Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Kennedy's Body to Lie in Repose at JFK Library; Economy Shows Positive Signs; American John Yettaw Discusses Visit with Suu Kyi; Remembering Kennedy; Election Fraud Alleged in Afghanistan

Aired August 27, 2009 - 07:00   ET

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


JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: That now brings us to the top of the hour. It's 7:00 Eastern on this Thursday, the 27th of August. Thanks very much for being with us.

I'm John Roberts.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us here on the Most News in the Morning.

We're going to be breaking down stories for you in the next 15 minutes. Here's a preview, a funeral for a political legend. President Obama is preparing to eulogize Senator Ted Kennedy at a mass in Boston. This will happened on Saturday, and that's before he's buried near his brothers at Arlington National Cemetery.

CNN's John King is coming up live. He's going to have more on the order of events taking place to remember Senator Kennedy.

ROBERTS: Tropical Storm Danny expected to slam the East Coast on Saturday. Forecasters say it could be a problem when it hits land. Rob Marciano tracking extreme weather for us that could make for a soggy weekend for some people.

CHETRY: And why would a man leave his wife and family, swim across a lake, risking his life halfway around the world to visit a prisoner he didn't even know. Well, in his first television interview since he was released from a prison in Myanmar. The man behind that trip, John Yettaw talks to me about why he did it. It's a CNN exclusive, coming up.

We begin the hour, though, with a family, a government and a nation really in mourning. We have live pictures this morning. That's Capitol Hill, where you can see the American flag at half-staff in honor of Senator Ted Kennedy.

"The liberal lion," as he was called, served more than 45 years, making the mark on so many groundbreaking pieces of legislation there.

And to the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts now, a live picture of the estate looking over the Nantucket Sound. And there has been an outpouring of support since America learned it lost another great from the political dynasty.

Members of the family are on hand for the funeral, including Senator Kennedy's niece, California's first lady Maria Shriver, seen arriving yesterday evening. The family will also be holding several events over the next few days.

Right now, our Deb Feyerick joins us. She's live in Hyannis Port with more. People are mourning the loss, but at the same time, it will really be a celebration, many say, of Kennedy's life as we move forward this morning and on in to the weekend.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely.

You know, Kiran, even his own son says in the end the senator died peacefully. Now, a friend of the family says that he was never left alone, that the children and the grandchildren and the cousins all signed a book, taking turns watching over him, that even though the house was quiet, there was happy sound of children and dogs running in and out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Senator Edward Kennedy's final journey begins, a somber motorcade carrying him away from Hyannis Port, away from his boat and the ocean he loved so much, and endless days for family past and present.

ANNA GRISWOLD, CAPE COD RESIDENT: We should celebrate his life, not be sad about it. But he -- he did a lot of things...

FEYERICK: Since Kennedy's death late Tuesday, his sons Patrick and Teddy Jr. have among been family and cousins, insiders say, keeping round-the-clock watch over uncle Teddy, larger than life even in death.

Family friend Teresa Heinz Kerry.

THERESA HEINZ KERRY, WIFE OF SENATOR JOHN KERRY: Listening to Teddy speak, he said, "My dad died in such a peaceful way," I was so afraid of what it might be like, and it was wonderful. And when you hear a child it makes you feel much better.

CHETRY: The trip from Cape Cod to Boston expected to take less than two hours. The senator's body will lie in repose at the library he built for his older brother, President John Kennedy, lovingly transforming it to a forum for exchange and public service, a memorial to be held at 7:00 in the evening.

And on Saturday, a private mass nearby at one of Ted Kennedy's favorite churches before he's flown to Arlington National Cemetery to be buried next to his brothers.

Over the next 60 days, Kennedy's staff will archive the senator's materials and close his office. The secretary of the Senate saying they cannot continue any legislative or other works underway before he died.

New senior Senator John Kerry is hoping to fight to have Kennedy's seat temporarily filled.

SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: He's asking simply for a temporary ability to appoint someone who will not run, will not get in the way of other people who want to run, who will be there for a moment only.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Now, a friend of the family says that Ted Kennedy's widow Victoria Reggie said yesterday that the two of them had a wonderful year, that the senator did everything he wanted to, except pass health care, and that they were lucky to have the time together - Kiran.

CHETRY: All right, Deb Feyerick for us at the compound there in Hyannis Port. Thank you.

ROBERTS: Before Senator Kennedy lies in repose at the John F. Kennedy library and museum in Boston, a motorcade will carry him on a farewell to Boston procession.

The route will highlight several landmarks with close ties to the senator. Among the stops, the Rose Kennedy Greenway named in honor of the Kennedy matriarch, also a stop on Bowdon Street. That's where opened his first office as an assistant district attorney. His brother, John, also once live there had.

The motorcade will also pass Faneuil Hall. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will ring the bell 47 times as the procession passes, one for each year that Kennedy served in the Senate.

We're also learning more about the final arrangements for Senator Kennedy this morning. For more let's bring in our John King. He's live at the JFK library in Boston.

And John, we're learning that the president will attend the funeral and this is going to be in the spirit of a grand old Irish wake as he makes his way through Boston a final time.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And an Irish sendoff, John, is a celebration of life even as you mourn and reflect. And that is what, we are told, that Senator Kennedy wanted. He of course had time in his final year. He knew this day was coming, not exactly when. But he planned this with his wife, Vicki at Hyannis Port.

They spent so much time sailing, and family friends say they planned this down to every last detail. You mentioned the farewell procession through Boston. His Mom, Rose, grew up in the north end.

You mentioned where Jack lived in Bowdon Street. He will pass by the Massachusetts state house.

This is a city filled with the political history of the Kennedy family. And we are told the senator wanted to take that journey before he comes here to the library he helped build in his brother's honor, the John F. Kennedy presidential library.

And the public will have 12 hours over two days to visit him here. There will be private services here.

Friday night, we're told there will be a service, but more a celebration. Funny stories we're expecting from Senator John McCain, from other in the Senate, from family friends.

And the president of the United States will deliver the main eulogy at the funeral mass on Sunday at a church John, another place where Senator Kennedy made his mark in Boston. When his daughter Carol was being treated for cancer he went there many, many days to receive communion and to pray and reflect.

And he formed a bond with a church. It's in a very gritty, blue-collar neighborhood called Mission Hill such south of downtown Boston.

So as Massachusetts and the national says farewell to Senator Kennedy, he wanted to take, we are told, one last tour through this beloved city.

ROBERTS: And John, what do we about the burial arrangements at Arlington National Cemetery?

KING: The funeral Mass will be here. Then he will fly to Washington. The casket of Senator Kennedy will be a closed casket throughout these services here in Boston, will fly to Arlington National Cemetery, fly to the Washington area. There will be a procession as well.

And we are told the military approached the Kennedy family saying that they thought it was fitting. And the y offered the invitation for him to be buried near his brothers. Jack and Bobby are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. And we are told the family quickly accepted, and there will a ceremony there as well. The public we get to see it, the ceremony itself. The burial will be private -- John?

ROBERTS: A fitting tribute to Senator Kennedy. John King for us inside the Kennedy library this morning. John, thanks so much.

And stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the life and death of Senator Ted Kennedy. His body, again, will lie in repose at the John F. Kennedy presidential library in Boston until a memorial service tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. eastern.

And we will bring you that live on CNN and CNN.com/live. And of course, coverage of the processions that makes its way to the burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

CHETRY: We're continuing taking a look, not only back at the life of Senator Ted Kennedy but also the future for the Kennedy family, the political dynasty. Who's next? We're going to speaking with Ed Klein. He's a Kennedy biographer who's written several books and followed this family for decades.

It's eight minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Look at downtown Boston this morning, where's it sunny and 61 degrees later on today, where the body of Senator Ted Kennedy makes its way through the city of Boston.

It will be a beautiful day, sunny with a high of 76. A lot of people probably will come out to watch that procession.

This is how the morning papers are reporting the death of the legendary senator. Take a look at this. It's the front page of the "Boston Herald." They call him the "one and only."

This is "The New York Times" this morning - "Battle Lost." And "The Washington Post" with this dramatic shot of him walking at the steps of the Capitol building, and end of an American epic - Kiran.

All right, it's 10 1/2 minutes past the hour. And we talk about this being the end of an era for most of -- for almost 50 years. This will be the first time there will not be a Kennedy in the United States Senate.

But some are asking, will someone else within the family step up and carry on the Kennedy torch as it relates to politics? Edward Klein has written five books on the Kennedy family. He knows the story inside and out. He's also the author of "Ted Kennedy, the Dream that never died. He joins us this morning. Thanks for being here.

EDWARD KLEIN, KENNEDY BIOGRAPHER: Thank you.

CHETRY: And we know, there's such a mystique created from the Kennedy family. I mean, growing up, my mother wanted to be Jackie Kennedy. We've known this for so many years. And it's the closest we've come to Camelot, people say as well.

What does this mean that the patriarch of the family, the one that was there to eulogize almost every other person who passed away, he's now gone?

KLEIN: For the first time since old Joe Kennedy made his mark, there is no leader of the family. There's nobody who is strong enough or who has the backing of all of the members of the family or who can impose the will on the family to take the place of Teddy.

So for quite some time, I think, we're going to see a vacuum in that role.

CHETRY: And as we look to that, he dedicated his life to working in the Senate. As we said, he was the third longest serving senator in the history of the Senate. Do you think there is pressure within the family that somebody needs to step up and that somebody needs to, maybe f it wasn't what they thought for themselves, that just for the sake of the legacy of the family they would maybe make a run for the Senate?

KLEIN: This is a very ambitious, very competitive family. It always has been. And so we have to assume that some of the members of the family will step up.

I think that Bobby Kennedy's oldest son, Joseph Kennedy II, who used to be a congressman, is going to emerge as the leading candidate to replace his uncle.

There's talk that Ted's wife Vicki may want to run. She says she doesn't. I don't think she has the backing of the family because, as a stepmother, she's not very popular. She's imposed a lot of discipline, which they didn't like, on the family.

I think Joe Kennedy II is likely to -- but he's kind of a...

CHETRY: Let's talk a little bit about him. You said a former congressman. What has he been doing in the past few years and what is he like?

KLEIN: He's -- two things -- he's been running something called Citizens Energy, giving away cheap oil to poor people in Massachusetts. He runs advertisements or commercials all the time on television in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. So he's very well known for that philanthropic work.

By the way, the oil comes from Venezuela and Hugo Chavez of all people.

The second thing is he's kind of a bull in a China shop. He wears cowboy boots and he imposes himself on people. He's not a very smooth character. And in the Senate, getting along and being collaborative is very important.

CHETRY: For the gentlemen's chamber, they call it, right?

KLEIN: Yes.

CHETRY: OK, so let's talk a little bit about -- you said you talked about Victoria Reggie Kennedy who really made a profound impact on his life after they married in 1992. People say she straightened him up. She gave a purpose again. And she was very, very shrewd and wise, a lot of the same attributes people give to the stronger Kennedy family members.

KLEIN: Yes. I think she was very much like Ted's mother, Rose. She comes from a political family, very outspoken, well-educated. She's a lawyer, Vicki. She was his chief advisor about who he could trust, who he couldn't trust.

I think she made an enormous impact positively on his life and gave him the stability and discipline that he needed. As a result, in the last 17 or 20 years of his life Ted really buckled down and became a great senator thanks in part to Vicki.

CHETRY: Let's talk about his son quickly, Congressman Patrick Kennedy, who we know has dealt with some challenges, dealt with some issues surrounding addiction and substance abuse. He admitted that he also was facing some mental problems for a while.

But he's a congressman right now. Is he somebody who could possibly make a run for the other chamber?

KLEIN: I don't think so. He -- all his life, he's had to be near a hospital because he has chronic asthma and has had severe asthma attacks. He also has prescription drug problems, and, as you say, some psychological problems.

I think he's a little too, what shall we say, vulnerable to put himself in to the position of head of the family.

CHETRY: All right, we'll have to see how it goes. As we said, this is a family that every move has been watched for decades, and so people are certainly watching to see, will there be another Kennedy, especially in the Senate?

Edward Klein, it's always great to talk to you. A Kennedy biographer, he wrote "Ted Kennedy, the Dream that Never Died." Thanks for being with us this morning.

KLEIN: Thank you so much.

CHETRY: John.

ROBERTS: It's 15 1/2 minutes after the hour now.

It almost seems like, remember the flurry of studies that we got that one day coffee was good for you, the next day it was bad for you, next day it's good for you again? It's like that with the economy, one day it's bad, the next day it's looking good. Now it's looking bad again, now it's looking good again.

Well, Christine Romans has the latest turn in the economy. It looks like it's on the upswing again. She'll tell us what's going on. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. Christine Romans here minding your business. Today, we're looking good. But don't hold your breath because tomorrow we might be looking better.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It will be a complicated few months of economic numbers that I predict will be pretty contradictory. I want to tell you a lot of people are trying to call the turn here. They're saying we're seeing numbers...

ROBERTS: You call it every day, one of them is bound to be right.

ROMANS: Exactly. Exactly, call it so many times. Calling the turn here, taking a look at the numbers to say, look, the economy is now on the mend. We have turned this thing around. It doesn't mean everything is great. It just means we've turned from this freefall.

This is what we know this week. Consumer confidence -- it show -- this number caught a lot of people by surprise. Consumer for durable goods rose by 4.9 percent. Aircraft orders is a big part of that, but that means people are buying big ticket items that could last three years or longer. They're making an investment in something.

New home sales up 9.6 percent. That's not the whole market, of course, that's just new homes, but that means builders are starting to sell new homes to people with this $8,000 tax credit. Obviously people are starting to take advantage of that.

And mortgage applications rose 7.5 percent this week. They're up two weeks in a row. Obviously people are starting to take advantage of that, and mortgage applications rose 7.5 percent this week. They're up two weeks in a row. That shows that people are out there asking about refinancing, asking about a mortgage.

So you're seeing these little -- I hate to say it -- green shoots!

CHETRY: Green shoots, here are there.

ROMANS: Little green signs.

CHETRY: A little green shoot.

ROMANS: Those green shoots.

CHETRY: I heard an economist saying we're getting -- these are displaying normal recovery patterns. That's the way economists talk, normal recovery patterns are all these little things that are starting to come up at the same time.

But here are the yellow caution flags. Consumers spending is likely to be restrained, they are saving more money. Maybe they feel better -- maybe that confidence number was good because they feel better because they're saving money.

I'm not doing anymore excessive impulsive buying. That's not good for the economy but it is good for you. And unemployment not likely to fall anytime soon.

CHETRY: We're getting the numbers at 8:30.

ROMANS: The jobless claim numbers, and we'll look at those.

And one thing about unemployment, not going to fall for some time, but we are starting to see hiring in temporary workers, which is one of those first little signs.

ROBERTS: Let's just hope that unlike other times nobody takes a big can of roundup and goes...

ROMANS: I know. Things felt really good right after Bear Stearns failed, and we were like wow, I can't believe we lived through that.

ROBERTS: Get to the "Romans' Numeral." ROMANS: Nineteen percent. It has to do with one of these things that's been stimulutive to the economy and that's cash for clunkers, 19 percent is my number.

CHETRY: Is that the increase in auto sales?

ROMANS: Actually 19 percent is the Toyota cash for clunkers sale. I wanted to let you know who won the top list -- Toyota.

ROBERTS: Sharpen the knife and slice the bread very thinly here. How are we ever supposed to guess that?

ROMANS: Because you guessed four days in a row.

CHETRY: You guessed right four days in a row. I guessed wrong, I'm zero for two this morning.

ROMANS: Kiran's helping me out here. GM did not even make the top ten of the number of cars that you bought with your cash for clunkers rebate. There were only two Ford's on there. The rest were all foreign automakers.

ROBERTS: Christine Romans, "Minding Your Business." Thanks so much.

CHETRY: And still ahead, we are going to continue part two of this exclusive interview I did with John Yettaw.

He's the American who flew halfway around the world and swam to the home of pro-democracy leader in Myanmar who's under house arrest, Aung Sun Suu Kyi. How he did it, he shares the harrowing details of how it almost killed him and why he would risk his life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It's 24 minutes past the hour right now.

You may remember John Yettaw. He made headlines around the world when he was arrested in the southeast Asian nation of Myanmar or Burma after swimming across a lake to visit detained pro-democracy leader Aung Sun Suu Kyi.

Virginia Senator Jim Webb, who recently met with Suu Kyi, also was able to secure Yettaw's freedom. He says that we can't ignore Myanmar. Senator Webb says that the regime there has damaged the lives and threatened the stability of southeast Asia, also leading to the killing of many people.

As for Yettaw, what would drive a man to fly halfway around the world to meet with a woman most Americans have never heard of?

In an AMERICAN MORNING exclusive I sat down with him to get some answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHETRY: How does the story begin? How did it happen?

JOHN YETTAW, VISITED MYANMAR'S DETAINED PRO-DEMOCRACY LEADER: Well, I was in Thailand. And I had seen her photograph for the first time. And I instantly had a premonition or a vision that I was -- I saw myself going through a lake and over a fence and was at the back door of a house.

And then Googled from there and realized she lived next to the lake. And I got a passport or a visa, rather, to get into Yang Don. And I thought, since this has been presented to me, I'm going to make it happen.

CHETRY (voice-over): Motivated by visions, the retired bus driver and Vietnam vet wanted to do something to bring attention to the plight of the Myanmar people. But the plan met with objections from his family.

CHETRY (on camera): What did your wife say?

YETTAW: I said I have a premonition. I'm going to be a political prisoner in Burma. That's all I told her. What I told my wife what I had seen in the water, she said you're not going back.

CHETRY (voice-over): Despite the risk, Yettaw was determined to contact Suu Kyi. His first attempt came in November, 2008, when he managed to swim across Inya lake and leave some scriptures from the book of Mormon for her.

Then, when he had a vision that she would be assassinated, he says he decided to make a second trip to her heavily guarded compound. In May, 2009, he traveled from Missouri to Rangoon. But this time, the lake crossing did not go as smoothly.

CHETRY: (on camera): Explain physically how you got there.

YETTAW: The second time I came was the same route, in through the sewer tunnel and into the water. But this time of year, the water level was much lower, and I had two bags filled with a lot of stuff.

And so I had to military crawl with these two bags, and I got caught. Two soldiers spotted me.

And I -- fortunately, by the time they got close to me, I rolled over into the water with my bags which were tied together, and literally I was walking through the water, and they were frightened.

They, I don't think, saw me, but they saw the bag floating through the water and moving at a consistent rate, so they started throwing rocks at it. And inside, I prayed, what do I do? And the only response I felt or inspiration was keep walking. And that's what I did.

CHETRY: You were taken by the police at that point. How were you treated? What was your situation like there?

YETTAW: I spent 2 1/2 weeks with basically 24/7 interrogation. And I was armed guarded, and there was maybe up to 15 people.

CHETRY: When you were going through this, the interrogation, being held prisoner, did you fear for your life?

YETTAW: I didn't show any fear.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: There you go. And, so, eventually, he said he didn't have any fear. And at the same time, he also said he wrote a letter every day and had it faxed. The guards would fax it to the generals in the junta, and he would be warning them and taking to them and telling them about what was going to happen and how they were eventually going to be brought down.

And in the end, you would think that would lead to him being held longer, and his release was secured ultimately.

ROBERTS: The question I have and maybe many people at home have too is, he talks about these premonitions. It's very easy to talk about premonitions after the fact. Did he write this stuff down anywhere?

CHETRY: Yes. He said he has it all written down. He has reams and reams of CDs. He had pictures. It will be interesting. He says this is just the beginning of the story and that more will come out.

ROBERTS: Is he writing a book about this?

CHETRY: He is. And he believes that if he hasn't taken these actions as crazy -- and he said he received so much criticism, but also a lot of support -- if he didn't take these actions, he believes that the junta would have tried to assassinate her, Suu Kyi, and make it look like an accident.

ROBERTS: Difficult not to be skeptical, but we'll see what he has to say when the book comes out. Fascinating stuff.

It's 29 minutes after the hour, and here are this morning's top stories.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford is refusing to step down despite a call for him to resign from the state's lieutenant governor after admitting he had an affair with the woman in Argentina. Sanford says quitting now would be wrong because he could do still important things for the state in the final 16 months in office.

CHETRY: Cuba is airing more video of former president Fidel Castro. This was shot last weekend when a fit-looking Castro was meeting with a group of Venezuelan students.

Cuba aired seven minutes of footage on Sunday and released another 24 minutes yesterday because of the worldwide interest. And these are the first televised pictures we've seen of Fidel Castro in more than a year. ROBERTS: Southwest Airlines is under federal investigation for installing unauthorized parts on more than 40 of its jets. The Federal Aviation Administration says Southwest was forced to delay dozens of flights on Saturday after the possible violation was discovered.

The FAA says there's not an immediate safety threat, but the airline has been given a chance to replace the parts with the ones that are approved.

The results of the Afghanistan recent presidential election will not be finalized for another few weeks, but we're already hearing charges of possibly voter intimidation, ballot rigging, and fraud.

So is it true. What will happen on the ground? Michael O'Hanlon is the senior fellow of the Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution. He just returned from monitoring the Afghan election, and he join us now from Washington.

Michael, it's good to see you. Before we get into the actual election, I wanted to ask you about something that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said, that the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating in terms of security. What did you witness on the ground, and is he correct in making that statement?

O'HANLON: John, I think he's mostly right. I think the situation has been deteriorating, undoubtedly. I would have chosen slightly different words, from what little I was able to ascertain in the military situation. I don't want to claim firsthand knowledge. I don't have much time to look into it. But I do believe we're starting to see pockets of success in the places we've deployed forces this spring and summer.

As you know about 30,000 additional U.S. troops have gone in to Afghanistan. And the strategy is starting to make sense in those limited number of places where they have put boots on the ground. The problem is, we don't have enough of them and we also haven't had enough time to really build up the economy and the government in places where they've gone. So whatever progress we've had is very fragile.

I think the admiral has got to be careful here. Because it sounds like he's very fatalistic. And if Americans think that just, you know, 30,000 more troops makes no difference, it's going to be hard to sustain public support.

ROBERTS: Yes, already sentiment toward the war is changing. But you seem to suggest that this idea of putting even more troops in, which General Stanley McChrystal is toying with might be a good idea.

O'HANLON: Yes, I think we have to see exactly where the forces have been deployed and where there are still gaps. The basic idea here is to try and cover the major highways, and the major cities, and the mayor river valleys. So that the economy can start to work and so that the population is protected. They are not trying to fight in the mountains as much anymore. They're not trying to fight as much in the desert.

The idea is to protect the core population, arteries, and centers. And that may require some more forces. It's going to take some analysis to know and I think we'll see in the next few weeks what General McChrystal might want.

ROBERTS: Let's get to the elections now, Michael, because we said you were there monitoring the situation. Hamid Karzai and his supporters have said in recent days say there's no reason to worry. It looks like we're going to win with the majority big enough from 70 percent. That it won't require a runoff. But, what's he basing that claim on? Is there any evidence to back that up?

O'HANLON: Well, he might have evidence. It's hard enough to know. You see what happened on the day of the elections was that after we monitored the vote - and by the way, turnout was a little bit disappointing and really not nearly as strong as it should have been. People are afraid of the Taliban, afraid to vote. But nonetheless, the elections were fairly well run. Then there was counting each at each of the 25,000 stations where people voted, that very evening.

So, in a sense, all of the votes have already been counted once. But, they haven't been yet formally counted because the independent election commission has to go through and verify that there were ballots - you know that were fraudulent and otherwise don't belong there. And so there's no way to know the final results. But Karzai could be aware of the initial counts in those 25,000 polling stations, or, it he could be just making things up. And frankly, I don't know.

ROBERTS: Given the tenuous situation there in Afghanistan, if these elections fail to - to - to emerge with a strong unifying leader, what could the potential fallout be?

O'HANLON: That's a good question, John. Though I don't think the elections could do that much good, frankly. Anyway, they help a little. It was an important impressive event in some ways. But frankly, if President Karzai is re-elected whether it's now or after a runoff in October which could be needed. He's going to have to, you know, push aside some of these extreme war lords and corrupt leaders who are helping him in his government.

Otherwise, I don't believe the place can really rebound. Because in any kind of a nation-building or counterinsurgency effort, you've got to have full partnership with the host government or it can't work. That's going to be even more important than the election himself.

ROBERTS: So when we're talking about the extremes. You know, on one side, there are these extreme war lords - you mentioned corrupt government officials. On the other hand, there were Taliban members that the government of Afghanistan would like to try to bring in to the process. But these are people who are cutting the fingers off of women in Kandahar so they couldn't vote. Can you trust them?

O'HANLON: No. I think - it's a good question. The right way to think about it is from a friend of mine, David Killcullen, the great theorist on counterinsurgency. He talks about the accidental guerrilla. What he means is that these kinds of movements have a lot of people fighting with them who are not really committed, who are not really Taliban, who might be economically motivated or just angry and those are the people you try to woe, try to change sides. One by one at the local level. If you have aspirations of a big deal with Mullah Omar, you're probably deluding yourself.

ROBERTS: Michael O'Hanlon from the Brookings Institution. Always great to catch up with you. Thanks for coming in this morning and sharing your experiences. Really appreciate it.

O'HANLON: Thank you, John.

CHETRY: All right, and still ahead, we are going to be talking about a town hall meeting that got a little contentious. Our Jim Acosta is going to be following that for us coming up live. It's 35 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ROBERTS: Good morning, Oklahoma City, where it's rainy and 69 degrees. Later on today, storms, 88 degrees. We're going to be going to Oklahoma City by the way. In our next hour here in AMERICAN MORNING to talk about how an old method of creating crystal meth is gaining favor again. They call it the shake and bake method of doing it. Wait until you see this story. Pretty incredible.

CHETRY: Yes, they say because of the clamp down on some of the ingredients of the pseudo ephedrine and the nasal decongestant. And now you have to get a license to take out large quantities.

ROBERTS: Yes. Now you can do this a small batch at a time. And that's why it's gaining favor, you know, the meth problem is increasing as a result of this.

CHETRY: It's horrible. Thirty-eight minutes after the hour right now. And what we've been following for the past couple of weeks in the Senate and the House. Of course, this health care debate back in session soon. And it's a make-or-break debate that's been going on. It's not letting up. One prominent GOP senator said that the biggest problem is looking to Uncle Sam for a solution.

AMERICAN MORNING's Jim Acosta is live with that story from our Washington bureau this morning. Good morning, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. That's right. Senator Tom Coburn is not just one of the more conservative members of the U.S. Senate, he's also a practicing physician who says Washington is guilty of malpractice when it comes to health care reform.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ACOSTA (voice-over): At this Oklahoma City megachurch, Republican Senator Tom Coburn was preaching to a conservative choir on health care reform.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think most of us here would like to see you and Sarah Palin in the White House.

SEN. TOM COBURN (R), OKLAHOMA: Well, that's not going to happen.

ACOSTA: But when one woman didn't like Coburn's response to her question on prescription drugs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not a dumb person. I'm a minority in Oklahoma. I'm a Democrat.

ACOSTA: Some of the crowds started shouting, and they weren't saying amen.

COBURN: Wait a minute, guys. Wait a minute. I want to make a point here. The one - one of the things that's wrong with our country is we don't allow real legitimate debate.

ACOSTA: Coburn, who is also a practicing physician, took questions only a doctor could answer. In a town hall earlier this week, a woman pleaded for help.

ANNE YOCUM, OKLAHOMA RESIDENT: My husband has traumatic brain injuries and his health insurance would not cover him to eat and drink. And what I need to know is how are you going to help him?

COBURN: First of all, yes, we'll help. The first thing we'll do is see what we can do individually to help you.

ACOSTA: Coburn told us his office is getting her help in her community, as it should be, he says.

COBURN: We've had several people call us and say they're willing to help her since then. The question is...

ACOSTA (on camera): You do that with millions of uninsured people in this country?

COBURN: Well...

ACOSTA: Who are on the same boat?

COBURN: No they're not in the same boat. Don't exaggerate. Most people...

ACOSTA: There are millions of people...

COBURN: You're going to ask me a question, let me answer it.

ACOSTA: And when you hear those personal stories, does it at all change your position on this issue?

COBURN: No.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Coburn says he too is sick of the insurance companies.

COBURN: As a practicing physician who has experienced the discrimination of insurance companies based not on medical facts, never putting their hand on a patient, telling me what I can and cannot do to a patient, there's something wrong with that.

ACOSTA: But the doctor is a firm believer a government insurance program or public option is the wrong medicine.

ACOSTA: If the president drops the public option, could you support it?

COBURN: Well, it depends on what's in it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: That wasn't a no. And even though as the current Democratic proposals stand now, you can count the doctor as a no. Dr. Coburn may not change his position at this point. But what is not known is whether Democrats and Republicans will try once again to hammer out an agreement on health care as a tribute to Senator Kennedy. Kiran?

CHETRY: That was quite a town hall meeting, though. Boy, we'll follow that more.

ACOSTA: 1,000 people there. And most of them in support of Dr. Coburn. But, you can tell these town halls, even though they've been going on for weeks, are still attracting lots and lots of people. What will be interesting to find out is what the tone of these town halls will be after the death of Senator Kennedy -- Kiran.

CHETRY: You're absolutely right. Jim Acosta for us this morning. Thanks.

ROBERTS: Here's what's on the "A.M. Rundown" coming your way in the next 15 minutes. Tropical storm Danny gaining strength in the Atlantic as it moves toward land. Forecasters say it could be a problem for the East Coast this weekend. Cape Cod may be at its sights. Rob Marciano tracking the extreme weather for us this morning.

Plus, he was the king of the Kennedy clan. Candy Crowley shows us how with Ted Kennedy's passing, Camelot, could come to a close. And health care reform was his true passion. With Ted Kennedy's passing, could law makers be inspired to reach across the aisle and get the health care reform they'll pass. Our Jessica Yellin takes a look.

It's 42 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CHETRY: Here it is. Norfolk, Virginia this morning where its clear at 76 degrees. A little later, it's going to be sunny and 89. But, it might not be the case over the next couple of days. We're looking at Danny right now. A storm churning in the Atlantic.

Rob Marciano is tracking the extreme weather for us. And Danny, a similar path to Bill that turned into a hurricane, stayed offshore. But we certainly felt it along the East Coast.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Certainly did. A difference between Bill and Danny is that Danny is going to be closer, but Danny is going to be much, much weaker. So, kind of a bit of a wash there. I don't think we'll see as big of wave action as we did with Bill. But nonetheless, this thing is going to get closer. So here it is, right along about 800 miles south, southeast of Cape Hatteras. But you notice something here, that all of the action with this -- all the red cloudiness, infrared picture there shows that the winds, the rain, most all of it is north and east of the center. So that's good.

In that when this thing makes the track up the eastern seaboard, most of the bad weather, the worst weather will be off shore. Here's the forecast track in the National Hurricane Center as of 5:00 a.m.. Forecast to become a category 1 hurricane passing about 200 miles or so give or take offshore of Cape Hatteras early Saturday morning.

And then making a run at Eastern New England and Cape Cod Saturday night in to Sunday morning as a category one storm. Certainly some waves will be an issue there and some rain as well. Also some slow-moving system in through the midsection of the country. That will make its way towards the northeast, kind of giving Bill a nudge. But it will also mean wet weather beginning tomorrow afternoon, and tomorrow night for a good chunk of the northeast. Saturday looks to be a bit soggy regardless of which way Danny goes. Back to you guys in New York.

ROBERTS: All right. Rob Marciano for us with the forecast. Don't forget that every Friday, it's "Rob's Road Show." So we sent him to the world's longest yard sale, a yo-yo championship and one heck of a tractor pull. And this week he's headed to Connecticut for the Mystic Sea Port dog days of summer to check out some special canine lifesavers. That's tomorrow right here on the most news in the morning.

CHETRY: Robbing his dog.

ROBERTS: See how Rob hangs his head out of the car as he's driving? Forty-seven minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Live picture this morning of the JFK Library about three miles outside of downtown Boston, where Senator Edward Kennedy's body will lie in repose for the next couple of days. And this morning, tributes to Senator Kennedy continue. Here's an early look at the special commemorative editions of both "Time" and "Newsweek" magazine. There we are. The last brother is the way "Newsweek" put it, featuring the photo of the three famous Kennedy men. And the "Time" kept it simple with this compelling close-up photo on the cover of its commemorative issue, just the face of a political legend.

CHETRY: And you know, for years the Kennedy name has symbolized political royalty for many. But with the death of the last of the three famous Kennedy brothers, that era comes to a close.

Our Candy Crowley shows us the big shoes that Ted Kennedy had to fill and the legacy he leaves behind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He had a name that rang down through generations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you Kennedy?

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Yes, I'm Kennedy.

CROWLEY: It was a gilded name in politics, but Ted Kennedy's life was an almost impossible kaleidoscope of outstanding public service astonishing personal failures and a heavy burden of the unfulfilled legacies and promise of three older brothers - Joseph, Jack, Bobby.

DORIS KEARINGS GOODWIN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: You know, it reminds me - there's a great quote by Ernest Hemingway who said "every one who is broken by life, but afterwards some are stronger in the broken places."

CROWLEY: At 36, Teddy, the youngest of the Kennedys became the patriarch when Bobby whose 1968 presidential campaign championed the sick, the poor and the elderly was assassinated.

KENNEDY: Those of us who loved him and will take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others would some day come to pass for all of the world.

CROWLEY: In the four decades since that day, the Kennedy legacy was Teddy's to fulfill, his to write. It's an imperfect story of an often reckless young man who lived hard and as a U.S. senator drove a car off a bridge after a party killing a young campaign aide. He would never be president, the dream of Camelot as Jackie Kennedy once described her husband's brief presidency was over the night Kennedy conceded the primaries to President Jimmy Carter.

KENNEDY: For all of those whose care has been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.

CROWLEY: So Kennedy returned to the Senate and there over the next 30 years he grew older, wiser, and greatly admired in the Senate was redemption, in the Senate, the dream came alive, in the Senate early in the morning, late at night Ted Kennedy fought and cut deals for minimum wage increases, health care, education, immigration reform, help for the poor, the elderly and the sick.

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: There are millions of people who counted on this guy every day to stand up for them. And for decades to come, history will talk about his legislative accomplishments and the difference he made in public policy.

CROWLEY: Even before Kennedy's death, colleagues on the right and left mourned his absence in the health care debate. Now they feel it acutely.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (r), SOUTH CAROLINA: Of all the times to lose Ted Kennedy, this is the toughest time, because we're just in too many camps, it's hard to reach across the aisle, and Senator Kennedy made it easy to reach across the aisle.

CROWLEY: Eventually someone will fill the Senate seat of Edward Moore Kennedy, but there's pretty much universal agreement, nobody, family or friend can take his place. A man has passed taking with him a time and an era. The Kennedy legacy is written.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: All right. There you go. Told as only Candy can do.

And meanwhile, we're going to be speaking with Duvall Patrick, coming up in just a few minuets, the governor of Massachusetts. He has a big decision to make as it comes to filling this Senate seat even on a temporary basis as his health care debate rages on. And they could use every vote in the Senate right now. Fifty-three minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: The flag flying at half staff at the Capitol building in honor of Senator Ted Kennedy. Welcome back to the most news in the morning. Of all of the issues that Senator Kennedy championed health care reform truly was his baby, his number one cause.

CHETRY: And so to honor his memory, could lawmakers actually find the inspiration to reach across the aisle and get health care reform passed? Our Jessica Yellin takes a look.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Senator Kennedy was so beloved and health care was so important to him that many in Washington believe his death will inspire his colleagues in Congress to come together and pass health care reform.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YELLIN (voice-over): March 2009, Senator Ted Kennedy at the White House launching the latest push for health care reform. KENNEDY: I'm looking forward to being a foot soldier in this undertaking. And this time, we will not fail.

YELLIN: He called it the cause of his life. And just last month renewed his message, writing in "Newsweek," "Our response to these challenges will define our character as a country." Now advocates insist Kennedy's colleagues will find a way to pass health care in his honor.

RON POLLACK, FAMILIES USA: I have no question that Senator Kennedy's passing is going to inspire his colleagues to get health care reform done this year.

YELLIN: One of Kennedy's closest democratic allies is more measured, but still hopeful.

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: My hope is that this will maybe cause people to take a breath, step back, and start talking with each other again and more civil tones about what needs to be done.

YELLIN: One source of optimism, Kennedy was beloved by many Senate Republicans who have opposed the reform proposals. Among them Senator Orrin Hatch who wrote this song as a tribute to his good friend.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HATCH: Through the darkness we can find a pathway...

YELLIN: And Senator John McCain tells CNN...

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: All of us will not only miss him but perhaps maybe try to carry on his legacy of reaching across the aisle and getting things done for the American people.

YELLIN: But the battle lines have hardened in the divisive fight over reform. But even many democrats reluctant to compromise so will affection for a lost colleague be enough to push it over the finish line?

NORM ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: These are very real substantive, ideological, and partisan differences, one person's name and memory will not make all the differences.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YELLIN: There is another outstanding question, how quickly will Kennedy's Senate seat be filled? And will it happen in time for Democrats to have that crucial 60th vote to pass health care reform -- Kiran, John.

CHETRY: Jessica Yellin for us. Thanks, and we're going to be asking that when we speak with the governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, coming up. Because it could be in the hands of his state legislature and ultimately on his desk whether that happens.

ROBERTS: Let's see if that happens.