Return to Transcripts main page
Campbell Brown
Sarah Palin Speaks Out on Presidential Campaign; Obama Visits White House
Aired November 10, 2008 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: They are moving fast, and the pace of Barack Obama's transition to power picked up even more speed today.
Plus, we have Governor Sarah Palin's first interview back in Alaska after the election and her most provocative words yet about the presidential campaign.
But we start with bullet point number one. Mr. Obama goes to Washington. This morning, he looked like any other dad, dropping his daughters off at school, kissing them goodbye, and then heading to the office, the Oval Office. In Washington, a limousine was waiting when Obama's jet arrived from Chicago. So were the crowds, at first, small knots of people on street corners, cameras at the ready.
But as Obama's motorcade got closer to the White House, the crowds got larger and still larger. President Bush and the first lady were standing in waiting, too. After posing for pictures, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama went one way. The president and the president- elect went another.
And this is today's money shot, the 43rd and soon to be 44th presidents walking together to the Oval Office, and, yet, they're walking two distinctly different paths. The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out today says, yes -- yes, we're still doing polls -- shows President Bush's disapproval rating at 76 percent now.
That's an all-time high for any president. By contrast, 64 percent of Americans have a positive view of what Obama has done since he was elected. Believe it or not, today was the president-elect's very first visit to the Oval Office. In just 71 days, it will be all his.
And that brings us to bullet point number two, Palin's frustration. In her first interview since returning home, a very different Governor Sarah Palin than we saw on the campaign trail vents to our Gary Tuchman. You can hear it for yourself tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: It was a little bit of a frustration that I didn't get to call more of those shots. And I guess that was sort of the rogue criticism, was, she wants to talk to more of the media than perhaps some in the campaign wanted me to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: But, first, our NO BIAS, NO BULL insiders guide to Barack Obama's first visit to the Oval Office.
White House correspondent Ed Henry was there.
Ed, you are on the grounds. Could you, as so many other people did who were watching it on television, feel the history of the moment?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, John.
You know, last week, in the Rose Garden, President Bush said it was going to be a stirring sight, the first time that an African- American president-elect showed up here at the White House for his future home. And it certainly was. You could feel the sweep of history.
I can tell you, there were dozens of people outside those White House gates who literally had their noses pressed up against the gate trying to get some sort of a glimpse of this moment in history. It gives you an idea of how powerful it really was.
And I just got off the phone with a very senior Obama adviser. He said what really struck the Obama camp was how gracious President Bush was today to both Barack and Michelle Obama. You mentioned a moment ago those low poll numbers for President Bush, but he seems determined to have a graceful exit here. And he really showed that.
After a meeting of over an hour in the Oval Office together, the president brought then the president-elect up to the residence, and part of it, he showed him where he works upstairs. He showed him where he works out. Both men obviously share that bond about working out a lot.
But he also showed him the rooms where the Obama daughters are likely to sleep. And you can tell that there's a bond there, both of these guys as fathers, not just as a president and president to be sort of hashing that out. It was quite a dramatic moment, John.
ROBERTS: The president-elect is going to find that that pickup game of basketball that he enjoys so much is a little bit difficult to organize once you become president.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: Ed, there wasn't a word said in front of the cameras today. They didn't even do the typical photo-op, the same photo-op that President Bush did in 2000 when he sat down with President Clinton. But they certainly had lots to say behind closed doors.
What are you hearing about that from your sources?
HENRY: Well, first of all, they were both determined not to have any questions from reporters, not have this event be open, for a couple reasons.
The president, the last thing he wants is us to start shouting questions about Iraq, the financial crisis. And for Barack Obama as you heard him in the last couple of days, he's determined to show there's one president at a time. He doesn't want to be drawn into a question about the economic stimulus plan or something, look like he's setting on President Bush while the president is still in office.
So, we're told that when they went behind closed doors, they really got down to business. They focused largely on two issues, the financial crisis and national security. In particular, President Bush keeps telling his aides he's very nervous about the potential for a terror attack during this transition of power. They spent a lot of time on national security -- John.
ROBERTS: All right, Ed Henry for us at the White House tonight -- Ed, thanks so much.
President-elect Obama and President Bush may have looked like pals at the White House today, but what's really going on in the back of their minds?
With me tonight, three topnotch political observers, CNN contributor Stephen Hayes, a senior writer for the conservative- leaning "Weekly Standard," CNN senior political analyst Jeffrey Toobin, and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
Mr. Mayor, let's start with you, because I talked to you a couple of times leading up to the election. You said you were anxious as to whether or not Barack Obama was going to be able to make it. When you saw the two presidents, the incoming president and the current president, walking up the colonnade and into the Oval Office, where did your thoughts run?
WILLIE BROWN (D), FORMER MAYOR OF SAN FRANCISCO: That was an unbelievable sight.
I suppose it will go down in my memory -- scorched into my memory, like nothing else. Believe me, that represented something for all people of color in particular. Finally, it means that we truly are a part of America.
ROBERTS: And, Stephen Hayes, President Bush certainly recognized the historic nature of the moment, saying that it was going to be a stirring sight for Barack and Michelle Obama to first enter the White House. What were you thinking about when you saw it today?
STEPHEN HAYES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, and stirring it was. I agree with the mayor. It is one of these moments that sort of grabs you and you stop and think, this is truly amazing.
I didn't agree with Barack Obama's policies on the campaign trail. And I'm sure I probably won't agree with a lot of the things he's trying to accomplish, but you can sort of set that aside for just a moment -- and I think we will be doing this really for the next three months -- and think, this is quite an accomplishment. And it's quite an amazing moment for the country.
ROBERTS: For 22 months, Jeffrey Toobin, there was a lot of pretty stark compare and contrast that Barack Obama was drawing between himself and President Bush. In fact, let's remind our viewers tonight some of what was said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENT-ELECT: John McCain hasn't been a maverick. He's been a sidekick when it comes to George Bush's economic policies.
John McCain has ridden shotgun as George Bush drove our economy toward the cliff. And now he wants to take the wheel and step on the gas.
Get rid of this administration. Get rid of this philosophy. Get rid of the do-nothing approach to our economic problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, Jeff, he had some rather, well, shall we say, sharp things to say over the course of the campaign, and yet there is the two of them together in the White House today and in the Oval Office sitting down as if they're long friends.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: This is something the United States actually does pretty well, the transition of power.
I happen to be reading now Jonathan Alter's book called "The Defining Moment," which is about the transition from Hoover to Roosevelt in 1933, very similar situation, economic crisis, the question of who has responsibility for what.
And this transition seems to be off to a much better start. I think President Bush recognizes that part of his legacy will be, how does he hand off power? He's not popular, as we saw. But I think the fact that he's trying to help Barack Obama take over in this difficult period will help him in his historical legacy.
ROBERTS: Mayor Brown, for the most part, their policies are so divergent that you wonder what these two people could learn from each other.
What do you think the incoming president-elect, Barack Obama, learned today from President Bush? I would expect that he wasn't learning anything about policy.
BROWN: I think more than anything else, he probably for the first time had come to the reality that this is not necessarily an evil person, that you may have a disagreement with his views, you may have a disagreement with his policies, but he's really a charming, warm, wonderful human being, misguided in many cases, but, nevertheless, he deserves the same respect that you try to extract for yourself from other people.
I think Barack Obama learned clearly how he must as the president do exactly the same thing with people with whom he disagrees or with people he considers his enemies.
TOOBIN: I think there's also the national security aspect to this. I bet -- I don't know, obviously -- that Barack Obama sat there and thought, you know, if a dirty bomb goes off somewhere, if it's a terrorist attack, I'm going to be the one to have to deal with that.
That's got to be a very scary and sobering reminder.
ROBERTS: And I'm sure President Bush had a lot to tell him about: This is how you need to have access handled...
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: And a lot of it is secret until now, yes.
ROBERTS: Right.
Stephen Hayes, we were saying at the top of this that President Bush's approval is at a historic 76 percent. And Senator Obama appears to be keeping his distance in terms of policy from the president, trying not to get drawn into the policies that he's trying to enact here, particularly on the economic front, in the 11th hour. How do you feel about President Bush? Are you part of that 76 percent?
HAYES: Yes. You know what? I think if I got a call from a pollster today and said, do you approve of the way President Bush is doing his job, I think I would say no. So, I'm actually surprised that the number isn't even higher.
I think a lot of people think -- look, and I'm a conservative. I write for "The Weekly Standard." But I think a lot of people, including a lot of conservatives, have sort of come into that -- come to position that at least the way that he's governing now, we don't approve of the way President Bush has handled things.
But I would argue, actually -- and this goes back to policy point -- I would argue that that's in part because there's not as wide a gap on policy issues as some would suggest between President Bush and Barack Obama.
You look at the $700 billion bailout. You look at the willingness to have government intervene at that level. You look at President Bush's foreign policy and particularly his willingness to sit down and I would say appease North Korea. You look at the willingness to negotiate with Iran. We're talking about degrees of difference here. We're not talking about totally different strategies.
ROBERTS: Yes, certainly their policies seem to be almost closer together than some of President Bush and John McCain's policies.
Stephen Hayes, Jeffrey Toobin, Mayor Brown, stay right where you are, because we want to come back and talk about executive order and executive power in just a couple of minutes.
Tonight: the Bush administration poised to create new rules and relax others before they leave Washington. But Obama's team is keeping a close watch on that. In fact, it's a guessing game. Which administration policies will President Obama undue first? The list includes some very controversial executive orders. We're going to have that coming up next for you.
And later, Washington's other guessing games. Which school, which church, even which stores will be the Obamas' favorites?
Speaking of shopping, Sarah Palin still mad about all the attention her expensive campaign wardrobe is still getting, even as she tries to sort her clothes from the RNC's. She vented to CNN about it in her first post-election interview back home. Here's a preview of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: But this is Barack Obama's time right now. And this is an historic moment in our nation. And this can be a shining moment for America in our history. And look what we're talking about? We're talking about my shoes and belts and skirts. And this is ridiculous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: He doesn't want to wait for Congress to start on his agenda. Advisers to the president-elect have reportedly made a list of some 200 policies that Obama could reverse by executive order almost as soon as he takes office.
Which of those Bush policies are on Obama's hit list?
Our Tom Foreman has a list of his own tonight.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, president-elect Obama appears ready to deliver the change he promised to voters quickly and forcefully. And, if that means keeping President Bush from pushing through some of his 11th-hour plans, a lot of Obama supporters will say, so much the better.
For example, the Obama team will be scrutinizing plans to lease about 360,000 acres of federal land in Utah for oil and gas drilling. Some of that land is close to Arches and Canyonlands national parks, beautiful, beautiful places. And the leases are going to be sold just a month before Obama takes office.
The Obama team and the National Parks Service have serious questions about this. So, President Obama may issue an executive order to stop it once he takes the oath. He could also wade into the issue of offshore drilling. Remember, the younger President Bush lifted a ban by his father on such drilling just this past summer.
The Obama team is also likely to take action on abortion rights. Republican presidents since Reagan have forbidden family planning groups overseas that get U.S. aid from counseling women about abortion. President Clinton disagreed with that policy. And President Obama is expected to do the same.
Stem cell research, President Bush put some restrictions on it. President Obama will likely lift them.
One of the real advantages of executive orders is that they could allow Mr. Obama to deliver on many of his promises without waiting for Congress to get organized. But another advantage, this type of action allows him to put an immediate stop to many of the Bush policies that so many Americans now so strongly oppose.
And, John, I have to admit, after his press conference last week, I thought maybe he was waffling a little bit on his commitment to all of these changes, but his team and he are now making it very clear they're not. They are going to use executive orders if they need to do just what he said he would do. So, I guess I can eat a couple words -- John.
ROBERTS: And we will see how quickly he does it as well.
Tom, thanks so much for that.
And still to come tonight, the "PDB," our NO BIAS, NO BULL "Political Daily Briefing," the political nuggets of the day, as we look to the future, specifically four years from now, 2012.
Plus, more choice words from Sarah Palin in her first post- election interview with CNN's Gary Tuchman. We have got all that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER RUSHE, MARYLAND STUDENT: Dear Mr. President-elect Obama, my hopes and dreams for America are very important. I hope that we come up with a plan to send our troops out of war and back home. I also wish that we can stop global warming and stop polluting the air, animals, and our environment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Across the country, young people are writing letters to Barack Obama, and we're sharing some with you every night. Tonight's letter is from Jennifer Rushe. She's a fifth-grader at Glenelg Country School in Ellicott City, Maryland.
If you would like to send us a video of your child's "Dear Mr. President" letter or question, log on to ireport.com/desk.
I want to bring back our political panel, Stephen Hayes, Jeffrey Toobin, and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
You know, we were talking just a moment ago, Jeffrey, about executive orders, the fact that the Obama campaign is looking -- or that the transition team now looking at some 200 executive orders that President Bush instituted when he was in power and turning back a lot of them, maybe on drilling in sensitive areas of Utah, stem cells, the so-called gag rule on abortion counseling.
How sweeping could this be when he takes office? How quickly could he do this?
TOOBIN: He could do it the first day.
John McCain liked to say, elections have consequences. And this is one of them. Those areas you talked about are the areas where the president, without the approval of Congress, can simply change government policy overnight.
Certain things, he can't change. If President Bush pardons someone, there's nothing President Obama can do. If he designates certain land for wilderness, sometimes, those are areas that can't be undone. But, in terms of stem cell, in terms of abortion -- a lot of abortion regulations, those can be changed the first day. And Bill Clinton changed a lot of those on January 20, 1993.
ROBERTS: Stephen Hayes, do you think that president-elect Obama when he becomes president needs to be careful that he doesn't overreach here in his first few days, or does he need to take bold action?
HAYES: Yes, I don't he needs to be careful at all. He's the president.
I agree with Jeff. This is why we have elections. This guy is the president. He is going to make these policies. Executive orders are really the easy things to do. You can sign. You can change them with your signature. They are I think often sort of payoffs to the interest groups and the people who went out and elected you. You can do little things that sort of make them happy and signal to them that you are paying attention to them, that you're listening to their issues without -- before you get into the real tough legislative battles, which obviously he's going to have ahead.
ROBERTS: Mayor Willie Brown, this current administration was famous for a dramatic expansion of executive power, most of it at the hands of Dick Cheney. Do you know where Barack Obama sits on this idea of expanded executive power? Would he give some back? Or is it a case where, once you got it, you hang onto it?
BROWN: I know, based upon what he said through the course of the campaign, I think he rejects completely the Bush administration's expansion of executive power without consulting with the Congress for that purpose.
I don't think he will be taking the options of literally crossing out that with which he disagrees and executing in that fashion. I do think he will in fact remove a number of the authorizations with the executive orders that Mr. Bush has done. I also think he will establish the fact that you're entitled too due process when it comes to the business of accusations about terroristic acts that you may have engaged in.
But, beyond that, I don't think he will be at all interested in continuing the Cheney concept of expanding presidential power.
ROBERTS: Jeff, one of the things that he's going to look at doing is moving all of the prisoners currently at Guantanamo Bay potentially stateside for trials under our system of justice here, domestic system of justice. There's 255 of them, at last count, at Guantanamo.
You have been there a number of times. Can he do that?
TOOBIN: Well, he can. But the hard part is still to come.
Both John McCain and Barack Obama said, "I want to close Guantanamo." And perhaps he will. But then the question is, then what? What do you do with these people? Because some of them clearly are going to be released. Some of them probably could be tried in the American criminal justice system.
But what about that third category? Some very dangerous people. There's not enough admissible evidence to try them in a criminal case. The Bush administration came up with the idea of military commissions. Obama says he doesn't like that. OK. What's your idea? Not easy.
ROBERTS: Yes. I mean, it's easy to talk about closing Guantanamo.
(CROSSTALK)
TOOBIN: Easy to talk about, absolutely.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: ... may be a little bit difficult.
Stephen Hayes, Barack Obama is going to challenge the Congress to get to work on his four top priorities, those being the economy, health care, energy and education.
But former Senator Bob Kerrey wrote in an op-ed in "The New York Daily News" last week -- he said -- quote -- "The primary threat to the success of a President Obama will come from some Democrats, who, emboldened by the size of their congressional majority, may try to kill trade agreements, raise taxes in ways that will destroy jobs, repeal the Patriot Act, and spend and regulate to high heaven."
Does he face a potential challenge to his agenda in the form of the Democratic Congress?
HAYES: Yes, absolutely. But I think it helps him politically.
I think you have already seen, when you have Barney Frank, before Barack Obama was elected, talking about cutting Defense by 25 percent, talk about the need for raising taxes, you have seen some other things come out of Congress recently that suggests that the Congress is going to try to pull him leftward, especially in his first 100 days, when I think they know that they could probably have the most effect on his policies.
But I think that helps him, because he can resist that a little bit and look more statesmanlike, look more presidential, and look more moderate.
ROBERTS: And, Mayor Brown, what about this idea, too, of changing Washington? Almost every president comes in with the idea to change Washington. President Bush did. And they get here and they can't change Washington. And they say that they want to break out of the bubble, and, inevitably, the bubble sucks them back in. Do you think that Barack Obama will be able to change Washington and stay out of the bubble?
BROWN: I think the public anticipates and all of us would like to have him stay out of the bubble.
I do believe that he will resist any efforts by people like Barney Frank and others on the left to push him beyond where he wishes to go. He ran a campaign based upon redressing the center. I think he will try to run government based on redressing the center, which means he's going to let the far left and the far right have their own way in their own world, but he's going to take the bulk of the people, with Nancy Pelosi's support, as well as others, and I think he's going to do the job that needs to be done.
ROBERTS: We will see what he does.
We have got to leave it there. Mayor Brown, Jeff Toobin, Stephen Hayes, as always, thanks very much.
And when we return, back to the campaign trail -- that's right, campaign. Incredible, right? The 2012 race already getting under way. We have got more on that in the "PDB" tonight.
And the Obama kids, soon to be America's new first daughters, can you even imagine what life in the White House will be like for them?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: The 2008 election was less than a week ago. Apparently, for some Republicans, though, it's not too soon to start thinking about the 2012 presidential race.
Some of them appear to be doing more than thinking about it, too.
Dana Milbank is here with today's "PDB," the "Political Daily Briefing." He's a CNN contributor and national political correspondent for "The Washington Post."
So, Dana, some Republicans already eying the 2012 nomination, including Sarah Palin. That didn't take too long.
DANA MILBANK, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: No, it didn't, John. Now that she's returned the wardrobe to RNC, there are some who say the empress has no clothes. But, as Palin would say, those guys are jerks.
She's leaving the lieutenant governor in charge of Alaska, in case Putin rears his head. And she's heading down to the Republican governors meeting in Miami on Thursday to give a press conference and a speech titled "Looking Toward the Future."
But Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is telling fellow Republicans their eagerness may come at a price. He's basically saying, shut up about 2012 until after the 2010 elections.
What's the point here?
MILBANK: Well, he does have a pretty fair point there.
Just nine days after the 2008 election, half of those would-be Republican presidential candidates are showing up for the first cattle call of 2012 down in Miami with Palin. The problem is, Haley himself is one of those candidates. And he has got the difficult task of convincing Republicans that what the country needs right now is a Southern white male who founded a big Washington lobbying firm.
ROBERTS: All right, Dana, let's take a look at the Democratic side of the fence. Howard Dean announced today that he's not going to run for reelection. He's stepping down as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. What's he doing now?
MILBANK: Well, he's going to New Hampshire, and he's going to South Carolina, and Oklahoma, and Arizona, and North Dakota, New Mexico. Then he's going to California and Texas and New York and -- I'm going start screaming now.
Actually, it's a much expected change in the party. It's allowing Obama to put his guy in charge of the DNC. If Dean doesn't get appointed secretary of health and human services, he can always return to practice of medicine.
But, if I were a Republican, I would change my party affiliation before going under the knife with him.
ROBERTS: All right. So, dr. Dean went from political candidate to chairman of DNC. Now another former DNC chairman, Terry McAuliffe, is going the other day, throwing his hat in the ring for Virginia governor.
MILBANK: Yes, it's delightful. Terry is promising big, bold ideas for Virginia. But the biggest, boldest idea may be that a New York-born Democratic moneyman who loves to party and lives in Northern Virginia could become governor of the commonwealth.
But, then, again, McAuliffe knows about big challenges. He's the guy who, on the night Obama clinched the nomination, introduced Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States.
ROBERTS: All right.
Dana Milbank, with our "Political Daily Briefing" tonight -- Dana, thanks so much.
MILBANK: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: Well, with so much talk about bailing out Detroit and the big three carmakers, here's a provocative question. What happens if we don't? Senior business correspondent Ali Velshi standing by to explain why this is such a big deal to all of us.
And, later, no bias and no bull -- Sarah Palin's first interview back in Alaska. Tonight, she answers the question that everyone wants to know.
Our Gary Tuchman asked it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: To be put it in a blunt word, are you p.o.'d by all this?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The governor's equally blunt answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: In a matter of weeks, General Motors, an icon of America industry, could be out of cash. That's why the leading Democrats are calling on the Treasury Department to bail out the sputtering car maker. But some people want to know why should taxpayers care if GM goes belly up.
Ali Velshi is here with some answers for us tonight. You know, Ali, GM's favorite saying used to be whatever is good for GM is good for America. But that might not be the case.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Things have changed. It remains the world's biggest automaker, but it was the world's biggest company for a long time.
The stock closed at $3.36 a share today. The last time it was lower than that was in 1949. Ford shares below $2 each today. So there's real fear that these companies might not be around. But to your question, John, how big a deal is it if the auto industry went bankrupt?
Let's take a look, 240,000 people, that's the middle circle; 240,000 (ph) people are employed by U.S. automakers in this country. Another 974,000, almost a million people, are employed by the service industry that supply the auto industry windshields and tires and things like that. And another 1.7 million surrounding that are industries that are linked to the auto industry. Those things that are not -- have nothing to do with making cars but support the fact that the auto industry exists. So you clearly got more than two million people employed in the auto industry or connected to the auto industry if it were to all go belly up.
And in a country where we've lost 1.2 million jobs already this year, that's serious. I mean, we really do have to think about a way to keep these jobs there and keep them efficient. But efficiency is not the catch word for Detroit these days. ROBERTS: You know, it's a matter of jobs. It's also a matter of pride, but we started the mass-produced automobile industry here in the United States.
VELSHI: Right.
ROBERTS: But could this soon be kind of like the airline industry?
VELSHI: Well, at some point, there's a $25 billion bailout that they're asking for. Barack Obama and the Democrats both say they support that, but the issue is will it be tied to changing the fundamental way they do business? Will it be tied to alternative energy making greener cars? Or is it just going to be to do what they're doing now? Because they're burning through so much cash, even if they get $25 billion, we'll be having this discussion again within the year.
ROBERTS: So what's your sense? Could this industry be saved?
VELSHI: I think you can. I think it's going to need more tough rules. It's going to need more conversations with the union about making even further concessions.
But, yes, other car companies can make money building and selling cars in the United States. Hyundai can, Nissan can, Toyota can. It's just the U.S. automakers because of those legacy costs, those old pension costs that are having some trouble. But they're going to have to deal with it or they're not going to be in business.
ROBERTS: Ali, thanks for all of that. Good to see you tonight.
Up next, more of our exclusive interview with Governor Sarah Palin. The Alaska governor tells our Gary Tuchman the most frustrating thing about running for vice president.
And later on, extreme makeover. The home edition, the Obamas move to Washington.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Sarah Palin is back home in Alaska but not for long. John McCain's former running mate will be back in the national spotlight later on this week down here in the Lower 48. She's not about to let her star dim.
First, though, she has to do a little damage control -- a little image rehab. And she started by giving our Gary Tuchman her first post-election interview up in Alaska. We heard some of it on Friday, but there's a lot more and Gary joins me now to tell us about that.
Gary, a number of McCain aides have been trashing Sarah Palin. They've been doing it anonymously. They don't want to go on the record. Pretty tough stuff that they're saying. Is it affecting her at all? GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sarah Palin, John, is not happy about it. These unnamed aides told reporters, for example, that she didn't know the countries that were involved in NAFTA, that she didn't know Africa was a continent, that she enjoyed shopping too much. But she tells us it's all inaccurate.
She says the people who've said this are mean-spirited and jerks. That's her quote. And she's worked hard to keep the steam from coming out of her ears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Governor, are you, to be put it in a blunt word, are you p.o.'d by all this?
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: I'm not p.o.'d by it. It's just very, very disappointing because this is Barack Obama's time right now. And this is a historic moment in our nation and this can be a shining moment for America and our history. And look at what we're talking about?
Again, we're talking about my shoes and belts and skirts. And this is ridiculous. Let's talk about progressing this nation. And for me, I want to start talking about progressing the state of Alaska and the good things that are in store for this state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Gary, the Sarah Palin that you met in Alaska is really very different from the Sarah Palin that you covered on the campaign trail, isn't she?
TUCHMAN: I mean, that's what's interesting, John. I was on the campaign plane with her a few days and not only the candidate goes out the front door when the plane lands the reporters go out the backdoor. And then often the candidate in the tarmac will come and answer questions. If they don't, they yell and sometimes they'll just give you a wave.
But she totally ignored us like she didn't hear us. And this wasn't Ronald Reagan with Marine One on the White House lawn when he couldn't hear because of the helicopter. She was ignoring us. But when she came back to Alaska, she had plenty of time to talk. When she went to her office, she had plenty of time to talk. And she made it very clear to us that not talking to the news media was not her idea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: I don't mind at all doing interviews. Let me just leave it at that. You know, I know that the media has such a great part in our democracy of allowing the checks and balances. The media is a cornerstone of our democracy, and heaven forbid that a candidate or an elected official shy away from speaking to the media. So it was a little bit of a frustration that I didn't get to call more of those shots. And I guess that was sort of the rogue criticism was she wants to talk to more of the media than perhaps some in the campaign wanted me to.
And I just always felt like certainly not a waste of time to talk to reporters. In fact, it's good for the campaign. It's good for messaging obviously. And for me being able to talk to you here in Alaska, I mean, it's my job. So I want to be able to talk to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Now, John, one of the things we talked to her about was her criticism of the news media. We talked to her about her frame of mind and while we were talking about that, she criticized the media but I challenged her a little bit about that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: Are you sad?
PALIN: Not sad at all. In fact, I'm energized. I think certainly feeling like it's a little bit of a different level because of the perspective now that I have about what national politics are all about. Not sad, again, disappointed in the change that I've seen in national media compared to, you know, a couple decades ago when I received my journalism degree and how things seemed to work then.
But I'm not sad. And also being willing to try to help there also to make sure that there is credibility in our media, that there is objectivity there so that Americans can trust what is being reported.
We don't have to second-guess. We don't have to be so, I guess paranoid of what comes over the airwaves or what we see written. I want to be able to help also Americans to know that they can trust their media.
TUCHMAN: But you can't -- you can't doubt that most of us have been fair during this campaign.
PALIN: Oh, absolutely.
TUCHMAN: The national media.
PALIN: Yes. So why --
TUCHMAN: There have been some exceptions but overall it's been pretty good, right?
PALIN: See, and that's the problem is the exceptions. You know, one bad apple sometimes does kind of spoil the whole bunch. So here again, and this gives me the opportunity to start helping and how I can start helping is to reiterate exactly what you just said is for the most part absolutely. Media persons, reporters have been absolutely right on and there has been that fairness and objectivity. There have been some stinkers though that have kind of made the whole basket full of apples there once in a while smell kind of bad.
(END VIDEOTAPE) TUCHMAN: Now, this is interesting. Just yesterday, my colleagues from the Anchorage Daily News in KTUU-TV in Anchorage talked to Sarah Palin. They asked her why she thinks she lost, and she says she thinks a main reason for the loss is because of the Bush record when it comes to the war and its spending record. Also, so she blames the Bush administration for that and a lot of people would share her sentiment with that.
Also, John, this is really interesting. She has been in Alaska for a week. She'll be traveling 4,000 miles this week to Miami, Florida, to attend the annual conference of Republican governors, but she's not just going as a governor. She's going as a featured speaker in a panel.
The panel is titled "Looking Towards the Future." So many people think Sarah Palin is the future, John. They will be listening to her words very carefully.
ROBERTS: Apropos. And, Gary, we're certainly glad that she doesn't think you're one of the stinkers because we here at CNN all know that you are one of the best.
Gary Tuchman tonight. Thanks so much for that.
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it's a pretty exclusive address. And still ahead, what will life be like in the White House for the Obamas?
And a dog like this and the Obama kids in high stakes international relations. It's in our "Bull's-Eye" tonight. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up, the changes we can expect at the White House once the Obamas move in. Some are seeing a return to Camelot.
But first, Joe Johns is here with "The Briefing." Hey, Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: John, a suspect in the murder of Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother and nephew will stay in jail for now. William Balfour has not been charged in the killing. He's being held for violating his parole. His girlfriend just told police she saw him with a gun. Balfour denies it.
Rescue workers in Haiti expect to find no more survivors after Friday's deadly school collapse. Ninety-four students and adults are now confirmed dead. One hundred fifty others were seriously injured. The last survivors were pulled from the rubble Saturday morning.
And two more casualties of the recession. DHL is cutting 9,500 jobs and will no longer ship packages within the U.S.
And Circuit City has filed for bankruptcy. The electronic retailer will try to stay open after closing 20 percent of its stores -- John.
ROBERTS: Joe, thanks so much for that.
"LARRY KING LIVE" coming up in just a few minutes time. Larry is carefully watching the transition to power.
Hi, Larry.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Hey, John. We're going to have another history-making day. This one at the White House.
President-elect Obama and President Bush, they meet in the Oval Office and Michelle Obama gets a peek at her new home. And Judge Judy is aboard. Now you know she's going to have a lot to say about everything.
"LARRY KING LIVE" is next, John.
ROBERTS: As she always does, thanks, Larry, so much. We'll be watching.
Coming up next, Washington gets ready for the Obamas. The details that people are talking about. A new Secret Service code name, a new presidential limo, new schools, and much more from the Washington welcome wagon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Barack Obama started his day in Chicago this morning dropping off his daughters at the University of Chicago Lab School before leaving for Washington. The president-elect and the future first lady have a ton of items on their White House to-do-list starting with their Secret Service code names.
Barack Obama's will be "Renegade." Michelle Obama's "Renaissance." And the "Chicago Tribune" reports that the new first daughters' codes names are "Rosebud and Radiance," all under the letter "R" which is tradition that they all choose a single letter.
The incoming president also getting some new wheels. Cadillac One reportedly will be equipped with five-inch thick glass, cell phone jamming equipment, and blast proof ceramics. The Secret Service will not confirm any of that.
As the new First Family prepares for life in the White House fishbowl, our Randi Kaye has got more on the changes ahead for them.
Randi, first of all, the big choice is Sasha and Malia, the two daughters, where are they going to go to school? Public or private school?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you know, John, they already go to private schools in Chicago. Both of them attend private school in Chicago. And that's probably the way they'll go when they move to Washington.
Well, today, our cameras caught Michelle Obama touring Sidwell Friends School. That's in Bethesda, Maryland. It's where Chelsea Clinton went. Also, Al Gore's son went there.
It's a Quaker school, generally considered very inclusive, racially diverse. So we know that that one is on the list. Other options we've heard floating around, the Maret School and Georgetown Day School, which actually also Michelle Obama visited today.
Now if the Obamas decide to enroll their daughters in public school, one option is Francis-Stevens, which Amy Carter actually attended as well.
ROBERTS: Now this is going to be a real challenge. But Michelle Obama insists that she is going to try to keep Sasha and Malia's life as normal as is possible when they're living in the White House.
KAYE: Try doing that in the fishbowl of the White House. Can you imagine? Well, she is going to try.
Now our Candy Crowley passed on some very interesting tidbits about life at the Obamas in Chicago. The girls set their own alarms. They pick up their own toys. They make their own beds, and Barack Obama used to give them a dollar a week for doing chores. We'll see if he still does that as president.
And both Malia and Sasha take tennis and music lessons, so lots of stuff to organize. We'll have to see if they continue to make their own beds in the White House, of course.
ROBERTS: Now, President and Mrs. Bush had a well-earned reputation as homebodies. I mean, even on foreign trips, the president didn't like to hang around a whole lot, do business and then get out.
KAYE: Right.
ROBERTS: So it's a great frustration to all of us in the press corps who wanted to see the country that we were in. But what about the Obamas? Are they going to do the Georgetown social circuit? Are we going to see them out and about a whole lot more? What do we know about that?
KAYE: Well, from what we hear we shouldn't expect them to be swanning around town. But George Bush, he did actually like to go to bed around 9:00 p.m. He held about six to eight dinners their whole time in the White House. He didn't eat out very much.
The Obamas are expected to hold more state dinners inviting foreign dignitaries for formal affairs. The soon to be First Couple do go to restaurants a fair amount. We've already seen them out in Chicago quite a bit since he became president-elect.
So Washington is already buzzing with hope that this young couple will invigorate the beltway social scene much like the Kennedys did in the Camelot years. Social insiders like Sally Quinn of "The Washington Post" says she feels a real sense of anticipation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SALLY QUINN, "WASHINGTON POST" COLUMNIST: The energy is already here. You can't imagine it, not only from a social point of view but from a political point of view and from a foreign policy point of view that this is the most electric place I can imagine being right now. I've never felt anything like it in my life since the Kennedys were here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Now we don't normally do all of our interviews in restaurants. We were actually dishing with her there at The Bombay Club just near the White House. But, of course, the new president needs a place to shoot hoops. The White House has a half court, but that may not be enough for Barack Obama.
He may find what he's looking for though at this ultra luxurious sports club, L.A. The Bush twins used to work out here, and Condoleezza Rice is a member here. So that may be one place the family might join at least because it apparently has a really great kids program as well.
ROBERTS: I think the president-elect may find that once he becomes president it's awfully hard to get out of the house.
KAYE: I'm sure he will. You're right.
ROBERTS: Randi, thanks so much for that.
Well, we've got a few interested observers who can't wait for the new First Family. Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, professor of History at Rice University is with us, Amy Argetsinger of the "Washington Post," co-writer of the gossip column "Reliable Sources," and Allison Samuels, who's a national correspondent for "Newsweek."
Start us off here, Doug. You heard Sally Quinn talking about this in terms of the Kennedys. Is this going to be "Bamelot"? Will this be the second coming of the Kennedys?
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: I think so. Everybody is very excited. I mean, just look at Chicago how many people came to hear Barack Obama.
The thought of young people back in the White House, a bit of joy during these very grim times. People are getting reports in the paper all over Kenya and the world are naming themselves after the Obama children. There's a great feeling of history in the air right now, and everybody wants to be in Washington for the inaugural. The rooms are sold out. I'm expecting just one of the most exciting inaugurals in American history.
ROBERTS: I mean, no question, Doug, it has been an inspiration to an awful lot of people.
Allison and Amy -- and Allison, let's start with you. What about this issue of schools, private or public? And what kind of signal that sends? Allison?
ALLISON SAMUELS, "NEWSWEEK": Well, I think that for Michelle, I think that she wants to, of course, make sure that her children have the best education. That's her focus.
And I think Ms. Obama has made such a point of saying that he wants to put a lot of money into education, that people won't be that offended if they actually go to a private school. They were in a private school in Chicago. I think they want to keep that, you know, sort of consistency going. So I don't think people will be too offended particularly if Obama pushes for more funding for public schools.
ROBERTS: Amy, what do you think about that?
AMY ARGETSINGER, "WASHINGTON POST": I've been amazed at how emotional people are on this topic. Just a feedback I've been getting from readers, people tend to take this very personally even though it's not their personal business. A lot of people feel strongly that there should be a public school choice because of the symbolism that involves as support of the public school system.
Other people feel that, you know, look, none of your business. It's what these kids do. Other people who, you know, don't think the D.C. school system is so great they feel like they shouldn't be taking the hit that way. I've been amazed at how strongly readers feel about this...
ROBERTS: Interesting.
ARGETSINGER: ... as if it were their choice.
ROBERTS: Well, Douglas, give us the historic perspective on this.
BRINKLEY: Well, look, at the beginning of your segment here, you talked about armored limos and you talked about Secret Service names for the kids. This is about security, and I think most people feel that the private schools are going to be an easier place to monitor and be safer for their kids.
The big thing that I think what makes it connected to the Kennedy years is I believe still photography will be how we're usually seeing the kids. Yes, there'll be cameras watching them come to school but I don't think you're going to see the Obama kids doing interviews.
Barack Obama had his kids this summer do it. He caught some flak for it. I'm looking for some great White House photographs and in future years there'll be books about the Obamas and the White House. It's going to become folklore stuff.
ROBERTS: If he continues to use the resolute desk perhaps we'll have a picture of Sasha or Malia under the desk in a way that John Kennedy Jr. was captured. Amy, what about this idea of White House guests? You know, we heard that they may be out in the social circuit a lot more than the Bushes were. Do we expect that we're going to see a lot of friends coming over to the White House? They did travel with a circle of friends on the campaign trail. Are we expecting to see a lot of sleepovers as well?
ARGETSINGER: You have to figure that. I mean, for the couple who's in the White House having guests over, it's very much like anyone else who is doing entertaining. You have a guest list because you have social obligations you need to pay back.
In the case of the Obamas, they have a lot of friends who helped them get where they are very fast. I think you're going to see a lot of interesting people coming through. It's difficult for anyone in this situation because the guest lists are so closely scrutinized.
ROBERTS: Well, what about that point, Allison? Will their guest list be very much scrutinized? I mean, let's take a look at the Clintons. They all had sleepovers in the Lincoln bedroom. Will we see the same level of scrutiny with the Obamas?
SAMUELS: I think it'll probably even more so, because I think the Obamas are going to have to really try to be as diverse as possible. I think people are going to want to see, you know, who are they inviting. Are they inviting just a certain group of people, just African-Americans? Are they inviting, you know, people straight down the line?
I think everything they do being the first African-American couple in the White House is going to, you know, be under great scrutiny. So it really doesn't matter if it's this private schools versus public schools.
And that's one thing that's important to remember too. As the first African-Americans, security is going to be really paramount. So I think people will really appreciate the fact that they have to go to a private school.
ROBERTS: And, Allison, one more question. What role do you think Michelle Obama will take in perhaps making over the White House to the Obamas own taste, and how do you think she'll define her role there as first lady?
SAMUELS: Well, that's going to be real interesting to see, because I think she's going to do it very gradually given the economic crisis the country is in. I don't think she wants to make any big changes soon.
I also think that's not necessarily her forte. I mean, she's not -- you know, that's not exactly who she is, you know, changing the curtains and all that. I don't think that's her focal point right at this moment.
ROBERTS: All right.
SAMUELS: But I think she will try to bring as much as she can that has to do with their culture.
ROBERTS: All right.
SAMUELS: And with her background, I think some of that will be part of it.
ROBERTS: We'll see. We got to go, folks. Thanks very much for being with us. Allison Samuels, Doug Brinkley, Amy Argetsinger, really appreciate it.
President-elect Obama promised his daughters a dog. Well, the people of Peru have made their choice. We're not kidding either. It's a Peruvian Hairless, and it's in our "Bull's-Eye" tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Tonight's "Bull's-Eye" goes to the president of the Friends of Hairless Peruvian Dogs Association. Newspapers in Peru report that she is offering one to the Obama family.
On election night, President-elect Obama revealed that his daughters have earned a new puppy. On Friday, he explained that the choice isn't that easy because his older daughter has allergies.
Enter the Peruvian Hairless. The breed is at least 3,000 years old. It was prized by the Incas. They are hypoallergenic. They don't have fleas or hair, and in some cases, no teeth either.
That would be a definite plus for White House news crews. Just last week you remember the Bush family's Scottish terrier, Barney, nipped the finger of an unlikely reporter who was smart enough to put his finger in Barney's mouth.
Stay with CNN for more of Gary Tuchman's exclusive first interview with Governor Sarah Palin. That's coming up at one hour's time on "AC 360."
Thanks for joining us tonight. For Campbell Brown, I'm John Roberts.
