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Evangelicals Gather At The National Mall; Tropical Storm Fay heads for Florida Keys; Olympic High;ights

Aired August 16, 2008 - 15:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): People desperate for peace and for hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Singing, praying and swaying, thousands of Evangelicals flock to Washington seeking divine mercy on a divided nation.

And Fatal Fay, the tropical storm pummeling the Dominican Republic causing at least one death. Florida is now keeping an eye on the storm.

And the staples of survival. Humanitarian aid shipped out from Russia's to Georgia's breakaway provinces.

Hello again, everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Here's the latest word on the Russian power play in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Despite signing a cease-fire, the Russians have destroyed a key railroad bridge in an act of economic sabotage, and Georgia is blaming the Russians for setting fire in a national park that is the source of Georgian spring water exports.

Today the Russians pulled back from a city near the Georgian capital, but Russian tanks remained in the occupied city of Gori. Moscow says it won't hurry withdrawing, even though they did agree to a rapid pullout. For the second day in a row, Russia threatened neighbor Poland for the polish agreement with Washington to station missile defense components. The deal came together quickly against the backdrop of Russian aggression. President Bush meantime is telling the Russian two disputed separatist regions are part of Georgia now and must remain so. The president met at his Texas ranch with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who just returned from Georgia. He referred to U.N. agreements on the defeated Georgian land.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These resolutions reaffirm sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia itself has endorsed these resolutions. International community is clear that south Osettia and Abcassia is part of Georgia and the United States fully recognizes this reality. We'll continue to stand behind Georgia's democracy and we will continue to insist that Georgia's severity and independence and integrity be respected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well Mr. Bush referred to the cease-fire agreement as a hopeful step, but as CNN's Michael Ware tells us from Georgia, Russia's intentions still are not clear.

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDNET: Russia is already in breach of the newly signed cease fire agreement according to the Georgia government. Today just hours after the agreement was signed, we've been witnessing Russian mechanized infantry units still moving around the town of Gori, well inside undisputed Georgian territory. And according to locals, it was in the middle of the day when Russian troops destroyed this key railway bridge behind me, a railway line that links the capital to Tbilisi with the vital port city of Poti. A railway line important politically and economically carrying oil for foreign companies like BP to the port city and beyond.

The Russian troops by their mere presence says the Georgian vice minister are in defiance and have broken the cease-fire agreement. The troops are making no signs of withdrawal, and indeed continue to flex their muscles, making their presence felt. The vice prime minister said that even though it may not be a realistic notion that the Russians can be beaten militarily, his country having been already defeated, he said, nonetheless if actions and provocation touches this by the Russians continue, the vice prime minister says, his country and its people are ready and willing to take up arms and to renew the conflict.

Michael Ware, CNN, on the outskirts of Gori.

WHITFIELD: Later on this hour we'll access the situation in Georgia with CNN's military analyst retired General David Grange. He says the situation in Georgia remains extremely serious.

Meantime, evangelical Christians are in Washington getting out their message. Their rally comes before Barack Obama and John McCain face questions about their own faith tonight. CNN's Kate Bolduan is at the National Mall. Only a little quiet but not because there are fewer people.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When you talk to people here, just look at the crowd of people. This is an annual event, an annual gathering of Evangelicals. What they're talking about, they're talking about their faith, they are talking about issues that most matter to them, abortion and same sex marriage among those. This also is at a time when Evangelical leaders and people here that we've been talking to have been saying the issues they care most about have been taking a backseat on the campaign trail, like the economy, like the environment. They say really they want to hear more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY PERKINS, PRESIDENT, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: I think we're at a unique point in American politics. We have two candidates that are not the candidates that evangelicals and social conservatives, orthodox Christians can identify with, so I think there is maybe a lack of connection there, but that has brought about a greater understanding that we've got to be a part of the solution. We can't simply look to an election or changing political parties to solve our nation's problems. We have to take part of that responsibility. That's what you see here today with young people all across America coming here to pray for the nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Tony Perkins is a leader in the Evangelic community, as well as one of the speakers that will be speaking at some point today. Traditionally Evangelicals have been a strong voting base for the Republican Party, but as we heard from Evangelical leaders and people I've been talking to here as well's has been shown in the polls is that this year there's more uncertainty among Evangelicals in terms of the election than in elections past.

Really what Evangelicals are saying is they need to hear more from the candidates, especially from John McCain, on the issues they care so much about before they move ahead. They say they want to refocus, and maybe, just maybe as this event continues, Fredricka, they may get some of those answers tonight with the forum that we've been talking about.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kate Bolduan thanks so much.

Good job on keeping your train of thoughts. Just like I said it was a little quieter there. Well clearly the speaker had taken a pause. We're going to try to work at that audio disparity so we can hear you a bit better next time, but great job on that. Thanks so much.

Well tonight on CNN we'll look at how religion has shaped the candidates faith, their views and their campaign. John King hosts "The Next President" Campaign Kickoff that is tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, and then at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, John McCain and Barack Obama appear on stage together and answer questions separately at a forum that is organized and hosted by Reverend Rick Warren at his California mega church. That begins tonight at 8:00 Eastern. You can watch it right here live on CNN.

And then after the forum, you want to see John King again, he'll be back with "The Next President" Off and running, that is tonight at 10:00 Eastern, a busy night tonight on CNN, a huge block of politics; you can't get enough of it. You want to tune in for that.

The clock is ticking on the candidates' picks for vice president. How much of a factor will faith be in that decision? We'll ask senior political analyst Bill Schneider. He's on the road with the CNN Election Express.

And then we're going to focus on whether tropical storm Fay. Forecasters say it could be near hurricane strength as it approaches Cuba tomorrow. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is very busy in the Weather Center, still considered a tropical storm, though, right? Even though there are hurricane watches and warnings in effect. JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. We have to plan ahead. When they say there's a watch that means conditions are possible 36 hours from the time that's issued. That's a good day and a half that we're talking about for the hurricane conditions. Right now we have a tropical storm, winds 45 miles per hour, you've got to get up to 74 for it to be a hurricane, so we have a ways to go, but the storm has moved back over open water, right in this area here it got sheared apart losing a bit of its organization, but now that it's over the warm water, that fuels to help get this thing back going, will likely see some strengthening now over the next several hours.

We're still seeing some very heavy rain over the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Right here in San Domingo we had a report of the rainfall of about 5.75 inch, nearly 6 inches, that's like half a foot of rain, so I'm sure we're seeing a lot of flooding and even some mudslides are a possibility. Rain also starting to now hit some of the bands here over Cuba. We want to show you this radar picture. This is from the Cuban Meteorological Institute, and showing some of these bands of showers and thunder showers moving across 4 to 8 inches of rain that can be expected across parts of Cuba.

Let's move on and show you where this thing is going. We have a high amount of uncertainly here over the next 24 to 48 hours, but what happens after that is a big question mark, Fredricka. Everybody's on Florida's coast west or east needs to pay close attention at that code of uncertainty covers the entire Peninsula and even heads on up towards the Pan Handle. The longer it stays over water, the stronger the storm is going to be.

WHITFIELD: Good warning on that. Thanks so much Jacque. We'll check back with you in a bit.

Of course, when it comes to weather, which also becomes news, remember you can send us your I-reports. Just go to ireport.com, or type ireport@cnn.com into your cell phone, but remember don't take any unnecessary chances as you try to do your I-reporting for us.

Meantime, driven by talent and hunger to win. Olympic veterans gaze in the rear-view mirror at their extraordinary achievements?

Plus, the extraordinary kindness and instincts of strangers. Meet a few of the New Yorkers who rushed to lift a bus off a pregnant traffic cop. No kidding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Every Olympian will tell you their journey to the Beijing games has meant a lot of sacrifices and sweat, but the determination of one generation of American Olympians remains unmatched. Let me introduce you to some champions from the '40s and '50s, incredible athletes. I grew up knowing, among them, my dad, "Marvelous" Mal Whitfield.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Well before, Michael Phelps, Carl Lewis. SAMMY LEE, OLYMPIC CHAMPION DIVER: In my day, I was the first one to go forward 3 1/2 somersaults.

WHITFIELD: Three time medalist diver Dr. Sammy Lee, double gold medalist, Pat McCormack doing dives that were outlawed for women in international competition until 1952. Mid-distance runners, Reggie Pearman runs the 800 meters. These are some of the reminders. You mentioned there are lots of reminders of your Olympic years.

REGGIE PEARMAN, OLYMPIC RELAY RUNNER: Oh, yeah, sure.

WHITFIELD: Your trophies and these beautiful pictures.

PEARMAN: I don't intend to forget it. I appreciate it more 190 percent, but -- I don't want to repeat it.

WHITFIELD: Charles Jenkins, gold of 400 and four by 400 relay.

CHARLES JENKINS: We were motivated because we loved the sport. There was no money involved.

WHITFIELD: And my dad Mal Whitfield, five-time medalist.

MAL WHITFIELD, OLYMPIC CHAMPION RUNNER: You keep this.

WHITFIELD: Proved their medal to medal like no other generation of American Olympians.

M. WHITFIELD: I'm just glad to be here, because I about used up my body. But it was all worth it.

WHITFIELD: Now with the Beijing games under way, 60 years after the first medals won, honored by many times over.

M. WHITFIELD: That's what the games is about, the word is unity.

WHITFIELD: I wanted to know their thoughts about this historic marker as new records are made. I had lots of questions beginning with how did they do it?

LEE: I look at our generation that we were -- we broke the glass ceiling. Our grandchildren will have a better, easier life, but I think the hardships are good for you, because it makes you tougher.

WHITFIELD: Why didn't obstacles like the depression, segregation and military draft during World War II, derail their Olympic dreams?

PEARMAN: The "c" word -- competition. You're a competitor. So if you're not competing against laws or biased officials or any of those kinds of things, you're competing against some other guy who's out there to run your brains out.

WHITFIELD: Their inspiration.

We got there because of other people, because of coaches, because of teachers. I had an aunt that took me in. For example my mother died when I was ten years.

WHITFIELD: And did nerve ever play a role?

PEARMAN: Sometimes.

LEE: You keep doubling over. I was scared, I kept my eyes closed.

WHITFIELD: Because of these athletes now in their 70's and 80's. The Olympic spirit has been passed down as these two generations. Each of us including my sister, my brother seen here with me the late Flo Jo and her coach are in what I consider to be a special extended family and all of us are really into the game. As my son has little choice but to understand.

Chip Jenkins, Dr. Jenkins only son won gold in the four by four hundred meteor relay in the 1992 Games. For as long as I can remember this was a familiar and regular scene. Our families coming together in living rooms and basements talking about life changes dreams and of course sports.

JENKINS: We will go fishing and it is a competition.

WHITFIELD: Their achievements can't be over stated. They look more gingerly, hair grayer; speak slower but their life lessons have sacrificed and fortitude hardly in the shadow.

PEARMAN: I'm in my fifth (INAUDIBLE). And all the things I got away with when I was teens, 20, 30, 40 about to come home. They demand payment.

WHITFIELD: The thrill is watching Olympic history unfold again, rejuvenating.

M. WHITFIELD: I am very excited about it and excited about going.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I wish I had plans to go to Beijing and I didn't do that. And now I am suffering for it, because my friends are all going.

WHITFIELD: Well not all will make it to Beijing six decades after his first Olympic medals I wanted to make sure that Marvelous Mal is there. To relive his Olympic experience, reunite with old friends and help keep that Olympic flame burning bright.

M. WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: For these Olympians in their golden years there are many reasons to celebrate these games. Promising one world, one dream and now one incredible reunion.

(END VIDEOTAP)

WHITFIELD: And dad, I leave on Monday with my colleague Don Lemon. Also, straight ahead your fates, your votes, does one affect the other at the poles? CNN's Bill Schneider is on the Election Express, he will break it all down for us.

And remembering the Mac Man, his friends gather in Chicago to pay tribute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: An incredible tale of heroism, New Yorkers joining to rescue a pregnant woman pinned under a bus after a horrific crash. Their monumental effort saved one life even as another was lost. Jim Acosta spoke with these everyday heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's remarkable that anybody survived the accident at this busy intersection in the Bronx. Police say it started when this van plowed into New York City traffic officer Danett (ph) Sands. The impact launched Sands, who was 7 months pregnant, into the path of this school bus which rolled on top of her, but this isn't one of those stories where the bystanders just keep walking by.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I saw a lady under the bus so we all ran and tried to pick the bus up.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): All the community came to pick it up.

ACOSTA: We caught up with Rosari Rosario and William Montalvo, two of the approximately 20 good Samaritans who heard the crash and ran to the rescue.

WILLIAM MONTALVO, GOOD SAMARITIAN: We heard that, we dropped the materials, and we ran toward the bus.

ACOSTA: Did you say, 1, 2, 3, lift?

MONTALVO: We didn't even say none of that.

ACOSTA: Everybody just got around the bus.

MONTALVO: And just picked it up? Everything happened, no words, at the same time.

ACOSTA: Paramedics rushed Sands to the hospital where she later died, but thanks to the quick work of her doctors, her three pound six ounce, two months premature baby son survived. What happened on that street corner is still the talk of the neighborhood two days later.

NANCY THOMAS, NEIGHBOR: People a lot of time do nothing, just walk on. But they cared about this lady.

ACOSTA: As it turns out, police say the driver of that van 72- year-old Walter Walker had 20 suspensions of his license on his record, and was driving without a license on the day of the crash. He's been charged with criminally negligent homicide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You wouldn't want that to happen to your wife or kid.

ACOSTA: But the story of Sands is a reminder there are still good Samaritans left in the world, and proof again that this city still has a heart.

Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well he made his hometown proud with his irreverent comedy. Today Chicago honored comedian Bernie Mac. Friends and family, along with thousands of fans, came out for a memorial service at the 10,000 seat House of Hope. Fellow comedians, including Cedric The Entertainer and D.L. Hughley spoke at the service along with Reverend Jessie Jackson. They were joined by Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley as well. Bernie Mac died a week ago at the age of 50 from complications due to pneumonia.

And a tough Olympic dash for this American sprinter. What put the brakes on his medal hopes?

Plus the rest of the day's actions from Beijing.

Tanks, troops, convoys, camouflage, scenes from a cease-fire in Georgia. Are both sides living up to the truce? The military perspective from a live guest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The medal mania at the Olympics in Beijing, Americans are taking the lead in the overall medal count, but some are also smashing records. That we know. Others will leave Beijing with their Olympic dreams dashed. Reporting now from the games, CNN's Larry Smith.

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two months ago, Tyson Gay was dreaming of a double shot at Olympic gold in the 100 and 200 meter sprint and he didn't take home either. An injury at the U.S. trials knocked him out of the 200. Doc Patten eliminated him from the 100 here in Beijing when he out-leaned him to take the fourth and final qualifying spot for the finals.

Then Jamaica stole the show, world record time, 9.69 seconds, celebrating well before the finish. He could have run it faster.

It's one of the most anticipated Olympic events ever, Saturday night East Coast Time, Michael Phelps will dive into history, it's a date with destiny that almost didn't happen. In the 100-meter butterfly Phelps rallied to edge Serbia's Mike (ph) Cavic by 0.001 of a second, a finish so close it took a photo review by judges to make it official. That was a record-tying seventh gold medal for Phelps who goals for No. 8 in the 4x100 meter medley relay in which the U.S. has never failed to strike Olympic gold. BRIAN CAZENEUVE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: No other team out there that is four swimmers who can match the U.S. Speed in all four strokes, so barring something unforeseen, this should be a coronation rather than a fingertip finish.

SMITH: Also in the pool, Saturday night East Coast Time, will be Dara Torres for the final time in her Olympic career, the 41-year-old already the oldest swimmer in Olympic history qualified first for the women's 50-meter freestyle as she chases her 11th career Olympic medal.

The redeem team does it again, a 119-82 victory for USA men's basketball over Spain. Eight Americans scoring in double figures, U.S. is now 4-0. They'll take on Germany on Monday in their final preliminary game.

Hugh McCutcheon returned to coach the U.S. men's volleyball team for the first time since his father-in-law was killed in a knife attack at a tourist spot in central Beijing, a week ago. Now the U.S. Had already clinched a berth (ph) in the quarter finals before they beat China on this day in three sets.

(on camera): No medal for tennis star James Blake, two nights after he knocked off top seat, Roger Federer, he fell in his bronze medal match. In the men's doubles competition, the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, they take bronze. As for the women's doubles competition, it is a gold medal match for Venus and Serena Williams after they won their semi-final matchup.

Larry Smith, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Man, that's some riveting stuff.

Well, he is the only thing anyone is talking about, he is the only one that anyone is talking about in Beijing. Now CNN.com will be talking to him, that man right there, Michael Phelps, and you can too. Multiple gold medal winner, Michael Phelps joins CNN.com live this Tuesday. And if you are a big Phelps fan, that's p-h-a-n, go to ireport.com right now and submit your own video question for him. Don't miss Michael Phelps, live Tuesday, 8:30 Eastern, only at CNN.com/live. You don't want to miss that.

So, here again is where the medal count stands. The U.S. leading in the overall medal counts, but China is ahead in the gold rush, Australia and France coming in third, and fourth with 25 and 22 medals, respectively.

So, we are entering the second and final full week of the Olympic games, and boarding planes this weekend, Beijing-bound Olympians who medaled 60 years ago in 1948. Among them, my dad, Mal Whitfield, five-time medalist, I'm sure you know all about him by now, I've been talking about if for about a week. Before he and I take off for China on Monday, he stopped by the NEWSROOM to chat with my anchor colleague, Don Lemon, he had the questions. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Sixty years. Are you excited?

MAL WHITFIELD, OLYMPIAN GOLD MEDALIST: Yes. I didn't think I was going to make it this long.

LEMON: Oh, really?

M WHITFIELD: Well, you know, I've lived an unusual life...

LEMON: Yes.

M WHITFIELD: ... in athletics. And, of course, in the military.

LEMON: You won all of these medals while you were in the military. Tell us how you did that. How did you do it?

M WHITFIELD: Well, it was a childhood dream in the very beginning, eight years old. I saw the Los Angeles Coliseum Olympic games. That was my first, didn't know what I was doing, along with my other friends from the local field, the sharecroppers down in Watts, California.

LEMON: Wow.

M WHITFIELD: Then four years later, I was energized by this great man called Jesse Owens. This guy I have pinned on my shirt, here.

LEMON: He was one of your heroes?

M WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.

LEMON: And now you guys are heroes, now. And you're going to go back. And we understand you're going to see at least one of your comrades, so to speak. You were worried that they have wouldn't recognize you.

M WHITFIELD: Well, really, so much has gone on in between tables. They're living in one society, me in another and then trying to make things happen and enjoying a good life that God gave you something (ph).

LEMON: I'm going to ask Fred some questions and then we're going to get back to you, Marvelous Mal. How does this -- Fred, you know, we've talked about this a lot. And growing up, you said you didn't really appreciate or maybe you didn't know the importance of it, but now you get it.

F WHITFIELD: Well, I appreciate it at a much greater volume, now.

LEMON: Yes.

F WHITFIELD: And I think that just comes with maturity.

As a kid, this is my dad. That's how I knew Mal Whitfield. Of course, I knew he was an Olympian nd once an Olympian, always an Olympian. I got that part. But it's only as an adult...

LEMON: Yes.

F WHITFIELD: ... seeing and understanding the sacrifices that my parents, both of them, made to be who they are, and the sacrifices they made to pave the way for everyone else who would come up behind them, whether it was their kids or anyone else, understand that, you know, my dad was drafted during 1943, during World War II, the start of, and still maintained that hope to be an Olympian, which he was inspired in 1932, as he was saying, at the L.A. Coliseum. And to stay focused.

You know, and our generation and so many generations after us, we think, you know, tough times.

LEMON: Yes.

F WHITFIELD: We think we know what tough times are.

LEMON: Oh, I've got too much on my schedule and my plate. It's like no big deal.

F WHITFIELD: We have no idea, right. And so to hear about his generation and all that they did, the sacrifices, the hurdles -- and they cleared them all and still became Olympians, and then to medal at that, just too extraordinary, inspires me all the time.

LEMON: Yes. Inspiration, absolutely.

So, tell us a little bit, as much as you can, about your journey. Because I understand there were surprises along the way.

F WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, you know, I've always wanted to go to the Beijing games. And I had been trying to plan this for the last year, but it really was only within the past month that I decided to bring my dad in on the scheme, because, you know, A, I just wanted him to be surprised, and I wanted to make sure we had everything in check.

So, I reached out to a number of folks who were going to be there and some of whom he knows will be there, and some who he doesn't know. But we know, Dad, that every Olympic games that you go to since your Olympic games, it's like one big reunion. Seeing old friends, people you've trained with or folks that you have met along the way, so that's what it will be like.

LEMON: It's going to be very interesting. You guys leave on Monday.

F WHITFIELD: Yes. I can't wait.

LEMON: And I'm going to see you tonight. We're having a little barbecue at the place, so I'm going to see you again tonight, and I've got my camera all ready. I brought it out here on the set and have been taking some pictures.

F WHITFIELD: Yes. But Dad, how excited are you to go?

LEMON: Hey, are you excited? How excited are you? Are you ready for this?

M WHITFIELD: I'm excited, even more so since the -- seeing it every day. The few days in between, and her organizing this, to see all she has grown.

LEMON: "Marvelous Mal" Whitfield and Fredricka Whitfield, we appreciate it.

F WHITFIELD: And can I just say...

LEMON: Yes.

F WHITFIELD: ... when I see these pictures, you know, of my dad in his day, and I remember him telling me what Wembley Stadium was like. It was a dirt track, nothing like what it was today, nothing of the sort of Olympians, the tools that they have.

So Dad, what's it like when you see these pictures of yourself up there? Any thoughts come to mind?

M WHITFIELD: Reflection going back to the early days of it. It was the style, the fad, the "wannabe" and "gonnabe" and it took all the want to and going to be businesses together to magnify still something bigger than what you can imagine. And I hadn't been there before, but I was encouraged by so many great athletes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, a reminder, Monday we actually we take off for our excellent adventure. We'll be keeping you posted on our journey there to Beijing and of course these great reunions that we all look forward to seeing between dad and his fellow Olympians of yesteryear. We'll keep you posted.

All right, meantime, are Georgia and Russia really on the road to a lasting truce? Accusations are already flying and troops are still moving on the ground. CNN's military analyst weighs in on what's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, hours after signing a cease-fire, Russia's intentions in Georgia still are not very clear, even though they agreed to get out quickly. Russia remains in control of the key Georgian city of Gori. There are no indications of a widespread Russian withdrawal, either. Joining us now to assess the situation, CNN military analyst, General David Grange, U.S. Army retired from such. And he's now in West Belvedere, New York.

Good to see you.

BRIG GEN DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET): Thank you, you too.

WHITFIELD: OK, so, as you see this, are you seeing this as bubbling up into something much greater, perhaps even a regional conflict, even though there's a cease-fire that allegedly has been signed, it doesn't seem as though there is been an adherence to it, as of yet.

GRANGE: Well, it would be a regional conflict if we took any kind of military action as a nation, or if NATO took any military action. What you see right now is a posturing, a positional advantage of Russian forces. Very similar to what they've done in the past. As an example, when we did the Kosovo Operation, which really upset Russia, they seven an airborne force and armored vehicles to an airfield called Pristina in Kosovo, and just sat there and what happened is then they -- we just negotiated around that for months after months and nothing happened.

WHITFIELD: All right, so let me back up to the first response, then. You said if NATO were to get involved, it would become a regional conflict. So, do you see that it's -- you know, I guess, the land is being laid already for NATO's involvement, do you see that happening?

GRANGE: I don't really see NATO military action at all. I mean, you know, if you look at the options you would have, do you want a full-scale war, or do you want to deal with the consequences, though at a disadvantage for the Republic of Georgia, as it is right now, which would be the worst problem? So, right now, I think we have to accept the fact they're there, they're going to go ahead and not only -- the military will be postured to try to influence the non-use of a response, and then they're going to use paramilitary forces from Ossetia and (INAUDIBLE) to go ahead and move people in to try to do paramilitary-type operations that terrorize villages, so they don't come back in, so others don's come back into those areas. And so, they'll end up having those two areas succeed, just because of fear.

WHITFIELD: Well, interesting, both sides are standing their ground, you know, really digging in, but clearly Georgia knows it's at a disadvantage, up against Russia, I mean, we're talking about a small province taking on a huge nation with arms that really just can't be compared. So, is Georgia really into a futile, I guess, position here? Would they simply have to surrender or be strong-armed by Russia simply because of the arms disparities?

GRANGE: There's not much they can do. I don't think they'll surrender, I think they're going to give up part of their territory. I think that's a given, though it doesn't sound, you know...

WHITFIELD: Gosh, isn't that the same, though, giving up the territory, isn't that surrendering?

GRANGE: Well, they're going to have to surrender that territory, not their nation, but part of the nation to the Soviet decision. I mean, there's nothing they can do about it, there's not much the world can do about it. It's a shame, but that's the situation we're in right here. WHITFIELD: If the U.S. were to get involved militarily, an that's a big if, would it simply be by way of NATO, or would the U.S. independently, or I guess, through some other sort of international agreement, whether it be with Ukraine, or maybe even now Poland being brought in, would that ever happen, potentially?

GRANGE: Well, the United States has already taken unilateral action with humanitarian relief aid through military aircraft. We actually, still -- you know, there are some people have been evacuated, but we still have a little bit of a presence, there. We'll support unilaterally, or you know, the best choice would be with NATO, but this is all a result of pushing the NATO country memberships too far towards the security zone of Russia, and they don't like that. We didn't like it with Cuba, with the Cuban missile crisis, so it's the same type of situation.

WHITFIELD: And it really does seem like a lot more finger- pointing, instead of respecting the cease-fire, both sides, there's still a bit of, well, he started it, no, he did. How long is that going to on?

GRANGE: Well, it's going to go on, and here's how it's going to happen. You're not going to see a lot of Russian military themselves fighting Georgian military. You're going to see the use of proxy forces, in other words, what you've seen people in ski masks on a few -- some of the B-roll from some of the networks. You'll see people in ski masks, they're paramilitary, they're there to terrorize and take kinetic action where they don't want to use the military to do it.

WHITFIELD: Wow, some frightening prospects, there. General David Grange, thanks so much, always good to see you, appreciate it.

GRANGE: Thank you, my pleasure.

WHITFIELD: It sure would be nice if there was a peaceful resolution, but given the way things have been going, thus far, it seems like it might get worse before it gets better.

All right, meantime, let's talk about Africa, where a major development possibly may be taking place in the political crisis of Zimbabwe. The "Associated Press" is reporting that opposition leader that Morgan Tsvangirai is willing to accept a prime minister post in a power sharing government with President Robert Mugabe. Mugabe won a widely discredited election in June sparking protests and a violent crackdown by Mugabe's troops. To settle the political standoff, Tsvangirai is proposing Mugabe remain president and command the military. But as prime minister, Tsvangirai would run the cabinet and oversee parliament. Mugabe has not responded yet to such a proposal.

Well, it's a bar fight of a very different kind. Hardened competitors playing for pride, facing off over a foosball table. Get ready for some foos you can use.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: White born again or Evangelical Christian voters are overwhelmingly supporting McCain. In a CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll, 67 percent say they will vote for McCain, 24 percent back Obama. Well, four years ago, almost four out of five voters in that group voted for President Bush over John Kerry.

So, Evangelicals say if John McCain picks a pro-choice running mate he might not have a prayer in November. Let's take a closer look at the role of faith and the deep stakes. Here now is senior, well, he's somewhere, he's not really behind the wheel, we're on the road there with the CNN "Express" bus. But, Bill Schneider is on that bus, he's got kind of the vantage point from the side view.

Now, you've already made your stop in Kansas City, Missouri, and had that barbecue, Bill?

BILL SCHNEIDER, SR POLITICAL ANALYST: We had the ribs. They were very good.

WHITFIELD: I know you were looking forward to that.

SCHNEIDER: We were right in the middle of Kansas.

WHITFIELD: Perfect.

SCHNEIDER: I can see the Kansas sea coast from here.

WHITFIELD: Oh, excellent. And you're seeing a lot of cattle along the way too, right? A lot of farmland?

SCHNEIDER: A lot of farmland in all directions.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, let's talk about your final destination is Denver, by the way, for the Democratic convention. But, tonight people are going to make a pit stop, here at CNN, and they're going to listen to Obama and McCain talk about faith and politics, how they, I guess, kind of come together, how they meld, how they collide. But, what's interesting, Rick Warren says he wants to delve into leadership, he wants to delve into character, he wants to know about the role of the presidency and these candidates' world views. Why does it take a forum like tonight, a faith-based forum, to delve into these issues?

SCHNEIDER: Well, Rick Warren is a best selling author and he's expanded the Evangelical agenda considerably beyond the issues we traditionally associate with the religious right, like abortion, evolution, and school prayer and gay rights. He talks about human rights and global warming and HIV/AIDS and poverty. He says those kinds of issues -- poverty is mentioned all through the Bible, and Evangelicals ought to just be as concerned with those issues, in his opinion, as with the traditional moral issues. So, he has a bigger agenda than that.

And I should mention, there are a lot of religious voters in this country who aren't necessarily Evangelical Christians and a lot of the comnts about faith and religion are going to be addressed to the larger community where Barack Obama is doing actually pretty well.

The poll you just showed was only white born again Evangelical voters, small segment of the faith community in this country.

WHITFIELD: Well, you know, what's interesting is during this forum this evening, while they'll be together, meaning they'll be in the same house, they're not necessarily going share the stage at the same time. I wonder -- or maybe you know the back story, whether the candidates weren't necessarily interested in a debate kind of structure. They wanted to be able to both kind of state their cases on faith or on politics or on character.

WHITFIELD: That's right. They're going to be interviewed separately. They may be (INAUDIBLE) on stage to greet each other, but they are going to be interviewed separately by Rick Warren and it's going to be broadcast on CNN and you know, it will be seen by a lot of voters. But, John McCain, of course, has had some problems with Evangelical voters who are really a base constituency in the Republican Party. You mentioned one reason, he said he'd be willing to accept an abortion rights supporter as his running mate, that made a lot of Evangelical leaders quite angry. He wants to make peace with them because they're very important to the Republican coalition.

At the same time, Barack Obama wants to make it clear that the Democrats are open to people of faith, that they are welcome to the Democratic coalition, that they can speak the language of faith and values, even if they don't agree with the religious right on certain issues, they can talk seriously about faith. And I think we're going to hear him do that tonight.

Wow, and quickly before I let you go, Bill, a couple of hours ago when you and I talked, we talked about, you know, the vice presidential contenders and we spent a little bit more time on Obama, since the Democratic convention is first and how we're likely to hear from that VP pick.

Let's talk about, quickly, Mitt Romney as a possible running mate for John McCain. That's kind of on the headlines with the "Washington Post" and some other national newspapers, today.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. Romney is considered a top-rank contender for McCain's running mate. He started running for vice president the minute he got out of the presidential race.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

SCHNEIDER: And his problem is there are some conservatives, frankly, a segment, a minority segment of Evangelical conservatives who are still very critical of Mitt Romney because he changed his positions on a number of social issues from the time when he was governor of Massachusetts, he once ran for Senate against Ted Kennedy in 1994. So, now he's (INAUDIBLE) with a lot of conservatives, they don't trust him particularly, and they may complain if McCain picks Mitt Romney.

WHITFIELD: OK, Bill Schneider, on the road to Denver passing through Kansas, right now. So, when you see the "Election Express," know that Bill Schneider is onboard, you need to wave, you need to hail down the bus because you want to talk to this man, he's awesome. Bill Schneider, thanks so much, appreciate it.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, CNN equals politics. Tonight, we look at how religion has shaped the fate and the views of the candidates. John King hosts "The Next President Campaign Kickoff," 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Then, you want to watch John McCain and Barack Obama live tonight on CNN as we were discussing, they take part in a forum on faith hosted by Reverend Rick Warren, that starts at 8:00 Eastern.

All right, well, it's that rare moment in history when the world's eyes are glued to the most elite competitors, sheer athleticism, raw skill, intense training, the lifelong dedication and physical sacrifice. Of course, I'm talking about foosball. Aha, you thought I was talking about the Olympics. It's our "Sport in Focus."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody knows that this is the place to play foosball. So, here tonight at Fat Cats we have our Tuesday night draw your partner tournament. Everyone signs up, puts their name on a list, pays five bucks and then we randomly draw everybody a partner.

You are playing with Tyrone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very competitive. There's all kind of skill levels. We have a couple of semi-pros, some armatures, some experts, some pros.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anyone who's just beginning, don't come on Tuesday nights, because these guys are great.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good game. Well done. It's easy to learn, but it's hard to master. It's like playing football, there's a man in front of you, you got to break down the defense and whether your shot is fast enough, you still have to get in his head. Psychologically you have to demoralize him and beat him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You. You and I!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a lot of hand/eye coordination. But, I guess once you get to a certain point where you can't even see some of these shots, you're basically just playing head games with everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was perfect; you make me look so good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stakes, oh man, if I told you the real stakes, the governor would be after me.

This is a great sound. It's like hitting a golf ball perfectly. It just feels right, it just sounds right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah! We taking the lead!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I come here and not only will play foosball, but through foosball I've met a lot of good people, really close community, so it makes it really easy to make friends. And that's probably one of my favorite things about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love this game. There's nothing like foosball.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That game always looks fun, but it's so frustrating for me because I can never quite get it, something about that hand/eye coordination.

All right, the next hour of the NEWSROOM starts right after this.