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Colin Powell Endorses Obama; Anger Boiling Over on the Campaign Trail; Extended Remarks from Colin Powell on His Decision; Kidnap Victim Cole Puffinburger Found Alive; Running to Make a Difference in Philadelphia
Aired October 19, 2008 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, unprecedented election, unprecedented developments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: Senator Obama brings a fresh set of ideas to the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Are more high-powered Republicans to follow?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a watermelon, a bucket of chicken?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Those are African-American stereotypes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really? Who says so? You?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Hateful words, ugly comparisons, anger boiling over on the campaign trail. Isolated or long-simmering hate?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This racial thing in this campaign must stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Kidnapped but found alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much for helping me find my son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A dangerous drug cartel, loads of cash and a grandfather's connection. We go inside this unusual case. The pictures and the stories you haven't seen until right now.
Good evening, everyone. Thanks for joining us tonight in the CNN NEWSROOM. We start tonight with the endorsement that both John McCain and Barack Obama had hoped for, that of Colin Powell, the retired general, the former secretary of state.
So, when word came today that the high-profile Republican was breaking party ranks and supporting Barack Obama, it was a definite blow to the McCain campaign, not because of why he chose Obama, but why he did not choose John McCain.
Tonight, you'll hear for yourself, extended remarks from Colin Powell. First up, his announcement this morning on how he reached his decision in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: Because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities. You have to take that into account as well as his substance. He has both style and substance.
He has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president. I think he's a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming into the world -- onto the world stage, on the American stage. And for that reason, I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, of course, the Democratic candidate was elated with that endorsement and said as much today at a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And this morning, a great soldier, a great statesman, a great American, has endorsed our campaign for change.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: I have been honored to have the benefit of his wisdom and his counsel from time to time over the last few years. But today, I'm beyond honored. I'm deeply humbled to have the support of General Colin Powell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, if John McCain was shocked by Colin Powell's decision, he did not show it. There had been talk for weeks that Powell was leaning towards Obama. So when McCain appeared on television this morning, he had a ready response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I've always admired and respected General Powell. We were long-time friends. This doesn't come as a surprise. But I'm also very pleased to have the endorsement of four former secretaries of state -- Secretaries Kissinger, Baker, Eagleburger and Haig. And I'm proud to have the endorsement of well over 200 retired army generals and admirals but I respect and continue to respect and admire Secretary Powell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, of course, Colin Powell is a national figure with support across party lines. That's a factor that could help Obama in these six battleground states, which analyses show are still up for grabs. One is in Ohio, the place where the race is very tight there. Barack Obama leads John McCain by one point there, 47 percent to 46 percent. 7 percent are still unsure.
Our last poll of polls showed Obama leading McCain in Ohio by 2 points. Meantime, our updated national poll, the nationwide poll of polls, gives Obama a six-point lead, 49 percent to 43 percent.
Colin Powell is a unique player in American politics, especially his ability to draw support from people in both parties. Let's bring in now our CNN political editor Mark Preston.
Mark, I know it is important, but just how important is this as we get closer and closer to Election Day?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Don, it boils down to one word -- experience. And that has been one of the main arguments by John McCain against Barack Obama. He doesn't have the experience to be commander-in-chief. When someone like Colin Powell comes out and endorses him, it takes that off the table.
And I'll tell you, I was talking to several national strategists tonight, and that's what they said to me, immediately, it comes down to experience. John McCain, they think, has that quiver now taken out or that arrow taken out of his quiver.
LEMON: OK. Let's boil this down then, Mark, to which states this endorsement will help Obama in.
PRESTON: Well, I mean, look, I mean, it's a very broad question, but what I think, and again from people who I have been speaking with, this could help in Florida. This could help in North Carolina. This could help in a state such as Virginia or maybe even Ohio. These are all states that have very large military populations.
Colin Powell is very well regarded general. He might be able to help sway some of those undecided military folk over into the Obama camp. Although I will say, speaking to some strategists tonight, specifically one in Ohio, he said that John McCain is beloved by the military, retirees, and active duty in Ohio. And he doesn't think that this is going to matter.
LEMON: All right. Very interesting. Mark Preston, thank you so much. Mark will be joining us in a little bit. We're going to go over some of this as we hear from Colin Powell in depth tonight.
And I also want to hear from you throughout this hour. Make sure you send us your comments at Twitter, Facebook, at MySpace, iReport.com and CNN.com. We're also online, chatting with some of our viewers online, a live Web chat right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. There it is right here on the screen. So, join us online.
Colin Powell, one of the men who led the charge to war, now endorsing the man who opposes it. Powell on Iraq, his role and what went wrong.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, Colin Powell's decision to endorse Barack Obama has jolted the race for the White House, but the war in Iraq is one issue that separates them. Obama brags about opposing it right from the start. Powell was point man for selling the invasion. Here's Powell on Iraq earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POWELL: The Iraq war is the Iraq war. We now see that things are a lot better in Iraq. Maybe if we had put a surge in at the beginning, then it would have been a lot better years ago. But it's a lot better now and we can see ahead to where U.S. forces will start to come out.
And so, my concern was not my past or what happened in Iraq, but where we're going in the future. My sole concern was where we're going after January 20, 2009, not what happened in 2003. I'm well aware of the role I played. My role has been very, very straightforward.
I wanted to avoid a war. The President agreed with me. We tried to do that. We couldn't get it through the U.N. And when the President made the decision, I supported that decision and I've never blinked from that. I've never said I didn't support the decision to go to war.
And the war looked great until the 9th of April, when the Statue fell. Everybody thought it was terrific and it was terrific. We've done -- the troops have done a great job, but then we failed to understand that the war really was not over, that a new phase of the war was beginning. And we weren't ready for it and we didn't respond to it well enough and things went very, very -- very, very south.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Let's bring back in our political editor Mark Preston.
Mark, what do we make of the man who led the charge to war, endorsing the candidate who opposed the war from the beginning, and that was Barack Obama's stance from the very beginning?
PRESTON: It was and that's what fueled Barack Obama's candidacy, as our viewers well remember, and that was the big issue in the Democratic primary. But right now, Don, if you look at the polls, five times more Americans believe that the economy is more of an important issue than Iraq is.
It's not something that we're hearing on the campaign trail a whole lot. We'll hear Barack Obama talk it in the sense that John McCain had poor judgment for his rush to war, as Barack Obama will say. I don't think this is going to be a huge issue unless Colin Powell plays a more prominent role and he did tell us today that he doesn't plan to be campaigning for Barack Obama.
LEMON: I remember the run-up to the war and how contentious that was with the anti-war crowd, right?
PRESTON: Yes.
LEMON: So, where is the anti-war crowd now? Is Powell getting a pass on this mark?
PRESTON: Well, I'll tell you what, again, we'll have to see in the next couple of days. But I will tell you again, I was on the phone tonight with a source inside, moveon.org, which is this liberal advocacy group which was very much against the war. And what I've been told is that they will not make a statement, they will not come out against this endorsement. They don't want to clutter things in the final couple of weeks. They don't want to distract. They want Barack Obama to win.
LEMON: All right. Mark Preston, thank you very much.
Mark, we're going to continue this conversation again because this was sort of shocking to the McCain campaign, when word came this morning. Thank you, Mark.
I also want to hear from you, the viewer, throughout this hour. Make sure you send us your comments. We're also online, where you can chat with us live online. So there we are chatting with some of our I-reporters online live. We'll get to them in just a second and your comments as well. So, keep them coming -- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, iReport and CNN.com.
John McCain on the offensive today, but did his campaign's negative attacks cost him Powell's endorsement?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: When McCain campaign has recently been suggesting Barack Obama is a socialist on economic policy. They've been calling it the S-word. Well, the accusation did not sit well with Colin Powell. Listen for yourself as he explains why it was a factor in his decision to endorse Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POWELL: To focus on people like Mr. Ayers, these trivial issues for the purpose of suggesting that somehow Mr. Obama would have some kind of terrorist inclinations, I thought that was over the top. It was beyond just good political fighting back and forth. I think it went beyond.
And then they sort of throw in this little Muslim connection. You know, he's a Muslim and, my gosh, he's a terrorist, and it was -- it was taking root. And we can't judge our people and we can't hold our elections on that kind of basis. And so yes, that kind of negativity troubled me and the constant shifting of the argument.
I was troubled a couple of weeks ago when, in the middle of the crisis, the campaign said we're going to go negative. And they announced it. We're going to go negative and attack his character through Bill Ayers.
And now I guess the message this week is we're going to call him a socialist. Mr. Obama is now a socialist because he dares to suggest that maybe we ought to look at the tax structure that we have.
Taxes are always a redistribution of money. Most of the taxes that are redistributed go back to those who pay it -- in roads and airports and hospitals and schools. And taxes are necessary for the common good. And there's nothing wrong with examining what our tax structure is and who should be paying more, who should be paying less. And for us to say that that makes you a socialist, I think is an unfortunate -- an unfortunate characterization that isn't accurate.
LEMON: Political editor Mark Preston navigating us through these waters tonight.
Mark, I really appreciate that. OK. So the overall view here, Mark, is that McCain has been very negative. Why is that?
PRESTON: Well, look, I mean, he's an underdog right now and he's scrapping to try to -- to try to take the lead again. He, himself, says he's the underdog. But, you know, let's be fair here, the Obama campaign has been negative as well in some of their ads.
But again, right now, John McCain only has a few weeks left to try to, you know, get the lead again in the national polls, but more importantly, in these battleground states. He needs to call Obama's judgment into character. And that's what we're seeing with these robo- calls that he has been using.
LEMON: All right. You're saying he needs to question Obama's judgment and not his character. But I guess that's one reason why is it not working? Why is this not catching any wind, any fire at all?
PRESTON: Well, you know, really simply because right now, Barack Obama has so much money, Don. And really, you know, money has a lot to do with it. He raised $150 million in the month of September. That is an incredible sum of money. And he's turning around and he's putting it on television ads. He is spending $4.5 million a day, Don. That's Barack Obama.
John McCain is only spending $1.5 million. So, I'll tell you, one national strategist just said to me a couple of hours ago, you know, in regards to the robo-calls that we've seen, the William Ayers robo-calls, if you don't have the money, you have to phone it in. And that's what we're seeing.
LEMON: And when you can raise more than $150 million in one month, that is absolutely saying something.
PRESTON: Yes, no question.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much for that, Mark Preston, again for navigating us through these waters.
Again, we heard from Mark Preston. We're hearing from both people -- people on both sides, the right and the left. And I also want to hear from you this hour. We promised we're going to get some of your responses on.
As a matter of fact, right now, let's go to redwolfe. This one is from Twitter. He says, "Hooray for Colin Powell. Barack Obama is a transformational figure and Powell's endorsement means a lot in NC -- North Carolina."
OK. DocRemy. "Colin Powell is indeed intelligent and respected. Hope he is asked to be sec of defense," which means secretary of defense.
Again, keep them coming. I am also chatting on camera with some of our folks here and online as well with. Go to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, iReport. There they are. Put them there. Say hi, guys. They're online.
All right. Thank you. We'll get more of your comments on the air throughout this broadcast.
Diversity in this historic election, it is bringing people together but it's also tearing them apart. We'll hear more from Colin Powell and we'll go much deeper on this issue of race that's becoming destructive in this campaign.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. So, when Colin Powell publicly endorsed Barack Obama for president, he also talked about what pushed him to cross party lines. Here's more of Powell, in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POWELL: We have two wars, we have economic problems, we have health problems, we have education problems, we have infrastructure problems, we have problems around the world with our allies. And so, those are the problems the American people wanted to hear about. Not about Mr. Ayers, not about who's a Muslim and who's not a Muslim.
Those kinds of images going out on Al Jazeera are killing us around the world. And we have got to say to the world, it doesn't make any difference who you are or what you are. If you're an American, you're an American. And this business of, for example, of the congressman from Minnesota who's going around saying, let's examine all congressmen to see who's pro-America or not pro-America. We have got to stop this kind of nonsense, pull ourselves together and remember that our great strength is in our unity and in our diversity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Colin Powell, again, talking about rhetoric on the campaign trail and how it's distracting people from issues they care about. Let's bring in two people who hear what people care about on the radio, on their radio shows every single day of the week, during the week, at least.
On the right, Martha Zoller from Georgia News Network, and on the left, nationally syndicated radio host Warren Ballentine of the "Warren Ballentine Show."
Thank you so much for joining us.
WARREN BALLENTINE, "WARREN BALLENTINE SHOW": Thank you, Don.
LEMON: OK, first of all, let me get your response -- Martha is here in the studio. Martha, let me get your response to this endorsement. What did you -- when you woke up this morning, it was on your television, it's on my television and I just -- I couldn't turn away.
MARTHA ZOLLER, GEORGIA NEWS NETWORK: No, absolutely. And it's certainly a blow to the McCain campaign because Colin Powell has at least called himself a Republican for a number of years. He hadn't worked very hard in the Republican Party, but he -- and he's had these issues about the Republican Party and diversity and those kinds of things for a long time, but I was disappointed.
LEMON: Was this expected though?
ZOLLER: I think it was expected. I think that, well, even though he gave $2300, the max, to John McCain less than a year ago...
LEMON: OK.
ZOLLER: ...he has decided to endorse Barack Obama. And I'm told by insiders in the McCain campaign, they thought this was coming for a couple of weeks.
LEMON: Warren, I want to get you in on this because I know that even when you are online and you're blogging and you're in the online community, what are your listeners saying when they heard about this endorsement? What did they say?
BALLENTINE: Well, they were happy, number one. Number two, they were a little shocked. I don't think they thought this was coming. I mean, I think Colin Powell has kept the company line, as far as Republicans go. In fact, I think Colin Powell probably is the best judge of character out of everybody who has made endorsements, because he's had a 20-year relationship with John McCain. He has watched Barack Obama. And after looking at the two, he really made an excellent point. He said, look, we all may have come here on different ships, but right now we're in the same boat and we got to talk about unifying the country.
LEMON: Martha is shaking her head over here, Warren.
ZOLLER: Well, I guess what really surprises me about that is that he talked a lot about the negativity of the campaign but the Barack Obama campaign has spent more on negative ads than any candidate on history and they are on track to spend more than any candidate in history combined.
LEMON: OK. Hold that thought, hold that thought.
(CROSSTALK)
BALLENTINE: Yes, Martha, but there's one problem with that argument, Martha. McCain's campaign has been completely negative. When you're calling a man a terrorist, you're calling him a Muslim...
ZOLLER: No, no, the campaign has not done that.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Hold on, hold on. You bring up a good point. I want to play this from YouTube and I want to get your response. This is from a rally in western Pennsylvania just last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama, Osama, friends, one and the same.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama bin Laden. (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he gets in office, he is going to have -- lot of cross section of America in his cabinet. That's going to be Al Sharpton, Reverend Wright, Jesse Jackson.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Move faster! (INAUDIBLE). This isn't an Oprah show!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama is a socialist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And then it goes on. You get the point. Warren, I'm sorry, I interrupted you. Go ahead.
BALLENTINE: You know, Don, and Martha, I'm going to say this. I called John McCain's camp on air, and do you know, I've gotten death threats since I've called his camp on air to try to get him on to talk about some of the things that's happening at the rallies. And all I'm asking him to do is this, he's not saying it, but he needs to correct the people and let them know that, look, we're all Americans, and he's not doing it.
(CROSSTALK)
BALLENTINE: He did it one time with the Ayers' comment. One time. One time.
ZOLLER: That was outside the rallies. Those people were outside the rally...
BALLENTINE: One time. One time, Martha.
ZOLLER: ...they weren't inside the rally, OK? And look, it was horrible. Those kinds of things should not be said. There's no place for it on either side. But at the Republican convention, I saw people saying just as horrible things. And at rallies in the Obama camp yesterday and the day before, there were T-shirts with Sarah Palin and phrases on there that we could not repeat on television.
LEMON: You heard people saying racist things at the Republican convention, yes?
ZOLLER: I heard people saying things about the anarchists, the people that were outside saying things...
(CROSSTALK)
BALLENTINE: Martha, I was at both conventions.
ZOLLER: So was I.
BALLENTINE: I don't think it was a hundred black people at the convention.
ZOLLER: I'm not talking about in the convention. I'm talking about people outside.
(CROSSTALK)
BALLENTINE: I don't think anybody was outside...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Let her make her point, Warren. Let her make her point.
ZOLLER: Look, the point is that there are terrible people out there supporting both of these candidates. But if you go to a Barack Obama rally, there are people with sayings on their T-shirts and chanting things that you can't repeat. Why is it only the McCain campaign is being covered? That's why...
LEMON: Hang on, hang on. When you hear Colin Powell, who is a very respected member of the Republican Party and a very respected...
ZOLLER: Absolutely. LEMON: ...respected member of America...
ZOLLER: Hey, I have a letter from him.
LEMON: ...say that the tone of the campaign...
ZOLLER: Yes?
LEMON: ...turned him off and it's one reason he is not supporting John McCain, you have to think about those things. Yes? No?
ZOLLER: I absolutely think about those things but it's no different than the misrepresentation -- if I only watch the media and didn't go out and try to find these things out for myself, I would think John McCain was the negative campaigner.
LEMON: Go ahead, Warren.
BALLENTINE: You know, this is the truth of the matter here. John McCain tried to tie Barack Obama with Bill Ayers. Bill Ayers is a college professor. On his reasoning alone, I can say every kid that's taught by Bill Ayers is being taught by a terrorist, therefore, I think they're terrorists. That's the argument that McCain is making and he's got Americans believing it.
Martha, I'm going to say this to you and I say it on my show everyday. November 5th if we don't come and get our act together on both sides, not just McCain, but Obama side, too, November 5th all hells is going to break loose in this country because you're going to have some people who'll take this election so hard that they want to do things that they probably never would have thought they would be doing. And I know this from getting death threats myself for simply calling McCain and asking him to come on...
ZOLLER: I get them every time I'm on CNN, so...
LEMON: OK. All right, guys. Thank you very much, both Martha and Warren. And you know, I know it's very contentious. I know that you guys actually do like each other.
ZOLLER: I do. I think he's a great guy.
BALLENTINE: Martha is a fantastic lady.
LEMON: All right. Thank you guys so much for joining us tonight on this Sunday night and talking about these issues. We also want to hear from you. We heard from our radio hosts. We want to hear from you throughout this hour. And you have been sending us your responses.
Let's get the ones now from Twitter. Here's one from BarBrad. He said, "Colin Powell is a grat man," but I'm sure he meant great man. "Endorsement very eloquent. Won't change minds of Evangelicals. They think Obama evil."
Do you agree with that?
ZOLLER: I'm an evangelical. No, I don't agree with that.
LEMON: No? OK. CNN.fan.picazo, "Now that Powell has denounced the Ayers fiasco, will the McCain camp finally drop it?" That's a question mark.
AZ.BirdLady, Martha, says, "I think Secretary Powell has shown himself to be a man of courage and honor to rebuke McCain and support Obama for the good of us."
ZOLLER: One of my most prized possessions is a letter I got from Colin Powell in 1991, when I was a stay-at-home mom, OK? And we exchanged letters about the content of the character and how much that I enjoyed it and I couldn't believe he actually wrote me back. I have great respect for Colin Powell. He has the right to do whatever he wants to do here. But, you know, I think he's wrong about it. I think he should have stayed with his friend.
LEMON: Thank you, Martha. You got a little extra time here.
ZOLLER: I did. Sorry.
LEMON: Warren will be upset with me. All right. Thank you very much.
Colin Powell on McCain's vice presidential pick and why he thinks Sarah Palin is not ready to be president.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. We have been discussing a lot here in the CNN NEWSROOM, talking about Colin Powell's endorsement. Is Sarah Palin ready for the highest office in the country? A heartbeat away is the expression. And it's one reason why Colin Powell, a high-profile Republican, is endorsing Democrat Barack Obama. Here is Powell again in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: And I was also concerned at the selection of Governor Palin. She's a very distinguished woman and she's to be admired. But at the same time, now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don't believe she's ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Well, CNN political editor Mark Preston and radio host Martha Zoller.
Martha, I especially want to get your perspective as a conservative female, does Sarah Palin represent you, does she represent your party?
MARTHA ZOLLER, GEORGIA NEWS NETWORK: Look, she was a big risk. There's no doubt about it, but she certainly deserved --
LEMON: Hold it there, a big risk.
ZOLLER: She is a big risk.
LEMON: A risk that paid off or didn't pay off? What do you think?
ZOLLER: We won't know until November 4th.
LEMON: OK.
ZOLLER: But I think she's energized the base. She's certainly is help with the evangelicals.
LEMON: A better way is paying off or not paying off?
ZOLLER: I think as of right now, she is paying off, because in -- by some poll it's a two or three-point race. So, yes, I think she is paying off.
LEMON: Mark Preston?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Martha, be nice to me. No, I will tell, I was speaking all evening with Republican strategists in the battleground states and national strategists, and I'm getting back mixed messages from New Hampshire, from Ohio. She has certainly energized the base. She has really, one said to me up in Ohio, one strategist said, it was a shot in the arm. A strategist in New Hampshire said she has absolutely energized the base.
Now, nationally, speaking to a national strategist, he said, look, she has now become a liability. You know, she can't go out there and handle the national questions, and it was not a good pick. So, I'm getting mix reaction across the country of whether she was or not.
ZOLLER: But don't you find it interesting -- and of course it's because Joe Biden has this long record that he's not getting as much of a scrutiny. But you talked -- he's made as many mistakes answering questions as Sarah Palin has in the last three weeks but we haven't talked as much about it.
LEMON: But it's not that -- it's not that -- and again, I don't want to put Mark in a weird position here. It's not that he is on either side. I mean, he's not a strategist. He's just a political editor here.
(CROSSTALK)
ZOLLER: No, he's not. He does a great job.
LEMON: But what I'm asking, and Mark, we have talked about this before. She has energized the base but it doesn't seem to be moving the polls much and not the electoral map. PRESTON: Well, and here's what the strategy is. You know, the McCain campaign strategy was to bring somebody in that could energize the base, because the base was not that energized about his candidacy and she absolutely has hit a grand slam on that. No question about that. Look at the rally. She's bringing out, you know -- thousands of people are coming out to see her. Nationally though, she is becoming, you know, a pinata, so to speak. But I will say, again --
LEMON: Wait, why is that? Why is she becoming a pinata? Why do you say that?
PRESTON: Well, certainly because -- some of the answers that she's given to questions on some big national issues, and the fact that she's actually broken with John McCain on some major issues has caused her to be that way, and you know, the national media, Don, we don't know her very well. So, Martha is absolutely right. Joe Biden does make mistakes but we don't know anything about Sarah Palin, and that's why there's so much intense scrutiny on her.
LEMON: Do you agree with that 100 percent? Because there had been -- you see these interviews, and the media is always easy -- it's always an easy target. She's targeting -- she's being targeted by the media, but when you look at the interviews and you hear some of the things that she says --
ZOLLER: The Couric interview was definitely bad. And in fact, she said on the campaign trail, which I have never heard a politician say this, saying, "Hey, I messed up. You know, I'm going to do better in the future." And you never hear politicians say that so that's what I meant by it was a risk. Because she certainly -- you can't deny what she did in Alaska -- beating an incumbent in a primary that almost never happens.
LEMON: Right.
ZOLLER: You know, so she certainly had accomplished a lot.
LEMON: And whatever you think of her, whether you support her or you don't support her, it is a high place to be put for that sort of scrutiny.
ZOLLER: And I'm a mother of four...
LEMON: Yes.
ZOLLER: And -- and -- and I -- I love seeing her there because when people say no one asks a man who's going to take care of your children, OK? And so, as a mother, I love that.
LEMON: And you know, Joe Biden responded to that in the debate.
ZOLLER: He did.
LEMON: That was his teary-eyed moment.
ZOLLER: He did. LEMON: Thank you, Martha.
ZOLLER: Thank you.
LEMON: Mark, thank you again for helping us navigate through all of this. We appreciate t.
All right, you have seen the Best Political Team on Television, but there is another team that has been working overtime to cover this election. We're talking about CNN's iReporters. We asked you to go out and cover the campaign from your perspective. And as always, you really came through for us. So thank you. Now we're hosting our very first iReport Film Festival and we need your help to pick the winners here. Take a look at one of the finalists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FILM BY KAT EDMONSON: (MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Very nice there. OK, well, "Campaign 2008, Your Election, Your Story, Your Film." And you can vote tomorrow on CNN.com. The winner will be announced right here on this show next Sunday night, 11 p.m. Eastern, after the other D.L. - D.L. Hughley. He makes his debut next week.
OK, found alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much for helping me find my son.
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LEMON: A 6-year-old Nevada boy abducted from his Las Vegas home found wandering the streets, but the investigation is only beginning.
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LEMON: You know what this is incredible news out of Las Vegas. Kidnap victim Cole Puffinburger is safe and sound back home with his dad tonight. A police found the 6-year-old boy is quite a tale. Here's CNN's Kara Finnstrom.
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KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Saturday night detectives were out in this neighborhood passing out flyers with Cole's picture when they got a tip that a young boy had been spotted wandering around. When they got to this United Methodist Church, they found out that boy was Cole.
(voice-over): Church member Albert Van Patten had led the congregation in a prayer Wednesday that Cole would be left someplace safe. He was at the church Saturday night when an officer came knocking saying Cole had just been found right outside.
ALBERT VAN PATTEN, CHURCH MEMBER: As the police officer was telling me this, it just made me feel warm all over that we had been praying for him. And as turn it turned out, he was safe around a church.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to give glory to God for that answer of prayer that thousands of people around the nation have been praying.
FINNSTROM (voice-over): Authorities say Cole in excellent health. Right now police are refusing to comment on whether there are any custody concerns. They do say their search for Cole's kidnappers and their investigation into the drug operation are far from over.
CAPT. VINCE CANNITO, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE: Our focus now goes on to the drug dealings, to potential extortion issues as well as other issues.
FINNSTROM: But on this Sunday, detectives, family members and all in this community who had watched and waited, paused to give thanks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Boy found alive. Boy found alive. Cole Puffinburger found alive.
FINNSTROM: In Las Vegas, Kara Finnstrom for CNN.
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LEMON: Certainly glad he was found OK.
It was one of the fastest growing businesses in this down economy.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been shot at numerous times. I had knifes pulled on me, baseball bats, chains, dogs. Every type of dog, big dogs, little dogs, doesn't matter.
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LEMON: The stories he can tell and the people whose property he takes away as well. We are running with the repo man.
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LEMON: Well, you know, it's one of the fastest growing businesses in this down economy and I will give you a hint. You can't pay for it and they take it away from you. I took a ride with the repo man, who is busier now than ever.
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WES PEELER, REPOSSESSION NIGHT SUPERVISOR: Yes, that's us. All right.
LEMON (voice-over): The middle of the night is when Wes Peeler and his tow truck go to work.
PEELER: If anybody comes out, I'll handle them.
LEMON: Wes is the repo man. Simone, who doesn't want her face shown is about to see the last of her Jeep Grand Cherokee. A single mom with a 12-year-old daughter could no longer make the payments.
SIMONE, CAR REPOSSESSED: I have never been this down on my luck. I have a college degree and I can't find a job. And I have -- and I'm -- I'm a single mom. And I'm just -- I'm so frustrated. I'm just frustrated.
LEMON: Simone's story is sadly no different than so many other Americans who are just one paycheck away from disaster. It starts with a layoff. The temp jobs don't pay the bills. They lose their homes to foreclosure. Their cars are repossessed.
(on camera): How are you going to get to work?
SIMONE: I have no idea. No idea. Don't even care right now.
LEMON: How is your daughter going to get to school?
SIMONE: I have no idea. No idea.
LEMON: Are you living with your parents?
SIMONE: Friends.
LEMON: It's bad out there, huh?
SIMONE: Bad is an understatement.
LEMON (voice-over): But the repo man has a tough job to do.
PEELER: I've been shot at numerous times. I had knifes pulled on me, baseball bats, chains, dogs. Every type of dog, big dogs, little dogs, doesn't matter.
LEMON: Tonight is uneventful. He gives Simone time to gather her belongings and leave.
(on camera): It is hard to see her sit there with all -- she had all of her stuff, her computers...
PEELER: Yes, I'm human. I do feel bad for people. I've seen grown man stand there and just (INAUDIBLE) over, you know, and...
LEMON: Can you blame them?
PEELER: No, I can't.
NOLEN EASTMAN, OWNER, HILL & ASSOCIATES: Good morning, guys. LEMON (voice-over): When Wes is done, the morning shift at Hill & Associates takes over.
EASTMAN: Russell, I'm going to send you to a flat down to Fayetteville. You're going down to Pinehurst. This one, the customer said they were going to turn it in today.
LEMON: An army of trucks, cabinets full of files, all repossessions.
(on camera): How many do you keep in here? How many do you do in a year?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 10,000.
LEMON: You do 10,000 a year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least.
LEMON (voice-over): And lately, there's more than enough business to go around. Just across town...
RICHARD GROSVENOR, OWNER, SPEEDY RECOVERY: You know, as you see, we're full here on the lot. And we're looking to expand.
LEMON: Richard Grosvenor of Speedy Recovery says in 15 years he'd never seen it this bad.
GROSVENOR: This is typically telling me that all these businesses are in trouble. They are in terrible trouble. You know, we've always repossessed the automobiles. But never so much these work trucks, work vans, company vehicles like we're seeing today.
LEMON: One more sign of the times. Grosvenor says even the finance companies and banks are asking him, the repo man, for a break on fees.
GROSVENOR: We're feeling the pain just like everybody else.
LEMON: But for now, not nearly as much pain as the people they visit every day and every night.
I don't usually see this, so, it's just hard to watch.
SIMONE: I have a college degree. I owe $40,000 in student loans and I can't (EXPLETIVE DELETED) find a job. It's absolutely ridiculous. I'm just -- I'm tired. How much more can I take?
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LEMON: Part of our continuing series, "SIGN OF THE TIMES."
What all the markets do speaking of sign of the times in the week ahead? We're getting our first indications right now. Some overseas markets have been open for a few hours. So we want to check in now with CNN's Kyung Lah. She joins us from Tokyo. What can we expect tomorrow? What are the indications there, Kyung?
KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, hopefully, we have some bright news for Wall Street, because at least the morning trading here in Tokyo, the world's second largest economy, which often sets the tone for how Wall Street will look on Monday. So far we are trading in positive territory. We've been positive all morning. And the news out of Australia and New Zealand, similar. All those markets are also positive as well.
So, at least in early trading here in Asia, the news is very good. What they are responding to are some weekend actions. You heard President Bush talking about how he wants to have a series of summits. We saw South Korea injecting some more money into its banking system. So, hopefully, what these markets are hoping is that we are seeing continuation of that coordinated global effort to try to shore up this banking crisis, and hopefully Wall Street as far as Monday will look a little brighter.
LEMON: Kyung Lah in Tokyo. Thank you so much, Kyung.
All eyes will be on Wall Street just hours from now. The U.S. market, they've been zigzagging and we're seeing more sign the economy is floundering. Our Stephanie Elam gets down to business.
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STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: If you've been watching the market, you might have whiplash. Wall Street gained then lost over $1 trillion in volatile trading last week. One bright spot for consumers, oil and gas prices tumbled.
Next week, investors will see earnings reports from major companies in every sector, including Exxon Mobile, Caterpillar, Boeing, AT&T, Wachovia and Microsoft.
In a few days, the National Association of Realtors will release its monthly report on existing home sales and median home prices, but it will be another month before the numbers reflect last week's spike in mortgage rates. Freddie Mac reported average 30-year mortgage rates jumped half a percentage point to nearly 6.5 percent. And analysts expect rates will keep climbing.
Also coming up, the Labor Department will deliver its regional and state jobs report for September. The report will show the impact of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav on jobs in Gulf Coast states. Next week also marks the 80th Annual National Business Women's Week that celebrates the accomplishments of women in the workforce. That's this week's "GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS." I'm Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
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LEMON: All right, Steph.
Running to make a difference in Philadelphia. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNE MAHLUM, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: Homelessness is a big problem in Philadelphia, and it's been for a long time. I started to realize that I'm moving my life forward every day -- physically, emotionally, mentally, and these guys are standing in the same spot.
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LEMON: She's one of our top ten CNN Heroes and you're going to meet her.
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LEMON: All right. On the run and making a difference. Tonight's CNN Hero is taking her passion for running and sharing it with those in need. Philadelphia's Anne Mahlum is one of CNN's Top Ten Heroes of 2008.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Heroes.
ANNE MAHLUM, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: I'm out running usually between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. It's sort of my solitude time.
On my daily morning runs, I would see this group of homeless men. Homelessness is a big problem in Philadelphia, and it's been for a long time. I started to realize that I'm moving my life forward every day -- physically, emotionally, mentally, and these guys are standing in the same spot.
My name is Anne Mahlum, and I run an organization called Back On My Feet, where we use running to help the homeless move forward. When you join Back On My Feet, you get a new pair of shoes, a hat, a long- sleeved shirt. It's like, welcome to our team.
We run together three times a week between 5:30 and 6:00 in the morning.
We're going to go do a mile and a half together, and then everybody's going to split off and do their separate mile.
We have doctors, lawyers, homeless people. All you can tell is who's the fastest. You can't tell who's homeless and who's not.
Mike was one of the original members. He grew up running the streets, but now he's going back to run the streets the right way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anne is helping people see the hero in themselves.
MAHLUM: Do we need homes? Yes. We need jobs? Yes.
But imagine if you didn't have anybody in your life who said, I'm really proud of you. And Back On My Feet does just that. (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
MAHLUM: See you later.
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LEMON: You know what Anne joins me now from Philadelphia.
Anne, thank you so much for joining us from the City of Brotherly Love, it's a great place. How does it feel to be a CNN hero?
MAHLUM: It's a little overwhelming. I really don't feel like a hero. I'm just really trying to do what feels right, which I think a lot of people are trying to do so it's a little overwhelming to be put in this category.
LEMON: You talked about your story, but I want to hear from you why you did it. And I ask you that because, you know, Philadelphia, the crime is high, I lived there. It can be very cold in the winter. There is a homeless problem like in any major city. Weren't you scared? So why did you do it? Weren't you scared to do this?
MAHLUM: Well, first of off, I'm from North Dakota, so this is not cold. But I wasn't scared. You know, people are -- really feel like people are just people and when I saw these guys in the morning, I figure I might as well smile and wave at them, if I just run by something, I'm as big a part of the problem. So what was the harm in smiling at somebody? And with that, you know, I just developed this rapport with this group of guys and they became dependent on seeing me and I became dependent on seeing them. And you know, I just figured why do I get to be the runner and they have to be on the sidelines? Why can't we all run together?
LEMON: Very well said. They probably ended up protecting you. Being your protectors as well.
MAHLUM: Yes. I think I'm the safest girl in Philly.
LEMON: All right. So you probably ended up getting more out of this than they do. Do you feel like they help you more than you've helped them?
MAHLUM: Oh, absolutely. I definitely benefit the most out of Back on my Feet. I've met some extraordinary people who are working so hard at life and have had a much more difficult path than I have and really trying to get on that positive path in life. And that's a big part of the program. What we're trying to do is, all these stereotypes that surround the issue of homelessness and many of them are false, just like there are stereotypes that surround people who are blonde. And by providing a community, an opportunity for our members that is filled with support and encouragement, it really goes a long way.
LEMON: Anne, you know what -- and I think your point is that everyone gets it, no matter what the fear is, is just you get started.
MAHLUM: Right.
LEMON: So, Anne Mahlum, thank you so much. And best of luck to you.
MAHLUM: Thanks very much.
LEMON: All right. You can go online right now and choose the hero who inspires you the most, and we look forward to honoring all these amazing people, like Anne, during "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE," hosted by Anderson Cooper right here on CNN. And that's going to be on Thanksgiving night. An appropriate night to put that on.
All right. Well, you're never too young to be politically active.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Don't forget to vote in November.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Your voice counts.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: (INAUDIBLE)
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LEMON: Your voice counts in more ways than you might think. From the mouths of babes, coming up.
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LEMON: Well, you know who has the Best Political Team on Television, CNN. But another political team is on the road covering the race to the White House, our iReporters and we asked you to go out and shoot the campaign from your point of view, and you've really come through for us. So, some of your submissions are profound, as we saw earlier this hour, while others are a bit more whimsical. We really liked this one. Check it out.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good choices?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE AND CHILDREN: good things happen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bad choices?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Bad things happen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what do we want to make?
Good choices.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Barack Obama. UNIDENTIFIED BOY: John McCain.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: John McCain.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: John McCain.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I'm tough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: "Campaign 2008, Your Election, Your Story." They're so cute. Vote for your favorite film starting tomorrow on CNN.com. The winner, of course, will be announced right here on this show next Sunday night at 11 p.m. Eastern.
My money is on those kids, what do you think? They're pretty cute. I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here next Saturday and Sunday night at our new time, 11 p.m. Eastern. We follow the other D.L., D.L. Hughley. Have a great week, everyone.
