Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Democrats Making History and Putting Their Family Feud Behind Them; Desperate Situation in Northeast India Now Looking Even Worse; Russia Fails to Get Support from China and Other Asian Nations; High Gas Prices Making The World Thirsty for Ethanol; Taco Trucks Can Stay

Aired August 28, 2008 - 09:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, John. Good morning to you. Hi. Hi, and good morning from the CNN Election Center in New York, kicking off our continuing coverage of the Democrats in Denver.
Democrats are breathing a big sigh of relief. A historic night is over when what is expected to be an epic night is about to unfold. They're getting ready now at Mile High Stadium, INVESCO Field for 75,000 people -- some people say even more -- to come tonight.

Time-lapse photography is what you're looking at over my shoulder, laying the floors, moving the seats, building a stage which is where Barack Obama, the nation's first major party, African- American presidential nominee, will be giving his acceptance speech.

Very tough act to follow, though. Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, even John Kerry -- all of who spoke very powerfully last night -- President Clinton, especially -- about unifying the party after a bruising primary battle.

And it seemed -- by many accounts, it seemed that it worked. That is the build-up for Barack Obama tonight. Also happens to be the introduction for CNN's Dana Bash who's in Denver.

Lots to cover. I kind of set it all up. Take it away. What are we looking for and how did last night go?

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in terms of last night, definitely, you know, the -- what people at home saw were the speeches, the headline -- headliner speeches of the drama, or maybe soap opera, with Bill Clinton and the introduction of Joe Biden.

But I think the most important thing for people on the floor of the convention hall was really the history that was made, Soledad, last night. It was unmistakable, the emotion and the excitement on the floor of the convention hall because of the fact that they put over the top and nominated for the very first time in U.S. history an African-American to be the president of the United States.

So I think, beyond everything that we heard from the podium at night, that was the, the, the crystallizing moment inside the hall yesterday.

O'BRIEN: The thing that people look at the next morning is really the speeches, though, to see how they did. Let's play a small chunk of President Clinton speech...

BASH: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: ... and then you can give me an answer on the other side. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: Everything I learned in my eight years as president and in the work I have done since in America and across the globe has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job.

The long, hard primary tested and strengthened him. And in his first presidential decision, the selection of a running mate, he hit it out of the park.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Bill Clinton there answering what some Republicans, mostly, have said that Barack Obama is not ready and then highlighting that it was Hillary Clinton who also had said it during the primary campaign.

Did the way he phrase -- did that sort of put that to rest, do you think?

BASH: It sure did. The way he phrased it there and also in another way, Soledad, that I think really resonated with the people in the hall and maybe even people outside of the country, and that is the comparison that he made to his experience back in 1992.

We talked about this yesterday in previewing the speech. And he definitely did exactly as promised in saying, you know, people said, I was too young, I didn't get it, I wasn't ready.

And you know, from his perspective, he did an OK job. And I'm -- and from the perspective of the people in the hall who still have a lot of admiration, a lot of admiration from Bill Clinton -- for Bill Clinton, they thought he did a pretty good job, too.

So by making that comparison and saying, and sort of joking, "sound familiar?" that really was the moment that, I think, convinced people who are looking for him to give the stamp of approval on the readiness as commander in chief, that was really it, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Vice presidential pick Joe Biden was expected to be the attack dog. Here's a little bit of what he said in his acceptance speech last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I profoundly disagree with the direction John wants to take this country, from Afghanistan to Iraq, from Amtrak to veterans. You know, John thinks -- John thinks that during the Bush years, quote, "We made great economic progress."

I think it's been abysmal. And in the Senate, John has voted with President Bush 95 percent, and that is very hard to believe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE) attack, I mean, for a guy who's supposed to bring the red meat -- you and I started talking about this on Monday -- was -- did that go far enough, do you think?

BASH: He certainly did go pretty far and he really did get specific in talking about some hot spots around the globe there where he thinks that John McCain is wrong on domestic issues, from tax cuts on down where he thinks John McCain was wrong.

But you know, in terms of the effectiveness of his argument, the reason why the Obama campaign -- one of the reasons why they think he was such a good pick is because he's not just reading talking points on why John McCain is bad, he was able to do it from the perspective of somebody who knows John McCain, who has worked alongside him for two decades and he made that clear and he wove that reminder through every one of his attack on John McCain.

And that, I think, probably is what made it the most effective way of making clear that he thinks that John McCain is wrong, because he's worked alongside him and he really knows the issues and they worked on them together.

O'BRIEN: Yes, certainly, by calling him John as opposed to John McCain, you kind of underscore that.

BASH: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: He was close enough to call him John, in other words.

Tonight, of course, is the big event.

BASH: Yes.

O'BRIEN: And it's all the build-up has come to this moment where Barack Obama really has to deliver.

What can we expect?

BASH: He really does and it is going to be an extravaganza tonight. You can bet on that. But when it comes to his speech, you're absolutely right. And the challenge, according to Obama aides, is the fact that, yes, he is known for his soaring rhetoric but he has to also be very clear on the specifics that he will deliver as president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you so much.

BASH (voice over): The first hint of the history to come.

OBAMA: There is not a liberal America and a conservative America. There is the United States of America.

BASH: Just four years later...

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), HOUSE SPEAKER: Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee for president of the United States by acclamation.

BASH: He is now officially the Democratic nominee. And tonight he'll deliver an elaborately orchestrated acceptance speech before some 75,000 people in this stadium, the first candidate to trade the convention hall for an open-to-the-public-venue since John Kennedy in 1960.

Not the only historic symbolism, it's also the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Obama's lofty oratory catapulted him to this moment but it also has been used by his opponent as proof he's out of touch.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I have to say that there is a difference between speeches and solutions, between rhetoric and results.

BASH: Obama allies say his challenge tonight is to bring his soaring rhetoric down to earth, to connect with voters and prove he's one of them.

REP. RAHM EMANUEL (D), ILLINOIS: The most important thing that Barack has to do is to communicate to the America people and he understands the challenges they're facing, the economic squeeze they're facing, and that he has a -- recipe for that.

BASH: Many Democratic strategists say his most critical goal is making a convincing case he's got what it takes to be commander in chief and that he's got the stomach to fight for the change he preaches.

At a rally en route to Denver, an acceptance speech preview.

OBAMA: I am going to fight as hard as I can over the next 70 days to make clear to the American people that they deserve a president and a White House that is fighting for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Dana, why INVESCO Field? I mean, obviously, because it seats 75,000 people is one answer. But -- it's more than just that, isn't it?

BASH: It is, according to the Obama campaign. In fact, Obama himself said last night that one of the reasons why they are moving it to this stadium is because they want to open it up beyond just the delegates on the floor and sort of the political insiders to other people, to real people for lack of a better term.

But the other reason they say is more of an organizational reason. They are going to be -- as people are waiting, it's going to be a long wait to get in there. They're going to be trying to explain to them how to use their text messaging throughout -- from now until November to get people, get their friends and their family and get people to understand how to get to the polls and vote -- and vote for Barack Obama.

But you know what, Soledad, we talked about the fact that this is going to be an extravaganza. And, as you can imagine, Republicans are already mocking the set-up there, specifically the stage. There is a stage that's almost like a -- looks like a Roman stage with columns and all.

And that, Republicans say, feeds right into their accusation that Barack Obama is simply arrogant, the whole idea that he is a celebrity and they have a name for what we're going to see tonight behind Barack Obama. They're calling it Barackopolis(ph) -- Soledad?

O'BRIEN: Yes, that doesn't quite roll off the tongue, though. Maybe -- they may have to come up with something else. Barackopolis site, you know? I thought that one is going to stick.

Dana Bash for us this morning -- Dana, thanks as always.

When we come back, more on politics and the historic nature of the nomination last night, as well as the power and the potential risk tonight.

Reverend Al Sharpton will join us right after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H. CLINTON: I move senator Barack Obama of Illinois be selected by this convention by acclamation as the nominee of the Democratic Party for president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: The cheering so loud, you couldn't even make out what she was saying at the very end. But that was Hillary Clinton last night after a delicate and carefully scripted minuet, yielded to Illinois, Illinois then yielded to New York, and then New York's favorite daughter -- and there's a piece of history right there, favorite daughter -- who in turn said the words that, in fact, put Barack Obama on to the ticket and right into the history books.

And watching it as it happened was many people, including the Reverend Al Sharpton who joins us. He is in Denver.

Good morning, Reverend Sharpton. Nice to see you as always. That was a moment in history and you were right there. REV. AL SHARPTON, FOUNDER, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Front and center. Give me a sense of what it felt like.

SHARPTON: It was very exhilarating. I couldn't explain the feeling because to see this young man come out of nowhere and capture the imagination and hope for this nation and then be certified the nominee of the party, it was exhilarating.

I had my daughters fly out because I just wanted them to share this moment in history that I think is an epic moment.

O'BRIEN: Bill Clinton gave a speech that many people said was a very remarkable speech last night.

I want to play a small clip and then get your assessment over all of his speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

B. CLINTON: Barack Obama will lead us away from the division and fear of the last eight years back to unity and hope.

So, if, like me, you believe America must always be a place called hope, then join Hillary and Chelsea and me in making Barack Obama the next president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: What do you think was the most critical part or important part for Barack Obama in all that President Clinton spoke about last night? Most helpful to him.

SHARPTON: I think that what you just played was the critical part, because I think that it showed that President Clinton, who, in his eight years, has brought the economy in a level where we've got over 20 million new jobs and there was relative world peace.

It established a continuity of the hope of those days into the hope of today. And I think he drew a direct line that really connects with a lot of Americans that's saying, yes, we need to renew that hope, we need to renew that sense of vibrant American life for every average American.

I thought he really brought it home. He really nailed it last night of Bill Clinton in his speech. And I think that that is what's going to lead into the tone tonight when Senator Obama makes his acceptance speech.

O'BRIEN: There have been a lot of people who talk about this shift -- and I know you know this -- from African-American leadership coming out of the civil rights era and of the civil rights era to African-American leadership that's not of the civil rights era but has benefited from the civil rights era. So all the things that were fought and won, they've been sort of able to leverage from.

Do you think that -- there is a shift and there's this changing of the guard? And what is the implication of that if it's true?

SHARPTON: No, I think there's a lot of people who don't do a lot of research. There's always been, in the African-American community, leadership that was political from Senator Ed Brook who went to the U.S. Senate on mostly white votes while Martin Luther King was still alive, all of the way through Ron Brown being chairman of the party.

I think Barack Obama comes out of that tradition then those that are more activists like Dr. King and the generations behind him. Today we're having the breakfast honoring the march on Washington 45 years ago.

I was too young to go to the march. I was only 8. Martin Luther King III and (INAUDIBLE), those of us that are going to be standing up today saying we're continuing that tradition just as Obama and others are continuing the political tradition.

They've always complimented one another. It's not -- if anything, I think the young blacks we see at the convention today are replacing the Ron Browns just as many of us are continuing the civil rights movement in our day with the Jena 6 movements and the police brutality movements.

It's continuity, it's not a conflict. And I think that a lot of people just don't understand that everybody doesn't do the same thing. There's always been distinct roles and as long as there's a need, there always will be.

O'BRIEN: Reverend Al Sharpton, always nice to see you, sir. Thanks for talking with us this morning. Appreciate it.

SHARPTON: Thank you. Have a great day.

O'BRIEN: And likewise.

And that's it for now. I'm Soledad O'Brien at the CNN Election Center. I'll see you in about 15 minutes as we continue our nonstop coverage of the convention.

"CNN NEWSROOM" joins us a little bit with an update on Gustav and also reports of a large earthquake that's taking place off the coast of Vancouver. We've got an update on both of those stories straight ahead. So stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins. Tony Harris is on assignment.

See events come into the NEWSROOM live on Thursday, August 28th.

Here's what's on the rundown. Gustav putting New Orleans on evacuation notice and stirring an eerie deja vu. Today the storm fueling flooding in the Caribbean. We're going to go live to Cuba right off the top.

And John McCain looking to steal the Democrat's limelight. Is he ready to reveal his running mate?

Also evidence, the missing Florida toddler, Caylee Anthony, may be dead. Was her body in the trunk? The smell of death, in the NEWSROOM.

Killer storm getting stronger, blamed now for 22 deaths in the Caribbean. Tropical Storm Gustav is nearing hurricane status once again. The storm is heading toward the Gulf of Mexico where it could develop into a category 3 hurricane. And that has coastal residents on alert from Texas to the Florida Panhandle.

Our Rob Marciano is keeping track from the Weather Center Now, and here we go again, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we do. This thing slowed down a little bit. That's kind of shifted a little bit. But -- and we're going see it shifting several times before it actually gets to the U.S. But it looks like it is heading that way.

First off, Heidi, Jamaica, that's under the gun. Check out the satellite. This thing has flared up here in the last couple of hours. As a matter of fact, the latest recon shows that the winds are up to 70. So we're almost at hurricane strength.

What they also found late last night was that the center kind of went from the tip of Haiti and just kind of reformed pretty much parallel or just to the east of Jamaica. Right now it's 80 miles east of Kingston, Jamaica, and you can see these colors getting brighter.

It's the infrared imagery indicating the cloud tops are getting a little bit more well-defined and getting higher and spreading out. And this thing is going to be a hurricane before too long.

All right. Here's a forecast track from the National Hurricane Center. Cat 1, cat 1, tomorrow and through Saturday morning, cat 2 across the Yucatan Channel. And into the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend, probably by Monday morning. So we have put the brake on this just a little bit. And keep in mind once we get past the three, the margin of error gets pretty huge.

That's why this tone of probability, I suppose you call it, it is -- gets a little bit wider. So anyone from Galveston right now to Pensacola is where we think this thing may be affecting the coastline potentially as a major category 3 storm.

Guess what? We got another one, tropical depression number eight. This one is close as well. All right, it's just off the Leeward Islands. And I would suspect this becomes a tropical storm -- maybe as soon as today. Here's the forecast track from that one from the National Hurricane Center. Category 1 storm or better as we head towards the beginning of next week. Getting close to the Bahamas. Not sure what's going to do after that. Indications are it'll flounder around a little bit.

But hopefully, it won't be coming in too much soon after Hurricane Gustav is scheduled to arrive.

COLLINS: Yes, no kidding.

MARCIANO: Beginning next week.

COLLINS: That would be the double whammy nobody wants.

All right, Rob, we know you're watching it very closely. Thanks. We'll check back later on.

And meantime, just seem to tell where Gustav may make a U.S. landfall but people along the gulf coast are getting ready now. Oil companies are moving nonessential oil workers off gulf platforms. Concern that Gustav could damage those rigs have caused oil prices to rise this week.

Evacuation plans are in place in New Orleans. City leaders hoping to prevent the chaos that happened with Katrina three years ago this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: We evacuated 1.3 million people. There was only 50,000 left. But when we had that challenge to deal with, I thought, mistakenly, that the federal government would come in and rescue the rest of our people and it just didn't happen so we're not going to repeat that. So we're not going to repeat that mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency and put 3,000 National Guard troops on stand by. The National Guard will also be on call in Mississippi which has its own evacuation plan.

In Texas, the Red Cross ready to send in teams if needed.

Cubans are keeping a very close watch on Gustav.

CNN's Morgan Neill is live now this morning from Havana with the very latest.

Morgan, good morning to you.

MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Well, in the east of Cuba, at least, a real sense of relief this morning. As Rob pointed out, these -- the trajectory of these storms are very uncertain. They can change. And that's just what happened last night.

Yesterday afternoon it looked as if Gustav was going to head between Jamaica and Cuba. And so we had seen lots of evacuations in the east of Cuba. During the night it moved now to the south of Jamaica. So a lot of those people who've been evacuated now will be returning to their homes.

But this storm has already taken a heavy toll in terms of life on the island of Hispanola, that is the Dominican Republican and Haiti. In Haiti we saw 14 people dead as a result of flooding and landslides. Another eight in the Dominican Republic.

Now, here in Cuba, as I say, we saw lots of evacuations. More than 40,000 people evacuated in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Granma alone. Those people will now be heading back to their homes.

But this is far from over for Cuba because this is a real west or east-west island. So after this storm makes its way past Jamaica, it will again threaten Cuba, at least according to the latest trajectory. So we can expect to see preparations really start -- stepping up in the western most part of the island in Pinar del Rio -- Heidi?

COLLINS: All right, Morgan. Boy, glad to hear, at least for now, things have settled down a tiny bit. So I know that you'll stay on top of it for us.

Morgan Neill from Havana, thank you.

And this just in, for those of you who are just waking up, specifically on the West Coast. A lot of weather news this morning. And now this, from Vancouver, British Colombia. The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting a 6.1 magnitude earthquake on Vancouver Island.

No immediate word on damage or injuries as you might expect. Too early for that. But we will, of course, bring you updates just as soon as they become available.

Meanwhile, a possible break in the case of missing Florida toddler Caylee Anthony. Forensic investigators have found signs of human decomposition in the trunk of her car linked to her mother Casey.

Caylee has not been seen since early June.

A law enforcement source tells CNN friends and investigators have discovered airborne chemical compounds in the trunk. Those compounds are found only in cadavers.

Anthony has been charged with child neglect, making false statements and obstructing a criminal investigation.

To politics now. John McCain looking to knock the Democrats out of the headlines. He moves closer to revealing his running mate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Barack Obama chooses the national stage tonight. But Republican rival John McCain can divert the spotlight with a little name dropping. You know what we're talking about.

Who has he chosen as his vice-presidential running mate?

Pundits believe two of the front-runners are Mitt Romney and Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty. McCain could spring a surprise at all of us, though.

CNN's Josh Levs has a rundown now of the dark horses and what they would bring to the ticket because, Josh, that is a fascinating party. They really have to make a political choice, if you will, because they've got to bring things that will strengthen the ticket.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a balancing act. Yes, I mean, every good presidential candidate understands where's his or her weakness is and what you need from that number two.

Let's go in on the board and we'll talk about who some of the major candidate are. But you're right. We're going to go straight to those dark horses, too.

Obviously, you've been hearing a lot about Tim Pawlenty and Tom Ridge. But here's one of the dark horses here. Charlie Crist, governor of Florida. Now one theory there, if he could help McCain win Florida that could be absolutely huge. Let me also go over here. We don't hear a lot about him, but Eric Cantor has been getting some attention. He's even younger than Obama. 45 years old. Congressman from Virginia. Again, trying to win Virginia. That will be really key.

I also want to jump over to one more over here. Someone we don't get to talk about a lot. Rob Portman, former Congressman from Ohio. His name has been out there as a possible VP. Now, our sources are not suggesting to CNN these guys are going to get it, but we're not sure. These are the dark horses.

Now, a couple of whisper campaigns I want to jump over to because these are really interesting. Some people talking about General David Petraeus. And "The New York Times" reports on this that some people close to the campaign are specifically mentioning him as one possibility. And what he can help bring to the ticket, kind of boosting John McCain's credentials in that respect.

And let's go over to this one because this is really interesting. This week Kay Bailey Hutchison, senator from Texas, is getting a lot of attention this week. This is the "Houston Chronicle" talking about that. And guess who thinks she's a possibility. A couple of our analysts.

This over here is our own political ticker which I can't open right now. But David Gergen, here you go, is suggesting this. All right, there you go. David Gergen is saying to us that he and Carl Bernstein think it's actually possible that Kay Bailey Hutchison might ultimately get this thing. We've reported several days ago she wasn't vetted. But that doesn't mean officially, totally, that is not going to happen. And you were saying what she brings to the campaign -- obviously, she is a woman which could help. It is the anniversary of women's led. But again, long shot, dark horses. We're hearing a lot more about Tom Ridge and Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty -- Heidi.

COLLINS: It's fascinating, isn't it? We love it. All right.

LEVS: Oh, it is. I love this race.

COLLINS: Yes. We are waiting for that announcement. Of course, we're going to stay on top of all of that for everybody right here on CNN. Josh Levs, thank you.

The Democrats making history and putting their family feud behind them. Convention coverage from the Best Political Team on Television.

And Gustav making a muddy mess in the Caribbean and targeting the U.S. Gulf Coast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: And good morning. Welcome back, everybody. Soledad O'Brien at the CNN Election Center in New York bringing you continuing coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Right now, they're getting ready at INVESCO Field, Mile High Stadium, for an event that rarely happens. The outdoor acceptance speech by a candidate unlike any who has come before him. Barack Obama is one election away from making history, making more history.

He is set to speak 45 years to the day after perhaps the single moment that made his candidacy even imaginable. So talk about expectations, also talk about relief. Clinton drama seems to be cooling quite a bit, signalled in great part by what Bill Clinton said last night, and also just how he said it. Joining us now is CNN contributor Dana Milbank of the "Washington Post".

Dana, nice to see you. Good morning. Let's start with a little chunk of President Clinton's speech last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My fellow Democrats, I say to you, Barack Obama is ready to lead America and to restore American leadership in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: If there was one criticism of Hillary Clinton's speech the night before it was that she never sort of quite said the words. And so President Clinton did. So does that kind of end the controversy on that front? DANA MILBANK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Nothing ever ends the controversy, Soledad. But it is almost as if he heard the criticism and then you could see him sort of sticking that line into his speech. There's no question that Bill Clinton delivered all the right messages last night. It will take some time to see in the polls whether the voters out there, whether it really got through to them, whether they regarded he's sincere and whether he'll begin -- Obama will begin to chip away at that nearly quarter of Hillary Clinton voters who are still threatening to go with John McCain.

O'BRIEN: He also said this -- let me run another chunk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

B. CLINTON: My fellow Democrats, 16 years ago, you gave me the profound honor to lead our party to victory, and to lead our nation to a new era of piece and broadly shared prosperity. Together we prevailed in a hard campaign in which the Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be commander in chief. Sound familiar?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: He knows how to deliver a speech because he let that go on and on and on before he -- but he did two things there. One, he talked about the economy, which he really wanted to do, we all know that now, on the night of national security. And he also gave a direct connection to his experience. How important, how crucial do you think those two things were for Barack Obama?

MILBANK: I think it was crucial for Obama, but let's also remember it's crucial for Bill Clinton because his image has really been tarnished by this primary campaign. He wanted to return to that above it all stature, and he was able to do some of that last night instead of setting himself up as somebody who sort of seizing and grinding his teeth about Obama, sort of suggesting that Obama is the heir to Clinton.

That's not necessarily something that Obama wants to have all the time but he will take it in terms of the party unity that was generated last night. And they built up somewhat of a steam before that's all torn apart by the Republicans next week.

O'BRIEN: Do you think that there was, in fact, sort of a resolving of the falling of the chill a little bit, of how President Clinton, African-Americans certainly, have viewed some of the things that were said in the primary?

MILBANK: Well, yes, I think we're certainly going to move beyond that further today with the important anniversary of the King's speech. I think you could see from the faces in the hall that the -- certainly the racial component of the tensions have moved beyond. I think the tensions between the Clintons and the Obamas now have very little to do with that unfortunate episode back in South Carolina during the primaries. I think they've certainly move beyond that by this point.

O'BRIEN: Dana Milbank for us this morning. Thanks, Dan. Appreciate it.

Coming up, we're going to dig a little bit deeper on race and the race right after this. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: And tonight 45 years to the day after Martin Luther King Jr. uttered those words, Barack Obama is going to take the stage in Denver. It's hard to imagine what he must be thinking. Easy to see that he faces a lot more than just the weight of self-imposed expectations for taking such a big moment and making it even better and bigger really. He's already being mocked by Republicans, added by pundits.

So, Dr. King's dream may be a lot closer but many people would tell you it's not quite fulfilled. Let's talk to Brian Monroe. He's the editorial director of "Ebony" and "Jet" magazine.

Nice to see you again. You know, for a lot of people who don't subscribe for "Jet" magazine, for most black people, the day you make it into the pages of "Jet" is the day that you have truly arrived. Absolutely.

Oh, yes.

You know, it's been interesting I think to watch Barack Obama as a candidate when it comes to race, within the campaign, 18 months, he's been both not black enough and too black. What do you think this historic nomination is going to mean to black people in this country?

BRYAN MONROE, EDITORIAL DIR., "EBONY" AND "JET" MAGAZINE: Well, you know, he has said he can't win for losing, that he's been called both things. But I think this moment in time is indeed historic. He is joined on not just an African-American voting populous but really a broad population across the country -- white, Hispanic, Asian, and African-American. And bringing them together in a way that I've never seen before.

O'BRIEN: He's African-American but he's also, if he wins, ultimately in November, would be an American president. Would there be different expectations, though, of him on several fronts?

MONROE: Well, there will and there won't. And in some ways the expectation game is being played out right now. One of the things that we all know is that if he is indeed elected president, the day after he sworn in, there will still be the same issues in the south side of the Chicago. There will be the same issues with health disparities in the African-American community. There will be the same issues with wealth and income across the country and how blacks are unfairly treated throughout the land.

And that's what he's got to work on, because there will be an expectation the day after he's inaugurated, that all of this will go away. That in some way he's transcending race. And I don't know if that's true.

O'BRIEN: Civil rights leaders like Jesse Jackson are there where you are in Denver. But he's there as a volunteer. He's not speaking. You know, we talked to Al Sharpton just a few minutes ago, and he said this is not about changing of the guard. There's always been sort of different people in different roles. And this is just a continuation of the guard, maybe a different guard. Do you agree with that?

MONROE: Actually, I do. I think there are black men and black women in varying roles throughout not just this campaign but throughout the country. Those in the political arena, those in the civil rights arena, those in the black press, "Ebony" and "Jet" magazine and black newspapers and black television, that each of us are playing a different role in telling the story and making sure our stories get told. And we each have a different job to do.

O'BRIEN: "The I Have a Dream" speech, of course, as you well know was not really called "The I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. He ad-libbed that part, we know. It was really about, you know, America's got this check that's kind of bounce, the justice and equality for a lot of people has not quite yet been delivered. That was back in the 1960s. So in 2008, what's the message you think that Barack Obama needs to make about where we are in America today?

MONROE: Well, you know, the comparisons are very interesting. Both between Dr. King and Senator Obama. They both have the ability to draw a big crowd. There were 300,000 people at the march in Washington. There should be 75,000 tonight. He pulled 200,000 in Berlin.

But I think the differences are also profound. The crowd at the march in Washington was mainly African-American. 80 percent black, 20 percent white. Here, tonight, you're going to see a range of audience members, predominantly white, I would believe. But the messages are still similar. That America has a lot of work to do on issues of race, issues of culture, safety, and the environment, as well as our footprints around the world. And that's one of the things that I think Senator Obama is going to be talking about tonight.

O'BRIEN: Brian Monroe is the editorial director of "Ebony" and "Jet" magazine. It's nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us.

MONROE: Thanks, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: We've got much more convention coverage coming to you in just about 15 minutes and throughout the day, of course. Reporting from the CNN election center in New York, I'm Soledad O'Brien. We'll send it back to Atlanta and CNN NEWSROOM right after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Good morning once again, everybody. 9:50 Eastern Time now. Gustav growing stronger and on track for a potential U.S. hit. The tropical storm has almost regained its earlier hurricane status and is expected to get much stronger.

Our Rob Marciano is in the weather center now with the storm's latest location and projection.

This is not an easy job, Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: In the meantime, a desperate situation in Northeast India now looking even worse. An area the size of Delaware is under water after a monsoon-swollen river burst its banks. More than 2.5 million people are affected. Just look at those pictures. Thousands of those people stuck on tiny strips of dry land or their rooftops. At least 47 people are now dead. More rain for that area is expected.

Russia fails to get support from China and other Asian nations for its military action in Georgia. Russia's president made the appeal today at the summit of an Asian Security Alliance. He, again, defended Russia's actions in breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and blamed Georgia for the conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. DMITRY MEDVEDEV, RUSSIA (through translator): Unfortunately, the picture which has been portrayed in the western information has been wrong. And very substantial ways from the actual facts which was aggression which has -- this is why I said what was and what happened I said -- I spoke about what the motives were of our government, and the positions we're taking regarding the operation for bringing about peace in Georgia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: A little bit later we're going to be hearing from CNN's Matthew Chance who had an exclusive interview today with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

High gas prices making the world thirsty for ethanol. That may leave you thirsty for tequila. Yes, there's a good explanation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: What do high gas prices have to do with a bottle of tequila? While tourists drink up, many Mexican farmers are abandoning their Agave fields and growing corn for ethanol. There's more money in it. And as more farmers cash in on corn, Tequila prices could rise, making it more expensive to hang out in Margarita. The taco trucks can stay. A California judge tossing a Los Angeles County ordinance. It required taco trucks across L.A. to keep moving. Owners could be fined if they park in one spot for more than an hour. Restaurant owners complained the mobile eateries were taking a bite out of their business. The county supervisor who introduced the measure says look for an appeal.

All this talk about tequila and tacos can make your mouth water, but as you age you might actually enjoy it less. CNN medical correspondent Judy Fortin explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY FORTIN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Have you ever lost your sense of taste? It can strike any of us when we get sick. But just the simple act of getting older can wipe away some flavor sensations and that could be bad for our health. Greg Smutzer, a researcher with Temple's College of Science and Technology studies the sense of taste.

GREG SMUTZER, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY: If we lose our ability to taste food, we're less likely to eat food so that would affect our nutritional status.

FORTIN: For people in their 30s, taste should be at its peak, but not everyone has the same sensitivity to certain flavors. Some people experience flavors as being very strong while others with so- called taste blindness have weaker taste buds.

Scientists are now testing those buds using a bitter chemical known as probe, and discovering that those who can't taste it may be more likely to overeat, drink more alcohol, even smoke to overcompensate for their lack of taste.

SMUTZER: Nicotine is a bitter-tasting compound if you're a non- taster, it's possible that you don't taste bitter compounds as strongly. So if that's the case, then the first time you smoke you find it maybe a little more pleasurable.

FORTIN: In our 40s and 50s, medications can affect the way we taste. Certain medications like antidepressants, heart medication, pills for arthritic pain, even antihistamines and antibiotics can alter the way taste buds function.

SMUTZER: It's not all, but many types of medication will cause a temporary taste disturbance. So once you stop taking the medication, then your taste will be back to normal.

FORTIN: Also as we age our ability to smell diminishes which can affect the way we taste different flavors. Those losses called chemo- sensory losses affect approximately 2 million adults.

SMUTZER: So just take this.

FORTIN: Hope is on the way for these diminished taste buds. Professor Smutzer is developing flavored strips that can pinpoint taste problems. Up until now, that's been almost impossible. But Smutzer says by mapping a patient's tongue, even a family physician could be able to help improve a person's taste sensations.

Judy Fortin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: History in the making. Barack Obama prepares to accept the Democratic nomination for president. A convention update from CNN and the Best Political Team on TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)