Coast, southern Sudan, and Haiti, and their findings are disturbing. They say children as young as 6 have been forced to have sex with aid workers or peacekeepers in return for food and money. Others talk of rape and trafficking of children for sex. It's anyone's guess how many victims are still suffering in silence. WHITBREAD: In order to stop the underreporting, to give children and their families the confidence to come forward and report when there has been an abuse, we need a global watchdog, and local faith mechanisms at the country level where children and their families can come forward and safely report the cases without fear of reprisal.

HANCOCKS: Other charities and the United Nations are supporting the call for a global watchdog, aware that with a work force of hundreds of thousands, there will always be a tiny number willing to abuse their power.

BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: This is a very serious issues and I think that report is very valuable and it does give us some good points to let the United Nations continue to address this issue. This sexual exploitation of minors and by any aid workers or peacekeepers that is a very serious issue. I have made it always clear that my policy on this sexual exploitation abuses cases are zero tolerance. We will address this issue with the same level of emphasis.

HANCOCKS: The abuse is shocking, but not new. The United Nations has been dogged by this problem since the early 1990s. When a number of U.N. peacekeepers in Cambodia were charged with sexually abusing girls. Similar cases emerged in Congo in recent years. The hope now is if all major aid agencies and the United Nations join in vetting volunteers and peacekeepers, the world's most vulnerable will be safer from abuse.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: It was years in the making, a world record attempt from an astonishing height. But a breathtaking balloon adventure goes bust.

Our Jeanne Moos, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the early morning darkness it looked like a beating heart, beating and expanding as the skies lightened. This was the balloon that was supposed to carry the French skydiver to the edge of space so he could jump, talk about the fifth dimension.

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP (singing): Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon?

MOOS: But the beautiful balloon wasn't yet attached to the capsule that Michel Fournier was already waiting in, suspended from a crane.

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP (singing): Up, up and away...

MOOS: The chase helicopter went up and away. A CTV reporter chased the story over his shoulder. Watch as the balloon becomes untethered.

MURRAY OLIVER, CTV REPORTER: Oh, what just happened?

MOOS: What happened is the balloon took off without its intended passenger.

OLIVER: Oh, my God.

MOOS: There it was like some sort of airborne amoeba.

OLIVER: Like a child, you know, at the circus. And the balloon gets away from them.

MOOS: Only this balloon cost several hundred thousand dollars. If only it could have been like the famed red balloon that faithfully followed its young owner around Paris -- at least until its head was turned by a blue balloon. The red balloon obeyed and came when the boy said come. But this balloon wasn't coming. It was being whipped around and torn to pieces as the helium inside escaped.

OLIVER: Oh, what a tragedy.

MOOS: A tragedy for skydiver Michel Fournier, who came out of the capsule and hugged his wife. At one point, he waved away the cameras.

This is what his skydive might have looked like. This was the record Fournier was trying to beat.

Joseph Kittinger jumped from nearly 20 miles up as an Air Force experiment on how the body reacts to high altitudes. It took him almost 14 minutes to get back to Earth. He arrived intact.

From Air Force experiment to YouTube thrill seeker, watch this student skydiver smack into a blimp and live -- not just to tell about it, but to celebrate it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you think of the jump, man?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was excellent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoo!

MOOS: No such jump for Michel Fournier.

(on camera): Which brings us to the question, has the French skydiver's dream been permanently popped?

(voice-over): Unlike Dorothy, stranded on Oz by a balloon that got away...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please come back.