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American Morning
New CNN Opinion Research Corporation Poll Has Senators Obama and McCain in a Dead Heat; Hillary Clinton Promising to Release Her Delegates on Wednesday; John McCain Launching New Attack Ads; Michelle Obama Speaks to Her Biggest Audience Yet
Aired August 25, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Here are the latest political headlines that we're following for you this morning. A new CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll has Senators Barack Obama and John McCain now in a dead heat, both with 47 percent.
Senator Hillary Clinton is promising to release her delegates likely on Wednesday before the roll call vote is taken. She will urge them to cast their votes for Obama.
And John McCain launching new attack ads, pinning Clinton and Senator Joe Biden's own words against Obama.
Kiran?
Well, we got some problems there unfortunately with Kiran's mike. As this convention kicks off, CNN is the place for politics. We're following both candidates on the campaign trail today.
Ed Henry is traveling with John McCain in Arizona and Jim Acosta is with Barack Obama in Iowa. Let's begin with Jim. He's live in Davenport, Iowa for us.
Jim, Obama has more criticism for John McCain this morning. Certainly he is hammering him hard, hoping to make a difference during this convention week.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No Mid-western nice for Barack Obama this week, John. After Joe Biden's performance on Saturday and Barack Obama's performance yesterday in Wisconsin, the new team could have its own reality TV show this week. Call it - "When Democrats Attack."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama.
ACOSTA (voice-over): For a tightly-scripted campaign, this likely came out of the blue when a Wisconsin homeowner introduced Barack Obama with a call for civility.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to be nicer than the other side.
ACOSTA: But nice isn't in the Obama playbook for this convention week.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Talking tough and acting dumb is not a way to keep you safe and secure.
ACOSTA: From the economy to the war in Iraq, Obama brought out the heavy artillery.
OBAMA: John McCain was a cheerleader for the war in Iraq.
ACOSTA: He also took aim at John McCain's recent tongue-in-cheek comment that you have to make $5 million a year to be rich.
OBAMA: What's your definition of rich? He said, I don't know, $5 million. Which means if you're making four, then, you know, you're scrimping. You're having a tough time. You're middle class.
ACOSTA (on camera): Obama isn't headed directly to the convention. Instead, he'll be campaigning in battleground states like Iowa, Missouri and Montana. It's a move that will keep the focus on his message and off of whatever drama is unfolding in Denver.
(voice-over): Drama? On Sunday, it was revealed the Obama campaign first notified Hillary Clinton she was out of the running for the vice presidential spot through a close associate on Friday and that she did not hear from Obama himself until late in the day. Some Clinton backers were already miffed that she was never officially vetted for the job.
OBAMA: I am thrilled with Joe Biden as my vice president.
ACOSTA (voice-over): That's all Obama had to say about his running mate. On Saturday, Biden seized on his role as campaign wrecking ball, slamming McCain for all of those houses the Arizona senator couldn't remember. But Wisconsin Democrat and McCain friend Senator Russ Feingold says voters remain focused on issues.
SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: I don't think they're going to vote on any of those trivia. I think they're going to vote on what matters to their personal life.
ACOSTA: One of those voters, Melanie Franklin, disagrees.
MELANIE FRANKLIN, OBAMA SUPPORTER: Sometimes, the truth isn't nice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And the Democrats' designated Pit Bull, Joe Biden, was not at Barack Obama's side yesterday in Wisconsin. But judging by the looks of it, Obama may be out to prove he doesn't need one, John.
ROBERTS: All right. Jim Acosta for us. Jim, thanks very much. Meantime, Senator McCain could make his vice presidential pick as early as Friday. And as the Democrats try to heal the wounded Hillary Clinton supporters, McCain is now recruiting one of her delegates to help make his own case. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a proud Hillary Clinton Democrat. She had the experience and judgment to be president. Now in a first for me, I'm supporting a Republican, John McCain. I respect his maverick and independent streak. And now he's the one with the experience and judgment. A lot of Democrats will vote McCain. It's OK, really.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm John McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: So there it is. That's the new ad right now that McCain camp is putting up this morning. CNN's Ed Henry is with the McCain camp this morning in Phoenix, Arizona.
So we saw it. It has a powerful message. What's the strategy, Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's clearly part of a two- prong strategy, Kiran. The first part there, they're going to run that ad in key states that Hillary Clinton won in the Democratic primaries like Pennsylvania, Ohio. Clear goal -- try to draw in more of the so-called McCain Democrats like the old Reagan Democrats that are coming across the aisle, and clearly try to deepen the divide that's developed once again, it appears anyway, between the camps of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
The second part of the strategy is to run a separate ad that basically shows clips of Joe Biden, the new vice presidential running mate, questioning whether Barack Obama has the experience to be president. That clearly, obviously, plays right into another key theme for John McCain, which is his claim that Barack Obama is not ready to be commander-in-chief, Kiran.
CHETRY: So, as we're seeing the Democrats all rallying around Barack Obama, what's John McCain's strategy for, you know, getting anything out there? I mean, we saw this ad today, but how else is he going to make sure his message is getting out?
HENRY: Well, he's going to have a war room, as they call it, in Denver where there will be a lot of Republican allies. McCain trying to push back on the Democratic message, put out the McCain message. We see that all the time. We'll likely have the Democrats do the same thing, of course, in St. Paul next week.
But what's a little different this time is that you normally see the candidate himself sort of step back a little bit. But John McCain is sending a signal right away this morning he's going to be at the Central High School in Phoenix at the alma mater of his wife, Cindy.
He's going to be here talking to students. He clearly wants to make a statement, be in the news, try and push back on Barack Obama directly. Not just have the surrogates do it. He's in fact going to be on "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO" tonight, Kiran. So, it's very obvious that John McCain is not going to completely cede the stage.
CHETRY: Ed Henry for us in Phoenix, Arizona this morning. Thank you. Well, before the bounce comes the sell. How Democrats will use this week's convention to push the Barack Obama brand. Our political panel has some thoughts on that. And also now that Joe Biden is the choice, how are Republicans reacting today? We'll take a look at that as well. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Nine minutes after the hour. Thanks to our friends at KUSA in Denver for an early morning shot of the city of Denver. A lovely aerial there as the sun comes up on this -- the first day of the Democratic National Convention. And we're inside the Pepsi Center this morning.
Barack Obama is about to accept his party's nomination for president. What does he need to deliver in his speech on Thursday night? Joining me now, Leslie Sanchez, Republican analyst and CNN political contributor; Democratic strategist Chris Gates; and political contributor and registered independent John Avlon.
Thanks for coming back again this morning, folks.
LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Great.
ROBERTS: Good to see you.
So, Barack Obama in the keynote address that he gave in 2004 said, "my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely." He's got to use this week and the Democratic Party has got to use this week to reintroduce him to the American people and to the American voters.
Chris, what does he need to do this week?
CHRIS GATES, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, in my opinion, what he really has to do is get back to this post-partisan message that really got him the nomination. I think that he's been frankly a little bit off-message recently as he's sort of gotten more into hardcore partisan politics.
And Axelrod has made it very clear that we're going to hear sort of a resurgence of this post-partisan message of saying that it's about a new kind of politics, a different way of doing business. And honestly, I think, that's got to be the key message that comes out of this week for Obama.
JOHN AVLON, CONTRIBUTOR, POLITICO.COM: I think that's exactly right. That's exactly what Obama needs to do. He can't just unify the party. He should start unifying the nation. That means reaching out to centrists and independents, largest and fastest-growing voter bloc.
And reiterating that message he started with four years ago. There are no red states, there are no blue states, there just the United States of America. That has been the key to his success. That was why he beat Hillary. He was the non-polarizing alternative to Hillary Clinton. He needs to return to that message and start reaching out again.
ROBERTS: All right. Leslie, let me ask you here, and I know you're wearing your Republican hat and you want things to fall apart, you want more sprinklers to go out this morning.
SANCHEZ: That was not our doing, (INAUDIBLE). There's a bad rumor on the Internet, but no.
ROBERTS: James Carville said in a cnn.com column recently that Barack Obama needs a new narrative. He needs to get angry about something. If you were a Republican who is advising a Democrat on how to attack a Republican, what would you say he needs to do?
SANCHEZ: Well, I think the greatest comparison of that -- I will use the Republican example is the oil drilling, is the fact that you have a struggling economy, a weaker economy and it was something to build the domestic oil production. And that was something that was very clearly Americans understood. It was very granular pocketbook and he went against that.
He needs to find something to champion in the sense that pocketbook that people understand. And I think there's many deficits. I think there's many challenges. While there's a lot of great imagery that will come out of this convention, if you just look at the two candidates together, almost looks like an inverted ticket. That Biden looks like the senior mentor to this young political neophyte. That's the wrong image that you're trying to put forward. So he can give great, lofty speeches --
ROBERTS: You don't agree to that?
AVLON: No, I don't. I think what Obama needs to start doing is actually playing against the traditional Democratic narrative. He needs to start picking some specific policies that go against the grain. Start backing Ameripay for teachers, maybe school choice. Do things. A couple big-ticket issues where people have to take stock again that will really make a play for cross-over voters. That's the key thing.
(CROSSTALK)
GATES: I just have to say that James Carville is a brilliant political strategist but that's the worst advice I could possibly imagine. An angry Barack Obama will not sell. As a matter of fact --
ROBERTS: Yes, yes. Americans don't seem to like angry politics. But let me ask you this question, Chris. Is there a question here, particularly among liberal Democrats, as to which direction Barack Obama is going to take this party?
Will he continue with the centrist policies established by Bill Clinton? Or will he take it back to pre-Clinton era where the party leans much further to the left?
GATES: The answer obviously is going to be some place in the middle. But I do think that the progressive side of the party has made it very clear that they feel that the country is ready for some change. And I think that's one of the reasons why Barack Obama has done very well, is that whether it's the economy or foreign policy, the country is ready for some change. And I think that's one of the things that has propelled him to get the nomination.
SANCHEZ: I think in many sense you're ignoring the obvious. He's somebody who ran on a ticket, that, you know, tremendous support talking about change. And then over the summer, he has flip-flopped on numerous positions. He showed his liberal credentials and he showed that he's really inconsistent. So, people don't know his true identity. Is there any there, there? That's what has to be answered in this convention.
ROBERTS: He's not alone in that, right? John McCain has changed positions on --
SANCHEZ: Not at all. John McCain has a much stronger legacy. And you understand it. They're so different.
ROBERTS: Leslie, it's always so much fun.
Leslie Sanchez, Chris Gates and John Avlon, good to see you. Thanks for coming in this morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you all very much.
ROBERTS: Appreciate it.
A memorable moment for Barack Obama at the 2004 Democratic convention. We're looking back at some of the indelible images from past conventions. We'll have that for you.
Tonight, Michelle Obama speaks to her biggest audience yet. But before she reintroduces Barack Obama to voters, she sat down one-on- one with CNN's political analyst Roland Martin. Hear what she had to say. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A look this morning courtesy of KUSA in Denver. That's INVESCO Field. It is going to be packed with thousands to hear Barack Obama speak on Thursday. That is where all the action is moving to a little bit later in the week.
But right now, all the action is at the Pepsi Center. Some planned, some unplanned. And some funny moments from earlier this morning. There's a look now live at the Pepsi Center.
And this is what happened a little bit earlier when the lights from a television network set up in one of the sky boxes set off the sprinklers in the convention hall. There you see it. No one hurt. Just a little soggy. And of course things quickly returned to normal shortly after that. But certainly a lot of excitement in the wee hours of the morning there because of the some lights from a TV crew.
Well, that was the first memorable moment of this year's Democratic convention. Probably won't be the last. Our Alina Cho is here with the 30 plus years of memories for political convention junkies. Something for everyone. ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly like a walk down memory lane. Kiran, good morning. Good morning, everybody. We certainly have come a long way since the first Democratic convention way back in 1832. And over the years, there's been backroom brokering, dreams of Camelot, and remember that painfully long speech by then Governor Bill Clinton? We certainly do. These days, though, conventions focus more on pageantry but not without many moments to remember.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): The last time there was true drama at a Democratic convention was 1980 when Senator Ted Kennedy challenged President Carter's nomination.
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end.
CHO: And when the parties finally stood together in what was supposed to be a sign of unity, Kennedy gave the President a quick handshake, then appeared to turn his back on him.
History was made at the 1984 convention when Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman on a major party ticket. It was a short-lived celebration, though, when Walter Mondale and Ferraro lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
And speaking of Mr. Bush, in 1988, Ann Richards, who eventually became governor of Texas, cracked up delegates when she took a shot at the then Republican nominee.
ANN RICHARDS (D), TEXAS: Poor George. He can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.
CHO: It was also in 1988 that the son of a murdered president had Democrats dreaming about a resurgence of Camelot.
KENNEDY: Over a quarter century ago, my father stood before you to accept the nomination for the presidency of the United States.
CHO: And Reverend Jesse Jackson had the crowd on their feet that same year.
REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW PUSH COALITION: America will get better and better. Keep hope alive.
CHO: Receiving multiple standing ovations during an electrifying speech. The same can't be said for a little known governor from Arkansas, whose nominating speech was most notable for its length. In fact, he got the longest applause when he said --
GOV. BILL CLINTON (D), ARKANSAS: In closing.
CHO: Four years later, then presidential nominee Bill Clinton got the last laugh.
CLINTON: I wanted to come back to this convention and finish that speech I started four years ago.
CHO: This long, lingering kiss between presidential nominee Al Gore and wife Tipper provided the most enduring image from the 2000 convention and had pundits speculating whether it was spontaneous or calculated.
Conventions are also moments to catch rising stars. That was evident in 2004 when an Illinois state senator with an unusual name gave the keynote address.
OBAMA: There is not a liberal America and a conservative America, there is the United States of America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Imagine that four years later here we are. And here's a fun fact for you. 16 key note speakers have gone on to run for president but only two of them eventually won their party's presidential nomination. Barack Obama of course and William Harding, Kiran, who gave the key note address in 1916.
CHETRY: I remember that. That was a good one.
CHO: And became the GOP presidential nominee in 1920. It's incredible. We were talking about this earlier, how the politicians look so young and how much they've aged, sadly.
CHETRY: Well, you're on the campaign trail night and day. You're working hard. And then once you actually become president it's even harder.
CHO: And then there's the stress.
CHETRY: Of course. Thanks a lot, Alina. Well, we have the convention. We have a huge impact for the city of Denver. Here's a look in the "A.M. Extra." At least 35,000 people are expected in town. 15,000 of them will be media covering the event. And the party says that 21,000 people have signed up as volunteers. The city says the convention could bring in up to $200 million.
Michelle Obama, one-on-one, just ahead of her primetime speech tonight. She speaks to us about family and patriotism and how she got where she is today.
Inside the Obama campaign, why was Senator Joe Biden picked as Obama's running mate. We're going to the selection process with the heads of Obama's vetting committee.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A live look right now at the convention hall. And Meanwhile, Barack Obama is hoping to reintroduce himself to voters at that convention. And who better to help him with that than his wife, Michelle. She is tonight's featured speaker. CNN's political analyst Roland Martin who has his own radio talk show and is a syndicated columnist sat down with Michelle in an interview for TV One. Sorry, it was hard for me to get that out. I'm so excited about the fact that you really had a chance to get a lot out of her. One of the interesting things she talked about was playing up her blue collar upbringing. And she's going to talk about that in tonight's speech. Let's listen to a tiny bit of that and I'll get your reaction.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: My father was a shift worker. He worked for the city all his life, same job. As I've told people, people know my father had multiple sclerosis. My father had a severe disability, you know. No silver spoons. No magic. Just parents who tried their best to give the next generation something a little bit more. And I think how that impacts this campaign is that that our stories are the quintessential American stories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Roland, how important is it going to be for her to bring that up tonight when she gives the speech?
MARTIN: It's vital because it lays the foundation that, look, I'm just like you. I'm not, you know, I wasn't some rich kid who went to Princeton and Harvard, where I had a silver spoon in my mouth. She makes a point in the interview on TV One last night that look, I was born in a two-bedroom apartment, grew up with my brother, my dad and my mom. And so, when you're able to tell that story, you're able to counter this different kind aversion that's been put upon her by frankly a lot of the crazy folks who on the right.
CHETRY: Her critics have taken some of the things she said specifically about patriotism and sort of turned them against her. She addressed that with you last night, too. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
M. OBAMA: I have said and will continue to say that I am absolutely proud of my country. And no other place in this country could my story be possible. I mean, that's, you know, I am here because of the opportunities that my father had, that my mother had. You know, we are who Americans were supposed to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And Roland, you know, this is not only the convention audience but of course the nationwide audience watching from home. You're sitting on your couch. What does Michelle Obama have to say for you to be convinced that, you know what, she is indeed patriotic just like all of us.
MARTIN: It boils down to telling your story. Look, the Republicans are very good. I've been saying this for years. And Democrats always want to talk about the issues. But Republicans define elections based upon character, based upon values. You're not one of us. This whole issue of you're not patriotic. Democrats have to respond in kind and say, wait a minute, I'm just like you. I have the same concerns.
You know, I think one of the things that Obama should do -- Senator Barack Obama and Michelle say, wait a minute, we just paid our student loans off four years ago so we know what you're going through. You know, Obama should be saying I worked through college. I know what that feels like. I'm American just as you. When Democrats allow Republicans to hit them over the head on character issues, they lose.
Economy is important. National security is important. People do want to get the sense that, hey, I'm just like you. And that's I think what she is going to have to do tonight. And frankly Obama is meant to do the same thing in his speech. You heard Senator Joe Biden do some of that Saturday. They have to do more of that to say, look, I am just as American as you. My story matters as well.
So, I think that you're going to hear a lot of that tonight in her speech. It is a very compelling speech that she gives talking about her upbringing.
CHETRY: Just got a couple of seconds here, but I want to ask you -- is she nervous? I mean, it's the biggest speech of her life she's going to give tonight.
MARTIN: You know what, I've seen her speak before crowds. And her campaign -- I mean, the Obama campaign, they call her the closer. Don't be surprised if she brings it tonight. And so, she may put the pressure on her husband to give a better speech on Thursday.
CHETRY: All right. Roland Martin, great job with that interview. I'm glad you got to share some of it with us today. Thanks.
MARTIN: Thanks, Kiran.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN, ANCHOR: Coming up now at 30 minutes after the hour, and coming to you live from Denver, Colorado in the Pepsi Center, home to the Democratic National Convention. You're watching the most news in the morning.
The Democratic National Convention begins today. It gavels in at 5:00 Eastern time this afternoon with an appeal to middleclass voters, especially women. Tonight's featured speaker, as Roland was saying, Michelle Obama. Also taking the podium tonight, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former president Jimmy Carter, Michelle's brother, Craig Robinson. And also tonight a video tribute to Senator Ted Kennedy who you know is battling brain cancer. Our Dana Bash is hearing this morning that it's almost certain that Senator Kennedy will be here tonight, an appearance that is sure to bring the house down.
Outside the convention meantime, a heavy police presence here in Denver. Officials are wearing riot gear. Anti-war protestors planning daily protests. We saw some of that yesterday.
The search for Senator Barack Obama's vice-presidential running mate started months before CNN told you that Delaware Senator Joseph Biden is the pick. So how intense is the selection process and what does the vetting committee look at? Eric Holder, the former deputy attorney general already the Clinton administration was co-chairman of the selection committee along with Caroline Kennedy and he joins me this morning. Eric, it's great to see you again.
ERIC HOLDER, LED OBAMA VETTING PROCESS: Good to see you again. How are you doing?
ROBERTS: Good, good. So how intense was this process? Is this something you would want to go through?
HOLDER: No. It's something that I wouldn't want to have to go through. It's a very intense process. There's a huge questionnaire that the candidates fill out. There's huge amounts of interviews they go through. A second set of interviews the go through, a third set of interviews that they go through, the people who are close to them, spouses, sons, daughters, other relatives. You really understand and find out just about everything about a person's life.
ROBERTS: So what are some of the questions that are on this questionnaire?
HOLDER: Oh, you talk about their political view, a few statements they've made, look at all the speeches that they've done. Obviously you look at tax returns, financial records, you know, everything. I mean, you go back as far as high school, junior high school. It's a pretty exhaustive search.
ROBERTS: To paraphrase one of the candidates for running mate, they described the process as being excruciatingly thorough. Was there an extra focus on making sure that whoever was the eventual nominee was properly vetted? Because there had been some missteps along the way with this campaign.
HOLDER: Well, as a vetter, as a person in charge of vetting, you want to make sure that the person who's up there with Barack Obama is somebody who is going to withstand all the scrutiny that they undoubtedly will get. With the internet, there's nothing in anybody's life that's really private anymore. And so you want to make sure that you hit all the possibilities and make sure that you come with a good candidate.
ROBERTS: So how many people were vetted in total?
HOLDER: We started with a really substantial number. Over 20. And then cut that down to, you know, Senator Biden.
ROBERTS: Right. Well Senator Biden, as you know, has said some things during the primaries that questioned Senator Obama's leadership. There was also that episode in 1988 where, during one speech he didn't give credit (Neil ), the labor party leader, for a speech that he had borrowed from. Did any of that enter into the vetting process for him?
HOLDER: Sure, it was all looked at. And I think the determination we made is that if you look at the totality of Senator Biden's career and what he has contributed to this nation that that unfortunate incident was really not something that was a disqualifier. I thought, you know, he shared the views of Senator Obama. He's a person committed to fighting for the middleclass in this country. We just loved his background. Just loved his background. And he's a straight talker, you know, a straight shooter. A guy who I think will be a real aid to Senator Obama.
ROBERTS: Now, Senator Obama said initially he wasn't sold on Senator Biden. What was it that turned the page here? Was it the Russia- Georgia conflict that some people have pointed to?
HOLDER: No. I think the decision was actually made by Barack before that. and I think as you get to know Joe Biden and understand you know, where he's from, what he's about, understand his, you know, his really compelling personal story, he becomes a very, very attractive person. He's somebody I have known for a good number of years when I was back in the Justice Department in the 90s. We worked together on a whole bunch of, you know, great legislation. He put 100,000 cops on the street, the Violence Against Women Act. He's a great force.
ROBERTS: Look, let me ask the horse and get it from the horse's mouth about here about this particular issue because we might make some news this morning. You know the scuttlebutt, supporters of Hillary Clinton saying that she wasn't vetted, that she wasn't told, that she wasn't going to be the vice presidential running mate by Senator Obama. Was she vetted, yes or no?
HOLDER: She was certainly considered. As I said, there are a host of people who we looked at and Senator Clinton's name came up on a number of occasions. I don't know about the conversations that actually occurred between Senator Obama and Senator Clinton but it would be unfair to say that she was not a part of the process and you don't really have to vet her in the same way as you have to do with the other candidates. She led her life in the public sphere and done it well over the years. So that the vet of her would have been, you know, quite easy.
ROBERTS: I read some reports, Eric, that suggests that she did not want to go through the process herself. She didn't want to take time to provide all the information, all the paperwork, all of that, go through all the interviews. Is that true?
HOLDER: I don't know. That, I don't know. I just don't know.
ROBERTS: Right. And any idea why an associate, as we understand an associate of hers was asked by the campaign to convey the news to her that she would not be the running mate. Is that true?
HOLDER: That, again, I don't know. I know Senator Obama made a number of calls to people who were being considered. And I don't know exactly what his interaction was with Senator Clinton.
ROBERTS: Would you want to go through this process again?
HOLDER: Perhaps doing it. I would never want to be the subject.
ROBERTS: No, no, I didn't say that but would you want to be part of the committee? HOLDER: If I could help, sure. It was a fascinating process. I got to know a bunch of really good Americans and really understood that we had a very rich
ROBERTS: Eric, it's great to see you again. Thanks for coming by this morning.
HOLDER: Thanks for having me.
ROBERTS: Appreciate it.
It didn't take long after Joe Biden was named as running mate for republicans to release an attack ad. We're going to talk to the GOP strategy, talk about the GOP strategy for going after Biden. And Joe Biden is a seasoned hand in dealing with Iraq, Afghanistan and other global trouble spots. How the vice presidential nominee will help Barack Obama deal with foreign policy crises?
And right now, the democrats descending on Denver to make their case for the presidency. But republicans try to spoil the party with a new ad featuring Hillary Clinton. Will it work? You're watching the most news in the morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, that's where the action is happening today. Tonight kicks off the beginning of the Democratic Convention. There's a live look right now at Pepsi Center. Every single one of those seats will be filled up in a matter of hours. And how about that, there's a human peace sign right outside in the parking lot area. Very creative. And boy, the early risers out there. But there you see it right outside. Certainly going to be a lot of people making their political points, as well as thousands of members of the media and thousands of volunteers, all converging on Denver to watch Barack Obama take the nomination for the democrats.
Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Now that Barack Obama has chosen Joe Biden as his running mate, criticism is coming from the other side. Some republicans are saying that Joe Biden's biggest problem really is that he's not Hillary Clinton. Joining me to discuss this is former Clinton campaign senior adviser Lisa Caputo as well as republican strategist and CNN contributor Ed Rollins. Great to see both of you. Thanks for being with us. Let's hear what Rudy Giuliani said this weekend as he reacted to Joe Biden getting the pick from Barack Obama?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The strong choice would have been Hillary Clinton. The obvious choice would have been Hillary Clinton. She had 50 percent of the democratic vote. Obama has 50 percent of the democratic vote. You almost have to go to extraordinary lengths to avoid her as the vice presidential pick of the party.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY: Lisa, your response?
LISA CAPUTO, FMR. CLINTON CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: Well, I think the republican party is grasping at straws. Clearly, I find it fascinating that Rudy Giuliani is out there lauding Hillary Clinton, his political nemesis.
CHETRY: They have a history.
CAPUTO: They have a history. I'm sure this has a lot to do with Joe Biden's great one-liner in the debates in the primaries where he said that Rudy Giuliani was known for three words, one of which is 9/11, I and 9/11, which is to say that Giuliani didn't have a lot of depth and a lot of substance. So I think they're scrambling because Biden is such a solid pick for the democratic party.
CHETRY: But does Rudy Giuliani have a point that there would be a - I mean, I understand that there was a lot of back and forth. It was a tough primary battle. But would it be more of a lock it seems to get all of those supporters if he had picked Hillary Clinton?
ED ROLLINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: First of all, it's not our party, so we don't get -- I don't disagree with what Rudy said. If I was the strategist picking for them I would definitely pick Hillary. But I'm not. It's their game. They get to choose who they want. They obviously have a very strong person. The game of picking a vice president is you try and find someone who helps you a little and doesn't hurt you. They found someone who was going to help them a little.
And I think now, when we pick ours, it's the same rule. At the end of the day, he's a good debater. He would be far better if they win as a foreign policy adviser, but they've got to win. I think that's the key here.
CHETRY: Well, this is over weeks of endless speculation about who Barack Obama would pick. Now we know. What about for the GOP side? If you were advising John McCain, who do you think would be some solid choices?
ROLLINS: Well, I think obviously, the names have been thrown out there - the governor of Minnesota who is not widely known outside Minnesota but basically a lot of conservatives like Romney obviously is a name. There's not a great chemistry there. A new name I'm going to throw out there is Kaye Bailey Hutchison, the governor of - senator.
CHETRY: She's moderate on abortion issues.
ROLLINS: But she's the senator from Texas. She's well respected. If you wanted to throw sort of a long ball, you know, I have great affection for my former boss Mike Huckabee, but that's not going to happen.
CHETRY: Who would be tough for you guys to run against? CAPUTO: Well, I think Kaye Bailey Hutchison - Ed's idea of Kaye Bailey Hutchinson would be a very bold move. I think also if he were going to be really bold he might go after an independent like Joe Lieberman in an attempt to get those swing voters. But let me say something too, Pawlenty if Minnesota is not known. He's too new. There's all this speculation about Romney. I think that, you know, that's not going to be a slam dunk by any stretch of the imagination. But don't forget, let me go back to Biden for one second if I may. They're going to put Joe Biden in these battles ground states, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida where he will be very effective with blue collar workers. The other thing to remember is Joe Biden's experience on the judiciary committee will be a big deal in this election, particularly when it comes to women and the tip of the Supreme Court going into this next presidency.
CHETRY: I want to get both your thoughts, Ed, I'm starting with you on the new polls. CNN's opinion dynamics poll has a dead heat, 47 percent to 47 percent for Barack Obama and John McCain. This is after the selection of Joe Biden. What does this tell you?
ROLLINS: It tells me it's a dead-even race. And the next two weeks are critical. Obama has to move forward, he has to define himself this week, and we have to come right back and redefine him and define ourselves, to move forward.
CHETRY: Did you expect more of a bounce, Lisa?
CAPUTO: I expect a bounce coming out of the Democratic Convention for Senator Obama. He must not only define himself but he must define himself in relation to Senator McCain. So he's got to do two things, he's got to define McCain and define himself and show America what the differences are between the two of them.
CHETRY: All right. We will be doing that tonight. For sure, at least attempting to, a lot going on. I want to thank both of you for staying with us in New York. Great to have Ed Rollins and Lisa Caputo in the house.
Don't forget, by the way, live coverage of the convention, the republicans turn in St. Paul, Minnesota will kick off here on AMERICAN MORNING on September 1st. And fast forward a little bit more, 71 days until America chooses the new president. Democrats are hoping to convince skeptical voters that the party is unified. But will a move by Hillary Clinton to release her delegates be enough to bring democrats together. We're going to talk about it. You're watching the most news in the morning.
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ROBERTS: 47 minutes after the hour. Nothing has been left to chance here in Denver. Here's an "A.M. Extra" look at the seating chart. You can see both Florida and Michigan have some prime seats. Delaware, the state that Senator Joe Biden represents got a last- minute move up. They were in the nosebleed section. The home state Colorado also sitting down front now. The best seats in the house going to Obama's home turf, the state of Illinois. Oregon, Rhode Island, Maryland, Oklahoma and McCain's home state, Arizona, all up in nosebleed land, as now is Idaho, which swapped positions with Delaware.
Well, just a few hours until democrats start lining up outside the Pepsi Center here in Denver. And after a bruising primary race, Senator Hillary Clinton will be offering a concrete proof of her support for Senator Obama by formally releasing her convention delegates to Senator Obama.
Joining me to talk more about this is conservative radio talk show host Martha Zoller. She's a John McCain supporter, and progressive talk show host, Ed Schultz, who supports Barack Obama. So, we're going to have this very symbolic move, Ed, of Hillary Clinton releasing her delegates. It's not going to happen until Wednesday though. And people wondering what happens between now and then. We're getting an awful lot of chatter that the Clintons are still very unhappy with the way things are going here. Bill Clinton about the theme of the speech that he's been told to talk about on Wednesday.
ED SCHULTZ, PROGRESSIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, the Clintons got to get over it. The Clinton supporters have to get over it. We can't have three nights of Clintons and one night of Barack Obama. The fact is this is Barack Obama's party now. He has earned this. He has done it with a tremendous campaign. And I think that the best thing the Clintons can do, both of them, is start turning their focus on John McCain and be aggressive. That would be the best thing to unite this party at this convention
MARTHA ZOLLER, SYNDICATED HOST, GEORGIA NETWORK NEWS: There's nothing Barack Obama can do to make the Clintons happy unless say I will not accept this nomination. I mean, I think that is the only thing he can do and that's not going to happen. I think the real mistake, if there was one that the Obama campaign made, was to do all these overtures to the Clintons and not to the Clinton delegates. The Clinton delegates that I have talked to sort of were expecting, and I don't know why, but they were expecting that they might get some outreach from the Obama campaign, that maybe Obama folks would say, hey, we want you to come along. There hasn't been any of that. And the expectation was, and you know what expectations do, they breed disappointment. And that has fed into a lot of this.
SCHULTZ: I think Senator Obama has been more than respectful to the Clintons on numerous times. And there's no question and I've said this all long that whoever did not get the nomination bears the tremendous responsibility to help bring this party together. We are now at that point. Senator Clinton has to be very clear to her supporters. It's over. It's time to move on. We've got to get behind Obama.
ROBERTS: Certainly, the McCain campaign is doing everything it can to try to capitalize on this discontent. They got a brand new ad out this morning with the former Clinton delegate saying that she's voting for John McCain. And let's take a look at this ad that features Hillary Clinton herself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANNOUNCER: She won millions of votes but isn't on his ticket. Why? For speaking the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You talk about trying to form discontent there.
ZOLLER: And listen to the voice. This is really, the voters you have to be very concerned about are those 50-plus voters. You can talk all you want about the youth vote. You can talk all you want and they will turn out. But the people you know will turn out is people over 50.
ROBERTS: Does this have a chance of working and I ask this question, Ed, based on some recent polling data that we've got that show John McCain's support among people who wanted Hillary Clinton to be the nominee has increased and increased dramatically. In late June, it was 16 percent. It's up now to 27 percent. There's been almost an exact slide in Barack Obama's support.
SCHULTZ: Well, that's the defined role I'm talking about for Senator Clinton. She needs to come to this convention with a mission, to explain to her supporters that the worst thing that could happen would be John McCain for four years, and a missed opportunity of bringing this new generation of democrats into the fold. Al Gore has a big presence in this election cycle coming up on Thursday night. So this has been a total platform of respect, an outreach by the Obamas. And now the people around them have to answer.
ZOLLER: The problem is not though between how the Clintons and Obama get along. Because I agree with Ed that they have done a lot to reach out. The campaigns I think is where the animosity is. And there could have been more work up and down the line on that. But you know, should have, could have, would have. We don't know what's going to happen. But it's too much Clinton. There is too much Clinton in this convention.
ROBERTS: I don't want to disagree with you, but I don't know that it's limited just to the campaigns because the grassroots supporters really seems to get their heels dug in.
SCHULTZ: Well it depends on what she says too. I mean if she comes out and really gets after it, she's going to convince a lot of those supporters that this is the right thing. The mission is to defeat John McCain.
ZOLLER: And you have Governor Rendell saying, yesterday, yes she wants to run again. Before the convention even starts makes a statement like that.
ROBERTS: We're going to see how this goes. It will be fascinating to watch. Martha Zoller, Ed Schultz, good to see you. We'll let you go because you got your own programs to do.
ZOLLER: Thanks.
ROBERTS: Appreciate it. We'll see you as the week goes on.
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan plus concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Our Michael Ware just back from Georgia. We're going to get his view on Joe Biden and whether he is really the guy who can guide Barack Obama through the foreign policy decisions that he would need to make as president. You're watching the most news in the morning.
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CHETRY: There is a live look right now at Pepsi Center. And tonight it's 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, 3:00 p.m. Mountain time and that that place is going to be rocking as the beginning of the Democratic National Convention kicks off with a laundry list of speakers. And they're going to be talking about Barack Obama and of course his VP choice, Joe Biden.
Well, Joe Biden brings anything to the democratic ticket, certainly a wealth of experience especially in foreign affairs. And Barack Obama will need that if elected as he addresses some critical foreign policy questions.
CNN's Michael Ware knows the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, all too well, maybe we should say. He's back from the conflict as well in Georgia. Michael joins us now. Thanks for being with us, by the way.
I'd like to get your insight about the talk about Iraq and what to do with Iraq. And Joe Biden, when he was running for president back in 2006, he talked a lot about his plan, which was partitioning Iraq into three separate and autonomous regions. Would that work?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. It doesn't have the snowflakes change that kind of a solution. I mean, for a start that plays directly into Tehran's hands. I mean, one of the big issues that has been fought out in Iraq politically is that the hard-core Iranian- backed Shia parties are trying to create a self ruling zone in the south. That would basically become a little Iran. Now, in the north, you already have a self-governing state. The Kurds in Kurdistan and they don't listen to the central government. They got their own defense force. They got their own foreign ministry. That's enough of the drama. So to try and partition it off is just going to destabilize, not just the country but will further destabilize the region. And no one supports it. It isn't going anywhere.
CHETRY: Now, you know that McCain camp has actually hammered Barack Obama a lot for calling for this timetable. Now we have the Bush administration, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice there last week hammering out what essentially is a timetable.
WARE: Yes.
CHETRY: From the Bush administration. Has the thinking changed or is it almost a matter of sort of throwing in the towel in trying to fight that issue?
WARE: Well, I think they're trying to dress it up. I mean, whatever you want to call it - failure, defeat, stalled, whatever, the mission. Basically what they're doing is just saying, well, look, the (inaudible) U.S. troops, you know, are faring much, much better. The sectarian violence is way, way down. It all looks hunky-dory. So, OK, we're able to go, start winding back and calling it a win. That's smoke and mirrors.
Underlying all this of this is the fact that Iran has a much greater influence in that country and thereby increasing its influence in the region, anti-American influence than they did before the American invasion. There's enormous implications for this kind of withdrawal. You can do it, but just accept what it's going to cost you. And they tell us, what are you going to do about it?
CHETRY: Well, you talk about that in the last hour as well, that there has to be some sort of acknowledgment about Iranian influence. Is that a diplomatic - is that a window for a diplomatic solution or is that something that needs to have military might behind it and who might be better at trying to juggle that?
WARE: Well, there is no diplomacy with that military at the end of the day. (inaudible) politics find other means. I mean, the problem is Iran has all the cards in its favor. I mean, there's very little stick with which to beat Tehran. And, for example, for the last - since the end of last year, those American troops who have died in Iraq, most of them died at the hands of Iranian-backed militias, not Al Qaeda, not the Suni insurgency. And what's this all about? We don't need to destabilize Iraq nor is it to bog U.S. troops out. The bigger picture is they're looking for advantage to press on the nuclear regime. That's the big gain here for the Iranians. So, really, yes, you need a diplomatic answer, you got to engage with Iran but somehow America is going to find a big stick.
CHETRY: All right. Michael Ware, thanks so much for being with us.
WARE: It's great pleasure. Thank you, Kiran.
CHETRY: John.
ROBERTS: It's one minute to the top of the hour now. At 5:00 Eastern this afternoon, they are going to gavel open this Democratic National Convention. 4,439 delegates will be here. And now with 4,439 votes. Because the democratic party yesterday restored both Florida and Michigan to full voting power. Now, they haven't even opened the convention here at the Pepsi Center but already this morning they're bringing chains to Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos. On Thursday the party moves from here to the nearby stadium where Barack Obama will accept his party's nomination in front of an estimated 75,000 people. That's going to be the first time that a nomination has been accepted outdoors since John Kennedy did it at the Los Angeles Coliseum back in 1960. And we're going to be here for every moment of it. Make sure you keep it right here on CNN.
Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. John Roberts for Kiran Chetry. We will see you back here again bright and early tomorrow morning. Our coverage continues right now on CNN. And here's Soledad O'Brien. Good morning, Soledad.
