Return to Transcripts main page
Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Bill Clintons Heart Surgery Successful;
Aired September 06, 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.
Quadruple heart bypass surgery for President Clinton.
360 starts now.
Surgery successful: Former president Bill Clinton recovering after hours in the OR. A live update on his condition from New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Big bounce for Bush: New poll numbers give the president a big lead. And the Kerry camp looks for new blood from some old campaigners.
Devastating damage. Frances ravages the Sunshine State, leaving scores of people homeless. A massive cleanup, and assessing the damage on 360.
Shock and grief. The wails of mourners heard across Russia. Tiny coffins line the streets of Beslan. Families say their last goodbyes as their children are laid to rest.
A Midwest murder mystery. Six bodies all found in the same Kansas City neighborhood. Who are they, and who is the anonymous caller leading police to the crime scene?
And why do we love to watch reporters stand out in the wind and rain? What it's really like reporting a hurricane inside the box.
ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COOPER: Good evening to you.
Tonight, Bill Clinton is resting in a hospital room just hours after undergoing open-heart surgery. The quadruple heart bypass operation surgeons performed on him was, by all accounts, a success, and the 58-year-old former president is said to be doing well. Now, his doctors think he may even be able to go home by the end of this week.
For the near future, of course, there is no campaign trail for Clinton, just the rode to recovery after a procedure that saved his life.
Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A procedure that's done 1,000 times a day in America was done today on a former president, cardiac bypass surgery. The result, successful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE PHYSICIAN: He had a relatively routine quadruple bypass operation. We left the operating room around noon, and he is recovering normally at this point.
GUPTA: During the operation, Clinton's chest was opened, his heart was stopped, and he was put on a heart-lung machine. The bypass procedure was then performed, and his heart was restarted. The operation took four hours. It will be two or three months before Mr. Clinton is 100 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE PHYSICIAN: It would be common for him to be ready to leave the hospital within four or five days. Right now, based on how he's doing, there's no reason to think he wouldn't fall within the same experience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE PHYSICIAN: At home, he will have a schedule of exercise that will gradually increase, and he will gradually resume a entirely normal physical exercise and work schedule.
GUPTA: Bill Clinton has had access to the world's best medical care. But that can't erase a lifetime of bad eating habits and a family history of heart problems.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just have a seat here.
GUPTA: Given our own fathers' history of heart attacks, Anderson and I were concerned enough to get our hearts checked with some of the latest technology a coup;e of months ago. Luckily, both of our tests were normal.
And so the larger message of Mr. Clinton's surgery may be increased awareness of the number-one killer of men and women in America, heart disease.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: And when a president gets sick, Anderson, it's important to point out that while we pray for his speedy recovery, no doubt, we also learn some valuable lessons. And such may be the case with former president Bill Clinton, Anderson.
COOPER: Certainly (UNINTELLIGIBLE) focusing a lot of attention on the issue. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much.
From Bill Clinton's prognosis to John Kerry's, the latest CNN- "USA Today"-Gallup poll finds that among likely voters, 52 percent currently say they intend to cast their ballot for George Bush. Now, that represents a gain of 2 percent for the president. As for Mr. John Kerry, he is now the preference of 45 percent of likely voters, a 2 percent loss on the senator's side.
And that is the good news. Polls by both "TIME" and "Newsweek" show that President Bush with an 11 percent lead.
CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley has team Kerry's response to all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Running second outside the margin of error is not where you want to be as the fall campaign opens, so John Kerry is turning a new leaf, putting old faces in new places and focusing on the economy.
Still, several voters at a front-porch conversation with the Democratic nominee asked about Iraq.
SEN. JOHN KERRY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
CROWLEY: It was Kerry's most concise, harshest war critique yet. He also called the president's use of the word "coalition" to describe forces in Iraq the, quote, "phoniest thing I've ever heard." Kerry also suggested he would bring all U.S. troops home by the end of his first term.
It was not precisely the Labor Day lead Camp Kerry was looking for, as it tries to pivot to more fertile territory. The latest CNN- Gallup poll shows George Bush with a 27-point advantage when voters are asked who could better handle the war on terrorism, and a 13-point edge on Iraq.
But on the home front, Kerry shows a 13-point advantage on health care and 3 points on the economy.
By the time he got to West Virginia, Kerry had the microphone to himself.
KERRY: The last Democratic president over eight years helped us create 23 million new jobs. That's compared to George Bush losing a million jobs. That's W. Wrong, wrong choices, wrong direction for America.
CROWLEY: In addition to a new refrain, Kerry continues to shift around his staff. John Sasso, an old friend and former Dukakis campaign manager, has been brought over to be a kind of high-powered seatmate and strategist. Kerry insiders say the candidate needs somebody to vent to and keep him focused while he's on the road.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KERRY: ... to do what's right in this country...
CROWLEY: By the time he got to this Labor Day picnic here in Cleveland, Ohio, John Kerry was back on track, talking mostly economy. But he found a way to bring Iraq into that, saying, if the president had not gone to war and spent about $200 billion on that war, there are many desperate needs here at home he could have paid for, Anderson. COOPER: Candy Crowley, thanks very much.
For another viewpoint, hilltop as opposed to valley, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is with the Bush campaign in Missouri -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, these two camps, of course, trading barbs almost immediately. President Bush just moments ago here in Poplar Bluff, this is where he actually responded to Kerry's change in team earlier today by characterizing it as also a flip-flop, a change in his position on Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: After voting for the war, but against funding it, after saying he would have voted for the war even knowing everything we know today, my opponent woke up this morning with new campaign advisers and yet another new position. Suddenly, he's against it again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Anderson, we also heard from Vice President Dick Cheney, who responded to Kerry's comments that this was a phony coalition. He responded, saying that when it comes to diplomacy, it looks to me like John Kerry should stick to wind surfing, of course, referring to John Kerry's vacation, when he went wind surfing.
To let you know, Anderson, of course, Missouri is going to be a big challenge for this president. This is a state only second to Michigan that has lost the highest number of jobs between June and July, some 23,000 jobs. That is a 2 percent dip, of course, the Bush campaign saying they've got a strategy to turn that around regarding a tax cuts as well as the reforming the tax code.
Should also let you know, Anderson, that we've learned some new news that the president is going to be traveling to Florida on Wednesday. He's going to be surveying the hurricane damage. He comes there with an offer, a request to Congress of $2 billion in additional funding. As you know, Anderson, Florida a critical state for the president.
COOPER: And this for the second time he has torted (ph) surveying damage from a hurricane. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much for that.
Kerry supporters hoping for a comeback and finding a little hope in history. He's done it before. Here's a quick fast fact for you. In 1996, Kerry was in a dogfight for his Senate seat against then- Massachusetts governor William weld. In late August, Kerry was trailing the governor by 8 points in the polls. Kerry shed a top political aide, replaced him with a veteran ad-man who crafted a more aggressive, partisan message. That move, plus strong performances in eight debates, helped him turn the tide.
Now, Kerry ended up winning that race by 8 percentage points. We're going to talk more about politics later on with the "CROSSFIRE" guys as well as Bill Schneider. We're going to take a closer look at those polls.
Today's buzz is this. Did either political convention cause you to change your vote? Want to hear from you, yes or no. Log on to CNN.com/360, cast your vote. We'll have results at the end of the program tonight.
In Russia at this hour, they are trying to comprehend the incomprehensible, the murder of 156 children and 182 adults. A terror attack in a middle school, textbooks stacked in windows to shield the killers, killers who shot children in the back as they fled.
Authorities say they've arrested one of the terrorists responsible for the siege. They say this man claims he was ordered by a Chechen rebel leader to take over a school to, quote, "start a war across the Caucuses." No war, of course, was started. Russia is in mourning.
And in the town of Beslan, grief and rage overflows. ITN's Bill Neeley reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL NEELEY, ITN (voice-over): After the slaughter, the mass burial, in a field of agony. The cries of thousands rising up from the pit of Beslan's despair.
It was a scene of unimaginable horror.
Beneath driving rain, the open coffin of an 11-year-old boy. Skyev Artebek (ph) was shot repeatedly as he tried to run from the siege. His grandmother's grief scratched on her face.
Children and their teachers, buried side by side. The anguish uncontrollable.
And how could it be after deaths like these? This was their school. And here they are on the opening day two years ago with balloons and chocolates for their teacher, dressed in their best, just as they were last Wednesday.
Dozens of these children are now dead. In the pouring rain, dozens of the victims still lie unidentified, relatives searching in the stench for their missing children or parents.
(on camera): But many of the injuries, especially the burns, are just horrific. The people cannot be identified. And in many cases, whole families were murdered in the school. There is simply no one left here to identify them.
(voice-over): This woman has just found her daughter.
Nearby, others peer beneath the plastic, looking for rings, jewelry, any kind of clue. Asa is looking for 12-year-old Medina. What happened in this school and in its gym was horrifying. But this was horrifying too, his wife and little girl shot in the back. Their anguish beyond words.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: That was ITN's Bill Neeley.
Coming up next on 360, we're going to take a look at Hurricane Frances. The hurricane turned tropical storm left Florida and left a path of destruction behind. A live report next on 360.
Also in the Midwest tonight, a murder mystery. Six deaths in Kansas City, Missouri, and police say one person is responsible. I'll talk with an investigator on the case.
And John Kerry dropped in the polls. He's launched a new offensive and hired some new political guns. Ahead, the raw politics of coming from behind. We'll also take a detailed look at the polls and go 360 with Carville and Carlson.
All that ahead. First, let's take a look at your picks, the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, it is nice to be inside tonight, warm and dry. Spent the weekend in Florida covering hurricane Frances, which left at least six people dead. On Wednesday, President Bush will head to Florida to survey the damage. He'll certainly have a lot of ground to cover.
Frances, now a tropical storm, is moving towards Alabama and Georgia after making its second landfall this afternoon on the Florida's panhandle.
CNN's Tom Foreman reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six million people without electricity, 90,000 in shelters, and up to $10 billion in property damage. By the numbers alone, Frances was a monster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just went on and on and on and on and on.
FOREMAN: And the cleanup is going to be mammoth too. Extra utility crews and relief trucks are heading in from all around the South, and people are lining up by the thousands just for the basics.
LT. GOV. TONI JENNINGS, FLORIDA: We're focused on mass care this point. That's the ice water, food, comfort stations, headed towards those areas in southeast Florida that had the first of the impact.
FOREMAN: The loss of lives was relatively small, considering the storm's size. But among the fatalities are a former son-in-law and a grandson of Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden. They died in a car crash on a wet road.
Many residents are grateful they lost only property, but at places like this decimated marina, where the National Guard is now standing by to stop looting, that is little comfort.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, it's got insurance on it. That's all I can do is collect the insurance. And we spent all our free time working on it, trying to keep it nice. There it is, what can you do?
FOREMAN: Up in the panhandle, where Frances passed with little of the expected damage, a sigh of relief.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You never know what you're going to get. So you have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: Hurricane Charley was more ferocious a few weeks ago, but the fact is, this hurricane is so widespread in its damage, homes damaged, cars damaged, roads damaged, flooding, electricity, it's going to take a long time to patch all of this up. Authorities are just hoping the people who fled the storm will give them a couple of days before they all come rushing back so they can get things a little bit in order, Anderson.
COOPER: Yes, well, there's so many people, Tom, are anxious to get home, because, as you know, they've been spending days in shelters or staying with friends. It's been really tough for them. Tom, thanks for that.
Tens of thousands of people who stayed in Red Cross shelters this past weekend, they finally got to go home today. For many, it's certainly going to be a long, anxious drive, wondering what, if anything, they're going to find when they arrive.
CNN's Jason Bellini followed one family through the storm and the long return home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Last Thursday, Lisa Yarnell-Haire brought her 8-month-old triplets and 2-year-old twins to a Red Cross shelter at a community college near her home. The single mother fell into a routine. Keep the boys, Dalton and Daniel, entertained by day...
LISA YARNELL-HAIRE, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: They think it's a little party or a picnic.
BELLINI: ... and the girls, Madison, Morgan, and Megan, fed and quiet all night.
YARNELL-HAIRE: We've really gone through bottles and diapers. We usually make about 40 a day and 33 diapers a day, so it's busy.
BELLINI: She had help. Her sister and brother-in-law were by her side. Post hurricane, the boys became even more of a handful.
YARNELL-HAIRE: Dalton, don't do that.
BELLINI (on camera): It's Monday morning. Lisa and the family are noticeably a bit more tired, but they're finally getting to go home after spending four nights here in the shelter. They're among the last to be packing up to go.
YARNELL-HAIRE: Come on. You want out of here, don't you?
BELLINI (voice-over): Lisa knew to expect a cluttered house and no electricity when they got home. She didn't know what hurricane damage awaited them.
They piled into the van. Lisa owns the 15-seater and drove the short two miles home.
YARNELL-HAIRE: At least the house is still standing.
I lost the nicest oak tree over there.
A lot of work ahead of us. So not bad at all. I'm pleased.
BELLINI: Despite getting only an hour of sleep each night at the shelter...
YARNELL-HAIRE: So lie down.
BELLINI: ... Lisa won't get a break today.
YARNELL-HAIRE: Here's your Spongebob.
It's been a good experience for all of us.
BELLINI (on camera): A good experience?
YARNELL-HAIRE: A good experience, yes. It...
BELLINI: How could a hurricane be a good experience?
YARNELL-HAIRE: You know, we know what to expect the next time.
BELLINI (voice-over): With Hurricane Frances's twin brother Ivan on course for Florida, next time may be sooner than she hopes.
Jason Bellini, CNN, Melbourne, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: A good experience. Not one I'm sure she wants to have again.
Some bad news out of Iraq. That story tops our look at global stories in tonight's uplink.
Seven Marines were killed and three Iraqi guardsmen died when a massive car bomb exploded in Fallujah. Several others were also injured. That's the largest number of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) casualties the U.S. forces have suffered in a single incident since April. A total of 993 U.S. troops have died in Iraq.
Also in Iraq, a deadline for hostages. Iraqi militants holding these two French journalists have reportedly demanded a $5 million ransom and also set a 48-hour deadline. The kidnappers had originally demanded the French government overturn a law banning Muslim students from wearing head scarves in public schools, but the law took effect last week.
In Gaza City, an attack from the sky. Israeli helicopters fired four rockets at a camp where they believed Palestinian militants were training. Palestinian medical sources tell CNN at least 15 people were killed, 10 of them Hamas members. And the city's main hospital says at least 20 were wounded.
Southwestern China, flash flooding. Rivers are raging. Take a look at these images. New rivers are forming on city streets. At least 76 people are dead, about 80 others missing after torrential rains. Most of the dead were killed when mud slides buried their homes.
And that is tonight's uplink.
In the U.S., a murder mystery. Six people killed in Kansas City, Missouri. The question is, who is responsible? I'll talk with a police officer on the case.
Also tonight, John Kerry down, but certainly not out, in a new poll. He's got a new strategy. We'll step into the "CROSSFIRE" and talk politics ahead.
Also a little later, bringing the pictures of Hurricane Frances's fury into your home, some of the live coverage in rewind. Why don't they just get out of the storm? That's a question I asked myself this weekend inside the box.
All that ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: A murder mystery now in the Midwest. The bodies, one by one, were found in the same 18-square-block area of Kansas City, Missouri. Two of the victims were so badly decomposed that investigators don't know if they are male or female. In fact, there's still a lot the police don't know.
What they do know and fear is that there may be a serial killer in their city.
Kim Burns of our affiliate WDAF has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIM BURNS, REPORTER, WDAF-TV, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI (voice-over): It began on Thursday, when an anonymous caller directed police to a house at 26th and Montgall (ph). There, they found two bodies hidden in a vacant garage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been in Kansas City for 14 years, and I can't remember anything on this scale.
BURNS: The victims have now been identified as Patricia Wilson Butler and a 38-year-old female. On Friday, another anonymous call, and another discovery. Police found this body at 29th and Park, just three blocks from the first location. The victim has been identified as 25-year-old Darcie (ph) Williams.
Police began investigating a possible link between the two, but kept the hope the crimes were not connected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, we are still investigating. The investigation's early.
BURNS: Then, Saturday night brought another phone call, and eliminated the last remaining hope the cases were isolated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have not linked any of these crimes forensically at this point. However, due to the similarities that we have, we believe they are all related.
BURNS: Saturday night, police found two more bodies, one at 28th and Olive, one at 24th and Prospect. Police say new information also suggests a body found on July 14 may be connected to the case. A man found Anna Ewing's body while doing yard work behind a vacant apartment building on East 23rd Street. If her death is connected, it would bring the total number of victims to six.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, that was Kim Burns with our affiliate WDAF reporting.
Now, police say they have linked a sixth body found in July with the five others discovered in the same area.
For the latest on the case, I'm joined by Kansas City Captain Police Rich Lockhart with the Kansas City Police Department.
Captain, thanks very much for being with us.
I understand you've been able to identify four out of the six bodies. What do they have in common, if anything?
CAPT. RICH LOCKHART, KANSAS CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, so far, all of the bodies that we have identified have been that of black females. They have all been found in vacant lots or in vacant houses which are located near vacant lots.
The women themselves frequent the similar areas, and they've all been found within a very small area of each other. COOPER: Do you think the bodies were, were, were killed, these women were killed there, and, and, or, or were they killed somewhere else and then left there?
LOCKHART: We're not really certain for sure whether they were killed where they were dropped or not. But we are investigating that to try and make that determination.
COOPER: You know, I don't want to jump to any conclusions here, but, you know, you have all these killings linked. I mean, are you using the term serial killer at this point?
LOCKHART: We haven't used that term yet. But what we are saying is that we believe that the same person committed all of these crimes and has knowledge what happened to each person.
COOPER: And I know there's a lot of -- obviously there are details you can't go into, so I don't want to press you too much. But you've been getting these 911 calls basically leading to the bodies. Do you, I mean, is that, is that the, the killer, you think, calling you?
LOCKHART: Well, we're not certain, really. We can't say too much about what the caller has told us or who the caller is. Simply to say that that person does have knowledge at least of where three of these bodies were located.
COOPER: What kind of a neighborhood is this?
LOCKHART: It's an urban core neighborhood of Kansas City. It has a lot of vacant homes. And it's an inner-city area and generally a high concentration of black population, and an area of town that has a little bit of crime in it too.
COOPER: And you said the 911 calls led you to three bodies. Was it the same caller?
LOCKHART: We believe it was the same caller that called us on the two separate occasions.
COOPER: I mean, what do you tell (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to, what do you say to people in the neighborhood where these bodies have been found? I mean, obviously there's got to be a lot of fear, a lot of concern.
LOCKHART: Yes, we're telling people that they need to be concerned. We're also telling them to be vigilant and to be watchful for suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. The people who live there know what's suspicious. They know the people that belong. And we're asking them if they see something suspicious, to give us a call and let us know, so that we can investigate.
COOPER: So you're still in the process of identifying these other two bodies, is that correct?
LOCKHART: We are in the process of trying to get those two identified. We do have some leads to go on. And what we're asking people to do is, if they know of people who are missing in the area, to call us. We are also looking through our missing person files to see if we can get any indication of who they might be.
COOPER: Well, Captain Rich Lockhart with the Kansas City Police, I know you got a lot of work ahead of you. We appreciate you joining us tonight. Thanks.
LOCKHART: You're welcome.
COOPER: Big bounce for Bush. New poll numbers give the president a big lead. And the Kerry camp looks for new blood from some old campaigners.
And why do we love to watch reporters stand out in the wind and rain? What it's really like reporting a hurricane inside the box.
360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: The bounce is the thing. Bush got it, Kerry didn't. What does it mean? I'll talk to the "CROSSFIRE" guys. "360" next.
In the next half hour on "360", President Bush got the post convention bounce. Senator Kerry didn't. Does it mean anything? We'll go "360" with the guys from "CROSSFIRE".
Plus, reporters getting knocked around by hurricane Frances. We'll show you some of our finest moments and maybe not so finest inside the box, all that ahead. For now, let's check our top stories in tonight's reset (ph).
In the southeast, what's left of Frances is making its way inland. The former hurricane now a tropical storm made its second landfall this afternoon on the Florida panhandle. On Wednesday, President Bush is going to go to the state to survey the damage. The storm of course killed six people in Florida.
Meanwhile, there's another hurricane on the horizon believe it or not. Hurricane Ivan, category 3 storm, winds 115 miles per hour. It is near the Caribbean islands closing in on Barbados, as if they haven't had enough already, still too early to determine Ivan's exact course. Forecasters say if Ivan doesn't head south of Cuba, it could hit Florida by next weekend.
On the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq, a suicide car bombing has killed seven Marines, two Iraqi guardsmen, the largest amount of U.S. troops to die in a single incident since this spring's fighting near Ramadi (ph).
In New York, doctors say former President Clinton is recovering normally, their words, after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery. They say this morning's four hour operation was a success and Clinton could be home within a week. More on this story a little bit later on "360." Let's talk politics now. Political polls are like those ottoman sized cubes of compacted paper at the recycling center. Looking at the top and sides, whatever happens to be visible only tells you so much. What you've really got to do is tease part all the compressed layers. Luckily for us, no one unpacks pack results like CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Did Bush get the expected bounce from his convention? Just before the convention, Bush was at 50 percent among likely voters, three points ahead of John Kerry and now Bush is at 52 percent, seven points ahead, a convention bounce of two points, the lowest for any incumbent in recent decades. On the other hand, two points is better than nothing, which is what Kerry got out of his convention. Where did Bush's bounce come from? Men, a six-point gain. Women were not impressed. Democrats are complaining that President Bush didn't address the issues.
JOE LOCKHART, KERRY CAMPAIGN ADVISER: I could spend all day here talking about what he didn't address. He didn't address the health care crisis in this country. He didn't address the job crisis.
SCHNEIDER: Perhaps there was a reason. Four years ago, voters said issues mattered more to them than leadership qualities and vision. Times have changed. Now personal qualities outweigh issues. Does that help Bush? You better believe it. Among the minority voting on the issues, Kerry has more than a 20-point lead. The race reverses among voters who give priority to leadership qualities. Bush is more than 20 points ahead. So what kind of race are Democrats hoping for?
TAD DEVINE, KERRY CAMPAIGN SR. STRATEGIST: A close race that will be decided on the issues.
SCHNEIDER: They'd better hope that's the case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: One of Bush's biggest problems is that he failed to deliver on his promise to be a uniter, not a divider. So when the poll asked which candidate will unite the country not divide it, the answer surprisingly was a tie. After a month of bitter debate over Vietnam, Kerry doesn't look like much more of a uniter than Bush does. Anderson.
COOPER: Bill, President Bush did very well in numbers in terms of the war on terror and also out of this convention they drop the numbers of people of people who are opposed the war in Iraq, is that correct?
SCHNEIDER: That is exactly right. The convention packaged the war in Iraq as part of the war on terror. The war in Iraq has kind of submerged in importance. It's less important than it was even though the number of Americans killed is approaching 1,000 and in fact just today, tragically seven Americans were killed, American Marines, the largest number since I think in April. But Iraq was sold to that convention as one battle in the war on terror and what the administration is doing right now is describing the number killed as over 1,000 so that they can argue Iraq and Afghanistan are all the same war.
COOPER: All right. Bill Schneider, thanks for that. If John Kerry's campaign is on track and he says it is, then why is he inviting so many old Clinton engineers and conductors onto the locomotive as everyone knows, saying a ha is a very big part of raw politics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMPAIGN AD: The very next day, George Bush imposes the biggest Medicare premium increase...
COOPER (voice-over): New campaign ads out today show a more domesticated side of the Democratic presidential campaign. John Kerry is talking tough on jobs, the economy and health care and leaving Vietnam in the past.
CAMPAIGN AD: I'm John Kerry and I approved this message.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A good man, a great senator.
COOPER: The stronger focus on domestic politics and the shift in strategy reportedly followed a 90 minute phone call with former President Bill Clinton who sources say told Kerry to turn up the heat and keep the campaign in the here and now. Also in the mix, a group of familiar faces, all from the Clinton camp, including Joe Lockhart, Paul Begala, James Carville and Stanley Greenberg, all architects of Bill Clinton's White House wins, the first successful Democratic campaigns since 1976. John Kerry isn't the first candidate to try shaking things up when the numbers went down with varying degrees of success. In 1980, Ronald Reagan fired his long time friend and campaign manager, John Sears after an expected big win at the Iowa caucuses turned into a big loss. Al Gore's unsuccessful 2000 campaign went through three chairmen in 18 months.
JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, INSIDE POLITICS: None of this is good news for the democrats. None of this is good news for John Kerry. Democrats are worried and therefore, these changes.
SCHNEIDER: Whether this campaign shakeup is just the normal evolution of a campaign staff as the Kerry folks say or signs of real trouble, shifting strategies and staffs in September to avoid a November surprise has become an essential part of raw politics.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: What a difference a weekend makes in politics. The last time we talked to the "CROSSFIRE" guys, both Tucker Carlson and James Carville were observers of the presidential campaign. Now one of them, (INAUDIBLE) Carville a bit more than just an observer. That was one of the things we talked about earlier today. James, I've got to start off you. In the "New York Times" today, I read that among the many former Clintonites who are going to be playing a bigger role in the campaign for John Kerry, your name is one of them. (INAUDIBLE) What advice are you giving him?
JAMES CARVILLE, COHOST, CROSSFIRE: I don't know if it will be a bigger role or anything, but obviously Senator Kerry is a friend and I want to help in any way I can.
COOPER: What does he need to do?
CARVILLE: Very strictly informal. Well, I think this ought to do it. I think they had a bad August. I think that they know that and they're making changes at the campaign. I think they're making strategic changes and I applaud them and I think that you're starting to see the fruits of the changes that they're making.
COOPER: You're talking about not talking so much about Vietnam, talking more about President Bush, trying to get the focus back on him.
CARVILLE: I'm talking about what's going on in America and what's going on in Iraq and contrasting himself with that. The Kerry campaign didn't have a very good August but the country under President Bush has had a terrible August. There's more people injured in Vietnam in August in any months since we've been, I mean in Iraq in the eight (ph) months since we've been there. We had seven young Marines that were killed today. This economy is not producing any jobs. We had the largest Medicare premium increase that we've had in the history of the program. So it took Senator Kerry who recognized that something was wrong with his campaign two days to fix that. President Bush doesn't recognize that we have a problem in this country and he talks about all of the wonderful progress that we're making and I think you want to know the difference between two, Senator Kerry sees a problem, admits a problem, fixes a problem. President Bush sees a problem and sticks his head in the sand and gives a campaign speech. So I think we've got a great contrast here.
COOPER: Tucker, is the problem staffing of the campaign or is the problem the candidate himself?
TUCKER CARLSON, COHOST, CROSSFIRE: It's probably both. I don't disagree with James that they need to run the campaign differently. I don't see evidence that they have yet. It was Thursday night, in fact it was early Friday morning, midnight Friday morning, right after Bush's speech that Kerry got up and gave this widely televised live speech in which he attacked as they had been all week Bush for his not serving in Vietnam and Dick Cheney for the same thing. In other words, as of Friday morning, they were still running a campaign based on Kerry's four months in Vietnam. Get over it.
CARVILLE: The point here is that things are not going well in America. This is a jobless recovery. Health care costs exploding. Things are not going well in Iraq. They're going terribly. Things are not going well for America around the world and that's what we need to make this election about. CARLSON: SO we're not going to be hearing about Vietnam from Senator Kerry.
CARVILLE: I don't know if we're going to be hearing about Vietnam much. I think that what we're going to hear about is what is happening to America and Americans today and I think that's where Senator Kerry needs to be. I think that's where Senator Kerry is. I don't want to look back. The best time to plant an oak tree was 25 years ago. The second best time is today. Well, maybe we should have planted the oak tree August 1st, but hey planted it on September 5th and that's fine with me.
CARLSON: Thanks for the horticulture lesson. But it doesn't mean - look, up to this - we're less than two months before the presidential election. And as James points out correctly, there are some pretty big issues, notably Iraq. I mean there's one really, one big issues and Kerry hasn't explained what he would do different than George W. Bush would do. I mean their positions are almost precisely the same. Don't take my word for it. Go to the web site. And so what is the rationale for electing John Kerry that George W. Bush is annoying or he's evil or something? Maybe that excites the moveon.org type people, but it's not going to get...
(CROSSTALK)
CARLSON: Hold on and that is, it's interesting if you break out some of the polls, I noted there's one CNN did one, "NewsWeek" did another, where each candidate is on the issues in the public mind. Bush is winning in every category except in health care and Medicare where he's losing by two points. He's beating Kerry on education and on taxes and on the economy. So it's not just that Bush has this much stronger hand on national security and if he does, it's like on everything else he's winning (ph). It's bad.
CARVILLE: This administration's attention has been completely diverted to Iraq. They haven't done one thing to try to get health care costs under control. They haven't even cared about this. Their answer to everything is to try to dig themselves out of this quagmire they got in Iraq and not pay attention to things that are happening right here in the United States of America. And that is the change that we need. And the lack of respect that we have around the world is costing American diplomacy. It's costing America in prestige. It's costing America in the goods that we sell overseas and we've got to change that and change it right away. We need to have an administration that understands that.
COOPER: We're going to leave it there. James Carville, Tucker Carlson, thanks very much.
CARLSON: Thanks.
COOPER: Well, today's buzz is this, what do you think? Did either political convention cause you to change your vote? Yes or no. Log on to cnn.com/360. Cast your vote. We will have results at the end of the show in about 15 minutes or so. The bypass operation is over. Now comes the next step for the former president. Coming up next on 360, we're going to talk about the difficult road ahead for Bill Clinton and what it's going to take physically and mentally to recover.
Also tonight, Frances lighten up. Why don't the reporters just get out of the rain? Wait a minute, that's me covering the hurricane like an idiot. All right. Inside the box, we'll take a look. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Talking about former President Clinton now. Doctors say the operation was a success. The former president is said to be resting comfortably this evening after undergoing quadruple heart bypass surgery. The four-hour operation had its risks. Certainly these days it is fairly routine. More than 300,000 people undergo bypass surgery each year. They're often out of the hospital within a week. While the physical recovery is fairly quick, the emotional impact may last longer. We want to talk about that now with Dr. Ian Smith, rehab specialist and columnist for "Men's Health" magazine. Good to see you again Doctor.
DR. IAN SMITH, COLUMNIST, "MEN'S HEALTH" MAGAZINE: Anderson, good to see you.
COOPER: What does President Clinton have ahead of him? I mean his doctors said he may be out of the hospital this week.
SMITH: Typically most patients after this bypass surgery will be in the hospital for five to seven days if it's not complicated. We don't know exactly what the procedure was or how many vessels that they did, but typically five to seven days. The good thing for President Clinton is that he's in such good shape ahead of time. He had lost this weight. He had begun this exercise regimen again. He had said per interview on Larry King that he had brought his blood pressure under control.
COOPER: Right, he talked about being on the South Beach diet.
SMITH: And dropped his cholesterol. So the good thing is that's called pre-morbid function. That is how well you're doing before the surgery and it seems like he was doing very well. The key however is going to be the rehab, the cardiac rehab.
COOPER: You've still got to make big life changes.
SMITH: Absolutely. The important point here is that just because you have the surgery, it doesn't cure your coronary artery disease. You have to have lifestyle changes. You have to watch what you eat. You have to continue to exercise and you have to be very, very careful from a mental standpoint of how you look at things now. People don't often talk about the mental aspects of this surgery. A lot of people are depressed.
COOPER: I know people who have undergone this. Why the depression afterwards?
SMITH: One of the major reasons people think is because now you're looking at the fragility of your mortality. Now you're realizing that you're mortal, that you have had this brush with death or you could have died and now you're sitting there saying, oh my goodness, I'm on the brink here.
COOPER: So it's not some physiological change that makes you depressed.
SMITH: No. It is not like some patients where they have some neuro transmitters, some chemicals in their brains have deficits. It's not that kind of case. It's the belief that people now are facing a lifestyle change. Listen, when you leave the hospital after this kind of surgery, you're given a list of things you have to change and that is enough to make people say, oh, my goodness, I've got to change my diet. I have to change my exercise regimen, change all these...
COOPER: How long does that depression last?
SMITH: It all depends. I mean typically people would expect it to be gone between three to six months and some people say if it's still around after three to six months, then you should seek professional help. But the key is, it's a very difficult balance. Some people are going to be down. Listen, you just had heart surgery. You just were told that you were close to death possibly, you could have had a heart attack. You're expected to have some down moods. You have to discern the difference between the down moods and true clinical depression. That's not always easy.
COOPER: Yes, it's a long road ahead. Dr. Ian Smith, thanks very much. Good to see you.
Well, heart bypass operation patients come from all walks of life certainly. Some like former President Clinton are household names, people who you wouldn't expect could also be at risk. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One day you're the life of the party. Next thing you know, you're on the operating table and doctors are using a plastic heart to describe your clogged arteries. The waiting room consists of the world press exhibiting some not exactly heart healthy behavior while waiting for the former president's arteries to be bypassed. But there's one thought that's hard to bypass.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That could be us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It does make you stop and think.
MOOS: It's kind of sad because Clinton had just changed his ways. Suddenly he was being --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you can't change your arteries overnight.
MOOS: Even if your arteries are famous.
DAVID LETTERMAN: While I was gone, I had quintuple bypass surgery on my heart. Plus, I got a haircut.
MOOS: It's the kind of operation that makes even a funny man choke up.
LETTERMAN: These men and women right here saved my life.
MOOS: Why, even age-defying David Bowie had to undergo balloon angioplasty recently to unclog an artery.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That makes me feel old.
MOOS: And if it can happen to Bowie, why not the terminator himself? Arnold Schwarzenegger, did you even know he had a valve replaced?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't know he had a heart.
MOOS: Bill Clinton's well-wishers included this flock of roller skating nuns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We wish him the best.
MOOS: What kind of nuns are these?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sisters of life.
MOOS: And when the comeback kid comes back to life, he can expect a Letterman like return.
JERRY SEINFELD: I thought you were dead.
LETTERMAN: I am just happy to be wearing clothing that opens in the front.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, ever wonder what it's like reporting on a hurricane? Coming up next on 360, we're going to go inside the box with the wet and the wild and the never ending, never ending coverage of hurricane Frances.
Also tonight, why Frances is Frances and why other storms are not named. We're going to take that "the nth degree." Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: So do you ever watch reporters standing out in hurricane winds and think to yourself, why doesn't that guy just go indoors? What is he, an idiot? That's a question I had the chance to ask myself an awful lot this weekend as I was standing out in the rain hour after hour after hour. Here's a look at what it's really like inside the box.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: The most difficult thing about covering a hurricane, isn't the winds.
How does it feel to you Chad?
CHAD MYERS, METEOROLOGIST: I think the wind picked up again but we had a squall that did it. It wasn't so much that it a sustained wind. It was a gusty wind.
COOPER: It isn't the rain.
MYERS: As the water evaporates off the ocean and that's how the hurricane gets its power.
COOPER: It's trying to figure out what to talk about, because after you've talked about the wind --
MYERS: 76.4 was the last I got, just holding it behind you.
COOPER: And the rain.
COOPER: Why does it rain not saltwater?
MYERS: Well.
COOPER: There's really not much to talk about. Carol, it's going to be a long night.
After 10 hours of standing in the wind and the rain, talking about the wind and the rain, you start to wrinkle and you start to get a little punchy.
COOPER: No, it's fine. We enjoyed the long lengthy e-mails.
MILES O'BRIEN: Here's one more.
COOPER: Give a whole new meaning to the term hanging Chad. Thank you, I'll be here all week. And then after about 24 hours with only a little sleep, you start to get really punchy.
You know what, I can't even remember where I am. Barefoot Bay which is just south of Melbourne. It's been a long 24 hours. I'm sorry Carol.
Watching weathermen get pummeled by a storm is fun, much more fun it turns out than being pummeled by a storm while talking "inside the box".
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: All right. So how did Frances become Frances? Coming up on 360, naming hurricanes. How it's all decided. Going to take that to the nth degree. First today's buzz. Did either political convention cause you to change your vote? You still have time to vote on this yes or no. Log on to cnn.com/360. Cast your vote. Results in just a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Time now for the buzz. Earlier we asked you, did either political convention cause you to change your vote, yes or no? Nearly 16,000 of you voted, eight percent of you said, yes, 92 percent of you said no, not a scientific poll, but it is your bounce.
Tonight taking personification to the nth degree. We didn't always confer names on the great storms. The practice of personifying hurricanes, at first only as women, dates to the 1950s. Really though, the question is, why do we do it at all? I mean we don't refer to eruption Edna, tornado Tom, earthquake Elizabeth, mud slide Murray, but then those other misfortunes overtake us without warning.
A hurricane is different. It announces itself, blows trumpets of wind, bangs on the roof, shakes stop lights and trees to say it's coming. It threatens first like the big bad wolf. I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down. Not just yet though, soon.
A great storm plays cat and mouse with you, pausing, slowing down, speeding up, feinting this way and that. And you know what happens when there's nothing to do but sit and wait. The mind begins playing tricks. So we think, give it a name and maybe we can reason with it. Now, now, Frances, easy old girl, behave yourself. All sorts of odd things suddenly make sense when we're boarding up windows. I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for watching 360. Coming up next, PAULA ZAHN NOW.
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 September 6, 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.
Quadruple heart bypass surgery for President Clinton.
360 starts now.
Surgery successful: Former president Bill Clinton recovering after hours in the OR. A live update on his condition from New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Big bounce for Bush: New poll numbers give the president a big lead. And the Kerry camp looks for new blood from some old campaigners.
Devastating damage. Frances ravages the Sunshine State, leaving scores of people homeless. A massive cleanup, and assessing the damage on 360.
Shock and grief. The wails of mourners heard across Russia. Tiny coffins line the streets of Beslan. Families say their last goodbyes as their children are laid to rest.
A Midwest murder mystery. Six bodies all found in the same Kansas City neighborhood. Who are they, and who is the anonymous caller leading police to the crime scene?
And why do we love to watch reporters stand out in the wind and rain? What it's really like reporting a hurricane inside the box.
ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COOPER: Good evening to you.
Tonight, Bill Clinton is resting in a hospital room just hours after undergoing open-heart surgery. The quadruple heart bypass operation surgeons performed on him was, by all accounts, a success, and the 58-year-old former president is said to be doing well. Now, his doctors think he may even be able to go home by the end of this week.
For the near future, of course, there is no campaign trail for Clinton, just the rode to recovery after a procedure that saved his life.
Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A procedure that's done 1,000 times a day in America was done today on a former president, cardiac bypass surgery. The result, successful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE PHYSICIAN: He had a relatively routine quadruple bypass operation. We left the operating room around noon, and he is recovering normally at this point.
GUPTA: During the operation, Clinton's chest was opened, his heart was stopped, and he was put on a heart-lung machine. The bypass procedure was then performed, and his heart was restarted. The operation took four hours. It will be two or three months before Mr. Clinton is 100 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE PHYSICIAN: It would be common for him to be ready to leave the hospital within four or five days. Right now, based on how he's doing, there's no reason to think he wouldn't fall within the same experience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE PHYSICIAN: At home, he will have a schedule of exercise that will gradually increase, and he will gradually resume a entirely normal physical exercise and work schedule.
GUPTA: Bill Clinton has had access to the world's best medical care. But that can't erase a lifetime of bad eating habits and a family history of heart problems.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just have a seat here.
GUPTA: Given our own fathers' history of heart attacks, Anderson and I were concerned enough to get our hearts checked with some of the latest technology a coup;e of months ago. Luckily, both of our tests were normal.
And so the larger message of Mr. Clinton's surgery may be increased awareness of the number-one killer of men and women in America, heart disease.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: And when a president gets sick, Anderson, it's important to point out that while we pray for his speedy recovery, no doubt, we also learn some valuable lessons. And such may be the case with former president Bill Clinton, Anderson.
COOPER: Certainly (UNINTELLIGIBLE) focusing a lot of attention on the issue. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much.
From Bill Clinton's prognosis to John Kerry's, the latest CNN- "USA Today"-Gallup poll finds that among likely voters, 52 percent currently say they intend to cast their ballot for George Bush. Now, that represents a gain of 2 percent for the president. As for Mr. John Kerry, he is now the preference of 45 percent of likely voters, a 2 percent loss on the senator's side.
And that is the good news. Polls by both "TIME" and "Newsweek" show that President Bush with an 11 percent lead.
CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley has team Kerry's response to all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Running second outside the margin of error is not where you want to be as the fall campaign opens, so John Kerry is turning a new leaf, putting old faces in new places and focusing on the economy.
Still, several voters at a front-porch conversation with the Democratic nominee asked about Iraq.
SEN. JOHN KERRY, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
CROWLEY: It was Kerry's most concise, harshest war critique yet. He also called the president's use of the word "coalition" to describe forces in Iraq the, quote, "phoniest thing I've ever heard." Kerry also suggested he would bring all U.S. troops home by the end of his first term.
It was not precisely the Labor Day lead Camp Kerry was looking for, as it tries to pivot to more fertile territory. The latest CNN- Gallup poll shows George Bush with a 27-point advantage when voters are asked who could better handle the war on terrorism, and a 13-point edge on Iraq.
But on the home front, Kerry shows a 13-point advantage on health care and 3 points on the economy.
By the time he got to West Virginia, Kerry had the microphone to himself.
KERRY: The last Democratic president over eight years helped us create 23 million new jobs. That's compared to George Bush losing a million jobs. That's W. Wrong, wrong choices, wrong direction for America.
CROWLEY: In addition to a new refrain, Kerry continues to shift around his staff. John Sasso, an old friend and former Dukakis campaign manager, has been brought over to be a kind of high-powered seatmate and strategist. Kerry insiders say the candidate needs somebody to vent to and keep him focused while he's on the road.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KERRY: ... to do what's right in this country...
CROWLEY: By the time he got to this Labor Day picnic here in Cleveland, Ohio, John Kerry was back on track, talking mostly economy. But he found a way to bring Iraq into that, saying, if the president had not gone to war and spent about $200 billion on that war, there are many desperate needs here at home he could have paid for, Anderson. COOPER: Candy Crowley, thanks very much.
For another viewpoint, hilltop as opposed to valley, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is with the Bush campaign in Missouri -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, these two camps, of course, trading barbs almost immediately. President Bush just moments ago here in Poplar Bluff, this is where he actually responded to Kerry's change in team earlier today by characterizing it as also a flip-flop, a change in his position on Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: After voting for the war, but against funding it, after saying he would have voted for the war even knowing everything we know today, my opponent woke up this morning with new campaign advisers and yet another new position. Suddenly, he's against it again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Anderson, we also heard from Vice President Dick Cheney, who responded to Kerry's comments that this was a phony coalition. He responded, saying that when it comes to diplomacy, it looks to me like John Kerry should stick to wind surfing, of course, referring to John Kerry's vacation, when he went wind surfing.
To let you know, Anderson, of course, Missouri is going to be a big challenge for this president. This is a state only second to Michigan that has lost the highest number of jobs between June and July, some 23,000 jobs. That is a 2 percent dip, of course, the Bush campaign saying they've got a strategy to turn that around regarding a tax cuts as well as the reforming the tax code.
Should also let you know, Anderson, that we've learned some new news that the president is going to be traveling to Florida on Wednesday. He's going to be surveying the hurricane damage. He comes there with an offer, a request to Congress of $2 billion in additional funding. As you know, Anderson, Florida a critical state for the president.
COOPER: And this for the second time he has torted (ph) surveying damage from a hurricane. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much for that.
Kerry supporters hoping for a comeback and finding a little hope in history. He's done it before. Here's a quick fast fact for you. In 1996, Kerry was in a dogfight for his Senate seat against then- Massachusetts governor William weld. In late August, Kerry was trailing the governor by 8 points in the polls. Kerry shed a top political aide, replaced him with a veteran ad-man who crafted a more aggressive, partisan message. That move, plus strong performances in eight debates, helped him turn the tide.
Now, Kerry ended up winning that race by 8 percentage points. We're going to talk more about politics later on with the "CROSSFIRE" guys as well as Bill Schneider. We're going to take a closer look at those polls.
Today's buzz is this. Did either political convention cause you to change your vote? Want to hear from you, yes or no. Log on to CNN.com/360, cast your vote. We'll have results at the end of the program tonight.
In Russia at this hour, they are trying to comprehend the incomprehensible, the murder of 156 children and 182 adults. A terror attack in a middle school, textbooks stacked in windows to shield the killers, killers who shot children in the back as they fled.
Authorities say they've arrested one of the terrorists responsible for the siege. They say this man claims he was ordered by a Chechen rebel leader to take over a school to, quote, "start a war across the Caucuses." No war, of course, was started. Russia is in mourning.
And in the town of Beslan, grief and rage overflows. ITN's Bill Neeley reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL NEELEY, ITN (voice-over): After the slaughter, the mass burial, in a field of agony. The cries of thousands rising up from the pit of Beslan's despair.
It was a scene of unimaginable horror.
Beneath driving rain, the open coffin of an 11-year-old boy. Skyev Artebek (ph) was shot repeatedly as he tried to run from the siege. His grandmother's grief scratched on her face.
Children and their teachers, buried side by side. The anguish uncontrollable.
And how could it be after deaths like these? This was their school. And here they are on the opening day two years ago with balloons and chocolates for their teacher, dressed in their best, just as they were last Wednesday.
Dozens of these children are now dead. In the pouring rain, dozens of the victims still lie unidentified, relatives searching in the stench for their missing children or parents.
(on camera): But many of the injuries, especially the burns, are just horrific. The people cannot be identified. And in many cases, whole families were murdered in the school. There is simply no one left here to identify them.
(voice-over): This woman has just found her daughter.
Nearby, others peer beneath the plastic, looking for rings, jewelry, any kind of clue. Asa is looking for 12-year-old Medina. What happened in this school and in its gym was horrifying. But this was horrifying too, his wife and little girl shot in the back. Their anguish beyond words.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: That was ITN's Bill Neeley.
Coming up next on 360, we're going to take a look at Hurricane Frances. The hurricane turned tropical storm left Florida and left a path of destruction behind. A live report next on 360.
Also in the Midwest tonight, a murder mystery. Six deaths in Kansas City, Missouri, and police say one person is responsible. I'll talk with an investigator on the case.
And John Kerry dropped in the polls. He's launched a new offensive and hired some new political guns. Ahead, the raw politics of coming from behind. We'll also take a detailed look at the polls and go 360 with Carville and Carlson.
All that ahead. First, let's take a look at your picks, the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, it is nice to be inside tonight, warm and dry. Spent the weekend in Florida covering hurricane Frances, which left at least six people dead. On Wednesday, President Bush will head to Florida to survey the damage. He'll certainly have a lot of ground to cover.
Frances, now a tropical storm, is moving towards Alabama and Georgia after making its second landfall this afternoon on the Florida's panhandle.
CNN's Tom Foreman reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six million people without electricity, 90,000 in shelters, and up to $10 billion in property damage. By the numbers alone, Frances was a monster.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just went on and on and on and on and on.
FOREMAN: And the cleanup is going to be mammoth too. Extra utility crews and relief trucks are heading in from all around the South, and people are lining up by the thousands just for the basics.
LT. GOV. TONI JENNINGS, FLORIDA: We're focused on mass care this point. That's the ice water, food, comfort stations, headed towards those areas in southeast Florida that had the first of the impact.
FOREMAN: The loss of lives was relatively small, considering the storm's size. But among the fatalities are a former son-in-law and a grandson of Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden. They died in a car crash on a wet road.
Many residents are grateful they lost only property, but at places like this decimated marina, where the National Guard is now standing by to stop looting, that is little comfort.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, it's got insurance on it. That's all I can do is collect the insurance. And we spent all our free time working on it, trying to keep it nice. There it is, what can you do?
FOREMAN: Up in the panhandle, where Frances passed with little of the expected damage, a sigh of relief.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You never know what you're going to get. So you have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: Hurricane Charley was more ferocious a few weeks ago, but the fact is, this hurricane is so widespread in its damage, homes damaged, cars damaged, roads damaged, flooding, electricity, it's going to take a long time to patch all of this up. Authorities are just hoping the people who fled the storm will give them a couple of days before they all come rushing back so they can get things a little bit in order, Anderson.
COOPER: Yes, well, there's so many people, Tom, are anxious to get home, because, as you know, they've been spending days in shelters or staying with friends. It's been really tough for them. Tom, thanks for that.
Tens of thousands of people who stayed in Red Cross shelters this past weekend, they finally got to go home today. For many, it's certainly going to be a long, anxious drive, wondering what, if anything, they're going to find when they arrive.
CNN's Jason Bellini followed one family through the storm and the long return home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Last Thursday, Lisa Yarnell-Haire brought her 8-month-old triplets and 2-year-old twins to a Red Cross shelter at a community college near her home. The single mother fell into a routine. Keep the boys, Dalton and Daniel, entertained by day...
LISA YARNELL-HAIRE, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: They think it's a little party or a picnic.
BELLINI: ... and the girls, Madison, Morgan, and Megan, fed and quiet all night.
YARNELL-HAIRE: We've really gone through bottles and diapers. We usually make about 40 a day and 33 diapers a day, so it's busy.
BELLINI: She had help. Her sister and brother-in-law were by her side. Post hurricane, the boys became even more of a handful.
YARNELL-HAIRE: Dalton, don't do that.
BELLINI (on camera): It's Monday morning. Lisa and the family are noticeably a bit more tired, but they're finally getting to go home after spending four nights here in the shelter. They're among the last to be packing up to go.
YARNELL-HAIRE: Come on. You want out of here, don't you?
BELLINI (voice-over): Lisa knew to expect a cluttered house and no electricity when they got home. She didn't know what hurricane damage awaited them.
They piled into the van. Lisa owns the 15-seater and drove the short two miles home.
YARNELL-HAIRE: At least the house is still standing.
I lost the nicest oak tree over there.
A lot of work ahead of us. So not bad at all. I'm pleased.
BELLINI: Despite getting only an hour of sleep each night at the shelter...
YARNELL-HAIRE: So lie down.
BELLINI: ... Lisa won't get a break today.
YARNELL-HAIRE: Here's your Spongebob.
It's been a good experience for all of us.
BELLINI (on camera): A good experience?
YARNELL-HAIRE: A good experience, yes. It...
BELLINI: How could a hurricane be a good experience?
YARNELL-HAIRE: You know, we know what to expect the next time.
BELLINI (voice-over): With Hurricane Frances's twin brother Ivan on course for Florida, next time may be sooner than she hopes.
Jason Bellini, CNN, Melbourne, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: A good experience. Not one I'm sure she wants to have again.
Some bad news out of Iraq. That story tops our look at global stories in tonight's uplink.
Seven Marines were killed and three Iraqi guardsmen died when a massive car bomb exploded in Fallujah. Several others were also injured. That's the largest number of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) casualties the U.S. forces have suffered in a single incident since April. A total of 993 U.S. troops have died in Iraq.
Also in Iraq, a deadline for hostages. Iraqi militants holding these two French journalists have reportedly demanded a $5 million ransom and also set a 48-hour deadline. The kidnappers had originally demanded the French government overturn a law banning Muslim students from wearing head scarves in public schools, but the law took effect last week.
In Gaza City, an attack from the sky. Israeli helicopters fired four rockets at a camp where they believed Palestinian militants were training. Palestinian medical sources tell CNN at least 15 people were killed, 10 of them Hamas members. And the city's main hospital says at least 20 were wounded.
Southwestern China, flash flooding. Rivers are raging. Take a look at these images. New rivers are forming on city streets. At least 76 people are dead, about 80 others missing after torrential rains. Most of the dead were killed when mud slides buried their homes.
And that is tonight's uplink.
In the U.S., a murder mystery. Six people killed in Kansas City, Missouri. The question is, who is responsible? I'll talk with a police officer on the case.
Also tonight, John Kerry down, but certainly not out, in a new poll. He's got a new strategy. We'll step into the "CROSSFIRE" and talk politics ahead.
Also a little later, bringing the pictures of Hurricane Frances's fury into your home, some of the live coverage in rewind. Why don't they just get out of the storm? That's a question I asked myself this weekend inside the box.
All that ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: A murder mystery now in the Midwest. The bodies, one by one, were found in the same 18-square-block area of Kansas City, Missouri. Two of the victims were so badly decomposed that investigators don't know if they are male or female. In fact, there's still a lot the police don't know.
What they do know and fear is that there may be a serial killer in their city.
Kim Burns of our affiliate WDAF has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIM BURNS, REPORTER, WDAF-TV, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI (voice-over): It began on Thursday, when an anonymous caller directed police to a house at 26th and Montgall (ph). There, they found two bodies hidden in a vacant garage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been in Kansas City for 14 years, and I can't remember anything on this scale.
BURNS: The victims have now been identified as Patricia Wilson Butler and a 38-year-old female. On Friday, another anonymous call, and another discovery. Police found this body at 29th and Park, just three blocks from the first location. The victim has been identified as 25-year-old Darcie (ph) Williams.
Police began investigating a possible link between the two, but kept the hope the crimes were not connected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, we are still investigating. The investigation's early.
BURNS: Then, Saturday night brought another phone call, and eliminated the last remaining hope the cases were isolated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have not linked any of these crimes forensically at this point. However, due to the similarities that we have, we believe they are all related.
BURNS: Saturday night, police found two more bodies, one at 28th and Olive, one at 24th and Prospect. Police say new information also suggests a body found on July 14 may be connected to the case. A man found Anna Ewing's body while doing yard work behind a vacant apartment building on East 23rd Street. If her death is connected, it would bring the total number of victims to six.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, that was Kim Burns with our affiliate WDAF reporting.
Now, police say they have linked a sixth body found in July with the five others discovered in the same area.
For the latest on the case, I'm joined by Kansas City Captain Police Rich Lockhart with the Kansas City Police Department.
Captain, thanks very much for being with us.
I understand you've been able to identify four out of the six bodies. What do they have in common, if anything?
CAPT. RICH LOCKHART, KANSAS CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, so far, all of the bodies that we have identified have been that of black females. They have all been found in vacant lots or in vacant houses which are located near vacant lots.
The women themselves frequent the similar areas, and they've all been found within a very small area of each other. COOPER: Do you think the bodies were, were, were killed, these women were killed there, and, and, or, or were they killed somewhere else and then left there?
LOCKHART: We're not really certain for sure whether they were killed where they were dropped or not. But we are investigating that to try and make that determination.
COOPER: You know, I don't want to jump to any conclusions here, but, you know, you have all these killings linked. I mean, are you using the term serial killer at this point?
LOCKHART: We haven't used that term yet. But what we are saying is that we believe that the same person committed all of these crimes and has knowledge what happened to each person.
COOPER: And I know there's a lot of -- obviously there are details you can't go into, so I don't want to press you too much. But you've been getting these 911 calls basically leading to the bodies. Do you, I mean, is that, is that the, the killer, you think, calling you?
LOCKHART: Well, we're not certain, really. We can't say too much about what the caller has told us or who the caller is. Simply to say that that person does have knowledge at least of where three of these bodies were located.
COOPER: What kind of a neighborhood is this?
LOCKHART: It's an urban core neighborhood of Kansas City. It has a lot of vacant homes. And it's an inner-city area and generally a high concentration of black population, and an area of town that has a little bit of crime in it too.
COOPER: And you said the 911 calls led you to three bodies. Was it the same caller?
LOCKHART: We believe it was the same caller that called us on the two separate occasions.
COOPER: I mean, what do you tell (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to, what do you say to people in the neighborhood where these bodies have been found? I mean, obviously there's got to be a lot of fear, a lot of concern.
LOCKHART: Yes, we're telling people that they need to be concerned. We're also telling them to be vigilant and to be watchful for suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. The people who live there know what's suspicious. They know the people that belong. And we're asking them if they see something suspicious, to give us a call and let us know, so that we can investigate.
COOPER: So you're still in the process of identifying these other two bodies, is that correct?
LOCKHART: We are in the process of trying to get those two identified. We do have some leads to go on. And what we're asking people to do is, if they know of people who are missing in the area, to call us. We are also looking through our missing person files to see if we can get any indication of who they might be.
COOPER: Well, Captain Rich Lockhart with the Kansas City Police, I know you got a lot of work ahead of you. We appreciate you joining us tonight. Thanks.
LOCKHART: You're welcome.
COOPER: Big bounce for Bush. New poll numbers give the president a big lead. And the Kerry camp looks for new blood from some old campaigners.
And why do we love to watch reporters stand out in the wind and rain? What it's really like reporting a hurricane inside the box.
360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: The bounce is the thing. Bush got it, Kerry didn't. What does it mean? I'll talk to the "CROSSFIRE" guys. "360" next.
In the next half hour on "360", President Bush got the post convention bounce. Senator Kerry didn't. Does it mean anything? We'll go "360" with the guys from "CROSSFIRE".
Plus, reporters getting knocked around by hurricane Frances. We'll show you some of our finest moments and maybe not so finest inside the box, all that ahead. For now, let's check our top stories in tonight's reset (ph).
In the southeast, what's left of Frances is making its way inland. The former hurricane now a tropical storm made its second landfall this afternoon on the Florida panhandle. On Wednesday, President Bush is going to go to the state to survey the damage. The storm of course killed six people in Florida.
Meanwhile, there's another hurricane on the horizon believe it or not. Hurricane Ivan, category 3 storm, winds 115 miles per hour. It is near the Caribbean islands closing in on Barbados, as if they haven't had enough already, still too early to determine Ivan's exact course. Forecasters say if Ivan doesn't head south of Cuba, it could hit Florida by next weekend.
On the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq, a suicide car bombing has killed seven Marines, two Iraqi guardsmen, the largest amount of U.S. troops to die in a single incident since this spring's fighting near Ramadi (ph).
In New York, doctors say former President Clinton is recovering normally, their words, after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery. They say this morning's four hour operation was a success and Clinton could be home within a week. More on this story a little bit later on "360." Let's talk politics now. Political polls are like those ottoman sized cubes of compacted paper at the recycling center. Looking at the top and sides, whatever happens to be visible only tells you so much. What you've really got to do is tease part all the compressed layers. Luckily for us, no one unpacks pack results like CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Did Bush get the expected bounce from his convention? Just before the convention, Bush was at 50 percent among likely voters, three points ahead of John Kerry and now Bush is at 52 percent, seven points ahead, a convention bounce of two points, the lowest for any incumbent in recent decades. On the other hand, two points is better than nothing, which is what Kerry got out of his convention. Where did Bush's bounce come from? Men, a six-point gain. Women were not impressed. Democrats are complaining that President Bush didn't address the issues.
JOE LOCKHART, KERRY CAMPAIGN ADVISER: I could spend all day here talking about what he didn't address. He didn't address the health care crisis in this country. He didn't address the job crisis.
SCHNEIDER: Perhaps there was a reason. Four years ago, voters said issues mattered more to them than leadership qualities and vision. Times have changed. Now personal qualities outweigh issues. Does that help Bush? You better believe it. Among the minority voting on the issues, Kerry has more than a 20-point lead. The race reverses among voters who give priority to leadership qualities. Bush is more than 20 points ahead. So what kind of race are Democrats hoping for?
TAD DEVINE, KERRY CAMPAIGN SR. STRATEGIST: A close race that will be decided on the issues.
SCHNEIDER: They'd better hope that's the case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: One of Bush's biggest problems is that he failed to deliver on his promise to be a uniter, not a divider. So when the poll asked which candidate will unite the country not divide it, the answer surprisingly was a tie. After a month of bitter debate over Vietnam, Kerry doesn't look like much more of a uniter than Bush does. Anderson.
COOPER: Bill, President Bush did very well in numbers in terms of the war on terror and also out of this convention they drop the numbers of people of people who are opposed the war in Iraq, is that correct?
SCHNEIDER: That is exactly right. The convention packaged the war in Iraq as part of the war on terror. The war in Iraq has kind of submerged in importance. It's less important than it was even though the number of Americans killed is approaching 1,000 and in fact just today, tragically seven Americans were killed, American Marines, the largest number since I think in April. But Iraq was sold to that convention as one battle in the war on terror and what the administration is doing right now is describing the number killed as over 1,000 so that they can argue Iraq and Afghanistan are all the same war.
COOPER: All right. Bill Schneider, thanks for that. If John Kerry's campaign is on track and he says it is, then why is he inviting so many old Clinton engineers and conductors onto the locomotive as everyone knows, saying a ha is a very big part of raw politics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMPAIGN AD: The very next day, George Bush imposes the biggest Medicare premium increase...
COOPER (voice-over): New campaign ads out today show a more domesticated side of the Democratic presidential campaign. John Kerry is talking tough on jobs, the economy and health care and leaving Vietnam in the past.
CAMPAIGN AD: I'm John Kerry and I approved this message.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A good man, a great senator.
COOPER: The stronger focus on domestic politics and the shift in strategy reportedly followed a 90 minute phone call with former President Bill Clinton who sources say told Kerry to turn up the heat and keep the campaign in the here and now. Also in the mix, a group of familiar faces, all from the Clinton camp, including Joe Lockhart, Paul Begala, James Carville and Stanley Greenberg, all architects of Bill Clinton's White House wins, the first successful Democratic campaigns since 1976. John Kerry isn't the first candidate to try shaking things up when the numbers went down with varying degrees of success. In 1980, Ronald Reagan fired his long time friend and campaign manager, John Sears after an expected big win at the Iowa caucuses turned into a big loss. Al Gore's unsuccessful 2000 campaign went through three chairmen in 18 months.
JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, INSIDE POLITICS: None of this is good news for the democrats. None of this is good news for John Kerry. Democrats are worried and therefore, these changes.
SCHNEIDER: Whether this campaign shakeup is just the normal evolution of a campaign staff as the Kerry folks say or signs of real trouble, shifting strategies and staffs in September to avoid a November surprise has become an essential part of raw politics.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: What a difference a weekend makes in politics. The last time we talked to the "CROSSFIRE" guys, both Tucker Carlson and James Carville were observers of the presidential campaign. Now one of them, (INAUDIBLE) Carville a bit more than just an observer. That was one of the things we talked about earlier today. James, I've got to start off you. In the "New York Times" today, I read that among the many former Clintonites who are going to be playing a bigger role in the campaign for John Kerry, your name is one of them. (INAUDIBLE) What advice are you giving him?
JAMES CARVILLE, COHOST, CROSSFIRE: I don't know if it will be a bigger role or anything, but obviously Senator Kerry is a friend and I want to help in any way I can.
COOPER: What does he need to do?
CARVILLE: Very strictly informal. Well, I think this ought to do it. I think they had a bad August. I think that they know that and they're making changes at the campaign. I think they're making strategic changes and I applaud them and I think that you're starting to see the fruits of the changes that they're making.
COOPER: You're talking about not talking so much about Vietnam, talking more about President Bush, trying to get the focus back on him.
CARVILLE: I'm talking about what's going on in America and what's going on in Iraq and contrasting himself with that. The Kerry campaign didn't have a very good August but the country under President Bush has had a terrible August. There's more people injured in Vietnam in August in any months since we've been, I mean in Iraq in the eight (ph) months since we've been there. We had seven young Marines that were killed today. This economy is not producing any jobs. We had the largest Medicare premium increase that we've had in the history of the program. So it took Senator Kerry who recognized that something was wrong with his campaign two days to fix that. President Bush doesn't recognize that we have a problem in this country and he talks about all of the wonderful progress that we're making and I think you want to know the difference between two, Senator Kerry sees a problem, admits a problem, fixes a problem. President Bush sees a problem and sticks his head in the sand and gives a campaign speech. So I think we've got a great contrast here.
COOPER: Tucker, is the problem staffing of the campaign or is the problem the candidate himself?
TUCKER CARLSON, COHOST, CROSSFIRE: It's probably both. I don't disagree with James that they need to run the campaign differently. I don't see evidence that they have yet. It was Thursday night, in fact it was early Friday morning, midnight Friday morning, right after Bush's speech that Kerry got up and gave this widely televised live speech in which he attacked as they had been all week Bush for his not serving in Vietnam and Dick Cheney for the same thing. In other words, as of Friday morning, they were still running a campaign based on Kerry's four months in Vietnam. Get over it.
CARVILLE: The point here is that things are not going well in America. This is a jobless recovery. Health care costs exploding. Things are not going well in Iraq. They're going terribly. Things are not going well for America around the world and that's what we need to make this election about. CARLSON: SO we're not going to be hearing about Vietnam from Senator Kerry.
CARVILLE: I don't know if we're going to be hearing about Vietnam much. I think that what we're going to hear about is what is happening to America and Americans today and I think that's where Senator Kerry needs to be. I think that's where Senator Kerry is. I don't want to look back. The best time to plant an oak tree was 25 years ago. The second best time is today. Well, maybe we should have planted the oak tree August 1st, but hey planted it on September 5th and that's fine with me.
CARLSON: Thanks for the horticulture lesson. But it doesn't mean - look, up to this - we're less than two months before the presidential election. And as James points out correctly, there are some pretty big issues, notably Iraq. I mean there's one really, one big issues and Kerry hasn't explained what he would do different than George W. Bush would do. I mean their positions are almost precisely the same. Don't take my word for it. Go to the web site. And so what is the rationale for electing John Kerry that George W. Bush is annoying or he's evil or something? Maybe that excites the moveon.org type people, but it's not going to get...
(CROSSTALK)
CARLSON: Hold on and that is, it's interesting if you break out some of the polls, I noted there's one CNN did one, "NewsWeek" did another, where each candidate is on the issues in the public mind. Bush is winning in every category except in health care and Medicare where he's losing by two points. He's beating Kerry on education and on taxes and on the economy. So it's not just that Bush has this much stronger hand on national security and if he does, it's like on everything else he's winning (ph). It's bad.
CARVILLE: This administration's attention has been completely diverted to Iraq. They haven't done one thing to try to get health care costs under control. They haven't even cared about this. Their answer to everything is to try to dig themselves out of this quagmire they got in Iraq and not pay attention to things that are happening right here in the United States of America. And that is the change that we need. And the lack of respect that we have around the world is costing American diplomacy. It's costing America in prestige. It's costing America in the goods that we sell overseas and we've got to change that and change it right away. We need to have an administration that understands that.
COOPER: We're going to leave it there. James Carville, Tucker Carlson, thanks very much.
CARLSON: Thanks.
COOPER: Well, today's buzz is this, what do you think? Did either political convention cause you to change your vote? Yes or no. Log on to cnn.com/360. Cast your vote. We will have results at the end of the show in about 15 minutes or so. The bypass operation is over. Now comes the next step for the former president. Coming up next on 360, we're going to talk about the difficult road ahead for Bill Clinton and what it's going to take physically and mentally to recover.
Also tonight, Frances lighten up. Why don't the reporters just get out of the rain? Wait a minute, that's me covering the hurricane like an idiot. All right. Inside the box, we'll take a look. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Talking about former President Clinton now. Doctors say the operation was a success. The former president is said to be resting comfortably this evening after undergoing quadruple heart bypass surgery. The four-hour operation had its risks. Certainly these days it is fairly routine. More than 300,000 people undergo bypass surgery each year. They're often out of the hospital within a week. While the physical recovery is fairly quick, the emotional impact may last longer. We want to talk about that now with Dr. Ian Smith, rehab specialist and columnist for "Men's Health" magazine. Good to see you again Doctor.
DR. IAN SMITH, COLUMNIST, "MEN'S HEALTH" MAGAZINE: Anderson, good to see you.
COOPER: What does President Clinton have ahead of him? I mean his doctors said he may be out of the hospital this week.
SMITH: Typically most patients after this bypass surgery will be in the hospital for five to seven days if it's not complicated. We don't know exactly what the procedure was or how many vessels that they did, but typically five to seven days. The good thing for President Clinton is that he's in such good shape ahead of time. He had lost this weight. He had begun this exercise regimen again. He had said per interview on Larry King that he had brought his blood pressure under control.
COOPER: Right, he talked about being on the South Beach diet.
SMITH: And dropped his cholesterol. So the good thing is that's called pre-morbid function. That is how well you're doing before the surgery and it seems like he was doing very well. The key however is going to be the rehab, the cardiac rehab.
COOPER: You've still got to make big life changes.
SMITH: Absolutely. The important point here is that just because you have the surgery, it doesn't cure your coronary artery disease. You have to have lifestyle changes. You have to watch what you eat. You have to continue to exercise and you have to be very, very careful from a mental standpoint of how you look at things now. People don't often talk about the mental aspects of this surgery. A lot of people are depressed.
COOPER: I know people who have undergone this. Why the depression afterwards?
SMITH: One of the major reasons people think is because now you're looking at the fragility of your mortality. Now you're realizing that you're mortal, that you have had this brush with death or you could have died and now you're sitting there saying, oh my goodness, I'm on the brink here.
COOPER: So it's not some physiological change that makes you depressed.
SMITH: No. It is not like some patients where they have some neuro transmitters, some chemicals in their brains have deficits. It's not that kind of case. It's the belief that people now are facing a lifestyle change. Listen, when you leave the hospital after this kind of surgery, you're given a list of things you have to change and that is enough to make people say, oh, my goodness, I've got to change my diet. I have to change my exercise regimen, change all these...
COOPER: How long does that depression last?
SMITH: It all depends. I mean typically people would expect it to be gone between three to six months and some people say if it's still around after three to six months, then you should seek professional help. But the key is, it's a very difficult balance. Some people are going to be down. Listen, you just had heart surgery. You just were told that you were close to death possibly, you could have had a heart attack. You're expected to have some down moods. You have to discern the difference between the down moods and true clinical depression. That's not always easy.
COOPER: Yes, it's a long road ahead. Dr. Ian Smith, thanks very much. Good to see you.
Well, heart bypass operation patients come from all walks of life certainly. Some like former President Clinton are household names, people who you wouldn't expect could also be at risk. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One day you're the life of the party. Next thing you know, you're on the operating table and doctors are using a plastic heart to describe your clogged arteries. The waiting room consists of the world press exhibiting some not exactly heart healthy behavior while waiting for the former president's arteries to be bypassed. But there's one thought that's hard to bypass.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That could be us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It does make you stop and think.
MOOS: It's kind of sad because Clinton had just changed his ways. Suddenly he was being --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you can't change your arteries overnight.
MOOS: Even if your arteries are famous.
DAVID LETTERMAN: While I was gone, I had quintuple bypass surgery on my heart. Plus, I got a haircut.
MOOS: It's the kind of operation that makes even a funny man choke up.
LETTERMAN: These men and women right here saved my life.
MOOS: Why, even age-defying David Bowie had to undergo balloon angioplasty recently to unclog an artery.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That makes me feel old.
MOOS: And if it can happen to Bowie, why not the terminator himself? Arnold Schwarzenegger, did you even know he had a valve replaced?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't know he had a heart.
MOOS: Bill Clinton's well-wishers included this flock of roller skating nuns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We wish him the best.
MOOS: What kind of nuns are these?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sisters of life.
MOOS: And when the comeback kid comes back to life, he can expect a Letterman like return.
JERRY SEINFELD: I thought you were dead.
LETTERMAN: I am just happy to be wearing clothing that opens in the front.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, ever wonder what it's like reporting on a hurricane? Coming up next on 360, we're going to go inside the box with the wet and the wild and the never ending, never ending coverage of hurricane Frances.
Also tonight, why Frances is Frances and why other storms are not named. We're going to take that "the nth degree." Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: So do you ever watch reporters standing out in hurricane winds and think to yourself, why doesn't that guy just go indoors? What is he, an idiot? That's a question I had the chance to ask myself an awful lot this weekend as I was standing out in the rain hour after hour after hour. Here's a look at what it's really like inside the box.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: The most difficult thing about covering a hurricane, isn't the winds.
How does it feel to you Chad?
CHAD MYERS, METEOROLOGIST: I think the wind picked up again but we had a squall that did it. It wasn't so much that it a sustained wind. It was a gusty wind.
COOPER: It isn't the rain.
MYERS: As the water evaporates off the ocean and that's how the hurricane gets its power.
COOPER: It's trying to figure out what to talk about, because after you've talked about the wind --
MYERS: 76.4 was the last I got, just holding it behind you.
COOPER: And the rain.
COOPER: Why does it rain not saltwater?
MYERS: Well.
COOPER: There's really not much to talk about. Carol, it's going to be a long night.
After 10 hours of standing in the wind and the rain, talking about the wind and the rain, you start to wrinkle and you start to get a little punchy.
COOPER: No, it's fine. We enjoyed the long lengthy e-mails.
MILES O'BRIEN: Here's one more.
COOPER: Give a whole new meaning to the term hanging Chad. Thank you, I'll be here all week. And then after about 24 hours with only a little sleep, you start to get really punchy.
You know what, I can't even remember where I am. Barefoot Bay which is just south of Melbourne. It's been a long 24 hours. I'm sorry Carol.
Watching weathermen get pummeled by a storm is fun, much more fun it turns out than being pummeled by a storm while talking "inside the box".
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: All right. So how did Frances become Frances? Coming up on 360, naming hurricanes. How it's all decided. Going to take that to the nth degree. First today's buzz. Did either political convention cause you to change your vote? You still have time to vote on this yes or no. Log on to cnn.com/360. Cast your vote. Results in just a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Time now for the buzz. Earlier we asked you, did either political convention cause you to change your vote, yes or no? Nearly 16,000 of you voted, eight percent of you said, yes, 92 percent of you said no, not a scientific poll, but it is your bounce.
Tonight taking personification to the nth degree. We didn't always confer names on the great storms. The practice of personifying hurricanes, at first only as women, dates to the 1950s. Really though, the question is, why do we do it at all? I mean we don't refer to eruption Edna, tornado Tom, earthquake Elizabeth, mud slide Murray, but then those other misfortunes overtake us without warning.
A hurricane is different. It announces itself, blows trumpets of wind, bangs on the roof, shakes stop lights and trees to say it's coming. It threatens first like the big bad wolf. I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down. Not just yet though, soon.
A great storm plays cat and mouse with you, pausing, slowing down, speeding up, feinting this way and that. And you know what happens when there's nothing to do but sit and wait. The mind begins playing tricks. So we think, give it a name and maybe we can reason with it. Now, now, Frances, easy old girl, behave yourself. All sorts of odd things suddenly make sense when we're boarding up windows. I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for watching 360. Coming up next, PAULA ZAHN NOW.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
