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American Morning
Obama to Travel to the Middle East and Europe; Stocks Rally, Oil Prices Slide; Former Prosecutor Lays Out an Explosive Case Against the Commander in Chief; Bill Clinton Ready to Campaign for Barack Obama; Al Gore Unveils His Energy Plan
Aired July 18, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Obama, world tour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will restore our moral standing in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: What he stands to gain and lose.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Flip-floppers all over the world are enraged.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: On his first high stakes step on the global stage.
Plus, accusing the president of the United States of murder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VINCENT BUGLIOSI, AUTHOR & FMR. PROSECUTOR: UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We, the American people, cannot let him get by with this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: An author makes his case against the commander in chief on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And good morning. Thanks very much for being with us on this Friday. It's the 18th of July. A lot of news in the economic front. Oil prices down, maybe some good news for the Dow. Big foreign policy day, too, with the pending trip of Barack Obama to the Middle East. And --
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Gas prices down on a small stage as well.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: But we'll get you caught up on all of that. The first is a new development this morning in the high stakes nuclear showdown between the U.S. and Iran. Today the State Department's third highest ranking diplomat will discuss Tehran's nuclear program with the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency. That meeting comes just a day before William Burns sits down with Iran's top nuclear negotiator. Burns is only expected to listen not negotiate during tomorrow's talks.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says he can't guarantee every suspected European terrorist entering the U.S. will be caught. He made those remarks from the congressional hearing yesterday telling lawmakers many are using legitimate passports and are not on the government's terrorist watch list.
And the Food and Drug Administration lifting its salmonella warning on all kinds of fresh tomatoes. The consumers are still being warned to avoid hot peppers like jalapenos and Serrano. Investigators say they still don't know what caused the nationwide salmonella outbreak, but it appears to be slowing and, again, they ruled out tomatoes. Since April, more than 1,200 people in 42 states have gotten sick.
ROBERTS: To the "Most Politics in the Morning" now. And Bill Clinton is back and on board with Barack Obama. The former president telling reporters that he is ready and eager to campaign for the senator. The two reportedly didn't speak for nearly a month after the bitter primary battle between Obama and Hillary Clinton, but now it appears all is forgiven.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We had a good talk. And he said he wanted me to campaign with him and I said I was eager to do so. I'll do whatever I'm asked to do whenever I can do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The former president says he hasn't thought about his role at the Democratic Convention yet. Former presidents typically get a prime time speaking slot.
And presumptive nominee Barack Obama will travel to the Mideast and Europe. It's kind of an overseas audition for Obama. CNN's Candy Crowley looks at the political stakes for the senator on the world stage.
CANDY CROWLEY, SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Kiran. You know, because Iraq represents a fundamental and deep difference between the two men who could be president, it is Obama's trip there and to Afghanistan that have gotten the most attention. But he has another trip planned as well, a five-country blitz. And it holds for him both promise and risk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY (voice-over): Barack Obama's European trip is the campaign trail via satellite. Pictures for the rhetoric back home.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will restore our moral standing in the world.
CROWLEY: From Jordan to Israel, to Germany, France and England, it is a postcard journey. Images for the hesitant to show that this 46-year-old politician, a virtual unknown overseas, can play a lead role on the international stage.
SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: Well, the message to voters back home is that he is focused on being a strong, effective commander in chief. He's going to rehabilitate our image across the world, strengthen our alliances so that we can better protect the United States of America.
CROWLEY: In short, a trip to answer the question, does he seem tough enough to stand up for American interests and graceful enough to improve America's image? A potent issue on the Democratic campaign trail.
OBAMA: People are ashamed. They love this country. They want their cherished values and ideals restored.
CROWLEY: Obama is looking for counterpoint images to this. Angry street demonstrations that often come with President Bush's overseas travel. He is not there to push policy or promises. But unlike John McCain who is well known and well traveled overseas, for Obama this is about first impressions, not just the ones he sends back home but also the ones he leaves behind with European officials.
ROBIN OAKLEY, EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: I mean, people have been saying to me, look, this guy has only been in national politics for three years, let alone international politics. We don't really know quite exactly what he's going to do.
CROWLEY: The Obama campaign banks on picture perfect. They'd be over the moon if Obama returns from his European trip with this kind of buzz.
OAKLEY: I was talking to a former British foreign secretary this week and he said it's like JFK and Camelot. He said it may not be justified, it may not be sensible, but that feeling is there.
CROWLEY: And that may be the biggest risk of this trip. All those great expectations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: And there are other risks. The trip comes amidst mortgage melt downs and gas price explosions at home. He could look out of touch. And the Europe card has to be played carefully for a domestic audience. Obama could look too cozy. And he could fuel rather than douse the commander in chief questions, Obama could make a mistake -- John and Kiran.
CHETRY: And there are dramatic new pictures and a growing disaster in southern Taiwan. At least four people are dead after a typhoon slammed into the island. In the past 24 hours that storm dumped up to 44 inches of rain, overwhelming sewers, flooding homes and washing away cars, trucks, even people. Right now, more than 600,000 people have no clean water and that deadly storm system is now moving towards southern China.
A group of teens recovering this morning after their tour bus rolled over and landed upside down in a creek bed then burst into flames. This happened yesterday along a treacherous mountain road in Utah. Amazingly everyone on board survived. At least five people were taken to the hospital but with only minor injuries.
The group of teens from New York, New Jersey and Florida was on a tour bus of the western United -- was on the tour of the western United States and Canada at the time. State troopers say that the driver lost control after the bus slid on soft dirt.
Well, prepare to dig a little deeper in your wallet if you're traveling this fall and winter. Experts say that steeper fuel costs and fewer seats on flights are translating into higher prices and fewer bargains if you're flying. One tip though to score the best deal, book your holiday travel plans now.
There's a new study out by "USA Today" predicting there will be nine percent fewer flights this year compared to last, all of it because of those soaring oil prices. And CNN senior business correspondent Ali Velshi here to talk more about that.
Soaring oil prices. I mean, it's down a little bit but it's still making it very tough for the airlines.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Let's be optimistic. Give it up for a barrel of oil.
CHETRY: Right.
VELSHI: I mean, down below 130 bucks for the first time since the beginning of June. That is a big drop. $129 and change is where it stopped last night. It's up a little bit from there. But remember, it was one week ago we were at 147 bucks heading toward $150, and everybody said it was a forgone conclusion.
We've gone the other way. It's not a trend yet. We don't know but it might end up doing that. Now the market really liked it. For the third day in a row, we had a successful day on major markets.
Look at the Dow. That was more than 200 points, up 1.85 percent. The Nasdaq up 1.2 percent. The S&P up 1.2. But it was hit with bad news. Still it was up.
Merrill Lynch came out writing down or reporting a loss of almost $5 billion. Now, that was bad. We expected it to be bad. It was even worse than the market expected.
Now this morning before the opening bell, we are expecting earnings from Citigroup. We're going to have to see what impact that has on markets. But last night we had bad earnings from Google, bad earnings from Microsoft. And this morning the futures for the first time in a few days are actually looking down. But come on, give it up for oil a little bit.
CHETRY: Yes.
VELSHI: Less than 130 bucks.
CHETRY: Hey, any time it's under $130 now.
VELSHI: Yes. And no new gas record today.
CHETRY: It lowered our bar.
VELSHI: Am I not supposed to be off work? Did we not have this discussion? No gas, gas record, no oil record? I should have been able to sleep in this morning.
CHETRY: Now get to Croatia. Now.
VELSHI: I'm on my way.
CHETRY: Thanks, Ali.
VELSHI: All right.
ROBERTS: Call me when it gets back down to $35.
VELSHI: Right.
ROBERTS: Thanks.
Bill Clinton and Camp Obama. The former president says he's ready to stump for his wife's former rival. What can Clinton really deliver on the campaign trail?
CHETRY: Accusing the president of the United States of murder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VINCENT BUGLIOSI, AUTHOR & FMR. PROSECUTOR: He's gotten by with murder and we, the American people, cannot let him get by with this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We go one on one with a well known author and prosecutor who lays out an explosive case against the commander in chief. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the "Most Politics in the Morning."
Bill Clinton saying he is ready to campaign for Barack Obama whenever Obama needs him. But what will his role be and can the former president make a difference? Joining us now, Mark Halperin, senior political analyst at "Time" magazine and author of "Time's" up to the minute political Web site "The Page." Thanks for being with us this morning, Mark.
MARK HALPERIN, SR. POLITICAL ANALYST, "TIME": Sure.
CHETRY: So you were at the event yesterday where the former president was ask this question. What's going to be your role? When are you going to campaign for Barack? How did it go?
HALPERIN: This is a really complicated relationship. Mind you, there are three complicated relationships in America -- landlord/tenant, mother/daughter and Obama/Clinton. These two families are in theory should be together. Bill Clinton should be energetic. First African-American nominee. But the Clintons are still getting over Senator Clinton's loss.
And I think there's a little bit of back and forth. What is his role going to be at the convention? How will Obama handle a vice presidential pick? All of this is kind of mixed up in a very complicated back and forth. And although the two talked a few weeks ago, President Clinton and Obama said they'd have dinner together. That hasn't happened yet. Said that they would go out and campaign together. Getting that on the schedule, getting the kind of human interaction going is going to be tough.
CHETRY: So who's the one holding back if you had to --
HALPERIN: That's a great question. I asked President Clinton's office, what's the deal? When can you get this on the schedule?
President Clinton's going. Obama's going on his international trip. President Clinton is going to Africa. The Clintons have a summer vacation.
So I can't really tell where the ball is, but President Clinton was clear yesterday. He said I'm ready. I'd love to do it. He said Senator Obama, he's pretty busy. So it's kind of, I think, in the Obama campaign's court.
They've got a lot on their mind but I think they're underestimating the sensitivity here. The fact that the Clintons want to be treated right, President Clinton will go out but he's got to be asked I think in the right way.
CHETRY: And then when he does, how does he sort of balance not overshadowing Obama, the candidate?
HALPERIN: Always an issue with Bill Clinton because he's the big overshadower, right? He's got this great political skills.
I think they'll have to have a little bit of a working out, and then I think they'll stage manage at least one public event. But Bill Clinton is busy. After this trip to Africa, he's got his global initiative he does every year. More travel.
CHETRY: Right.
HALPERIN: So I don't think we'll see him out very much. That one first event though is a big deal.
CHETRY: And what does he get out of it? What's sort of the reward at the end?
HALPERIN: Well, I think he -- look, he has to do it even if he didn't want to. He has to do it. I think he's got to show as Senator Clinton does that they're trying to help Barack Obama get elected.
I'm sure they have some mixed feelings like anyone who loses a presidential campaign. But again, it's sensitive and I think the Obama side needs to think more about the psychology from the point of view of the Clintons.
CHETRY: Hey, I mean, it happens. You never know that Mitt Romney once competed against John McCain.
HALPERIN: Right.
CHETRY: By the way, he's out there going for him and talking about him all the time.
HALPERIN: That's right.
CHETRY: Mark Halperin, great to see you. Thanks so much.
HALPERIN: Great to be here. Thanks.
CHETRY: John?
ROBERTS: Twelve minutes after the hour now.
Faith-based hiring. Is it legal for you to hire workers based on their religion? Ahead, Sunny Hostin answers your legal questions.
Plus, Rob Marciano is watching extreme weather for us this morning and something brewing off the southeast coast there, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Hi, John, good morning. We've talked about this yesterday. It looks a little bit more active this morning and very close obviously to the U.S. This could become a tropical depression. We'll talk about it when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A look now at some of the stories we're following on the CNN news grid.
John McCain talking about the need for electric cars today. In a little less than three hours, he'll be holding a town hall meeting where General Motors is designing its first plug-in car. McCain will also present his plan to help the struggling auto industry. It's a fund raising Friday for President Bush. He's in Tucson, Arizona raising money for the Republican National Committee and also State Senator Tim Bee. Bee is now running for an Arizona congressional seat against the Democratic incumbent. And then it's on to Houston for another GOP fundraiser before he heads to his ranch in Crawford.
And it's going to be a big weekend for "Batman." The latest film the "Dark Knight" opens today, and already there have been more than 3,000 early morning showings. Many say the film which stars Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger could surpass "Spiderman's" three- opening weekend records of $151 million.
A lot of buzz on all the IMAX theaters, John. Sold out for at least a week.
ROBERTS: They say -- at least Lola was saying the other day that IMAX is the only way to see the "Dark Knight." I got invited to the premiere last night but unfortunately it was sleepy time. So didn't make it there.
Rob Marciano is tracking the weather for us this morning as we head into the weekend. And unfortunately, even though we are upon the weekend you might feel a little depressed if you're in the southeast -- Rob.
MARCIANO: Yes, well, at this hour of the morning when you might think it'd be sleepily time for a lot of people it could get depressing. But it is Friday and we're trying to crank through it.
Here we go. Talked about this little swirl yesterday. Now the National Hurricane Center is thinking, it's getting over the gulf stream.
Maybe getting a little bit more organized if it hangs out here. There's the center of it right there. It's not tropical yet. It's more upper level, but becoming a little bit more lower level. And once we get it, you know, down to the surface, then things may get a little bit interesting. So be alert.
Southeast coast of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, this is -- could be Ophelia (ph) like if it develops.
All right. Philadelphia, heat warnings are posted. We will see temperatures, actual temperatures 95 or better with the humidity today and tomorrow. And this really should include places like New York and D.C.
We're talking about heat indices that will be 100 plus. And a lot of air quality alerts out for some of the major metropolitan areas across the northeast and all the way down towards Dallas. So just one of those sticky, sticky next couple days. Take it easy and use it as an excuse, my friends, to maybe not, you know, do the yard work that someone may be hassling you about.
Ninety-four today in New York. 98 degrees in Dallas. Middle of July. This is how we do. John and Kiran, back up to you.
ROBERTS: It was hot here yesterday. Rob, thanks so much.
MARCIANO: All right.
ROBERTS: You can't hire or fire someone based on race, sex or national origin, but what about religion? Can you employ only Christians? Our Sunny Hostin is here to answer your legal questions this morning.
CHETRY: Also a sky diver misses his mark and plows feet first into a marching band. We're going to show you the crash landing. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 19 1/2 minutes after the hour. It's Friday and it's time for our legal hot line this morning. AMERICAN MORNING's legal analyst Sunny Hostin here to answer some of your legal questions. Good morning to you.
SUNNY HOSTIN, AMERICAN MORNING LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning. Happy Friday.
ROBERTS: Happy Friday to you as well and to everyone else out there. I got to make it through one more day, and then we hit the weekend.
HOSTIN: That's right.
ROBERTS: Hey, here's our first question. Thelma from Orlando, Florida says that she owns a business. She wants to operate it as a Christian business with Christian workers only. Her question is, are there any laws that I should be aware of where hiring only Christians would be a problem?
HOSTIN: There are laws, John. And Thelma wants to have a not enough for profit but a profit business. It's not a religious corporation so there are laws that prevent against that type of hiring practice. There are federal laws and state laws.
Actually Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 "prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals because of their religion in hiring, firing, and other terms and conditions of employment."
In Florida where she is, there's also the Florida Civil Rights Act that prohibits the same type of hiring practice. Both those laws only apply to employers that have over 15 employees. But there are local ordinances in most cities, including in Orlando where she is, that prohibits employers to have even less than 15. So the short answer for you, Thelma, is I would stay away from that sort of hiring practice.
ROBERTS: But again, if she ran it as a religious organization not for profit, then she could do it. HOSTIN: That's right. That is an exception. But when they say religious corporation, John, they mean things like churches, church groups. That sort of thing, not what she wants to do is have sort of a home health care agency. That's a very different enterprise.
ROBERTS: All right.
Gayle from Sterling, Illinois writes us today to say, I have recently been refused as a patient of a doctor. Twice I was told that he doesn't accept Medicare patients. Is the practice of refusing Medicare patients legal?
HOSTIN: It is legal. I asked many, many doctors. I spoke to my husband who's also a doctor. And most doctors agree that you can refuse to accept Medicare patients.
Actually we also spoke to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services and they told us, yes, they can. The government doesn't force a doctor to see any patient.
Now Medicare is the nation's largest insurance health program. So clearly you can find someone that will accept your insurance. But doctors don't have to accept Medicare, Medicaid or any other type of insurance. Some doctors accept no insurance whatsoever. It is not illegal.
ROBERTS: I'm sure your husband though will continue to take care of you well into old age.
HOSTIN: That's right. And he does take Medicare, actually.
ROBERTS: Sunny, thanks so much for that.
HOSTIN: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, Barack Obama's first high-profile step on the world stage. We're going to hear what the McCain campaign is saying about Obama's trip abroad.
Accusing the president of the United States of murder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VINCENT BUGLIOSI, AUTHOR & FMR. PROSECUTOR: He's gotten by with murder, and we, the American people, cannot let him get by with this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We go one on one with a well-known author and prosecutor who lays out an explosive case against the commander in chief. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHETRY: Former deputy district attorney and best selling author, Vincent Bugliosi, best known for successfully prosecuting Charles Manson, is also a vocal critic of the U.S. justice system. He's the author of more than a dozen books including "Outrage: The Five Reasons O.J. Simpson Got Away With Murder."
And now in a new book, "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder," Bugliosi says President Bush should be held criminally responsible for the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq. This despite the fact that Congress approved of Bush's decision to go to war. I asked Bugliosi how he makes the case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BUGLIOSI: The main issue at the trial, legal issues that Bush would claim that he took this nation to war in self-defense. Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, therefore was an imminent threat to security in this country. So he had to strike first in self-defense.
If he could do that it would be a legal justification of what happened. The prosecutor, though, if he could prove that Bush did not take this nation to war in self-defense but under false pretenses, then all of the killings, Kiran, of American soldiers in Iraq would become unlawful killings and, therefore, murder.
CHETRY: Throughout the book you describe George W. Bush in these ways. You call him "spoiled, a callous brat, draft-dodging, arrogant son of privilege, dense, lazy, inhuman, wimpish punk." You clearly don't like George W. Bush personally. Is that part of the reason why you wrote this book?
BUGLIOSI: Well, the main reason that I wrote this book is to bring George Bush to justice. How dare this man, how dare he, take this nation to war on a terrible, terrible law under false pretenses. And as a direct result over 100,000 precious human beings including 4,000 young American soldiers, as I'm talking to you right now, are in their cold graves at this very moment because of George Bush. So we don't have to take --
CHETRY: I want to ask you about that point as well --
BUGLIOSI: You don't have to take my word for this. OK, go ahead.
CHETRY: Well, in the book you do write about that, and you say that you believe he probably never lost a wink of sleep over it, referring to the war. But I do want to bring your attention to this.
This is something that Scott McClellan who also wrote a book and was very critical of his former boss, he described President Bush on a visit to Walter Reed hospital and what he wrote was, "After visiting briefly, Bush turned back to the soldier," this is a soldier who suffered a catastrophic brain injury, "whispering in his ear, "God Bless You, turned and walked toward the door. Looking straight ahead, he moved his right hand to wipe away a tear. In that movement," and this is Scott McClellan, "I could see the doubt in his eyes and the vivid realization of the irrevocable consequences of his decision."
This description doesn't seem like a man who didn't feel sorrow and understand some of the treachery of war.
BUGLIOSI: You shouldn't go there. All you have to do is read the book. The evidence is overwhelming. There's people reading this book with high blood pressure that tell me they can't read more than four, five pages of this book without putting it down because they get so angry. You're talking about particular moment, a tear across his eyes. This guy has been having fun and enjoying life throughout the entire war.
CHETRY: Do you think that he would actually ever face prosecution or is this more grandstanding?
BUGLIOSI: Grandstanding on my part? Let me tell you this. At this stage of my career, Kiran, I don't have time for fanciful reveries. I never in a million years would propose bringing a murder prosecution against George Bush if I didn't feel there was more than enough evidence to convict him and that I was standing on very solid legal ground. Now, if you were to ask me what's the probability of this being prosecuted, probably not a high probability.
CHETRY: You have a lot of personal feelings about the situation. Does that take away from your ability to, a, be taken seriously, because perhaps as your critics say there's such a hatred, a personal hatred of George W. Bush. Does that dilute your legal argument?
BUGLIOSI: No. It's not going to change the legal argument at all. I mean, I'm motivated because of a lot of passion against this guy. Those that are reading this book, those that aren't reading it, they think it's crazy. Those that are reading this book know when to say this book is crazy.
CHETRY: You certainly experienced a media blackout of sorts. Why do you think this is so radioactive?
BUGLIOSI: Well, because people are just terrified of the thought of prosecuting George Bush for murder. The left wing is afraid of the right. The right wing has her own fears. They're not afraid of the left wing, but they don't want to put me on and give me a forum to speak to millions of Americans talking about prosecuting their guy, the guy they loved so much for first degree murder. And he could end up on death row.
CHETRY: Well, Vincent Bugliosi, thank you for joining us today.
BUGLIOSI: Kiran, thanks so much for having me on the show. I appreciate it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Now, we asked CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin for his thoughts on the book's premise of prosecuting the president for murder. He tells us that President Bush "has no immunity for a charge for murder. If he shoots someone he could be charged but there is no precedent for a charge of murder in these circumstances. Toobin also says there is no basis to justify a prosecutor bringing this case -- John.
ROBERTS: It's coming up to the bottom of the hour, and new this morning.
Tomatoes back on the menu. The Food and Drug Administration has dropped its warning about eating them after a nationwide salmonella scare. The consumers are still being warned to avoid jalapeno and Serrano peppers. The investigators say they still do not know what caused the outbreak. Cases of salmonella are still being reported but at a slower rate than before.
This morning the military is reporting a sharp drop in the number of roadside bombs in Iraq that the government links to Iran. According to "USA Today," the number of attacks has dropped by nearly 70 percent in the past three months. The military credits the drop to an Iraqi-led offensive against Shiite militias.
Bill Clinton says he is ready to campaign for Senator Barack Obama, and he is willing to do whatever he is asked. The former president says they had a good talk on the phone and it appears that any bad blood is now behind them. Clinton also says he has not thought about whether he's going to speak at the Democratic convention next month.
Today John McCain holds a town hall meeting with General Motors employees in Michigan focusing on issue number one. The McCain campaign also criticizing Barack Obama as he prepares to go global.
CNN's Dana Bash is here now with details on all of that.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, aides to John McCain say that when Barack Obama is abroad, McCain will spend his time talking about the economy, the issue most on voters' minds here at home. Still, the McCain camp is trying hard to influence what they know will be heavy focus on Obama's trip.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): This Kansas City town hall was built as a chance to talk about problems close to home like the economy. But John McCain also made sure to tweak Barack Obama for his upcoming trip abroad.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I know that Senator Obama is going to Iraq. I was very interested that he articulated and announced his policies and approach to Iraq before he went.
BASH: Aides to McCain may not like it, but they know full well Obama's overseas trip will get a lot of coverage. And the reality is, McCain himself goaded Obama into it.
MCCAIN: Just now coming up on 900 days since he last visited Iraq, since before the surge. I hope that he goes as quickly as possible with or without me.
BASH: The Republican National Committee still has a running clock on its Web site. Now that Obama is going, it's up-o-time (ph) inside camp McCain. Their central theme by announcing his war policies before leaving, Obama is embarking on a campaign swing, not a fact finding mission.
MCCAIN: I've been on a lot of trips around the world. Usually at your expense but I usually issue my policy statements when I get back.
BASH: And McCain aides are stepping up their push to highlight Obama's apparent shift in rhetoric on Iraq.
MCCAIN: My friends, flip-floppers all over the world are enraged.
BASH: Earlier this week, McCain declared Obama a flip-flopper for changing statements on the success of the surge. Now, McCain's campaign made this eight-minute video aimed at illustrating Obama's contradictory statements on Iraq.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We've got to make sure that we secure and execute the rebuilding and reconstruction process effectively and properly. And I don't think we should have an artificial deadline when to do that.
BASH: That was 2004. Obama now calls for all combat troops out in 16 months.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: The Obama campaign quickly responded with a lengthy statement suggesting Senator McCain has, for the most part, been in lock step with President Bush on the Iraq war. And that McCain's position keeps troops there indefinitely. But notably, the response did not address McCain's central charge. That over the years, Obama's Iraq position has shifted with the politics of the moment.
John and Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, Alina Cho joins us now with some other stories new this morning.
Good to see you.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there. Good morning, guys. Good morning, everybody. And new this morning, a shocking new report says shoddy electrical work by private contractors in Iraq is widespread and causing more deaths and injuries than the Pentagon is willing to admit.
According to "The New York Times" between August of 2006 and January of 2007, there were at least 283 electrical fires that destroyed or damaged American military facilities in Iraq. Two soldiers died in one of those fires. The Texas based company responsible for the work did not comment on the report.
Three members of a military ban were injured after a sky diver loses control of his parachute and slams feet first into a band at a reported 50 miles an hour. Take a look at this.
Imagine. It happened during an opening ceremony at Fort Riley in Kansas. One of the injured was knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured jaw. Yes, you got to see it twice. The sky driver says he veered off course after his parachute lines got tangled. But the band's commander said we did soldier on.
And Americans reaching an unwelcome milestone. One out of every four adults is obese according to the Centers for Disease Control. Mississippi tips the scales as the fattest state for the fourth year running. Weighing in close behind Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Louisiana. All with more than 30 percent obesity rates.
Colorado is still the fittest state with about 18 or 19 percent obesity rate there. And New York, I've just found out, is the 19th fittest state in the nation. But what do they say? We're a nation of couch potatoes. That's the problem.
ROBERTS: I was a little less fit this morning after I ate two bagels with cheese and bacon on it.
CHO: That's about half of our caloric intake for the day, John. But, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Thanks, Alina.
ROBERTS: I've got all weekend to work it off.
CHO: That's right.
ROBERTS: The Obama campaign wants you. And you will not believe how far they're going to go to try to get your money and your vote.
CHETRY: Also, when it comes to choosing a running mate, what's the most important factor a candidate should consider? Well, we're going to ask The Ethics Guy. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
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CHETRY: Obligatory claps this morning on the song "Private Eyes."
Well, Barack Obama's campaign has raised millions of dollars from Internet contributions. And if you've donated, you might not believe just how much the campaign knows about you. Obama is actually taken a page from Republicans. It's called micro targeting.
And CNN's Tom Foreman tells us the Obama campaign has taken it to a new level. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Big Brother may not be watching you, but Internet analysts say the Obama campaign almost certainly is. Team Obama is compiling oceans of information on everything from products you may have purchased, to the value of homes in your neighborhood, to your magazine subscriptions, according to Mike Madden, who wrote about it for Salon.com.
MIKE MADDEN, SALON.COM: A lot of the tactics and also a lot of the data that they have got comes from systems and companies that were originally developed to help credit card companies and banks and things like that.
FOREMAN: So, if you visit their Web site and they know from your past responses that you read e-mail at 4:00 in the afternoon, and if your neighborhood and a questionnaire you completed when you bought some products suggests you fall into a certain tax bracket --
MADDEN: Then, the next time they e-mail you something, they will probably send it around 4:00 in the afternoon, and they will tailor the content of it to what they think someone in your particular demographic makeup will probably be interested in reading about.
FOREMAN (on camera): This micro-targeting of voters was largely pioneered by Republicans years ago. But expanding the use of the Internet has made it a much more precise and powerful tool, especially among young voters.
(voice-over): John McCain's campaign is micro-targeting through the Internet, too, but Michael Cornfield, who studies politics and the Internet at George Washington University, says --
MICHAEL CORNFIELD, CAPITOLADVANTAGE.COM: Far more people watch Obama's interviews on YouTube than McCain's videos. Far more people have signed up to be Obama's friend in Facebook than McCain. He doesn't have the Web site traffic. He doesn't have the e-mail buzz. And that's going to be a long haul to try and catch up with Obama.
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're in a deadly competition.
FOREMAN: Some political analysts are comparing the rise of the Internet now to the rise of television in the 1960s, saying campaigners don't have to be good at it, but they do if they want to win.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: 39 minutes now after the hour. Barack Obama and John McCain searching for running mates. But when it comes to picking the VP should their decision be based on what's best for the nation or what's best for the candidate? We'll ask The Ethics Guy.
CHETRY: It's wind energy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those turbines produce electricity without any emissions, without any other fuel source other than the wind. And they produce a lot of power.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We'll take you on a trip to the first city in America that's powered by wind. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
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ROBERTS: Speculation heating up about whom Senators John McCain and Barack Obama will pick as running mates. So, are they looking for someone who will help them get elected or will they base their decision on what they believe is best for the nation?
Joining me now is Bruce Weinstein. He's The Ethics Guy, the ethics columnist for BusinessWeek.com.
Good morning to you, Bruce.
BRUCE WEINSTEIN, ETHICS COLUMNIST, BUSINESSWEEK.COM: Good morning.
ROBERTS: So, how is picking a vice president as your running mate an ethical issue and not simply a political one?
WEINSTEIN: That's a good question. Whenever we ask what should I do? And other people could be helped or harmed by our decision or their rights could be affected, we're asking an ethical question. So, who Obama and McCain should pick as a VP is really the ultimate ethical question of our day.
ROBERTS: So, should they pick somebody based on who can step into the job should something happen to the president or should they pick somebody based on what they bring to the table in terms of making it to the Oval Office?
WEINSTEIN: It's all important and so much of the discussion has focused on the strategic issues. Will this candidate or that candidate help with this demographic?
But remember what Bob Schaffer said a few years ago in election '90. He said, to be a good president, you first have to become president. So, yes, electability is important but it's not the only important consideration.
ROBERTS: You know, when you look back over recent history, vice presidential running mates. Really, the only one that has been able to deliver something was Lyndon Johnson back in 1960. Delivered Texas and gave Kennedy the White House. Since then, there really hasn't been a running mate who's brought something to the table in terms of what it would mean to the campaign. So, how do you think these presidential candidates have been picking their running mates and what criteria do you think they should use to do it?
WEINSTEIN: You know, I talked with a vice presidential scholar named Joel Goldstein. And he said that the modern American vice presidency really began in the Carter administration because Walter Mondale was given access to the president every week in his own West Wing office. And "The Washington Post" last year said that our current vice president is the most proactive in history.
So, it's not just the fact nine vice presidents have succeeded to the presidency, but the vice president can play an active role in shaping our policy. That's why there's so much at stake in this election, not just for the president but for the vice president.
ROBERTS: Do you think there is more at stake now? I was in a discussion on foreign policy on Tuesday in Washington. We were talking about this idea. The new model for the vice president is a very active vice president. Sort of began with Al Gore and then, of course, as you said Dick Cheney has really taken that and taken it to the nth degree.
So, based on that, does there need to be more of an ethical consideration?
WEINSTEIN: Absolutely. Ethics should be front and center not just in what the presidential candidates, the presumptive nominees do, but what all of us do because there's so much at stake for all of us.
So really, the first and last question the candidates should ask themselves about a potential vice president is not who will help me win or not merely who will help me win, but who is best for the country, not just as the vice president but potentially as a future president.
ROBERTS: Bruce Weinstein, it's always good to see you.
WEINSTEIN: You, too, John.
ROBERTS: Always good to ponder what you have to say. Thanks for being with us this morning.
WEINSTEIN: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: See you next week.
Kiran?
CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning." Al Gore says the United States should be off carbon energy completely in 10 years. We're going to take a closer look at how he would do that.
Talk about an awkward moment. Our Jeanne Moos has her own unique take on Senator John McCain's uncomfortable moment on the campaign trail. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
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CHETRY: Well, as campaign moments go, it was one of the awkward ones. John McCain struggling to respond to a question about insurance companies covering Viagra but not birth control. CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what they call glad handing. And this is what we called bad handing.
MCCAIN: But I have a --
MOOS: Q&A so bad you have to hide behind your hand. So bad, your move is imitated.
JONATHAN CAPEHART, WASHINGTON POST: You've got to have an answer. You can't do this.
MOOS: So bad that Planned Parenthood has now turned the exchange into an anti-McCain commercial.
VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ever use birth control? Then you'll want to hear this.
VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it fair health insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control? Do you have an opinion on that?
MOOS: For eight seconds, Senator McCain said nothing. Critics dubbed that his Viagra moment "a politician rendered speechless, squirms and winces, froze, agonized." And a week after it happened, still haunted by impotent performance, haunted by the new commercial, which the Republican National Committee called a misleading partisan attack.
(on camera): Allow me to introduce you to the latest character in the '08 campaign, John McCain's hand. A hand mocked on "THE DAILY SHOW."
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": John McCain's face is being attacked by the hand of a prehistoric monster. I'm sorry. I'm being told that that is, in fact, John McCain's own hand. I apologize.
MOOS (voice-over): A hand we asked body language expert and author, Dan Hill, to analyze.
DAN HILL, BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT: When he puts his hand across his mouth as if to protect himself from telling a lie, because normally, you know, a child says, you know, did I steal the cookie, no, mom. I did not. They put their hand on their mouth.
MOOS: It's almost as if McCain's hand had a mind of its own. A little like that ever so handy hand from the Adams Family. Remember, thing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thing, you're handful.
MOOS: A handful is what you call a question that combines both birth control and Viagra. We won't even attempt any Viagra jokes about Senator McCain. We'll let Arianna Huffington do that.
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, THE HUFFINGTON POST: Because he's such a passion for Iraq, that's his --
MOOS: Likewise getting laughs were John Stewart's imitations of McCain's most awkward of moments. Check out Senator McCain's hand/eye coordination.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have an opinion on that?
MOOS: The senator's eyes look like he's just seen Thing run across the floor. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Spanning the globe. Barack Obama trying to make a name for himself on the world stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think they all want to prod him a little bit more and see what his policies are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Is he still an international man of mystery? It's the "Most Politics in the Morning."
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." Let's see what's making news on the "Political Ticker." Bill Clinton getting ready to get back on the campaign trail this time to support Barack Obama. Clinton speaking yesterday said they had a good talk on the phone and that he's ready to go whenever the Democrats need him.
Nancy Pelosi slamming President Bush, calling him a, quote, "total failure on almost every issue." And at CNN interview, the House Speaker said that on the war, economy and energy, President Bush has lost credibility with the American people. White House Spokeswoman Dana Perino said Pelosi may just be frustrated at some of the Congress' own failures.
ROBERTS: Usually naming something after a president is a tribute. But a California proposal is anything but. San Francisco voters will have the chance in November to approve the name change of the Ocean Side Water Pollution Control Plant to the George W. Bush Sewage Plant. Supporter says that the move would reflect the president's legacy in Iraq and on other issues. Local Republicans say the plan stinks and they'll oppose it. Protest groups are getting ready for the Democratic convention in Denver next month. They are planning concerts, marches, even classes on how to stage protests. One group called "We Are Change, Colorado," plans to videotape other groups and police and put those videos on YouTube.
And for more up to the minute political news, just head to cnn.com/ticker.
CHETRY: Al Gore unveils his energy plan. The U.S. should be completely running carbon free within ten years. Kate Bolduan explains how that would work and how much it would cost.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The former vice president called his proposal bold and achievable.
AL GORE, FMR. V.P., NOBEL PEACE LAUREATE: I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within ten years.
BOLDUAN: Al Gore says the U.S. needs a drastic change in its energy policy, producing all of the nation's electricity from clean sources, such as wind, solar and nuclear power. Gore warned that the consequences of anything less are dire.
GORE: The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk. And even more, if more should be required, the future of human civilization is at stake.
BOLDUAN: The proposal is estimated to cost $1.5 trillion to $3 trillion. But Gore argued those costs pale in comparison to the ever- increasing costs of oil and coal. His speech comes as Democrats and Republicans continue to butt heads over how to cut prices at the pump and whether to open up new areas for domestic drilling.
GORE: It is only a truly dysfunctional system that would buy into the perverse logic that the short-term answer to high gasoline prices is drilling for oil 10 years from now in areas that should be protected.
BOLDUAN: Initial reaction on Capitol Hill was predictably partisan.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), HOUSE SPEAKER: The general thrust of what he is doing is something that is not extreme. It is long overdue.
SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH (R), OHIO: Carbon-free in 10 years is ridiculous. We could take and put wind mills from the Atlantic to the Pacific and yes, it will increase the amount of carbon-free energy production, but the fact of the matter is, it's not going to get the job done.
BOLDUAN: But Gore did get some support from at least one key Republican. MCCAIN: I've admired the vice president on this issue. He was earliest and outspoken advocate on the issue of climate change.
BOLDUAN (on camera): To answer to critics who think his goals are unrealistic, Gore compared his challenge to President Kennedy's challenge of putting a man on the moon. Kennedy also said a goal of 10 years. Neil Armstrong took that first step in eight.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: About 2-1/2 minutes to the top of the hour. And here are this morning's top stories. The Dow rebounds. The market this morning opening after a stellar day gaining more than 200 points. Things looking all mixed right now in terms of futures though.
The military will send close to 800 more bomb-resistant vehicles to Afghanistan. They're known as MRAPs -- Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Trucks. They are built to protect troops from powerful IED blasts.
Insurgents in Afghanistan appear to have it inspired by their counterparts in Iraq where roadside bombs are the number one cause of combat deaths. Those armored vehicles will not be enough, though, to keep U.S. troops safe from shoddy work by private contractors.
"The New York Times" reporting this morning that more troops than previously have been acknowledged have been killed by faulty electrical work at U.S. bases. According to documents obtained by the "Times," 238 electrical fires destroyed or damaged U.S. facilities in Iraq in a six-month period alone.
Two soldiers died in one of the fires in 2006. Another died while jumping from a burning guard tower. For more on the story, we're now joined by our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. She's at the Pentagon.
Barbara, you've been reporting on this for months now. How seriously is the military taking the problem?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is a problem that's getting a growing amount of attention, John. You know, it seems pretty unbelievable, but let me tell you -- remind you of a very tragic example.
Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth several months ago as a young man doing a tour of duty in Baghdad stepped into his shower and was electrocuted and killed almost instantly. It's something that most of us really can't imagine. Sad as it is, when these troops die in combat. It's not expected that when they step in to take a shower, they're going to be electrocuted.
This work is being done by private contractors in Iraq. It has gotten some congressional attention because there are about 15 troops publicly acknowledged that have been electrocuted. A number of electrical fires now coming to the government's attention.
And frankly, the families of those involved want to know why this work is so shoddy and why this problem has not been taken care of. A lot of what the -- places where this is happening is where troops are housed in old Iraqi palaces, old barracks, old buildings that the government, the U.S. contractors have been trying to upgrade. But clearly, this work is not up to par.
John?
ROBERTS: So, we've got contractors cutting corners here. We've got people at the Pentagon who are handing out the contracts to these contractors. Who, if anyone, is going to be held accountable for this?
STARR: Well, you know, there hasn't been a lot of attention paid to this until the last several months when the House committee on Government Operations had a number of hearings and has called people in. They're trying to get to the bottom of it. But what really is going to have to happen, as you say, is for these contractors to be held accountable, for money to be put against this problem and to have these housing conditions in Iraq fixed and brought up to standard -- John.
ROBERTS: Barbara Starr with that for us from the Pentagon, this morning.
Barbara, as always, thanks.
