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CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown

Kerry Wins Virginia, Tennessee Primaries

Aired February 10, 2004 - 22:00   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.


AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening again, everyone.
It's starting to feel like the freight train is rolling down the tracks. John Kerry knocked down two more states tonight and it's not too early to say the remaining Democratic contenders, how are you going to stop this? It is not that they don't have answers. They do. It's whether those answers make any sense.

Howard Dean in Wisconsin tonight told us that a win there will restart his whole campaign, will change the whole dynamic. Even if you accept that a Dean win in Wisconsin right now, while possible, does not look likely if the polls are to be believed.

The Edwards camp talks about getting Kerry in a one-on-one. If we can just do that we can beat this guy. Maybe yes, maybe not, but getting that pure one-on-one while the game is still on is hardly guaranteed.

And, General Wesley Clark needed to do well tonight and he didn't, so is he done? Is that campaign over? Some questions for the night and a place to start the whip.

And we start with Kelly Wallace who's with the Kerry campaign and has the easiest headline of all, Kelly, good evening.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Aaron. Kerry's advisers say the most significant aspect about tonight is that the Senator from Massachusetts, showing that he can win all across the country, including in the south, the Senator continuing to say he's still not taking anything for granted but a Democratic source, Aaron, saying Senator Kerry right now is pretty tough to catch -- Aaron.

BROWN: Kelly, thank you.

The headlines get more complicated as we go, Candy Crowley with the Edwards campaign, Candy a headline from there.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, two seconds were big enough to bring John Edwards here to Minnesota -- sorry, to Wisconsin, where he will continue on. He said it in one easy sentence. This is a campaign and an election not a coronation -- Aaron.

BROWN: Candy, thank you.

Dan Lothian next, he's got the Clark campaign and this headline is quite complicated -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Aaron, General Clark had always said that he'd do well in Tennessee. He spent a lot of time, a lot of resources here in this state. He's about to come out now and speak. The question is what will he say? Will he stay or will he go -- Aaron?

BROWN: Thank you, Dan.

And finally, back to Milwaukee and CNN's Joe Johns with the Dean campaign, Joe a headline.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, Dean didn't really compete in Virginia or Tennessee. He spent the day camped out here in Wisconsin and ended up at a rally here in Milwaukee -- Aaron.

BROWN: Joe, thank you. We'll get back to all of you shortly.

Also coming up on the program tonight, we'll break down some of the reasons people voted the way they did, look at what comes next for the Democrats.

We'll also look at some of the day's other top stories, including questions about President Bush's service in the Air National Guard during the Vietnam Era, questions the White House says it has now answered finally.

And a terrible day in Iraq a terror attack, dozens dead.

And, as always, we'll wrap up a Tuesday by getting a jump on Wednesday. We'll check the morning papers on this election night, all that and more in the hour ahead.

We begin with the primaries, a pair of victories for John Kerry who has shown he can win in the south in February against Democrats. That's what he showed tonight, no more and no less.

The vote was a major disappointment for the Clark campaign and it is hardly great news for John Edwards. That's the outline of the night. For the details we're joined by Wolf Blitzer and company in Atlanta. Wolf, good evening.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, Aaron. Thank you very much.

Let's take a look at the actual numbers that we're getting in, a clear win in Tennessee for John Kerry, the big winner tonight, two for two, 12 for 14 if you're counting all the states' parties and caucuses.

Take a look at this. With 74 percent of the vote now in, in Tennessee, 42 percent for John Kerry, John Edwards slightly ahead of Wesley Clark, 26 to 23 percent, the rest of the pack far, far behind.

In Virginia, a much more impressive victory for John Kerry, take a look at this. With almost 100 percent of the vote now in, more than half going to John Kerry, John Edward with 27 percent, Clark, Dean, Sharpton, Kucinich far, far behind as well.

Let's go immediately over to Kelly Wallace. She's over at John Kerry's campaign headquarters outside Washington, D.C. in Fairfax, Virginia. Kelly, I know they are very excited but what's next now for John Kerry?

WALLACE: Well, Wolf, John Kerry himself is doing a round of interviews. He says he's going to continue to take this state by state, race by race, although there are some things you can read into the fact that he is not going to be on the campaign trail on Wednesday or Thursday, taking some down time, working the phones, likely to do some fund-raising.

But on Friday, he will head to Wisconsin, over the weekend to Nevada. The Senator and his aides are clearly very, very thrilled. To give you some context they say just a month ago John Kerry was in single digits in both Tennessee and in Virginia.

And they say the fact that he was able to beat two other southern opponents shows that the Senator from Massachusetts can win across all demographic groups, across all parts of the country, including with Democratic primary voters in the south.

And, it's very interesting, you are also hearing some Kerry campaign advisers saying that this Senator, if he becomes the nominee, doing so well with veterans perhaps he can give Republicans a fight for some states in the south -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Kelly.

Let's move on to Candy Crowley. She's over at Milwaukee, Wisconsin covering the Edwards campaign. We heard from the Senator saying he's continuing. He's encourage by second place finishes apparently in Tennessee, certainly in Virginia -- Candy.

CROWLEY: Well, he tried to draw the sting from this early on beginning about five or six days ago saying I'll take something in the top two. They were determined to come here, Wolf, and to move on and here they believe that they have something akin to Iowa.

They also believe they have a state that they can concentrate on for a week and that they can bring the jobs message to. I don't know if you noticed but Edwards' speech here tonight was slightly different from the one he has been giving. He has been focusing on poverty.

Now he has moved into joblessness and what to do about it. He said, you know, the truth is there are people in one America who are making a fortune shipping out the jobs of those living in the other America.

So, this is a campaign that's now on joblessness and what Edwards believes are his roots and his understanding of that problem but they are talking well beyond this state. They are talking about Super Tuesday and beyond. At the moment he is determined to stay in and, as you heard, he said this is a campaign, an election, not a coronation -- Wolf. BLITZER: Candy, thanks very much.

A very different picture emerging from the Wesley Clark campaign, CNN's Dan Lothian is in Memphis, Tennessee. We're all waiting anxiously. Momentarily, we understand, Wesley Clark will be emerging. We don't know what he's going to say but what are you hearing Dan?

LOTHIAN: Wolf that is the question that we have been asking throughout the evening. Campaign aides have been telling CNN that they have been meeting behind closed doors trying to decide if they could move forward.

Wesley Clark is expected to come here shortly and talk to us. We tried to get some information as to whether or not he would be calling it quits tonight. We were told by some of the campaign aides that they could not answer that question. It would have to be up to Mr. Clark when he comes out here.

And, as I mentioned, he's expected to be up here at any moment. We understand that he may have just entered the room now. You know what's interesting though in this campaign is that Wesley Clark had been trying to reach out to the veterans. He had been trying to showcase himself as the only true veteran.

He was also running as the outsider. He would bring that up time and time again, specifically in the last two days trying to draw a contrast between his campaign and those of the front-runner Senator John Kerry. Clearly, though, it appears that his message did not resonate with the voters.

Once again, waiting for Wesley Clark to come out here and talk to his supporters -- back to you.

BLITZER: Well we see, Dan, we see Wesley Clark standing behind the speaker there. He's right on the stage, his wife Gert. They're smiling. They seem very happy, although they presumably could be masking some very, very serious disappointment in the vote tonight. Gert is about to speak there, Gert Clark.

Let's listen in briefly. Jeff and Judy as we await Gert to speak maybe you have some thoughts on what we might be about to hear -- Jeff.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: This is an astonishing moment from the time when he was considered the number one alternative to Howard Dean to what's going on now.

GERT CLARK, GENERAL WESLEY CLARK'S WIFE: I just want to say a few words before I introduce my husband. I want to thank everybody in this room that has worked so hard here in Tennessee. You really have done a spectacular job.

BLITZER: Judy, as we wait for General Clark to speak we are told now he will come in third, a disappointing third place in Tennessee. He came in even a more disappointing third place in Virginia. It does not look, Judy, very good for General Clark. JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: And this week a disappointment, Wolf. Last week he did win Oklahoma but it was very, very close. There have been reports, reliable reports, that his wife Gert Clark whom we see now introducing him right now that she's the reason he stayed in the race.

He was leaning last week toward getting out. Gert Clark, his wife, persuaded him to stay in another week and there is a strong sense that he may go ahead and do tonight what he was thinking of doing last week but, of course, we're going to wait and see what General Clark has to say.

BLITZER: Yes, go ahead Jeff.

GREENFIELD: Well there was a time, you know, when generals were routinely sent to the White House. It was the way that we knew that they were leaders from Washington through Jackson through William Henry Harrison through Grant.

But ever since Eisenhower, generals have had a less successful time of it, maybe because after Vietnam we didn't think they were leaders. Colin Powell was a potential president who decided not to run and this is the first Democrat who has tried to be a president after being a general in close to 100 years and he is not going to make it.

WOODRUFF: I also think it's tough when this is the first thing you've ever run for and you run for president, the toughest competition there is.

BLITZER: Aaron Brown is watching all of this with all of us -- Aaron.

BROWN: Well, I was listening to Judy. It's interesting that if Mrs. Clark was the one to keep her husband into the race she was really in many ways the last to come onboard for his running at all.

She wasn't thrilled with the idea that her husband was going to put himself out there and it's part of the reason the general entered as late as he did, though as we look at the race now it seems like a long time ago, doesn't it?

WOODRUFF: It sure does and it's interesting you should say that, Aaron, because I was told the same thing that it took her longer than anybody else but once she was onboard she was fully onboard.

She worked her heart out for this campaign. It is always painful when it comes to an end and, again, we don't know what they're going to announce in a few minutes. There is some sense that they may go ahead and announce an end to the campaign but we'll wait and see.

BLITZER: You know, Jeff, as we look at this picture we see not only Mrs. Clark and now General Clark is about to speak but that handsome young man standing behind him that's Wesley Clark, Jr., his son, their son. He's been very outspoken throughout this campaign. WESLEY CLARK (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, thank you very much honey for the introduction and I just want to second it. I think I've got a wonderful family and we've all had a great time. We've all had a great time here in Tennessee and I want to say thank you Tennessee.

It is a great state and as one of my favorite country and western singers and Tennessean George Jones likes to say, it just don't get any better than this. And I want to thank all of you for your support. I want to thank you for your support for standing by me and for working so hard to take the White House back to our rightful owners the American people.

I've spent almost every day the last week here with all of you traveling from city to city, from town to town, in a bus visiting volunteers. We stopped in a tractor store. We went to a barber shop. We went all over Tennessee. We saw the big city. We saw the little cities. We saw the non cities and it was great.

And I want to thank each of the volunteers who are with us tonight and all across the state who made the phone calls and licked the envelopes and visited the homes and day after day. They don't call Tennessee the Volunteer State for nothing. That's what it's about here.

Now, I just called John Kerry to congratulate him on his success in Virginia and Tennessee and I also want to congratulate John Edwards. They're both good men. They are both -- they both run good races. They're good Democrats. They're real patriots and they've run great campaigns.

We may have lost this battle today but I'll tell you what we're not going to lose the battle for America's future. Our goal remains the same to change the direction of our country and bring a higher standard of leadership to the White House.

And there is no party that is more committed to that effort, no party more committed to the America people than this party, our party, my party, the Democratic Party.

Look, George W. Bush and the Republicans have had three long years to try to get this country moving in the right direction. Instead, he set us back. I think the record is clear. America has lost three million jobs. We've now got 44 million people without health insurance.

We got 35 million people living below the poverty level. We've had family incomes drop $1,500 per family on average. We've had the deficit explode and we fought a war we didn't have to fight.

Yesterday in Memphis, I met a soldier. Yesterday I met a soldier who was headed back to Iraq. He came to see me. He was in civilian clothes. He just wanted me to know he was doing his duty but I knew why he was there.

He was there for all of them, for all of them who are doing their duty, who are doing their duty so well, who are doing everything their country is asking them to do, who are serving and sacrificing and risking their lives over there for us because we asked them to do it.

But I think it's time we had a commander-in-chief who asks them to do the right thing, not the wrong thing and it's time we reclaimed the mantle for a better America. It's time we took America back for its rightful owners the American people.

It's time that we had an America where we don't just talk about family values but we actually value families. It's time we had an America where a job, an education and health care aren't just luxuries for the chosen few.

It's time we had an America where we don't just preach our faith but we practice it. And it's time we had an America where those who have more reach out and help those who have less.

We want an America where everyone has a shot at the American dream no matter where they're from and where everyone is included, recognizing that diversity is our greatest strength, an America where we understand that debate and descent and questioning our leaders and holding them accountable is the highest form of patriotism, especially in war.

We want an America where being patriotic means using force only as a last resort not as a political tool. We want an America where we look up to our leaders and where we trust our commander-in-chief.

BROWN: General Wesley Clark in Tennessee tonight on a night that did not play out as they hoped and probably as they needed, some very hard choices now facing the general and indeed this race has clarified somewhat over the last two weeks and General Clark did not, at this point at least, make the top cut, at least it looks that way now.

We'll take a break. We have much more ahead on what has gone on tonight and the rest of the day's news too. We need to catch up on a break first.

From New York, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Now three candidates who did not do so well, Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, John Edwards in today's primaries they all ran as political outsiders.

But the voters in these primaries said they were looking for someone who had experience. The people looking for experience, once again two-thirds of them, voted for John Kerry. He blew everybody else away again. You know, Aaron, there are some years, like say 1992, when voters are looking for an outside. This was not one of them.

BROWN: And just speculate for a minute, that's all we can do on this stuff, as to why that is. Is it the times in which we live, the wars, terror and the rest? SCHNEIDER: Democrats believe that the only way they can win is to find someone with the experience, the knowledge, the stature who can stand next to George Bush and make the case that he or she can keep the country safe, can protect the national security.

You don't want an outsider to do that. You want someone who's got hands-on experience. There were only two candidates who could make that claim. One was Wesley Clark and the other was John Kerry.

Wesley Clark made a fateful decision not to compete in the Iowa caucuses. I could make the argument, just for the sake of argument, if Wesley Clark had competed in Iowa he might have ended up like John Kerry but he didn't do that.

BROWN: Oh, I love those sorts of answers, if only, the if-only answers.

SCHNEIDER: If only. I'm sure they're going to be asking themselves what if we had run in Iowa? I think if he had run in Iowa he would have been a lot better off.

BROWN: Well, that's good theory Mr. Schneider. We appreciate that. Thank you very much. You've had a long night already, Bill Schneider in Atlanta.

We have more on the campaign coming up. We need to catch up a little bit. In a bit, Jeff Greenfield will join us, others as well to talk more about what happened tonight, a quick break first.

This is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: We're joined now by three of the best we know on a night like this. Donna Brazile ran Al Gore's campaign the last time around, much sought after on the Democratic side. Also in Washington, John Harwood who writes politics in the news pages of "The Wall Street Journal," and from Atlanta we're joined by Jeff Greenfield as well. It's good to see you all.

Donna, I think last Wednesday I started a conversation with you by saying is it over? Is it over?

DONNA BRAZILE, FORMER GORE CAMPAIGN MANAGER: It's just about over. John Kerry has accumulated a lot of delegates over the last three weeks. Look, he's about to go into some more fertile territory for this amazing Senator who has been able to come back from near death. So, I think it's almost over but the shout, we still have one more week of campaigning to go.

BROWN: And that's Wisconsin.

BRAZILE: Absolutely.

BROWN: John, do you agree that it's over or pretty nearly so? JOHN HARWOOD, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Aaron, John Edwards has a chance in the same way a football team has a chance if they're down three touchdowns with a minute left. All that we have to do is throw an 80-yard bomb, get two onside kicks and throw two more 80-yard bombs.

It's not likely to happen. John Kerry is in a very, very commanding position. There's a tremendous desire within the party to rally around somebody who will begin to take the fight to George Bush and there's every reason to think that that judgment will be affirmed next week in Wisconsin.

BROWN: John, do you think in some, this may sound perverse, but in some perverse way it is ending too soon for the Democrats?

HARWOOD: Well, I tell you there's a lot of Democrats who think that the weekly play out of these primaries has been very, very good for John Kerry. Every Wednesday morning there's a big headline in the newspaper that says Kerry wins again.

And what's happening is he's getting introduced to the American people with the idea that here's big John Kerry. He's a winner. That's not a bad thing for a politician who still is very, very unknown across the broader stage nationally.

So, certainly next week if he has the result that we would expect from the Wisconsin primary that would be another good week for John Kerry, then you're going to have two weeks until March 2. He is very likely to sweep all of those states as well.

But you do have the possibility that we would enter the phase when the interest level dips and John Kerry has a tougher time getting on the front page, getting on the newscasts. That may not be good for him.

BROWN: Jeff, do you agree with that?

GREENFIELD: Yes. I was thinking, you know, one of the places that March 2 has a primary in is Ohio. That's a state that the Democrats lost by about three or four points four years ago. There are people who swear that if Gore had just not pulled his resources out he would have won that and therefore the White House.

It probably would be a good thing for John Kerry to be known in what is going to be one of the key battleground states. I do. I have one other quick point to make. Before we get overboard about what happened tonight, the fact that John Kerry has won two Southern primaries is impressive. It tells you almost nothing about whether John Kerry could be competitive in the South in the fall.

BROWN: Right. Right.

We made an observation at the beginning of the program that what it tells us is, he can win a Democratic primary in the South in February, and not a whole lot more. Is it realistic for any Democratic candidate to believe that they can win, as opposed to compete, in the South?

GREENFIELD: It may not be realistic, but being competitive would be a major step forward, if it forced the Republicans to spend time, money and resources in a region that they might otherwise, as they did in 1988, against Dukakis, take it for granted, move forces elsewhere.

So, a competitive Democrat in the South, whether you actually win a lot of states or not, would be a very big advantage in the fall.

(CROSSTALK)

HARWOOD: Aaron, I think the point is whether or not a Democrat can win just one or maybe two states in the South. Obviously, they're not going to be able to compete broadly.

But if you have a Democratic nominee who has a shot in Arkansas, Louisiana, for example, those potentially could be very important pieces of an electoral puzzle.

BRAZILE: And let us not forget Florida. Democrats want to go back and compete in Florida. There are a lot of voters there who were dissatisfied with the results, of course, in 2000.

And I do believe that Democrats can be very competitive in not just Florida. John mentioned Louisiana, Arkansas and also Tennessee. Al Gore lost Tennessee because we didn't invest resources early on in Tennessee. And we gave basically the Bush team the state to do as they pleased.

BROWN: Donna, just go back to something John was talking about a moment ago. If this thing is essentially over and people start to believe it is essentially over, how do the Democrats keep this alive, in a sense, keep interest in them alive in this period when the Bush campaign can start running ads now -- they've got a lot of money -- and turn the moment around?

BRAZILE: Well, first of all, I don't believe that it will come to an end until after Super Tuesday on March 2.

And then the following week is Southern Tuesday. You have a lot of Southern states that will participate in the process. Now, John Kerry, if he is the nominee at that point, will be able to coast along throughout the next couple of months. But, look, the Democratic Party is well prepared for the challenges that lies ahead.

Terry McAuliffe has actually been raising money to help the nominee out. And I also believe that many of the parties allies are prepared for the period that follows after John Kerry or whoever clinches the nomination. So I think the party's in great shape. And perhaps John Kerry will be ready to launch his general election campaign as well.

BROWN: Down to our last minute.

John and Jeff, start with Jeff, I heard at the end of Larry's program tonight talk about an Kerry/Edwards ticket. Seem possible? GREENFIELD: Oh, sure.

I mean, I've been hearing about that since Iowa. It makes a certain amount of sense. It also reminds us of one of the grimmer prospects if this campaign ends, that we'll have nothing to talk about for five months but who the vice presidential nominee is.

BROWN: Right.

GREENFIELD: In which case, I'll be going to Bora Bora.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Oh, no, you won't.

(LAUGHTER)

HARWOOD: Aaron, there is some talk in both parties that it might be a smart play for John Kerry to make a vice presidential selection quickly to begin to have two messengers out there taking on George Bush at a time Republicans are ready to unload with both barrels all the cash that the Bush-Cheney campaign is sitting on.

Certainly, Edwards is somebody you've got to look at, at the top of the list. Dick Gephardt, who could help you carry Missouri, is another. And Bob Graham in Florida, Donna mentioned that state. That could end up being a swing state again.

BROWN: Conversations for another time. Good to have you all. Nice to see you all. Thank you very much.

BRAZILE: Thank you.

BROWN: Still ahead tonight, politics of a different sort, perhaps, the question of the president's military service during the Vietnam War -- that and more, as NEWSNIGHT continues from New York on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: The daily classified briefings the president received from the CIA before and after September 11 have become sort of a holy grail for the commission investigating the attacks. Only a few of its members have seen the documents. And yesterday, the commission threatened to subpoena the White House. Today, they made a deal.

The White House will give the panel greater access to the records, including a memo from August 2001 that discusses the possibility of commercial airline hijackings by al Qaeda. But there's a catch. The documents will be edited, which doesn't settle the question of how comprehensive the final report the commission issues will actually be.

And the other significant development from the White House today concerns what George W. Bush did in his first war as Lieutenant Bush in the Air National Guard. It helps here to remember the times. Vietnam was raging. The draft was a gun to the head of millions of young men, including Mr. Bush. The National Guard and the Reserves in those days were a safe haven.

But the charge against the president has never been that he chose the safe haven. It is that, after choosing it, did he complete his duty or not? Was he a weekend warrior or did he walk away from it? Today, the administration put the records on the table in hopes of ending the controversy.

From the White House tonight, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an effort to silence the critics, the White House released new documents that it claims shows President Bush fulfilled his National Guard duty during Vietnam.

MCCLELLAN: When you are serving in the National Guard, you're paid for the days on which you are served.

MALVEAUX: The documents include point summaries and payroll records that the White House says shows Mr. Bush logged the time required between 1972 to 1974 to be considered active in the National Guard. He received what military analysts consider only a passing grade for his time, 56 points out of 50-point minimum.

The personnel director for the Texas Air National Guard asked to review Mr. Bush's record by the White House issued the statement, saying: "This clearly shows that 1st Lieutenant George W. Bush has satisfactory years for both '72 to '73 and '73 to '74, which proves that he completed his military obligation in a satisfactory manner."

One point of contention, a controversial six-month period when Mr. Bush transferred to a Guard unit in Alabama. No one has come forward to attest he showed up for service, including his former commander. But the president stands by his own memory.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There may be no evidence, but I did report.

MALVEAUX: But the head of the Democratic National Committee Terry, McAuliffe, said there is no still no evidence that George W. Bush showed up for duty as ordered while in Alabama.

Senator John Kerry, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination and Vietnam war hero, regularly campaigns with his band of brothers from his military days. Republicans are accusing the Democrats of attacking Mr. Bush's military record to score political points.

ED GILLESPIE, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: This is the kind of tactic I think we need to get used to. I think it's the kind of dirty politics that the Democrats are intent on engaging in, in this election year. MALVEAUX (on camera): Despite the release of documents, there are still holes as to where Mr. Bush was when. But White House aides hope that he's judged by his military leadership as a wartime president, not his service 30 years ago.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Lois Romano has been covering the story for "The Washington Post." We expect she had a lot on her desk today, so we're pleased to have her on the program with us tonight.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Suzanne talked about holes in the record. The most significant hole, if you see any holes, would be what?

LOIS ROMANO, STAFF WRITER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Would be exactly where he served and what he did.

The White House produced documents today, but only the point summaries were original documents. The rest were just summaries of his service and his points. But they didn't say where he was or what exactly he did. So we don't know if he was in Alabama. We don't know if he was in Houston. And it's a sharp contrast to the rest of his record in his file, where you can actually see where he was during those times.

BROWN: So, it is only -- if you look at everything that has been released, just so that I understand this, it is only this one area where there has been controversy that is ambiguous?

ROMANO: Yes.

I would argue that it's actually a year. Suzanne said six months. But it's basically from May of 1972 to May of '73. He asked for and he received a leave in May to go to Alabama. He did no work during the third quarter. The White House admits that. Then, in the fourth quarter, he says that he did drills in October and in November. But nobody in Alabama can remember him, which is a little bit unusual. No one's come forward.

This thing has been on the front burner politically since 2000 and maybe earlier in the governor's race. Then, he returns to Houston and he performs drills, so the summaries say, in January and, I believe, in April. But he gets an evaluation that's signed on May 2 that says they can't evaluate him because he hasn't been observed for the previous year. And it's signed on a day where he is supposed to be there doing drills. So there's some confusion there.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: I'm sorry. Is there any explanation for that?

ROMANO: Yes. The White House says, that when he returned back to Houston, he was not flying anymore. And so he's not -- he wasn't reporting to any particular commander. And, therefore, he was doing a lot of odd jobs. And nobody could evaluate him because nobody had really observed him straight for 90 days.

BROWN: Here's how I remember this, because I was in the Reserves too, that you would go into these drills, whether they were on a weeknight or a weekend, and you'd sign in. There was a sign-in sheet. You'd put your name and your Social Security number, your service number. Is there such a sheet that deals with this period?

ROMANO: Well, interestingly, the expert that the White House themselves put forward today, the former personnel director of the Texas unit, says that there absolutely should be a record of this.

And, basically, you sign the sheet, and then, at the end of every month, to receive your pay or your retirement points, you receive a record of what you worked. And there's four copies of that record. The unit member receives one. One goes to the state headquarters. Another goes to the payroll department, if you're to get paid. And the fourth goes to the archives.

So there's supposed to be four records. And we have not been able to see any from that period, from that 12-month period.

BROWN: You don't sound like a reporter who is done with this story yet.

(LAUGHTER)

ROMANO: I don't think it's over. And I think you could tell today.

You know, that was a very hot briefing today. The reporters, the journalists themselves, were not satisfied with answers. I think that the Democrats obviously feel like they have some traction on this and are not going to let it go. And I don't think the story is over.

BROWN: Ms. Romano, nice to meet you. Good to have you on the program tonight. Thank you very much.

ROMANO: Thank you for having me.

BROWN: Thank you, Lois Romano of "The Washington Post."

A few other items making news today in our "Moneyline Roundup," starting with the Martha Stewart trial. On the stand today, her personal assistant said Ms. Stewart altered a potentially incriminating phone message from her broker. She allegedly did it after learning she was under investigation. The message warned that shares in ImClone might fall. Her assistant says Ms. Stewart edited out the warning, but then had second thoughts and asked her to change it back.

The defense rested today in the trial of Dennis Kozlowski, having called no witnesses on his behalf. The former CEO of Tyco International, who obviously didn't take the stand either, is accused of looting the company out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

General Motors is recalling 127,000 Chevy Corvettes, because their steering wheel can lock up on the road. The recall targets 1997 through 2004 models. It's the third major recall for GM in a week.

And Amtrak's president says the administration's proposed subsidy for the railroad simply doesn't cut it. David Gunn calls the $900 million figure a shutdown number. He says Amtrak needs $1.8 billion to get the job done.

Wall Street eked out a winning day, despite some jitters about what Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan will tell the Congress tomorrow. Those are the numbers.

Still to come on the program, the latest from Iraq, and it's not good, a devastating terror bombing today claiming dozens of lives.

A break first. Around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: In Iraq today, a huge explosion south of Baghdad killed at least 50 people, many, many more wounded. And many of the details are, sad to say, familiar. A pickup truck stuffed with explosives detonated near a police station, many of the victims Iraqis looking for work in a country short on jobs and security. What was different today was the timing and the questions it raised about al Qaeda.

Here's CNN's Brent Sadler.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another deadly bomb blast aimed at the Iraqi police at Al-Iskandariyah, 25 miles south of Baghdad.

Dozens of would-be recruits were lined up at the time hoping to join the ranks of the embattled police now one of the most dangerous jobs in Iraq. Shrapnel tore through parked cars and cut down a large number of people including Iraqi passersby. Many Iraqis here ignored official explanations for the carnage believing wild rumors locally that destruction might have been caused by a U.S. missile. It comes a day after the U. S. -led coalition warned that terrorists were planning to stoke a civil war, through attacks on Iraqi Shiites and U.S. collaborators especially the police.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMETT, U.S. ARMY: Those are some of the fingerprints, large bomb, car bomb, we don't know at this point whether it was a suicide bomber or whether a person escaped and detonated it.

SADLER: Nor do they know for certain if the hand of this top terror suspect Abu Al Zarqawi was involved, though in a letter he is suspected of sending to al Qaeda, he writes the Iraqi troops, police and agents. These are the eyes, ears and hand of the occupier. And as far as the Shia, we will undertake suicide operations and use car bombs to harm them.

DAN SENOR, COALITION SPOKESMAN: This Zarqawi memo makes it clear that he and al Qaeda forces feel threatened by the growing Iraqi security services. And by their increasing effectiveness.

SADLER: Amid coalition plans to hand over sovereignty by the end of June.

(on camera): As an extension of U. S. -led authority in Iraq the police have been targeted by a systematic campaign of terror attacks in recent months aimed at destroying the courage and resolve of the newborn force.

Brent Sadler, CNN, Al-Iskandariyah, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Today, the French National Assembly overwhelmingly approved a controversial ban on Muslim head scarves and other conspicuous religious symbols in the public schools in France. This wasn't even close, 494 in favor, 36 opposed. France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe. Polls show, about 70 percent of French citizens support this ban. Opponents say it is discriminatory and will stigmatize the country's five million Muslims. The next step in France, a vote in the French Senate.

The next step for us, morning papers. A break first.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(ROOSTER CROWING)

BROWN: OK, time to check morning papers from across the country and across the country. And unless something changes pretty quickly, we are not going to be able to tell you the weather in Chicago. And I have no explanation for that, other than, I don't have it.

"The Richmond Times-Dispatch." "Southern Sweep" the headline. "Kerry Wins Virginia, Tennessee, Edwards a Distant Second." That's the way they headline it. Go down to the bottom here, if you can. It's interesting to me how newspapers are playing the president's -- the flap over the president's Reserve duty. "Military Pay Data For Bush Released, Six Months Still at Issue." So "The Richmond Times- Dispatch," in its headline, says, all questions not answered.

"The Detroit Free Press" headlines the same story. And it is its headline. "Bush Fulfilled His Guard Duty, White House Says, but Documents Leave Questions and There Aren't Any Witnesses." They pair this with a story I like a lot, "The Vietnam Issue: When War Tore Young Men Apart." We talked about this a bit on the program last year, that this -- or last week, rather -- it somehow feels like, the election, we're going to deal with Vietnam yet again.

The other paper in Detroit, that would be "The Detroit News." "Feds Stampede to Knock TV Smut Off the Air. Super Bowl Hoopla Unleashes Bill," bills in Congress to raise funds. That's the lead story, also perhaps an increase in sin taxes in the state of Michigan, too.

"San Francisco Chronicle." "Top Democrats Endorse Bond Measure. Schwarzenegger to Ask GOP to Support Propositions 57 and 58." That's his plan to get the state out of debt, which is not really out of debt, but just to get different debt. "Kerry Builds Lead, Grabs First Wins in South" the headline there. And one more, "Bush Military Papers Leave Gaps in Records." That's the way "The San Francisco Chronicle" headlines the story.

This is the way it plays in "The "International Herald Tribune," if you're interested. And I hope you are. "Bush Faces Questions on Service. White House Releases Garbed Data to Show He Fulfilled His Duty." But there's some question on that.

The weather in Chicago -- man, this staff is so good -- is "typical." Now, you have to have lived in Chicago to know what that means. But, if you do, it's typical.

We'll wrap up the day in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Before we go tonight, a quick recap of our top story.

John Kerry racking up substantial victories in Tennessee and the Virginia primaries, the first Southern states to go into the Kerry column. John Edwards did solidly, but not stunningly. And General Wesley Clark finished third in both states, decision time for the Clark campaign.

Tomorrow night on this program, 40 years after they took the country by storm, pictures never seen before of the Beatles' first visit to America, pictures not seen here, by the way. So tune in tomorrow.

A CNN election night special coming up next.

We'll see you tomorrow at 10:00 Eastern time. Until then, good night for all of us.

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Aired February 10, 2004 - 22:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening again, everyone.
It's starting to feel like the freight train is rolling down the tracks. John Kerry knocked down two more states tonight and it's not too early to say the remaining Democratic contenders, how are you going to stop this? It is not that they don't have answers. They do. It's whether those answers make any sense.

Howard Dean in Wisconsin tonight told us that a win there will restart his whole campaign, will change the whole dynamic. Even if you accept that a Dean win in Wisconsin right now, while possible, does not look likely if the polls are to be believed.

The Edwards camp talks about getting Kerry in a one-on-one. If we can just do that we can beat this guy. Maybe yes, maybe not, but getting that pure one-on-one while the game is still on is hardly guaranteed.

And, General Wesley Clark needed to do well tonight and he didn't, so is he done? Is that campaign over? Some questions for the night and a place to start the whip.

And we start with Kelly Wallace who's with the Kerry campaign and has the easiest headline of all, Kelly, good evening.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Aaron. Kerry's advisers say the most significant aspect about tonight is that the Senator from Massachusetts, showing that he can win all across the country, including in the south, the Senator continuing to say he's still not taking anything for granted but a Democratic source, Aaron, saying Senator Kerry right now is pretty tough to catch -- Aaron.

BROWN: Kelly, thank you.

The headlines get more complicated as we go, Candy Crowley with the Edwards campaign, Candy a headline from there.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, two seconds were big enough to bring John Edwards here to Minnesota -- sorry, to Wisconsin, where he will continue on. He said it in one easy sentence. This is a campaign and an election not a coronation -- Aaron.

BROWN: Candy, thank you.

Dan Lothian next, he's got the Clark campaign and this headline is quite complicated -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Aaron, General Clark had always said that he'd do well in Tennessee. He spent a lot of time, a lot of resources here in this state. He's about to come out now and speak. The question is what will he say? Will he stay or will he go -- Aaron?

BROWN: Thank you, Dan.

And finally, back to Milwaukee and CNN's Joe Johns with the Dean campaign, Joe a headline.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, Dean didn't really compete in Virginia or Tennessee. He spent the day camped out here in Wisconsin and ended up at a rally here in Milwaukee -- Aaron.

BROWN: Joe, thank you. We'll get back to all of you shortly.

Also coming up on the program tonight, we'll break down some of the reasons people voted the way they did, look at what comes next for the Democrats.

We'll also look at some of the day's other top stories, including questions about President Bush's service in the Air National Guard during the Vietnam Era, questions the White House says it has now answered finally.

And a terrible day in Iraq a terror attack, dozens dead.

And, as always, we'll wrap up a Tuesday by getting a jump on Wednesday. We'll check the morning papers on this election night, all that and more in the hour ahead.

We begin with the primaries, a pair of victories for John Kerry who has shown he can win in the south in February against Democrats. That's what he showed tonight, no more and no less.

The vote was a major disappointment for the Clark campaign and it is hardly great news for John Edwards. That's the outline of the night. For the details we're joined by Wolf Blitzer and company in Atlanta. Wolf, good evening.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, Aaron. Thank you very much.

Let's take a look at the actual numbers that we're getting in, a clear win in Tennessee for John Kerry, the big winner tonight, two for two, 12 for 14 if you're counting all the states' parties and caucuses.

Take a look at this. With 74 percent of the vote now in, in Tennessee, 42 percent for John Kerry, John Edwards slightly ahead of Wesley Clark, 26 to 23 percent, the rest of the pack far, far behind.

In Virginia, a much more impressive victory for John Kerry, take a look at this. With almost 100 percent of the vote now in, more than half going to John Kerry, John Edward with 27 percent, Clark, Dean, Sharpton, Kucinich far, far behind as well.

Let's go immediately over to Kelly Wallace. She's over at John Kerry's campaign headquarters outside Washington, D.C. in Fairfax, Virginia. Kelly, I know they are very excited but what's next now for John Kerry?

WALLACE: Well, Wolf, John Kerry himself is doing a round of interviews. He says he's going to continue to take this state by state, race by race, although there are some things you can read into the fact that he is not going to be on the campaign trail on Wednesday or Thursday, taking some down time, working the phones, likely to do some fund-raising.

But on Friday, he will head to Wisconsin, over the weekend to Nevada. The Senator and his aides are clearly very, very thrilled. To give you some context they say just a month ago John Kerry was in single digits in both Tennessee and in Virginia.

And they say the fact that he was able to beat two other southern opponents shows that the Senator from Massachusetts can win across all demographic groups, across all parts of the country, including with Democratic primary voters in the south.

And, it's very interesting, you are also hearing some Kerry campaign advisers saying that this Senator, if he becomes the nominee, doing so well with veterans perhaps he can give Republicans a fight for some states in the south -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Kelly.

Let's move on to Candy Crowley. She's over at Milwaukee, Wisconsin covering the Edwards campaign. We heard from the Senator saying he's continuing. He's encourage by second place finishes apparently in Tennessee, certainly in Virginia -- Candy.

CROWLEY: Well, he tried to draw the sting from this early on beginning about five or six days ago saying I'll take something in the top two. They were determined to come here, Wolf, and to move on and here they believe that they have something akin to Iowa.

They also believe they have a state that they can concentrate on for a week and that they can bring the jobs message to. I don't know if you noticed but Edwards' speech here tonight was slightly different from the one he has been giving. He has been focusing on poverty.

Now he has moved into joblessness and what to do about it. He said, you know, the truth is there are people in one America who are making a fortune shipping out the jobs of those living in the other America.

So, this is a campaign that's now on joblessness and what Edwards believes are his roots and his understanding of that problem but they are talking well beyond this state. They are talking about Super Tuesday and beyond. At the moment he is determined to stay in and, as you heard, he said this is a campaign, an election, not a coronation -- Wolf. BLITZER: Candy, thanks very much.

A very different picture emerging from the Wesley Clark campaign, CNN's Dan Lothian is in Memphis, Tennessee. We're all waiting anxiously. Momentarily, we understand, Wesley Clark will be emerging. We don't know what he's going to say but what are you hearing Dan?

LOTHIAN: Wolf that is the question that we have been asking throughout the evening. Campaign aides have been telling CNN that they have been meeting behind closed doors trying to decide if they could move forward.

Wesley Clark is expected to come here shortly and talk to us. We tried to get some information as to whether or not he would be calling it quits tonight. We were told by some of the campaign aides that they could not answer that question. It would have to be up to Mr. Clark when he comes out here.

And, as I mentioned, he's expected to be up here at any moment. We understand that he may have just entered the room now. You know what's interesting though in this campaign is that Wesley Clark had been trying to reach out to the veterans. He had been trying to showcase himself as the only true veteran.

He was also running as the outsider. He would bring that up time and time again, specifically in the last two days trying to draw a contrast between his campaign and those of the front-runner Senator John Kerry. Clearly, though, it appears that his message did not resonate with the voters.

Once again, waiting for Wesley Clark to come out here and talk to his supporters -- back to you.

BLITZER: Well we see, Dan, we see Wesley Clark standing behind the speaker there. He's right on the stage, his wife Gert. They're smiling. They seem very happy, although they presumably could be masking some very, very serious disappointment in the vote tonight. Gert is about to speak there, Gert Clark.

Let's listen in briefly. Jeff and Judy as we await Gert to speak maybe you have some thoughts on what we might be about to hear -- Jeff.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: This is an astonishing moment from the time when he was considered the number one alternative to Howard Dean to what's going on now.

GERT CLARK, GENERAL WESLEY CLARK'S WIFE: I just want to say a few words before I introduce my husband. I want to thank everybody in this room that has worked so hard here in Tennessee. You really have done a spectacular job.

BLITZER: Judy, as we wait for General Clark to speak we are told now he will come in third, a disappointing third place in Tennessee. He came in even a more disappointing third place in Virginia. It does not look, Judy, very good for General Clark. JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: And this week a disappointment, Wolf. Last week he did win Oklahoma but it was very, very close. There have been reports, reliable reports, that his wife Gert Clark whom we see now introducing him right now that she's the reason he stayed in the race.

He was leaning last week toward getting out. Gert Clark, his wife, persuaded him to stay in another week and there is a strong sense that he may go ahead and do tonight what he was thinking of doing last week but, of course, we're going to wait and see what General Clark has to say.

BLITZER: Yes, go ahead Jeff.

GREENFIELD: Well there was a time, you know, when generals were routinely sent to the White House. It was the way that we knew that they were leaders from Washington through Jackson through William Henry Harrison through Grant.

But ever since Eisenhower, generals have had a less successful time of it, maybe because after Vietnam we didn't think they were leaders. Colin Powell was a potential president who decided not to run and this is the first Democrat who has tried to be a president after being a general in close to 100 years and he is not going to make it.

WOODRUFF: I also think it's tough when this is the first thing you've ever run for and you run for president, the toughest competition there is.

BLITZER: Aaron Brown is watching all of this with all of us -- Aaron.

BROWN: Well, I was listening to Judy. It's interesting that if Mrs. Clark was the one to keep her husband into the race she was really in many ways the last to come onboard for his running at all.

She wasn't thrilled with the idea that her husband was going to put himself out there and it's part of the reason the general entered as late as he did, though as we look at the race now it seems like a long time ago, doesn't it?

WOODRUFF: It sure does and it's interesting you should say that, Aaron, because I was told the same thing that it took her longer than anybody else but once she was onboard she was fully onboard.

She worked her heart out for this campaign. It is always painful when it comes to an end and, again, we don't know what they're going to announce in a few minutes. There is some sense that they may go ahead and announce an end to the campaign but we'll wait and see.

BLITZER: You know, Jeff, as we look at this picture we see not only Mrs. Clark and now General Clark is about to speak but that handsome young man standing behind him that's Wesley Clark, Jr., his son, their son. He's been very outspoken throughout this campaign. WESLEY CLARK (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, thank you very much honey for the introduction and I just want to second it. I think I've got a wonderful family and we've all had a great time. We've all had a great time here in Tennessee and I want to say thank you Tennessee.

It is a great state and as one of my favorite country and western singers and Tennessean George Jones likes to say, it just don't get any better than this. And I want to thank all of you for your support. I want to thank you for your support for standing by me and for working so hard to take the White House back to our rightful owners the American people.

I've spent almost every day the last week here with all of you traveling from city to city, from town to town, in a bus visiting volunteers. We stopped in a tractor store. We went to a barber shop. We went all over Tennessee. We saw the big city. We saw the little cities. We saw the non cities and it was great.

And I want to thank each of the volunteers who are with us tonight and all across the state who made the phone calls and licked the envelopes and visited the homes and day after day. They don't call Tennessee the Volunteer State for nothing. That's what it's about here.

Now, I just called John Kerry to congratulate him on his success in Virginia and Tennessee and I also want to congratulate John Edwards. They're both good men. They are both -- they both run good races. They're good Democrats. They're real patriots and they've run great campaigns.

We may have lost this battle today but I'll tell you what we're not going to lose the battle for America's future. Our goal remains the same to change the direction of our country and bring a higher standard of leadership to the White House.

And there is no party that is more committed to that effort, no party more committed to the America people than this party, our party, my party, the Democratic Party.

Look, George W. Bush and the Republicans have had three long years to try to get this country moving in the right direction. Instead, he set us back. I think the record is clear. America has lost three million jobs. We've now got 44 million people without health insurance.

We got 35 million people living below the poverty level. We've had family incomes drop $1,500 per family on average. We've had the deficit explode and we fought a war we didn't have to fight.

Yesterday in Memphis, I met a soldier. Yesterday I met a soldier who was headed back to Iraq. He came to see me. He was in civilian clothes. He just wanted me to know he was doing his duty but I knew why he was there.

He was there for all of them, for all of them who are doing their duty, who are doing their duty so well, who are doing everything their country is asking them to do, who are serving and sacrificing and risking their lives over there for us because we asked them to do it.

But I think it's time we had a commander-in-chief who asks them to do the right thing, not the wrong thing and it's time we reclaimed the mantle for a better America. It's time we took America back for its rightful owners the American people.

It's time that we had an America where we don't just talk about family values but we actually value families. It's time we had an America where a job, an education and health care aren't just luxuries for the chosen few.

It's time we had an America where we don't just preach our faith but we practice it. And it's time we had an America where those who have more reach out and help those who have less.

We want an America where everyone has a shot at the American dream no matter where they're from and where everyone is included, recognizing that diversity is our greatest strength, an America where we understand that debate and descent and questioning our leaders and holding them accountable is the highest form of patriotism, especially in war.

We want an America where being patriotic means using force only as a last resort not as a political tool. We want an America where we look up to our leaders and where we trust our commander-in-chief.

BROWN: General Wesley Clark in Tennessee tonight on a night that did not play out as they hoped and probably as they needed, some very hard choices now facing the general and indeed this race has clarified somewhat over the last two weeks and General Clark did not, at this point at least, make the top cut, at least it looks that way now.

We'll take a break. We have much more ahead on what has gone on tonight and the rest of the day's news too. We need to catch up on a break first.

From New York, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Now three candidates who did not do so well, Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, John Edwards in today's primaries they all ran as political outsiders.

But the voters in these primaries said they were looking for someone who had experience. The people looking for experience, once again two-thirds of them, voted for John Kerry. He blew everybody else away again. You know, Aaron, there are some years, like say 1992, when voters are looking for an outside. This was not one of them.

BROWN: And just speculate for a minute, that's all we can do on this stuff, as to why that is. Is it the times in which we live, the wars, terror and the rest? SCHNEIDER: Democrats believe that the only way they can win is to find someone with the experience, the knowledge, the stature who can stand next to George Bush and make the case that he or she can keep the country safe, can protect the national security.

You don't want an outsider to do that. You want someone who's got hands-on experience. There were only two candidates who could make that claim. One was Wesley Clark and the other was John Kerry.

Wesley Clark made a fateful decision not to compete in the Iowa caucuses. I could make the argument, just for the sake of argument, if Wesley Clark had competed in Iowa he might have ended up like John Kerry but he didn't do that.

BROWN: Oh, I love those sorts of answers, if only, the if-only answers.

SCHNEIDER: If only. I'm sure they're going to be asking themselves what if we had run in Iowa? I think if he had run in Iowa he would have been a lot better off.

BROWN: Well, that's good theory Mr. Schneider. We appreciate that. Thank you very much. You've had a long night already, Bill Schneider in Atlanta.

We have more on the campaign coming up. We need to catch up a little bit. In a bit, Jeff Greenfield will join us, others as well to talk more about what happened tonight, a quick break first.

This is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: We're joined now by three of the best we know on a night like this. Donna Brazile ran Al Gore's campaign the last time around, much sought after on the Democratic side. Also in Washington, John Harwood who writes politics in the news pages of "The Wall Street Journal," and from Atlanta we're joined by Jeff Greenfield as well. It's good to see you all.

Donna, I think last Wednesday I started a conversation with you by saying is it over? Is it over?

DONNA BRAZILE, FORMER GORE CAMPAIGN MANAGER: It's just about over. John Kerry has accumulated a lot of delegates over the last three weeks. Look, he's about to go into some more fertile territory for this amazing Senator who has been able to come back from near death. So, I think it's almost over but the shout, we still have one more week of campaigning to go.

BROWN: And that's Wisconsin.

BRAZILE: Absolutely.

BROWN: John, do you agree that it's over or pretty nearly so? JOHN HARWOOD, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": Aaron, John Edwards has a chance in the same way a football team has a chance if they're down three touchdowns with a minute left. All that we have to do is throw an 80-yard bomb, get two onside kicks and throw two more 80-yard bombs.

It's not likely to happen. John Kerry is in a very, very commanding position. There's a tremendous desire within the party to rally around somebody who will begin to take the fight to George Bush and there's every reason to think that that judgment will be affirmed next week in Wisconsin.

BROWN: John, do you think in some, this may sound perverse, but in some perverse way it is ending too soon for the Democrats?

HARWOOD: Well, I tell you there's a lot of Democrats who think that the weekly play out of these primaries has been very, very good for John Kerry. Every Wednesday morning there's a big headline in the newspaper that says Kerry wins again.

And what's happening is he's getting introduced to the American people with the idea that here's big John Kerry. He's a winner. That's not a bad thing for a politician who still is very, very unknown across the broader stage nationally.

So, certainly next week if he has the result that we would expect from the Wisconsin primary that would be another good week for John Kerry, then you're going to have two weeks until March 2. He is very likely to sweep all of those states as well.

But you do have the possibility that we would enter the phase when the interest level dips and John Kerry has a tougher time getting on the front page, getting on the newscasts. That may not be good for him.

BROWN: Jeff, do you agree with that?

GREENFIELD: Yes. I was thinking, you know, one of the places that March 2 has a primary in is Ohio. That's a state that the Democrats lost by about three or four points four years ago. There are people who swear that if Gore had just not pulled his resources out he would have won that and therefore the White House.

It probably would be a good thing for John Kerry to be known in what is going to be one of the key battleground states. I do. I have one other quick point to make. Before we get overboard about what happened tonight, the fact that John Kerry has won two Southern primaries is impressive. It tells you almost nothing about whether John Kerry could be competitive in the South in the fall.

BROWN: Right. Right.

We made an observation at the beginning of the program that what it tells us is, he can win a Democratic primary in the South in February, and not a whole lot more. Is it realistic for any Democratic candidate to believe that they can win, as opposed to compete, in the South?

GREENFIELD: It may not be realistic, but being competitive would be a major step forward, if it forced the Republicans to spend time, money and resources in a region that they might otherwise, as they did in 1988, against Dukakis, take it for granted, move forces elsewhere.

So, a competitive Democrat in the South, whether you actually win a lot of states or not, would be a very big advantage in the fall.

(CROSSTALK)

HARWOOD: Aaron, I think the point is whether or not a Democrat can win just one or maybe two states in the South. Obviously, they're not going to be able to compete broadly.

But if you have a Democratic nominee who has a shot in Arkansas, Louisiana, for example, those potentially could be very important pieces of an electoral puzzle.

BRAZILE: And let us not forget Florida. Democrats want to go back and compete in Florida. There are a lot of voters there who were dissatisfied with the results, of course, in 2000.

And I do believe that Democrats can be very competitive in not just Florida. John mentioned Louisiana, Arkansas and also Tennessee. Al Gore lost Tennessee because we didn't invest resources early on in Tennessee. And we gave basically the Bush team the state to do as they pleased.

BROWN: Donna, just go back to something John was talking about a moment ago. If this thing is essentially over and people start to believe it is essentially over, how do the Democrats keep this alive, in a sense, keep interest in them alive in this period when the Bush campaign can start running ads now -- they've got a lot of money -- and turn the moment around?

BRAZILE: Well, first of all, I don't believe that it will come to an end until after Super Tuesday on March 2.

And then the following week is Southern Tuesday. You have a lot of Southern states that will participate in the process. Now, John Kerry, if he is the nominee at that point, will be able to coast along throughout the next couple of months. But, look, the Democratic Party is well prepared for the challenges that lies ahead.

Terry McAuliffe has actually been raising money to help the nominee out. And I also believe that many of the parties allies are prepared for the period that follows after John Kerry or whoever clinches the nomination. So I think the party's in great shape. And perhaps John Kerry will be ready to launch his general election campaign as well.

BROWN: Down to our last minute.

John and Jeff, start with Jeff, I heard at the end of Larry's program tonight talk about an Kerry/Edwards ticket. Seem possible? GREENFIELD: Oh, sure.

I mean, I've been hearing about that since Iowa. It makes a certain amount of sense. It also reminds us of one of the grimmer prospects if this campaign ends, that we'll have nothing to talk about for five months but who the vice presidential nominee is.

BROWN: Right.

GREENFIELD: In which case, I'll be going to Bora Bora.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Oh, no, you won't.

(LAUGHTER)

HARWOOD: Aaron, there is some talk in both parties that it might be a smart play for John Kerry to make a vice presidential selection quickly to begin to have two messengers out there taking on George Bush at a time Republicans are ready to unload with both barrels all the cash that the Bush-Cheney campaign is sitting on.

Certainly, Edwards is somebody you've got to look at, at the top of the list. Dick Gephardt, who could help you carry Missouri, is another. And Bob Graham in Florida, Donna mentioned that state. That could end up being a swing state again.

BROWN: Conversations for another time. Good to have you all. Nice to see you all. Thank you very much.

BRAZILE: Thank you.

BROWN: Still ahead tonight, politics of a different sort, perhaps, the question of the president's military service during the Vietnam War -- that and more, as NEWSNIGHT continues from New York on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: The daily classified briefings the president received from the CIA before and after September 11 have become sort of a holy grail for the commission investigating the attacks. Only a few of its members have seen the documents. And yesterday, the commission threatened to subpoena the White House. Today, they made a deal.

The White House will give the panel greater access to the records, including a memo from August 2001 that discusses the possibility of commercial airline hijackings by al Qaeda. But there's a catch. The documents will be edited, which doesn't settle the question of how comprehensive the final report the commission issues will actually be.

And the other significant development from the White House today concerns what George W. Bush did in his first war as Lieutenant Bush in the Air National Guard. It helps here to remember the times. Vietnam was raging. The draft was a gun to the head of millions of young men, including Mr. Bush. The National Guard and the Reserves in those days were a safe haven.

But the charge against the president has never been that he chose the safe haven. It is that, after choosing it, did he complete his duty or not? Was he a weekend warrior or did he walk away from it? Today, the administration put the records on the table in hopes of ending the controversy.

From the White House tonight, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an effort to silence the critics, the White House released new documents that it claims shows President Bush fulfilled his National Guard duty during Vietnam.

MCCLELLAN: When you are serving in the National Guard, you're paid for the days on which you are served.

MALVEAUX: The documents include point summaries and payroll records that the White House says shows Mr. Bush logged the time required between 1972 to 1974 to be considered active in the National Guard. He received what military analysts consider only a passing grade for his time, 56 points out of 50-point minimum.

The personnel director for the Texas Air National Guard asked to review Mr. Bush's record by the White House issued the statement, saying: "This clearly shows that 1st Lieutenant George W. Bush has satisfactory years for both '72 to '73 and '73 to '74, which proves that he completed his military obligation in a satisfactory manner."

One point of contention, a controversial six-month period when Mr. Bush transferred to a Guard unit in Alabama. No one has come forward to attest he showed up for service, including his former commander. But the president stands by his own memory.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There may be no evidence, but I did report.

MALVEAUX: But the head of the Democratic National Committee Terry, McAuliffe, said there is no still no evidence that George W. Bush showed up for duty as ordered while in Alabama.

Senator John Kerry, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination and Vietnam war hero, regularly campaigns with his band of brothers from his military days. Republicans are accusing the Democrats of attacking Mr. Bush's military record to score political points.

ED GILLESPIE, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: This is the kind of tactic I think we need to get used to. I think it's the kind of dirty politics that the Democrats are intent on engaging in, in this election year. MALVEAUX (on camera): Despite the release of documents, there are still holes as to where Mr. Bush was when. But White House aides hope that he's judged by his military leadership as a wartime president, not his service 30 years ago.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Lois Romano has been covering the story for "The Washington Post." We expect she had a lot on her desk today, so we're pleased to have her on the program with us tonight.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Suzanne talked about holes in the record. The most significant hole, if you see any holes, would be what?

LOIS ROMANO, STAFF WRITER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Would be exactly where he served and what he did.

The White House produced documents today, but only the point summaries were original documents. The rest were just summaries of his service and his points. But they didn't say where he was or what exactly he did. So we don't know if he was in Alabama. We don't know if he was in Houston. And it's a sharp contrast to the rest of his record in his file, where you can actually see where he was during those times.

BROWN: So, it is only -- if you look at everything that has been released, just so that I understand this, it is only this one area where there has been controversy that is ambiguous?

ROMANO: Yes.

I would argue that it's actually a year. Suzanne said six months. But it's basically from May of 1972 to May of '73. He asked for and he received a leave in May to go to Alabama. He did no work during the third quarter. The White House admits that. Then, in the fourth quarter, he says that he did drills in October and in November. But nobody in Alabama can remember him, which is a little bit unusual. No one's come forward.

This thing has been on the front burner politically since 2000 and maybe earlier in the governor's race. Then, he returns to Houston and he performs drills, so the summaries say, in January and, I believe, in April. But he gets an evaluation that's signed on May 2 that says they can't evaluate him because he hasn't been observed for the previous year. And it's signed on a day where he is supposed to be there doing drills. So there's some confusion there.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: I'm sorry. Is there any explanation for that?

ROMANO: Yes. The White House says, that when he returned back to Houston, he was not flying anymore. And so he's not -- he wasn't reporting to any particular commander. And, therefore, he was doing a lot of odd jobs. And nobody could evaluate him because nobody had really observed him straight for 90 days.

BROWN: Here's how I remember this, because I was in the Reserves too, that you would go into these drills, whether they were on a weeknight or a weekend, and you'd sign in. There was a sign-in sheet. You'd put your name and your Social Security number, your service number. Is there such a sheet that deals with this period?

ROMANO: Well, interestingly, the expert that the White House themselves put forward today, the former personnel director of the Texas unit, says that there absolutely should be a record of this.

And, basically, you sign the sheet, and then, at the end of every month, to receive your pay or your retirement points, you receive a record of what you worked. And there's four copies of that record. The unit member receives one. One goes to the state headquarters. Another goes to the payroll department, if you're to get paid. And the fourth goes to the archives.

So there's supposed to be four records. And we have not been able to see any from that period, from that 12-month period.

BROWN: You don't sound like a reporter who is done with this story yet.

(LAUGHTER)

ROMANO: I don't think it's over. And I think you could tell today.

You know, that was a very hot briefing today. The reporters, the journalists themselves, were not satisfied with answers. I think that the Democrats obviously feel like they have some traction on this and are not going to let it go. And I don't think the story is over.

BROWN: Ms. Romano, nice to meet you. Good to have you on the program tonight. Thank you very much.

ROMANO: Thank you for having me.

BROWN: Thank you, Lois Romano of "The Washington Post."

A few other items making news today in our "Moneyline Roundup," starting with the Martha Stewart trial. On the stand today, her personal assistant said Ms. Stewart altered a potentially incriminating phone message from her broker. She allegedly did it after learning she was under investigation. The message warned that shares in ImClone might fall. Her assistant says Ms. Stewart edited out the warning, but then had second thoughts and asked her to change it back.

The defense rested today in the trial of Dennis Kozlowski, having called no witnesses on his behalf. The former CEO of Tyco International, who obviously didn't take the stand either, is accused of looting the company out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

General Motors is recalling 127,000 Chevy Corvettes, because their steering wheel can lock up on the road. The recall targets 1997 through 2004 models. It's the third major recall for GM in a week.

And Amtrak's president says the administration's proposed subsidy for the railroad simply doesn't cut it. David Gunn calls the $900 million figure a shutdown number. He says Amtrak needs $1.8 billion to get the job done.

Wall Street eked out a winning day, despite some jitters about what Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan will tell the Congress tomorrow. Those are the numbers.

Still to come on the program, the latest from Iraq, and it's not good, a devastating terror bombing today claiming dozens of lives.

A break first. Around the world, this is NEWSNIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: In Iraq today, a huge explosion south of Baghdad killed at least 50 people, many, many more wounded. And many of the details are, sad to say, familiar. A pickup truck stuffed with explosives detonated near a police station, many of the victims Iraqis looking for work in a country short on jobs and security. What was different today was the timing and the questions it raised about al Qaeda.

Here's CNN's Brent Sadler.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another deadly bomb blast aimed at the Iraqi police at Al-Iskandariyah, 25 miles south of Baghdad.

Dozens of would-be recruits were lined up at the time hoping to join the ranks of the embattled police now one of the most dangerous jobs in Iraq. Shrapnel tore through parked cars and cut down a large number of people including Iraqi passersby. Many Iraqis here ignored official explanations for the carnage believing wild rumors locally that destruction might have been caused by a U.S. missile. It comes a day after the U. S. -led coalition warned that terrorists were planning to stoke a civil war, through attacks on Iraqi Shiites and U.S. collaborators especially the police.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMETT, U.S. ARMY: Those are some of the fingerprints, large bomb, car bomb, we don't know at this point whether it was a suicide bomber or whether a person escaped and detonated it.

SADLER: Nor do they know for certain if the hand of this top terror suspect Abu Al Zarqawi was involved, though in a letter he is suspected of sending to al Qaeda, he writes the Iraqi troops, police and agents. These are the eyes, ears and hand of the occupier. And as far as the Shia, we will undertake suicide operations and use car bombs to harm them.

DAN SENOR, COALITION SPOKESMAN: This Zarqawi memo makes it clear that he and al Qaeda forces feel threatened by the growing Iraqi security services. And by their increasing effectiveness.

SADLER: Amid coalition plans to hand over sovereignty by the end of June.

(on camera): As an extension of U. S. -led authority in Iraq the police have been targeted by a systematic campaign of terror attacks in recent months aimed at destroying the courage and resolve of the newborn force.

Brent Sadler, CNN, Al-Iskandariyah, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Today, the French National Assembly overwhelmingly approved a controversial ban on Muslim head scarves and other conspicuous religious symbols in the public schools in France. This wasn't even close, 494 in favor, 36 opposed. France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe. Polls show, about 70 percent of French citizens support this ban. Opponents say it is discriminatory and will stigmatize the country's five million Muslims. The next step in France, a vote in the French Senate.

The next step for us, morning papers. A break first.

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(ROOSTER CROWING)

BROWN: OK, time to check morning papers from across the country and across the country. And unless something changes pretty quickly, we are not going to be able to tell you the weather in Chicago. And I have no explanation for that, other than, I don't have it.

"The Richmond Times-Dispatch." "Southern Sweep" the headline. "Kerry Wins Virginia, Tennessee, Edwards a Distant Second." That's the way they headline it. Go down to the bottom here, if you can. It's interesting to me how newspapers are playing the president's -- the flap over the president's Reserve duty. "Military Pay Data For Bush Released, Six Months Still at Issue." So "The Richmond Times- Dispatch," in its headline, says, all questions not answered.

"The Detroit Free Press" headlines the same story. And it is its headline. "Bush Fulfilled His Guard Duty, White House Says, but Documents Leave Questions and There Aren't Any Witnesses." They pair this with a story I like a lot, "The Vietnam Issue: When War Tore Young Men Apart." We talked about this a bit on the program last year, that this -- or last week, rather -- it somehow feels like, the election, we're going to deal with Vietnam yet again.

The other paper in Detroit, that would be "The Detroit News." "Feds Stampede to Knock TV Smut Off the Air. Super Bowl Hoopla Unleashes Bill," bills in Congress to raise funds. That's the lead story, also perhaps an increase in sin taxes in the state of Michigan, too.

"San Francisco Chronicle." "Top Democrats Endorse Bond Measure. Schwarzenegger to Ask GOP to Support Propositions 57 and 58." That's his plan to get the state out of debt, which is not really out of debt, but just to get different debt. "Kerry Builds Lead, Grabs First Wins in South" the headline there. And one more, "Bush Military Papers Leave Gaps in Records." That's the way "The San Francisco Chronicle" headlines the story.

This is the way it plays in "The "International Herald Tribune," if you're interested. And I hope you are. "Bush Faces Questions on Service. White House Releases Garbed Data to Show He Fulfilled His Duty." But there's some question on that.

The weather in Chicago -- man, this staff is so good -- is "typical." Now, you have to have lived in Chicago to know what that means. But, if you do, it's typical.

We'll wrap up the day in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Before we go tonight, a quick recap of our top story.

John Kerry racking up substantial victories in Tennessee and the Virginia primaries, the first Southern states to go into the Kerry column. John Edwards did solidly, but not stunningly. And General Wesley Clark finished third in both states, decision time for the Clark campaign.

Tomorrow night on this program, 40 years after they took the country by storm, pictures never seen before of the Beatles' first visit to America, pictures not seen here, by the way. So tune in tomorrow.

A CNN election night special coming up next.

We'll see you tomorrow at 10:00 Eastern time. Until then, good night for all of us.

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