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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Republican National Conference
Aired August 30, 2004 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Good evening, I'm Anderson Cooper. From Madison Square Garden in New York City, where tonight the Republicans get ready to rumble.
360 starts now.
The first GOP convention ever in New York City. Tonight, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain take center stage. Will they succeed in softening the Republicans' conservative image?
Flags, victims' families, and remembrances of ground zero. Will using the 9/11 backdrop work to the Republicans' advantage?
President Bush makes a surprising statement, saying the war on terror can never be won. What did he mean? Senator Elizabeth Dole joins us live.
The politics of protest. Thousands of demonstrators, different agendas. Will they steal the Republicans' thunder, or play into the GOP's hands?
And the Bush twins and Kerry kids booed on MTV. The rough-and- tumble reality of being a candidate's kid.
ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360, live from the Republican National Convention in New York.
COOPER: And welcome to one of the great athletic arenas of the world. Of course, you can tell, this is not a sporting event this week. There is only one team in attendance. Even so, people will be keeping score here at the Garden and in a great many other places around the country.
Tonight, popular Republican moderates take the stage, Senator John McCain and former mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York speaking in just a few hours. You're looking at a live shot as they are preparing the podium. Will their words help win over undecided voters, or create a backlash among conservatives?
Also tonight, the memories and images of 9/11. How will voters react to Republicans using September 11 as a theme for tonight? We anticipate hearing about it a lot.
We have a lot to watch for tonight. Standing by for us, CNN senior White House correspondent John King, who is right here in the thick of it near the podium, Suzanne Malveaux in Michigan, where President Bush is scheduled to speak this evening, Candy Crowley also in the crowd here in New York to report on the return to the fold of prodigal son John McCain, and Joe Johns out on the road with the Democratic opposition.
We turn first to John King for an overview -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, some saying, Why are the Republicans here in overwhelmingly Democratic New York City? The Bush-Cheney campaign says this is the perfect place for them to focus on what will be the major convention theme.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So it is my privilege to proclaim the 2004 Republican National Convention in session and call it to order.
KING (voice-over): For more years is the goal, this a necessary piece of business, even though the outcome is certain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... to nominate George Bush, a strong and compassionate leader, for the office of president of the United States of America.
KING: The vice president came to the hall to watch his name placed before the delegates, part of a day one script emphasizing leadership in the war on terror.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The war on terror is a vital -- the vital aspect of our future as a nation, and I believe that President Bush has led with strength and clarity.
KING: Senator McCain will deliver that message in a primetime speech, as will former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, reminding voters of how Mr. Bush rallied the country after 9/11 and portraying him as best suited to be commander in chief.
McCain and Giuliani are among the convention speakers with appeal among moderate and independent voters, one target of the president's New York convention. A bigger priority is motivating the GOP's conservative base, goals the president's top political adviser says are not in conflict.
KARL ROVE, SENIOR BUSH ADVISER: Our object is to do everything we can to energize more people to register and participate in the election. Some of them are people who are today for Bush, but simply not registered to vote. Others of them are people that are undecided about the election, whom we need to persuade.
KING: The party platform was adopted quickly in the morning session. Gay Republicans immediately said its call for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage would hold more sway with moderates than any speeches.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president and our party should be uniting all Republicans and all Americans, not dividing them. KING: Mr. Bush practiced his convention speech at the White House before heading out to campaign in New Hampshire and Michigan. Critics seized on this answer when asked in an NBC interview about winning the war on terrorism.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't, I don't think you can win it, but I think you can create conditions so that the -- those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world, let's put it that way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Aides say all Mr. Bush meant was that in such an unconventional war, there will be no formal surrender or no peace treaty, though, Anderson, some aides also say the president could have chosen his words a bit more carefully, especially given the convention theme that he has been decisive and successful in the war on terrorism.
And one more bit of news, we are learning tonight that James A. Baker III, the former secretary of state, is now under serious consideration by the Bush-Cheney campaign to take the lead in the next big challenge after this convention, negotiating the terms of the presidential debates, Anderson.
COOPER: And my understanding is, there are going to be three debates, John. Is that correct?
KING: That is what the commission recommends, three presidential and one vice presidential debate. The Bush campaign has not signed onto that yet, but that will be the starting point of the debate (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COOPER: How much, John, how much tonight are we going to hear about 9/11? Obviously, Rudy Giuliani speaking, Senator John McCain, Mayor Bloomberg as well.
KING: You will hear a great deal tonight. There will be also a recognition of 9/11 victims and families tonight, a moment of silence.
And what the Bush campaign says is in New York, you must do that, number one.
The third-year anniversary is approaching, number two, and also, what the president hopes comes out of this convention is that maybe you disagree with the war in Iraq, maybe you disagree with other decisions he has made in the war on terrorism.
What he would like to remind the American people is, where it began, when and why he became a wartime president, and make the case that you might agree with some of his decisions, but he hopes the American people will again support his leadership.
COOPER: John King, thanks very much. We'll check in with you shortly. To Suzanne Malveaux, as promised, in Taylor, Michigan, where the man all the delegates here in New York are talking about is himself talking this evening -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, this is where, of course, the president is testing out some of those themes that John talked about that he'll present at the convention. Taylor, Michigan, as you know, is part of Wayne County, a suburb of Detroit. This is where he got trounced by Gore four years ago, about 40 percent points.
Let's take a listen to the president.
BUSH: ... access to our community colleges so workers are able to gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. In order to keep jobs here in America we'll be wise about how we spend your money. See, I think the federal government ought to set priorities and let you keep your own money. You can spend your money far better than the federal government can.
MALVEAUX: The theme of the campaign, the state of the economy, the president making that case. They know, of course, they have to do better in all the areas of Michigan. They are going for the suburban vote as well as the blue-collar Democrats, they say, and social conservatives.
Early today, President Bush was in New Hampshire. As you know, he won there by just 1 percentage point the last time around, and he is trying to win that coveted 37 percent of registered voters who say that they are neither Democrats or yet Republicans -- Anderson.
COOPER: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much.
It is probably not unfair to call George Bush and John McCain the oil and vinegar of the Republican Party. They haven't appeared to mix well since campaigning against each other back in 2000. But Republicans are hoping a good shaking makes a tasty dressing for their convention salad.
Here's CNN's Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John McCain and George Bush, together again. And again and again. In Washington, where it's an article of faith that George Bush and John McCain don't like each other, this is unreality TV.
MCCAIN: Of course we're friendly. Of course. And do you consider the president of the United States a, quote, "friend"? I don't know exactly how you describe that, but we certainly have an excellent relationship.
CROWLEY: Which is pretty, quote, "nuanced." Still, there they are, George Bush and the swing vote magnet with combat medals, which is all you need to know about why the president's there. More difficult to decipher is McCain's angle.
MCCAIN: I'm doing this because I think it's right, and my ambitions right now are to be reelected to the United States Senate. And I hope that people that know me well would not accept that this, that I'm doing this for any crass political motivation.
CROWLEY: Crass motivation seekers say McCain is playing nice because the 68-year-old senator wants to run for president in '08. Friends prefer the phrase keeping his options open.
MCCAIN: I've given thought to '08, 12, 16, 20, but not really. I've given only thought to my reelection efforts in the state of Arizona.
CROWLEY: A source who speaks with him frequently says McCain wants to get right with the party, which is to say, make nice with Republican conservatives, who are upset because McCain championed campaign finance reform, opposed the upper end of Bush's tax cuts, and voted against a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
Additionally, says another source, if George Bush loses, McCain doesn't want to be blamed for not doing enough. In fact, McCain hasn't just been present, he's been omnipresent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: How helpful has the senator been? Let me count the ways, Anderson. Since June, McCain has been on the campaign trail four times, either with or on behalf of the Bush-Cheney team. There is, as well, one very public and very well played commercial that McCain stars in. There is, of course, this one very big, very major primetime speech tonight here at the convention -- Anderson.
COOPER: Ah, politics makes for interesting friends. Candy Crowley, thanks very much.
From the island of Manhattan, where the Republicans are taking aim, to the island of Nantucket, where the man they're aiming at is taking a breather after a cross-country tour.
CNN's Joe Johns reports on the travels of Senator John Kerry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the first day of the Republican convention, John Kerry hit the waves, wind-surfing in the waters off his Nantucket home, and quick to counter the president.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think the war on terror can be won?
SEN. JOHN KERRY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Absolutely.
JOHNS: Meanwhile, his running mate, Senator John Edwards, also hit the White House for its foreign policy.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The president himself said on television today that he had serious doubts about winning the war on terrorism. John Kerry and I know we can win the war on terrorism, and we know how to win it.
JOHNS: At a campaign stop in Wilmington, North Carolina, the vice presidential nominee said this is no time to declare defeat in the war on terror, and Edwards challenged the assertion by the president that the U.S. has experienced, quote, "a catastrophic success in Iraq," in other words, that the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein so quickly, it gave the enemy a chance to reconstitute.
The Kerry campaign says there were more fundamental miscalculations.
EDWARDS: The Bush administration miscalculated by deciding to go it alone without strong allies. The Bush administration miscalculated when they waited three years after September 11 to start to reform our intelligence.
JOHNS: Kerry is expected to touch on national security issues when he leaves the island briefly this week. He will address the American Legion, bucking a tradition of going out during an opponent's convention.
Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: Joe Johns in Nantucket, thanks, Joe.
360 next, the moderate face to the Republican convention. Compassionate conservativism, or bait and switch, as some have alleged? Paul Begala and Bob Novak go 360 in the "CROSSFIRE."
Plus, joining me live, I'll go 360 with Senator Elizabeth Dole, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Ben Stein.
First, a look who's up at the podium tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, with Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Arnold Schwarzenegger delivering primetime speeches at the convention, Democrats are accusing the GOP of pulling a moderate mask over a right-wing agenda. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton called it a bait- and-switch, to her you, her words, which is essentially the same criticism Republicans had of the Democratic convention.
With a look what to expect tonight, I'm joined by CNN "CROSSFIRE" co-hosts Paul Begala and Robert Novak.
Gentlemen, good to see you.
PAUL BEGALA, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Hey, Anderson.
COOPER: Paul, let me start off with you. Let's talk about that John McCain, you have Rudy Giuliani speaking. Is this the true face of the Republican Party? BEGALA: No, look, the Democrats did try to stage manage. But you have to say the people who spoke at the Democratic Party convention were the leaders of their party, it was Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton and Al Gore and, of course, Kerry and Edwards.
Here, I, the real face of the Republican Party, of course, is not John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. It's Jerry Falwell and Ken Lay. But so what this is, I think, the biggest example of right-wing cross- dressing, if you will, since J. Edgar Hoover hung up his garter belt.
I don't think people are going to fall for it. They ought to just stand for what they actually believe in, which is a right-wing social and economic ideology.
COOPER: Robert Novak, I mean, the platform is more conservative than, or abides by a lot of conservative platforms that some of these speakers tonight don't agree with.
ROBERT NOVAK, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": It's been a conservative party since 1980, Anderson. I tell you why, it's not that difficult to understand. This is a conservative party. You can throw (UNINTELLIGIBLE) around this right-wing epithet, but it is the conservative party. And the fact of the matter is that Rudy Giuliani is out of step with it on abortion, and John McCain is out of step with it on tax cuts. So why...
COOPER: So why, on opening night, have these guys speaking?
NOVAK: Because they are very attractive politicians. They are, they are, they are extremely attractive. But you're going to hear the conservative, orthodox, mainstream agenda from two other of the speakers, Anderson. And they are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. They are also going to speak at this convention.
COOPER: Paul, it sounded almost like Robert was kind of agreeing with you, though.
BEGALA: Well, then I'm probably wrong if Bob agrees. No, it is an absolute fact. It's a very conservative party. Bob is right. If you look at their platform, they're even driving some Republicans away from the party with their own platform. But, you know, why not just have truth in advertising? Why not stand up, tell us what you believe in?
You know, I remember in 1992, the Republicans gave Pat Buchanan a primetime speech, and he gave them the red meat that they really believe in, and they went on to lose. And so I think what they're trying to do now is put up a false front.
Now, Bush's great appeal is that he claims he's a Texas truth teller. Well, this is a really phony convention for a Texas truth teller.
NOVAK: Well, let me, let me try to explain this to Paul. Paul in 1992 was still running errands for Bill Clinton. So he didn't... BEGALA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
NOVAK: ... he didn't understand what was going on. And what was going on is that the senior George Bush had alienated the conservative base of a conservative party by a massive, humongous tax increase, and to try to overcompensate for it, he had a lot of speakers in primetime, Pat Buchanan, Marilyn Quayle, who probably didn't do much good, or at least that was the perception.
But there's no problem with the conservative base in the party right now with President Bush.
And I want to say one thing I didn't catch up with Paul on. And that is that Jerry Falwell is not the voice of the party. I like Jerry, but he's not the voice of the party. The voice of the party is George W. Bush, who is not the most conservative guy in the world.
BEGALA: Who only got nominated when Jerry Falwell and Christian conservatives rallied to him...
NOVAK: That's nonsense.
BEGALA: ... against John McCain. McCain beat...
NOVAK: That's nonsense.
BEGALA: ... Bush, of course, as Bob remembers, by 19 points in the New Hampshire primary. Bush ran to the kook right and went to Bob Jones University. And it was the Falwell wing of the party that made Bush the nominee.
NOVAK: See, what's very, very interesting is, I don't know if Paul was there, but John McCain had a fancy dinner party last night where he had all the liberal media as his guests. They love him.
BEGALA: I wasn't there. Were you?
NOVAK: He is -- no, I'm not a part of the liberal media. But they just love John McCain. And they're, and Anderson, let me try to explain this to you. Their heart is broken that he's embracing George W. Bush, because John McCain, who I like, I don't agree with him on everything, is a good Republican. He's a loyal Republican. And these bleeding-heart liberal anchormen are just out of their mind with mourning and anguish.
COOPER: Well, I must say, my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail, because I was not at this fancy shindig you were talking about.
Bob Novak, thanks very much. And Paul Begala, thanks.
BEGALA: Thanks, Anderson.
COOPER: Republican Party insiders were asked by the "National Journal" about the moderate bench at the convention tonight. The question, Do you think President Bush's conservative supporters will be alienated by tonight's speakers? Only 4 percent said yes, 43 percent said no.
And that brings us to today's buzz. What do you think? Do tonight's speakers truly represent the Republican Party? We're talking about John McCain, Rudy Giuliani. Log onto CNN.com/360, cast your vote. We'll have results at the end of the program tonight.
360 next. A massive protest, a bomb plot foiled, and multimillion-dollar security. New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly joins us live to talk about the effort to keep everyone safe during the convention. He'll tell us an update of how the streets are tonight.
Also, from party girls to girls to the party, the Bush twins on the campaign trail. That is raw politics.
And a little later, spin and counterspin. Elizabeth Dole and the Reverend Al Sharpton join us live. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: An outside picture of Madison Square Garden, where the Republicans are gathering. The room is starting to fill up.
For the next four days, the island of Manhattan is being washed over by a sea of blue, NYPD blue, with a standing army of 37,000 police officers patrolling, New York's finest, are patrolling the city below it, above it, and around it, in just about every conceivable way.
With an estimated 10,000 of the rank and file stationed in and around Madison Square Garden, nothing is being left to chance.
Joining me now, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
Commissioner, thanks for being with us.
RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Good to be with you.
COOPER: How are the streets?
KELLY: The streets are quiet. There is one major march going on now. We made one arrest today. We have a total of 548 arrests, only one today. So things are quiet.
COOPER: Were you surprised at the size of the demonstration on Sunday, and were you prepared for it?
KELLY: I wasn't surprised, and we were prepared for it. I mean, this is a big city. We knew that the organizers were talking about a quarter-million people. We never get into the business of giving them official numbers these days. But I think it went very well. They certainly lived up to their promises, the organizers.
It was peaceful. We made arrests, but most of those arrests were away from the march itself. COOPER: There are some protesters who have been very organized and given you advance notice, then there's also, I mean, I guess there was this bicycle protest in Times Square, which I actually got caught up in just accidentally, I was in a taxi. Are you anticipating more of that kind of stuff, sort of like flash mob protests?
KELLY: Yes, sure. I mean, pop-up demonstrations. I think we'll see more of them tomorrow, no question about that. But we're ready for that, we're flexible, we're mobile. We're using a lot of scooters, we're using bicycles. And we're using a blimp with cameras, helicopters. So I think we're in a good position to anticipate those events and react to them.
COOPER: This weekend, there was this bomb plot you say was foiled. What can you tell us about it?
KELLY: It was two individuals who have been talking about committing violent acts for a while. We had a confidential informant managed by our intelligence division. They started to manifest some of these feelings that they had.
They went, they made a map of the subway station, 34th Street and Sixth Avenue, they made a map of police stations in Staten Island. They went and they got two canvas backpacks to carry explosives.
So we believe they were getting close to carrying out something. They had no explosives and no contact with international terrorist organizations, but it's the type of individual that we have to be concerned about, the single or double individual acts on his own. And obviously, we've seen that in L.A. with (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Empire State Building two years ago.
So we're increasingly concerned about those people. We have other investigations along those lines. But I think it was a good investigation, and we're happy that we were able to take them down when we did.
COOPER: All right, I know you got a full plate tonight. As you're eying the convention stage, the platform, ever think you'd like to be out there, maybe running? There's a lot of talk about maybe you running for, for office someday.
KELLY: No, no way, never.
COOPER: Never?
KELLY: Never, no, sir, no, I'm not.
COOPER: You never say never in politics.
KELLY: Well, I'm not a politician. So not for me. I'm happy to be where I am.
COOPER: Commissioner Ray Kelly, doing a great job. Thank you very much.
KELLY: Thank you, Anderson. Thanks.
COOPER: Well, it is media madness here at Madison Square Garden, where reporters far outnumber delegates. Here's a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a quick fast fact for you. There are 4,853 delegates and alternates, compared to an estimated 15,000 media personnel.
President Bush makes a surprising statement, saying the war on terror can never be won. What did he mean? Senator Elizabeth Dole joins us live.
And the Bush twins and Kerry kids booed on MTV. The rough and tumble reality of being a candidate's kid.
360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is my great honor and high privilege to nominate George W. Bush, a strong and compassionate leader, for the office of president of the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, that earlier, that happened earlier today.
The GOP's grand old party for George W. Bush is well underway, not perhaps entirely as scripted. The White House had to clarify some remarks President Bush made that aired this morning, while responding to a question about winning the war on terror.
Mr. Bush said, quote, "I don't think you can win it." His spokesman, Scott McClellan, said the president meant the war is not a conventional war, there'll be never be a formal surrender.
Joining me to talk about this, other issues facing the GOP tonight, Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina.
Great to see you, senator.
SEN. ELIZABETH DOLE (R), NORTH CAROLINA: Delighted to be with you. Thank you.
COOPER: Let's start off with those comments by President Bush. I think perhaps a surprise to some. Do, do, is the war on terror something that can be won?
DOLE: Well, you know, I served on the Armed Services Committee, and I am so proud of the strong, firm principled leadership of President Bush, our commander in chief. And I think what he was trying to say is, you know, it's just something that we're going to have to continue to be on the alert for in the future.
But his leadership is one of moral clarity, strong, firm resolve, and I'm so proud of him, and I think the American public is going to cast that vote for his reelection.
COOPER: The face that the Republican Party is putting forward tonight, you have Senator John McCain, you have former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani.
DOLE: Yes.
COOPER: Many people say this is a more moderate face of the Republican Party. George Bush has done a lot of work, President Bush has done a lot of work satisfying the conservative base. This is now an attempt to appeal to moderate voters. Is that fair?
DOLE: You know, let's look at it this way. I'm a conservative, and I'm speaking tomorrow night. Senator Frist is going to be speaking, Senator Santorum. I think you've got speakers who are -- have different -- they're up -- you know, on different levels of the zero to 10 scale here...
COOPER: So you don't think...
DOLE: ... in terms of their conservatism. But Rudy Giuliani is the mayor of all America. He's, he was not just New York's mayor. And we're so proud to have him in the Republican Party.
And, you know, it's like President Reagan said, If 80 percent of my friends and I agree, that's enough for me.
Bob Dole and I don't march lockstep. We don't agree on every single issue. And that's the way it should be, that's fine.
COOPER: Yes, I'm sure you two both have some fascinating discussions in the privacy of your house. But you don't think it's a fair comment to say that the Republicans are trying to put forward a more moderate face?
DOLE: No, obviously he was mayor of New York. He's an outstanding person. I was so pleased to have him come to North Carolina and campaign for me in my Senate race.
COOPER: He's become a star in the Republican party, there's no doubt about it. How much do you think we're going to be hearing about 9/11? There are those critics who say it would be inappropriate, that you have to walk a fine line between exploiting the tragedy of 9/11 and using it for political gain.
DOLE: This is a part of our history. It is something all Americans feel a great sense of pride and the people who rushed not away from those burning buildings but into them, the heroism that was shown that day, I think it's something that we want to -- we're proud of the people who made such a difference. I'll be speaking about compassion and volunteerism tomorrow night. And I think this is -- it's just normal that, of course, this is a great tragedy in our country. But there are so many heroes who came out of this that made us all just proud to be Americans.
COOPER: Where is the line though? Is there a line in terms of not using it for political gain?
DOLE: I think that each individual will have to handle that in a sensitive way, but certainly to be in New York City or anywhere in America in September and not to speak of this -- of the heroism that occurred on that day and our feeling for the families would be very strange indeed.
COOPER: There are those who will see it, I mean and who are so close to it and may feel any mention of it to any degree something inappropriate. I mean, not even mention but any use of it. To them you say what?
DOLE: Do you think at the Democratic convention it was inappropriate what was done with the candles?
COOPER: It's not for me. I think there are some people who probably thought it was. I think there probably are. But you know, obviously we all have differences of opinion.
DOLE: I think we will do it in a sensitive way in terms of each person who happens to mention it. But I think to have no mention of something that was such an incredible experience for all Americans would be unusual, indeed. And we want to honor the memory of those who were no longer with us and speak of the heroism that occurred.
COOPER: What do you think is going to bring people to the polls? What do you think is George Bush's greatest strength? Is it the war in Iraq, is it the war on terror or is it the economy? What is going to bring people out?
DOLE: I think that he -- his character is one which is very strong. He's a man of integrity. His word is his bond. He says what he means. He means what he says. And his strong principled leader both on the war against terror and in bringing our economy back is very important.
In other words, here's a man that you can trust. He doesn't put his finger up to the wind and see which way the wind is blowing. He doesn't go by polls and pundits. And I'm really having trouble hearing you because of the noise. This is really incredible. I'm competing here. But you know, I think it's important, integrity is the core. And here is a person who has -- who is leading our country with moral clarity. He's a man of faith. He's a man whose word can be trusted and that's true both in foreign affairs and the war against terror and in the economic recovery that is occurring and certainly why would you want to change a situation where our economy is coming back.
COOPER: Are you going to be on the campaign trail a lot?
DOLE: Yes I will be. Indeed, I'll be out barnstorming for him on Friday in Missouri.
COOPER: All right. Senator Elizabeth Dole, it's great to talk with you.
DOLE: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be with you. Thank you.
COOPER: This election has already been called among the nastiest in recent history. Attacks and counterattacks from parties and pacs and 527s. During the Democratic convention the Republican party set up a war room in Boston to instantly respond to Democrats. Now the Republicans are meeting, the Democrats have set up a war room of their own. Such is politics in 2004.
My next guest however doesn't need a war room to tell him what to say. Former Democratic presidential candidate Reverend Al Sharpton joins me tonight from Orlando. Reverend Sharpton, good to see you.
REV. AL SHARPTON (D), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's good to see you.
COOPER: Reverend, you're a life-long New Yorker. Did the Republicans drive you out of New York City today?
SHARPTON: No, what I decided was that I wanted to spend the week of the Republican convention by returning to the scene of the crime, coming here to Florida, which I felt cost us the election wrongly in the first place. We're actually doing five or six cities, a bus tour by the Truth Mission headed by Marvin Harris and I'm right in Orlando where we've had recent incidents where state troopers have tried to intimidate African American voters. So Corrine Brown, the congresswoman and I just concluded a rally. While they're celebrating in New York, we're laying the groundwork for their defeat here in Florida where we felt they took the election last time...
COOPER: Reverend Sharpton, we were just talking to Senator Elizabeth Dole about the use of 9/11 imagery. We are anticipating hearing a lot about that tonight as Rudy Giuliani speaks, Senator John McCain speaks. Is that inappropriate? What is the line? Where does it become inappropriate, if you think it does?
SHARPTON: I think it becomes inappropriate when someone tries to politicize the suffering of families and the loss of lives. And clearly, all should give respect. But when you try and act as though that because of certain things, you should vote for a person, I think it disrespects first of all people that may be victims that are politically opposed to you and people that lost their lives that are politically opposed. I know many of the victims' families that are on both sides of the political equation and for the Republicans in any way to desecrate their memories with cheap political party games I think is to show the callous disregard for human life that some of them have. What happened to us on September 11 in New York happened to Americans. It didn't happen to Republicans.
COOPER: I want to talk about some recent national battleground state polling. It is showing George Bush edging out John Kerry now just starting. What does John Kerry need to do? A, does that concern you and, B, what do you think he needs to do?
SHARPTON: I think it concerns us which is why we're in Florida, one of those battleground states with Terry McAuliffe. We did three churches here yesterday. I think what he has to do is what he's doing, but he has to just escalate it. We've got to be in the field more, we've got to bring our message more and we've got to say to the American people, including the media like you, Anderson, that we can't have George Bush bring up irrelevant distractions.
George Bush wants to argue about the war 30 years ago rather than the war right now. He wants to redo Vietnam rather than to deal with what we're going to deal with about Iraq. He wants to talk about who people sleep with rather than how people are not eating in the kitchen. We've got the direct where this campaign should go.
COOPER: Wasn't it John Kerry though who brought up Vietnam as really front and center in his campaign today?
SHARPTON: No, I think what he brought up was his bio and that was part of the bio and George Bush supporters tried to use that as a distraction to redo the war. Clearly, he had a right to raise his bio, a credible war, a war hero. But a clear indication of how they want to seize on distractions is to try to have us argue about a clear record rather than a clear situation we're faced with right now in Iraq.
COOPER: Do you think Senator Kerry was hurt by the so-called Swift Boat Veterans For Truth?
SHARPTON: I think that some polling numbers may have been marginally dealt with by that, but I think ultimately, people are clear, people understand this man put his life on the line and this man stood and said what he saw when he came back to the United States. I think ultimately, it will backfire. But that will only happen with those of us in the churches that are reminding people of the truth, talking about the valor that John Kerry showed and reminding people how George Bush has got us in a real international quandary in Iraq with no end in sight.
COOPER: Reverend Al Sharpton from Orlando, Florida tonight. Thanks very much, Reverend Sharpton.
SHARPTON: Thank you. Thank you, Anderson.
COOPER: 360 next. The Bush twins on the campaign trail. That is definitely raw politics. Plus Ben Stein joins me to talk politics and speeches. Momentarily away.
And we've got unconventional coverage. Jeanne Moos -- is he throwing a gang sign? What is he doing? Jeanne Moos finds the lighter side of this political party.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And are you live -- we are live here at Madison Square Garden. That was music, the cheering crowd, the images of patriotism and all those balloons, they don't mean a thing if the message doesn't sell. It's all about selling the message. And this year's election, with the candidates running neck and neck and fighting for a handful of undecided voters, winning or losing may rest on the words of a candidate or his party. Ben Stein, a well known conservative, knows a thing or two about getting the message across. A speech writer for Presidents Nixon and Ford, he is also the author of more than a dozen books, including "Can America Survive."
Ben Stein, joins me now.
BEN STEIN, AUTHOR "CAN AMERICA SURVIVE":
COOPER: Lets really hope American can survive. Good to see you as always.
STEIN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COOPER: What do you want to hear from George Bush? I mean, most important speech of the week, no doubt.
STEIN: I want to hear two things primarily. One that the economy is strong, that despite the media barrage saying the economy is weak, that it's really strong. The numbers back him up. The economy is stronger in almost every regard than 1996 but Clinton ran on a program of prosperity.
COOPER: Census numbers show an increase in poverty.
STEIN: Those numbers are so bogus, its insane. Poverty numbers are meaningless in this country. A person can have an air conditioned house with three bedrooms and a bathroom, own two cars and a color DVD and still be classed as poor. Those numbers are meaningless.
COOPER: So anyone who has a TV can't be poor?
STEIN: No, but what we consider poor has to do with the number of dollars a person spends on food, and that has changed enormously over the years. Those numbers are meaningless. You could be solidly middle class by Western European standards and still be considered under U.S. standards. If we call a person poor, he's not staving in America today.
COOPER: All right, so you want to hear a message that the economy is good.
STEIN: We're doing better on unemployment, corporate profits, percentage of the population owning their own houses, wages, hours, all better than 96. I'd like Bush to make that clear. And I'd like to make it clear what his strategy is in Iraq. And I'd like him to make it clear what his strategy to pursue the war on terrorism.
COOPER: How specific -- I mean, the Republicans say they're going to try to be very specific. Their criticism of the Democratic Convention is that you didn't hear a lot about John Kerry's records. That there weren't specific proposals. They say the Republicans here, they're going to talk about the next four years.
If you were writing the speech, would you keep it specific or would try to make it more motivational. STEIN: I think it's got to be more motivational. It can't be that specific, because there's not specific thing you can say, you can do to beat the terrorists, because we don't know. We have to just keep struggling (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COOPER: Was it mistake for him this morning to say that the war is not winnable. He then went on -- the White House then went on to clarify that.
STEIN: He said it's not winnable. I think what he meant was in the short term. Obviously, if we believe it's not winnable is, we should all kill ourselves right now. But it's not winnable in the short run, but in the long run we believe it is winnable, otherwise he wouldn't do it. But I think he's also got to articulate the message that he is the man we can trust. He's a man of faith in a nation, that is largely a nation of faith and Kerry, at least he's got a hint, is not a man of faith.
COOPER: How can you say that? He's got religious beliefs, how can he not be a man of faith?
STEIN: Kerry, is a man who is a Catholic and practices religion by going to Mass, but he doesn't, for example, follow the teachings of the Catholic Church about right to life, which is a little bit odd. It's up to him, it's not up to me. I'm not his -- I'm not his padre.
COOPER: You believe John Kerry is not a man of faith.
STEIN: I believe he does not profess it as intently and intensely as Mr. Bush does. I'd say Mr. Bush's main claim about his self is that he is a man of faith. That would not be Kerry's main theme. I don't think Bush would say there's any differentiation between faith and politics. And Kerry would say there is.
You know, Anderson, there is a revival of massive (UNINTELLIGIBLE) going on inside this country right now, an enormous turning to God as a director of people's lives. Bush, not only sense it, he's part of it. I don't think Kerry senses it or is part of it. And the election is going to be largely those who believe faith determines everything and those who believe faith can be put in a box.
COOPER: Is it the face the Republicans are putting on the party tonight, Senator McCain, Rudy Giuliani, is that the true face of the Republican Party?
STEIN: I think Mr. Bush is the true face of the Republican Party. If you go to Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and see the...
COOPER: Bob Novak, says the Republican is a conservative party. Do you think George Bush is that conservative?
STEIN: I think he is very conservative, especial in terms of his reliance on God, which is generally a test between conservative and liberals. I'll tell you Anderson, you have to go to places like Amarillo and Canyon, Texas, and see people talking about God in their lives. It is the overwhelming subject of conversation, and those people are solidly behind Bush. If Bush is wrong and those people are not going to decide the election, Bush has lost. But if the nation really is in the grip of a revival and Bush is the spearhead and also the artifact of that revival, he's going to win.
COOPER: All right. Well, I think John Kerry would say he is a man of faith. I think he would question.
STEIN: You I think Kerry is a man of faith. I don't question that, but I don't think he protests it as the main thing in his life, which Bush does. I think Kerry would say his life has many boxes and faith is one of them, but I think Bush would say faith is everything.
COOPER: Ben Stein, good to see you. Thanks very much for being with us.
STEIN: Excuse me.
COOPER: Thanks for being with us.
STEIN: Thank you so much. Very kind.
COOPER: All right.
STEIN: Thank you.
COOPER: All right, "360" next. The Bush twins and the Kerry kids on the campaign trail. Not quite kids anymore, that is "Raw Politics."
But first today's "Buzz."
Do tonight's speakers truly represent the Republican Party?
What do you think?
Log on to cnn.com, /360. Cast your vote. Results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And they're not dancing to that here, but that is R.E.M.'s new single, "Leaving New York." The song hits a chord this week. According to a new "New York Times" poll, nearly 18 percent of Manhattanites, or about 275,000 people, planned on leaving the city during the convention. The 4,853 delegates and alternates have arrived, and the RNC estimates that the convention will have nearly 50,000 total guests.
When it comes to putting the kids out on the campaign, the Bushes and the Kerrys are as different as, well, Republicans and Democrats. The Bush twins have been seen in fairly limited, tightly scripted roles, while the reins of the Kerry daughters have been much looser. Which is not to say that both sets of daughters don't go through much of the same thing. As Judy Woodruff shows us, joining the family business is definitely raw politics. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They bring a little razzle-dazzle to the Republicans. They bring a little warm and fuzzy to the Democrats.
ALEXANDRA KERRY, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER: My dad jumped in, grabbed an oar, fished the cage from the water, hunched over the soggy hamster...
WOODRUFF: They are the daughters Kerry and the daughters Bush, and they're doing a lot this year to hipify their fathers.
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Our children are to be totally left alone.
WOODRUFF: For most of the past four years, Barbara and Jenna Bush avoided the spotlight, trying to live regular college girl lives, and they did, though the average co-ed doesn't see her drinking exploits plastered across the tabloids.
But now the twins are on the trail. Sometimes sweet, sometimes saucy. Often seen, but rarely heard.
Not so the Kerry women.
VANESSA KERRY, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER: I'm here to share some secrets.
WOODRUFF: Who have been talking up their dad for months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From New York, Barbara and Jenna Bush, and here in Miami, Vanessa and Alexandra Kerry.
WOODRUFF: Last night brought a convergence of the sisters, sort of.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Alexandra and Vanessa, and hey to everyone at the VMAs.
WOODRUFF: All four appeared on the MTV Video Music Awards. They pitched their parents with mixed results.
V. KERRY: You get involved in this election and vote, and hopefully that you vote for our father.
WOODRUFF: But for once, the ladies were in sync.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are at least two things we can all agree on. One of them is the importance of voting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We also agree that America at its best is about coming together to help people in need.
WOODRUFF: Don't expect them to agree on much else.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, time for tonight's "Buzz." Earlier we asked you, do tonight's speakers truly represent the Republican Party? Fifteen percent of you said yes; eighty-five percent of you no. Not a scientific poll, certainly, but it is your buzz, and we appreciate you voting.
Tonight, taking head counts to "The Nth Degree."
So how many demonstrators were there on the streets of New York City yesterday, in advance of the opening today of the Republican National Convention? Two hundred thousand, said some estimates, 250,000, said others, 300,000, 400,000, half a million. Fewer people surely than all the tea leaves in China, but more most likely than your famous proverbial hill of beans.
As a percentage of grains of sand on the beaches of the world, the smallest percentage. Still, to start with something we know for sure, two's company and three's a crowd. This was definitely a crowd.
About the only thing that can be said for sure is that attempting to quantify such scenes is enough to render those who try it a little loony. Look what happened to the 18th century philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg, who did highly respected work in many scientific areas, and then spent the last few decades of his life trying to calculate how many angels could fit on the head of a pin.
This is clearly what crowd estimation can do to a guy, which is why we need to stay out of the business ourselves.
Tonight, the crowd gathered here inside the Garden will hear from a number of speakers -- former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Senator John McCain and former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
COOPER: The singing of the National Anthem kicking off the first night of the Republican National Convention. I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for joining us on this special edition of 360.
I toss it over now to Wolf Blitzer, Judy Woodruff and Jeff Greenfield.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 30, 2004 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Good evening, I'm Anderson Cooper. From Madison Square Garden in New York City, where tonight the Republicans get ready to rumble.
360 starts now.
The first GOP convention ever in New York City. Tonight, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain take center stage. Will they succeed in softening the Republicans' conservative image?
Flags, victims' families, and remembrances of ground zero. Will using the 9/11 backdrop work to the Republicans' advantage?
President Bush makes a surprising statement, saying the war on terror can never be won. What did he mean? Senator Elizabeth Dole joins us live.
The politics of protest. Thousands of demonstrators, different agendas. Will they steal the Republicans' thunder, or play into the GOP's hands?
And the Bush twins and Kerry kids booed on MTV. The rough-and- tumble reality of being a candidate's kid.
ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360, live from the Republican National Convention in New York.
COOPER: And welcome to one of the great athletic arenas of the world. Of course, you can tell, this is not a sporting event this week. There is only one team in attendance. Even so, people will be keeping score here at the Garden and in a great many other places around the country.
Tonight, popular Republican moderates take the stage, Senator John McCain and former mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York speaking in just a few hours. You're looking at a live shot as they are preparing the podium. Will their words help win over undecided voters, or create a backlash among conservatives?
Also tonight, the memories and images of 9/11. How will voters react to Republicans using September 11 as a theme for tonight? We anticipate hearing about it a lot.
We have a lot to watch for tonight. Standing by for us, CNN senior White House correspondent John King, who is right here in the thick of it near the podium, Suzanne Malveaux in Michigan, where President Bush is scheduled to speak this evening, Candy Crowley also in the crowd here in New York to report on the return to the fold of prodigal son John McCain, and Joe Johns out on the road with the Democratic opposition.
We turn first to John King for an overview -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, some saying, Why are the Republicans here in overwhelmingly Democratic New York City? The Bush-Cheney campaign says this is the perfect place for them to focus on what will be the major convention theme.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So it is my privilege to proclaim the 2004 Republican National Convention in session and call it to order.
KING (voice-over): For more years is the goal, this a necessary piece of business, even though the outcome is certain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... to nominate George Bush, a strong and compassionate leader, for the office of president of the United States of America.
KING: The vice president came to the hall to watch his name placed before the delegates, part of a day one script emphasizing leadership in the war on terror.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The war on terror is a vital -- the vital aspect of our future as a nation, and I believe that President Bush has led with strength and clarity.
KING: Senator McCain will deliver that message in a primetime speech, as will former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, reminding voters of how Mr. Bush rallied the country after 9/11 and portraying him as best suited to be commander in chief.
McCain and Giuliani are among the convention speakers with appeal among moderate and independent voters, one target of the president's New York convention. A bigger priority is motivating the GOP's conservative base, goals the president's top political adviser says are not in conflict.
KARL ROVE, SENIOR BUSH ADVISER: Our object is to do everything we can to energize more people to register and participate in the election. Some of them are people who are today for Bush, but simply not registered to vote. Others of them are people that are undecided about the election, whom we need to persuade.
KING: The party platform was adopted quickly in the morning session. Gay Republicans immediately said its call for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage would hold more sway with moderates than any speeches.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president and our party should be uniting all Republicans and all Americans, not dividing them. KING: Mr. Bush practiced his convention speech at the White House before heading out to campaign in New Hampshire and Michigan. Critics seized on this answer when asked in an NBC interview about winning the war on terrorism.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't, I don't think you can win it, but I think you can create conditions so that the -- those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world, let's put it that way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Aides say all Mr. Bush meant was that in such an unconventional war, there will be no formal surrender or no peace treaty, though, Anderson, some aides also say the president could have chosen his words a bit more carefully, especially given the convention theme that he has been decisive and successful in the war on terrorism.
And one more bit of news, we are learning tonight that James A. Baker III, the former secretary of state, is now under serious consideration by the Bush-Cheney campaign to take the lead in the next big challenge after this convention, negotiating the terms of the presidential debates, Anderson.
COOPER: And my understanding is, there are going to be three debates, John. Is that correct?
KING: That is what the commission recommends, three presidential and one vice presidential debate. The Bush campaign has not signed onto that yet, but that will be the starting point of the debate (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COOPER: How much, John, how much tonight are we going to hear about 9/11? Obviously, Rudy Giuliani speaking, Senator John McCain, Mayor Bloomberg as well.
KING: You will hear a great deal tonight. There will be also a recognition of 9/11 victims and families tonight, a moment of silence.
And what the Bush campaign says is in New York, you must do that, number one.
The third-year anniversary is approaching, number two, and also, what the president hopes comes out of this convention is that maybe you disagree with the war in Iraq, maybe you disagree with other decisions he has made in the war on terrorism.
What he would like to remind the American people is, where it began, when and why he became a wartime president, and make the case that you might agree with some of his decisions, but he hopes the American people will again support his leadership.
COOPER: John King, thanks very much. We'll check in with you shortly. To Suzanne Malveaux, as promised, in Taylor, Michigan, where the man all the delegates here in New York are talking about is himself talking this evening -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, this is where, of course, the president is testing out some of those themes that John talked about that he'll present at the convention. Taylor, Michigan, as you know, is part of Wayne County, a suburb of Detroit. This is where he got trounced by Gore four years ago, about 40 percent points.
Let's take a listen to the president.
BUSH: ... access to our community colleges so workers are able to gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. In order to keep jobs here in America we'll be wise about how we spend your money. See, I think the federal government ought to set priorities and let you keep your own money. You can spend your money far better than the federal government can.
MALVEAUX: The theme of the campaign, the state of the economy, the president making that case. They know, of course, they have to do better in all the areas of Michigan. They are going for the suburban vote as well as the blue-collar Democrats, they say, and social conservatives.
Early today, President Bush was in New Hampshire. As you know, he won there by just 1 percentage point the last time around, and he is trying to win that coveted 37 percent of registered voters who say that they are neither Democrats or yet Republicans -- Anderson.
COOPER: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much.
It is probably not unfair to call George Bush and John McCain the oil and vinegar of the Republican Party. They haven't appeared to mix well since campaigning against each other back in 2000. But Republicans are hoping a good shaking makes a tasty dressing for their convention salad.
Here's CNN's Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John McCain and George Bush, together again. And again and again. In Washington, where it's an article of faith that George Bush and John McCain don't like each other, this is unreality TV.
MCCAIN: Of course we're friendly. Of course. And do you consider the president of the United States a, quote, "friend"? I don't know exactly how you describe that, but we certainly have an excellent relationship.
CROWLEY: Which is pretty, quote, "nuanced." Still, there they are, George Bush and the swing vote magnet with combat medals, which is all you need to know about why the president's there. More difficult to decipher is McCain's angle.
MCCAIN: I'm doing this because I think it's right, and my ambitions right now are to be reelected to the United States Senate. And I hope that people that know me well would not accept that this, that I'm doing this for any crass political motivation.
CROWLEY: Crass motivation seekers say McCain is playing nice because the 68-year-old senator wants to run for president in '08. Friends prefer the phrase keeping his options open.
MCCAIN: I've given thought to '08, 12, 16, 20, but not really. I've given only thought to my reelection efforts in the state of Arizona.
CROWLEY: A source who speaks with him frequently says McCain wants to get right with the party, which is to say, make nice with Republican conservatives, who are upset because McCain championed campaign finance reform, opposed the upper end of Bush's tax cuts, and voted against a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
Additionally, says another source, if George Bush loses, McCain doesn't want to be blamed for not doing enough. In fact, McCain hasn't just been present, he's been omnipresent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: How helpful has the senator been? Let me count the ways, Anderson. Since June, McCain has been on the campaign trail four times, either with or on behalf of the Bush-Cheney team. There is, as well, one very public and very well played commercial that McCain stars in. There is, of course, this one very big, very major primetime speech tonight here at the convention -- Anderson.
COOPER: Ah, politics makes for interesting friends. Candy Crowley, thanks very much.
From the island of Manhattan, where the Republicans are taking aim, to the island of Nantucket, where the man they're aiming at is taking a breather after a cross-country tour.
CNN's Joe Johns reports on the travels of Senator John Kerry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the first day of the Republican convention, John Kerry hit the waves, wind-surfing in the waters off his Nantucket home, and quick to counter the president.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think the war on terror can be won?
SEN. JOHN KERRY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Absolutely.
JOHNS: Meanwhile, his running mate, Senator John Edwards, also hit the White House for its foreign policy.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The president himself said on television today that he had serious doubts about winning the war on terrorism. John Kerry and I know we can win the war on terrorism, and we know how to win it.
JOHNS: At a campaign stop in Wilmington, North Carolina, the vice presidential nominee said this is no time to declare defeat in the war on terror, and Edwards challenged the assertion by the president that the U.S. has experienced, quote, "a catastrophic success in Iraq," in other words, that the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein so quickly, it gave the enemy a chance to reconstitute.
The Kerry campaign says there were more fundamental miscalculations.
EDWARDS: The Bush administration miscalculated by deciding to go it alone without strong allies. The Bush administration miscalculated when they waited three years after September 11 to start to reform our intelligence.
JOHNS: Kerry is expected to touch on national security issues when he leaves the island briefly this week. He will address the American Legion, bucking a tradition of going out during an opponent's convention.
Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: Joe Johns in Nantucket, thanks, Joe.
360 next, the moderate face to the Republican convention. Compassionate conservativism, or bait and switch, as some have alleged? Paul Begala and Bob Novak go 360 in the "CROSSFIRE."
Plus, joining me live, I'll go 360 with Senator Elizabeth Dole, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Ben Stein.
First, a look who's up at the podium tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, with Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Arnold Schwarzenegger delivering primetime speeches at the convention, Democrats are accusing the GOP of pulling a moderate mask over a right-wing agenda. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton called it a bait- and-switch, to her you, her words, which is essentially the same criticism Republicans had of the Democratic convention.
With a look what to expect tonight, I'm joined by CNN "CROSSFIRE" co-hosts Paul Begala and Robert Novak.
Gentlemen, good to see you.
PAUL BEGALA, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": Hey, Anderson.
COOPER: Paul, let me start off with you. Let's talk about that John McCain, you have Rudy Giuliani speaking. Is this the true face of the Republican Party? BEGALA: No, look, the Democrats did try to stage manage. But you have to say the people who spoke at the Democratic Party convention were the leaders of their party, it was Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton and Al Gore and, of course, Kerry and Edwards.
Here, I, the real face of the Republican Party, of course, is not John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. It's Jerry Falwell and Ken Lay. But so what this is, I think, the biggest example of right-wing cross- dressing, if you will, since J. Edgar Hoover hung up his garter belt.
I don't think people are going to fall for it. They ought to just stand for what they actually believe in, which is a right-wing social and economic ideology.
COOPER: Robert Novak, I mean, the platform is more conservative than, or abides by a lot of conservative platforms that some of these speakers tonight don't agree with.
ROBERT NOVAK, CO-HOST, "CROSSFIRE": It's been a conservative party since 1980, Anderson. I tell you why, it's not that difficult to understand. This is a conservative party. You can throw (UNINTELLIGIBLE) around this right-wing epithet, but it is the conservative party. And the fact of the matter is that Rudy Giuliani is out of step with it on abortion, and John McCain is out of step with it on tax cuts. So why...
COOPER: So why, on opening night, have these guys speaking?
NOVAK: Because they are very attractive politicians. They are, they are, they are extremely attractive. But you're going to hear the conservative, orthodox, mainstream agenda from two other of the speakers, Anderson. And they are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. They are also going to speak at this convention.
COOPER: Paul, it sounded almost like Robert was kind of agreeing with you, though.
BEGALA: Well, then I'm probably wrong if Bob agrees. No, it is an absolute fact. It's a very conservative party. Bob is right. If you look at their platform, they're even driving some Republicans away from the party with their own platform. But, you know, why not just have truth in advertising? Why not stand up, tell us what you believe in?
You know, I remember in 1992, the Republicans gave Pat Buchanan a primetime speech, and he gave them the red meat that they really believe in, and they went on to lose. And so I think what they're trying to do now is put up a false front.
Now, Bush's great appeal is that he claims he's a Texas truth teller. Well, this is a really phony convention for a Texas truth teller.
NOVAK: Well, let me, let me try to explain this to Paul. Paul in 1992 was still running errands for Bill Clinton. So he didn't... BEGALA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
NOVAK: ... he didn't understand what was going on. And what was going on is that the senior George Bush had alienated the conservative base of a conservative party by a massive, humongous tax increase, and to try to overcompensate for it, he had a lot of speakers in primetime, Pat Buchanan, Marilyn Quayle, who probably didn't do much good, or at least that was the perception.
But there's no problem with the conservative base in the party right now with President Bush.
And I want to say one thing I didn't catch up with Paul on. And that is that Jerry Falwell is not the voice of the party. I like Jerry, but he's not the voice of the party. The voice of the party is George W. Bush, who is not the most conservative guy in the world.
BEGALA: Who only got nominated when Jerry Falwell and Christian conservatives rallied to him...
NOVAK: That's nonsense.
BEGALA: ... against John McCain. McCain beat...
NOVAK: That's nonsense.
BEGALA: ... Bush, of course, as Bob remembers, by 19 points in the New Hampshire primary. Bush ran to the kook right and went to Bob Jones University. And it was the Falwell wing of the party that made Bush the nominee.
NOVAK: See, what's very, very interesting is, I don't know if Paul was there, but John McCain had a fancy dinner party last night where he had all the liberal media as his guests. They love him.
BEGALA: I wasn't there. Were you?
NOVAK: He is -- no, I'm not a part of the liberal media. But they just love John McCain. And they're, and Anderson, let me try to explain this to you. Their heart is broken that he's embracing George W. Bush, because John McCain, who I like, I don't agree with him on everything, is a good Republican. He's a loyal Republican. And these bleeding-heart liberal anchormen are just out of their mind with mourning and anguish.
COOPER: Well, I must say, my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail, because I was not at this fancy shindig you were talking about.
Bob Novak, thanks very much. And Paul Begala, thanks.
BEGALA: Thanks, Anderson.
COOPER: Republican Party insiders were asked by the "National Journal" about the moderate bench at the convention tonight. The question, Do you think President Bush's conservative supporters will be alienated by tonight's speakers? Only 4 percent said yes, 43 percent said no.
And that brings us to today's buzz. What do you think? Do tonight's speakers truly represent the Republican Party? We're talking about John McCain, Rudy Giuliani. Log onto CNN.com/360, cast your vote. We'll have results at the end of the program tonight.
360 next. A massive protest, a bomb plot foiled, and multimillion-dollar security. New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly joins us live to talk about the effort to keep everyone safe during the convention. He'll tell us an update of how the streets are tonight.
Also, from party girls to girls to the party, the Bush twins on the campaign trail. That is raw politics.
And a little later, spin and counterspin. Elizabeth Dole and the Reverend Al Sharpton join us live. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: An outside picture of Madison Square Garden, where the Republicans are gathering. The room is starting to fill up.
For the next four days, the island of Manhattan is being washed over by a sea of blue, NYPD blue, with a standing army of 37,000 police officers patrolling, New York's finest, are patrolling the city below it, above it, and around it, in just about every conceivable way.
With an estimated 10,000 of the rank and file stationed in and around Madison Square Garden, nothing is being left to chance.
Joining me now, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
Commissioner, thanks for being with us.
RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Good to be with you.
COOPER: How are the streets?
KELLY: The streets are quiet. There is one major march going on now. We made one arrest today. We have a total of 548 arrests, only one today. So things are quiet.
COOPER: Were you surprised at the size of the demonstration on Sunday, and were you prepared for it?
KELLY: I wasn't surprised, and we were prepared for it. I mean, this is a big city. We knew that the organizers were talking about a quarter-million people. We never get into the business of giving them official numbers these days. But I think it went very well. They certainly lived up to their promises, the organizers.
It was peaceful. We made arrests, but most of those arrests were away from the march itself. COOPER: There are some protesters who have been very organized and given you advance notice, then there's also, I mean, I guess there was this bicycle protest in Times Square, which I actually got caught up in just accidentally, I was in a taxi. Are you anticipating more of that kind of stuff, sort of like flash mob protests?
KELLY: Yes, sure. I mean, pop-up demonstrations. I think we'll see more of them tomorrow, no question about that. But we're ready for that, we're flexible, we're mobile. We're using a lot of scooters, we're using bicycles. And we're using a blimp with cameras, helicopters. So I think we're in a good position to anticipate those events and react to them.
COOPER: This weekend, there was this bomb plot you say was foiled. What can you tell us about it?
KELLY: It was two individuals who have been talking about committing violent acts for a while. We had a confidential informant managed by our intelligence division. They started to manifest some of these feelings that they had.
They went, they made a map of the subway station, 34th Street and Sixth Avenue, they made a map of police stations in Staten Island. They went and they got two canvas backpacks to carry explosives.
So we believe they were getting close to carrying out something. They had no explosives and no contact with international terrorist organizations, but it's the type of individual that we have to be concerned about, the single or double individual acts on his own. And obviously, we've seen that in L.A. with (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Empire State Building two years ago.
So we're increasingly concerned about those people. We have other investigations along those lines. But I think it was a good investigation, and we're happy that we were able to take them down when we did.
COOPER: All right, I know you got a full plate tonight. As you're eying the convention stage, the platform, ever think you'd like to be out there, maybe running? There's a lot of talk about maybe you running for, for office someday.
KELLY: No, no way, never.
COOPER: Never?
KELLY: Never, no, sir, no, I'm not.
COOPER: You never say never in politics.
KELLY: Well, I'm not a politician. So not for me. I'm happy to be where I am.
COOPER: Commissioner Ray Kelly, doing a great job. Thank you very much.
KELLY: Thank you, Anderson. Thanks.
COOPER: Well, it is media madness here at Madison Square Garden, where reporters far outnumber delegates. Here's a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a quick fast fact for you. There are 4,853 delegates and alternates, compared to an estimated 15,000 media personnel.
President Bush makes a surprising statement, saying the war on terror can never be won. What did he mean? Senator Elizabeth Dole joins us live.
And the Bush twins and Kerry kids booed on MTV. The rough and tumble reality of being a candidate's kid.
360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is my great honor and high privilege to nominate George W. Bush, a strong and compassionate leader, for the office of president of the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, that earlier, that happened earlier today.
The GOP's grand old party for George W. Bush is well underway, not perhaps entirely as scripted. The White House had to clarify some remarks President Bush made that aired this morning, while responding to a question about winning the war on terror.
Mr. Bush said, quote, "I don't think you can win it." His spokesman, Scott McClellan, said the president meant the war is not a conventional war, there'll be never be a formal surrender.
Joining me to talk about this, other issues facing the GOP tonight, Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina.
Great to see you, senator.
SEN. ELIZABETH DOLE (R), NORTH CAROLINA: Delighted to be with you. Thank you.
COOPER: Let's start off with those comments by President Bush. I think perhaps a surprise to some. Do, do, is the war on terror something that can be won?
DOLE: Well, you know, I served on the Armed Services Committee, and I am so proud of the strong, firm principled leadership of President Bush, our commander in chief. And I think what he was trying to say is, you know, it's just something that we're going to have to continue to be on the alert for in the future.
But his leadership is one of moral clarity, strong, firm resolve, and I'm so proud of him, and I think the American public is going to cast that vote for his reelection.
COOPER: The face that the Republican Party is putting forward tonight, you have Senator John McCain, you have former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani.
DOLE: Yes.
COOPER: Many people say this is a more moderate face of the Republican Party. George Bush has done a lot of work, President Bush has done a lot of work satisfying the conservative base. This is now an attempt to appeal to moderate voters. Is that fair?
DOLE: You know, let's look at it this way. I'm a conservative, and I'm speaking tomorrow night. Senator Frist is going to be speaking, Senator Santorum. I think you've got speakers who are -- have different -- they're up -- you know, on different levels of the zero to 10 scale here...
COOPER: So you don't think...
DOLE: ... in terms of their conservatism. But Rudy Giuliani is the mayor of all America. He's, he was not just New York's mayor. And we're so proud to have him in the Republican Party.
And, you know, it's like President Reagan said, If 80 percent of my friends and I agree, that's enough for me.
Bob Dole and I don't march lockstep. We don't agree on every single issue. And that's the way it should be, that's fine.
COOPER: Yes, I'm sure you two both have some fascinating discussions in the privacy of your house. But you don't think it's a fair comment to say that the Republicans are trying to put forward a more moderate face?
DOLE: No, obviously he was mayor of New York. He's an outstanding person. I was so pleased to have him come to North Carolina and campaign for me in my Senate race.
COOPER: He's become a star in the Republican party, there's no doubt about it. How much do you think we're going to be hearing about 9/11? There are those critics who say it would be inappropriate, that you have to walk a fine line between exploiting the tragedy of 9/11 and using it for political gain.
DOLE: This is a part of our history. It is something all Americans feel a great sense of pride and the people who rushed not away from those burning buildings but into them, the heroism that was shown that day, I think it's something that we want to -- we're proud of the people who made such a difference. I'll be speaking about compassion and volunteerism tomorrow night. And I think this is -- it's just normal that, of course, this is a great tragedy in our country. But there are so many heroes who came out of this that made us all just proud to be Americans.
COOPER: Where is the line though? Is there a line in terms of not using it for political gain?
DOLE: I think that each individual will have to handle that in a sensitive way, but certainly to be in New York City or anywhere in America in September and not to speak of this -- of the heroism that occurred on that day and our feeling for the families would be very strange indeed.
COOPER: There are those who will see it, I mean and who are so close to it and may feel any mention of it to any degree something inappropriate. I mean, not even mention but any use of it. To them you say what?
DOLE: Do you think at the Democratic convention it was inappropriate what was done with the candles?
COOPER: It's not for me. I think there are some people who probably thought it was. I think there probably are. But you know, obviously we all have differences of opinion.
DOLE: I think we will do it in a sensitive way in terms of each person who happens to mention it. But I think to have no mention of something that was such an incredible experience for all Americans would be unusual, indeed. And we want to honor the memory of those who were no longer with us and speak of the heroism that occurred.
COOPER: What do you think is going to bring people to the polls? What do you think is George Bush's greatest strength? Is it the war in Iraq, is it the war on terror or is it the economy? What is going to bring people out?
DOLE: I think that he -- his character is one which is very strong. He's a man of integrity. His word is his bond. He says what he means. He means what he says. And his strong principled leader both on the war against terror and in bringing our economy back is very important.
In other words, here's a man that you can trust. He doesn't put his finger up to the wind and see which way the wind is blowing. He doesn't go by polls and pundits. And I'm really having trouble hearing you because of the noise. This is really incredible. I'm competing here. But you know, I think it's important, integrity is the core. And here is a person who has -- who is leading our country with moral clarity. He's a man of faith. He's a man whose word can be trusted and that's true both in foreign affairs and the war against terror and in the economic recovery that is occurring and certainly why would you want to change a situation where our economy is coming back.
COOPER: Are you going to be on the campaign trail a lot?
DOLE: Yes I will be. Indeed, I'll be out barnstorming for him on Friday in Missouri.
COOPER: All right. Senator Elizabeth Dole, it's great to talk with you.
DOLE: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be with you. Thank you.
COOPER: This election has already been called among the nastiest in recent history. Attacks and counterattacks from parties and pacs and 527s. During the Democratic convention the Republican party set up a war room in Boston to instantly respond to Democrats. Now the Republicans are meeting, the Democrats have set up a war room of their own. Such is politics in 2004.
My next guest however doesn't need a war room to tell him what to say. Former Democratic presidential candidate Reverend Al Sharpton joins me tonight from Orlando. Reverend Sharpton, good to see you.
REV. AL SHARPTON (D), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's good to see you.
COOPER: Reverend, you're a life-long New Yorker. Did the Republicans drive you out of New York City today?
SHARPTON: No, what I decided was that I wanted to spend the week of the Republican convention by returning to the scene of the crime, coming here to Florida, which I felt cost us the election wrongly in the first place. We're actually doing five or six cities, a bus tour by the Truth Mission headed by Marvin Harris and I'm right in Orlando where we've had recent incidents where state troopers have tried to intimidate African American voters. So Corrine Brown, the congresswoman and I just concluded a rally. While they're celebrating in New York, we're laying the groundwork for their defeat here in Florida where we felt they took the election last time...
COOPER: Reverend Sharpton, we were just talking to Senator Elizabeth Dole about the use of 9/11 imagery. We are anticipating hearing a lot about that tonight as Rudy Giuliani speaks, Senator John McCain speaks. Is that inappropriate? What is the line? Where does it become inappropriate, if you think it does?
SHARPTON: I think it becomes inappropriate when someone tries to politicize the suffering of families and the loss of lives. And clearly, all should give respect. But when you try and act as though that because of certain things, you should vote for a person, I think it disrespects first of all people that may be victims that are politically opposed to you and people that lost their lives that are politically opposed. I know many of the victims' families that are on both sides of the political equation and for the Republicans in any way to desecrate their memories with cheap political party games I think is to show the callous disregard for human life that some of them have. What happened to us on September 11 in New York happened to Americans. It didn't happen to Republicans.
COOPER: I want to talk about some recent national battleground state polling. It is showing George Bush edging out John Kerry now just starting. What does John Kerry need to do? A, does that concern you and, B, what do you think he needs to do?
SHARPTON: I think it concerns us which is why we're in Florida, one of those battleground states with Terry McAuliffe. We did three churches here yesterday. I think what he has to do is what he's doing, but he has to just escalate it. We've got to be in the field more, we've got to bring our message more and we've got to say to the American people, including the media like you, Anderson, that we can't have George Bush bring up irrelevant distractions.
George Bush wants to argue about the war 30 years ago rather than the war right now. He wants to redo Vietnam rather than to deal with what we're going to deal with about Iraq. He wants to talk about who people sleep with rather than how people are not eating in the kitchen. We've got the direct where this campaign should go.
COOPER: Wasn't it John Kerry though who brought up Vietnam as really front and center in his campaign today?
SHARPTON: No, I think what he brought up was his bio and that was part of the bio and George Bush supporters tried to use that as a distraction to redo the war. Clearly, he had a right to raise his bio, a credible war, a war hero. But a clear indication of how they want to seize on distractions is to try to have us argue about a clear record rather than a clear situation we're faced with right now in Iraq.
COOPER: Do you think Senator Kerry was hurt by the so-called Swift Boat Veterans For Truth?
SHARPTON: I think that some polling numbers may have been marginally dealt with by that, but I think ultimately, people are clear, people understand this man put his life on the line and this man stood and said what he saw when he came back to the United States. I think ultimately, it will backfire. But that will only happen with those of us in the churches that are reminding people of the truth, talking about the valor that John Kerry showed and reminding people how George Bush has got us in a real international quandary in Iraq with no end in sight.
COOPER: Reverend Al Sharpton from Orlando, Florida tonight. Thanks very much, Reverend Sharpton.
SHARPTON: Thank you. Thank you, Anderson.
COOPER: 360 next. The Bush twins on the campaign trail. That is definitely raw politics. Plus Ben Stein joins me to talk politics and speeches. Momentarily away.
And we've got unconventional coverage. Jeanne Moos -- is he throwing a gang sign? What is he doing? Jeanne Moos finds the lighter side of this political party.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And are you live -- we are live here at Madison Square Garden. That was music, the cheering crowd, the images of patriotism and all those balloons, they don't mean a thing if the message doesn't sell. It's all about selling the message. And this year's election, with the candidates running neck and neck and fighting for a handful of undecided voters, winning or losing may rest on the words of a candidate or his party. Ben Stein, a well known conservative, knows a thing or two about getting the message across. A speech writer for Presidents Nixon and Ford, he is also the author of more than a dozen books, including "Can America Survive."
Ben Stein, joins me now.
BEN STEIN, AUTHOR "CAN AMERICA SURVIVE":
COOPER: Lets really hope American can survive. Good to see you as always.
STEIN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COOPER: What do you want to hear from George Bush? I mean, most important speech of the week, no doubt.
STEIN: I want to hear two things primarily. One that the economy is strong, that despite the media barrage saying the economy is weak, that it's really strong. The numbers back him up. The economy is stronger in almost every regard than 1996 but Clinton ran on a program of prosperity.
COOPER: Census numbers show an increase in poverty.
STEIN: Those numbers are so bogus, its insane. Poverty numbers are meaningless in this country. A person can have an air conditioned house with three bedrooms and a bathroom, own two cars and a color DVD and still be classed as poor. Those numbers are meaningless.
COOPER: So anyone who has a TV can't be poor?
STEIN: No, but what we consider poor has to do with the number of dollars a person spends on food, and that has changed enormously over the years. Those numbers are meaningless. You could be solidly middle class by Western European standards and still be considered under U.S. standards. If we call a person poor, he's not staving in America today.
COOPER: All right, so you want to hear a message that the economy is good.
STEIN: We're doing better on unemployment, corporate profits, percentage of the population owning their own houses, wages, hours, all better than 96. I'd like Bush to make that clear. And I'd like to make it clear what his strategy is in Iraq. And I'd like him to make it clear what his strategy to pursue the war on terrorism.
COOPER: How specific -- I mean, the Republicans say they're going to try to be very specific. Their criticism of the Democratic Convention is that you didn't hear a lot about John Kerry's records. That there weren't specific proposals. They say the Republicans here, they're going to talk about the next four years.
If you were writing the speech, would you keep it specific or would try to make it more motivational. STEIN: I think it's got to be more motivational. It can't be that specific, because there's not specific thing you can say, you can do to beat the terrorists, because we don't know. We have to just keep struggling (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COOPER: Was it mistake for him this morning to say that the war is not winnable. He then went on -- the White House then went on to clarify that.
STEIN: He said it's not winnable. I think what he meant was in the short term. Obviously, if we believe it's not winnable is, we should all kill ourselves right now. But it's not winnable in the short run, but in the long run we believe it is winnable, otherwise he wouldn't do it. But I think he's also got to articulate the message that he is the man we can trust. He's a man of faith in a nation, that is largely a nation of faith and Kerry, at least he's got a hint, is not a man of faith.
COOPER: How can you say that? He's got religious beliefs, how can he not be a man of faith?
STEIN: Kerry, is a man who is a Catholic and practices religion by going to Mass, but he doesn't, for example, follow the teachings of the Catholic Church about right to life, which is a little bit odd. It's up to him, it's not up to me. I'm not his -- I'm not his padre.
COOPER: You believe John Kerry is not a man of faith.
STEIN: I believe he does not profess it as intently and intensely as Mr. Bush does. I'd say Mr. Bush's main claim about his self is that he is a man of faith. That would not be Kerry's main theme. I don't think Bush would say there's any differentiation between faith and politics. And Kerry would say there is.
You know, Anderson, there is a revival of massive (UNINTELLIGIBLE) going on inside this country right now, an enormous turning to God as a director of people's lives. Bush, not only sense it, he's part of it. I don't think Kerry senses it or is part of it. And the election is going to be largely those who believe faith determines everything and those who believe faith can be put in a box.
COOPER: Is it the face the Republicans are putting on the party tonight, Senator McCain, Rudy Giuliani, is that the true face of the Republican Party?
STEIN: I think Mr. Bush is the true face of the Republican Party. If you go to Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and see the...
COOPER: Bob Novak, says the Republican is a conservative party. Do you think George Bush is that conservative?
STEIN: I think he is very conservative, especial in terms of his reliance on God, which is generally a test between conservative and liberals. I'll tell you Anderson, you have to go to places like Amarillo and Canyon, Texas, and see people talking about God in their lives. It is the overwhelming subject of conversation, and those people are solidly behind Bush. If Bush is wrong and those people are not going to decide the election, Bush has lost. But if the nation really is in the grip of a revival and Bush is the spearhead and also the artifact of that revival, he's going to win.
COOPER: All right. Well, I think John Kerry would say he is a man of faith. I think he would question.
STEIN: You I think Kerry is a man of faith. I don't question that, but I don't think he protests it as the main thing in his life, which Bush does. I think Kerry would say his life has many boxes and faith is one of them, but I think Bush would say faith is everything.
COOPER: Ben Stein, good to see you. Thanks very much for being with us.
STEIN: Excuse me.
COOPER: Thanks for being with us.
STEIN: Thank you so much. Very kind.
COOPER: All right.
STEIN: Thank you.
COOPER: All right, "360" next. The Bush twins and the Kerry kids on the campaign trail. Not quite kids anymore, that is "Raw Politics."
But first today's "Buzz."
Do tonight's speakers truly represent the Republican Party?
What do you think?
Log on to cnn.com, /360. Cast your vote. Results when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And they're not dancing to that here, but that is R.E.M.'s new single, "Leaving New York." The song hits a chord this week. According to a new "New York Times" poll, nearly 18 percent of Manhattanites, or about 275,000 people, planned on leaving the city during the convention. The 4,853 delegates and alternates have arrived, and the RNC estimates that the convention will have nearly 50,000 total guests.
When it comes to putting the kids out on the campaign, the Bushes and the Kerrys are as different as, well, Republicans and Democrats. The Bush twins have been seen in fairly limited, tightly scripted roles, while the reins of the Kerry daughters have been much looser. Which is not to say that both sets of daughters don't go through much of the same thing. As Judy Woodruff shows us, joining the family business is definitely raw politics. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They bring a little razzle-dazzle to the Republicans. They bring a little warm and fuzzy to the Democrats.
ALEXANDRA KERRY, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER: My dad jumped in, grabbed an oar, fished the cage from the water, hunched over the soggy hamster...
WOODRUFF: They are the daughters Kerry and the daughters Bush, and they're doing a lot this year to hipify their fathers.
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Our children are to be totally left alone.
WOODRUFF: For most of the past four years, Barbara and Jenna Bush avoided the spotlight, trying to live regular college girl lives, and they did, though the average co-ed doesn't see her drinking exploits plastered across the tabloids.
But now the twins are on the trail. Sometimes sweet, sometimes saucy. Often seen, but rarely heard.
Not so the Kerry women.
VANESSA KERRY, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER: I'm here to share some secrets.
WOODRUFF: Who have been talking up their dad for months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From New York, Barbara and Jenna Bush, and here in Miami, Vanessa and Alexandra Kerry.
WOODRUFF: Last night brought a convergence of the sisters, sort of.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Alexandra and Vanessa, and hey to everyone at the VMAs.
WOODRUFF: All four appeared on the MTV Video Music Awards. They pitched their parents with mixed results.
V. KERRY: You get involved in this election and vote, and hopefully that you vote for our father.
WOODRUFF: But for once, the ladies were in sync.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are at least two things we can all agree on. One of them is the importance of voting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We also agree that America at its best is about coming together to help people in need.
WOODRUFF: Don't expect them to agree on much else.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, time for tonight's "Buzz." Earlier we asked you, do tonight's speakers truly represent the Republican Party? Fifteen percent of you said yes; eighty-five percent of you no. Not a scientific poll, certainly, but it is your buzz, and we appreciate you voting.
Tonight, taking head counts to "The Nth Degree."
So how many demonstrators were there on the streets of New York City yesterday, in advance of the opening today of the Republican National Convention? Two hundred thousand, said some estimates, 250,000, said others, 300,000, 400,000, half a million. Fewer people surely than all the tea leaves in China, but more most likely than your famous proverbial hill of beans.
As a percentage of grains of sand on the beaches of the world, the smallest percentage. Still, to start with something we know for sure, two's company and three's a crowd. This was definitely a crowd.
About the only thing that can be said for sure is that attempting to quantify such scenes is enough to render those who try it a little loony. Look what happened to the 18th century philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg, who did highly respected work in many scientific areas, and then spent the last few decades of his life trying to calculate how many angels could fit on the head of a pin.
This is clearly what crowd estimation can do to a guy, which is why we need to stay out of the business ourselves.
Tonight, the crowd gathered here inside the Garden will hear from a number of speakers -- former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Senator John McCain and former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
COOPER: The singing of the National Anthem kicking off the first night of the Republican National Convention. I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for joining us on this special edition of 360.
I toss it over now to Wolf Blitzer, Judy Woodruff and Jeff Greenfield.
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