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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Presidential Candidates Make Final Pitch to Iowans; Was San Francisco Tiger Taunted?
Aired January 01, 2008 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, and get ready. Get ready for Iowa, so close, so crucial, that even campaign insiders said they have never seen anything like it before. We have new polling tonight and the best political team on television to make it make sense.
Also, a grisly picture emerges in the murder of Benazir Bhutto, too grisly to show without warning. But, if it's think killer, did he act alone or with others? And who was he working for? We will separate the conspiracy theories from the facts, as we know them.
And the San Francisco tiger attack, was the tiger actually taunted with slingshots? Reports of new evidence and the appearance of a big-name lawyer on the scene -- all that and more in the hour ahead.
But we begin tonight with new polling and new developments from Iowa, where the clock is ticking and the race to win Thursday night's caucuses is white hot.
Here's what the candidates were up to today, all three top Democrats, Obama, Edwards, and Clinton, hitting positive themes as they stumped all across the state for undecided voters. A highly respected poll from "The Des Moines Register" boosting Obama yesterday -- new CNN polling today showing gains for both Obama and Clinton, with John Edwards fading. Anything could happen, though.
The leading Republicans mixing it up, Mitt Romney still running tough ads against Mike Huckabee, John McCain launching a new Web ad attacking Governor Romney, Governor Huckabee playing bass in Cedar Rapids. Rudy Giuliani was not in Iowa and is not considered a factor in the caucuses.
As for Senators Dodd, Biden, and Governor Bill Richardson, they are stumping, but may drop out if they don't finish well. Fred Thompson continues his bus tour across Iowa. Ron Paul is out of the state. Duncan Hunter is in New Hampshire. So is Dennis Kucinich.
I'm not sure how many pictures we can fit on that screen. Kucinich told his supporters to caucus for Obama as their second choice. And Mike Gravel, well, we don't know where he is. His campaign didn't actually return our phone calls.
Just 48 hours out, new CNN/Opinion Research polling underscores just how close the race is. Take a look. On the Republican side, it's Romney, Huckabee, Thompson, McCain, with 3 percentage points separating Romney and Huckabee, a statistical tie.
Among Democrats, Senator Clinton enjoyed a narrow 33-31 lead over Senator Obama, also within the margin of error. John Edwards, who was thought to be surging, trails at 22 percent. More striking, though, 28 percent of likely Democratic and 48 percent of likely Republican caucusers -- 48 percent -- say they are either still undecided or they're leaning, but still haven't made their final choice.
In other words, it is anybody's race.
And no one covers it better than CNN's Gloria Borger, Candy Crowley in Iowa, and John King in New Hampshire.
Candy, clearly, this is not where Hillary wanted to be in the Iowa polls, battling it out with Obama and, to a lesser extent now, John Edwards.
Let's listen to some of what she had to say on the trail today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As far as I'm concerned, we are the people who are those best at solving problems...
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: ... meeting challenges, being prepared for whatever the future holds.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: So, I am running for president to renew America's purpose, to provide that kind of positive change that Americans deserve in their own lives, in their country, and the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Clearly, her message emphasizes change, positivity, new beginnings.
Are people buying, though, that she is the one to give it to them?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that has been their trouble all along, because they have run sort of an incumbent kind of race, trying to put that aura of invincibility around her most of the year.
But every election is about change. So, they somehow had to have her out there as the agent of change, because, after all, that is where Barack Obama's strength is.
So, what they have been trying to sort of meld the two -- these two concepts, saying, listen, we all believe in change, but I have got the experience to make it happen. COOPER: Gloria, today, Dennis Kucinich told his supporters to back Obama in the caucuses, if he is coming in second place. Is that a big deal?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I -- I think it matters an awful lot, depending on what Dennis Kucinich gets.
But, on the Democratic side, second choice really matters, because, unlike Republicans, who just go in and caucus and they say, I'm for this guy, I'm for that guy, fine, let's leave, Democrats can actually do a bit of bargaining...
COOPER: Right. How does it work?
BORGER: ... at the caucus.
Well, if your -- if your candidate -- if you come in and you are for Dennis Kucinich, and Dennis Kucinich doesn't get 15 percent of the vote there, the other folk cans lobby you and say, well, come on over to our side, because your votes aren't going to matter anyway.
COOPER: Right.
BORGER: You have to have that threshold.
So, if Kucinich has some voters, then, look, you know -- it depends on how many people come to caucus -- they moving over to Obama is good for Obama.
COOPER: Well, also, earlier polls had shown that John Edwards supporters were likely, in the event that he wasn't doing well, to go over to Obama, which would be a big deal.
BORGER: Yes, it would be a bigger deal. And the problem for Hillary Clinton is, whose second choice is she? She is a lot of people's first choice, but not a lot of people's second choice.
COOPER: John, our poll showed a large number of voters in both parties undecided. In Iowa, are those folks, though, even likely to come out on caucus night? I mean, do they matter?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is a fascinating question, because, traditionally, the caucuses are reliable voters in the Democratic Party and in the Republican Party.
On the Democratic side, you have had Senator Obama especially, but even Senator Clinton, to a degree, saying they want to bring new people into the process. On the Republican side, we have to remember, Republicans have not had a competitive caucus in eight years, since the beginning of the George W. Bush campaign back in 2000. So, we don't know who is going to turn out. We assume they are reliable Republicans. But you don't know until caucus night who shows up.
The weather can be a factor. That sounds like a cliche, but it happens to be true. But any undecided voters now are being targeted by the campaigns. Will they actually come out? The most reliable people have already made up their mind. They're with campaigns. But there is a small slice. And in such a close race on both sides, that small slice matters.
COOPER: Candy, let's take a look at the Republicans. Our poll has Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee locked in a statistical tie. Has Huckabee peaked too soon?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that, and he has been on the receiving end of an awful lot of advertising from Mitt Romney, who obviously has the money to do it.
He has gone after Huckabee on a couple of baseline Republican issues, immigration and taxes, sort of painting Huckabee as a person who is liberal on immigration, who gave illegal immigrants benefits when he was governor of Arkansas, saying that he raised taxes, that sort of thing.
That kind of thing can hurt Huckabee here in a state which is very conservative. We had some polls recently that showed that even some of those conservative Christians, who naturally feel an affinity with Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister, even some of that support was falling off and going back into the Mitt Romney column.
So, you know, it may be a problem of peaking too early, but I think it's also a problem of being the recipient of all this advertising.
COOPER: Yes, Gloria, you think the attack ads worked.
KING: Right.
COOPER: And also Pakistan hurt -- hurt the...
BORGER: Yes. I think Pakistan did hurt him as well.
People started thinking, gee, does this fellow have the foreign policy experience? But, if you step back a moment, Anderson, if you look at Mitt Romney, he is really an establishment Republican candidate. Huckabee is the populist, more of an insurgent. Republicans generally tend to go in the end for the establishment fellow. And that may be what is going on in Iowa right now.
They took a good look at Huckabee. He may still get that evangelical support. But the establishment Republicans, who worry about things like foreign policy and experience, may turn to Romney in the end.
COOPER: John, all eyes are on Iowa. That's what we have been talking about.
But, today, Senator John McCain wasn't in Iowa. He was in New Hampshire. You talked to him. What is the strategy there? Has he essentially given up on the caucuses?
KING: No. In fact, he will be back in Iowa tomorrow night. He does not expect to win. He does not expect to place, but, boy, he would love to show.
And, to Gloria's point, Republicans do tend to go to the establishment candidate. At the beginning of this campaign, that establishment candidate, a year ago, was John McCain. Now, he never expected to do well in Iowa. He does not have strong support in the Christian evangelical base of the party. But he is going out there for about 10 events in the past -- in the last 24 hours -- excuse me -- of campaigning in Iowa.
What is he hoping to do? He is hoping to take some of that establishment Republican support, some of those voters who maybe have looked at Huckabee and are looking away, and keep them from Mitt Romney, because, if -- John McCain figures this. If Mitt Romney loses in Iowa, after being expected to win all summer long, that his bottom will drop out here; he will lose eight, maybe 10 points in the polls here in New Hampshire, and that will help McCain get a much-needed victory here in New Hampshire.
So, he's going to go out and dabble again a little bit in Iowa. But, for John McCain, the ball game is right here in the state of New Hampshire -- Anderson.
COOPER: Candy, it's interesting that Mike Huckabee had this rough couple of days. First, there was Pakistan. And then he told reporters he wasn't going to run his new attack ad, but he made sure to play it for the reporters and then sort of take the high road, saying, but I'm going to release it.
He got trashed for it in the press. I mean, what do you make of that? Has that hurt him?
CROWLEY: Well, I think it adds to the idea that -- his comments on Pakistan -- he has made some slipups. So, I think it goes into the overall impression that Huckabee has made some mistakes. I'm not sure voters overall are saying, oh, you mean, he ran the ad for the press, but he's not going to put it on the TV?
That is a -- just a little too in the weeds for people here. But, yes, it goes into that, you know, Huckabee showing that maybe he is not quite ready for prime time. So, it adds that way, but I don't think the specifics of it are playing here.
COOPER: Too inside baseball.
Candy Crowley, Gloria Borger, John King, thanks.
As we mentioned, there have been a flurry of attacks by Governor Romney against Mike Huckabee and John McCain. Now, bearing in mind that one campaign's attack is another's factual comparison, we still wanted to try, as best we can, to put these ads to the test. We have been doing this with many ads from many candidates. We think you want the facts, not the hype.
Tonight, what the top three Republicans are saying about one another these days.
CNN's Tom Foreman is "Keeping Them Honest."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the sports of politics, what better way to score, and score quickly, than with an attack ad?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, ROMNEY CAMPAIGN AD)
NARRATOR: John McCain, an honorable man, but is he the right Republican for the future?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Mitt Romney, who has spent more on TV ads than any of the other candidates, is leading the way, unleashing a round of ads on his competition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, ROMNEY CAMPAIGN AD)
NARRATOR: McCain pushed to let every illegal immigrant stay here permanently. He even voted to allow illegals to collect Social Security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Perhaps an effective punch, but, "Keeping Them Honest," it is not as simple as that.
Senator McCain pushed to allow illegal immigrants to stay and receive Social Security benefits only after going back to their home country, paying a fine, and obtaining legal status. Part of the Romney campaign's beef with McCain, though, is that he voted for a bill that would have allowed those newly legal immigrants to collect benefits for all the time they had been in this country, as if they were legal all along. And that's true.
Romney isn't stopping at McCain. He is going after the leader in Iowa polls, Mike Huckabee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, ROMNEY CAMPAIGN AD)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two good men.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But who is ready to make tough decisions?"
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mike Huckabee? Soft on government spending. His foreign policy? "Ludicrous," says Condoleezza Rice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Ouch. But, wait. That isn't entirely correct either.
The ad uses the secretary of state's response out of context. She was not calling Huckabee's entire foreign policy ludicrous, but something more specific, his accusation that the Bush administration has had an "arrogant bunker mentality" in international affairs.
McCain returned Romney hit with an ad of his own. But he quotes other sources attacking Romney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, MCCAIN CAMPAIGN AD)
NARRATOR: "The Concord Monitor" writes: "If a candidate is a phony, we will know it. Mitt Romney is such a candidate." That is why Romney's hometown newspaper says, the choice is clear: John McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Huckabee also hit back, even while saying he wouldn't. He promised not to air his attack ad, but he did show it to reporters, ensuring it would get plenty of coverage on national TV.
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Conventional political wisdom is that, when you are hit, and it is beginning to do damage, the smart play is to hit back. So, we prepared a television spot. It is supposed to start running at noon today. This morning, I ordered our staff to pull the ad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Do you think -- I mean, the -- people say the voters get turned off by this kind of stuff. But we were just talking to Candy Crowley, who was saying, you know, these attacks are actually working, at least by Romney against Huckabee.
FOREMAN: Yes. I mean, that has always been the problem, Anderson, with all these attack ads.
And, by the way, the Romney camp says about all this, it is perfectly accurate and verifiable in their minds. They are standing by it.
Will it turn off voters? I think there's always a portion of voters who are turned off by it, certainly. But the problem is, there is another big portion that seems to like this or at least respond to it, even if they are turned off by it. So, that is a danger out there for every candidate who doesn't go negative.
COOPER: Tom Foreman, appreciate it. Thanks, Tom, "Keeping Them Honest" tonight.
There is clearly a lot at stake in Iowa, because winning there often leads to winning the -- the nomination. Now, here's the "Raw Data."
Since 1972, eight of 13 Iowa caucus winners have gone on to capture their party's nomination. But you are not altogether doomed if you fail in Iowa. The last nominee to lose in the Hawkeye State was Bill Clinton back in 1992.
Well, once upon a time, Clinton was the underdog -- straight ahead, some of the underdogs this time around, why they are running and why some are now drawing some pretty big crowds.
And later tonight: new developments in the assassination that shook the world and threatens the America's front-line ally fighting Islamic terrorists.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): The mystery deepening, claims of a cover-up growing, new pictures of a suspect. Who killed Benazir Bhutto, and how? -- the latest on this global mystery.
Also, the deadly tiger attack and a stunning allegation -- were the victims really the attackers? Reports of new evidence, and the survivors lawyering up -- tonight on 360.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Senator Joe Biden there campaigning today in the Iowa town of Indianola. Democrats in Iowa say they like him. He's well- respected in Washington. He's a powerful speaker. Despite all that, he's polling at about 4 percent, give or take, in the state. So, what makes him and the other underdogs run?
Again with the "Raw Politics," here is Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY (voice-over): They don't have the glitz of Obama, the marquee name of Clinton, the fiery rhetoric of Edwards, or the money of any of them. They are the also-runnings, toiling off Broadway.
SEN. CHRISTOPHER DODD (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Is this an "American Idol" show, or is it seeking the presidency of the United States?
CROWLEY: Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, more than three decades in office, chair of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
DODD: Most people woke up this morning wondering whether or not 2008 was going to be a better year than 2007, whether or not they might end up with a foreclosed home, whether or not their job, like the Maytag employees, might leave, and they will have no ability to take care of their families. And they want to know if there is anyone out there that can do anything about this. It is what I have done for a quarter-of-a-century.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D-NM), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... put forth this emergency clause.
CROWLEY: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, former congressman, energy secretary, U.N. ambassador, international troubleshooter. RICHARDSON: The central message of my campaign is that we need somebody that can bring the country together. And, all my life, in my career, I have brought countries together. I have brought people together.
CROWLEY: Delaware Senator Joe Biden, three decades in the Senate, former chair of the Judiciary Committee, longtime chair of Foreign Relations.
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D-DE), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The central message of my campaign is, I want people to close their eyes and imagine the person that they are supporting for president being president this very instant. Do they have confidence that that person can handle the meltdown in Pakistan and the war in Iraq, know exactly what to do now, at the moment of great peril?
CROWLEY: Together, they have almost a century of public service, more than 200 days campaigning in Iowa, and total for the three of them, 12 percent in Iowa polls. They fly coach, have smaller staffs and fewer posters. They get less time at debates, play in smaller venues, and cannot complain.
RICHARDSON: I hope you -- you make this a wide-open race and give those of us that just happened to be qualified...
(LAUGHTER)
RICHARDSON: ... and those of us that can change this country a chance. That's all I ask.
CROWLEY: The pundits write them off. Media coverage is minimalist. Polls are a daily discouragement. The first contest of the election season could also be their last.
But you know what? Some of the off-Broadway players are getting nice crowds lately.
BIDEN: My goal is to get a big chunk of that undecided vote and come of here third or fourth, maybe even exceed that expectation. And, if I do, I'm going to be the next president, I believe.
CROWLEY: It is enough to keep a fellow going.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Des Moines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: But tough going, it is, for some.
From the underdogs, some of them running on fumes, to the big dogs -- on the Republican side, they are counting on a strong doze of the old-time religion. Four in 10 Iowan Republicans call themselves -- call themselves evangelical Christians.
Well, on tomorrow night's program, Gary Tuchman looks at the all- out effort to turn those prayers into votes. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the story of Jesus, and then move on.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rapping the Bible and redeeming the vote, an all-out battle for Iowa evangelicals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to ignite people of faith when it's coming to involvement in the caucuses. Amen?
TUCHMAN: Appeals from the pulpit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vote as you believe the lord is leading you to vote.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amen.
TUCHMAN: And over the phone...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Strong family values.
TUCHMAN: As the faithful get ready to decide.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe somebody that believes in Christ is truthful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, that is tomorrow night on 360.
Gary Tuchman joins us now with a 360 bulletin.
Hey, Gary.
TUCHMAN: At least 148 people have been killed in Kenya since the government announced the country's president had been reelected by a small margin. The death toll doesn't include an attack today on a church, which was set on fire. As many as 200 people were inside, including children, seeking refuge from the violence.
Northwest of Kenya, in Sudan, a U.S. diplomat was shot and killed today, along with his driver. Thirty-three-year-old John Granville was heading home from a New Year's party. Investigators are looking for a Sudanese gunman who fired on the car following a dispute.
And, in Arizona, a beauty pageant winner is accused of kidnapping and torturing an ex-boyfriend. Twenty-five-year-old Kumari Fulbright and three men allegedly held her ex captive for 10 hours, while they stole his cell phone and wallet and threatened to shoot him. Irony is, Fulbright is currently in law school. Anderson, I'm not sure what law she is studying.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: I'm not sure about that either.
Gary, stay right there.
Our New Year's Eve party last night in Times Square was pretty tame compared to what happened in Vegas, where a daredevil attempted to jump into the record books. Kind of hard to see in that picture. There we go. What was he thinking, and was he successful? We will find out in just a minute.
Plus, was the tiger taunted? New accusations against the young men attacked by a tiger last week at the San Francisco Zoo -- when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Gary, time for our segment "What Were They Thinking?"
Now, kids, don't try this at home. Last night, in Vegas, an Aussie broke the world motorcycle-jumping record. Take a look at this. Look at that. His name is Robbie Maddison. He soared 322 feet, 7.5 inches outside the Rio All-Suite Casino and Hotel, setting a new Guinness world record. His only regret, his idol, the late Evel Knievel, couldn't be there. He says Knievel thought it couldn't be done. Crazy.
TUCHMAN: Three hundred and twenty-two feet, that is longer than a football field.
And the thing I wonder when I see a story like that, or any of these kinds of stories we do, Anderson, but this particularly, the first time this guy practiced this kind of jump, what was he thinking?
(LAUGHTER)
TUCHMAN: I mean, the first -- was he sober? I don't know how you do that.
COOPER: I -- yes, I was impressed by his jump.
But I got to tell you, for me, the all-time record jump happened when the Fonz jumped back in -- I can't remember the exact year, but we have the video. Let's take a look at that.
COOPER: Right into Arnold's fried chicken stand. Oh, no. What happened to the Fonz? Is he OK? Is he OK?
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: There it was, yes.
TUCHMAN: That was a great -- Arnold's drive-in was never the same after that.
COOPER: That was a special two-part episode. I don't know if you remember. It was a very special episode of "Happy Days." It was a cliffhanger. What was going to happen? It kept me up all week.
TUCHMAN: I was a big "Happy" -- Potsie and Richie, they were aghast, you know?
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: Yes, exactly.
We will check in, Gary, a little bit later on with you for some more headlines.
Up next, new information about the deadly tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo. Did the young men attacked actually taunt the tiger before she escaped? We will dig deeper with animal expert Jack Hanna.
Also ahead, new clues in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and new allegations of a possible government cover-up -- what our reporters in Pakistan have uncovered coming up on 360.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: The mystery surrounding a deadly tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo deepened today, one week after the massive cat escaped from its exhibit and mauled three young men.
The two surviving victims have yet to speak publicly about their ordeal. And their silence has only raised more questions about whether they may have actually provoked the attack by taunting the tiger.
Tonight, a New York newspaper is reporting new and some provocative claims.
Here's CNN's David Mattingly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Why did the 350-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana maul three people, killing one? The answer may lie behind these doors.
It is the home of the two survivors, brothers Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal. They were released from the hospital on Saturday, but have yet to talk publicly about what exactly happened at the San Francisco Zoo.
But new allegations suggest they have reason to keep quiet. A report in "The New York Post," citing unnamed sources, says slingshots were found on both brothers after the attack, leading to speculation they provoked the tiger.
The report also says an empty bottle of vodka was found in their car. Police have said they have no information to indicate the tiger was provoked. While questions stir about their involvement, the brothers have hired legal heavyweight Mark Geragos, with possible plans to sue the zoo for the attack.
Meanwhile, the father of the victim, Carlos Sousa Jr., wants to hear from the survivors.
CARLOS SOUSA, FATHER OF CARLOS SOUSA: Did you do this? Did you do that? What happened?
MATTINGLY: Meanwhile, the San Francisco Zoo prepares to reopen its doors to the public on Thursday, nine days after the vicious attack.
The outdoor tiger exhibit, however, will not be open until the zoo completes construction on new enhanced security barriers around the big cat grottoes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: David, do we know if...
MATTINGLY: No security improvements focusing on that wall that the tiger was apparently able to scale as it went on its rampage. That wall, 12-and-a-half-feet tall, is almost four feet shorter than what is nationally recommended -- construction on these safety improvements beginning and possibly ending some time this month -- Anderson.
COOPER: Recommended, not mandated by law, though.
Do we know if the police have spoken to the brothers, the two that were attacked?
MATTINGLY: The police have spoken to the two brothers, but we have not heard from police since last week. And they have not indicated what exactly they have heard from the brothers.
They did tell us they had that one footprint that they were able to get that they found on the railing at the tiger pen. They want to know if the shoes of the three men possibly matched that footprint. They weren't able to tell us that was the case last week. And, so far, we have not heard from them.
They do say that this is an ongoing investigation. And police were on the premises again today -- again, this zoo opening for business again on Thursday.
COOPER: Have -- have police said whether they -- these two young men have been cooperative? I had some read reports that, initially, they weren't talking to police, that they weren't giving their names, the name of the deceased young man. Do we know in general -- have the police said whether they were cooperative or not?
MATTINGLY: Well, that was reported in the San Francisco media. But, when police were asked about that, they didn't respond to that question. They have not answered a lot of questions at all about this case. They come out. They give their news conferences, and then they go when they felt like they have talked enough.
But, again, this is an ongoing investigation. They do not say that they have any evidence that the tigers were provoked. And we are waiting publicly now to find out what the police will say next.
COOPER: All right, David Mattingly, appreciate it.
Digging deeper, one of the first experts we turned to after last week's attack was Jack Hanna, director-emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and hosted "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures."
Now earlier today, we spoke again about these new developments in the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Jack, there's a report from an unnamed source from one of today's papers, saying that the young men involved in this attack may have taunted the tiger. They had slingshots on them at the time and a bottle of vodka in their car.
The bottom line is we don't know what happened. They're not talking, which is the most important thing for them to do. But what exactly would it take to provoke an animal like this to jump and attack?
JACK HANNA, ANIMAL EXPERT: I'm -- I've said, Anderson, all along since you watched my first interview, and I apologized to the world about, if I'm wrong. But since it's the first time, that three boys that really didn't love animals on Christmas day at 5 p.m. when it's getting dark, going to a zoo, No. 1, there's something wrong with that altogether.
No. 2, when you go across that fence, you have a fence here. You have a little bit of territory, what I call no-man's territory. Then you have a moat. When somebody crosses into that no-man's territory. What would somebody do if they came into your home or your yard. You would go, gosh, what's that?
Now let's just say there was a slingshot or something involved. Can you imagine what that tiger was going through, sitting there getting pounded by two or three guys. I mean, give me a break, you know, the moat worked for 30-something years.
I'm not saying that obviously the cat got out. If that's the reason then, you really had to provoke something to do that. Using the word taunting really isn't harsh enough as far as what this cat went through, if that's what happened. And I'll tell you, it's sick.
COOPER: It's remarkable that the young man who died, his father has come out and said he wants these two other young men, these alleged friends of his son, to at least call him and let him know what happened. They haven't called him. They haven't called to apologize. They haven't called to check in on him at all. And still to this day, they're not cooperating with -- they haven't been cooperating with police. Or are reluctantly cooperating, to the extent that they have.
So the bottom line is, they should be the ones coming forward. And they're the only ones who know for sure what happened.
HANNA: I bet you'll find out, if they ever start talking, which I hope they do for that father's sake, as well as those new folks, that the world will then know what happened that night.
But I said from the very first moment that this whole thing doesn't sound right to me after 40 years of doing this. And only one death, Anderson, in the last 45 years, we've been keeping record, in the last 40 to 50 years, one death in the zoo, and that's 2.5 billion- plus people in the country going to zoos. I'd take my odds any day of the week with 2.5 billion visitors to a zoo and we have one death. You know, something is wrong here.
COOPER: As someone who is affiliated with zoos and has been most of your life, there's clearly a responsibility on the zoo's part to keep visitors safe. It is a hard balance, though, I mean, if someone is taunting the animal.
HANNA: Right, Anderson. Obviously, the zoo is responsible. But, again, you know, what are we supposed to do? At NASCAR, if you have a fence and you cross that fence to go inside where the racecar are going at 200 miles an hour, and you get hit, you know, how high are we supposed to make fences? How high are we supposed to make moats? I mean, you know, we can only do so much in the zoological world.
COOPER: Do you think this is going to lead to changes in other zoos around the country? I mean, do you think other zoos are now checking their security barriers, checking the -- their enclosures?
HANNA: There's no doubt about it there's going to be some other -- there will be some changes made. People know what to do. They have to come to a zoological park and respect the animals.
You know, the whole -- one word is respect. When someone comes to your house you respect it. When I go to the wild, like you do, you respect the gorillas and whatever. And I respect. People should respect that this is the animal's home.
COOPER: Jack Hanna. Appreciate your comments, Jack. Thanks for being with us.
HANNA: Thanks a lot, Anderson.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: A lot more on this story to still be learned. We're going to go up close when we come back. We're looking at what makes animals tick and what makes them attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER (voice-over): Even in the zoo, they were born to be wild.
HANNA: A wild animal is like a loaded gun. It can go off at any time.
COOPER: See what happens when animals attack and what sometimes happens instead.
Later, the mystery deepening, claims of a cover-up growing. New pictures of a suspect. Who killed Benazir Bhutto and why? The latest on this global mystery when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Before the break, we told you about new developments in the deadly tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas day. A report in today's "New York Post" says the victims taunted the tiger with slingshots.
The two survivors haven't spoken publicly and are reportedly considering legal action against the zoo.
As horrific as it was, such attacks are actually pretty rare. That is a very good thing, because when it comes to escaping from a massive animal hard-wired to kill, the odds are definitely not in man's favor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): They may be in captivity; they often appear tame. But make no mistake, these animals will always be wild.
HANNA: You've got to remember that about 95 percent of our animals in zoos and aquariums come from other zoological parks, but they are wild. Now, we tell our folks, a wild animal is like a loaded gun. It can go off at any time.
COOPER: And with deadly results. In February an animal keeper at the Denver Zoo was killed by a 140-pound jaguar after entering its enclosure.
Some attacks were captured on video. This was at San Diego's Sea World last year, when a trainer was bitten and dragged underwater by a 6,000-pound killer whale. The man escaped with his life.
Wildlife expert Jack Hanna says animals in captivity are well trained but never predictable.
HANNA: The animal is just being the animal. I mean, these accidents do happen. And you know, we do everything we can to avoid that. Safety comes first in any zoological park.
COOPER: Safety comes first, but it's never guaranteed. In 2004 a gorilla broke free from its pen and injured several people, including a child. The gorilla was killed. The following year, two chimpanzees went on a rampage at an animal sanctuary in California. This was the 9/11 call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A man's been attacked by two chimpanzees. He is very critical.
Tell me his injuries and repeat them. They need to know. They tore out his eye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They tore out his eye?
COOPER: The man was critically injured.
Sometimes a close encounter between animal and human takes a surprising turn. Consider what unfolded in August of 1996 at the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois. A 3-year-old boy fell into the gorilla pen. A large adult female gorilla moved toward the unconscious child until she towered over him.
As terrified onlookers watched, the gorilla crouched next to the boy. But instead of attacking, she shielded the toddler from the other primates in the pen. Her instinct was to protect the child, and she did, long enough for the boy to be rescued.
Still, this much is clear. You can take the wild out of the animal but not the animal out of the wild.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Incredible to see that gorilla cradling that little baby.
Coming up, new evidence in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, how she died, really. Allegations of a cover-up and the secret documents in which she accuses Pakistan's intelligence services of trying to rig the upcoming elections. All next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Tonight Pakistan remains a country on edge, five days after former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated while campaigning. Today, officials said the parliamentary elections that were supposed to have been held next Tuesday are going to be delayed until next month.
CNN has also learned that just before she was murdered, Bhutto was preparing to expose an alleged plan by Pakistani officials to rig the upcoming vote. There's also some stunning new information about how Bhutto may have died and who may have killed her.
We warn you first, though, some of the images in the report are disturbing.
With the latest, here's CNN's Matthew Chance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dramatic images of Benazir Bhutto's assassination revealing new clues about how Pakistan's former prime minister was killed.
As she waves to supporters from the sunroof of her armored car, a gunman steps from the crowd, his face and pistol clearly visible, and he fires three shots. The suicide bomb explodes.
Now take a closer look. As the shooter fires his gun, Bhutto's head scarf lifts up to the air before she slumps into her vehicle. Only then does the explosion take place.
The suggestion is Benazir Bhutto was not killed by shrapnel, nor as officials once claimed, by a violent knock to the head caused by the blast, but by a gunshot. Survivors close to Bhutto say that's what they saw.
SHERRY REHMAN, CLOSE BHUTTO AIDE: There were clear bullet injuries to her head. She did fall, slumped right into the car the minute she was shot. And there was a huge amount of blood.
CHANCE: And now clues about the attackers, too. A government appeal for information splashed across Pakistan's newspapers, showing the head of the suspected gunman, decapitated in the bombing. The government is offering a $165,000 reward for information as it struggles to explain what happened.
JAVED IQBAL CHEEMA, PAKISTAN INTERIOR MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: The shots are being fired from the left side. The explosion takes place from the left side, but she receives an injury on her skull on the right.
CHANCE: But Bhutto family and supporters have accused the government of a cover-up, saying it was responsible for her death. The government denies it and instead says this camera-shy tribal leader ordered the assassination.
Authorities say they're hunting for Baitullah Masood, a pro- Taliban warlord they say was recorded having this conversation with a fellow militant just after Bhutto's murder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)
GRAPHIC: Congratulations to you. Were they our men?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)
GRAPHIC: Yes, they were ours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)
GRAPHIC: Who were they?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)
GRAPHIC: There was Saeed. There was Bilal from Badar and Ikramullah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)
GRAPHIC: The three of them did it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)
GRAPHIC: Ikramullah and Bilal did it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)
GRAPHIC: Then congratulations.
CHANCE (on camera): All this comes at a time of mounting pressure on the Pakistani authorities. Amid bitter accusations, enough was not done to ensure Benazir Bhutto's security, Pakistan is reeling from its latest political killing.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, just days ago, CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen and I were reporting live from Karachi on Benazir Bhutto's assassination. Peter is still there. He joins me now.
Peter, I don't get this. The Pakistan government makes this big announcement the other day that she wasn't shot, she wasn't hit by shrapnel, that she basically hit her head when she fell or ducked.
Now they're backing away from that. Doctors there are saying medical records have been taken away from them, and they're under pressure not to speak. Doesn't the Pakistani government realize this makes them look completely untrustworthy?
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, it may well be that, Anderson. But the fact is that there was no autopsy performed. So anybody who claims that they know exactly how Benazir Bhutto died is basically really just speculating.
I've read the medical report. The medical report, by the way, shows that there was no exit wound for the injury that killed Benazir Bhutto. That would really go against the theory that it was a gunshot that killed her.
The medical report also indicates that she suffered blunt trauma to her head, which might support the government view that she fell and injured herself on the sun lever (ph) roof -- on the sunroof lever as the blast happened.
But the fact is, until and if there is an autopsy, which I think is quite unlikely, given the fact that the Bhutto family has said they're against one, we may never know the exact cause of death.
Suffice it to say, she died in an assassination attempt, an assassination by, it looks like, the Taliban and al Qaeda working together. I don't think the government has anything to gain from Benazir Bhutto's death. Musharraf is already one of the least popular political figures in Pakistan. Her death has made him even more -- even less popular.
Who had the motive? Who had the modus operandi? Of course, a suicide attack, a multiple suicide attack. It gets you back to Taliban-al Qaeda, Anderson.
COOPER: I mean, it certainly, just looking at this video, looks like she was hit by something, because her head definitely pushes to the right before she drops down. It doesn't look like a voluntary fall.
But obviously, there's no way to determine that, you know, final analysis unless there's an autopsy. And as you say, that's not going to happen.
CNN has obtained, Peter, a copy of this report that Bhutto was reportedly about to give U.S. officials alleging political corruption in Pakistan. it said, among other things, that 90 percent of the equipment that the U.S. gave the government of Pakistan gave to fight terrorism is being used to monitor and to keep a check on their political opponents instead. It also accuses the Musharraf government of planning to rig the elections.
Even if these allegations are true, there's no evidence, really, that that report had anything to do with her killing, correct?
BERGEN: I don't think so, Anderson. I mean, if we accept the premise, which I think is a fair one, that al Qaeda and the Taliban were the authors of this assassination, they don't believe in elections of any kind, anywhere in the world, let alone in Pakistan.
So they would have no motive to kill her just because she was going to hand a dossier over to Senator Specter and Representative Kennedy, as is the theory that's circulating right now in Pakistan, Anderson.
COOPER: I know the situation in Karachi has calmed down. People are back on the streets. The government has announced that the election that was to be held next week is going to be delayed until mid-February. How does that change things? How may that affect the outcome of the election?
BERGEN: I'm not really sure, Anderson. Clearly, if the election had been held on January 8, it would have been hugely in favor of Benazir Bhutto, who was already, by the way, the most popular politician in Pakistan, scoring a 63 percent popularity rating weeks ago. So clearly her popularity and the popularity of her party would only have increased.
Will that sympathy vote fade just because the election has been -- it looks like the election is going to be pushed back to February? I sort of doubt it. I don't think it's going to necessarily affect the outcome hugely. The government clearly, I think, not unhappy if the election can be pushed back. The fact is, as you know, Anderson, because you were here, there was a huge amount of disruption. A lot of things didn't happen as a result of the assassination. And it's quite plausible to say that many of the kinds of activities that you need to do to have an election -- printing ballot papers, opening polling stations and the like -- were disrupted.
So the government does probably gain from a slight delay in the elections, but it can also plausibly point out that elections under the present circumstances would be impacted by Benazir Bhutto's assassination because the whole country closed down for three or four days, Anderson.
COOPER: Peter Bergen reporting from Karachi. Peter, thank you very much. Stay safe.
Up next on 360, a deadly start to the new year in Baghdad and a cold one closer to home. A record storm paralyzes parts of the Midwest. Now it's moving east. We'll take a look at that.
And we'll look back, ringing in the new year with Kathy Griffin. We expected her to be unpredictable, and she did not disappoint. See some of our favorite moments, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: In case you missed it, last night Kathy Griffin helped me ring in the new year in Times Square. The truth is, she's so funny I couldn't exactly contain myself all the time. "The Shot of the Day" is coming up.
But first Gary Tuchman joins us again with the "360 Bulletin" -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson, we begin with a suicide bombing at a funeral in Baghdad. At least 30 people were killed during the attack. The Shiite funeral procession was for one of 14 people killed in a car bombing on Friday.
In Boston a second victim has been found following a fire that burned down a condominium complex last night. The fire was so intense in the south Boston neighborhood that rescue crews were ordered out of the building before they could find out if anyone was trapped inside. They believe the blaze started in a first-floor kitchen.
In southeastern Michigan tonight, more than a foot of snow is on the ground, a new record for New Year's Day. The storm is moving east. It's expected to drop a foot of snow on parts of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont by tomorrow.
And the video you just saw, you can call them crazy, but they're there in all their half naked glory. About 300 members of New York's Polar Bear Club for a 42-degree water temperatures for a traditional new year's day dip in the Atlantic Ocean.
They're really not crazy, of course. They've raised $30,000 for seriously ill children who go to Camp Sunshine.
And it's a mindset, Anderson. It's like walking on hot coals. You just have to have the right frame of mind, and you can succeed at something like that.
COOPER: Yes. I don't think I could.
Gary, stay right there. "The Shot of the Day" is next, some highlights from our New Year's Eve party in Times Square last night. My co-host, Kathy Griffin, kept me laughing. That's coming up.
Plus, the best and worst of 2007, a flashback of the stories that shaped the year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Gary, time now for "The Shot of the Day." Last night, we rang in the new year here in New York City. You literally ran into -- ran the new year into -- well, I guess ran into the new year in Central Park. And along with comic Kathy Griffin we celebrated in Times Square.
Here are some of the highlights or perhaps the low lights. I'm not really sure. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHY GRIFFIN, COMEDIAN: It is such a treat for you to be here with me tonight, Anderson. I -- the excitement is electronic.
COOPER (voice-over): When you work with Kathy Griffin, you work without a net.
(on camera) You're going to stay with us, though, throughout this next hour and a half.
GRIFFIN: Can you say that to me in, say, Urdu, the language of Pakistan?
COOPER: You brushed up on your Pakistan, and I am dazzled.
(voice-over): And I was, really, but I didn't know then, and I still kind of don't know now, what do you call her?
(on camera) Is it comedian or comedienne?
GRIFFIN: It's really comic.
COOPER: It's comic.
GRIFFIN: But comedian is fine...
COOPER: OK.
GRIFFIN: ... you sexist pig.
COOPER (voice-over): Lesson No. 1 when working with Kathy Griffin, when you zig, she's going to zag.
(on camera) What are you going to do at the moment of 2008? What's going to be going through your mind?
GRIFFIN: You better watch your back. Because I'm coming at you full tongue, grabbing your butt. You're going to have call security. Take it or leave it, Andy.
COOPER: All right.
(voice-over) Lesson No. 2, she shows no respect -- I mean, zero -- for her anchoring colleague.
GRIFFIN: All right. When you go to places like Lebanon...
COOPER (on camera): Right.
GRIFFIN: ... and it's an important story and you hop on the plane and you just go, where do you get your Gucci suit?
COOPER: My Gucci...
GRIFFIN: Where do you find the Prada suit? I mean, what are you wearing today?
COOPER: I have no idea.
GRIFFIN: Bern Gummel (ph)?
COOPER: Who?
GRIFFIN: Versace?
COOPER: No. I don't know.
GRIFFIN: Can you just call and they make it for you? Like, is there some seamstress at Prada who's furiously sewing for your next conflict?
COOPER: No.
I knew we should have gotten Kathy Lee Gifford. I asked for Kathy Lee Gifford, and somehow we got Kathy Griffin.
GRIFFIN: You know what? You were so much nicer in 2007. Now you're just handsome and hurtful.
COOPER: I asked Larry King is it all right working with Kathy Griffin?
GRIFFIN: Oh, here we go.
COOPER: What's it like working with...
GRIFFIN: Listen, I will call Wolf Blitzer so fast. I will text him, and you will have Cafferty so far up your butt you will not have a job tomorrow.
COOPER: All right.
(voice-over) Cafferty did not come after me today. But my friend Gary Tuchman, who ran four miles through Central Park at midnight, wants to have a word with Kathy.
(on camera) See this? Gary Tuchman has been doing this...
GRIFFIN: I'm not buying this at all.
COOPER: You're not?
GRIFFIN: A guy who says he's running and he just stands there and shouts.
COOPER: No, no. The run started at the stroke of midnight.
GRIFFIN: He's not even sweating.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Gary, she didn't buy that you were actually running. How long did it take you to finish?
TUCHMAN: By the way, you defended me, and I appreciate that, Anderson. By the way, I was wearing a Gucci track suit, for the record. Just so you know.
But it took me 49 minutes, which was longer than last year, the first time I did it. But in defense of myself, I could only start it at 12:03, because there were so many runners, I didn't cross the starting line at 12.
COOPER: OK.
TUCHMAN: So probably 46 minutes.
COOPER: All right. You know. But you're not -- you don't run every -- you're not like a big runner, are you?
TUCHMAN: A big roller-blader. Not a big runner. And I must tell you, the president of the New York Roadrunners -- they're the organization that organized that last night. They also did the New York City Marathon. They have issued you a challenge. They want you to run 26 miles and change in next year's marathon.
COOPER: I don't know that that's going to happen. I'm not sure my little -- skinny little legs can stand that sort of thing.
Gary, thanks for that. And thanks for your being a great sport last night. It was great.
Up next, Tom Foreman takes a look at the best and worst of 2007. The people and stories that defined the year. A 360 special next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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