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Critical Contents of Bill Clinton's Convention Speech; Joe Biden's Impact on Ticket; New Orleans Prepares for Gustav

Aired August 27, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. Soledad O'Brien, at the CNN Election Center in New York. Continuing to bring you coverage of the Democrats in Denver.
The stated theme of tonight, as we take a look -- over my shoulder you can see it there, preparations in the hall. The theme is securing America's future.

Foreign affairs, national security taking center stage. Barack and the fruitless search for bin Laden notwithstanding, Democrats are still facing a perception gap with voters on the issues. Many of the speakers tonight chosen to remind voters of the Clinton era, when most Americans thought Democrats were doing all right. A big reason why Joe Biden is on the ticket and why he's on the list of speakers tonight as well.

With more on that, on what else is in store tonight and beyond, let's get right to CNN contributor and GOP strategist Leslie Sanchez. Also, Josh Gottheimer is a former speechwriter to President Bill Clinton and presidential candidate John Kerry.

Nice to see you both.

Josh, let's start with you.

Many people looking toward Bill Clinton's speech. And I'm curious, as a speechwriter, you know, what would you put in this speech? Let's say this was your gig and you had to help the president draft his remarks. What would you say has to be in the speech tonight?

JOSH GOTTHEIMER, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHWRITER: This speech, first and foremost, has to be about why Senator Obama will be the best president of the United States. And I think that's what President Clinton is going to do tonight.

From the economy, from foreign policy, he's going to show that the strongest person to lead our country on all counts is Senator Obama and Joe Biden. And I think that's what you're going to hear tonight. And it's going to be more unity, unity, unity. Just like Senator Clinton did last night.

O'BRIEN: You know, as you know, Josh, during the primary, there was some, for lack of a better word, icky things said on all sides by all people. Does he have to address that? I mean, is that something you can segue nicely and smoothly into a speech, or you just stay away from it? Because, you know, to some degree, people are going to say, yes, but aren't you the guy who said it's a fairy-tale? Aren't you the guy who said Jesse Jackson also won?

GOTTHEIMER: Listen, that was in the primary season. There were a lot of things said back and forth on every side, but I think everyone's ready to put that behind them and to focus on the future.

There is no question that between McCain and Obama, all Democrats, and especially President Clinton, are going to line up behind Senator Obama. And I think all that is -- the other stuff is backroom chatter. When it comes to the economy and health care and foreign policy and national security, there is no question who's going to be the best president of the United States. And I think that's what you're going to hear tonight from President Clinton.

O'BRIEN: It all rolls toward Thursday, Leslie, which puts a lot of pressure, of course, on Barack Obama, who has got to kind of deliver the goods after everybody sets him up.

What kind of pressure? What kinds of things have to be in his speech?

LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: That's a tremendously important question. You know, the biggest issue is the deal hasn't been made.

I mean, people haven't been sold that he is ready to exercise the right judgment, that he's going to have the right team, that he has the right expertise. And so all of this is laying the groundwork in a very partisan way, also contrasting him with the Republicans. But, you know, he's got to get away from just having lofty rhetoric. It's going to be difficult enough that he's in this stadium where he's going to look like a celebrity already, this big rock star with these big, broad words.

O'BRIEN: See, I think -- you know, you've said that before. I think you're just -- you know I love you, but I think you're crazy on that point.

I think if you think of it from a photographer's perspective, the cutaway of the 86-year-old black woman who says, I'd never thought I'd see this day, then to the young person, then to the baby, then to the middle-aged white woman, I mean, I think it's a photographer's dream if the message you're trying to send is, hey, if 75,000 people in this stadium support this guy, why don't you?

Why do you think that's a -- I just don't get your logic on that one, Leslie.

SANCHEZ: Well, look -- I'll tell you, quite frankly, we do a lot of focus groups. We're in a lot of swing counties. You know, you go to places like Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, people want to see somebody who is pragmatic, who's a realist, who really understands the bread and butter issues and is grounded in reality. And it's wonderful and...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: You can't tell me that...

SANCHEZ: Soledad, if I can...

O'BRIEN: ... if John McCain had 75,000 people cheering and screaming and cheering behind him, he would be like, no, no, take those people out. I don't want them in my...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: No, no, you're right. I mean, John McCain -- that's not the question of filling the -- you know, can one fill the stadium or the other. It's who is ready and measured and tested to be president and commander in chief on day one?

You can have all of the pageantry. If this was about pageantry, Jay Leno would be president. That's not what this is about.

This is about saying, I'm ready to lead. And that is where people have the greatest amount of concern. It's that 15 to 20 percent of Independent voters he needs to be talking to. And having a big, grandiose effort like that just makes the challenge more difficult.

O'BRIEN: I don't know.

I mean, maybe Josh -- hey, Josh, your job is to write these speeches. I can imagine a grandiose effort behind you, with a great speech, with plenty of substance would kind of be a home run on all fronts, wouldn't it?

GOTTHEIMER: Yes, I would disagree. I would say that Senator Obama tomorrow is going to hit it out of the park when it comes to substance. And it's not just going to be, of course, all the enthusiastic supporters, but what he says is going to drive it home that it's not eight more years of the same, but actually change for a new direction for this country.

And that's what voters are going to respond to. I have no doubt about that.

You can try and talk about anything else and take people off topic, because that's what Senator McCain's campaign is trying to do. They just don't want to have to deal with the economy and who is best on foreign policy.

SANCHEZ: Well, no. I think that in true fairness, I think he's going to give a great speech. I think it will be lofty and big ideas and big homes. And I do believe there will be pageantry and fireworks, and it's all fantastic.

GOTTHEIMER: With a lot of specifics.

SANCHEZ: You know, but when it comes push to shove, and people are in that booth on Election Day, it's going to be, can he give a great speech or is he somebody who is ready and tested to lead? It's going to come down to the basics.

GOTTHEIMER: And it's about who has got the best judgment, which I think he's going to show time and again. And if you look at his policies and if you look...

SANCHEZ: Judgment from the guy who creates his own symbol for the presidential seal. Judgment from somebody who said he would meet with leaders from rogue nations without preconditions.

O'BRIEN: Which has nothing to do with my question, so I'll stop you both right there and you can go and duke it out since you're both in Denver. You can go fight it out as we continue on with our show.

Josh, Leslie, thank you very much. I appreciate your insight.

GOTTHEIMER: I'll just settle for winning. That's good enough.

O'BRIEN: You know what? We'll continue. Not on that topic, because we're getting into fisticuffs here, but we'll talk about some other topics with that team in just a few moments.

Coming up next, more on the Washington insider who is also a proud Delaware outsider. They called him the Amtrak Joe Biden. God, I have seen him on Amtrak a lot. We're going to take a look at his impact on the ticket right after this.

(COMMERCIAL)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

Let's take a look at Senator Joe Biden. He was doing a walkthrough last night. He's been in the spotlight before, of course. Been on TV, talking politics a million times, but the spotlight has never been quite as bright before. And as far as Democrats are concerned, his mission at the podium tonight is to lend Barack Obama street cred and older working class white voters to bloody up John McCain a little bit and give a largely brainy campaign, enough gut- level appeal to carry the day.

Here's a little bit more on that side of the story from Mary Snow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is a great honor being nominated vice president of the United States.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senator Joe Biden choked up as he addressed the delegation from Delaware for the first time since getting the VP nod.

BIDEN: But it pales in comparison the honor that I've had representing you. I apologize for getting a little emotional.

SNOW: He thanked supporters from his home state as he pressed for his prime time moment. He got some help from Michelle Obama who made the rounds with him playing up his hard scrabble roots as the Obama camp hopes Biden will draw blue collar workers.

OBAMA: Both Barack and Joe grew up in families that struggled at times to make ends meet.

SNOW: CNN political analyst David Gergen says Biden may be needed to use his scrappiness in another way.

BIDEN: You better love me.

SNOW: The brawler that goes after Republicans.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It may be up to Joe Biden to deliver the roundhouse set of punches that have not yet come.

SNOW: Gergen cautions Biden's willingness to speak out could also be his drawback if he speaks out too much. Biden's other asset, foreign policy credentials and Senate experience. Gergen also points out, added pressure on Biden.

GERGEN: He's not Hillary Clinton, and there's no candidate who can be Hillary Clinton if it's not Hillary.

SNOW (on camera): As for Hillary Clinton's speech, Senator Biden said she knocked it out of the park. He told reporters he spent time with Senator Clinton last night, declaring, "This is a unified party." And now the attention turns to him for what could be the biggest moment yet of his political career.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Back now with GOP strategist Leslie Sanchez and Democratic speechwriter Josh Gottheimer.

Let's talk with you again, Josh, about the speechwriting aspect of it. So, what do you think Joe Biden has to do? I mean, Mary kind of laid out all the things he has got to get to. How does he do that in a speech?

GOTTHEIMER: I think what he really needs to do, and I think he will effectively do given his experience, is talk about foreign policy and really also highlight the roots that he comes from -- good, hard- working class roots. And I think talking about the economy and housing and health care, that's going to come through.

He's an incredibly gifted orator. And I think he complements perfectly Senator Obama. And I think tonight, what you're going to see is somebody who is beginning his march out to make his argument to the country that this ticket is the right ticket for our country.

O'BRIEN: Do you think, Leslie, that this is going to be a big problem for John McCain, any issues that people had with Barack Obama on foreign policy? Listen, Joe Biden is kind of the guy on it, don't you think? I mean, he's well respected on both sides of the aisle, frankly, when it comes to foreign policy. SANCHEZ: Sure, but you're not electing the vice president. You're electing the president.

I mean, it just proves the point that Barack Obama is weak in the area of foreign policy and expertise. He went with somebody who has been over 30 years in the Senate. I mean, and that's what's strange about it. He went from pro-change to no change in terms of picking the status quo candidate.

I think that fundamentally there's also some other questions. There are questions in terms that he was also the one who was the harshest critic on Barack Obama with respect to what a political newbie he was in this race.

O'BRIEN: But you know, Mitt Romney earlier today was saying, listen, we all said -- Mitt Romney, who is teeing himself up in the hopes of being the VP for John McCain, said, everybody says those things, unpleasant things, in a primary, right?

GOTTHEIMER: Exactly.

SANCHEZ: No, that's true. He was the harshest one. There's no doubt about it.

I think what we can expect tonight, a very partisan speech. He's going to get this crowd really roaring. I'm going to pack a lunch because he's so long-winded that, you know, this could go on for hours. I hope we have enough time planned.

He's somebody who likes to hear himself speak. He doesn't -- but you cannot ignore the harsh criticisms being lauded against Barack Obama.

GOTTHEIMER: And my feeling is that if the McCain campaign wants to run around knocking down somebody with his experience, with Senator Biden's great experience and connections to working class Americans, then they can keep trying to do that. But I think what they're going to see prove out is that this is a difference between eight years of more of the same, on the wrong foreign policy, off course, failing to have good alliances around the world, versus somebody who is ready to bring change and experience and good judgment, as the two of them are going to bring to the ticket. And all that other stuff about back then, I mean...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Everybody, stop, because I totally get which side you're on. I get it. I understand who you support. So let's move to another question, shall we?

Other names of speakers tonight, Madeleine Albright, Senator Evan Bayh, John Kerry, Governor Richardson, Tammy Duckworth.

Leslie, who would you like to -- given if you had to pick one, who would you sit in on? Who would you love to hear from? SANCHEZ: Bill Richardson, by far. Definitely dynamic leader, somebody who has proven himself both in terms of expertise, but also inclusiveness.

He is -- it's interesting. Here you have Evan Bayh as well. These were people that were at -- either being considered for vice presidential candidate or running for president themselves. And it shows a diversity in the party. There's no doubt about it.

O'BRIEN: How about you, Josh?

SANCHEZ: But Richardson I think is more the future.

O'BRIEN: Would you like to hear?

GOTTHEIMER: I think Richardson is going to be exciting. I think Senator Kerry is going to add from an international aspect. And, of course, as somebody who's got deep ties into the party. I think he's really going to knock everyone's socks off tonight.

So I think the whole lineup they've really set up tonight stresses again this foreign policy judgment and experience that this ticket's going to bring. And I think that's what you're going to see with all these speakers.

O'BRIEN: It will be very interesting to watch.

Josh Gottheimer and Leslie Sanchez, thanks, both of you. Appreciate it.

Much more convention coverage is coming up in about 15 minutes, and, of course, throughout the day.

Coming to you from the CNN Election Center in New York, I'm Soledad O'Brien.

Let's send it back to Atlanta and CNN NEWSROOM with the very latest storm update. That'll happen right after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: What we know about Gustav is bad. What we fear is even worse. All signs point to a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico come this weekend.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: New Orleans, of course, still bears the scars of another major hurricane. And they are concerned about that down in New Orleans, concerned about Gustav, that it might do what Katrina did. So what are they doing to get ready? Sean, yesterday I saw you in New Orleans. A sunny day; people were concerned then. I imagine they've come up with some plans now.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly.

I hear what Jacqui is saying. Look, it's five days away. It's a tentative forecast. But think about the big problems from Katrina.

They basically all stemmed from the fact that this city simply didn't prepare ahead of time. Nor did the federal or state governments. So right now they're getting everything going, wheels in motion, to make sure evacuation plans are set.

How are they going to get hospitals, nursing homes? Really, they're doing everything right this time. That is the goal. And of course, there have been millions and millions of dollars worth of repairs and renovations to floodwalls, levee systems.

We have a Google map we want to show you, Don.

If you look at the top of Lake Pontchartrain, there are three canals -- 17th Street, Orleans and London, that extend from Lake Pontchartrain into the city. Well, a lot of the problems, the flooding, really can be traced back to those canals and water being pushed violently down Lake Pontchartrain.

Well, now the city has floodgates up there. The Army Corps of Engineers can lower those floodgates and stop that water from coming down. And that should be very, very good news for the city this time.

We've talked about evacuation plans. We could know as early as Friday if they're going to be kicked into gear.

Well, what does that mean? Well, remember those images from Hurricane Katrina, those horrifying images, people at the Superdome, people at the convention center? All of those are really etched in the minds of people all across the world. We will not see that this time.

There is no shelter of last resort. Everybody is driving that home.

There are shelters set up people can go to, but look, if you wait until the 11th hour and try to make it out, there is nowhere to go to. And so they're really trying to drive that point home as well.

What about Governor Bobby Jindal, only in office seven months now? Well, he is scheduled to deliver a very important speech at the Republican National Convention a week from today. One of a handful of people delivering primetime speeches.

However, Jindal says, look, if this storm is going to hit my state, my place is here. So, Don, he says he will not going to the RNC. Instead, he will be here in Louisiana if indeed it looks like a powerful storm is going to threaten this coast -- Don. LEMON: Yes. And just a couple of days ago, they had another scare because Tropical Storm Fay dumped a whole lot of water in the area as well.

All right. Sean Callebs...

CALLEBS: You got a little wind from that day, didn't you?

LEMON: I certainly did. Certainly did. Saw it all.

OK, Sean. Thank you. We'll check with you a little bit later on. Appreciate your reporting.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, welcome back, everybody. Soledad O'Brien at the CNN Election Center in New York, bringing you continuing coverage of the Democrats in Denver.

And the preparations are well underway for a night that the Democrats hope will end with a presidential and vice presidential nominee. A strong Bill Clinton endorsement and a memorable speech by Joe Biden. That's all the hope. The major element of it though, is Bill Clinton, of course. Could be a little bit of a wildcard.

Get more of the Clinton factor with CNN's Dana Bash. She's in Denver. Give us a preview of what everyone expects Bill Clinton to be talking about tonight -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bill Clinton, a wildcard. That's something we haven't heard before, Soledad. And that is actually one of the reasons why this is going to be so fascinating to watch.

Another reason why, Soledad, is because you know, talking to people who are close to Bill Clinton, they will sort of tell you freely that he is actually having a harder time getting over the bitter rivalry between his wife and Barack Obama, than the candidate herself is. And part of it is because they have different personalities and part of it's because of the fact that he's still upset about the idea that he thinks that they played -- that they accused him of playing the race card.

But, despite all of that, what I'm told is, don't expect to hear any of that in the hall behind me when he speaks tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice-over): Bill Clinton's friends insist, like his wife, he's ready to bury the hatchet.

TERRY MCAULIFFE, FMR. CHAIRMAN, HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN: I speak to the president frequently, almost every day. And I know you know, he is -- his mind set now is, the past is the past and we've got to move forward.

BASH: Yet, on the eve of the convention speech, the former president raised a question that raised eyebrows about whether he's really ready to push for Barack Obama.

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Candidate X agrees with you on everything. But you don't think that person can deliver on anything. Candidate Y disagrees with you on half the issues. But, you believe that on the other half, the candidate will be able to deliver. For whom will you vote?

BASH: Whether or not that was one last lament that Hillary was better, associates promise tonight he'll play the dutiful role of unifer-in-chief.

MCAULIFFE: Make the case that it's an important year for a Democrat to win the White House, House, Senate. And we have to get behind Barack Obama.

BASH: But some Clinton confidants tell CNN he's frustrated Obama has not done more to seek his counsel in battling Republicans. He plans to use his public address to offer some advice, draw parallels with criticisms about inexperience he faced as a young candidate.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My dog Millie knows more about foreign affairs than these two bozos.

BASH: And not so subtly urge Obama to step up the tactic he used successfully in his campaign of change. Pound away at Republicans for a broken economy.

MCAULIFFE: Get this economy moving again. And the real differences between Senator Obama and Senator McCain. And that's what he's going to focus on.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Dana, what do you expect the president's role after the speech will be? I mean, clearly, he hasn't had much to do with Obama up to now. Then the speech. What happens at the end of that?

BASH: What happens at the end of that, we are now told by Obama aides, is that they have asked him to actually go out and campaign a bit for Barack Obama in some of the battle ground states.

And that is really a big development. And the reason is because part of the lingering tension, Soledad, between Bill Clinton and Barack Obama is the fact that he hasn't been out campaigning for Barack Obama. He hasn't appeared with him at all since the end of the Democratic battle. And according to Clinton advisers, they say that it's really because Obama hasn't asked. So, that's why the idea that the Obama campaign is now letting it be known that they do want Bill Clinton to go out and campaign for him. That's definitely part of what everybody is hoping is the healing process here.

O'BRIEN: All in the healing process. Dana Bash for us. Dana, thanks.

You know what? You can see over Dana's right shoulder, Wolf Blitzer having lunch at the CNN Cafe, right behind Dana there.

More on Bill Clinton as well as Joe Biden and their speeches in just a little bit. We'll bring in Carl Bernstein and Amy Holmes right after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That was a strong speech. She made the case for why we are going to be unified in November and why are going to win this election. And then, she was outstanding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: She was outstanding, he says. Barack Obama in Billings, Montana, watching Hillary Clinton's speech. That's from last night. Tonight, Bill Clinton will be at the podium. So will be Joe Biden, who's only been on the ticket since Saturday.

Joining us now to talk about what's ahead, CNN's political analyst Carl Bernstein. He's the author of "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton". And on the right, independent conservative CNN contributor Amy Holmes.

Nice to see both of you.

You heard Barack Obama saying clearly and very enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton's speech.

If Bill Clinton -- what does he have to do tonight? I mean, does he have to go out there, give the same ringing endorsement and that is good enough -- Carl.

CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, it will be Bill Clinton at his best. And I think he will be from every expectation and the people I've talked to who have talked to him.

O'BRIEN: What does that mean? What does at his best mean?

BERNSTEIN: That means he's going to be a great advocate for this ticket. I have no doubt that he will be. Among other things, his legacy is involved in this.

He was petulant coming out of this election in which Hillary Clinton lost. He's angry as hell. He's still not happy about the results. But he also understands that you know, all the cliches about politics being a contact sport. And he's ready to move on from what I'm told -- pivotally, in terms of what needs to be done for the Democratic Party, of which he is a great leader. O'BRIEN: Why was there word that he was resisting sort of the topic of national security, really wanted to talk about the economy, which I get it. Sweet spot. And you just have to look back to what he could talk about.

But why not national security?

BERNSTEIN: One, there's an interrelationship between national security and the economy.

(CROSSTALK)

BERNSTEIN: I wouldn't trust -- totally trust the oversimplified reports. I think he doesn't want to be restricted to talking about one topic. But what he wants to show is the contrast between the policies that he engendered and where the Republicans would take the country.

AMY HOLMES, CONSERVATIVE ANALYST: I think what he wants to hit on, of course, is his great legacy of economic growth and success for his two terms when he was president of the United States.

Let's face it, the national security thing for Bill Clinton is a little bit of a mixed bag. While conservatives and Republicans of course, have not blamed the Clinton administration for terror acts that came to follow. That for Bill Clinton, where he's really strong was how he moved the American economy forward with his policies.

He wants to get back to that, he wants to reestablish himself with that. But I think tonight, what he needs to demonstrate is that he's setting aside his personal pique and he's putting ahead his party. And for the party's sake, they need to rally around Barack Obama in order to go into this election season -- into this fall unified to try to defeat the Republicans opponent.

O'BRIEN: And there's not one person I've spoken to who doesn't think he doesn't get that and is not going to be able to go ahead and achieve that.

When you look at polls, from this is a CNN Opinion Research Corporation Poll, who would better handle terrorism. John McCain -- registered voters who were polled, 60 percent said John McCain would better handle it, 36 percent said Barack Obama.

What kind of a -- how concerning, Carl, do you think these numbers are?

BERNSTEIN: I think they're very concerning to the Democrats.

O'BRIEN: How do you turn it around in a speech?

BERNSTEIN: Well, I don't think you turn things around in a speech. I think what everyone fails to understand looking at polls like this, is that Barack Obama has methodically won the nomination of his party by beating the most formidable political machine out there. He knows what he's got to address. And we've got a couple of months until the election. And that is one of the big things that he and Biden and the Democrats intend to address. It's not going to be solved by tomorrow. It is a gradual process. And on television, we keep talking about these things in these absolute terms, as if they have to change tonight, tomorrow. Nonsense.

HOLMES: Well, they don't need to change in this very moment. But these moments do need to hammer home a clear message.

And so far in this Democratic convention -- and I think the media is in part the reason for this, we haven't had a clear message coming out of this convention. We have instant analysis, we have instant reporting. We also have Bill Clinton kicking up a little dust.

O'BRIEN: Yes, that candidate X and Y. You saw that in Dana Bash's

(CROSSTALK)

BERNSTEIN: That wasn't at the convention.

HOLMES: But it's still during the convention and it's making news.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: You don't think that's a little odd to be having that conversation?

BERNSTEIN: No. Look, Bill Clinton -- I said it earlier -- and Hillary Clinton don't like Barack Obama. They have didn't want him --

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: But Carl, for the good of the party. At the good of the party, at some point, do you say, forget the XY thing.

BERNSTEIN: Look, Bill Clinton is famously uncontrollable. He knows he's uncontrollable. It's the history of his life that he's uncontrollable. And that's an aspect of it.

But there are these other aspects that I think we're going to see tonight. We're see him go out and campaign and probably make a difference in very important counties and states for Obama.

HOLMES: And we may hear him saying nice things about John McCain's energy plan like he did last week.

O'BRIEN: Or, maybe not.

HOLMES: Or, maybe not.

O'BRIEN: Thank you both. Appreciate it very much. Let's get to Melissa Ethridge rehearsing now at the convention center. She's going to be performing tonight. We're going to be back in about 15 minutes reporting from the CNN's Election Center in New York. Soledad O'Brien. We're going to send it back to Atlanta, and the CNN NEWSROOM right after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hi, everyone. 2:46 here in the East. Time to tell you about a couple of stories we're working on for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A senior military official tells CNN that coalition troops are ready to hand over control of Iraq Anbar Province. Iraqi security forces are scheduled to take over on Monday. Once the hub of Sunni insurgency, Anbar will be the 11th of Iraq's 18 provinces to be transferred.

One day after a SunAir jet liner was hijacked from Sudan to Libya, Libya says the hijackers have surrendered. It says the passengers and crew members have all been released.

And Democrats are getting ready for a very big night at their national convention in Denver, Colorado. The roll call vote will make Barack Obama the party's official presidential nominee. You'll want to join us tonight for all of that.

We want to tell you what is brewing in the weather department and inches its way along parts of the Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Gustav swirls in the Caribbean. The storm crossed was a hurricane yesterday when it crossed Haiti's southern peninsula. As it moves to the west, it is expected to get more intense.

In New Orleans and southern Mississippi, that is of course, a huge concern. Hurricane Katrina came ashore three years ago this week. As a matter of fact, it was on Friday. Friday will be the third anniversary.

Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is tracking this wearisome storm. She joins us now from the CNN severe weather center.

And Jacqui, we're not exactly sure but the forecast is tracking towards New Orleans.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, it is. But you don't want to focus on that. We always tell you, don't focus on that skinny little line in the middle. In fact, when I show you the track map you'll notice we didn't even put intensity or exact line farther out.

Because you know, we're talking 400 to 500 miles of error when you're talking five days away. I'll tell you though, if I lived in New Orleans, I'd be getting pretty nervous about it and I'd start thinking right this minute, you know, what I'm going to do when and if that evacuation order does happen, or, how I'm going to prepare myself for this storm, which you know, you really should do in the beginning of hurricane season anyway. Everybody in the Gulf Coast needs to be prepared for a major hurricane. We'll wait and see. If there's anything that we learned with Fay though, by the way, is that sometimes you have to expect the unexpected. So, we'll just have to wait and watch this one.

But what we do know is that it's starting to pull away from Hispaniola now. It's going to start to move towards Jamaica and Cuba. And if it does that, we think it's going to start to intensify just a little bit. It will have a little less shear and a little less interaction with land as it does so. And you know, the more it stays over open water, the stronger it will get. And we think it could be a strong hurricane already as it heads towards Cuba, or the Yucatan Peninsula.

And there's that big cone I was talking about, Don. You know, really, from Texas all the way over to the Florida panhandle, these are the folks that need to be prepared. And yes, you know, New Orleans is kind of in the middle of that cone and they should be worried at this point. But it's certainly not imminent just yet.

LEMON: Yes. And you're exactly right. I guess it's on everyone's mind but we really shouldn't focus on New Orleans and scare people prematurely.

But I do have to tell you, thank you Jacqui, I just got back from New Orleans, where the scars from Hurricane Katrina are still around. On Friday, the third anniversary of Katrina's Gulf Coast landfall. We'll look at how the schools and how the businesses there are faring and we'll tell you how some of the survivors are taking things into their own hands in inventive ways.

Forecasters are forever telling us, don't drive on a road that is covered in water. Well, you don't know how deep that water is, right? Well, this driver can vouch for that. Yesterday, she tried to maneuver through what she thought was a few inches of water on the Apache Trail, that was in Arizona. My goodness. Look at that. Before she knew it, her car was floating and it didn't take long for the water to push it into a bridge. Lucky for her and her little girl, a stranger -- look at that -- stopped to help. He pulled that child to safety -- this is really amazing video -- then helped the mother regain her footing on solid ground. Wow.

Well she is one of the stars of the summer games -- and inspiring history, a -- rewriting world class athlete. Dara Torres, we're talking about, swam through the pain of a shoulder injury to bring three silvers home from Beijing. Boy, were we proud of her. Today, she gets her shoulder fixed. CNN medical correspondent, our chief medical correspondent as a matter of fact, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is very much looking the part today, is in Torres' operating room in Florida. And look at that, this is exclusive.

Sanjay, what are we looking at?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, she just had her shoulder operation, just finishing up here, Don. You are looking at Dara Torres' right shoulder. We know a lot of things about her. We know she's an Olympic medalist. We know she's and 41 years old, the mother of two. She's an inspiration to millions. But this you may not have known about her, all that swimming, at that age, wear and tear from the swimming and from weight lifting as well, which is part of her routine, that leads to the sort of problems that she was having even during the Olympics.

Dr. Chalal just finishing the operation now. You may not have known as well, Don, that she had similar shoulder surgery back in November. She had knee surgery in January. Dr. Chalal calls this another sort of tuning-up, maybe for another four years from now, who knows if that will happen or not? But a successful operation, Don.

Let me just show you real quick. I'm just going to pull my shirt down a little bit here. The collar bone, which is this area right in here, sometimes it impinges on your shoulder. That can happen with a lot of repetitive movement, it's a typical sports injury. Just from moving part of that collarbone can take care of part of the problem. That's what was done. She is awake, but she is sedated. She was talking about this, anxious to have this done. Looks like it was successful, Don.

LEMON: Yes, and three silvers. And I said, she swam through the pain and she brought home three silvers. But do you think this affected her performance in Beijing, Doctor?

GUPTA: I asked her the same thing. Obviously a lot of people curious about this. She clearly was in some pain. She told me that the doctors were even thinking about giving her novocaine in her shoulder prior to the competition to sort of freeze up her shoulder ahead of time. So she had to have been in pain. She, of course, is not using it as any excuse.

Let me just show you really quickly, Don, if I can -- this is the drill the Dr. Chalal was just using to actually remove some of that clavicle, some of that collarbone. And that's what was done. About five millimeters of bone was removed. That should do the trick, according to Dr. Chalal, in terms of giving her some pain relief again from that movement of swimming and lifting weights as well.

LEMON: Sanjay, very interesting stuff. We look forward to you talking her. And of course, when she wakes up, will you give her everyone's regards? America and the world will be cheering for her.

GUPTA: I certainly will. Although my sense is that she's going to jump into a pool as fast as she possibly can. She already swam two miles this morning, if you can believe that, before surgery. And Dr. Chalal says as soon as those wounds heal up, she'll probably be back in the pool again.

So we'll try to catch up with her. But she's a woman on the move, as you know.

LEMON: That's love and passion for what she does.

All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you very much, sir.

A green energy policy could put more green in your pocket. That's where you want it. And that's according to a big supporter of Barack Obama's energy policy. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" from New York.

Hey, Poppy. I was off a couple of days, but I missed you. What do you have today for us?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I missed you, but I like your hair cut.

LEMON: Oh, thank you very much. It's growing out. I need another one.

HARLOW: No, it looking good.

Listen, of course, we're talking politics and energy policy. Today in an op-ed written for CNN, Robert Kennedy Jr. says Barack Obama's energy policy could create a green gold rush. His endorsement is not surprising, right? He's a Kennedy, he's an environmentalist and, of course, he's a Democrat. But what is a bit surprising are some of the reasons why he thinks this energy policy is a winner.

He is not just looking at the environment, but instead he maintains that it could be good for the economy and for national security. Kennedy points out a country like Sweden has said it's going to wean itself off of oil. And the Swedish economy has really boomed since it began taxing carbon emissions in the early '90s. And Kennedy says, other countries like Brazil and Iceland are also really benefiting from their green energy policies.

Iceland, believe it or not, is energy independent. What it does is it uses large amounts of geothermal and hydro-power, and its economy has grown in the meantime.

So what Kennedy is saying is Obama's policy is also good for foreign policy because it decentralizes the nation's power sources and makes it more difficult for a terrorist to knock out our electricity grid.

Critics, on the other hand, though, say taxing carbon emissions -- that will cripple our economy. They say off shore drilling is the best bet at this point.

Of course, during the RNC next week, Don, we'll take a look at McCain's energy policies. But you can bet that Obama just may address energy when he speaks, of course, tomorrow night.

Don, back to you.

LEMON: All right. Very interesting of course.

Thank you very much for that, Poppy Harlow.

HARLOW: You're welcome. LEMON: Of course more convention coverage in just a moment. But first, potential home buyers may be looking for a pedestrian friendly neighborhood as a way to save gas and to protect the environment. Now a Web site has been developed to help them in their search.

CNN's Rob Marciano has a look in today's "Solutions."

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ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How easy is it for you to walk to where you need to go?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We live in a small town here in Dupont. And everywhere you have to go, you have to drive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have all that central stuff that you needy in everyday life, and it's close to your house -- why not walk?

MARCIANO: Walkscore.com helps pinpoint areas in the U.S. that offer a walking lifestyle. Type in an address, and up pops a zero to 100 rating.

For example, Jerry Seinfeld's Manhattan apartment scores 100. A walker's paradise. President Bush's Texas ranch rates's a zero. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

MIKE MATHIEU, FRONT SEAT: Anything below a 50, we consider car dependent. Which means that probably the only place you're walking to is your car.

MARCIANO: Mike Mathieu founded the company that developed walkscore.com.

MATHIEU: It gives a rating based on how close you are to the kind of things you want to walk to. So -- bookstore, grocery store, coffee shop, things like that.

MARCIANO: Walkscore doesn't factor in sidewalks, highways or hills, which is probably why San Francisco edged out New York as the most walkable U.S. city, followed by Chicago and Boston. Mathieu says walking not only limits traffic and burning fuel, but it also helps you stay in shape.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it just makes it easier to get some exercise in during the day.

MARCIANO: Rob Marciano, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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