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Hillary Clinton Announces Run for Presidency
Aired January 20, 2007 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: A soft spoken, well-produced Hillary Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Let's start a dialogue about your ideas and mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: She's running, but does she carry too much baggage to win, including her comments on Iraq?
In Iraq, one of the deadliest days yet. 18 U.S. troops lose their lives in a span of 24 hours.
And battling the elements around the country. Talk about adding insult to injury.
From the battlefield, to one man's driveway, CNN, proud to help with a $1 million benefit for injured U.S. soldiers. All this from the CNN NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
H. CLINTON: After six years of George Bush, it is time to renew the promise of America. Our basic bargain that no matter who you are or where you live, if you work hard and play by the rules, you can build a good life for yourself and your family.
I grew up in a middle class family in the middle of America. And we believed in that promise. I still do. I've spent my entire life trying to make good on it, whether it was fighting for women's basic rights or children's basic healthcare, protecting our Social Security, or protecting our soldiers. It's a kind of basic bargain. And we've got to keep up our end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There's the pitch. She's already a senator and former First Lady, as you know. Now Hillary Rodham Clinton wants a new title, president of the United States.
There's been so much hype, so much speculation about her plans for 2008. You may have already thought that she launched her White House bid a long time ago. But today, she finally made it official. She is forming an exploratory committee, a first step toward running for president next year.
Hillary Clinton isn't the only one jumping into the race today. A prominent Republican also joined the presidential field.
CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley has more on both announcements.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
CROWLEY (voice-over): If life was fair, this guy would be today's political headline.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I announced today that I'm forming a presidential exploratory committee.
CROWLEY: Hillary Clinton, one of the marquis names of the '08 race, made official what everyone assumed -- she's going to run for president. "I'm in," she said, "I'm in to win."
In true new age form, she said so on her Web site. The cozy warm setting, the hand gestures, the just us folks approach designed to offset the rap that she is cool, aloof. CLINTON: So let's talk. Let's chat. Let's start a dialogue about your ideas and mine, because the conversation in Washington has been just a little one-sided lately, don't you think?
CROWLEY: As the highest profile woman ever to run for the Oval Office, she walks an interesting line, somewhere between showing her approachable side as a politician and her tough side as a potential commander-in-chief. Saddled with her yes vote on Iraq, Clinton, fresh off a headline grabbing trip to Iraq and Afghanistan, is now one of the most visible critics of the war's execution.
Clinton supporters hope an upcoming vote against supporting the president's increase in troops will give Clinton a do-over.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: The people will judge you on that merits.
CROWLEY: Camp Clinton says she did not move up her announcement to shove Barack Obama off center stage, where he's been since announcing his own exploratory committee. But certainly the Clinton announcement was designed for maximum bang, to grab headlines in Sunday papers and keep the Sunday talk shows talking.
Obama said he welcomes Clinton as an ally in the race, not a competitor. Like that'll last.
SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: Thank you guys for being here.
CROWLEY: Meanwhile, back in Topeka...
BROWNBACK: Today, my family and I are taking the first steps on the yellow brick road to the White House.
CROWLEY: Sam Brownback is a conservative Republican who is against abortion and the use of embryos for stem cell research. He is against tax increases and for a flat tax. He supported the war, but not a troop increase.
He is no household name, but Brownback was unruffled by Saturday's Hillary fest. There are 22 months left to make a mark.
BROWNBACK: People worry about, OK, she is much better known than you are. But in the age of 24-hour media and cable television, name identification can skyrocket rapidly.
CROWLEY (on camera): What Brownback and Clinton do have in common is a need to put together a staff and raise some money, both of which are easier to do if you have a household name. Life is not fair and neither is politics.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Topeka, Kansas.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
SANCHEZ: So what about Senator Clinton's candidacy? Well, a lot of people, frankly, already have an opinion about her. We tracked down a veteran Democratic strategist, somebody who really knows Hillary Clinton to talk about what she's facing.
Paul Begala is a Democrat, so we expect that he's going to like her somewhat, right? Well, let's begin then from a contrarian standpoint by asking him about what may be her biggest weakness.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL BEGALA, FMR. BILL CLINTON ADVISER: I think her biggest weakness, Rick, is trying to win the primaries. I think she's a very strong general election candidate, but I think she's going to have a hard time in the primaries.
SANCHEZ: Well, to quote a line from "Scarface", she's got the money, and she's got the power, and certainly she has the name recognition. You're saying that might not be enough?
BEGALA: It might. She's got high-quality opponents. Barack Obama, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Tom Vilsack, Bill Richardson, maybe even Al Gore, Dennis Kucinich, whose always carried the anti-war movement very powerfully in my party.
So I think, actually -- I'm a friend of Hillary's and I support her, but I'm not a strategist or a spokesman for her. But I think she'll have a harder time in the primaries than the general.
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you something that I think a lot of people recognize, and I've noted, she does not have that je ne sais quois that her husband does. She doesn't walk into a room and lighting it up. Her speaking abilities are certainly not up to par with his. To be fair, a lot of people's aren't, but is this a problem for her when she gets out there and has to mingle?
BEGALA: You know, actually, she's better in sort of the mingling settings than one on one settings.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BEGALA: She's -- nobody is her husband. Let's be candid. I mean, he is just a one in a million communicator.
SANCHEZ: Right.
BEGALA: And I was impressed today. I really was. I went on her website and I watched her announcement speech. And it wasn't a speech. It was a talk. And when she said, let the conversation begin, it was very...
SANCHEZ: I noticed the same thing. And what I noticed was it was deliberately done so that it wouldn't sound shrill. Is that fair?
BEGALA: Well, not only just not shrill, but it wasn't -- she tends sometimes to be a little more formal...
SANCHEZ: Right.
BEGALA: ...and careful, and prepared, and sort of risk averse.
I'm lucky, I've known her 15 years. And so I've been able to have a lot of chats with her sitting on the sofa. And that tape today felt a whole lot more like sitting on the sofa, chatting with Hillary than the usual public performance we get out of politicians.
SANCHEZ: Well, you just said something interesting. "I've known her for 15 years." Make those people who really do not like her understand what it is Paul Begala has recognized that they have never seen?
BEGALA: Well, I mean, first off, I think she can do the job. Right? I mean, I worked for her husband in the White House for years. And I have some tiny shadow of what that job requires. I'm very confident that if my children's lives were in her hands, I'd sleep well at night.
She also -- I think she can win. I think stacked up against John McCain, or Rudy Giuliani, or Mitt Romney or any of the Republicans, she's most likely to win.
I think because she's tough, and she's smart, and got a big heart. And most Democrats, people will tell you have a big heart. That's usually not the problem in my party.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BEGALA: Usually the problem in my party is they say we're not tough enough. We just -- my party just lost the last presidential campaign with a war hero who was still painted as being too weak. I don't think they'll be able to make Hillary look too weak.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: It's an interesting conversation. So we're going to split it up into a couple of parts with Paul Begala. It's not done yet. In about 25 minutes or so, we're going to ask him a couple of things. First of all, is there enough of the female vote out there to put her in the White House?
And then we're going to talk about Monica Lewinsky. That's right, we're going to talk about Monica Lewinsky. He was there, he knows what was going on at the White House at the time. And no doubt everyone of you remembers what was going on at the White House at the time as well.
Now we want to hear from you. A bunch of Republicans and Democrats already seeking the Oval Office. Our last call. This is the question we want you to answer for us tonight. Will you vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton? And if not, who will you be voting for? If you had to make a decision today? Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620, 1-800-807-2620. We will air some of your responses later this hour.
Also, this programming note for you. The first presidential debate is going to be in April. And it's going to be right here on CNN, the best political team in television is teaming up with New Hampshire's leading news organizations to host the first presidential debate for the campaign season, the back-to-back debate sponsored by CNN, the New Hampshire union leader, and WNUR Television. You can see them right here on CNN, your election 2008 campaign headquarters that you've come to expect.
Not as bad as they expected when it came to this, but definitely not good either. This winter storm that we've been telling you about, especially in Oklahoma, could still do some serious damage. Tell them about it, Reggie.
REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and we're also talking about the damage that it's going to make to our nation's pocketbooks. Who is going to pay for this cleanup? We're going to talk about that, coming up.
SANCHEZ: All right, thanks, Reggie. We'll get back to you.
A woman dies after drinking two gallons of water for a radio station contest. Does the station bear the blame or how much? I'm going to ask some special guests right here in the NEWSROOM.
And then, CNN took this humvee to Iraq. It's been tricked out and sold to the highest bidder in the name of charity. How much would you pay for "Warrior One"? You're going to find out what somebody did pay in 13 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. For young Americans in Iraq, every day is dangerous, a leap into the unknown as they say. Today brought some of the worst news we've heard in weeks. More than 20 American servicemen have been killed over the last 24 hours or so.
And first, we learned that a U.S. military helicopter had gone down in the Diyala Province. All 13 U.S. service members on board were killed. No word on what caused that crash.
The military has given us very little information, really just a brief statement. Here it is. "A U.S. forces helicopter went down northeast of Baghdad this afternoon. Emergency coalition forces responded and secured the scene. 13 passengers and crew members were aboard the aircraft and all were killed. The names of the servicemembers are being withheld pending notification of next of kin."
The statement concludes "this incident is under investigation." Then just a few hours ago, we learned that five Americans were killed in Karbala. This is south of Baghdad. The military says coalition forces were meeting there when they were attacked by armed militiamen.
Also, two other U.S. deaths today in separate incidents. That's what we know right now. Not a lot of details, no names, no hometowns of the victims, but certainly people we certainly care about and so do you.
We didn't want lack of information to allow this sacrifice to be overlooked. They're certainly not forgotten. We don't want them to be. So we wanted to at least show you this picture. 20 people gone, they're our people. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We got some of those i-report photos we like to share with you from you, by the way, the CNN viewer. Take a look at this. It's the southern ranch of the Wachuka Mountains. This is in sunny Palominas, Arizona. Not so sunny today. Inch of snow in these parts is unheard of. This is thanks to Bob Machen.
Now this is Ed Rathers house in Sweetwater, Oklahoma. Ed says he -- the flakes were as big as softballs. Well, come on, Ed. Well, maybe not. He may not be exaggerating. It doesn't snow like this very often there. And if he got a little excited, so what?
Also, look at it coming down in Canyon Texas. This is near Amarillo. Tysha Garrison sent us this. She tells us there's six inches on the ground and it's still snowing. Not many stores in Amarillo carry snow shovels, by the way. Tysha, hang in there.
Keep your pictures and your videos coming in. Check CNN.com to learn how to submit them to us. It's called i-report. It's easy and it's your chance to become part of the most trusted name in news.
Most of Oklahoma dodged an ice cold bullet this weekend when a predicted deep freeze was less of a threat and more wet. Still, plenty of sooners are dealing with a one, two, three punch of nasty winter weather.
CNN's Reggie Aqui, you saw him just a little while ago, he's joining us now from McAlester, Oklahoma. Reggie, remember you brought us that report last week about the slick roads. What happened this time?
AQUI: Well, Rick, as you can see, I'm the driest that I've been all day, a very good sign. Another good sign, see behind me? They've got light. You know, it's been a rough week for these folks particularly in southeast Oklahoma where I am in McAlester. And you can see why.
The ice from last weekend, well, it may be mostly gone now, but look what it's left behind. Trees down in a lot of yards. Roofs that had to be repaired because it fell right into the roof.
And so, what we did today was we called up FEMA. We wanted to see what they were going to do for these folks. And it was very interesting to see what the process is. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AQUI (voice-over): They've already seen the power knocked out. But today, homeowners in hard-hit Oklahoma see their doors knocked on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning. I'm not invading you, I hope. I'm here with FEMA.
AQUI: Today, FEMA representatives hit the streets. They survey ice storm damage in four southeast Oklahoma counties. What Gary Graybol writes in his notebook will not get the electricity on faster to the 43,000 or so customers still waiting.
GARY GRAYBOL, FEMA DISASTER ASSISTANCE: We're looking to see the extent of the damage. We don't know what we're going to find. Most of this is without power, for days and days and days.
AQUI: But his report and the report of the other FEMA teams will start the process that determines how much help Oklahoma gets from Washington.
ERICA RICHARDSON, MCALESTER RESIDENT: I just wanted to know if they were going to help anybody, because we were out for so long and had spent some money on groceries and going places to get electricity and things like that.
AQUI: The answer depends on one word -- major. Does it equal a major disaster? If the government determines it does, Oklahoma could receive much more money and manpower.
SCOTT STONE, MCALESTER RESIDENT: My mother is 70-years old. I had to go and pick her and my sister and my brother up. They didn't have any heat or anything. So there's all of us kind of living in the living room floor right now, until we can get things up.
AQUI: A truck fried by a power line, a tree-damaged front lawn, a week without electricity, and yet many people here are thankful, thankful it was this kind of precipitation for much of the day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can hit a couple of other homes while we're here.
AQUI: And happy to take a visit from the agency that could help an area covered for so long in white see more green.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AQUI: We don't know how long this process will take, Rick. A lot of folks are wondering what's the turnaround time. We know that FEMA will collect this data over the next couple of days, send it over to Washington, and then see what they have to say. Certainly a lot of people are hoping they'll have to say let's write you a check. Let's bring some people over here to help you out, because while the ice is melting, and things are slowly getting back to normal, a lot of people are wondering how they're going to pay for all of this.
SANCHEZ: Let's hope it works out that way. You're a tough guy, Reggie. You've seen a lot of stuff out there for the last couple of weeks. Thanks for bringing it to us.
By the way, we're trying something new here tonight. You know, we always try to have a conversation with you. Well, I invited three guests to talk about, and bring up the things that many of you think about as you watch some of these stories unfold during our newscast.
Martha Zoeller's the host of a daily political radio talk show. You have seen her in the past. B.J. Bernstein works as a criminal defense attorney. You see her there on the left in the green. And that gentleman in the middle, that's Jim Emshoff. He's a professor of psychology at Georgia State University. What a panel, huh? We're going to be talking about the kidnapped Missouri boy and that radio stunt that may have resulted in the death of a contestant from drinking too much water.
We're going to call this "Express Yourself." Join us in just a bit.
Meanwhile, one man doesn't have to worry about rough weather because of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, $1 million!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: $1 million! Plus, a bullet-proof car. Next, how one will purchase these thousands of -- we're going to help let you know how this purchase will help thousands of wounded soldiers. We'll have that for you.
And then later, Hillary Clinton in the running, but can a woman win? Democratic strategist Paul Begala talks about that. And he talks about the Monica Lewinsky angle and what effect that might have. That's part two of our interview with him.
And then, don't forget tonight's "last call." Will you vote for Hillary Clinton? If not, then who would you vote for if you had to vote now? Call us 1-800-807-2620. 1-800-807-2620. Love to hear from you. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, $1 million!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Boy, we love to hear them bark out "$1 million!"
Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. Going, going, gone, that's what it was tonight. Very proud to announce that CNN's "Warrior One" is now in the hands of Remax chairman Dave Liniger. He placed the winning bid for this newly tricked out Hummer earlier tonight.
As you know, CNN used "Warrior One" to cover the war in Iraq for so long. Tonight's auction, all in the name of one outstanding charity.
CNN's John Roberts, boy, he's been doing yeoman's work. What are you, been out there, John, for like 48 straight hours from Scottsdale, Arizona, bringing us this story, waiting for this moment to happen. And tell us now what happened.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's only been 14 to tell you the truth, Rick. You know, I was talking with the people, Barrett Jackson, who runs this auction ahead of when this up on the block. And it was really a wildcard as to what it will would fetch. It's not really a collectible car like all the other ones that are being sold here. Certainly, it was unique, but how much is novelty work? And then, it was for charity as well. Was it going to go for $50,000 or was it going to go for $500,000?
In the end, what it eventually got on the auction block went way beyond anyone's expectations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: And it's up for sale. 100 percent of the proceeds to a wonderful charity is up for sale. Who will start the bidding?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It had be a record sale price for a Hummer, particularly one beaten and battered in war, but CNN's "Warrior One" reached an astonishing price of $1 million, plus another $250,000 in a straight donation before the gavel came down.
ANNOUNCER: I'm going to close the bid. It's a sold at $1 million plus $250,000. We have $1,250,000 for the Fisher House.
ROBERTS: The Hummer was CNN's platform during the invasion of Iraq, carrying a crew of four from Kuwait to Baghdad, coming under fire in a battle near Baghdad University. Cameraman Scott McWhinnie remembers it well.
SCOTT MCWHINNIE: And all this time, we heard the ting-tings of bullets coming off. And we were being fired at from a boat on the Tigris River.
ROBERTS: And on the way to the stage, one more battle when the massive V-8 engine flooded and caught fire. High octane and anxiety, but it turned out to be nothing serious, particularly after the action it saw in Iraq. War and auctions it seems, are hell.
It was the crew who called the Hummer home during the invasion, who came up with the idea to rebuild it from the ground up on the "Overhaulin'" Television show and donate the proceeds to charity. The beneficiary? Fisher House, which has built 38 homes on military bases and near VA hospitals to accommodate the families of servicemen and women needing medical care.
KEN FISHER, PRESIDENT, FISHER HOUSE: The need is growing every day. And with our programs as such, we're going to be building 21 houses in the next four years. So something like this is just going to be very, very important to the program and to the ongoing commitment that we've made to these families.
ROBERTS: For Dave Liniger, who started Remax Realty and heads up his own organization serving veterans, the whole concept was irresistible.
DAVE LINIGER, FOUNDER, REMAX REALTY: The cause is fabulous. Obviously, the vehicle is so much prettier on person than it looks on TV or looked in the catalogue.
ROBERTS: How high are you willing to go?
LINIGER: I'm not going to tell you that, but we'll definitely bid on it.
ROBERTS: And bid he did, though it looked like he was about to swoon at one point, all the way up to a cool million. Liniger says he plans to tour the Hummer across the nation, raising more money for veterans.
For this old warhorse, retirement is a long way off.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And I talked to Dave Liniger about that moment where he looked like he was going to either pass out or throw up. And he said, you know, as the bidding went beyond $500,000, he was beginning to get a little bit dizzy, but he just continued to go on there, all the way up to $1 million.
And we also should point out that the other fellow who gave the $250,000, who was bidding against Dave, he was another Dave as well, Dave Ressler from Bozeman, Montana, he said look at, you obviously want the car, you can have the car, but I'm going to take a quarter of a million-dollar and give it right to Fisher House. So Rick, a big win for everybody tonight. Just an amazing evening.
SANCHEZ: That's great stuff. John Roberts, thanks so much for hanging in there. You go get some rest now.
Let's focus in on Fisher House and talk a little bit about that. It's a nonprofit organization that operates 33 houses in the United States and one in Germany, all of them, home away from home for wounded soldiers and their loved ones.
CNN's Robin Meade has taken a tour of the Fisher House at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VIVIAN WILSON, MANAGER, FISHER HOUSE: Welcome, Robin.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks for having us.
WILSON: Thank you for coming today. I'm doing great, thank you. It's wonderful to have you here.
MEADE: Thank you, the honor is all ours. So this is pretty gorgeous in here.
WILSON: Why, thank you. We're very proud of it. The Army's 15th house.
MEADE: So in here, you have like different living areas?
WILSON: We do. It's a living room right in here.
MEADE: You were saying this is Army's 15th...
WILSON: Right, the 35th Fisher House and the Army's 15th Fisher House. The wonderful thing about the Fisher House, though, is the support system is the families.
STAFF SGT. HAROLD ORD, FT. CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY: It's helped in my recovery a lot. Basically a home setting. We can pretty much come in here. And the whole family feels relaxed. And there's other soldiers which you can kind of talk and socialize.
MEADE: Who would stay in a room like this?
WILSON: This room here is typical of a spouse, a family type of setting where a spouse comes in. And she's able to spend time with her husband. Oftentimes, they're inpatients initially. But then, when the service member gets out and he can join his family here, or she, then this is a wonderful setup.
MELISSA PRICE, FT. CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY: Whenever he's in the hospital or anything like that, I can be close. Like I can just walk over to the hospital.
STAFF SGT. BRYAN PRICE, FT. CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY: Just to have my wife close to me every day really made a difference. WILSON: All of the bathrooms are fully handicapped accessible. Actually, all of the rooms, this house has large hallways. The bathrooms, excuse me, are large.
SGT. JASON PEPPER, FT. CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY: In fact, I was newly blinded. Both arms, both of my arms were in a cast so I couldn't feed myself, I couldn't wash myself. You know, I couldn't do anything for myself. So I need to have Heather, you know, feed me, bathe me, just everything.
WILSON: You're seeing a lot more soldiers that are coming back who have lost limbs, for instance. And oftentimes, spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries that inhibit them from being ambulatory as they want to be or can be.
HEATHER PEPPER, FT. CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY: And thank God, the Fisher House is here because if it wasn't, we wouldn't, I don't know how far Jason would be in his recovery.
WILSON: Welcome to our family room. This is the most used room, because this is where the soldier can come back, oftentimes the first time he sees us his family since he's returned from war.
MEADE: Is right here.
WILSON: Right here. You have a 52 inch TV. When the houses are turned over, it's turnkey, including all of the furnishings. We like to think of the Fisher House as a home for all service members who are returning back from war, who have a place to always go to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: So glad to help. That's CNN's Robin Meade reporting.
While the Hummer auction brought in more than $1 million, your donations are still very much needed. Just go to www.fisherhouse.org.
By the way, not done yet. 25 minutes the man who shelled out that $1 million is going to be right here with us, telling us why he did it and what it means to him.
Also in two weeks now since two boys reunited with their families. The suspect is behind bars, but so many questions are now coming to the forefront. Did Shawn Hornbeck try to reach out to police? If not, why not? Is Michael Devlin linked to other kidnappings? Our panel's going to be taking on some of those tough questions. We'll be talking to them next.
Up next, though, you probably thought that she was already in the presidential race. Now Hillary Clinton makes it official. And she wants to enter your living room while she does so. Much more ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I announced today that I'm forming a presidential exploratory committee. I'm not just starting a campaign though, I'm beginning a conversation with you, with America. Because we all need to be part of the discussion, if we're all going to be part of the solution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We have now moved into the CNN NEWSROOM to have a discussion as well. Several of them in fact. It's been the worst kept secret in politics about Senator Hillary Clinton. She made it official today. She's going to run for the presidency or have an exploratory committee.
Senator Clinton made her announcement this morning on her website. Political strategist Paul Begala has known her for years, her strengths, here weaknesses. We've spoken about all of them. Now he tells us about Hillary Clinton's biggest political liability.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEGALA: That is definitely her biggest liability. She voted for George W. Bush's god-awful war in Iraq. Now Barack Obama did not. He wasn't in the Senate. But to his credit, he spoke out against it. Al Gore, if he runs, will really have a strong claim to the anti-war vote, but most Americans supported that war. Most Democrats voted for that war going into it. And I think like a lot of people in America, Hillary and a lot of others, they were misled.
SANCHEZ: What do you make of the way that she announced, very nontraditional way you noticed, right?
BEGALA: And again, I like that. I mean, she -- first off, she did it on -- right after Barack Obama had has his kind of nice ride of announcing his exploratory committee. But she ends that kind of free press ride for Barack. And just before the president's state of the union address, and so she pre-empts the president on his best day.
SANCHEZ: Can a woman win and why?
BEGALA: You know, I mean as you know, I come from Texas...
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BEGALA: ...which is kind of like America on steroids. And we made a woman our governor, Ann Richards who just passed away this last year.
Before that, we had a governor in the 20s. I think if Texas can have a woman governor, America can have a woman president. But she's going to have to prove that she is strong enough to defend America.
SANCHEZ: Final question. The Monica Lewinsky scandal and the effect it had not only on the president of the United States, but the First Lady as well. People said that perhaps she was a bit of an enabler, that she was not really, almost I guess Machiavellian might be the word to use. Those are what the critics say, obviously. There's a lot of people who think that she's a - she was a fine First Lady. Can she overcome that in the minds of those people?
BEGALA: You know, that's - I've always found that to be one of the more troubling and puzzling things. You know, I worked in that White House. I love President Clinton and I love Hillary.
That was an awful period to go through. And I don't think I'm talking out of school to tell you she was heartbroken. She did not see that coming. I mean, she believed her husband. And the fact that she - and her husband has been able to hold their marriage together despite those problems and despite all the public scrutiny, I say give them a medal.
(END VIDEOTAPE0
SANCHEZ: CNN analyst Paul Begala, he was there. By the way, you can turn to the web for more from the best political team in television. Follow the race for the White House at CNN.com where you are in charge.
Now this story, a steady girlfriend, reporting to police about a stolen bike. Cold case files, another two missing teens, is there a link? Parents airing their suspicions on national television this week. Really a week of some bizarre twists in the kidnapping case out of Missouri that's captivated the entire nation.
Of course, we're talking about 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck, back at home now after being abducted in October of 2002. Michael Devlin accused of kidnapping Shawn as well as Ben Ownby. But Devlin has not been charged with sexual assault. Yet this week, Shawn's parents made the talk show circuit and said they think there was some sexual assault. Shawn so far not talking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM AKERS, MOTHER OF SHAWN HORNBECK: I believe Shawn will come to us when he's ready. We've always been close. He's always been comfortable with us.
But I think part of the reason why he hasn't yet is because he doesn't want to us to hurt anymore. He's just wanting us to enjoy the time that we have and to focus on the good things. But eventually, I do believe Shawn will tell me everything.
SANCHEZ: Let's bring our panel in on this one. BJ, we're going to begin with you. First question, as a lawyer, what do you think of the fact that these parents went on national television and said some things that a lot of people are wondering whether they should have said them?
B.J. BERNSTEIN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I got to tell you, the former prosecutor, used to be a child abuse prosecutor in me, when I saw the parents and this young boy on "Oprah" and on national television on "American Morning" with Soledad, I was really concerned. SANCHEZ: As a psychologist, do you think that it probably is not a good idea for the boy to talk, or for the parents talking about him on national television?
JIM EMSHOFF, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, obviously, they needed a little time to get adjusted to their lives as they knew them before. And I think there will be time for this in the future. But for the time being, if they can try to resume their lives as normal that's the best thing we can hope for them.
SANCHEZ: Go back to the lawyer, real quick. Do you think this could hurt the case, the fact that they're saying all of these things?
BERNSTEIN: You know, in the end, I don't think it'll hurt the case, but it is giving the defense attorneys, you know, the very things that you just mentioned about does this young boy had access to the outside world, I would not be surprised if you're going to hear that from the defense counsel during the trial of the case.
SANCHEZ: Martha, what do you make of the fact that the young boy had the police over at his house once, reported a stolen bicycle? Wouldn't you think he'd want to say also, by the way, I've been kidnapped by this man inside this house?
MARTHA ZOLLER, TALK RADIO HOST: Well, and you don't know what he's thinking. You got to - you can't forget that he is a boy. And I think that one of the things that you have to understand is that I think what the parents are doing is they're taking the focus off of the perpetrator of this crime and putting it on the boy. And I think that's a big mistake.
SANCHEZ: Do you think there's a possibility that this man can have any defense whatsoever? How do you explain having somebody else's kid in your house for four years?
BERNSTEIN: You really don't. One of the issues there could be a mental health defense, which is, you know, your area.
SANCHEZ: Is there? Mr. Psychologist, do you see it as a possibly mental health offense?
EMSHOFF: Well, I'm sure they'll go for that. I'm sure that's at least something they'll consider as a defense strategy.
SANCHEZ: Do you think it's a possibility that he could say this? He was a boy who came to me, he was troubled, he told me he didn't want to live with his parents so I let him hang out at my house?
EMSHOFF: It's entirely possible. You know, kids adapt to things in ways that we all adapt. And that's the human capacity to adapt to strange situations.
Kids adapt to strange situations in what we think are normal homes. So I mean, this case is very interesting, very sensational, but I don't think we should lose track of the ways that kids have to adapt, very difficult circumstances in every day life. And for every case that we see like this, where kids are dealing with very difficult situations with strangers, we know that there are thousands, thousands, and millions more who are dealing with assault and abuse and emotional neglect within their own homes. So I'd like to keep this in perspective.
SANCHEZ: That's interesting. Do you -- what's your perspective this week of the developments all in all?
Martha, we'll begin with you.
ZOLLER: Well, I think it's sad that the focus seems to be on the family and the child and not the perpetrator. We tend to make...
SANCHEZ: But I think - aren't they putting it there, though?
ZOLLER: Well, they are putting it there, but I wonder who's advising them. Because in this 24-hour news cycle, which we all benefit from, it's a beast that's got to be fed all the time.
SANCHEZ: Yes. We're going to leave it there. Thanks, guys, for joining us. We're going to come back with just something else in just a little bit.
In the meantime, take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I woke my husband. I said, honey, honey, you know the girl that I was runner up with me, I said she died!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We're going to bring you the very latest on that story as it develops throughout the day, and bring you the latest on this as well. This is a radio station, where they made a decision to do something that they now are in a lot of hot water over.
And of course, there's our Humvee, so proud. $1 million, not bad. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And there's this story. Bottle after bottle, gulp after gulp, the deejays yucked it up. The contestants drank it up, trying to see who could down the most water without going to the bathroom.
Only no one's joking tonight. 28-year-old mother of three is dead, an apparent victim of water intoxication. Ten radio station employees have been fired. And Sacramento police are investigating now to see if there's criminal negligence charges that need to be filed in this case. After all, the deejays said on the air they knew the contest had its limits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to say that those people that are drinking all that water can get sick and possibly die from water intoxication.
D.J.: Yes, we're aware of that.
D.J.: They signed releases so we're not responsible. It's OK.
D.J.: And if they get to the point where they have to throw up, then they're going to throw up and they're out of the contest before they die. So that's good, right?
SANCHEZ: So that's good, right? All of this for a grand price of a Nintendo Wii.
We're in the NEWSROOM once again with our panel of experts. Let's bring them back into this. This is the kind of conversation you have to have.
And you know, let's go ahead and start with you, Jim. You're a psychologist. What's going on in our society when you have people seemingly, and I use that word very carefully, taking advantage of other people for what? Ratings?
EMSHOFF: For ratings, yes. It's very sad that we use humiliation and embarrassment, and pain as a source of entertainment. And it's not just this radio contest. It's shows where people eat live cockroaches for $50,000. And increasingly, we just see this as a form of entertainment. I think it's a very sad statement for society, and of course for this woman and her family in particular.
SANCHEZ: Martha, did you hear the part where he -- the lady calls in, she's a nurse, and she says, you know, I'm a nurse, and if you drink too much water you can die. What do you make of their reaction, the deejays?
ZOLLER: It's just callous, no boundaries, no compassion. Just a horrible thing. And to think that this was a very treatable problem. I mean, this is something, had she gotten to a hospital or doctor's office, she wouldn't be dead. And they're laughing it about it.
SANCHEZ: So you're saying - what are you saying -- they should have called somebody and at least had a nurse on the property?
ZOLLER: Well, at least have that. But I think it was a dumb contest that just peaks to our own ideas of going out and buying whatever's new at any cost.
SANCHEZ: Who's at fault here? Who's at fault? Who made the big mistake? Go ahead B.J.
BERNSTEIN: Well, I mean, there's going to be some serious potential liability of the radio station.
SANCHEZ: Well, they say no. They say, hey, we had her sign a waiver. We're clear. BERNSTEIN: Ah, but you know, this is the thing about a waiver. You really don't, everybody thinks she signed a waiver and that protects you. It doesn't. There's something called, you know, negligence to the point that even if I bungee jump, it's a bungee jump, and I jump off a bridge, I still am suspecting that somebody's...
SANCHEZ: Well, forget the bungee. Let's talk about this particular case. Somebody calls and says what you're doing is dangerous. The lady says to him, I'm sick, I'm sick. So is that the kind of information that a lawyer could use as evidence to say look, forget it. Once it got to that point, you should have done something about it.
BERNSTEIN: Absolutely. And that kind of takes away the argument of a defense of the radio station potentially because they can't say they didn't know. They can't say that they didn't research it. They can't equate it to other kinds of contests where you have watermelon eating contests or the hotdogs that we see, those kind of things.
They got informed while they were on air that this could potentially be a life threatening situation. And they laughed it off.
SANCHEZ: I see you thinking over here, Jim. I don't know what you're thinking about, but what did you want to say?
EMSHOFF: I would just agree with Martha that it's just -- among the other things that are sad about this case is the fact that people do things for what, a video game. It speaks to consumers and the marketing.
SANCHEZ: That's a good point. Why do they do it? Why would - well, you know what? She loves her kids. And she can't afford to buy them what she knows that they want. Nothing wrong with that.
EMSHOFF: That in itself is sad, if that's...
ZOLLER: Did they want it or did they need it? I mean, it comes back to this whole thing of boundaries, which I talk about all the time. There were no boundaries here.
It's one thing to have a contest. I worked for a radio station, we have contests all the time.
SANCHEZ: Right.
ZOLLER: But where are the boundaries? And you see so much of it. And then it gets rewarded. You remember a few years ago, the whole Opie and Anthony thing. They end up - they're making more money than they've ever made before.
SANCHEZ: They actually had somebody inside a church...
ZOLLER: Yes.
SANCHEZ: ...having sex and they turned it into a skit. ZOLLER: Right, and...
SANCHEZ: That's disgusting, right?
ZOLLER: Very much so.
EMSHOFF: No privacy.
SANCHEZ: So you don't think, there's something like this, with this kind of publicity, put an end to it? Does it send a shock into the shock jocks?
BERNSTEIN: I think that's what you're going to see next. I mean, remember, the sheriff's department is investigating this now for possible criminal charges.
SANCHEZ: Do you think there's criminal charges here? You're a lawyer.
BERNSTEIN: It's a little bit - going to be a little difficult. It could potentially fit within negligent homicide. In some ways, it really fits idea of hazing, which is illegal with colleges and fraternities, but I read the California statute for you tonight.
SANCHEZ: And?
BERNSTEIN: And it doesn't fit. So it's going to be a bit of a stretch.
ZOLLER: But when she says she could get sick and then she'll die, won't that be great or something to that effect?
SANCHEZ: Well, he seemed to be saying because she signed this -- a waiver they were OK. They didn't...
ZOLLER: Well, they didn't read the fine print.
SANCHEZ: Good stuff, guys. Thanks for being with us. Jim, Martha, B.J., as usual. Hope to have you back.
EMSHOFF: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Meantime, we've been real proud tonight to talk to you about something that we've been doing. And that's a $1 million. Can you imagine, $1 million? That's going to be going now for some of the soldiers who've come back from Iraq. And they need it. And we're glad to be able to help. We'll tell you more about that. In fact, we'll talk to the man who shelled out the $1 million. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, $1 million!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: What a moment. Really a moment that we're all very proud of here at CNN. $1 million in fact, $1,250,000 is now going to be going to help so many of the soldiers who need that so much, and hospitals all over the country after coming back wounded from the war in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And a man who made the final bid, you're looking at him. He's the man who founded Remax. He's Dave Liniger. And he's giving us that $1 million. And we want to just say thank you on behalf of all of those soldiers who really need that. That was quite a gesture on your part today, sir.
DAVE LINIGER, FOUNDER, REMAX INTERNATIONAL INC.: Well, thank you very much. It's a fabulous opportunity to give back to our country. The kids over there have done such a fabulous job. And for us to be able to participate in some way, there's just no words.
SANCHEZ: All right, what are you going to do with this thing? It's awfully big, isn't it?
LINIGER: Well, we're having a problem trying to figure out how to get it back to our headquarters in Denver, but we're going to put it on a tour around the United States in the next year or two. We'll take it to military bases, take it to Remax functions, conventions and so on and see if we can get some more money and donations for the Fisher House.
SANCHEZ: What made you decide that you were going to go through with this? After all, $1 million is a lot of money, even for a man who founded Remax, I imagine.
LINIGER: The CNN crew were fabulous. They gave me a private tour of the Hummer this morning. We looked at it. We made the decision that we would buy it, no matter what the cost was. And that's the way it ended up. And we bought it and we're very happy we did.
SANCHEZ: Now are you the kind of guy who collects vehicles? Have you collected other vehicles in the past? Do you like cars?
LINIGER: I've been to Baird Jackson for many years. I have a very nice car collection. This will not be part of it. This will be used for Remax to go around the country, go to military bases and such. And then after a year or two, we'll put it someplace that's very important.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: There you have it. Glad to have him on.
Let's show you some of the pictures now of how this event went down. There you see the auction as it was beginning. You know they had to move the vehicle from one location to another. And we followed along. And there's the picture of the actual auction as of it was going down in Scottsdale, Arizona.
John Roberts stuck it out, as you heard him say. I said 48 hours. He said well, I've only been here 14. But he was there at the time when the announcement was made.
And look who that is right there on the right. You recognize Wolf Blitzer? He's been there as a big part of this event for us here at CNN.
As a matter of fact, as the event was going on, we were watching as it unfolded on our monitors here. And we heard a lot of people talking not only to Wolf, but about Wolf and his commitment to this cause as well.
And of course, there's the big check. Not only $1 million, but as you heard, $1,250,000, because another gentleman who was trying to outbid him who apparently didn't come up with the money did anyway say you know what? I'm going to give you the $250,000. You can use that as well. And we'll go ahead and let Mr. Liniger walk away with the Humvee.
That CNN road warrior as well. So really a wonderful night. We're happy to be able to share it with you. Happy to be able to share some of those pictures as well.
Some of the other stories that we've been following for you now, some of the other headlines, and also, some of the other phone calls that we told about.
But first, your responses to our "last call" question. With so many Republicans and Democrats already in the running, will you vote for Hillary? And if you don't vote for Hillary, who would you vote for?
Well, most of the callers identified themselves as Democrat. And here's what they had to say.
CALLER: My name is Dawnell Johnston. I'm calling from Austin, Texas. And shoot, yes, I'd vote for Hillary.
CALLER: I'm Chris from Birmingham, Alabama. No, I will not vote for Hillary Clinton. But I haven't made up my mind which Republican candidate that I will vote for.
CALLER: Karen Bartlett, town is Northport in Washington. And I would vote for Hillary or Joseph Biden.
CALLER: Kristine, Tucson, Arizona. No, I would definitely not vote for her. Possibly John Mccain, but definitely not Hillary. Even if the world were coming to an end, not Hillary.
CALLER: My name is Sharon. I'm calling from Jonesboro, Georgia. And yes, I would vote for Hillary, yay!
CALLER: My name is Jen Healey. And I'm calling from Naples, Florida. I would never vote for her in a million years. She's a total crook. And I don't know who I'd vote for right now.
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