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This Week in Politics

Looking at How Voters View Presidential Candidates; What to Expect from the Presidential Candidates

Aired August 17, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

TOM FOREMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Tanks are moving. Bombs are falling. People are dying. This week, foreign policy moved from a theoretical campaign issue to brutal reality. How did the presidential candidates react? Are they ready to become commander in chief?
The political consequences from a very real crisis, after an update on what's in the news right now.

(WEATHER BREAK)

FOREMAN: This week, we watched a head on collision between politics and real life. President Bush is still fielding the tough questions of war and peace, but we got a glimpse of how the two men fighting to take his place might react to a late night phone call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 3:00 am and your children are safe and asleep. But there's a phone in the White House and it's ringing. Something's happening in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: In the Caucuses Mountains, something was happening, as fire fights broke out between Russia and the tiny republic of Georgia. Both candidates responded quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The situation is very tense.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Russia should immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations and withdraw all forces from sovereign Georgian territory.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it is important at this point for all sides to show restraint and to stop this armed conflict.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: And just as quickly the campaigns attacked, McCain staffers saying Obama was too soft on Russian aggression; Obama's people criticizing McCain's top foreign policy adviser as a foreign lobbyist for the Georgian government. Then the surrogates got into the fight too. New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: I saw Senator McCain saying that he wants to expel Russia from the G-8, the industrialized nations. Well, that's only going to make matters worse. That's to the right of President Bush.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: And independent Senator Joe Lieberman, who said at an off-camera fund raiser for John McCain, quote, "if you read the statements from the beginning, Senator McCain and Senator Obama, one had a kind of moral neutrality to it. That comes, I think, from inexperience."

Later in the week, McCain appeared to be offering a political cease-fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCAIN: This is no time for that. The time for is for Americans -- the United States of America to act united on behalf of the people of the country of Georgia, and not do a lot of partisan sniping.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: Not incidentally, he looked very presidential in the process. And, not incidentally, so did Barack Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: At this point, I have spoken to President Saakashvili and conveyed my deep regret over the loss of life and the suffering of the people of Georgia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: So, is appearing presidential enough? After all, a lot of presidents have gotten by on appearances for years. We won't name any names. I'm joined by two foreign policy experts with very different views on what should be done in this critical situation. Michael O'Hanlon works out of the Brookings Institution, and Robert Kagan is right next door at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and he's the author of a new book too, "the Return of History and the End of Dreams."

Let's get the basics out of the way first. Who do you guys like for the presidency, McCain or Obama?

ROBERT KAGAN, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: I like McCain.

MICHAEL O'HANLON, THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: I'm 50/50 undecided.

FOREMAN: Undecided, OK. Let me ask you this then, when we look at what happened this week -- Bob, I want to start with you. You're also an informal adviser for John McCain. Did your guy handle it well this week?

KAGAN: Well, he handled it well, and the reason is because he has been following this issue for years. He has been -- he knows Georgia well. He's been to Georgia many times. He's also been to Europe to talk to other European leaders about this issue. He's been concerned and warning about the threat that Russia poses for quite some time. So he was ready for this issue.

FOREMAN: In fact, he was in his first term as a senator when Ronald Reagan made the famous "tear down this wall, Mr. Gorbachev" speech. So, yes, he's been around this issue a long time. Michael, does that help him or hurt him thought? Because I noticed a lot of foreign affairs analysts this week who were saying well, maybe he's going too far. It's too much like the old Cold War, not enough about the new situation.

O'HANLON: I very much liked McCain's initial response. I thought he was very strong. And Russia is the aggressor here. Russia is the bully. Whatever provocation Georgia may have been partially responsible for pales by comparison with the fact that Russia has invaded a sovereign country and needs to get out, and isn't yet out. I'm not just talking about the two disputed enclaves. I'm talking about part of the center of Georgia.

So I think as long as Russia is in the center of Georgia, a very firm line from the United States and from Senator McCain and Obama is appropriate. On that point, I liked McCain's initial reaction. But what happens next, that's the harder question, and it's going to depend on events.

FOREMAN: One of the questions here that was raised by the Obama people was whether or not John McCain was going too far in his language to provoke Russia to say we're going to push you around. The Russians don't push very easily. Listen to what Susan Rice, an Obama adviser said. She said, "John McCain shot from the hip, very aggressive, very belligerent statement, and he may or may not have complicated the situation."

Bob, do you think he could have complicated the situation?

KAGAN: That's the kind of comment I expect from a political hack, not from a serious foreign policy professional, which I think Susan Rice normally is. Look, John McCain has not said anything right now that you haven't heard from Richard Holbrooke, former Clinton administration official. There's an article by Strobe Talbot today. Anyone who really knows this issue and has been following for quite some time knows what needed to be said at that time. Many people have joined John McCain in making that statement, including, ultimately, Senator Obama himself.

FOREMAN: Let's turn to Barack Obama. Michael, give me a reaction to what he said. It seemed like a lot of his statements were very measured this week. He said we need to be firm, but we need to be thoughtful. We need to engage in dialogue. Fairly safe comments, it seems.

O'HANLON: Yes, I don't have any big problems with Obama's week. I did not really admire the first comment, because there was a certain sense of treating the two sides equally. Now, he did condemn the aggression against Georgia in his first sentence. But then his next two sentences seemed to basically just be calling on all sides to settle down. I thought he should have been a little more clear, naming names and saying Russia has to stop, Russia has to pull back.

Overall, I don't think he's made big mistakes. I think he has to maintain a tone of firmness. There is a broader question here, which isn't necessarily about this week, which is about the long-term future of issues like NATO expansion, and how we handle them. I'm not saying we should stop. I'm not saying we should deny Georgia membership. But we do have to be a little careful, I think, about what we do next. On that point --

FOREMAN: The question being that if you're taking these former satellites of the Soviet Union and saying, come into NATO, which means we're promising them military assistance if Russia tries to take them back or push in, that could be seen as poking Russia in the eye.

O'HANLON: Bob has strong views on this, I know. I don't want to say we should stop taking in new countries, but I think the way in which we do it has to be handled carefully.

FOREMAN: Bob?

KAGAN: Look, we obviously have to have some kind of a relationship with Russia, but it's going to be different now after they've invaded a sovereign country on their borders. I think we should spend less time worrying about whether we're poking the Russians in the eye, and more on the fact that they have sent tanks and troops into a neighboring country. We, as the United States, I think, have to come to be able to come to defend those like Ukraine, like the Baltics and other nations that are front line states against what appears to be an expansionist Russia.

FOREMAN: I want you to look at a new poll taken in July. Who would do the best job making wise decisions about foreign policy, McCain 43 percent, Obama 42 percent. This was done by the Pew Research Center. Michael, this seems to represent something of a shift. It wasn't that many months ago when people hands-down said McCain knew more about foreign policy, was better on foreign policy. This obviously doesn't reflect these latest events. Why do you suppose that would be happening?

O'HANLON: I don't know. I don't know how much to trust any one given poll. I do think overall that some of Obama's thinking on foreign policy is fairly sound and he has a strong team of adviser. I have big concerns about his Iraq views. For me, my problems are very specific to that. I think his broader approach to his foreign trip was pretty good. I think his policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan is pretty good. He used to talk about negotiating with Ahmadinejad and Iran and such leaders. Now he's pulled back a bit and said only after proper preparation. I think on most things, he's looking pretty good. I don't think his initial comment on Georgia was very strong. And I don't think his Iraq policy is strong.

FOREMAN: You brought up Iraq, and that is important point here because Vladimir Putin and many pundits have said, both the candidates, George Bush, everybody has their legs cut out from them a little bit because of the Iraq war, because the United States went into a country without waiting for this gigantic UN consensus to say, let's go. Russia, itself, says, how do you criticize us? We're protecting our national interests too. Is this a real problem, Bob?

KAGAN: Not really. I wouldn't even say many pundits have said that. If you look at what's happening in Europe right now, which is where this whole action is taking place, European leaders are condemning Moscow's action, from the British government to the Swedish government. There's pretty good -- I mean, there's some difference about how to move, but there's very strong trans-Atlantic unity condemning this action. No one is raising Iraq or anything else. People can see the difference between what Russia has done and the United States and many European allies did in Iraq.

FOREMAN: Do you think people can see the difference? Certainly, some people who are enemies of George Bush or who don't like this White House say there isn't much a difference. They're bothered by what Russia did, but equally by what we've done in Iraq.

O'HANLON: I would say with both Iraq and the case of Kosovo, which is something Russia invokes a lot as an analogy here, we dealt with brutal dictators. There was a question about whether we had gone through all the proper diplomatic preparation. I don't think President Bush did a great job of preparing the groundwork for the Iraq war. But, come on, we overthrew a guy who had killed a million people.

FOREMAN: As opposed to essentially a territory dispute of some sort.

O'HANLON: Exactly, a far lower level of violence, regardless of who fired what shot fist.

FOREMAN: Good explanation. Michael, good to be here. Bob, thanks for having you in.

Most of this week, I was on the consider CNN Election Express getting a closer look at what people across the U.S. are thinking about so many issues. We will hit the highway in just a minute for that.

Also, we'll check out the roadblocks facing the two candidates and the new economic troubles facing all of us. All of that in just a moment.

First, are you tired of the campaigns? We have a new idea, why not pick a president with the battle of the bands? For instance, this guy is backing Obama.

(SINGING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: Vacation was exactly what Barack Obama took this week, hitting the beach, getting in some golf, spending time with his family. But could taking a week off give his opponent enough momentum to win? It's happened. Ask John Kerry or Michael Dukakis about how their time off affected a tight campaign. Joining me are two guys who never take a break, John Feehery, Republican strategist, who in a previous life was the spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and radio talk show host Bill Press, author of "Train Wreck, The End of the Conservative Revolution."

Bill, let me talk with you. Does it make you feel good to see the candidate for the Democrats off surfing and taking it easy or make you a little queezy?

BILL PRESS, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I'm going to stick my neck. I am all for the more vacations politicians take, the better as far as I'm concerned. No, seriously. I think John McCain is going to take a vacation soon. I think they deserve it. I think they should have taken more time off. I think the only problem is the media never takes any time off and so we have to keep stirring it up. We ought to just give them a break and take a break ourselves.

FOREMAN: John, this has certainly been stirred up in this case. There have been criticisms of Obama for being there. Basically, some people saying that Hawaii -- Coki Roberts over at ABC said it seems too exotic in some ways. More importantly, it's an expensive vacation that many Americans can't afford right now.

JOHN FEEHERY, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: It shows that he's a little bit out of touch with what normal Americans are worried about. He just got back from Germany. He's got to spend some time in the 48 contiguous United States. His problem is that August tends to be a very slow month sometimes, but also it heats up, as we saw with Georgia and Russia. When you're out of touch, you're out of touch. I think this really hurt Barack Obama.

FOREMAN: On the other hand, you can point out that his family is from there.

PRESS: I was going to say, he grew up there. His grandmother lives there. He went to visit his grandmother and to spread his mother's ashes. Give him a break.

FOREMAN: At the same time, at the same time, this is also typically a very slow news cycle. If either candidate wanted to take time off, not a bad time.

FEEHERY: It is but isn't. If you look at the last 20 years, it seems if we have a big, major crisis, it happens in the middle of august. Katrina, for example, happened in August. You go back and the first Persian Gulf War happened in August. It's a very dangerous time, especially when you're so close to the finish line in a presidential race. I think he has plenty of time to take a vacation after the election is over. This is a blunder on his part. FOREMAN: Let's talk about John McCain and dangerous times for him in all of this. John McCain seems to have the -- Democrats would like him to have a George Bush problem. And in some ways, he does seem to have that. Many of these initiatives that John McCain is out there talking about, about the future of the party, is not what George Bush is talking about. They don't always mesh up very well. Is that good or bad for him?

FEEHERY: It's good. George Bush is leaving the stage and people are starting to look toward the future and not the past. George Bush is not very popular right now. Anytime that George Bush and John McCain can disagree, that's actually probably pretty good for John McCain. Keep in mind that this election will not be about George Bush, no matter how much Barack Obama wants it to be about George Bush. It's going to be about the future. So I think anytime they can disagree, it's good for McCain.

PRESS: Actually, I disagree. I think this is Barack Obama's strongest suit, actually, to the extent that -- John is right about this, George Bush is extremely unpopular. Nobody wants more George Bush/Dick Cheney. To the extent that Barack Obama can tie John McCain to George Bush, I think he's ahead of the game, and I believe that John McCain's making the job easier for Barack Obama. Offshore drilling? George Bush, John McCain. War in Iraq, George Bush, John McCain. Economic policies, George Bush, John McCain. Tax cuts, George Bush, John McCain.

I'm surprised that McCain comes as close as he does to George Bush on some of the issues. I would think he would be putting more distance between himself and Bush.

FOREMAN: How does he hit the proper balance? Because the truth is, if you're running as a Republican, it's always hard to run against your White House, but he does need some distance.

FEEHERY: The key is on core Republican principles, like on pro- life, I think he needs to be where President Bush was. On tax policy, he needs to where George Bush was. But on major -- how to run the government, competence in government, how to actually get things done, John McCain has got to distance himself from George Bush, because there's no doubt about it, Bush is not very popular. But the key in this election is not going to be George Bush. It's a race between George Bush and Barack Obama. Actually, I think this election will be more about Barack Obama than --

FOREMAN: How much do you think both candidates still have to distance themselves from Washington as usual, because there are complaints on both sides about how spending has been handled, about how Washington has not been responsive enough or responsible enough about things like the economy.

PRESS: It is a strange quirk of American politics that everybody, everybody runs for office in Washington by running against Washington. I mean, Democrats and Republicans do the same thing every four years. And people fall for it. So I think they both have to distance themselves from Washington. I think it's easier for Obama to do, because he's only been here two years. John McCain's been here 26. To the extent Washington is a problem, McCain is part of it.

FOREMAN: Last question I want to get into here: what about the surprises that tend to come out after the convention? We're getting into that ugly zone, where even innuendoes and rumors -- I'm thinking a little bit about this book that came out just now called "The Obama Nation," which has created a huge stir. The people who dislike Obama say, here is the truth of this man. The people who don't like him -- do like him say, this is nothing but lies and innuendo.

FEEHERY: The only thing you can expect is that there will be a surprise in October, because there always is. Each campaign tries to hold up the last thing, what can we get that really puts the other campaign off track? You can expect an October surprise. Bill won't tell me what the Democrat's surprise is. So I won't tell you what the Republican surprise is.

PRESS: But the fun about politics is, we don't know now and we won't know until it comes out. But John is right.

FOREMAN: Where do you think it's going to come from? Is it going to come from the campaigns or, has it has in the past, from these third-party groups who say, we're not really in the election, but we just want to tell you something.

PRESS: I would say more likely the third-party groups. Certainly this Corsi book, as disgusting as it is, has nothing to do -- it doesn't come from the McCain campaign. It's an independent operation. But here's where I would look. I would look at the pastors. I would look at John Hagee as a problem for McCain, and I would look at something back from Jeremiah Wright as a problem for Obama.

FEEHERY: I don't disagree with that. I do think it will come from the Internet. I think it will come from the blog world. All the big stories, Macaca with George Allen -- it's going to come from somewhere in blog world and boil itself up, or the "National Enquirer." Look at John Edwards. The media wouldn't cover that until they had to cover it. You'll see that the October surprise will come from somewhere where the media won't cover until it has to.

FOREMAN: We've had guests here in the past say, if you think it's been dirty so far, you've seen nothing. This has been perfectly fine so far. It's going to get dirty, though. What do you think?

PRESS: I agree. I think this is going to be a very close election. It's going to be fought right down to the wire. And I think this is going to get down and dirty.

FEEHERY: I think it's going to -- it's all in context. All campaigns get rough and tumble, especially at the end, especially if it's close. I'm not sure how dirty it's going to get. I think both campaigns are going to try to play by the rules as much as possible. They're both outstanding candidates. I think Bill is right and it will come from third parties. And I think I'm right, it will come from the blog world.

FOREMAN: They're a rough bunch out there. Thanks for being here.

(CROSS TALK)

Still to come on THIS WEEK IN POLITICS, grab your GPS. I'm going to buckle in for my road trip through middle America.

And don't miss a special presentation on CNN at 8:00 p.m. tonight. John McCain and Barack Obama on the same stage in a forum moderated by Pastor Rick Warren. That's tonight at 8:00 Eastern. You want to see that.

Straight ahead, a look at the youth vote. Every four years we hear how important they are, and every four years, well, stick around. We'll tell you what happens.

Speaking of wash outs, here's our weekly political sideshow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STUART SHEPARD, FOCUS ON THE FAMILY: Would it be wrong if we asked people to pray for rain? Say the evening of August 28th right here at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

FOREMAN: The conservative Christian group Focus on the Family Action released then pulled a video asking people to pray for rain, rain, rain during Barack Obama's outdoor acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination.

SHEPARD: If god decides that rain of biblical proportions would be a good and proper meteorological condition for that evening, we'll see it and we'll say that it is good.

FOREMAN: Biblical proportions? We'll have to break out the CNN Election ark.

While the world's political leaders are focusing their attention on the Olympic battles in Beijing, Hong Kong is hosting a competition for the finest athletes in the non-human division. The Olym-pets include such contests as doggie tug of war, doggie treadmill running, and even parrot rope climbing. Who knows? Maybe your paddling pooch is the next Michael Phelps.

(SINGING)

FOREMAN: And many of you may not know it's a volleyball tradition to smack your partner's keister after a big win. This week in Beijing, President Bush was offered a swing by US volleyball star Misty May Trainer (ph). Not being a fool, he missed. But imagine what he'll do if he can get McCain elected in November. We'll get to the tail end of THIS WEEK IN POLITICS right after this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: Motley Crew gave us the line. We're just asking, is the youth vote too young to fall in love? Let's check the devil's dictionary, which defines the youth vote as a great first date with commitment issues. Boy, doesn't that say it? Sad but true. Every four years, politicians turn to young people and every four years it ends badly. Tears, recrimination, sitting by the phone. You get the picture.

Maybe, just maybe, this year will be different. Alexander Heffner thinks so. He's the co-founder and editor in chief of The Scoop '08 website, where young people report on politics to other young people. Alexander, this is a real problem. Isn't it? Young people are always courted in presidential elections, always say they will show up in the fall and rarely do. Why will it be different this time or will it?

ALEXANDER HEFFNER, SCOOP08.COM: I think you saw a lot of untraditional, unique enthusiasm surrounding the candidates, the issues in the primary and caucus cycle. You're right, typically in 2000 and 2004, we saw a lot of hype, not a lot of results. But you saw in many of the swing states in the primary cycle unprecedented turnout among young people and even older people. So I think the question at this point is, to what extent will it double or triple. And will it really multiply substantially?

FOREMAN: A lot is directed at Barack Obama. May people talk about how he appeals to younger people, how he's done very well with the Internet, with text messaging, all of this sort of thing. He has connected with them in a strong way. Do you think this is a result of Barack Obama, or Barack Obama is a result of increasing youth involvement?

HEFFNER: I think you have a candidate who appeals to young people, given his age, given his temperament, which is more aligned with our generation. But you also have the Internet, which is really increased accessibility, the opportunity to engage with young people on all sorts of levels.

Obviously you have Facebook, MySpace, where a young person can propose an idea and the candidate can listen to it or there's an appearance of him listening to it. So it's a dual answer in response to your question.

But with Barack Obama, you've seen a candidate who's been to more college campuses and high schools than anyone in recent history. So he has that going for him. But John McCain still can appeal to young people. The question is, can he reshape the direction of his campaign at this particular moment to start to appeal to more independent- minded young people who don't affiliate themselves specifically with Democrats or Republicans?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN HOST: You know, I've met young people out there who are big John McCain fans who make a point of saying, look, we don't want a president like us. We want stability, experience, things we don't have as young people. Is that what John McCain can appeal by, or does he have to more hone in on the subjects that matter to young people, employability, cost of education, things like that?

HEFFNER: I think he needs to hone in on the subjects. He has a maverick streak and status in American politics or at least he did in the 2000 and the beginning of the 2008 election cycle. And in New Hampshire, for instance, he was able to appeal to college students because he wasn't so associated with the Bush administration or Karl Rove-type tactics that were utilized in previous Bush campaigns.

I think in selecting a V.P. McCain has the opportunity to reintroduce his maverick quality to the American people, but specifically young people. There are, of course, very enthusiastic McCain supporters who will agree with the party line on most issues, but then there are those voters who are undecided and unsure of Obama. Is Obama too young and inexperienced? So this is...

FOREMAN: They may look for McCain to pick someone more of an unusual choice. Let me ask you about some polls here. The Pew Research Center, back from July to August, to a poll, voter's choice for president. Voters 18 to 29, 58 percent liked Obama, 34 percent McCain. But another poll, "The Washington Post" and ABC, voters 18 to 29 asked, are you certain to vote? And this is the one I really am wondering about. Back in March, 66 percent of them said yes, we will. Now it's down to 46 percent and dropping.

This is the big question still, isn't it? When you get to fall, will all those young people who were excited last spring still be onboard for either candidate or will the youth vote wash out again?

HEFFNER: I think they'll still be here. You're right to point out that they haven't been as reliable as possible in the past. Those are two surveys you cited. I wonder if more information suggests that phenomenon of really being excited about the campaign from the early stages but now lagging, if you will. But I think those are two isolated surveys. I don't know if we can make the connection yet that that will be the case.

FOREMAN: When you look at -- bottom line here, when you look at the fall, do you think that the youth vote is really going to be the biggest factor or just bigger than in the past? Maybe not even that.

Barack Obama's Democratic nominee, presumptive Democratic nominee because of his youth data. I think you can make that argument. If he does reach a sufficient number to pull together a winning coalition, it could well be the decisive factor in making him president.

But John McCain can also tap into young people and that particular demographic. It will just take, if you will, some reinvention on the part of his campaign.

FOREMAN: We'll have to see. Alexander, thanks for joining us.

We'll keep talking about the youth vote. You keep watching right here.

HEFFNER: Thank you.

FOREMAN: Coming up -- my adventures on the road to Denver.

Everybody's running in this race. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Jacqui Jeras in your hurricane headquarters keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Fay, packing winds now around 40 miles per hour. It's about 60 miles to the south of Guantanamo Bay. It is over open waters. This water is very warm, by the way, about 85, 87 degrees or so. So we do expect some intensification. The more that it interacts with land, the less it will be intensifying. Still some uncertainty in terms, too, of exactly where this storm is going. We think it will stay a weak tropical storm, maybe a strong tropical storm. As it moves over Cuba. It could hit either coast, yet, of Florida as early as Monday. We'll keep you up to date.

We'll go back now to "THIS WEEK IN POLITICS" with Tom Foreman.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of real voters out here. They're, you know, out here to vote, and a lot of people don't pay attention.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think everyone worries about the economy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd like to know more about what each candidate has to offer rather than why their opponent is the wrong candidate.

TOM FOREMAN: The talking heads "Road to Nowhere." I wasn't going nowhere this week. I was on the "CNN Election Express" on a cross-country trip to the Democratic Convention in Denver. Starting out in Washington, D.C., we headed to Pittsburgh and then to Youngstown, over to Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, on into Chicago. But it was back here in a pretty typical small town in Michigan when I got off the bus and had a chance to really talk to a good number of people. And I must say I got an earful.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN (voice-over): Sturgis, Michigan, is a town of 11,000 residents who lean Republican in most elections. But in this one, many feel stuck in the middle.

And at a local sandwich shop, the owner, John Farano, says that's because neither candidate has convinced voters they can get the economy back on track.

JOHN FARANO, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER: I'm a small business owner. I own this business and another business, and I want to open more businesses. But I'm really strapped with taxes, payroll. Payroll is going up.

FOREMAN (on camera): You're a little bit afraid of the economy right now.

FARANO: Very afraid.

FOREMAN (voice-over): The economy in Sturgis relies on small manufacturing like this plant built by the Mayer family. Business here is good, 25 jobs secure. But worries about unemployment, mortgages, gasoline prices are never far away.

CARALEE MAYER, (R), MAYOR OF STURGIS: Certainly, because that's a national thing. That affects them with their investments and right down the line.

FOREMAN: Caralee Mayer knows it. She is the mayor.

(on camera): Is there a lot of enthusiasm, then, for John McCain here or not?

MAYER: I think there is. It's not as much as perhaps it perhaps has been with other Republican candidates.

FOREMAN (voice-over): On every street it seems you can find stories of frustration with Washington.

Richard Kilgore says he lost his job years ago when international trade barriers fell under NAFTA and he feels neither candidate is really addressing the sticky issues of free trade.

RICHARD KILGORE, LOST JOB TO NAFTA: No, they haven't. All they tell us is it's going to create American jobs when, in reality, I personally believe it takes away American jobs, especially good paying jobs.

FOREMAN: Many younger voters here are excited by Barack Obama's promise of change.

J.D. ROWAN, STURGIS RESIDENT: I think Barack is more involved with our generation than a lot of other candidates in the past.

JOSH EMERICK, COLLEGE STUDENT: With Barack, they feel there is actually going to be some change that they can actually vote for someone who is going to make a difference.

FOREMAN: But walk just a few feet and...

LAURA PERRY, STURGIS RESIDENT: I would like to see Republican back in the White House.

DAVE LAWRENCE, STURGIS RESIDENT: Obama, I do not trust him.

FOREMAN: For so many undecided voters here, that is the problem, who to trust in an unsettled time, even if lots of people are open to change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN: There's one woman who knows the lure of the open road. It's Gretchen Wilson. Can you guess which political party she's here for?

Our battle of the political bands is coming up.

But first, it's time for this week's "Viral Videos, along with dancing hamsters and cat pictures. One of the horrible things on the Internet is a practical joke known as Rick Rolling. You click on a link for a juicy political rumor and you suddenly see...

(VIDEO CLIP)

Yes, Rick Astly. And now Rick Rolling has gone political.

FOREMAN: That's really what he said. We're never going to tell a lie and hurt you.

SAM MCCLECHEN, COMEDIAN: I'll roll with John McCain and Barack Obama. Heck, I'll run with both of them if you'll let me.

FOREMAN: With the veep stakes reaching a fever pitch, funnier guy Sam McClechen might just pander his way onto somebody's ticket.

MCCLECHEN: Global warming is the most urgent crisis facing our planet today. Or maybe not. I own both a Prius and a Hummer. Which one do I drive? Whichever one you want me to.

FOREMAN: The problem is, how different is this guy from the real vice presidential candidates?

MCCLECHEN: I'm Sam McClechen and I approve this message, or not.

FOREMAN: And we'll really be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: Along with the economy, one of the issues I heard about from voter after voter as I drove cross country this week was values. What do the candidates really believe? What drives them and what will support them in the high-tension world of the Oval Office? We're going to have a unique opportunity to find out tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on CNN. Both will appear at a forum moderated by Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church and the author of the best-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life."

So let's get a preview of what we can expect from two of the best political team on television. Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider, who took my seat on the "CNN Election Express," and with me in Washington, White House correspondent and part-time political tourist, Ed Henry.

Bill, let me start with you. What can we expect from these candidates? What do they need to say to connect with the religious community?

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think they have to assure religious Americans and, in fact, all Americans that they do have deep values of faith and religion, that they are religious people, but that their faith doesn't necessarily define their politics. I think people do see a line between church and state. They worry when candidates allow their faith to define their politics. So I think what Rick Warren wants to do is essentially draw them out on their values but not necessarily define them in ways that would be divisive.

FOREMAN: This is going to be a tough needle to thread here, I guess, Ed. Both of these guys have had pastor problems and you could understand if they said, let's just not talk about religion until the election is over.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. I think the stakes are particularly high for John McCain. Let's face it, George W. Bush was reelected in 2004 in large part because evangelicals turned out for him much more than John Kerry. The polls show John McCain is doing not as well with evangelicals but not as well as George W. Bush. One reason, clearly, he doesn't look as comfortable talking about his faith. He doesn't talk about it as much on the stump, doesn't talk about issues like same-sex marriage and abortion out on the stump. In fact, a lot of conservatives are perturbed by that.

And this week, they get really upset about the fact that John McCain himself floated the possibility of having a running mate who supports abortion rights. A lot of conservatives concerned about that.

FOREMAN: We do have a poll that addresses some of this. It was taken back in July. White born-again or evangelical voters' choice for president, 67 percent liked John McCain, 24 percent liked Obama.

But, Bill, still doesn't address the question of whether or not they'll show up because a lot of them out there remain lukewarm about McCain if they tell pollsters they like him better.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. They don't entirely trust McCain. Remember in 2000 when he ran, they thought he insulted some of their leaders, like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. He called them agents of intolerance. He even compared them to Lewis Farrakhan. They haven't forgotten that and they don't entirely trust him for reasons like the one Ed Henry gave when he said he would be willing to consider a pro-abortion rights candidate as his running mate, someone like Tom Ridge. That just proved to them you can't trust this man. I think there's some concern. In 2004 they came out in huge numbers to support George W. Bush. They may favor John McCain, but the question is if they'll show up at the polls.

HENRY: There's a gap there because that 67 percent in favor of McCain, I think it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 percent of evangelicals, according to exit polls, turned out for George W. Bush in 2004. So right now McCain is ahead of Obama in these pre-game polls but there's a gap from where George W. Bush was. So John McCain has a lot of work to do.

FOREMAN: Still, Barack Obama has the ghost of Jeremiah Wright hanging over his campaign. That had a real impact on a lot of voters.

HENRY: It did. And Reverend Hagee on the Republican side, McCain had to deal with that. They both, as you mentioned earlier, had their pastor issues. I think they hope to get beyond that clearly. Talk about not just faith, though, but also how their faith would inform their decisions on foreign policy, on handling the economy.

And I know that Pastor Rick Warren has talked a lot about not just making this about abortion per se or individual narrow issues like that but really how do they approach all of these issues, not just social issues.

FOREMAN: Very quickly here, Bill, as we wrap up, this isn't just about how people feel about the candidates though, is it? These religious communities can really organize, turn out the voters, get people to the polls if they want polls if they want to.

SCHNEIDER: Yes, they can and they did. They did it for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. But when they do it, it's almost always on issues that were extraordinarily divisive. It's us versus them. When you present that kind of agenda, you can get the "us" part of that coalition to show up in large numbers. And you can divide the country as George W. Bush did. That's something both McCain and Obama want to avoid doing this year. So turnout among some of those evangelical voters may not be as high as it is in the past. They almost certainly will support John McCain. But I think the election is really about reaching for the center this time, much more than it has been in the last two years.

FOREMAN: We'll see how it plays.

Bill, Ed, thanks for being here.

Remember, this special forum is coming up in just over an hour, 8:00 p.m. eastern time, right here on CNN. You really do not want to miss it.

Next, "Fast Track," where we tell you what's going to happen in the coming week. And our late night laughs, too. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CNN LATE NIGHT HOST: The Chinese faked parts of the opening ceremonies making the fireworks look more lively for television. It's the same technology they use for John McCain. They just kind of like...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: Everybody's heading out to the convention in Denver, wondering what's going to happen there. And so are we, so we've invited in our deputy political director, Paul Steinhouser, to lead us down the "Fast Track."

We're wondering about Obama's vice presidential pick. What's going to happen with Obama's presidential pick?

PAUL STEINHOUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You're not the only one Tom. Everybody wants to know who's it going to be and when he's going to do it. He's got to do it this upcoming week because the convention starts a week from Monday.

He's going to be in New Mexico this Monday. People are talking. Bill Richardson is from New Mexico. He's on the list, maybe? We'll find out.

FOREMAN: I guess we will find out. We're also going to find out how people react to John McCain meeting with a pal. What's this all about?

STEINHOUSER: Monday night, Atlanta, Georgia, Ralph Reed -- remember him from the Christian Coalition? He is hosting a fund- raiser. John McCain will be there. But Ralph Reed is also associated with the Jack Abramoff scandal. Here at the rock, Washington, Democrats are pouncing on them. They say John McCain shouldn't be going. He doesn't need to be hanging out with Ralph Reed.

FOREMAN: And there are some Republicans who aren't pouncing on their invitations to the Republican convention. Why?

STEINHOUSER: They're RSVP, we're not going. The latest is Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas. He joins a couple of other senators who are facing tough reelections this November. They figure they'll do better campaigning in their home states rather than going to the Republican convention.

FOREMAN: Wow, Paul, thanks so much.

They all know better than to go into the late-night talk circuit because that's where you find some pretty biting late night laughs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: Oh! Well, I hope you're happy, Russia. Our president was hoping to get a little brush- clearing R & R in between his trip to the Olympics and the beginning of football season.

STEPHEN COLBERT, LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: Inflation is at its highest rate in 17 years. God, it's getting so a country can't spend $2 trillion on two wars without affecting the economy.

UNIDENTIFIED LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST: Barack Obama said he wouldn't raise taxes and McCain said Obama was just pandering to the youth vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: Finally, we've been talking this whole show about how a political battle of the bands is shaping up at the convention. We wrap things up with a preview.

When the Democrats arrive in Denver for their convention in less than a week, they not only be serenaded by Will.i.am, of the Black Eyes Peas, whose music video is practically a campaign anthem now, but also entertained by Jennifer Lopez, Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker.

One of our personal devil's dictionary favorites, the Charlie Daniels Band, will greet the Republicans one week later along with Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy and the Beach Boys too.

So there you go. Debates and speeches all well and good, but wouldn't it be a lot more fun to just put the bands on stage and see who gets the most applause? We can dream.

That's it for "THIS WEEK IN POLITICS." I'm Tom Foreman. Thanks for watching. Straight ahead "Lou Dobbs this Week."