Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Obama's Overseas Trip; 'Preston on Politics'; Looking the Part: Presidential Imagining

Aired July 20, 2008 - 23:30   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Kuwait, Afghanistan, and now Iraq. The war he has called a mistake. Obama overseas. How he's received, how he's doing, we break it down.

Far, far away, McCain does Yankee Stadium.

Developing news. At a hospital, she shows up with a baby. At her home, police find a woman with her womb ripped open.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kia Johnson had a wound to her abdomen which was consistent with the removal of a baby.

SANCHEZ: Murder for a baby?

She is wrestled to the ground and tasered. How could police not know she was blind?

And look at that. Look closer. Closer. Yes, it's a shark. And nope, it's not doctored.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE DARK KNIGHT")

HEATH LEDGER, ACTOR: Kill the Batman.

Here's my card.

(END VIDEO CLIP, "THE DARK KNIGHT")

SANCHEZ: And might this be the most incredible villain portrayal ever?

The news starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez.

As we begin this newscast, we are awaiting word on whether Barack Obama has arrived yet in Iraq. But even before he does, there is controversy brewing from there.

Why? Because this weekend, Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, said that he supported Senator Obama's proposed timeline for pulling troops out of Iraq. This was an obvious embarrassment for the White House.

But then later in the day it all changed, when al-Maliki's office came back with word that whatever the prime minister said is not what he meant. He was misquoted. He actually doesn't like Obama's plan.

Who else now says they don't like Obama's plan? The highest-ranking military officer in the United States, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But what about the troops? U.S. troops stationed overseas, hear now their reaction this weekend to Barack Obama himself.

Video from Kuwait and Afghanistan show Obama getting what some would call rock star treatment. He talks to soldiers, impresses them with his ability to shoot a basketball, as you saw.

For a more comprehensive look at the senator's visit, here now, CNN's Reza Sayah reporting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A meeting between Senator Barack Obama and President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan, capping off Obama's first visit ever to the war-torn country. Among the topics discussed, beating back Taliban fighters who are gaining strength and increasing attacks.

Early Sunday, it was breakfast in Kabul. Senator Obama serving up porridge at U.S. Camp Eggers, then sitting down to eat with U.S. troops.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The food is excellent, but the company's even better.

STAFF SGT. ANTHONY LEWIS, U.S. ARMY: What I picked up from is that he's in tune with the people. And the great part is he took time out of his schedule to come over and visit us, not just at this camp, but other surrounding camps in Afghanistan.

SAYAH: The Illinois senator arrived here on Saturday as part of a congressional delegation. The exact timing of his arrival, top secret. In a little more than 24 hours, the senator visited at least three U.S. bases.

OBAMA: You know, to see young people like this who are doing such excellent work, so much dedication and pride, makes you feel good about your country. And I just want to make sure that everybody back home understands how much (INAUDIBLE) sacrifice people are making.

SAYAH: Even among some Afghans the senator is a celebrity. At a stop in Jalalabad, a request for an autograph. Back with U.S. voters back home, the presidential candidate is looking to bolster his foreign policy profile.

Right now, polls give Senator John McCain the edge on the issue. Senator Obama's camp hopes his first visit to Afghanistan and other countries on his itinerary will change voters' minds. (on camera): In recent speeches, Senator Barack Obama has made Afghanistan the centerpiece of his foreign policy strategy, calling it the central front in the war on terror. With the U.S. elections less than four months away, many political analysts agree this was one trip he could not have afforded to miss.

Reza Sayah, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: For his part, Republican candidate John McCain spent Sunday in a more traditional campaign mode, at the ballpark, Yankee Stadium. Peanuts, Cracker Jack, shooting the breeze with major league managers. Senator McCain even took a good-natured shot at himself, explaining why he's such a self-described sports nut.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm running for president. You know, it's like being in Double A, and all of a sudden you're playing in Yankee Stadium. It's a great experience. But Also, I really am a big sports nut because I was mediocre high school athlete.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Not mediocre, Mark Preston. He's joining us now for "Preston on Politics."

Let's get right to it with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki.

What do you make of this guy reportedly saying that he likes Barack Obama's troop withdrawal plan, embarrassing the White House, no doubt, and then come back later and saying, no, no, no, I was totally misinterpreted, I really don't like Barack Obama's 16-month pullout plan.

What's go on here?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, I'll tell you what, embarrassing to the White House. And embarrassing to John McCain, who just last week offered praise to Maliki.

Look, Maliki had to step back a little bit from that statement for two reasons. The first is, he doesn't know who's going to win the White House next year. We don't know who's going to win the White House.

Secondly, he needs the Bush administration right now. He needs the support of the White House. Let's not forget, George Bush is the president for the next six months. A lot could happen in that time.

SANCHEZ: It sounds like he's playing both sides against the middle.

Hey, you know, it's interesting watching McCain's reaction to Obama's trip and this -- I guess many would call this spotlight-grabbing tour he's on. Listen to this. (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MCCAIN: My opponent, Senator Obama, announced a strategy for Afghanistan and Iraq before departing on a fact-finding mission that will include visits to both those countries. Apparently, he's confident enough that he won't find any facts that might change his opinion or alter his strategy. Remarkable.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: All right. That's John McCain talking about Barack Obama while Barack Obama is overseas.

Is there not an unwritten rule that you hold your criticism until after the guy comes back from the trip?

PRESTON: Rick, there once was that unwritten rule, but this is a bare-knuckles fight. There's a lot on the line.

And what the McCain campaign will tell you is that the DNC and Barack Obama did the same thing when John McCain went up to Canada, when he went down to Mexico, and earlier this year he, himself, went overseas. There's a lot on the line. Expect the McCain campaign to hit Obama at every turn they can over the next week.

SANCHEZ: Something interesting is going on overseas with Barack Obama. I wonder how it reflects here. I want to show you something.

This is a poll we found. We found similar polls in France, in Spain, in England, but this one is from Germany.

Germans asked who they would vote for president if they could. I mean, this is a landslide -- Barack Obama, 72, John McCain, 11.

Does all of that goodwill from Europeans and others all over the world for Barack Obama help him or hurt him with American voters, you say? Why?

PRESTON: Let me answer that two ways. If you are John McCain and you are Republicans, you say, guess what? Germans don't vote. French don't vote in the U.S. elections.

But if you're a Democrat and you're Barack Obama's campaign, you're going to say, look, the United States needs to reestablish itself right now, Rick, on the world stage. It needs as much help as it can get. And if you are to have a presidential candidate to go over and to give a big speech in Germany, like we expect Barack Obama to do later this week, and to get thousands and tens of thousands of people to come out and hear him, they're going to say that that is a step in the right direction.

SANCHEZ: Mark Preston, happy birthday.

PRESTON: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: You didn't think we'd get that one in. "Preston on Politics."

We appreciate having you, Mark. Next week.

PRESTON: Thanks, Rick.

SANCHEZ: This trip for Senator Barack Obama, which some are calling make or break, places the candidate squarely under the microscope. How he handles himself, even to the point of what he wears when he's in the presence of a foreign head of state like Afghan leader Hamid Karzai, can actually come into question and help him or hurt him.

We contacted an image consultant. Her name is Heidi Berenson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEIDI BERENSON, COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT: You'll just notice, the two are almost mirror images of each other. They're both wearing black shirts -- I'm sorry, black jackets and a white shirt. And you can see there's a conservative tie.

So, really, when you travel overseas, a very important thing is to take your cues from your host. And you can see, they blend perfectly there.

SANCHEZ: Well, isn't this as much about clothing, though, as it is about your comportment, how you stand, how you walk, how you go into the room, what language you use?

BERENSON: Absolutely, because what I like to say is you want your clothes and demeanor to fit you and to fit the occasion. And it seem likes it is a perfect match there.

So, what you want to think about is, how are you being perceived? You can't control how people see you, but you can control the image that you want to project. So, if you think about when Reagan was president, when he wanted to be the common man he would wear a brown plaid suit which they used to call the horse blanket around the White House, and that he saw as the common man, because it's sort of similar to when you wear a blue shirt.

And I see you're wearing a blue shirt, Rick.

Blue happens to be the most common favorite color in this country and worldwide. So when you wear blue, it's trustworthy and it's warm.

SANCHEZ: That's why I wear it, as a matter of fact. Hey...

BERENSON: And you look awfully trustworthy.

SANCHEZ: ... there's a cap that John McCain wears all the time.

BERENSON: Right.

SANCHEZ: We've got some video of him. He has his Navy cap.

BERENSON: Right.

SANCHEZ: The guy loves wearing that cap, as he should. I mean, this guy was in the Navy, he was, you know, a prisoner of war. That's part of who he is. Here he is at Yankee Stadium today.

Your thoughts?

BERENSON: Yes, absolutely. He's being authentic, and "authentic" really is the word of the day.

And he's also taking his cue from his host. And he -- in this kind of situation, you want to be, as I said, fit you and fit the occasion. And he's totally fitting the occasion.

When you go to a baseball game, you're going to be relaxed. And you'll notice, what kind of shirt is he wearing? Again, a blue shirt. And he's wearing the baseball cap; perfectly appropriate.

So, you really want to think about, this is really the embodiment of fitting into your surrounding.

SANCHEZ: It looks comfortable. Then again, who wouldn't be going to a baseball game?

BERENSON: Oh, well, only the -- I'm more comfortable with the Red Sox, but go ahead, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Heidi, we thank you so much for coming on.

BERENSON: My pleasure.

SANCHEZ: And I'll be able to use that quote from you now against all of my producers who say I wear blue shirts too often.

BERENSON: No, you never can do it too much.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: There you go. Thanks.

BERENSON: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: All right. Want to let you know what's coming up next.

That is Barack Obama's trip. He's expected -- or some -- maybe a different way of phrasing this would be, some would say that the next part of his trip will be in Iraq. When he arrives in Iraq, we are going to have you covered with crews there and reports from the scene.

Expect this tomorrow morning, right here on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING." As it happens, you'll see it right here at 6:00 a.m., if not sooner.

Meanwhile, a woman rips a baby out of another woman's womb. And tonight, there she is. She is charged.

Also, this story -- a man escapes from prison by going on a crash diet. Try and figure out exactly how he did.

This, while we're in the break. And I'll tell you what he did on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We do welcome you back to the world headquarters of CNN. I'm Rick Sanchez.

Tonight, this incredible story about a Pittsburgh-area woman who arrived at a hospital with a newborn baby in tow. When police then went to her fly-infested apartment, they found something else.

They found this woman, 18 years old. Her body ripped open, her womb pulled out, her hands and feet bound.

Tonight, 38-year-old Andrea Curry-Demus faces a litany of charges, criminal homicide among them. She claims that she bought the baby, who's in good condition. Police obviously aren't buying this. And just in case you were wondering, detectives also say the two women were not strangers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUPT. CHARLES MOFFATT, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA., POLICE: We have information that they met one another. How -- how far it goes back, we don't know at this time. We do have evidence there was contact between the two of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: And that's not all. Looking back now to 1990, court records that have been obtained by "The Pittsburgh Tribune Review," listen to this. They show that this woman, Andrea Curry-Demus, befriended another woman, attacked her with a knife, and tried to steal her baby but failed.

The next day she took a 3-week-old baby from a hospital after befriending the mother. The infant was found unharmed.

1991, Curry-Demus pleaded guilty to various charges stemming from both incidents. She was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. Curry- Demus was paroled in 1998 and began serving 10 years of probation, and now this latest charge.

It makes you wonder.

Tonight, police in two states have a mystery on their hands. And I know we're starting to sound like a broken record, but the subject is a missing U.S. Army soldier. Again.

A woman, a wife and a mother of three, and a person authorities believe is in danger. Take a look at this video. This is PFC Jeneesa Lewis. There it is. It's in a message to her kids made two weeks ago. Private First Class Jeneesa Lewis, last seen Thursday at her duty station, Ft. Bliss in Texas. This isn't your everyday AWOL, we're told.

Texas police say the soldier's apartment showed evidence of foul play. And her sister tells reporters she fears the absolute worst, that Lewis had a violent and explosive relationship with her husband who is now being sought for questioning. She is the -- fourth U.S. servicewoman to go missing in recent months. The other three were all found later, all dead.

You see this woman that police are helping down the stairs? She could face charges of assaulting a Dayton, Ohio, police officer, yet she is the one who was tasered by police. Oh yes.

Should we let you know this? She's legally blind. Why would police taser a blind woman in her own home?

Officers went to Denise Harris' (ph) apartment looking for her son, a robbery suspect. They say Harris (ph) became combative when they tried to talk to her. She supposedly resisted arrest. That's when they pulled out a Taser. The incident's under investigation.

As long as we're running down the police blotter, I want you to take a look at this guy. He's probably eating a big meal tonight because Texas police say that he starved himself to break out of the Waller County Jail.

That's right, they say Darryl Norris cut a lot of calories so he could cut loose. Apparently, Norris lost enough weight to shimmy his way through a one-foot-wide exhaust vent.

And this -- Batman, the joke's on you, because this villain portrayal could be the best ever. Really?

Also, hello, Dolly. Hello, North Carolina. Oh, and she's got a buddy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: You know, sequels used to be a way for Hollywood types to make a little extra money after a really good movie. But now it seems to be much, much more. There is "Spider-Man" and all of those, all the Rockys, of course, and now Batman.

But this may be the mother of all sequels when all is said and done. Why? Not because of Batman, but because of The Joker.

This "Dark Knight" has broken the profit ceiling. It's brought in a record $155 million in its opening weekend. Critics say The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, is a scene-stealer all the way around.

Now, "Spider-Man 3," by the way, was the last movie to hold the record for opening weekend sales.

Now time for Rick's Picks, the best video and the photos of the night.

Coming in third, look at this shark. It's an unbelievable photo taken off New Smyrna Beach in Florida. We thought the picture was doctored, so CNN took it to an expert. He said, no, those are blacktip sharks, that's what they do.

They're trying to get rid of the suckers. You know, the remora on them? So they jump in the air to loosen them up. And that's a real picture.

Imagine what the surfer thought after he saw the picture of that shark.

Coming in at number two, we move on to Maine. Now, this woman is going in to see if her laundry is finished, and that's what she sees staring right back at her. That's right, it's a snake, eight feet long.

She just pulled a pair of jeans out when she stuck her hand in there, and suddenly she felt something move. So she jerked her hand back out, closed the lid, called animal control. And there's the authorities now, suspecting the python was once somebody's pet. But it snuck in through the pipes, into her machine.

Uh-oh.

And now this. You hear all those voices. Over a million Colombians are filling the streets of Bogota today.

Now, take a look at these pictures. That's how many people are actually there, and they're protesting kidnappings in their country. They say they're tired of it, they want it to stop.

Of course it's coming to news again with the liberation if Ingrid Betancourt, a woman who once wanted to be president there. Now she lives in France. Kidnapped by the FARC, leftist rebels. Demonstrators chanted, "Libertad!" Spanish for "freedom."

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to the world head quarters of CNN. I'm Rick Sanchez.

I want to take you out tonight with this: With so much focus on Barack Obama's trip to Afghanistan, we thought we'd remind you of the very human toll on the fighting men and women in our armed forces.

Today, two soldiers killed in combat were brought home for their services. One in Snellville, Georgia, the other in St. Louis, Missouri. Twenty-four-year-old Army Corporal Jonathan Ayers (ph) killed last Sunday in an attack by Taliban insurgents that killed eight other soldiers. Corporal Gunner Zwilling (ph), he was just 20 years old.

Two of the nine of the young men killed in that attack. We leave you tonight with all nine, and this remembrance.

Good night, everybody.