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All Eyes on Bill Clinton Tonight; Hillary Clinton's Convention Speech; Energy Security Concern for Voters
Aired August 27, 2008 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, everybody, and welcome. I'm Soledad O'Brien at the CNN Election Center in New York.
Today is going to be the biggest day of Barack Obama's life until tomorrow. The delegates to the Democratic National Convention gather in just about five hours to nominate the senator from Illinois for president of the United States.
Some nagging questions, though, are sure to interfere with today's history-making moment. Will Barack Obama's acceptance speech tomorrow top Hillary Clinton's speech last night, or Bill Clinton's big speech, which is expected this evening?
Today's also a all about tackling questions over Barack Obama's perceived biggest weakness, which is national security. Our brand new poll shows exactly where he's vulnerable. We'll have that.
Also this hour, Michelle Obama and John Roberts talk about her role in the campaign and the possibility that she could become first lady.
Speaking of my colleague, John Roberts, let's get right to him. He's at the CNN Grill in Denver.
Hey, John.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Soledad. I love the way you put that, that this is the biggest day of Barack Obama's life until tomorrow. But it's true, today's theme here at the Democratic National Convention is securing America's future. And so we're expecting vice presidential nominee Joe Biden tonight in his speech to go very heavy on national security because he has got those credentials, and draw some pretty aggressive compare and contrast to the McCain campaign.
Hillary Clinton began that process forcefully last night, it's suspected that Biden is going to continue it this evening. But all eyes are going to be on Bill Clinton. And the speculation is, what is Bill Clinton going to do tonight when he appears before people at the Pepsi Center?
Our Jessica Yellin is here with us this morning here in Denver, this afternoon in New York, to talk more about that.
You've been talking with folks over on the Clinton side of things. What are you hearing in terms of where he's going? Will he stick to the security theme, or will he veer off into his real strong territory, which is the economy and big Democratic themes?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think he'll try to encompass a whole range of issues. They wouldn't see it as veering off.
I think what you're going to see Bill Clinton do tonight is show everyone how it's done. You know, he is the guy who has brought success to the Democratic Party. And certainly in the view of Clinton's former aides and his circle right now, he knows better than anybody how to meet the Republicans. And he's going to lay out a road map for doing that.
Probably drawing comparisons, as Dana Bash has reported, between the race he ran in '92 and the race that Obama's running. How Democrats have succeed in the past, how they can succeed now. And expect him to go very, very hard against John McCain, full frontal attack.
ROBERTS: Now, people on the Clinton side of things are saying that he wants to really talk about his record, as you said, and compare and contrast that with the Bush record, how he beat Republicans. Is there a danger, though, that he veers too much into that territory? Not veers, but goes too much into that territory and that takes away from Barack Obama?
YELLIN: You know, people will post-game everything. There are people this morning who are saying that Hillary Clinton should have focussed more on Barack Obama, even though in the room last night, it seemed her speech was received without criticism anywhere.
So, in the aftermath, sure, there are some dangers for Bill Clinton. You never know where he might go, in fact. But overall, he is determined to show that he can be a team player and that he will draw the best distinctions for Barack Obama to win.
ROBERTS: Now, Barack Obama's nomination speech will be tomorrow night. But a very significant event tonight, as Soledad was saying, is his name is placed into nomination and the roll call vote is held.
Now, this is going to be a very complicated process because Hillary Clinton will be on the ballot for at least part of that. How is this all going to work?
YELLIN: Right. So what happens is each state has the right to stand up and say everybody puts in a little ballot just like they're voting, all the delegates, and then their state representative, the chair, stands and up says Virginia goes for Barack Obama, New York goes for Hillary Clinton. And so they'll let that go for a certain amount of time, but there is some concern that it would look divisive if it kept going and many, many states go for Hillary Clinton.
So, the idea is that at some point, Senator Clinton will herself, after some states have started calling out their roll call, Senator Clinton will stand up in New York and say effectively, I want to stop this, I want us all to vote for Barack Obama by acclamation. And they sort of universally say Barack Obama is the nominee. ROBERTS: That will be an interesting process to watch.
YELLIN: Quite a moment.
ROBERTS: Jessica Yellin, thanks.
Let's go back to New York. And here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much.
Let's get right to our panel.
We're joined by CNN political contributor Amy Holmes. She's an Independent conservative who was a speechwriter for Republican Senator Bill Frist.
Journalist, author and CNN political contributor Carl Bernstein joins us. He's the author of "A Woman in Charge." Of course, it's about Hillary Clinton, now in paperback, as he likes me to say.
And CNN Senior Analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
I love giving him a little jab here and there.
Jeff Toobin also with us.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. ANALYST: Am I a dependent conservative if Amy's an Independent conservative?
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: I could have a paragraph on you too, but I won't go into it.
CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: He's got a book out.
O'BRIEN: He's got a book too. How is that for an intro?
Let's start by talking about Hillary's speech. I've heard the range. Either it was the best speech of her life, the best speech possible, to just went far enough. You know, the ball dribbled over the net and it was fine.
Where do you think it fell, Carl?
BERNSTEIN: This is Barack Obama's convention, and he got Hillary Clinton to do what he needs. Look, she's never going to like him. She's not his good friend. But she did what was needed to begin to bring her people around. She started a real movement in the end of her campaign that was moving away from Barack Obama.
Now they're starting, as a result of her speech, which said get over it, we've got to move on, there's a reason that we need to support Barack Obama. She said it, she said it well.
And now the next step is Bill Clinton. There is a problem that Barack Obama has at this convention, but it seems to me he's handled it very well, and that is the oxygen that the Clinton take out of the air.
O'BRIEN: I mean, OK.
BERNSTEIN: But he's doing real well.
O'BRIEN: How do you deal with that problem, Jeff? How do you leverage that problem? Because the oxygen that they take out also is oxygen that they bring to the audience. So if you can kind of hold onto it...
BERNSTEIN: It's like a Beatles song.
O'BRIEN: I know, we should work on that later.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: I mean, how do you leverage that power without having it suck you dry?
TOOBIN: I think by uniting in the face of a common enemy. I think a negative attack on John McCain is something everyone in that room can agree on.
The Clinton, I think, you know, we talk a lot about strategy. I also think the Clinton think politics mean something. And I think the most effective part of Hillary Clinton's speech last night was when she said, look, you didn't endorse me, you endorsed me because of my values.
And I think Clinton can do the same thing. Politics is about whether the war in Iraq ends, whether the economy recovers, whether abortion is protected as a constitutional right. Those are the kinds of things that will move Democrats back into the Democratic fold. And there's only one Democratic candidate this year.
AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: I agree with the Jeffrey to the extent that it helps with Democrats, but what about those Independent and swing voters?
Here's what Hillary did not say. She did not say that Barack Obama is ready to lead. And that's what John McCain has been hammering. That campaign has been hammering Barack Obama all week long.
I think it was both the best speech of her life, it was a magnificent speech, but it was also pretty generic. She could have been talking about any Democrat. We're the Democratic Party, these are our values, you need to elect a Democratic president. She did not talk about Barack Obama.
O'BRIEN: Is there...
(CROSSTALK)
BERNSTEIN: This is step one. This is step one.
O'BRIEN: Is there a role for Bill Clinton in that? I mean, you know, some people have suggested that maybe one of the things he'll say is, people said I wasn't ready to lead. And let me remind you how the economy looked when I was president.
HOLMES: I think that would be a clever thing for Bill Clinton to draw attention to. But getting back to Hillary's speech last night, I think she set herself up for, if Barack Obama loses, she didn't go too far out on a limb with Barack Obama personally to be responsible.
BERNSTEIN: I think we're way ahead of ourselves here. I think we've got to -- again, I keep saying this every day.
I think we need to look at these events in real time and not go too far into the future. But the one thing that we know is this is step one of Hillary Clinton joining this ticket. And we do know she is going to go out there and campaign, and she and Bill Clinton have the ability to deliver key areas and key -- in key states.
And part of that message, I'm told, is obviously going to address the commander in chief problem. She didn't do it last night. I'm not sure she could have done everything last night. And, you know, all of this is a step at a time.
O'BRIEN: But a step at a time, but when you said in the primary, which has been leveraged into a campaign ad...
HOLMES: By John McCain.
O'BRIEN: ... something mean -- by John McCain -- something mean and pretty definitive and clear, doesn't that become a problem? And then you go somewhere and you say the opposite, don't people say, oh, please?
TOOBIN: But look, every campaign for president, there's a primary first. And in every campaign, they use the words of the losing primary candidates against the -- that happens all the time.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: But Jeffrey, Hillary had her opportunity last night to say, "And I believe that Barack Obama is ready to lead." And she did not.
TOOBIN: Hillary's a completely meaningless point.
BERNSTEIN: Hillary's got a thousand opportunities.
TOOBIN: She endorsed Barack Obama. She said he should be president.
Ready to lead? What does that mean? That's just a synonym for he should be president. I think -- with all due respect, I think that's an invented Republican talking point that is not reflected in anything she said. O'BRIEN: But whether or not you think it's an invented Republican talking point, when you see the ad -- I mean, on both sides of the aisle, people said to me, wow, that's an effective ad. Whether you love the ad or you don't love the ad, you say...
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: And we do know that Hillary addressed it.
TOOBIN: But she said, "I'm Hillary Clinton and I don't approve that message."
BERNSTEIN: That's right.
TOOBIN: She endorsed him in ringing tones last night. Look, the primary, she said what she said, it's history. The ad is somewhat effective, I would say.
And by the way, I don't think it has been broadcast much of anywhere. It's mostly been broadcast on CNN for us talking about it.
BERNSTEIN: For us talking about, which is exactly what they want.
O'BRIEN: We will continue this conversation tomorrow when we hear President Clinton give his speech and, of course, Joe Biden, too. Looking forward to that.
Thank you, guys. I really appreciate it.
HOLMES: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Now, the Democrats' umbrella theme today is securing America's future. Going to be lots of emphasis on the U.S. military and veterans. But our energy security, especially oil prices, big concern for voters.
Joining me now from the CNN Grill in Denver is Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer. He's a member of the Select Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee.
Nice to see you, sir. Thanks for talking with us.
You've heard candidate after candidate and elected official talking about the importance of reducing energy dependence, lowering gas prices, et cetera, et cetera. What do you think is the real solution here? What has to be done?
REP. EARL BLUMENAUER (D), OREGON: Well, what we need to do is, first off, apply what we know works, from bicycle streetcars, plug-in hybrids. I mean, these are things that are within our grasp right now that we need to provide just a modest amount of incentive to be able to follow through.
Four times we've passed through the House of Representatives this year tax incentives for wind and solar that will help get them to the point where we can move it forward. It is not something that we -- that people need to be thinking about far into the future with esoteric stuff. That will come, but in the short term, we just need to get back to the basics and implement it.
O'BRIEN: It's been quoted in a few blogs, Oregonian blogs, that you're urging the Oregonian delegation to get out and fight for every vote because the McCain attacks are only going to get worse. What you've seen so far from the convention, are you pleased with the attacks, the way it's going? What do you think?
BLUEMENHAUER: Well, I don't think they've been attacks so much as just being very clear about the McCain/Bush record and the direction they want to go, and the contrast with what Senator Obama, our platform, our congressional leadership, from health care to energy to tax justice and the economy, I think the facts speak for themselves. And I am pleased that we're having our team be a little more direct, a little more forceful. I thought Senator Clinton nailed it last night, where she acknowledged that Senator McCain was her friend and she respected him, but he's just dead wrong.
O'BRIEN: Congressman Earl Blumenauer joining us from the CNN Grill.
Appreciate your time. Thanks for being with us.
Michelle Obama spent part of the morning helping volunteers put together care packages for U.S. troops. She also had a moment to talk with John Roberts about her role in the campaign and her priorities if she becomes first lady. You're going to hear about that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Tell me a little bit about the project in the park this morning.
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: Yes, we are preparing care packages for the troops this morning. And this is something that the DNC, the Obama campaign, the party has wanted to do to make sure that we're giving back to the city, that we're basically taking over for the next four days.
So, in addition to this project, there are going to be service projects all over the city. And all the delegates have been asked to go out and serve. And it's also part of one of the signature pieces of Barack's platform, and that's expanding national service and making sure that while our troops are away at home, that we're doing the best we can do to serve our country here at home.
ROBERTS: I've been to the war zones, I've seen troops receive care packages, not necessarily yours, but from home or other organizations. It's extraordinarily important to them.
OBAMA: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, you can only imagine when you're that far away from home and you don't have a connection to the community, the culture, the stories just getting -- as one soldier said, it's not even the stuff in the box, it's the notes. It's just the connection, you know, the stories from home that tell the soldiers how much their service means to us. So it's a simple thing to do. So we have to do it more.
ROBERTS: One of the things we try to do here at CNN in this election cycle is present to voters sort of the idea of what it would be like if. So I wanted to ask you, how would you define your role as first lady if your husband wins the election? Have you got a signature issue that you'd like to make your own that would help define your term in the White House?
OBAMA: You know, I joke that my first job is going to be mom in chief, because with the little kids, you know, I have to make sure that their feet are on the ground. So that's going to be an important priority for our family, as it has been during the course of this campaign. But there are signature events.
And one of them is drawing more attention to the challenges that military families face when troops are deployed. We look at today's economic crisis -- people losing their homes, jobs disappearing, education systems not where they need to be. And you take all of those issues and pack that on top of families who are dealing with members who are on their second or third tour of duty, and there's a high level of stress that affects the families back at home.
And there's more that we need to do. And I've been having conversations with military spouses all around the country, hearing their stories. The amount of mental stress that they're under without any support, not being able to hold down jobs because they're moving from place to place to place.
And I was surprised at the challenges they face. And I know that if more Americans heard those stories, we would get some more attention and some more support for initiatives that are designed to help these families.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: My exclusive interview about 90 minutes ago with Michelle Obama. We spoke at Curtis Park in the eastern part of Denver. It was one of a number of community service projects that she is helping out with packing up those care packages to send to American forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other hot spots around the world.
By the way, you can see the rest of my exclusive interview with her tomorrow morning on the most news in the morning, "AMERICAN MORNING," starting at 6:00 a.m. Eastern.
Meantime, let's look ahead to what's going to happen later on today at the Democratic National Convention here in Denver. And we've got assembled three members of the best political team on television: Suzanne Malveaux, Dana Bash, and Jessica Yellin.
Let's look at Bill Clinton.
And you've been doing a lot of looking into this, talking with your sources in the Clinton campaign, the Obama campaign. Dana, where do we expect Bill Clinton is going to head tonight when he addresses the convention?
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I mean, it's no secret, I think at this point, that when you talk about sort of the hard feelings with the Clinton and the Obamas, it's really Bill Clinton that has had more of a hard time getting over it for various reasons. And part of the reason, I'm told by several people very close to him, is because he feels like Obama really hasn't reached out to him to take advantage of his experience, his eight years as commander in chief, and also his experience in running the kind of change campaign that perhaps Barack Obama wants to run.
So I think what we're going to see tonight in his speech is maybe his advice in public. This is the kind of message that I'm going to show you, perhaps that you can give. And really, it will be a lot of contrast between what Barack Obama would bring and what John McCain and the Republicans would bring, both on the economy and on national security.
ROBERTS: And Jessica was suggesting there might be a lot about Bill because we hear...
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: That would be very unusual.
ROBERTS: We hear from lots of people close to him that he doesn't think that Barack Obama has given him adequate credit for what he did during his White House years.
What about the Hillary speech?
Suzanne, you were talking with a delegate from Texas on the floor who was a Hillary supporter. And this whole idea of unity is whether or not she can convince her delegates and then voters at large to come over to Barack Obama's side. This one particular delegate you talked to, what was her sentiment?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It was very difficult for a lot of them. I mean, there was a lot of emotion during her speech and after her speech. And the one woman that I talked to last night really kind of represented a lot of the mental anguish that some of them are going through, that they really -- that they're looking for some closure, some reconciliation, and they just haven't reached that point where they can get over it.
A lot of people, by the way, are going home. They're not going to stick around for Thursday. But she said a number of things.
She said this is someone who embodied a lot of hope for us. You know, the possibility of women and potential. And she just couldn't quite get over that. She was in tears. And she also -- there was a flash of anger. It wasn't just sadness, but anger.
Anger at us, the media, saying, you know, we think that by the end of the week, you guys, you saw a president, you saw a president here, but you'll dismiss it. There was another person who said, look, you know, the whole process has been unfair, Florida and Michigan, the roll call.
So there is a sense from a lot of people that this is going to be something that they're just going to have to work through. It's not going to -- it didn't end last night, it's not going to end at this convention, and there's still people -- she even said, and she said it was a difficult thing for her, she may not vote. She may not vote.
ROBERTS: Right. Because she didn't say that she would vote for McCain, but might stay at home.
MALVEAUX: Right. But she said she might just have to stay at home, which was very emotional for her.
ROBERTS: So Jessica, where does the Democratic Party find itself at this stage of the convention? These are supposed to be the booster rockets on the campaign that propel you toward the general election, with hopefully enough momentum to blunt any bounce that John McCain gets out of the Republican convention next week.
So where are they?
YELLIN: They're in a place where they need to find the final push somewhere to really go to the distance. Right now, the Democratic Party knows that -- first of all, insiders do think the convention is going well. They're happy with the message, they think everybody has delivered their speeches well. They're particularly pleased that the Michelle Obama speech came off without criticism.
But there is still this energized minority of Hillary Clinton supporters who are refusing to come over. There's this group in the middle that's lukewarm, where party leaders think they will eventually get there, but they really need the push.
And they're counting on Barack Obama to deliver tomorrow night, not just by delivering the speech we've heard from him many times, but by hearing him outline quite specifically why John McCain is the wrong president and why Barack Obama is ready. And a speech that will convince people that he is ready to be commander in chief. A lot of pressure on him.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, you know, volume may have a lot to do with it, as well. You know, the Super Bowl is just another football game, but when you see the energy around it in the stadium that the Super Bowl is held in, somehow it elevates that game. So maybe having this speech at INVESCO Field will add a certain amount of cache to it that give him that bit of a bounce.
All right. We'll find out. All eyes will be on tonight. Thanks very much.
BASH: Thanks.
ROBERTS: Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, Barack Obama's historic achievement of winning the Democratic nomination has energized African-American from coast to coast. Up next, I'm going to ask filmmaker Spike Lee about the possible impact if, in fact, Obama is elected president. He has said it could change everything.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
The Democratic National Convention really gets down to business today. You'll definitely want to be watching at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. We're going to cover the nominating and speeches for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Then the roll call vote will follow.
During the 7:00 hour, there'll be speeches by female members of the House of Representatives. Plus, South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, who's a member of the Democratic leadership.
Melissa Etheridge going to be singing, performing.
And at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will address the delegates.
During the 9:00 hour, we're going to hear from former president Bill Clinton, highly anticipated speech tonight.
Senator and 2004 nominee John Kerry and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson also will be talking.
10:00 p.m. Eastern, Senator Joe Biden will be nominated for vice president. And he's going to give his acceptance speech.
So lots to look forward to this evening.
Award-winning director Spike Lee endorsed Barack Obama back in February, and he's doing film making, of course, and also currently a professor and artistic director for NYU. But he's in Denver this week to watch in person as Senator Obama accepts the nomination.
He's at the CNN Grill in Denver this afternoon.
Nice to see you, Spike, thanks for talking to us.
You have said -- well, you know, I can't hear you guys. Does anybody have -- is it just me?
SPIKE LEE, FILMMAKER: Yes, how you doing?
Soledad says she can't hear me.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I'm back. I hear you. I hear you.
Let me ask you a question, Spike.
LEE: How are you doing?
O'BRIEN: I'm really well, thank you.
You said before, if Obama is elected president, "it'll change everything." You'll measure time by before Obama and after Obama.
What literally do you mean by that?
LEE: Well, I just think that this is not only a historic moment in American history, but a historic moment in world history. I think it's that significance that you could say "BB," Before Barack, and "AB," After Barack, because it changes the whole dynamic, it changes everything.
O'BRIEN: You've also said about Hillary Clinton, she's like the kid who gets mad so he takes the football away so no one else can play.
LEE: No, no, that's not what I said.
O'BRIEN: All right. That's the quote I see here. But what did you say?
LEE: Well, you're speaking to me now, so I would like to tell you what I said.
O'BRIEN: Go ahead.
LEE: The quote was referring to the Hillary Clinton supporters who felt that they would support John McCain instead of voting for Barack Obama. And what I said was that reminds me of when you're growing up in Brooklyn, New York, where someone didn't like what was going on, they would take the football and go home and we couldn't play anymore.
But I think that last night Hillary Clinton's great speech that all this stuff about not being unified is over. I think she squashed it.
I think that President Clinton is going to -- he's going to put his stamp of approval on it tonight. And at the end of Thursday, the Democratic Party will be unified. That's what I said.
O'BRIEN: Duly noted. We'll change that quote.
But as you get closer to November, I think it's fair to guess that the attacks are going to get nastier. What do you think -- what role will race play in these, I'm going to assume, attacks as we get closer to November? LEE: Well, I think that if you look at the history of the world, nobody ever in power has just given it up. So I look for John McCain, the Republican Party to do everything that they can above the table and below the table to win this election. So I think people should not be surprised when the brick backs and all the other stuff, the kitchen sinks, and the Jacuzzi, all that stuff starts to fly.
O'BRIEN: The Jacuzzi starts to fly. I never heard that one before.
You've said hip-hop music is going to be a key element in getting Obama elected. Specifically, how?
LEE: Well, Soledad, I don't know where you're getting these quotes from. I never said that. But I think that if you look at this movement, which it is a movement, a large part of it has been made up of young people. I'll say most people listening to hip hop. And so I just think that there's a youthful energy that has been galvanized, who believes in Obama, believes in change, and wants to have a stake in the direction, the future of their lives.
O'BRIEN: When Barack Obama gives a speech in front of 75,000 people, it'll be on a very obviously, as you well know, important anniversary.
LEE: Right.
O'BRIEN: Oh, what do you think as a film maker, as a story teller, what story does he have to tell? What does he have to say that's going to make people watching and those 75,000 people, you know, connect with him?
LEE: Well, as you know, Soledad, I love sports. And the greatest sports athletes have always picked up their game on the biggest stage - Super Bowl, when you come and play in the garden, World Series.
And tomorrow, Barack is going to pick up his game, he's going to give the best speech of his life and I think that he's going to be himself and in basic terms explain that his story is an American story. That there's nothing to fear, all this muscling stuff that he's un-American, all these stuff. He has to get people comfortable. And this is America's story. And I think that it's going to be a historic night tomorrow night. And I'm going to be right there.
O'BRIEN: Good for you. Spike Lee joining us. Thanks, Spike. Nice to talk to you as always. Appreciate it.
LEE: Can I say one last - Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Of course, you can, you know, you say that in every interview. Can I say one last thing? But go ahead.
LEE: I really would like CNN to contrast what the democratic convention looks like versus what we're going to see in Minnesota. Look at the peoples' faces, look at the race, the gender, the nationalities, compare the two. Compare the face of America here in Denver versus what you will see in Minnesota.
O'BRIEN: Spike Lee planting story of interest. All right, it's a deal. Thank you very much, Spike. Duly noted. Appreciate it. Nice to see you as always.
If the democrats are trying so hard to unify, Bill Clinton we're told is planning to skip tomorrow's gathering at Denver's football stadium. The question is why is that unusual? David Gergen says not so much. Up next, John Roberts brings the other members of the best political team on TV to discuss what we will and apparently won't be seeing in the next two days in the democratic convention. That's straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Stand up, Colorado. Stand up. Florida, stand up. Michigan, stand up. Pennsylvania, stand up. Get off of your hind end. Stand up.
ROBERTS: Yahoo, Brian Schweitzer, governor of Montana last night really winding up the crowd at the Democratic National Convention. We are back live from the CNN Grill, across the street from the Pepsi Center. Let's talk a little bit more about what we're going to see in the next 24 hours here at the convention in Denver.
We got Hilary Rosen with us as well as Leslie Sanchez and Dana Milbank of the "Washington Post." So Hillary Clinton is going to go to the big speech tomorrow night at INVESCO Field, Dana, but Bill Clinton has decided that he's not going to go. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Because I can envision that, you know, when you take a look at the television show, almost every cut away would be of Bill Clinton sitting there watching the speech.
DANA MILBANK, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Right. And he's not going to be mouthing I love you so much. In fact, it happened last night, Poor Duvall Patrick is coming to the grand finale and Clinton walks in and all the cameras go to him and people start cheering and that was the end of that. So it may be a good thing not to have him there. It's a bad thing for the word to be going out now because it counters the message that Hillary gave last night. I think the best thing would be to have him there, but have some sort of electrified woopy cushion under him so when he starts misbehaving, they can get him right back in line.
HILARY ROSEN, POLITICAL DIRECTOR, "HUFFINGTON POST": Well, you know, we should be clear on something. This is all the Obama campaign's decision. There's no message in whether Bill or Hillary goes to the Mile High Stadium. That everyone around here is calling it that now become the -
ROBERTS: It does say Mile High Stadium right under INVESCO.
If Barack Obama wanted Bill Clinton to be there, he would be there. He wants Hillary Clinton to be there. I think in some ways we saw this election, you know, that the torch is passing. And Hillary Clinton is really the contemporary Clinton candidate. I think that's the right call.
ROBERTS: Let me see if I can start a fight here. Because Leslie, you're concerned about the optics of all of this tomorrow night.
LESLIE SANCHEZ, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I'm not so much concerned as much as the rumblings from this morning that you're hearing. A lot of people thought that Hillary Clinton looked very large. She was an intimate setting, gave a powerful speech.
ROBERTS: Large in a good way.
SANCHEZ: Large in a good way. Please. But it was a very engaging environment. And visually she looked very strong versus Barack Obama who they fear could look tiny, minuscule in such a large stadium. It's very true, they don't want the blimp shot. It was the quote from this morning, which I can't blame them. It's harder to connect truthfully with 75,000 people, to make that connection the way that Hillary Clinton made it intimately in a smaller venue.
ROSEN: I just think that's totally wrong. First of all, I don't think the Obama campaign is worried about any shot. I think, you know, we have an amazing camera crew scheduled. We're going to get lots of close-ups of Barack Obama. There'll be lots of intimacy at the key moments. The other thing you get, though, in Mile High Stadium is a real sense that the politics of today are different than the politics of yesterday. That's what he's trying to convey.
ROBERTS: How so?
ROSEN: It's a changed movement, it's a new generation. It's saying that we're going to be a more inclusive political party. We're a more inclusive government. And having that vibe of being at a stadium, you know, amplifies that message.
ROBERTS: This is going to be the first one since John Kennedy gave his address at the Los Angeles Coliseum back in 1960. People have stayed away from it for a long time. Has there been a reason that they've done that, do you think?
MILBANK: Well, to the best of my knowledge, John Kennedy did not have fireworks and, you know, rock star sound and light system going on there.
ROBERTS: And Dana Milbank sitting in the front row.
MILBANK: I'm going to sit in the top row -
ROSEN: The most that they could find at the top.
MILBANK: Right but the question is, you know, maybe they will get that grand sense that you're talking about, maybe he'll look like an ant or somewhere. But I think the biggest danger is that it looks like he's presenting himself as a rock star. That's what he needs to be careful about. SANCHEZ: Exactly the point. I think it plays exactly into the narrative that he is built for himself. He is somebody who is larger than life. There's a lot of celebrity status, almost like a Macy's Day Parade, balloon moving down, and we're trying to tether him. And the republicans pop a hole. If I could, Hilary, if I could make a point.
ROSEN: They give the tickets away.
SANCHEZ: That isn't the point. I'm not going to argue about it.
ROSEN: They have to pay people to come.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Young people are excited.
ROSEN: To have a popular candidate is a bad thing?
SANCHEZ: I don't think that's the issue.
ROSEN: It is the issue.
SANCHEZ: Have an immigration march.
ROSEN: This is a republican talking point that if somehow Barack Obama's popular, that if people want to be there and see him that that's a bad thing, that defines him as empty.
SANCHEZ: I think -
ROBERTS: Who let this continue on? In the meantime, let's throw it back to New York and here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
ROBERTS: Didn't they give the tickets away to INVESCO too?
O'BRIEN: Got a little fight there.
We are on the McCain V.P. watch. Speaking of John McCain, we're going to check in on the republican nominee coming up next. Stay with us.
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O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. As we are continuing our coverage of the Democratic National Convention, day three, and some people have said it is the most important day for Senator Barack Obama until tomorrow, of course, which is when he has to make his big speech in front of 75,000 people, outdoor, at INVESCO Field. We're told the weather is going to be great, which means that will be helpful to him. John McCain, however, is laying low with no public events. Buzz is heating up, though, over his running mate choice.
Let's get right to Dana Bash who's in Denver. Hey, Dana, let's start talking about front runners. Who is sticking out at this point for John McCain?
BASH: You know, the names really haven't changed in the last several weeks in terms of the people that we're talking about and the people that the McCain advisers that we talked to basically don't disagree with. You know, it's actually really important, I think for our viewers to know that the way this process works and maybe they do already that especially inside the McCain campaign, there are maybe four people, four or five people close to John McCain who really, really know what the deal is and they are sworn to secrecy.
So you've got to kind of talk in code with some of the people who know and people around John McCain. But here's what we do believe. We believe that first and foremost Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, John McCain's former rival, is still pretty high up there in terms of somebody who he's seriously considering. And it was interesting. He was actually here serving as a surrogate for John McCain yesterday. And Soledad, I got to tell you, watching him at a press conference over at McCain headquarters here in Denver, it almost sounded like a Romney running mate audition. Listen to what he was saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you go back and look at the debates that were held. I don't know how many candidates were up there, 10 or so at one point, we had more than a dozen debates. You'll find each of us describing our differences with one another. And surely you'll find times when one or the other of us disagreed with Senator McCain on one issue or another. You're never going to find one that says John McCain wasn't qualified to be president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, what he was doing there was answering a question about how he swears the fact that he during the republican primaries really slammed John McCain hard on a number of issues and how he squares that with the fact that he wholeheartedly says he supports McCain's candidacy now.
So you heard kind of a little bit of a line there that he seems to be practicing, explaining how he can square those two things. Mitt Romney is somebody that we're just talking about. There is still Tim Pawlenty, the governor of Minnesota, who people are still talking about very seriously. He is the governor of the state where the republican convention is going to be held.
He is somebody who has been a long time supporter of John McCain. And there is still a dark horse that we really can't rule out we're told from our sources, and that is democrat turned independent Joe Lieberman. He is somebody, Soledad, who John McCain absolutely adores. I mean, you can actually see on the campaign trail that he's happier when Joe Lieberman is around him.
O'BRIEN: And conservatives -
BASH: And that's one reason why -
O'BRIEN: And conservatives do not adore. Which will be a big problem and very interesting if, in fact, --
BASH: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: -- he is the person who is that. Dana Bash for us. Dana, thanks.
BASH: Exactly right. OK.
O'BRIEN: It'll certainly make for a lot of interesting conversation next week as we take a look at the RNC, that's for sure if that's the pick. Next president, of course, is going to face some very tough national security challenges. We're going to talk about that. Plus talk live to New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine when CNN's special coverage of the Democratic National Convention rolls on. Stay with us.
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O'BRIEN: Securing our nation's future, that's the theme of the day. Day three at the Democratic National Convention. One of our security concerns, of course, a big one is Iraq. A new CNN opinion research poll asked registered voters who would better handle Iraq. 53 percent said John McCain would do a better job, 44 percent thought Barack Obama would better handle Iraq.
CNN's Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon for us. Barbara, obviously, the next president is going to face some serious national security challenges, almost all of which you have covered. What are the biggies and what do you think the strategy has to be to translate to the American public a view forward?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Soledad, what's really happening right now is while it's national security day for the democrats, the republican convention coming up, the reality on the ground for the troops, for the commanders is the war's march on. And we are in a period right now during these conventions where military events on the ground are starting to move very quickly. Candidates or no candidates.
In Iraq, first and foremost, the window is now open, we are told, General Petraeus' recommendations for further troop reductions could really come at any time. He is set to leave Iraq in about two weeks to move on to his next job. His recommendations to President Bush certainly will be made before that. Almost certainly will be for several additional brigades to come out of Iraq over the next six to eight months we are told. And that's the reality for whoever the next president is. That's the going to be the reality for the fall campaign. That progress is being made in Iraq, that there will be troop reductions.
But I have to tell you, every indication we have, is it will not be at the rate some of the democrats are suggesting of possibly one brigade per month. General Petraeus not likely to be comfortable recommending such a steep draw down. So that's really what is on the table facing both the republicans and the democrats when it comes to Iraq, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Barbara, we're also hearing that a handover is in the works for Anbar province. Is that accurate?
STARR: That's absolutely right. That's why events are moving so quickly. That's going to happen on Monday, we are told. One of the most volatile provinces, the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, hundreds if not thousands of American troops, of course, lost their lives in Anbar. Now it's being turned over to the Iraqis. And that's something that is very key. Because there are 25,000 U.S. troops in Anbar province right now. They want to get, the commanders want to get that number down significantly so they can send those troops to Afghanistan. Afghanistan may, in fact, be the major challenge facing the next president, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us. Thanks, Barbara.
STARR: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Let's head back out to John Roberts at the CNN Grill in Denver. He's standing by with the New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine -- Jon.
ROBERTS: Yes, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine who is a big Hillary Clinton supporter. Welcome to the CNN Grill.
GOV. JON CORZINE (D), NEW JERSEY: Good to be here.
ROBERTS: Good to have you here.
CORZINE: Great digs.
ROBERTS: You have said in the last couple of days, you don't think there's going to be any problem for the party to unite. But we did some recent polling, CNN opinion research corporation. We found that 27 percent of Hillary Clinton supporters say they're going to vote for John McCain. And that's an increase of 11 points in the last couple of months. So how do you reconcile those two ideas?
CORZINE: Well, first of all, I think you start by the kind of speech you heard last night from Hillary Clinton who, I think, gave a speech of a lifetime and a foundation for victory for Barack. I really do. I think she's going to convince a lot of those people it's time to get on board. You know, New Jersey was solidly a Hillary state. We just took a vote in my delegation this morning unanimously. We're going to vote regardless of what happens in the roll call, what the process turns out for Barack's nomination. And Joe Biden's, obviously. But it is, it's coming together. And I just - I think the enthusiasm will build as we go through it. And I think we'll have a great speech. And people will get back on board.
ROBERTS: We were talking off camera here, and already there's a fairly substantial margin between Barack Obama and John McCain with Barack Obama in the lead in New Jersey. And you seem to think that -
CORZINE: Joe Biden is going to help a lot. He is a big high profile positive profile in south Jersey because the Philadelphia media market. He's going to help in Pennsylvania too. I think the very strong addition politically, vice presidents don't win or lose presidential races, but I think it's strong politically. I think it's very good to send a signal that you're going to have a wise counselor on board.
ROBERTS: OK. So let me ask you this question. When Joe Biden was chosen over the weekend. You came out with an effusive statement saying he was the best person for the job and for the campaign. Why not Hillary?
CORZINE: Well, I think Hillary is - would have been a great choice. But it does run the risk of some of those riffs that, you know, people have talked about historically, maybe they'd see themselves in the public policy, who knows.
ROBERTS: How do you see that playing out?
CORZINE: You have a former president who was married to the vice president, you could get some tension there. We've seen some of that tension.
And it might actually e natural because different people might have different points of view.
ROBERTS: During her speech last night, and you said it was a terrific speech, did you have any what if moment?
CORZINE: Not really. I believe that she was a terrific candidate, that's why 18 million people voted for her and I don't have any qualms about having supported her. One of the great things about the democratic primary is we had particularly two unbelievably outstanding candidates. So this was one of those things that somebody was going to be disappointed. But if you looked at it in the big picture, about the direction of the country, there's no disappointment because we ended up with a great, great candidate.
And I would have made that same argument if Hillary had won to the people that are my friends and care about Barack. This is not either or. We ended up with a voice to change the direction of the country on foreign policy and economic policy, which I know a lot about, which I think is messed up. It is totally headed in the wrong direction. And so, I think we had a coin flip and one guy won.
ROBERTS: Governor, it's great to see you. Thanks for stopping by. Stop by tonight after the show.
CORZINE: Will do.
ROBERTS: All right. Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Jon, thanks. Music to voters' ears, inside the world of hip hop politics. Coming up next, you're watching special coverage of the Democratic National Convention. We'll be back in just a moment.
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