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President Bush Announces Troop Withdrawal Plan; Hurricane Ike's Damage Still Climbing in Cuba; Republican Ticket Stumps in Ohio

Aired September 09, 2008 - 10:00   ET

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

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With valor in the war against these extremists and killers. On this campus you're helping train the next generation of military and civilian leaders who will defend our nation against the real and true threats of the 21st century. You've developed new ways for our military and civilian personnel to work together to meet the new challenges we face. I thank you for your patriotism, I thank you for your hard work, and I thank you for your devotion to protecting the American people.
(APPLAUSE)

I thank the members of the Congress who have joined us -- Congressman Randy Forbes of Virginia, and Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona. Thanks for coming.

(APPLAUSE)

I'm going to be talking in a little while about a recommendation I have received from the Joint Chiefs, and I'm so pleased that the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Cartwright is with us today. Thanks for coming, Hoss.

(APPLAUSE)

I thank the leadership of the NDU. Thanks for having me again. I appreciate the civilian personnel, U.S. government civilians studying here. And I thank those who wear the uniform. You know, one of the great things about being the Commander-in-Chief is to be the Commander-in-Chief of people who have volunteered to serve our country in a time of danger. I'm incredibly impressed by our military, and I am thankful to our military families.

You know, last week, a remarkable event took place in Iraq. At a ceremony in the city of Ramadi, responsibility for security in Anbar Province was transferred to Iraqi civilian authorities. Iraqi forces are now leading security operations across Anbar, with American troops in an "overwatch" role. With this transfer of responsibility, the people of Anbar took charge of their own security and their own destiny. It's a moment of pride for all Iraqis, and it was a moment of success in the war on terror.

Two years ago, such a moment was unimaginable to most. Anbar was one of the most dangerous provinces in Iraq. Al Qaeda was in control of almost every major population center. They had largely succeeded in turning the region into a safe haven which brought them closer to one of their goals, a place from which to launch new attacks against America, our allies and our interests in the region.

In 2006, a military intelligence report concluded the province was lost. And Anbar was held up as proof of America's failure in Iraq. Yet something remarkable was happening. The tribes in Anbar were growing tired of al Qaeda's brutality. They wanted to live a normal life, and this presented us with an opportunity to defeat al Qaeda in Anbar.

Last year we sent 4,000 additional Marines to Anbar's part of the surge. The surge showed America's commitment to security. It showed we were committed to helping the average citizen in Anbar live a normal life. And it helped renew the confidence of local leaders, the tribal sheiks who then led an uprising to take Anbar back from the terrorists. Together local tribes, Iraqi troops and American troops systematically dismantle al Qaeda control across the province.

Today Anbar is a province transformed. Attacks in the province have dropped by more than 90 percent. Casualties are down dramatically, virtually every city and town in Anbar now has a mayor and a functioning municipal council. Provincial reconstruction teams are helping local leaders create jobs and economic opportunity. Security has improved. Reconciliation is taking place across the province. Today Anbar is no longer lost to al Qaeda. It has been reclaimed by the Iraqi people.

We're seeing similar gains in the other parts of Iraq. Earlier this year the Iraqi government launched a successful military operation against the extremist groups in places like Basra and Baghdad and Al Amara. Iraqi forces are staying on the offense. They are pressing the advantage against those who would bring harm and danger to their citizens. They're conducting operations in and around the northern city of Mosul where al Qaeda terrorists seek refuge.

The Iraqi Army recently launched a new offensive against al Qaeda in the Diyalah Province. All these operations are Iraqi led with American forces playing a supporting role. As a result of these and other operations in Iraq, violence is down to its lowest point since the spring of 2004. Civilian deaths are down. Sectarian killings are down. Suicide bombings are down, and normal life is returning to communities across the country.

Provincial reconciliation is moving forward. The Iraqi government has passed budgets and major pieces of legislation. Our diplomats report that markets once shattered by terrorist violence are now open for business. Yesterday Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus reported to me via (INAUDIBLE) that they had just gone into a market area and seen the commerce and activities.

The Iraqi health ministry issued an interesting report. It said hundreds of doctors who had fled the fighting have now returned to serve the people of their country. Reduced levels of violence in Iraq have been sustained for several months. While the progress in Iraq is still fragile and reversible, General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker report that there now appears to be a degree of durability to the gains we have made. Here is the bottom line. While the enemy in Iraq is dangerous, we have seized the offensive. Iraqi forces are becoming increasingly capable of leading and winning the fight. As a result we've been able to carry out a policy of return on success. Reducing American combat forces in Iraq as conditions on the ground continue to improve. We've now brought home all five of the army combat brigades, the Marine expeditionary unit, two Marine battalions that were sent to Iraq as part of the surge.

I was proud to visit with some of those troops at Fort Bragg earlier this year. They are among our nation's finest citizens, and they have earned the gratitude and respect of the American people.

(APPLAUSE)

Another aspect of our return and success policy in Iraq is reduced combat tours. Last month troops began deploying for 12-month tours instead of 15-month tours. This change will ease the burden on our forces, and I think more importantly, this change will make life for our military families easier.

(APPLAUSE)

I'm pleased to announce the next step forward on our policy on return on success. General Petraeus has just completed a review of the situation in Iraq. He and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have recommended that we move forward with additional force reductions, and I agree.

Over the next several months we'll bring home about 3,400 combat support forces, including aviation personnel, explosive ordinance teams, combat and construction engineers, military police and logistical support forces. By November we'll bring home a Marine battalion that is now serving in Anbar Province.

In February of 2009 another Army combat brigade will come home. This amounts to about 8,000 additional American troops returning home without replacement. If progress in Iraq continues to hold, General Petraeus and our military leaders believe additional reductions will be possible in the first half of 2009. The progress in Iraq is a credit to the valor of American troops and civilians, the valor of Iraqi troops and the valor of our coalition partners. And I thank those who are here from other nations for joining us. I thank you for working with our troops.

(APPLAUSE)

We welcome you to the United States, and we appreciate your working closely with those who wear the uniform.

Since Operation Iraqi Freedom began, I want our fellow citizens to hear this fact, more than 140,000 troops from 41 countries have served as part of our coalition in the Iraq. Sons and daughters of Australia, Azerbaijan, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and Ukraine have given their lives in the fight against the extremists.

(APPLAUSE)

The citizens of these countries have sacrificed for the cause of freedom in Iraq. America has been proud to serve alongside such courageous allies. I congratulate our coalition partners on their historic accomplishments in Iraq and for maintaining their resolve during the dark days. Thanks to their determined work and the growing capability of Iraqi forces, many of our partners in Iraq are now in a position to return on success as well.

Australia has withdrawn its battle group. The Polish contingent is set to redeploy shortly. Many more coalition nations will be able to conclude their deployments to Iraq this year. Thanks to the skill of their troops and the success of their missions.

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The important task in the period ahead will be to work toward the conclusion of a strategic framework agreement. And a status of forces agreement between the United States and Iraq. These agreements will serve as the foundation for America's continued security support to Iraq. Once the United Nations resolution authorizing the multi- national forces there expires on December 31st of this year. They will allow us to establish a bilateral relationship between the United States and Iraq like those we have with dozens of other countries around the world.

Early on in the struggle I made clear that America's goal in Iraq was to help the Iraqi people build a Democratic nation that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself. Thanks to the success of the surge, Iraq is making steady progress toward that goal.

(APPLAUSE)

Steps I've described here at NDU will help us build on this success. It will set America's engagement in Iraq on a strong and steady course and it will allow our troops to come home in victory.

(APPLAUSE)

Al Qaeda's leaders have repeatedly declared that Iraq is the central front of their war with America. But it is not the only front. As al Qaeda faces increased pressure in Iraq, the terrorists are stepping up their efforts on the front where this struggle first began, the nation of Afghanistan. After September 11th, 2001, coalition forces destroyed the Taliban regime. We drove al Qaeda from the Afghan sanctuary where they plotted and planned unprecedented attacks on our country. We helped Afghans begin to build a new democracy.

Together with our military American civilian experts helped the Afghan people build their economy and provide basic services and expand health care as well as open up schools for Afghan girls and boys. These were important successes. Yet the enemies of a free Afghanistan refused to give up the fight. They sought to undermine the democratic government so they could regain the place of dominance they enjoyed in Afghanistan before September the 11th. With the help of their sanctuary in Pakistan, they ruthlessly attack innocent Afghans across the country.

As the security situation changed, America and our coalition partners responded with troop increases. The NATO summit in Bucharest in April, I told our allies the United States was deploying 3,500 more Marines to Afghanistan and that we would make additional forces available in 2009. I also called on allies to increase their force levels. And during the past year the United Kingdom, France, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Australia, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic and others have sent additional forces to support the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

These troop increases represent a quiet surge in Afghanistan. And all the number of American troops in the country increased from less than 21,000 two years ago to nearly 31,000 today. The number of coalition troops including NATO troops increased from about 20,000 to about 31,000. And the number of trained Afghan army and police forces increased from less than 67,000 to nearly 144,000. These troop increases have made a difference. Yet huge challenges in Afghanistan remain.

This is a vast country, and unlike Iraq it has few natural resources and has an underdeveloped infrastructure. Its democratic institutions are fragile. Its enemies are some of the most hardened terrorists and extremists in the world. With their brutal attacks, the Taliban and terrorists have made some progress in shaking the confidence of the Afghan people. And in the face of all these challenges the Afghan people are naturally questioning what their future looks like.

Afghanistan's success is critical to the security of America and our partners in the free world. For all the good work we've done in that country, it is clear we must do even more. As we learned in Iraq, the best way to restore the confidence of the people is to restore basic security, and that requires more troops. I'm announcing today additional American troop deployments to Afghanistan. In November, the Marine battalion that was scheduled to deploy to Iraq will instead deploy to Afghanistan, it will be followed in January by an Army combat brigade.

The mission of these forces will be to work with the Afghan forces to provide security for the Afghan people, protect Afghanistan's infrastructure and democratic institutions and held insure access to services like education and health care. They will show the citizens of Afghanistan that the government and its partners will stand with them in the battle against the Taliban and the extremists. They will help clarify a stark contrast in Afghanistan.

While the terrorists and extremists deliberately target and murder the innocent, coalition and Afghan forces risk their lives to protect the innocent. Regrettably there will be times when our pursuit of the enemy will result in accidental civilian deaths. This has been the case throughout the history of warfare. Our nation mourns the loss of every innocent life. Every grieving family has the sympathy of the American people. I've given President Karzai my word that America will work closely with the Afghan government to ensure security of Afghan people while protecting innocent lives. As we deploy these reinforcements, America will take new steps to help the Afghan forces mobilize more forces of its own.

Afghan fighters are good fighters. If you talk to people who have been in Afghanistan, they'll tell you the Afghan troops are courageous. They just need some help. Along with the Afghan government, the United States and her allies are now launching a new initiative to double the size of the Afghan National Army over the next five years.

We'll also work to increase the involvement of Afghan tribes. Local Afghan forces were key to our successes in 2001 and 2002 when we combined the 21st century capabilities of the American military with the courage of Afghan fighters on horseback. In the period ahead we will once again encourage Afghan security forces and Afghan tribes to take a leading role in the building of a democratic Afghanistan.

The Taliban and al Qaeda will not be allowed to return to power. The terrorists will suffer the same fate in Afghanistan that they are now suffering in Iraq, and they will be defeated.

(APPLAUSE)

In addition to these new military measures, we're stepping up efforts on the civilian side. We're increasing our civilian presence with new personnel from U.S.A.I.D. and drug enforcement agency as well as the foreign service. We're using provincial reconstruction teams of military and civilian experts to help local communities fight corruption and improve governance and jump start their economies. We're using agricultural development teams to help the Afghan farmers feed their people and become more self-sufficient.

We're supporting Afghanistan's national development strategy which helps the democratic government in Kabul offer greater support for the provinces like health and infrastructure. We're working with the Afghan authorities to prepare for elections of 2009 and 2010.

Recently at an international conference in Paris, America pledged $10 billion over the next two years to support Afghanistan's development. In all these ways we're working to assure that our military progress is accompanied by the political and economic gains that are critical to the success of a free Afghanistan. As we take these new steps in Afghanistan we must also help the government of Pakistan defeat Taliban and al Qaeda fighters hiding in remote border regions of their country. These extremists are increasingly using Pakistan as a base from which to destabilize Afghanistan's young democracy.

In the past year the Taliban, al Qaeda and other extremist groups operating in these remote regions have stepped up their attacks against the Pakistani government, hoping to stop that country's democratic progress as well. This morning I called Pakistan's newly elected leader, President Zardari. I pledged the full support of America's government as Pakistan takes the fight to the terrorists and extremists in the border regions.

Defeating these terrorists and extremists is in Pakistan's interest. They pose a mortal threat to Pakistan's future as a free and democratic nation. Defeating these terrorists and extremists is also Pakistan's responsibility because every nation has an obligation to govern its own territory and make certain that it does not become a safe haven for terror.

America and our NATO allies will continue helping Pakistan in its efforts to defeat the extremists. Same terrorists who murdered innocent civilians in Karachi and Islamabad are plotting new attacks against the United States and Europe. Each of these three places I've discussed today, Iraq, Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan pose unique challenges for our country. Yet they're all theaters in the same overall struggle.

All three places extremists are using violence and terror in an attempt to impose their ideology on whole populations. They murder to impose their dark vision of the world. In all three places America is standing strongly with brave elected leaders and determined reformers and millions of ordinary citizens who seek a future of liberty and justice and tolerance.

Defeating our enemies requires success on the military front. Together with our allies we made substantial progress toward breaking up terrorist networks, and we will not rest until they are destroyed. Defeating our enemies also requires success in the ideological battle. We must show the people of the broader Middle East a better alternative to a life of violence and despair. And that alternative is based on liberty.

History shows that people who are given the choice between freedom and tyranny will choose freedom. And history shows that freedom will yield the peace we all want. There will be difficult moments in the work ahead. Yet we can be confident in the outcome. With faith in the power of freedom, we will transform nations that once harbored our enemies into strong and capable allies in the war on terror.

With the faith and the power of freedom we will prove that the future of the Middle East belongs not to terror, but to liberty. And with faith in the power of freedom we will leave behind a safer and more peaceful world for our children and our grandchildren.

(APPLAUSE)

I thank you for all you do to keep America safe. I thank you for your service in freedom's cause. May god bless you, your families and our country.

(APPLAUSE)

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: There you have President George Bush, at the National Defense University addressing the crowd there. Four major points to point out for you just in case you missed most of those comments.

Obviously we knew that he was going to be talking about troop withdrawals in Iraq. He says 8,000 less troops will be used through February there in Iraq. And he also said if the progress continues as it has in Iraq, in his opinion, commanders are saying that they could cut even more troops in the first half of next year. Also talked an awful lot about Afghanistan announcing that more U.S. troops will be heading there as well regarding one Marine battalion in November and also an army combat brigade. So we will stay on top of those stories for you, obviously here on CNN.

Also, as promised, we want to get to this. Live event now, Barack Obama and John McCain are ready to be talking to Ohio voters this morning. You see Barack Obama there.

Let's go ahead and listen in for a moment.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ...black and Latino students are even further behind. A world where elementary school kids are only getting an average of 25 minutes of science each day when over 80 percent of the fastest growing jobs require some knowledge in math and science. If we want to see middle class incomes rising like they did in the 1990s, we can't afford a future where so many Americans are priced out of college, where only 20 percent --

(APPLAUSE)

-- where only 20 percent of our students are prepared to take college level English, Math and Science. Where millions of jobs are going unfilled because Americans don't have the skills to work them, and where barely one in ten low income students will ever get their college degree.

That kind of future is economically untenable for America. It is morally unacceptable for our children, and it is not who we are as a nation. And that's one of the reasons I'm running for president of the United States of America.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

We are a nation that's always renewed our system of education to meet the challenges of a new time. The last president from Illinois, Lincoln, created the Land Grant Colleges to ensure the success of the union he was fighting to save. Generations of leaders built mandatory public schools to prepare our children for the changing needs of our nation. And Eisenhower doubled federal investment in education after the Soviets beat us to space. That's the kind of leadership we must show today. But that's not the leadership we've been getting from Washington.

For decades, folks in Washington have been stuck in the same tired debates over education that have crippled our progress and left schools and parents to fend for themselves. It's been Democrat versus Republican, vouchers versus the status quo, more money versus more reform. There's partisan ship and there's bickering, but there's no understanding that both sides have good ideas that we'll need to implement if we hope to make the changes our children need.

And we've fallen further and further behind as a result. If the we're going to make a real and lasting difference for our future, we have to be willing to move beyond the old arguments of left and right and take meaningful, practical steps to build an education system worthy of our children and our future. We have to.

(APPLAUSE)

In the past few weeks, my opponent, John McCain has taken to talk about the change for need and reform in Washington, where he has been part of the scene for about three decades. And this is important to understand. In those three decades, he has not done one thing to truly improve the quality of public education in our country. Not one real proposal or law or initiative. Nothing. Instead he marched with the ideologues and his party in opposing efforts to hire more teachers and expand head start and make college more affordable.

COLLINS: All right. There you have Senator Barack Obama, just a little bit of what he's talking about today. Riverside, Ohio. We will get to the other event in just a moment with the other side of the coin, if you will, John McCain.

Meanwhile, I want to give this to you. Breaking news this morning. New questions about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. A U.S. intelligence officials tells CNN the Stalinist leader has been suffering from serious health problems for the past few weeks. And according to the source, it's possible that Kim Jong- Il has suffered a stroke. Speculations earlier today when Kim was a no-show at a parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of his communist nation. Kim has denied earlier reports that he suffers from heart disease and diabetes.

I wanted to get that out to you quickly. We'll stay on top of it for you.

Also, Hurricane Ike cuts through Cuba. Four people dead now and more than a million evacuated.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Bringing troops home. You saw the live announcement just a few minutes ago from President Bush right here in the NEWSROOM. That plan to bring about 8,000 U.S. troops home from Iraq over the next several months.

Our Brianna Keilar is live in Washington this morning with the story on Iraq and also he talked quite a bit, Brianna, about Afghanistan as well.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes he did, Heidi.

And this is one of the last major decisions President Bush will make in the White House, announcing today a plan to bring home 8,000 troops from Iraq, without replacing them. Doing that between now and February of next year. He also added that if the progress continues, that would open up the possibility of bringing home more troops during the first half of next year, 2009. Of course that would be left up to whoever succeeds him in the White House.

He also said his plan is to increase troops in Afghanistan. That would total about 4,500 U.S. troops there, adding to the force in Afghanistan. President Bush really pointing to the so-called surge in Iraq and the success that he said he's seen because of it, allowing troops to be brought out of Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Here is the bottom line: While the enemy in Iraq is dangerous, we have seized the offensive. Iraqi forces are becoming increasingly capable of leading and winning the fight. As a result, we've been able to carry out a policy of return on success, reducing American combat forces in Iraq as conditions on the ground continue to improve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: There is criticism of the president's plan coming from Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid. He is trying to lump Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee for president, in with President Bush on this war strategy decision. Reed saying: "George Bush, Senator McCain and Senate Republicans are dangerously out of touch about Afghanistan and Pakistan... Given the increasingly violent situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I'm stunned that President Bush has decided to bring so few troops home from Iraq and send so few resources to Afghanistan."

Ike Skelton, who is the committee chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee echoing that as well, saying that this move just really pushes the situation in Iraq into the lap of the next president, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. There was certainly a lot to talk about after that address to, once again, the National Defense University.

Brianna Keilar, thanks so much, live from Washington for us this morning.

Meanwhile, want to get back to some of the politics out on the campaign trail now. We would like to bring you to the McCain-Palin event that is happening in Lebanon, Ohio. Let's go ahead and listen to the Republican vice presidential nominee.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... We do have a surplus. And I put the veto pen to nearly half a billion dollars in reckless spending.

(APPLAUSE) We just suspended our state fuel tax, and with that surplus that we have, I'm returning a big chunk of it right back to the people of Alaska. It's their money and they can spend it better than government can spend it for them.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Let me relate that to all of you, though, not just Alaskans, whom I've been serving. It is now time to take that positive agenda of relief for taxpayers on a national level, and we will work for that tax relief for all of you.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

You're going to hear a lot about the abusive practice of earmarks in Congress from our good senator here. We championed in Alaska reform of the old earmark process. I told Congress, thanks, but no thanks for that Bridge to Nowhere up in Alaska. If our state wanted a bridge, we were going to build it ourselves.

(APPLAUSE)

And it was just the other day that, surprisingly, our opponent -- he brought up earmarks. And considering his record of earmark spending, I was surprised that he'd even want to raise the subject. I didn't think he'd want to go there. In just three years our opponent has requested nearly $1 billion in earmarks. That's nearly $1 million for every working day. So as we reformed the abuses of earmarks in our state, our opponent was requesting nearly a billion dollars in earmarks as a senatorial privilege, as I was vetoing half a billion as an executive responsibility.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

So now we are ready together, to work together, to reform these corrupt practices, end them once and for all in our Congress.

(APPLAUSE)

Something very, very important for all of you who are paying such a hefty price at the pump, also, to fuel your vehicles, heat your homes, cool your homes -- through competition as governor, I got agreements to build a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline that's going to lead America towards that energy independence that we must have for our security and our prosperity.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

Energy will be such a high priority in the our administration, the McCain-Palin administration will expand nuclear energy. We're going to expand our use of alternative fuels. We're going to help you conserve energy. We're going to drill now to make this nation energy independent.

(APPLAUSE) I can promise you that we're going to have American energy resources brought to you by American ingenuity and produced by American workers.

(APPLAUSE)

You know, friends, our opponents have been going on lately about how they always fight for you. But since my running mate -- he's too humble to say this on his own behalf, let me say it for him -- there is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you. That man is Senator John McCain --

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

He is the only man in this election who has ever really fought for you. He is going to serve you well. He will be the 44th president of the United States of America, Senator John McCain.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you very much. Thank you. It's great to be back in Lebanon, Ohio, the state we must win and we will win this November. And I'm grateful for you being here. I thank you.

And, my friends, I am so honored to be introduced by Governor Sarah Palin today, but I can't wait to introduce her to Washington, D.C. when the big spenders --

(APPLAUSE)

-- when the big spenders and the old boy network, the pork barrelers, the earmarkers, the business as usual, the country-second, me-first bureaucrats in Washington and the special interest, she'll take them on like she did in Alaska and we'll return this government back to the people of this country.

(APPLAUSE)

I thank you for your warm welcome.

(APPLAUSE)

And I want to warn them -- I want to warn them -- every single one of them, stand by because change is coming, and real change is coming to Washington, D.C. We're going to shake things up. You've got a team of mavericks, a team of mavericks. I just want to mention again, this great American, her husband, Todd Palin, I'm telling you, 2,000 miles in a snow mobile in the middle of winter in 40-degrees below zero, this guy can take on anything Washington can hand out. I'll tell you that right now.

(APPLAUSE) A card-carrying member of the United Steelworkers Union and a great and wonderful family of five beautiful children, as well as mother (ph).

(APPLAUSE)

I'm grateful you're here, I'm grateful for your enthusiasm, I'm grateful for this turnout. My friends, we've got to turn that into a victory on November the 4th. You can do it, and we can do it here in the great state of Ohio.

(APPLAUSE)

And we need it. This is a tough race. But you know, I've been called a maverick, somebody who marches to the beat of his own drum. Sometimes it's meant as a compliment, and sometimes it's not. But it means -- what it really means is I understand who I work for. I don't work for a party and I don't work for a special interest. I don't work for myself. I work for you, and that's my record, service to this country that I'm proud of.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA! USA!

MCCAIN: I've fought corruption, and it didn't matter if the culprits were Democrats or Republicans. I fought big spenders who waste your money on things you neither need more want. I want to ensure you again I'll take this old ink pen and every single pork barrel earmark bill that comes across my desk as president, I will veto it. I will make them famous and you will know their names. You will know their names.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

You will know their names.

Senator Obama says that he is the agent of change, my friends. Tell me one time he has taken on his party. Never. I've taken on my party every time when it's necessary for the good of the American people. He -- I have never asked for nor received a single earmark pork barrel project from my state of Arizona. In the short time he's been in the United States Senate he has asked for nearly $1 billion in earmark pork barrel projects for his state.

COLLINS: There you have Senator John McCain at the podium now in Lebanon, Ohio.

Equal time, just a little while ago we heard from Senator Barack Obama, about 30 miles away or so in a different part -- I believe it is Riverside, Ohio -- today.

We also heard from the vice presidential nominee on the Republican ticket, Sarah Palin. She introduced John McCain. And also to let you know, equal time here, Joe Biden is speaking today in Columbia, Missouri. And you will see portions of that coming up later on right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Hurricane Ike -- at this hour, the Category 1 storm is ripping into Cuba and setting new ripples of fear to the Gulf Coast of the United States. The toll in Cuba still climbing. Hundreds of homes destroyed and hundreds more damaged.

In Haiti, aid is arriving for the hundreds of thousands desperate for food, shelter an clean water. Ike was the fourth storm in just three weeks. Hundreds have died in flooding and mudslides.

Possible landfall on the U.S. coast still days away. Texas is already moving buses to a staging area in San Antonio just in case coastal evacuations are needed.

We're going to get the very latest on Ike now and where exactly, if at all possible, it's headed. CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano in the weather center now with the latest.

Hey there, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Heidi. It's awfully dark over here.

COLLINS: Yes, I'm noticing now that's it dark.

(CROSSTALK)

MARCIANO: ... Clearly Hurricane Ike has reached its nasty little arms up here in Atlanta and pulled the breaker box off.

COLLINS: Maybe we just can go straight to a map.

MARCIANO: We could do that.

COLLINS: So we can show that cone of uncertainty, which is huge. What did you tell me, 300 miles?

MARCIANO: I feel like a mystery man.

There you go. It's making inroads now near San Cristobal. You see the center of circulation center there in western Cuba. Also, on a more important U.S. note here, we've had a couple of tornado warnings posted for southern Monroe and Collier County, this one for Monroe County. It's pretty -- it's near the Wilderness Waterway right now and it's moving northwesterly at about 40 miles an hour. We have got a tornado warning for a radar indicated tornado heading -- about to head offshore. It's moving northwest about 40 miles an hour.

We found the light switch.

Western parts of Cuba, hurricane warning. Tropical storm warning for much of the Keys, for large battering waves, could see storm surges of two, three, maybe four feet. That will be do some flooding in parts of the Keys. So you're going to have to deal with this for a while. It looks like the circulation is spreading a little bit. We're going to get the next update here in just a matter of minutes.

But the last one measured at 80 miles an hour. The Hurricane Hunter aircraft will wait until it gets back into the Gulf of Mexico before they dive back into this thing. But we're pretty confident that we'll regain some strength and potentially gather strength to give back to the hurricane of Category 3 status.

Here is the track. It's definitely shifted. This is from 5:00 a.m. Again, we'll get an update here very shortly. This cone has shifted out of Louisiana. So that's good news for them. But bad news for folks in southern Texas. And I should also point out that this track -- you get out to Day 4 and 5, the margin of error is pretty big. That track can certainly shift. Four days ago we were talking about this thing coming towards Miami. Obviously that didn't happen. So keep that in mind.

High pressure kind of putting the lid on Ike and keeping things (ph) farther to the south, at least for now. Pretty intense thunderstorms rolling through the New York metropolitan area, from Philadelphia up the thruway, up the turnpike, up the I-95 corridor. Getting nasty there. Gusty winds, probably will do some damage, may see some tree limbs down, maybe some power outages. It's some late summer, early fall-like weather across the New York area.

Heidi, that's the latest from here. And then of course, Ike is continuing to give us problems down there in Cuba and will for several days once it gets in the Gulf.

COLLINS: Yes, no kidding. In fact, we're going to talk more about that now.

Rob, thank you. Glad to see you up an running again with the lights.

In Haiti,aid is now arriving for the hundreds of thousands of people desperate for food, shelter and clean water. That desperation sometimes triggered fights for relief supplies. People are that desperate now. Ike is Haiti's fourth storm in just three weeks. Hundreds of people have died in flooding and mudslides.

If you would like to get involved in relief efforts for those people affected by the most recent hurricanes, you can always visit CNN.com, Impact Your World. You're going to find links to groups that are providing food and shelter to those people in need. That again -- CNN.com/impact.

New fruit within reach of tech-savvy consumers. Apple makes an announcement, iPods and markdowns.

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COLLINS: A growing number of Americans are parking their cars permanently. Instead, they're riding the rails. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with a look at the new popularity of public transportation.

New, really?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, for some of us, huh? Here in New York it's an everyday occurrence.

But Heidi, the fact it's a more popular form of transportation, no question about it with gas averaging $3.65 a gallon. We're seeing a big increase. There was something like 3.8 billion trips taken -- 2.8 make that -- in the nation's subways, buses and commuter rails in the second quarter. That's an increase of about 5 percent year over year, whereas typically we would see an increase of about 2 percent. Despite that, an industry trade group says that actually, they may have to cut back on services because, ironically enough, they're affected as well by higher costs, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, definitely. But we should probably mention, today I saw some report that said gas prices have fallen like 0.46 cents since that high that was so nasty in July. But it's still incredibly expensive, something like 0.83 cents above what it was this time last year.

LISOVICZ: That's right. It's psychological. It's less than what it was, but it's more than what it was, too.

COLLINS: Yes, exactly.

So we probably should talk about more alternatives that might be out there.

LISOVICZ: Well, what's happening is -- what we're seeing is a lot of transit systems trying to make do with what they have. In New York City, where I feel like a sardine many, many days, they're going to experiment with a seatless subways, or at least fold-up seats, so that they can jam more people in there.

COLLINS: Awesome.

LISOVICZ: Washington, D.C. apparently looking for those bus-only lanes for buses. And unfortunately, in some transit systems we're seeing some elimination of jobs. The Chicago Transit Authority eliminating 80 jobs. So lots of activity there.

There's a lot of activity on Wall Street. Oil, by the way, is down more than two bucks, $2.25, because of the relief that Ike won't hurt Gulf of Mexico installations. Too bad, also, that OPEC may not cut production.

You see the blue chips giving back some of what it gained yesterday, down 80 points. Nasdaq is down, meanwhile, 12 point. But Fannie Mae shares are rallying --

COLLINS: Really?

LISOVICZ: -- they are up 14 percent. Of course, we saw it drop 80 perhaps -- collapsed 80 percent yesterday.

COLLINS: Yes, big time, because of the announcement over the weekend, obviously, the federal bailout.

All right. Susan Lisovicz, thanks so much, from the New York Stock Exchange today.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Under lock and key -- a closely guarded recipe being moved today with security fit for a king, not a colonel.

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COLLINS: Kentucky Fried Chicken's crown jewel -- the secret recipe of those 11 herbs and spices -- moving today from a file cabinet at headquarters, to a vault at an undisclosed location. It's a temporary move, just until some building remodeling is finished. It's also part of a promotion for a new KFC menu item. A former police officer will transport the recipe, in a briefcase hand-cuffed to his wrist.

CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris begins right now.