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This Week in Politics
All the Week's Political News Re-examined
Aired July 12, 2008 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN HOST: Honestly, they want to help, but from the campaign trail to Capitol Hill, what can politicians really do about these enormous problems we're all facing? "This Week in Politics" right after a look at what's in the news right now.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Back to Tom in a minute. But first, I'm Fredericka Whitfield at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta. All right. Federal regulators are poring over the financial records of California-based Indymac bank. The FDIC's control of the failed firm yesterday, it could prove to be the costliest bank failure in U.S. history.
And California firefighters say they've "turned the corner" in their battle against the deadly wildfire. The Butte county blaze is now 40 percent contained. And fire officials say the weather is finally on their side.
A man of honor and integrity. That's how family and friends are remembering Tony Snow, the former White House Press Secretary and TV commentator died yesterday of colon cancer. Snow served as President Bush's spokesman for 17 months, leaving last year. He was just 53 years old. Join Rick Sanchez next hour for a special look at Snow's life and legacy.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta, more news at the half hour. Now back to "This Week in Politics" with Tom Foreman.
FOREMAN: As Green Day says in the song, the country is looking for a cheap escape from painfully high gas prices and it's certainly causing widespread panic on Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): From coast to coast, the national mood is very clear -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a small business owner with six vehicles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard to go on vacation or do anything because of the price of fuel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're facing layoffs because of gas.
FOREMAN: On both sides of the aisle, Congress came back from the holiday break with a renewed determination to do something about the energy crisis.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), HOUSE SPEAKER: With gas prices at $4 a gallon, it is an emergency for America's families.
SEN. MEL MARTINEZ (R), FLORIDA: One of the things that we hear from Floridians, I hear from Floridians and I'm sure this is true across the country is, do you people in Washington realize just how bad this is?
FOREMAN: You could say both parties were talking as if their jobs depend on it.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: I think the American people are demanding it. And we've usually don't ignore the American people when they're so loud in their voices.
REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D), MAJORITY WHIP: Families are fearful. Communities are disintegrating. And the American people have grown wary of the Bush-Cheney stonewalling of energy solutions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (on-camera): Congress is certainly motivated to do something about energy prices. So let's discuss what they're capable of doing. Up in New York, the man we always turn to when times are tough, our hybrid senior business correspondent who runs on regular or decaf, Ali Velshi and Kate Bolduan who like me have been stuck covering Washington politics instead of the bright lights and excitement of the campaign trail.
Kate, let me start with you. How much are democrats and republicans alike genuinely feeling the pressure? They went home for the fourth of July, they came back with a headful of voices.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They absolutely did. They clearly got an earful when they were home. They came back both sides of the aisle, like as if they wanted to hit the ground running. But right now it seems democrats, republicans are both pushing what they're calling comprehensive energy plans but they remain starkly divided. So compromise? I don't know about that.
FOREMAN: One of the issues still seemed to be that republicans still favor the drilling side. Let's get some more oil in the pipeline. The democrats want to lean more toward the conservation and higher fuel standard, that sort of thing. In part because that's what Obama wants to say. They the don't want to don't contradict their own candidate.
BOLDUAN: And that's the key. This is an election year. So, democrats republicans, they don't want to be caught having to put, make a vote that they may regret and have to answer to later on down the road. Democrats, they are trying to be careful to keep with the same message that their standard bearer is keeping with, Obama against opening up oil offshore as well as drilling in Anwar. But republicans oddly enough have already broken from John McCain in that respect. They support drilling in both areas. But John McCain not open to drilling in Anwar.
FOREMAN: Let's take a look at the stance for both of these candidates when we look at the wall here.
You can see that Barack Obama on energy wants a windfall profits on tax and oil companies against off shore and Anwar oil drilling and major investment in clean energy are the hallmarks of his ideas. John McCain on the other hand would like a break on the federal gas tax for all the consumers out there. He advocates more nuclear energy and clean coal technology. These are just few of the high marks from both of them.
Ali, we've talked about this before. Time and again, the problem is all of these either produce very little effect right now or can only produce effect in the far future.
ALI VELSHI, CNN, SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. In fact, as Kate will tell you, the best thing that Congress did was to go home and listen to people. Because they have had hearing after hearing on oil prices and speculation and gas prices. You know what comes out of it? Goose eggs. They're not able to do anything. Both the candidates, the democrats and the republicans, Barack Obama and John McCain, have some things in their plans that will work. There are some things that I hasten to say are ridiculous.
Barack Obama's discussion about windfall taxes is ridiculous. John McCain's 18 cent break on summer gas tax is ridiculous. The republicans are taking a trip up to Anwar because I guess you can't read enough about it. You actually have to go there and justify what we're doing. Now, here's the interesting suggestions that are coming from outside. Boone Pickens is coming in, spending tens and millions of dollars on an ad campaign saying let's get the government to invest money.
FOREMAN: Hey Ali, we got that ad right here. Let's take a listen to exactly what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
T. BOONE PICKENS: We don't need any more talk. We need action and we need a plan. It's got to be the top priority of the next president and the next Congress. I'm T. Boone Pickens. I've been an oilman my whole life, but this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Ali, do you have a sense that the business community is saying, we can't wait on Washington either? We've got real problems that we're going to solve ourselves.
VELSHI: That's what's going to start to happen. The problem is, Boone Pickens is building the biggest wind farm in the country, in the world. In order for his plan to work, someone else has got to invest in natural gas. The car companies have to build natural gas vehicles. It's a big infrastructure move. Lots of businesses have to be in it together and there's a lot of land that's needed. So Boone Pickens and others are saying, we need the government to convene the plan, look at the plan, see what makes sense. And that's what you need to spend your time doing, not holding hearings and not coming up with plans that aren't actually going to make a difference.
FOREMAN: It seems like, Kate, a lot of the politicians are reasonably afraid of these issues, saying the wrong thing. The big case in point, Phil Gramm, big player in McCain's campaign, came out and said something about the economy this week. Let's take a listen to it and then we'll talk about McCain's response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHIL GRAMM, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: We are in the middle of a recession. This is a mental recession. We have sort of become a nation of whiners.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't agree with Senator Gramm. I believe that the person here in Michigan that just lost his job isn't suffering from a mental recession. I believe the mother here in Michigan, around America, who's trying to get enough money to educate their children, isn't whining.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Obviously, Kate, something that John McCain didn't want said by someone in his camp. But frankly, I would think that many members of Congress just hated to hear something like this because they just saw their constituents who say to them, you guys don't get it. And here's one of the prominent ones saying, it's a mental problem, you can always clarify that sense.
BOLDUAN: They have to be sensitive right now. I mean, even in word choice as we see with Phil Gramm because this is such a sensitive issue. And when they go home, they're hearing across the board from their constituents, outcries, we need help, relief. Phil Gramm called it whining. You know, they need to be much more sensitive to their constituents' feelings and what they need but we saw it coming back. They really, they know, they hear what their constituents are saying. And what party is now trying to be the party to actually do something about high gas prices.
FOREMAN: Go back very briefly to the idea of compromise here. There are some on both sides of the aisle who are saying, we must find a compromise. What do they think is the keystone of where they might be able to move forward?
BOLDUAN: Well, this comes down to an area of, we have conservative democrats and some moderate republicans who are kind f reaching across the aisle saying there could be a compromise here. Something along the lines of a package that included some kind of incentive to renewable energies and some freedom for some offshore drilling as well as -- and this is an area of common ground kind of on both sides because both sides have not rejected the idea of clamping down some regulation on oil speculation. But, of course, they can't move ahead with this with any legislation without the backing of leadership. And leadership on both sides of the aisle in both houses of Congress are still remaining divided right along those drilling lines.
FOREMAN: And Ali, is this another sign of how things are changing. Toyota, big changes this week, the SUVs are going out, the Prius is coming in.
VELSHI: Toyota said we're going to beat American companies at their own game by building big SUVs, the Toyota Tundra, big pickup trucks. And now they're saying, you know what, we're not going to do that. We're not going to bother. They got a plant in (Tupolo), Mississippi, they're going to change that over. They're going to build the Prius in America for the first time.
FOREMAN: They'll do a lot of them. Ali -
VELSHI: Do you know how long it takes to get a Prius? It's a year on the waiting list and you get one of your top three colors.
FOREMAN: Have we decided what the plural of Prius is yet? Is it Prii?
VELSHI: Prii?
BOLDUAN: Are you getting one?
FOREMAN: And a whole lot is Prius I think is called Berkeley.
VELSHI: I'm the most aerodynamic of the three of us.
FOREMAN: Kate and Ali, thanks for being here. Good seeing you. Between Phil Gramm calling the voters whiners and Jesse Jackson threaten to emasculate Barack Obama, this was a good week for political straight talk. More of that coming up but straight ahead a serious look at how the candidates are handling the big questions of war and peace.
So, to give you a break before the serious stuff, here is our weekly political sideshow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): In the race for November's best in show, it looks like John McCain is sitting pretty. A new poll finds pet owners prefer McCain over Obama. The reason could be simple -- Obama does not have a pet. McCain has a springer spaniel, a mutt named Coco, two turtles, one cat, three parakeets and a tank of fish. Yes, if they could vote, he'd already be elected.
But there is another key voting bloc that's all Obama. Yes, we're talking supermodels. This week former runway divas Kim Alexis and Beverly Johnson said they thought Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have "the look." It's an opinion not shared within the Obama family.
MICHELLE OBAMA: These pants he's had for probably about 10 years.
And that belt --
That belt is actually a bit worn now that I look at it.
MICHELLE OBAMA: And don't pan down to the shoes. FOREMAN: And there's a vote on the Senate floor. Quick to the bat mobile. Bruce Wayne's number one fan has a cameo appearance in the newest "Batman" flick. Yes, that is Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont being pushed around by some goons. No word on whether he's preparing to battle the joker or vice president Dick Cheney. Holy political sideshow, Batman. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Back in the 1960s, the great singer Ella Fitzgerald used to break wine glasses with her incredible voice in an ad and then asked, is it live or is it Memorex audiotape? This week the question was are these Iranian missiles real or are they photoshopped. Obviously some of them were only digital. But enough were real to shake up the entire region which brings us to the presidential race. How did the candidates react and what does this prove about their fitness to be commander in chief? To discuss all of these, CNN's congressional correspondent Jessica Yellin who in full disclosure hasn't been in the Capitol in months she's been on the campaign trail. And Chris Cillizza, political writer "Washington Post".com.
Chris, let me start with you is this a good issue or bad issue for these two candidates to be raised?
CHRIS CILLIZZA, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, I think it's like any issue, it is what you make of it. You know, I think both of them quickly recognized it is an issue that they had to address. You certainly can't have Iran testing missiles and not talk about it. Barack Obama used it to say, this is a failure of the Bush administration's policy. It's what I've been saying all along. We need direct diplomacy. John McCain used it to reinforce his message, this is a failure. He didn't sort of put it on the Bush administration. But we need sanctions, we need to rethink the way we approach it, but we don't need direct diplomacy. What both of them did is they took it, brought it into their wheel house and tried to knock it out of the park.
FOREMAN: Let's listen to their own words on this and hear what they had to say on this very issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's so important for us to have a coherent policy with respect to Iran. It has to combine much tougher threats of economic sanctions with direct diplomacy, opening up channels of communication, so that we avoid provocation but we give strong incentives for the Iranians to change their behavior.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This missile test was conducted by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. This is the same organization that I voted to condemn as a terrorist organization when an amendment was on the floor of the United States Senate. Senator Obama refused to vote, he called it provocative.
(END VIDEO CLIP) FOREMAN: In fairness, Senator McCain was gone at the time so he didn't get a chance to vote either on that matter either. But let me ask you something, Jessica, does this issue of Iran, which does indeed keep coming up, is going to keep coming up, naturally play to a strength of one of these men?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, in past elections, you would say this would play to the republican strength because there has been such a fear about the national security and now it was the dominant issue. But we haven't seen that in this election. So to the extent that people want change, it's a benefit to Barack Obama because he's articulating a very different, a new message. The question is, do people become increasingly uneasy, do they become insecure, and do they want the strength message more as we approach election day? We haven't seen that yet.
FOREMAN: The continuing concern seems to be with democrats is that uneasiness of moderates who may say, democrats get squishy on national defense. The democrats keep saying, no, we're not, but the perception remains.
CILLIZZA: I think that inevitably in politics many of the observers are fighting the last election. And remember in the last election the thinking was, we're going to nominate John Kerry. He has unassailable military credentials. There's no way we can be branded as soft on defense, soft on national security. Well, low and behold, the group called the Veterans for Truth raises question about it. John Kerry is presented as a flip-flopper, and that conventional wisdom goes out the window.
So I think again you're looking at democrats saying, this is the situation where we think we're in an OK place and the rug is going to be pulled out from under us. It's why you see Barack Obama being relatively hawkish in terms of foreign policy saying we need direct diplomacy, saying you know we need to focus back on Afghanistan. Barack Obama certainly is not saying we need to retreat within our borders. That's a very interesting change in the way democrats have handled foreign policy.
YELLIN: Absolutely. And we saw that this past week when Barack Obama made a vote on FISA, the warrantless wire tapping issue. That with a clear shift to the center. I mean, you can debate whether he shifts to the center on other issues, not on this one. And it was clearly an effort to defend against any accusations that he's weak on national security.
FOREMAN: He's got this Iraq problem to some degree though right now because he's basically trying to refine, as you say, his position on Iraq. Listen to what he has said about his upcoming visit to Iraq and the charges that he's flip flopping on a commitment to get out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and we'll continue to refine my policies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN; That was the remark that sort of raised this notion that he was flip-flopping on this. Now he's saying, no, I'm refining my position. The left is hammering him on this saying, you made it clear you were pulling out. And now you're trying to say we're going to do something else. Let me ask you a real basic question here, Chris -- do you think, with John McCain saying we'll stay as long as we have to and Obama saying we'll get out as soon as we can that there will be any actual difference when troops start coming home?
CILLIZZA: I do. I think that it is very clear that Barack Obama is trying to say, I'm not just thinking about running a campaign. I'm thinking about governing. And the reality is that I don't have access to all of the information I would have to if I was president. I'm not going to make a hard and fast pledge that says, I'm going to have everyone out at this time. That's campaigning. That's not governing.
Now, that's a very subtle and nuance argument to make. You know, voters tend to like black and white that I'm either going to this or dot hat. But I still say that Barack Obama will withdraw our troops at a much quicker rate. Now, what that rate is I think up for debate but a much quicker rate than John McCain. I don't think there's any question that there's a huge difference in the way that they view the future of American involvement in Iraq.
YELLIN: Absolutely. And to be fair to Barack Obama, after the press conference we just played, he subsequently said, look, guys, I still want 16 months. I'm still going to tell the commanders, my mission is to get these troops out. Let's just figure out the timetable. So there is a stark difference. We can say he's changed his emphasis. Now he's emphasizing listening to the commanders rather than a firm 16 months, but the overall message is the same he wants to get out.
CILLIZZA: You know, Tom, the truth of the matter is, while a majority of the American public wants us to pull out at some point, nobody knows exactly what the future should hold. If you ask people, well what do you think we should do in Iraq, they'll say, I don't really know. There's not an easy solution.
FOREMAN: They're not sure it's going to happen.
CILLIZZA: Obama and McCain are dealing with that political uncertainty. It's hard to have a hard and fast position when the American public doesn't know what they want.
FOREMAN: And I always say that uncertainty is where why they call it war. Thanks for being here, Jessica and Chris. Nice having you.
Later on "This Week in Politics," the candidates battle for the Hispanic vote. What's the Spanish word for pandering. Well, straight ahead, with friends like Jesse Jackson, does Barack Obama really need enemies?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAY LENO, HOST "THE LATE NIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Jesse Jackson now apologizing to Barack Obama for some extremely rude comments he made about Obama after an interview on Fox News. He apparently -- Jackson didn't know the microphone was on and he said some nasty stuff. So yet another Reverend Obama has to distance himself from. That guy has the worst luck with preachers of anybody I know! Oh, man!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Who's back? It's not Eminem or Slim Shady in this case. We're talking about Hillary Clinton here. This week I spoke to several analysts and all agreed the senator from New York is really back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Before the campaign she was to some extent seen as an extension of her husband. After the campaign she seemed very much as a heavy weight in her own right.
FOREMAN: Enough of a heavyweight to get the vice presidential nod?
CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: If Obama is to choose Hillary Clinton, it will be because he sees he cannot win this election clearly unless he picks her.
FOREMAN: Even if she doesn't end up on the ticket, she's unlikely to be just another senator.
YELLIN: If Barack Obama becomes president you get 100 senators together. Who's the biggest star in the Senate? It's not the majority leader, it's Hillary Clinton. She's going to have enormous leverage even if she stays in her current position in the Senate.
FOREMAN: And there's one thing most observers agree on. The Clintons do not quit.
WILLIAM BENNETT, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: If politics is a sport at the Olympics, we would vote, you know even I would vote for that. They would compete very well in any political mind. They are political beings.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (on-camera): So, if they're not going away, how will Barack Obama handle this odd couple relationship with the Clinton, specifically Hillary Clinton? Who better to answer than Donna Brazile, democratic strategist and CNN political contributor. Donna, one of the things that many Clinton foes thought, after this election's primary season ended, we're done with the Clintons. There's really an argument that the Clintons are politically more powerful today than they were a year ago.
DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: There's no question that Hillary Clinton is one of the most admired women in the country. She's also a valuable asset to not just Senator Obama as he continues down his quest to get in the White House, but she's also valuable to democrats running up and down the ballot. Look, if you're campaigning this fall, you're running for the United States Senate, you're running for Congress, who do you want at your side? You wanted Barack Obama. If he's unavailable, call Hillary Clinton.
FOREMAN: Well, I'm guessing in some of these areas where she did so well in democratic territory that he did not do well in, you might even want her first.
BRAZILE: Oh, absolutely. You want her because she can not only bring out a big, enthusiastic crowd. But Senator Clinton also understands the very important stakes involved in this election and she knows what it takes to win the White House because she was there in the 1990s, helping Bill Clinton get elected. She will be there this year to help Barack Obama get elected president.
FOREMAN: And it's not just about getting elected but it's also about running the White House afterward. There seems to be no question that if she's not fully behind his policy proposals in the Senate when they come forward, he has a potential problem.
BRAZILE: You know, one of the top strategists who just came onboard the Obama campaign ran Hillary Clinton's policy shop. Senator Obama's incorporating many of Senator Clinton's top advisors, her top strategists to help them win this election but more importantly to frame the issues, to make sure that they're singing from the same hymn book this fall.
FOREMAN: Speaking of singing, if you listen carefully, you can hear the strings of Jane's Addiction doing the devil's dictionary intro that we used. And our devil's dictionary in term this week is open microphone. An internal device that turns a private conversation into a political disaster. That brings up another odd coupling this week for Obama -- the events with Jesse Jackson. We all know about the comments that Jesse Jackson made, how Obama reacted to them and how the political society reacted to them. Is this an important issue? Does it matter or does it tell us something deeper about the age gap in this election? How older people see it, how younger people see it?
BRAZILE: Jesse Jackson has been a very strong supporter of Barack Obama, but when you look at Senator Obama's inner circle, Jesse Jackson Jr. is the national co-chair of the Obama campaign. That's because the torch has been passed. There's a new generation that's taken to the playing field this year, and Senator Obama has been able to broaden the outreach among people all across the board. And while Jesse Jackson supports Senator Obama, there's no question that there's a disconnect now between one generation and what we call the old guy versus those who are now coming on the stage.
FOREMAN: Explain to me that disconnect, particularly in the African- American community.
BRAZILE: Look, there's no question that Jesse Jackson and many others showed tremendous courage in opening the doors to political advancement for people of color and others. Now there's a new generation. Senator Obama's mission is not to open the doors for political opportunity but open the door so that every American can enjoy educational and economic opportunities. So this is a different mission, a different generation, a different voice. But, still, it's a continuum of a struggle for civil rights, opportunity for all Americans.
FOREMAN: Do you think it's a struggle also for that older generation to say, yes, he is on track at least to possibly become the first African-American president in the country, but he's running as a president for the whole country and that's really the only way he can win?
BRAZILE: Look, if Martin Luther King were alive today, he would be proud of this country, proud of Barack Obama, proud of Hillary Clinton and proud of the democratic party for the progress we've made. But this is a different era, a different generation who's prepared now to lead all of America. And that's what Barack Obama represents.
FOREMAN: Always good to have you here, Donna. Nice seeing to you.
BRAZILE: Smoking hot.
FOREMAN: It's still hot. Watch your words. Open mike moments are nothing new, you know. You can remember the candidate who was overheard saying, he kicked a little donkey in a debate. You might. Stick around. We'll tell you who it was in our favorite open mike gaps.
And straight ahead -- are the candidates acting like "chupa medias?" "The Washington Post" (Dana Milbank) says that means people who suck socks. Really? After that, even our weekly viral videos looked pretty tamed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Yes, that's "Rock the Casbah" by the Clash.
(MUSIC)
FOREMAN: Well, the New York improv group Unitard gave it their own spin.
(MUSIC)
FOREMAN: Seriously, guys, when are we going to stop showing people in spandex? Continuing our '80s rock theme, here is a rendition of Foreigner's "Hot Blooded" starring John McCain.
(MUSIC)
FOREMAN: It highlights the more shall we say animated moments in McCain's career. Of course, there is another gentler side to Senator McCain.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As a woman, I truly believe that it takes a soldier.
FOREMAN: This clip puts McCain in a whole new light and new pair of really tight jeans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you smell what the Mac is cooking.
FOREMAN: This might be even too hot for cable TV. We'll be right back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's very lucky he has a lot of women.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Fredricka Whitfield now in Atlanta checking the top stories this hour, federal regulators are poring over the financial records of California-based IndyMac Bank. The FDIC seized control of IndyMac yesterday. It could prove to be the costliest bank failure in U.S. history.
Three Americans held hostage in Colombia are reuniting with family and friend in Florida. Earlier today the men left a medical center in Texas where they had spent the last several days. They were held hostage by Colombian rebels for five years before being rescued.
And they have found children safe, but police in North Carolina are still searching for a missing soldier. Second Lieutenant Holly Wimunc didn't show up for work on Thursday, and her apartment had been set on fire. A friend says Wimunc's divorce from her Marine husband was finalized last week.
And former White House press secretary Tony Snow has died after battling colon cancer. He had recently joined CNN as a commentator. Snow is being remembered for his wit wit, strength, and grace under pressure. Tony Snow was just 53 years old. Join Rick Sanchez in about 25 minutes for a special look at Snow's life and legacy.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We'll have more news at the top of the hour. Now back to more THIS WEEK IN POLITICS.
(MUSIC)
FOREMAN (on camera): The Iguanas, a legendary roots band from New Orleans singing "Para Donde Vas?", where are you going, a question the presidential candidates are getting. Where is the Hispanic vote going and how can I get it to come with me? To answer their plea, I'm joined by Juan Carlos Lopez, senior correspondent for CNN in Espanol. Let me start off by asking this Juan Carlos, we said a minute ago the term, "chupa milia" -- what does it mean?
JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN IN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: "Chupa milia," that's someone who sucks up.
FOREMAN: So that means someone who's trying to pander.
LOPEZ: Yes. FOREMAN: Is this a view that many of the people in the Latino community has of many politicians, or is that something we tend to have in the broader community?
LOPEZ: No. It's probably the same perception. Politicians say a lot, but they don't always do what they say.
FOREMAN: So what about these two candidates as they address the Hispanic population in this country? Are they being seen as really engaging the issues, or is there a hunger in that community to say, you're not engaging them enough? Too much sucking up?
LOPEZ: It's probably too early to tell, but there are differences between Obama and McCain. McCain has a track record. People know him. He's changed his position on immigration reform somewhat where he's now talking about border security before legalization and Obama is talking about legalizing the 12 million illegal aliens in the country. But it's the wedge issue, the issue getting people interested in the elections. Will they vote only on that? I don't think so. They're probably looking for other topics and they're not hearing about them.
FOREMAN: A little bit broader, what are some of the other topics they're talking about, education, jobs?
LOPEZ: The war in Iraq. Hispanic voters are no different than any other American voters. Care about the same issues. They're struggling with their mortgages. Foreclosures are very high in the Hispanic community. The price of gas affects them the same. Those are the issues they want to hear about, but they want to hear about immigration, too.
FOREMAN: Let's look at some of the key states sort of up for grabs here. These are not necessarily battleground states as we define some of the other ones, but they can be battlegrounds and importantly they have large Latino populations. We have got Nevada over here, we've got New Mexico, Colorado, Florida over here.
When you look at these states and you look at the populations there, what do you think they want from either one of these candidates to really bring them alive and literally make them say, this is the guy we're going for?
LOPEZ: They tend to go Democratic normally.
FOREMAN: Yes.
LOPEZ: They naturally tend to democratic, but they vote for issues and candidates more than for the party. We saw President Bush in 2004 with over 40 percent of the vote. That was historic. If John McCain can get that percentage, 35, 40, he'll do very well. If he does it in these swing states, he can really hurt the Democrats. Because you have large Hispanic populations in California, you have large Hispanic populations in New York, New Jersey, states that you would think could go Democrat or should go Democrat, but in these other states, they could make a difference. Florida is going to very important. FOREMAN: John McCain is sort of running some new ads. I want you to take a look at these. These are ads specifically targeting the Latino or Hispanic community.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you go to Iraq or Afghanistan today, you're going to see a whole lot of people who have the Hispanic background. Let's from time to time remember that these are God's children. They must come into our country legally, but they have enriched our culture and nation as every generation of immigrants before them.
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FOREMAN: Juan Carlos, when you see him use terms like, "these are God children," is this a good thing or a bad thing for him to say?
LOPEZ: I think both John McCain and Obama have understood what bothers the Hispanic community about the immigration reform debate. If you speak to Republicans and Democrats, Hispanic Republicans and Democrats, they will tell you that they don't mind a discussion on immigration. They mind the tone and rhetoric around the debate. Many felt as if was an attack on Hispanics. So when you see McCain highlighting the military service of Hispanics in this country, that is going to resonate. People like that. And as I say, they want to talk about immigration. They know some tough decisions have to be made. But they don't like to feel like they're being scapegoated.
FOREMAN: How much do you think, though, that this can also -- when we talk about pandering -- seem too much, like either candidate is saying, well, I want to come over here and say the things you want to hear. But if they don't get into those deeper issues, education being one of them, that the community will say, enough already with the nice talk, we need to hear the real things that make it work?
LOPEZ: We know it's not a good year for Republicans and it's the same in the Hispanic community. People are probably looking for change. So they're not yet at the point where they're saying they're making all these promises they're not going to keep. They're listening to what they say, they're listening to the tone. They're looking to see if they're included. And probably by November of we'll know closer to the date if they do decide. But you were telling me a good story about someone you heard out, well, she liked Obama, felt she was going with him.
FOREMAN: Liked him with her heart, liked McCain with her head.
LOPEZ: And that might be going through their heads. Hispanics have shown they like strong leaders. Let's see if John McCain is able to convince them or if Obama is able to "sell them" on hope.
FOREMAN: Well, their position in very important states could make a difference here. Thanks so much, Juan Carlos. Good having you hear.
Our favorite open-mike moments are still coming up. See if you can remember who called the White House a bunch of crooked liars, straight ahead, a look at how the Internet has irreversibly changed the political landscape.
But first, a reminder that some things never change. The other events in THIS WEEK IN POLITICS.
For a brief moment, the Senate was united, all politics forgotten, as Senator Ted Kennedy slowly walked into the chamber in his first official appearance since he began treatment for brain cancer. The 76-year-old gentleman was there to assure the passage of a bill extending Medicare benefits. After 10 minutes, Kennedy left and the Senate returned to normal.
If President Bush was looking for a triumphant diplomatic finale at his final G-8 meeting, he needs to keep looking. Two pieces of advice, if you're at a summit focusing on spiraling food costs and looming famine, you probably should not sit down to a six-course lunch and eight-course dinner featuring delicacies like corn stuffed with caviar, smoked salmon and sea urchin. Or at least keep the menu an official state secret.
And it's probably a bad idea for the official White House press kit to describe Italian President Berlusconi as quote, "One of the most controversial leaders in the history of a country known for government corruption and vice." It created quite a stir. There are times when honesty is not the best policy.
We'll be right back.
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BOB DOLE, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: I ask for your support. I ask for your help. If you really want to get involved, just tap into my home page, www.dolecamp96.org.
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FOREMAN: A riveting moment from politics past. It's not that the Internet is new in the politics, witness Bob Dole's mangling of his own Web site back in 1996. But from fundraising to getting voters to the poll, it has played a central role in this campaign that this one has been called the first 21st century election. Here to discuss it all, CNN Internet correspondent Abbi Tatton, liberated once from her touchscreen for a little while and Michael Cornfield, a professor at George Washington University and author of "Politics Moves Online, Campaigning and the Internet."
Michael, let me start with you. How different is Internet in this election compared to all the ones we've known in the past?
MICHAEL CORNFIELD, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: The biggest single difference is there are more citizens on it so when a candidate goes out and asks for support, asks for help, instead of there being thousands or tens of thousands, there are millions. FOREMAN: Abbi, you see this all the time and you spend a lot of times looking at the Web sites of these two different folks here. Barack Obama, John McCain, they both have experts in their camp. Is one of them clearly more expert at the Internet?
ABBI TATTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in terms of followers online, there is a clear gap there. You just go to Facebook or YouTube or look at the statistics tracking how many people are actually going to one of these two Web sites. Barack Obama is far ahead. He's really taken this and run with it online, giving people tools to kind of get involved in his own Web site, in his own campaign through the Internet.
FOREMAN: Michael, is that a measure of Obama and his campaign, or is it a measure as you said of the users? For example, high-speed Internet access is still better in urban areas where there tend to be more Democrats.
CORNFIELD: Well, it's both. It a fusion. The Obama campaign has built on the innovations of the Howard Dean campaign from four years ago. Some people refer to it as Dean 2.0. And there are people who activated through what's known as the netroots, the progressive left who have flooded into the Obama campaign. But the Obama campaign has been receptive. In fact, the Obama campaign's technology policy is part of the reason Obama is able to sell himself as a new type of politician. His use of the Internet is very much a part of his brand.
FOREMAN: Do you think Obama would be the candidate he is today without the Internet to use?
CORNFIELD: No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't have the money. He wouldn't have had the people to work the caucuses and to implement his caucus strategy. He has his own television network in essence with over 1,000 videos, including the famous 37-minute speech that people watched from end to end after Reverend Wright. He has people organizing on his behalf, raising money on his behalf. It's not the only reason he won the nomination. But if there was no Internet, we'd have no Barack Obama.
FOREMAN: And Abbi, part of what this does is it allows normal citizens to get totally involved. They take those speeches, they post clips, they trade them back and forth. So they get so much more exposure than just through us or through broadcast television.
TATTON: And the Obama campaign playing on that as well. They'll take a video like the "Yes We Can" video that really was starting to go viral already, and then they, the campaign, sent it out. So it turned even more viral and got put onto their own home page and other websites. A lot of this is also the candidates themselves. John McCain has said himself that he is computer illiterate, something that some of his e-campaign people got hammered on on a recent conference where they were appearing.
The McCain campaign is trying to get a little bit ahead with that gap as well. They've been launching new Facebook applications. It's not like they're ceding this ground entirely. FOREMAN: At the same time, there's a little bit of a Wild West world in the Internet still, and it's a little scary to politicians. For example, on Obama's site where people can post their thoughts, there was a blog post from a gentleman named Michael from St. Louis, upset over the FISA vote, an he wrote, "So to all you glassy-eyed cheerleaders infatuated with Obama and his eclipsing message of hope and change, read the fine print. I will vote for Obama but now expect little if any change or hope."
This is not the same as a totally controlled campaign message or message environment.
CORNFIELD: No, absolutely not. And it's interesting to watch the Obama campaign engage his critics in dialogue sometimes on his site, sometimes on blog sites and elsewhere. The big battle Obama has involving the Internet is, of course, the inextinguishable falsehood that he is Muslim, which keeps going around and around and around, and he can't snuff it out. Although no one has tried. It's quite an experiment in reputation management.
FOREMAN: Last question to you, Abbi. There was this famous debate with Richard Nixon and John Kennedy. And the whole notion was Richard Nixon didn't understand television and it cost him badly. Do you think we're at that point with the Internet, this is the election where people will say, any politician who doesn't understand now the power of he internet becomes the Richard Nixon who looked sweaty and bad on TV?
TATTON: In terms of the studies that have been done so far from the primaries from the Pew Internet Life Study that came out just last month, they found that it's now about 46 percent of people who have done something to participate in this election online, text messages, e-mail. However, that's still more than 50 percent that haven't, but we're just through the primary stage of this and we have a lot more to go.
FOREMAN: A real tipping point there. All right, Abbi, Michael, thanks for being here. I'll see you guys online.
In just a moment, fast-track, everything you need to know to survive the next week in politics.
Later -- our favorite moment of political open-mike night madness. Here's one that didn't make the cut. A look back at Senator George Allen destroying his political career with a single word.
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GEORGE ALLEN, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Welcome. Let's give a welcome to macaca here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.
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FOREMAN: It's time for fast track. Everything you need to get through the next WEEK IN POLITICS. And who better to help us than El Jefe around here, CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider. Let's talk conventions. They're headed our way eventually, and the Democrats have some issues.
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, they say there's no news at conventions anymore. Picture this, 2000-plus Obama delegates and 2,000-minus Clinton delegates in one big room. Singing Kumbaya? I don't think so. Why do you think he's going to give his acceptance speech at a big stadium? Because those 2,000 Clinton delegates will be swamped by a sea of Obama fans.
FOREMAN: The Republicans have a convention coming up. They don' want to be swamped by their own problems but they've got some.
SCHNEIDER: They do, too. The conservatives want to write the platform and it won't be a McCain platform if they have their way. No immigration reform, no campaign finance reform, no stem cell research, no global warming. That's the platform they want. And what are they going to do with George Bush and Dick Cheney? They are going to have to show up. But do they want a lot of pictures with Bush and Cheney raising arms with John McCain? I don't think so.
FOREMAN: And Barack Obama would like some pictures of himself at the Brandenburg Gate but the Germans say no.
SCHNEIDER: Well, Barack Obama says he's going to improve relationships with our allies. One of our key allies is Germany, the Ferman chance says she doesn't want him to campaign at the Brandenburg Gate. This is not a good first step toward improving relations.
FOREMAN: All right. Thanks so much, Bill Schneider.
In just a moment, as promised, those open-mike gaffes that have plagued politicians. But first, the mikes that are always open late in the night.
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CONAN O'BRIEN, TALK SHOW HOST: The Democratic Party announced this week that Barack Obama will give his acceptance speech at an 80,000- sea stadium and they will not serve fried food at the Democratic convention. Those are the two things they announced. Yeah. Which begs the question, where are they going to find 80,000 Americans who don't eat fried food?
JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: McCain is coming under fire for comments made by his top economic advisor, former Senator Phil Gramm who called America a nation of whiners said the country is only in a mental recession. Just a mental recession. Like the $5 a gallon gas and the bank kicking you out of your house, that's all in your mind. You're just imaging that!
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOREMAN: Now, as promised, our five favorite examples of political foot in mouth disease. People talking when they thought the microphone was off.
There was John Kerry calling the White House the most crooked, lying group I've ever seen. A lot of competition for that award here in Washington. And who can forget President Bush telling Prime Minister Blair that the middle east problems could be resolved if "Syria just tells Hezbollah to stop doing this --" put your own word there.
It's apparently part of a family tradition. After a debate with vice presidential opponent Geraldine Ferraro, his father told a longshoreman that he had quote, "kicked a little tail" so to speak.
Ronald Reagan warmed up by announcing a bomb raid on the Soviet Union, most found it amusing. The Soviet Air Force went on red alert.
But the all-time winner of the please turn off the microphone award has to be this one. Yes, Howard Dean going from a candidate to a caricature in a single, unguarded, unexpected moment, we can only hope there is so much more. That's it for THIS WEEK IN POLITICS. I'm Tom Foreman. Thanks for watching.
