Return to Transcripts main page
Campbell Brown
Running on Faith; Riding the Palin Wave
Aired September 08, 2008 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody.
With 57 days until Election Day, independent voters matter more than ever tonight. At this hour, the race is a dead heat. Take a look at these numbers. This is the latest CNN/Opinion Research poll, 48 percent to 48 percent. In our poll of polls, which averages five major surveys, John McCain shows a two-point lead. It is the first time he's ever led Barack Obama.
So, what do you do if you are the McCain campaign? Keep his running mate and new media sensation, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, in the spotlight.
Today, McCain and Palin hit the critical battleground state of Missouri together. And look at the reception they got. For any candidate, that reception is important, but especially for John McCain, whose campaign was on life support last time at this time just last year.
Suddenly, McCain and Palin are the new stars drawing rock star crowds. And that puts Barack Obama in an unfamiliar position, on the defensive, fighting to retake the change message that was working for him before. Is he the one who's being overshadowed by the Republican running mate?
We are live with both campaigns tonight.
And then later, Sarah Palin and her faith. She wears her core beliefs up front. So, to better understand her view of the world, we went to Alaska to talk to her pastors. And, like Barack Obama, she faces questions about what she believes and how it could affect her decisions in office. We are going to get the answers tonight for you, no bias, no bull. That's all in the ELECTION CENTER coming up.
First, though, there is no doubt Sarah Palin has energized the Republican Party faithful. As one Republican said, she is like a Red Bull for the campaign. But is there a risk of so much attention on the vice presidential candidate, instead of on John McCain?
And here's Dana Bash, who has been with the candidates all day. She has now late details from Lee's Summit, Missouri.
And, Dana, let's take a look at some of the pictures from today. This is from the trail today, people waiting in line for a chance to see John McCain with Sarah Palin. Ever since she joined the ticket, you're seeing bigger crowds, more enthusiasm. You have been talking to your Republican sources today. Are they worried she could overshadow McCain?
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, first of all, Campbell, you are right about the lines.
I was covering John McCain for a long time and never seen lines like that. I actually walked the line, talking to several voters waiting it in today. And I asked them, honestly, are you here to see John McCain or Sarah Palin? And most of them looked at me sheepishly and said, you know, I'm here to see Sarah Palin.
And, so, I came in and I asked them, a senior adviser to McCain, that very question. Are you concerned that all of the excitement about her is kind of a sign of weakness for McCain? And he looked at me and said, it doesn't matter. We don't really care what brings it on, as long as we're getting this kind of enthusiasm, because they say that what's really happening, internally, they see John McCain and they think that he has actually become a better candidate because of what Palin has brought to his crowds.
BROWN: And, Dana, John McCain hitting his new message pretty hard today, that he is the real candidate of change. Let's listen to what he says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We will take them on, and we will defeat them, because America knows it's time for change, and it's time for the right change.
Governor Palin took on the old bulls in her party. She ran against an incumbent Republican governor. I have taken on my own party from time to time when it's necessary.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: And we will take them on. Senator Obama has never stood up to anyone in his party yet.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: And that's what Americans want is for us to stand up for America. And that's what we will do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, Dana, are we going to be hearing a lot more of this in the coming weeks? You spoke to people in the campaign today. What's the strategy going forward here?
BASH: Well, logistically, we are actually going to see the two of them now together through the middle of the week. They now going to go to Pennsylvania and Ohio and Virginia, some key battleground states.
And then Palin is actually going to go back to Alaska for several days. She will do her first interview there. But, after that, Campbell, honestly, I don't think that they really know yet how exactly they are going to deploy Sarah Palin. But big picture, when you look at the theme here, you are going to hear a lot more of what you just heard from John McCain. Why? Because I'm told by McCain advisers that they have concluded, in looking at their data, that swing voters, those voters who actually will determine this election, they have concluded that they're not necessarily sure they're ready to vote for Obama, but they definitely don't want four more years of Bush.
So, that is why you're going to see this message of change as much as possible from both McCain and Palin.
BROWN: All right, Dana Bash for us tonight -- Dana, thanks.
No surprise then that Barack Obama is on the defensive today, on the attack and aiming at both of his opponents.
Candy Crowley live with the Obama campaign in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Candy, the heart of Obama's campaign has been that he is the change candidate. John McCain now trying to get a piece of the action. Today, Obama hit back hard. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: When John McCain with a straight face stands up and I'm and says, "I'm going to change things," at the same time as he says that he agreed with George Bush 90 percent of the time, you know, it is pretty hard to believe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, Candy, what are they saying today specifically about how to prevent John McCain from co-opting this message?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you are going to hear more of this kind of thing. I mean, the more you hear John McCain say the word change, the more you will hear Barack Obama say, George Bush, the more you will hear Joe Biden, who was also out there today going, you know, I don't care -- McCain/Palin, Bush/Cheney, it is the same thing. There's no difference. None, none, none, said Biden, the exact same message out of Obama today, saying, take a look. These are the people who brought you this economy.
Barack Obama today in economically distressed Flint, Michigan, then here to Farmington talking economics, saying the people that brought you these policies, well, John McCain supported them 90 percent of the time. You will hear that over and over and over again, because are not going to allow him to sort of seize this change mantle, which, frankly, is what got Obama to this place at this moment.
BROWN: And, Candy, Obama had some pretty tough words for Sarah Palin today also. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: When it came to the bridge to nowhere, she was for it until everybody started raising a fuss about it, and she started running for governor. And then, suddenly, she was against it. Do you remember that, for it, before you were against it?
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: I mean, you can't just make stuff up.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: You can't just recreate yourself.
(APPLAUSE)
BARACK OBAMA: You can't just reinvent yourself. The American people are not stupid.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, Candy, I have heard a lot of Democrats say Obama should be saving all his fire only for John McCain and to stay away from her. What is their plan for handling Sarah Palin?
CROWLEY: Well, eventually, they will do that.
I mean, what they have proven is they have no problem with the force at which they will take Palin on. There's a tough ad out basically -- from the Obama campaign basically calling Sarah Palin a lying politician, so they have got no problem with the force of it. They will begin to hand this off to other people. And, frankly, they're hoping that the media will dig up a lot of stuff about Palin and they won't have to put it out there.
BROWN: All right, Candy Crowley for us tonight -- as always, Candy, thanks.
Coming up: the political calculus of Sarah Palin. At what point does interest in her possibly overshadow John McCain? We do have some of the smartest people in the politics here to talk about that.
And, then, later, Palin's faith. The campaign has been up front about her evangelical Christianity. But there's a lot more to report about the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What Sarah attempted to do was to apply everyday wisdom to her assignment as a leader in our local government. Proverbs out of the Bible applied common sense, but I would call it wisdom, to wise leadership. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: A CNN exclusive, her pastors and how Palin's faith could affect her decisions in office -- when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Fifty-seven days, that is all we have, as the campaigns battle toward Election Day. And if today is any measure, because she is so new on the national stage and we all have so much to learn about her, Sarah Palin may well be at center stage right up until November 4.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers, and then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: We already see the benefits for John McCain from Palin's tough talk. She's got star power, but what are the potential drawbacks?
I'm going to bring in three of savviest political observers on television, Republican strategist Bay Buchanan, a former senior adviser to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, CNN political analyst and radio host and syndicated columnist Roland Martin, and CNN senior analyst Jeffrey Toobin with us as well.
Welcome, everybody.
Bay, let me start with you.
The McCain campaign taking full advantage of the Sarah Palin phenomenon and they are keeping the ticket on the trail together now longer than they had originally planned to keep the buzz going. But here's a question. Does Palin threaten to overshadow McCain in any way? Is there a bit of a risk here of that?
BAY BUCHANAN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN CAUSE: No risk whatsoever. Whether that's already happened and will continue to happen makes really no difference.
The key is that it's the ticket is McCain/Palin. And anyone, either of them, that can bring votes to the ticket and excite the base, make certain they get out to vote, and reach across the line and bring in independents and some Democrats, then more benefit to the fact that both are on the ticket. And that is what Palin is doing.
BROWN: Jeffrey, the Republican base in love with her, the media obsessed with her at the moment. She has got her first big test, though, on Thursday. She's going to sit down for her first interview with national media, ABC's Charlie Gibson. What's the bar here for her and what do you think is going to be the toughest question she has to ask -- or she has to face, rather?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: One of the things that I hope we don't do in debate is play this expectations game. I don't think it's our job to set expectations.
I think it is our job to evaluate what people say. I think her toughest assignment is simply to display the mastery of the issues that we expect national candidates to understand, foreign policy chiefly, since she has nothing to do with it. So, I think that the hurdle for her is to speak knowledgeably and persuasively about issues that she has said nothing about so far.
BROWN: And, Roland, Barack Obama taking some pretty tough shots at her, as we saw today. Some Democrats are now arguing that every he spends talking about her is a day less that he is talking about John McCain and particularly what they want him to be doing, which is tying John McCain to George W. Bush. Is this the right strategy?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I will be happy to tell those idiot Democrats to listen to Bay Buchanan. What did she just say? It's the ticket. She's running.
Of course you go after her. You don't allow the vice presidential candidate to make comments and you say nothing and simply, well, we're just going to focus on John McCain. Trust me, if Joe Biden's out there and he's throwing grenades at John McCain, at Sarah Palin, trust me, they are going to go right back at her.
It is nonsense to ignore, because you also have to define her, to say, wait a minute, if you're able to really put some scars on her, you can then say, John McCain, you picked her. It makes sense.
(CROSSTALK)
BUCHANAN: Roland, there's a rule I learned from Richard Nixon many years ago. When you're a candidate, when you're an elected official, you never shoot down.
And what Obama is doing is responding to somebody below him. Somebody below Obama should be responding to him, a campaign manager, if you like, a surrogate, the other vice presidential candidate, if you like.
But he makes a real mistake when he tangles with Palin, because that's exactly what the McCain people want.
BROWN: Do you agree?
TOOBIN: I think Bay is generally right, although the specific matter here is so clear, the fact that she has embraced this idea of being an opponent of the bridge to nowhere, when she clearly wasn't, I think that is worth making an exception to the very good rule Bay described, because it's so clear that she's not telling the truth.
MARTIN: And the tie-in is, John McCain has followed along with her on that. He has been repeating the very same line. And, so, when you call her credibility into question, you are calling John McCain's credibility into question.
BROWN: All right, hold it there, guys. We have got a lot more to talk about tonight.
We have got a must-see CNN exclusive. Governor Palin's pastors, past and present, talk about her faith, how it affects her political decisions, and her world view -- when we come back.
This is ELECTION CENTER.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: If we want to restore American leadership, if we want to restore the American standard of living, if we want to tackle the myriad of challenges facing our country, then, to slightly amend my comments from Denver, no way, no how, no McCain, no Palin.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Hillary Clinton campaigning in Florida, campaigning for Obama, of course, Democrats gunning now for Sarah Palin, who's shown enough star power to lift John McCain up in the polls.
We want to go back to our panel, Bay Buchanan, Roland Martin, and Jeffrey Toobin.
And, Jeff, this is important, because we know women voters are key to winning this election. If John McCain can increase the number of women supporting him, he can beat Barack Obama here. Some people wondering whether Hillary Clinton should be the one to take on Sarah Palin, whether she could be a real weapon for Barack Obama.
But her former communications director Howard Wolfson wrote in "The New Republic" today that people" are just jonesing for a catfight," in his words, "and it ain't going to happen."
But why couldn't Hillary Clinton be the one to go after Palin? Does she just not want to get mucked up in all this?
TOOBIN: Well, I think it is a terrible idea to assign this to Hillary Clinton.
I think Hillary Clinton is a major national figure. She should be dealing with John McCain, dealing with the issues. Yes, she can deal with Palin in the same limited way.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: But isn't the threat here -- I mean, look what has energized and excited Republicans. Sarah Palin. So, if you're a Democrat, aren't you saying, well, this is our real problem? Who do we send to deal with this?
TOOBIN: Maybe I'm naive, but I think, if Hillary Clinton talks about the issues that matter to women, if she's talking about the fact that Palin wants to ban all abortions, wants to have creationism taught in public schools, if that -- those are the issues she should be talking about.
But the idea of setting the Democratic woman against the Republican woman I think it's demeaning to Hillary Clinton and it's not a good idea.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Look, she is a candidate. And you go after the candidate. You go after her on those particular issues. You define what are the issues critical to women and say, where does she line up? Where does John McCain line up?
You want John McCain trying to explain issues that he differs with, with Palin. You want Palin trying to explain issues she differs with John McCain. You want those two going at each other and so they can look like they're not in agreement. That's what you want. So you want McCaskill, you want Biden, you want the Democratic Party going after the Republican ticket.
BROWN: Bay, let me put up some numbers for you.
BUCHANAN: Yes.
BROWN: This is from our new CNN/Opinion Research poll that shows McCain's Palin -- that shows, despite, rather, McCain's Palin pick, a majority of women still support Obama/Biden, 52 percent of women supporting Obama/Biden, 45 percent backing McCain and Palin.
Do you -- and I should point out, too, I have seen a couple of other polls that showed the number a lot closer. Do you see that gap closing? Do you expect that number to change? Can she really win over some of those Hillary Clinton women -- Hillary Clinton voters, given what -- the points that Roland and Jeffrey just made?
BROWN: I think where she will reach is those who are not ardent feminists who really feel very strongly about choice. We're not going to win them. We never were going to win them. And they rightfully belong to the Democrats.
However, there are a lot of women out there, economics might be their issue, or even the war, some other issues, but they also are very proud to find a woman on this ticket. Hillary energized those women. They're very excited.
And the Democratic -- Democrats, Obama in particular, chose not to even vet the woman. There's some anger there. If we can pick up a little bit of them -- but where Sarah is really reaching in and capturing is men, is the independent working man out there, Pennsylvania, Ohio, those kinds of states. She could be the secret weapon. BROWN: All right, guys, we have got to end it there. You are coming back, I know still more to talk about.
But, coming up next, we are going to put the candidates to our no bias, no bull test. Hear what McCain said today about Obama's military spending plan and what Obama said about McCain and lobbyists. We are going to have the facts right here in the ELECTION CENTER.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, with the conventions behind us and the candidate out talking issues again, a lot of you are asking us about what they're saying, what is true, what isn't true.
Well, in Missouri today, John McCain pointed to Barack Obama's record on defense spending to make the case that Obama is a flip- flopper, not a maverick.
So, let's put it to the no bias, no bull test.
First, listen to what McCain is saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: This weekend, Senator Obama was asked for an example of a time when he bucked his party. His answer was defense spending. He says now he wants to increase it, but, during the primary, he told a liberal advocacy group that he would cut defense spending by tens of billions of dollars.
(AUDIENCE BOOING)
MCCAIN: And he promised them he would -- quote -- "slow our development of future combat systems."
(AUDIENCE BOOING)
MCCAIN: My friends, we have found out in recent days this is an even more dangerous world that we had thought. And, my friends, this is not a time to slow our development of future combat systems.
This is not that time.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: And that's not bucking his party. That's telling them just what they want to hear. Senator Obama told the extreme left what they wanted to hear during the primary. And now he thinks -- he's trying to tell you what he thinks you want to hear. And, my friends, you may not always agree with me, but you will always know where I stand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Now, you saw somebody bump the camera right there at the end, but let's see whether McCain's argument is shaky. And here's Tom Foreman in Washington with our bias, no bull test.
Tom, is McCain getting Barack Obama's record right?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Campbell, John McCain is right. Barack Obama said all that and more less than a year ago, as he was fighting for the Democratic nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): Obama's ideas about cutting military spending were posted online in October 2007 in a message he taped for the Caucus for Priorities. That's a liberal group that wants a $60 billion decrease in Pentagon spending, saying tax money is being wasted on obsolete Cold War weapons.
Listen.
OBAMA: I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending. I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. I will not weaponize space. I will slow our development of future combat systems. And I will institute an independent defense priorities board to ensure that the quadrennial defense review is not used to justify unnecessary spending.
FOREMAN: Obama does not say anything on that video about plans which are on his Web site now for increasing the size of the Army by 65,000 soldiers, the Marines by 27,000. The Web site suggests that, by cutting out wasteful spending, more tax dollars could, in fact, be spent putting boots on the ground.
But Obama also says this in that video.
OBAMA: I don't switch positions or make promises that can't be kept. I don't posture on defense policy, and I don't take money from federal lobbyists for powerful defense contractors. As president, my sole priority for defense spending will be protecting the American people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: As you might guess, Republicans have been having a field day with this video online. Even at the time Obama initially posted it, however, the Caucus for Priorities called it pandering -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right, Tom, don't go anywhere. You are only halfway through.
Barack Obama offering a new argument for why John McCain will never bring change to Washington. We are going to put that to our no bias, no bull test when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: If John McCain's favorite word these days is maverick, well, Barack Obama's favorite word has always been change. Today in Michigan, Obama offered a new argument for why he is the real candidate to shake up Washington and why John McCain just can't get the job done. Listen to what he's saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How is it that John McCain and Sarah Palin are claiming that they're bringing about change? Well, here's what they'll say. Here's what they'll say.
You know, we are -- what they say is, well, we're going to reform government. We're going to reform government. Government is too big and we are going to reform government.
So John McCain says that he is going to tell all those lobbyists in Washington that their days of running Washington are over, which sounds pretty good until you discover that seven of his top campaign managers and officials are -- guess what? Former corporate lobbyists.
So, who is it that he's going to tell? Is he going to tell his campaign chairman? Is he going to tell his campaign manager?
These are folks who have represented every major corporate interest, oil companies, foreign oil companies, foreign countries, banks, insurance companies, drug companies. Who is it that he's going to tell that he's going to change the system?
There's a -- all right. All right. So that doesn't seem very plausible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Tom Foreman back now to put Obama to our "No Bias, No Bull" test. So what about it, Tom? Is McCain really surrounded by lobbyists?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Campbell, this is also true. McCain's campaign has included a good number of lobbyists, former lobbyists or folks with ties to lobbyists.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): McCain has built a reputation as an opponent of special interests and their lobbyists. It's something he talks about all the time.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to work for you and we are going to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C. And we are going to take on the special interests.
And we are going to reform government. And we fought corruption. I didn't care whether they were Republicans or Democrats. I fought big spenders in both parties.
FOREMAN: But Obama is right. McCain has plenty of people working close to him who have also worked in the lobbying business. Top campaign operatives, advisers, fund-raisers -- McCain emphatically denies that any of these people are trying to influence him on behalf of their clients. Some months ago, the campaign came up with a policy that staffers had to cut ties to any lobbying groups or quit.
His campaign even issued a statement today. "John McCain does not have any registered lobbyists on his campaign -- none -- and Barack Obama knows it."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: Still, Public Citizen, a watchdog group founded by Ralph Nader long ago, reported that McCain used far more lobbyists to bundle donations than any other candidate in this presidential race.
Anything illegal or unethical about that? No, there's not. But Obama knows it doesn't look good so he keeps pointing it out -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right. Tom Foreman for us again. Tom, thanks.
We are going to turn our attention back tonight to Sarah Palin and look exclusively into her faith. Two of her pastors have details you never heard before.
Coming up, what she believes. How it may affect her decisions.
Also, we're going to update you on the forecast of the killer storm out there. We'll tell you where Hurricane Ike is heading right now. The very latest when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We've got a lot of breaking news to tell you about tonight. Let's go right now to Erica Hill. She's here with "The Briefing" -- Erica.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, we start with Hurricane Ike. So many eyes on this storm. It has weakened today to a Category one, but it is still pounding Cuba with 80 mile-an-hour winds and heavy rains, tearing the roofs off homes and flooding streets. If it does stay on its predicted course at this hour, Ike could hit the Texas coast sometime late Friday or early Saturday, packing winds of up to 130 miles per hour.
Roger Federer back on top beating Andy Murray today for his fifth consecutive U.S. Open championship. Federer is the first man in almost 90 years to win the tournaments that many times in a row. Serena Williams also just won a few moments ago.
Lance Armstrong may be ready for a comeback. A cycling journal reports on its Web site Armstrong will end his retirement and hopes to compete in next year's Tour de France, the race he won, of course, seven years in a row.
And with the presidential race so close, this might just be the time for campaigns to bust a move. So here's Michelle Obama doing her part, showing off some of her moves with Ellen DeGeneres. The show was taped last week in Los Angeles that aired today. Of course, all of Ellen's guests, Campbell, do this. And we know that Barack Obama also was on there once before.
I have to tell you, though, I watched these, both Michelle Obama and Barack Obama, and I feel like they're not really letting loose in that dancing segment.
BROWN: You feel like that was holding back?
HILL: I think they have better moves. I'm just -- I'm going out on a limb here. There you have it.
BROWN: OK. We look forward to seeing John McCain show his moves on Ellen one of these days, right?
HILL: I look forward to that as well, yes.
BROWN: All right. Erica Hill for us. Thanks, Erica.
And coming up, our exclusive look at Sarah Palin's faith, how it could influence her in Washington. We have two interviews tonight exclusively with her pastors when we come back. This is ELECTION CENTER.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: It is the book that everybody in Washington, D.C. is buzzing about. The author, Bob Woodward, is sitting down with Larry King in just a few minutes. Larry, tell us what it's all about.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": You got it, Campbell.
Bob Woodward is here. His new book reveals top secrets, behind- the-scenes details on the war in Iraq, and decisions that were made about it. Will they affect the election? Are there other consequences? Bob Woodward for the whole hour is next on "LARRY KING LIVE," Campbell.
BROWN: All right. Larry, we'll be watching. Thanks very much.
We had been talking tonight a lot about Sarah Palin. We're going to be reporting on Sarah Palin a lot in the coming weeks, in part, because we all have a lot of catching up to do.
We've been reporting on Barack Obama, on Joe Biden, on John McCain for years. Sarah Palin is new to the political scene. She's been in the national political spotlight for only 11 days, and voters across the country want to know more about her.
And with the election just 57 days away, there's just not a lot of time. So we already know that her Christian faith is a large part of her appeal, especially to evangelical voters. But as Barack Obama found out, faith can also raise questions in the minds of other voters. So we went to Alaska and we asked two of her pastors just what it is she believes, how her faith might influence her if she were to become vice president.
Randi Kaye is live in Anchorage with our exclusive story tonight -- Randi.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, as you know, we came here for a number of stories. But we wanted to get a good look at Sarah Palin's life not only inside her nondenominational evangelical church but also inside her Pentecostal church. And we spoke exclusively with her former pastor, Pastor Tim McGraw. He has known her since the early '90s and he says there is no doubt that the Pentecostals have influenced her views.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): Sarah Palin calls herself "a bible believing Christian." Period. What she doesn't mention is this -- Palin spent most of her life attending a Pentecostal church which may have shaped her beliefs if not her politics.
Palin's spiritual journey from her teenage years until 2002 was mainly at the Wasilla Assembly of God, a Pentecostal church congregants say they speak in tongues.
CAROLINE SPANGLER, MEMBER, ASSEMBLY OF GOD: When the spirit comes on you, you utter things that nobody else can understand. Only God understands what is coming out of our mouths.
KAYE: Tim McGraw was pastor at Wasilla Assembly of God when Palin belonged there.
PASTOR TIM MCGRAW, FMR. PASTOR, ASSEMBLY OF GOD: I don't think everybody understands how -- why it is that humans would react the way they do if they get touched by God. And I think that the Pentecostal church is very familiar with that dynamic.
KAYE: McGraw says he never saw Palin speak in tongues. He says members also practice faith healing and believe in the end times, a violent upheaval in the world that will bring the second coming of Jesus.
MCGRAW: Sarah didn't -- she wasn't taught to look for one particular sign, one cataclysmic kind of single sign. She just knew that like every Christian does that God is sovereign and that he is in control.
KAYE: When Palin delivered this speech at the Wasilla Assembly of God in June, it got little notice.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can work together to make sure God's will be done here.
KAYE: But she suggested people pray that the troops in Iraq are following God's will. PALIN: Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country that our leaders, our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan.
KAYE (on camera): Neither Palin nor the campaign will say much about her faith except that she has deep religious convictions. But recordings like these have many wondering if her beliefs could impact policy decisions. Her former pastor says he has no doubt she'll turn to her faith in office.
MCGRAW: Since her view of the world includes a God that loves us and can be accessed by us, it would be logical for her to frame her world with that possibility in it.
KAYE (voice-over): McGraw says Palin attended advanced classes to strengthen her Pentecostal faith and that he prayed with her to become a better leader.
MCGRAW: What Sarah attempted to do was to apply everyday wisdom to her assignment as a leader in our local government. Proverbs out of the bible applied common sense but I would call it wisdom to wise leadership.
KAYE: Palin's spokeswoman told me the governor doesn't mix religion with government business.
MEGHAN STAPLETON, PALIN SPOKESWOMAN: I know that she does pray for things, but she doesn't bring that to her office to pray for things.
KAYE: But at Wasilla Assembly of God, she called on her audience to help fulfill Alaska's destiny, and her mission to build a $30 billion natural gas pipeline here.
PALIN: I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built. So pray for that. But I can do my job there in developing our natural resources but really all of that stuff doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart isn't right with God.
KAYE: In Alaska, Palin's spokesperson explains it this way. Of course, they're all praying, doing everything possible to get the pipeline. What's the big deal?
STAPLETON: I think we are all praying for a pipeline. I think every single one of us is praying for the pipeline because that's the future of this state. It's the future of the nation.
KAYE: Palin had been a believer since she was a young girl. Her bio says she was baptized in Alaska's Beaver Lake, and by age 12, had enrolled in church camps and bible schools. She learned from the Pentecostals she can be directly moved by God.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BROWN: And we're going to be back with more in a moment from Sarah Palin's pastor. You may be surprised by what's being discussed in some of these churches, everything from Israel to how to turn gay people straight. It's information you won't hear anyplace else.
We'll be back with more right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, many evangelical voters are on fire about the prospects of Sarah Palin becoming vice president. They see her as one of their own. So we are taking a close look at what Palin believes, how her beliefs could affect the country.
Once again, let's go to Randi Kaye in Anchorage, Alaska, with more on that -- Randi.
KAYE: Campbell, Sarah Palin really grew up in the Wasilla Assembly of God church, a Pentecostal church. Now, her current church is a small, quaint, community church but it's not without controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): For more than two decades, Sarah Palin was a practicing Pentecostal. Yet the McCain campaign now says Palin doesn't consider herself Pentecostal. She hasn't talked about her faith since joining the Republican ticket. Is she playing down her Pentecostal roots? Her former Pentecostal pastor, Tim McGraw --
PASTOR TIM MCGRAW, PALIN'S FORMER PASTOR: I think there may be issues of belief that could be misunderstood or played upon by people that don't know. What we taught was God is the creator of the world. He can be accessed by simple conversation and prayer. That he has the highest plans and purposes for their life.
KAYE: Palin left the church six years ago to join a more mainstream, nondenominational church.
(on camera): We don't know why she left the church, but we do know the senior pastor from her former church, Wasilla Assembly of God, had preached some unusual sermons, including one about how Alaska is destined to serve as a shelter for Christians at the end times.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe Alaska is one of the refuge states.
KAYE (voice-over): Many Pentecostals believe we are approaching the end of days when Jesus will return and only believers will be saved.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God has the destiny for the state of Alaska.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Masters commission is one of the keys in God's plan for Alaska, the United States and the entire world.
KAYE: In church in 2004, Pastor Ed Kalnin (ph) focused on presidential candidate John Kerry. From the pulpit, he questioned the salvation of people who voted for the Democrat for president.
The church directed us to a statement on its Web site saying the pastor was joking when he suggested Kerry supporters would go to hell. "We do acknowledge in hindsight that it was careless, and we do apologize for that. This statement is not written as a defense, but as a clarification."
Palin's current church, the nondenominational, Wasilla Bible Church, is now also under the microscope. On August 17th, just days before Palin was asked to run as vice president, the founder of Jews for Jesus, David Brickner, told worshipers, terrorist attacks on Israel were God's judgment of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity.
VOICE OF DAVID BRICKNER, JEWS FOR JESUS: Judgment is very real and we see it played out in the pages of the newspapers and on the television, when a Palestinian from east Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars killing numbers of people. Judgment, you can't miss it.
KAYE: Palin's new pastor, Larry Kroon, agreed with Brickner's views.
(on camera): Would David Brickner be invited to speak here again after making those comments?
LARRY KROON, PASTOR, WASILLA BIBLE CHURCH: Yes.
KAYE: Yes?
KROON: Yes. He would be.
KAYE (voice-over): The McCain campaign has confirmed Palin was in attendance for that sermon, but Palin's spokeswoman told me Brickner's comments are not a reflection of her views.
MEGHAN STAPLETON, GOV. PALIN'S SPOKESPERSON: I know that the governor without a doubt is pro-Israel.
KAYE: Pastor Larry Kroon wouldn't comment on Palin's beliefs.
(on camera): How do you think a person's faith influences them or shapes them and their decisions?
KROON: You're talking to a real core aspect of who they are and how they see things and they will, I think, that's part of how they'll make decisions and react.
KAYE (voice-over): Palin is anti-abortion rights even in the case of rape or incest. She believes in creationism and suggests it should be taught in schools. She also opposes gay marriage and spousal rights for gay couples.
Her church is promoting a conference which promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer. The advertisement was in the church's weekly bulletin. The conference is sponsored by Focus on the Family, a national Christian organization. All this is music to the ears of Christian conservatives. As governor of Alaska, Palin has done little to push a social conservative agenda but her critics worry she might do more of that if she became vice president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And, Randi, I know the McCain campaign has been closely monitoring this story all day and they're pushing back a little bit. What are you hearing?
KAYE: They sure are, Campbell. They were very concerned about how those videos, those YouTube videos from the Assembly of God church that we showed you in part one of our story, how those were being portrayed in the media and on television.
Regarding the Iraq war comments, the campaign says she is praying that the war will be God's plan. She is not asserting that it actually is God's plan. The McCain campaign saying this is an incredibly humble statement. They're calling it a statement that the McCain campaign, Campbell, stands by 100 percent.
BROWN: All right. Randi Kaye for us tonight. Randi, appreciate it.
Tomorrow, we're going to have more about the role of faith in Sarah Palin's life. We're going to hear exclusively from one of the people who knows her very best -- her father, Chuck Heath.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK HEATH, SARAH PALIN'S FATHER: Faith is very, very important in their life, yes. Very, very important.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it important in your life?
HEATH: It's important but not as much as the kids. The kids just live it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Sarah Palin's father, that's exclusively tomorrow here in the ELECTION CENTER.
And be watching also Saturday starting at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time, as the CNN special investigations unit presents two special programs, "Sarah Palin and Joe Biden Revealed." You're going to learn much more about both running mates and their qualifications.
Next, I'm going to ask my political panel if Palin herself needs to come out and talk about how her faith may affect her decisions politically. We'll be back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, we've heard from two ministers who have guided Sarah Palin's evangelical Christian faith. They have no doubt her faith influences the way that she lives.
Well, what will that mean for the rest of us if she is elected? My political panel back, Bay Buchanan, Roland Martin, Jeff Toobin with us.
Bay, let me start with you. She certainly energized Christian conservatives. Her faith, a big part of her political appeal, but it's not something the McCain campaign has wanted to talk about much. Is it something you think that Sarah Palin should come out and talk about her beliefs and how they influence her politics?
BAY BUCHANAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: She clearly embodies a woman that has a strong faith. I mean, this is not something they're hiding. The fact that she is a Christian, I'm sure, was very much well -- they were very well aware of it. It was a plus to choose her to be put on the ticket.
You know, when you look at the black community of this country, they're clearly overwhelmingly behind Barack Obama. Very, very proud, as well they should be.
The Christian community, this is one of their own. They're very, very, proud. So there you have it but any further than that is ridiculous.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, Bay -- hey, Bay, I wonder Barack Obama is also a Christian, so will you say blacks are supporting Obama and the Christian community is buying her? Keep in mind you can't separate those two. There are black Christians as well. So, he's also one of them.
BUCHANAN: No question. There's no question and they're very, very well-known and many of them are Pentecostal, I might add. So this is an important aspect of any candidate. What their religion is, people want to know. But how they practice that faith, how they worship it is their business.
MARTIN: No. First, Campbell, I'm not going to buy that because the reality is what you see on both sides, you see people infusing their faith when it comes to politics whether it's abortion, whether it's gay marriage, whether this whole issue of abstinence, sex education. The reality is the Republican Party talked a lot about faith last week and also in terms of public policy. So let's not act as if it's somehow private when it comes to Republican candidates.
BROWN: It is inescapable, Jeff, don't you think? I mean, it became an issue for Barack Obama when his pastor spoke out. It was certainly an issue for Mitt Romney, Bay, as you know, when he was running.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: And put me down as uncomfortable with the whole subject. I don't like ascribing Reverend Wright's views to Barack Obama. I don't like ascribing the fellow interviewed today to Governor Palin. I just think I'd like to know what they think about those issues you talked about -- abortion, creationism, abstinence education. But as for what goes on in church, I just think the less I hear about it the better.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: (INAUDIBLE) an important issue to evangelicals who want -- who are embracing her because of it.
TOOBIN: But do they? But do they? I mean, do they want to hear all the details? Do they want to her about speaking in tongues in church?
I don't know. I might sense no.
MARTIN: Jeffrey, they were not supporting John McCain for quite some time because he was not as open about his faith. They were very lukewarm to him, so I think they're embracing her because John McCain is very quiet on that.
BROWN: And, Bay --
BUCHANAN: No, no.
BROWN: I mean, you've been around. You said you aren't that thrilled about John McCain until he picked Sarah Palin. Was her faith a part of it for you?
BUCHANAN: No, no. You know, listen, I am not a Christian right as you all call it. Well, Christian right I guess you could call me, but I'm not evangelical.
But sure, that was because she is a clear conservative who shares my values, my principles, which includes pro-life, pro-gun. It includes the fact that she is very tied to and has strong beliefs, and she's well grounded in that faith. All those things are very important.
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: And those are issues. Those are issues and that's how we should be deciding this campaign. Not about what people's religion is.
MARTIN: Being pro-gun is not being Christian.
BROWN: OK, guys, we got to end it there. We're just out of time.
But to Bay, to Roland and Jeffrey, as always, thank you guys. Appreciate it.
That's it, everybody, from the ELECTION CENTER.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.
