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Romney Bows Out of Race
Aired February 07, 2008 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
GOV. MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They act as if money just happens, that it just happens to be there. But every dollar represents a good or service that's been produced in the private sector. If you depress the private sector you depress the well being of all Americans. That's exactly what happens with high taxes, oil regulation, tort windfalls, mandates and overfed, overspending government.
Did you happen to see, by the way, that today government workers make more money than people who work in the private sector? Can you imagine what happens to an economy where the best opportunities are for bureaucrats?
It is high time to lower taxes, including corporate taxes, to take a Weedwacker, get out -- get out that Weedwacker and take it to regulations and reform entitlements and, by the way, stand up to the increasingly voracious appetite of the unions in our government.
And finally, let's consider the greatest challenge facing America and, for that matter, facing the entire civilized world: the threat of radical, violent jihad. As you -- as you know, in one wing of the world of Islam, there's a conviction that all governments should be destroyed and replaced by a religious caliphate.
These jihadists will battle any form of democracy, because to them, democracy is blasphemous, because it says that citizens, not God, shape the law. They find the idea of human equality to be equally offensive. They hate everything we believe about freedom, just as we hate everything they believe about radical jihad.
To battle this threat, we sent the most courageous and brave soldiers in the world, but their numbers have been depleted by the Clinton years, when troops were reduced by 500,000, when almost 80 ships were retired from our Navy and when our human intelligence was slashed by 25 percent. We were told we were getting a peace dividend. We got the dividend; we didn't get the peace.
In the -- in the face of evil and radical jihad, and given the inevitable military ambitions of China, we must act to rebuild our military might. Raise military spending to 4 percent of our GDP, purchase the most modern armament, reshape our fighting forces for the asymmetric demands we now face, and give the veterans the care they deserve.
Soon the face of liberalism in America will have a new name. Whether it is Barack or Hillary, the result will be the same, if they were to be able to win the presidency. The opponents of American culture would push the throttle, devising new justifications for judges to depart from the constitution. And economic neophytes would layer heavier and heavier burdens on employers and families, slowing our economy, opening the way for foreign competition to further erode our lead.
Even though we face an uphill fight, I know that many in this room are fully behind my campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!
ROMNEY: You are -- you're with me all the way to the convention. Fight on, just like Ronald Reagan did in 1976.
But there's an important difference from 1976. Today, we are a nation at war. And Barack and Hillary have made their intentions clear regarding Iraq and the war on terror. They would retreat, declare defeat, and the consequence of that would be devastating. It would mean attacks on America, launched from safe havens that would make Afghanistan under the Taliban look like child's play. About this I have no doubt.
Now I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him -- but I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq and finding and executing Osama bin Laden. And I agree with him on eliminating al Qaeda and terror worldwide.
Now if I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I -- I want you to know -- I've given this a lot of thought -- I'd forestall the launch of a national campaign. And frankly, I'd be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win.
Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror. This isn't an easy decision. I hate to lose. My family, my friends, you, my supporters across the country, you've given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming president.
If this were only about me, I'd go on. But it's never been only about me. I entered this race -- I entered this race because I love America. And because I love America, in this time of war, I feel I have to now stand aside for our party and for our country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, Mitt!
ROMNEY: You guys are great. I will continue to stand for conservative principles. I'll fight alongside you for all the things we believe in. And one of the things we believe in is that we cannot allow the next president of the United States to retreat in the face of evil extremism!
It is the common task of each generation and the burden of liberty to preserve this country, expand its freedoms, and renew its spirit so that its noble past is prologue to its glorious future. To this task, accepting this burden, we're all dedicated and I firmly believe by the providence of the Almighty that we will succeed beyond our fondest hope. America must always remain, as it has always been, the hope of the earth.
Thank you so very much. I love you! Thank you!
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: You're watching it unfold right there live via Washington, D.C. Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Mitt Romney, he's out.
DON LEMON, CO-HOST: Well, yes. We are following breaking news. I'm Don Lemon here in the NEWSROOM. We're following breaking news from the CNN NEWSROOM. Mitt Romney is suspending his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination.
And, boy, I've never seen him this animated before. And with this much fire, this much vigor. Perhaps, if he had had some of this spunk during the campaign, things may have turn out a little bit differently for him.
Our Dana Bash is standing by in Washington. She was at this same conference in Washington where Mitt Romney was speaking.
Dana, he seems like he was full of energy. Obviously, he was in front of a very receptive audience. He's had some trouble lately, especially when it comes down to Super Tuesday. But boy, he seemed like he was a different person today.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you never know what -- how a candidate can change when they realize that their -- that their campaign is over. And that is what we just saw just now.
This is a huge change. This is a moment that has changed the entire campaign and changed the Republican race, obviously, Mitt Romney announcing just moments ago to a sea of conservative activists that he is going to suspend his campaign.
And most notably, Don, the way he did it and the reason he gave was, he said, because he doesn't want his campaign to aid surrender to terror, making clear that he understands, because he is very far behind right now, with the delegate count, that if he continues to fight John McCain for the nomination, he said that that would simply prolong the race of Republicans against the Democrats. And he says that that is something that he simply can't be a part of; he can't let his campaign be responsible for that.
But it is very noteworthy and very important to point out that, in doing that, Don, in making that particular argument -- of all the arguments that he could make...
LEMON: Right. BASH: ... as to why he's dropping out of the race, he's giving basically a nod, some props, to the centerpiece of John McCain's campaign, and that is he says -- I've been following John McCain throughout the whole country. He says that the reason he wants to be president is because he feels he's best to perform against the Democrats on the issue of national security, on the issue of Iraq.
LEMON: And Dana...
BASH: Yes.
LEMON: ... he did talk about the differences, obviously, between him and the Democrats but also between him and John McCain. Again, you sort of touched on this. This essentially, according to conventional wisdom here, sort of seals the deal for John McCain.
BASH: Right. I mean, there is another Republican in the race, and that's Mike Huckabee. And until -- until now he has been very vocal about the fact that he did very, very well in southern states. He won five southern states during Super Tuesday, and he has said that he is not going anywhere.
He sort of joked about the fact that it is already -- had already been a two-man race, he said, between John McCain and Mike Huckabee.
But when you look at the hard numbers, which clearly we know that Mitt Romney did look at the hard numbers before he made this very tough decision to end his year-long campaign.
LEMON: Yes.
BASH: He has been campaigning for about a year, more than a year, that he realized this is going to be hard for him to do. But to go back to that point, I think it's...
LEMON: Hey, Dana...
BASH: Yes.
LEMON: I want to -- when you're talking about numbers, let's talk about money real quick.
BASH: Yes, sure.
LEMON: But I know that, over the past couple of months, or even over the past year or so...
BASH: Yes.
LEMON: ... upwards of $30 million that he spent of his own money to continue this race for president?
BASH: That's right, $35 million total. And in fact just in the last quarter, $18 million of his own. He and his wife had sort of worked out a plan of how much of his vast, vast fortune he was going to spend to invest in himself, essentially and to invest in his campaign. And he did invest a lot.
But clearly, as a good businessman, he realized that at this point the investment was not getting the return that it should.
But I just -- very quickly, Don, I want to go back to this point. I think it's worth emphasizing.
LEMON: OK.
BASH: The way he dropped out here. And that is, by essentially trying -- he didn't endorse John McCain, not even close, somebody who has been his bitter rival. But he did endorse the centerpiece, the theme that John McCain has been -- has been -- has been campaigning on, and that is the issue of terrorism. That is not -- that is not the issue that Mike Huckabee has been campaigning on.
LEMON: OK.
BASH: So -- so it's very noteworthy to point that out.
LEMON: Dana Bash in Washington. Dana, we appreciate your perspective on this. Thank you so much.
PHILLIPS: And if you're just tuning in to CNN, John McCain sealing that Republican presidential nomination today just minutes ago, because his chief rival, Mitt Romney, has suspended his faltering presidential campaign. Best of our -- part of our best political team on television, of course, Dana Bash.
Also, CNN's chief national correspondent John King, John joining us on the phone right now.
John, did you expect this and did you -- did you expect it at this point, at this time?
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wow is the big word here, Kyra. Did we expect this? As Dana just noted, Mitt Romney is a businessman who likes to go through data and numbers. And the numbers suggested after Super Tuesday that this was perhaps the best course, if you will, from the perspective that the map, John McCain is two times ahead of him.
But just last night and even this morning we were told this would not happen. But I'm also told that that was the public face of the campaign that understood what was happening and that Governor Romney yesterday tentatively started down this course, said he wanted to think about it. He left his headquarters yesterday after a private meeting with his staff and said nothing to reporters. And this morning told them that he had reached the calculation he would suspend his campaign.
And Kyra, in a campaign of so many dramatic twists and so much drama, consider this moment. Mitt Romney standing in a hall full of conservative activists, many of whom are outright skeptical, many of whom have outright said they would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances. This was in part -- this was to be a day where the conservatives stood up and said, "Mitt, hang in there," and John McCain was coming in later today for a potential confrontation of sorts. Instead, like it or not, those conservatives in that room today are going to be part of a coronation.
Mike Huckabee is now -- and Ron Paul is also in the race, but Mike Huckabee is the only Republican in the race who has proven he can get votes and win contests. But if you can put the calendar up and look at the map of where the race goes from here, there are very few targets of opportunity in the types of states Mike Huckabee has won. He is way behind John McCain in the delegates.
John McCain is now the putative Republican nominee. And that day will be sealed in a room full of his most vocal skeptics and critics in the party. It is remarkable, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: John King, stay with me.
Conservative analyst Bill Bennett is also on the line. Bill, here's the quote: "If I fight on in my campaign all the way to the convention I would force the forestall the launch after national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win, and in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."
Your thoughts?
BILL BENNETT, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. There's been some diminishing in the comments, diminishing of Romney. You know, the money, or, you know, the other reason, if he had spoken like that, he'd be standing better.
Maybe he just told the truth. He knows he's not going to win, and he doesn't want to put the party through it. And it's actually a noble -- a noble reason. It is possible in Washington. I just want to say that.
But the interesting political thing here is that he -- he really -- he might as well be an endorsement of McCain by centering on the foreign policy side, the war on terror. He's saying, "This is the most important thing. And because this is most important, I'm dropping out." That's a signal, a message, Kyra, to conservatives: "Guys, this is the most important thing. Remember that as we go forward."
PHILLIPS: And...
BENNETT: There's been a lot of misgivings about McCain. This is a strong signal from Romney: remember what's most important and the candidate who's got a hold of that.
PHILLIPS: Well, and Romney, you know, built his support with conservatives on the family values campaign: his opposition to abortion and gay marriage, as well as his support for tax cuts, health insurance that would benefit middle-class families. Was this not enough? BENNETT: No, it wasn't enough, because he just didn't connect, for whatever reason. He's obviously a very impressive man. You know, Jim Cramer calls him one of the best businessmen in North America. He just didn't connect with the voters.
At the end of the day, you can do the exit polls about this issue or that issue. At the end of the day, people vote for people. They just didn't get a sense of him that gave them -- enough of them to give them confidence.
Look at the -- again, the conservative lashing of McCain. Even a lot of those folks, you know, talk radio, my buddies, didn't come to the endorsements until, you know, a few days ago. People just -- a lot of people just couldn't get comfortable with Romney for one reason or another.
Changes in position. You know, why is he going this way? He's a businessman. Why does he sound like he's a born-again Christian? Just people were just not sure of what the message was.
With McCain, everybody knows what the message is. People just aren't sure they like it.
PHILLIPS: Bill Bennett, John King. Guys, thanks. We'll be talking more.
LEMON: We're going to be talking throughout the day, especially where do the delegates go for Mitt Romney now? That's going to be an interesting question we'll figure out today with our political coverage.
We're also following four major crime stories that span the country. New York, the feds take on the Gambino crime family with help from authorities in -- get this -- Sicily.
Austin, Texas, a 5-year-old boy is the subject of an Amber Alert after what looks like a kidnapping.
And in Los Angeles five people are dead after a standoff that lasted 12 hours.
In southwest Ohio, a Catholic school teacher is shot and stabbed in front of her class.
We'll get to all of those developing stories straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: First, as we go to break, we want to say good-bye to our international viewers, watching our breaking news here on CNNI. Let's go ahead and listen to a key moment from Mitt Romney's announcement just a few moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: This isn't an easy decision. I hate to lose. My family, my friends, you, my supporters across the country, you've given a great deal to get me where I have a shot to becoming president.
If this were only about me, I'd go on. But it's never been only about me. I entered this race -- I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, in this time of war, I feel I have to now stand aside for our party, and for our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It's been our breaking news for about the past hour and a half. Right now, if you're just tuning in, Mitt Romney officially suspending his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination. We're going to continue to analyze what this means for the race right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Here's what he said just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMNEY: Now I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him -- but I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq and finding and executing Osama bin Laden. And I agree with him on eliminating al Qaeda and terror worldwide.
Now if I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I -- I want you to know -- I've given this a lot of thought -- I'd forestall the launch of a national campaign. And frankly, I'd be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win.
Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror. This isn't an easy decision. I hate to lose. My family, my friends, you, my supporters across the country, you've given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming president.
If this were only about me, I'd go on. But it's never been only about me. I entered this race -- I entered this race because I love America. And because I love America, in this time of war, I feel I have to now stand aside for our party and for our country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Our Dana Bash was right there in the room when Mitt Romney made that announcement official.
Dana, Bill Bennett laying it out in two words: he didn't connect.
BASH: Yes, you know, I actually was able to spend a good bit of time on the campaign trail with Romney, Kyra. And it was really interesting to see his evolution.
I sort of mentioned earlier in the day that he, for a long time, favored Power Point presentations on the stump. He would sit there with his computer, with his laptop and a big screen, and he would go through, literally point by point, why he was the best president of the United States on all the issues from the economy to terrorism.
Well, after he sort of got beaten several times on -- in Iowa and New Hampshire, he went up to his home state of Michigan, where the economy was a huge issue, and he really changed. He completely transformed. Not just in the presentation but, more importantly, in the kind of candidate he was.
And you talk to anybody in his campaign, Kyra, they say he finally found his voice. He was no longer trying to sort of twist himself into a pretzel on social issues. And you remember he admits he changed from being self-described pro-choice to somebody who was against abortion rights. That didn't sell in the state of Iowa. But he was able to finally be the businessman, the kind of Mr. Fix-it guy who could connect on issues that he really understands, really knows about.
And just from watching politicians over -- over several years, you can -- you really get -- and voters get -- when a candidate really means what he says because it's coming from his gut. On the economy, on the issues he's been talking about recently, it really has helped him a lot.
But clearly, when you look at what happened on Super Tuesday, this past Tuesday, he only won about six states -- or six or seven states, I should say -- and he won in areas in the Mountain West, where he certainly did extraordinarily well but they were caucus states. They were sort of focused on organization, nuts and bolts.
And you know what? This particular election season, voters aren't looking for -- we have learned now -- there you see, case in point with Mitt Romney -- they're not looking for a nuts and bolts guy. They're looking for somebody who can really connect with them. And Mitt Romney clearly didn't do that.
I want to give you one little bit of color. Truth in advertising. I was outside the room here, but our photo journalist, Bill Aver (ph), was in the room while Mitt Romney was talking. And he said that there was absolute stunned silence when he made that announcement.
And he said that there were women who were clearly Romney supporters who just started to cry, just started to tear when they heard that he was -- was suspending the race.
So a bit of color just to sort of show you the intense gravity of what happened with regard to this race. And with regard to people who have supported Mitt Romney for about a year now, since he announced his candidacy for the first time.
PHILLIPS: You mentioned that emotion. And our conservative analyst, Bill Bennett, said, look, he was a noble and truthful guy. And he said, yes, that does exist in Washington, believe it or not. So that's probably where the emotion comes from with those women brought to tears. That is a rare thing to find, but he just didn't connect with the American people.
Dana Bash, we'll be talking more. Thanks so much.
LEMON: Meantime, we want to head now to Chicago, to the middle of the country, to get the Democratic response. Our Suzanne Malveaux is traveling with the Obama campaign. She joins us now to talk about this.
Suzanne, what are you hearing from folks on the other side of the aisle about this?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, neither the Clinton campaign or the Obama campaign are releasing any official statements, but I've been speaking with insiders on both camps to get a sense of what they think about this. And it's -- by and large, they do not think this is a good development.
Obviously, both Obama and Clinton would prefer to run up against a Huckabee or a Romney, that McCain clearly is the strongest opponent. But what they believe here is that this really is going to hurt the Democratic Party. They are going to be spending time in-fighting, essentially, while the Republicans coalesce. They are going to diminish their resources in the primary process while the Republicans replenish. And it's also going to allow the Republicans to define the Democrats and -- while they simply unite. And so this is a problem that they have.
They also kind of are gaming this out. And they figure, OK, well, let's say Obama ends up ahead when you look at the primaries and the caucuses in the weeks ahead. That Clinton comes back in March with, say, Ohio and Texas. You'll get this back-and-forth.
What the focus is going to be on later down the road is, really, a lot of rancor between these two camps over what happens with the super delegates and also what happens with those delegates from Florida and Michigan, whether or not they get seated.
So they believe that this is really going to be focused on the Democrats, focused on the division, and that ultimately, it is going to hurt the party and hurt both of these candidates.
The only upside, the only positive, perhaps, in this development here, from one of the Clinton campaign insiders, they say is if Huckabee and McCain go at each other, that they fight each other. The longer they do so, the better McCain will be forced to move more over to the right in his position. And that will help either Clinton or Obama when it comes to attracting some of those independents and the moderates -- Don.
LEMON: The paper isn't even cold from printing the speech, and they're already planning their strategy here.
Suzanne Malveaux, thank you very much for that.
And for more on Romney's suspended campaign, go to CNNpolitics.com. You'll also find the latest delegate count and information on upcoming races. All that and more at CNNpolitics.com.
PHILLIPS: Let's get a quick check of the markets now. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with the latest from there.
How are the numbers, Susan?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, numbers are OK. We have a very modest rally, Kyra. Of course, we're coming off of three days of gains as well as one of the worst days that we've seen in the market, in the stock market, in about a year. The NASDAQ in a bear market, in fact.
I want to mention a couple quick headlines. One of them is Caterpillar -- this is one of the Dow 30 stocks -- saying today that part of its facility in Oxford, Mississippi, damaged -- was damaged and collapsed as a result of tornadoes in the region. It said all employees are accounted for, only minor injuries.
Caterpillar makes construction equipment. So CAT's products certainly are going to be used in the tornado-ravaged south. But all its employees are OK.
Merck announcing civil settlements with federal and state authorities related to claims that it overcharged Medicaid programs for two big drugs, Vioxx as well as Zocor. It's also addressing that -- addressing the fact that there was improper marketing to doctors. It's going to pay $650 million, plus interest.
And finally, two quick stories. Cisco saying that its revenue for this quarter is going to be lower than what it originally estimated. Cisco makes networking equipment. Lots of companies use Cisco products. So corporate spending perhaps slowing.
And then finally, consumer spending slowing perhaps, as well. We're getting January numbers. Wal-Mart sales coming in far lower than what it had estimated, just 0.5 percent. It says that people are holding onto their gift cards longer than usual, and in many cases using them for basic items such as food.
That's the latest from here. We're seeing a modest rally, though, kind of a volatile day but modest gains at the moment.
Back to you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Susan Lisovicz, thanks so much.
LEMON: Up next, our tornado coverage from Tennessee continues.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right. We will have the very latest coming live from Lafayette, Tennessee, where we have just learned the sunshine is out. And that is some good news for the people here who are now out and about everywhere that I can see, trying to clean up after this terrible disaster that took 14 lives just in the county there (ph).
We'll be back in a moment right here. CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: The storms have long passed but the recovery, the pain, the loss will be around for some time. Look at these shots of Union University between Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee. Tornadoes slammed into the campus, collapsed student dorms and threw cars around like toys. Classes will be canceled for weeks now.
In northwest Alabama at least four people died when tornadoes struck before dawn yesterday. In all 56 people are dead in four states. More than 100 are hurt.
LEMON: And to Lafayette, Tennessee where many families are looking at wreckage where their homes used to be. CNN's Heidi Collins is there. Looks like people are working really feverishly to get this community back up, at least to some degree of normalcy.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Don, we've been here for several hours. Flew in obviously last night to be here for our shows in the morning. And it is such an incredibly different scene. Never mind the sun, which is first of all a huge change. Just for the time of day, of course. But blue sky and everything else. We now see from everywhere that I can look now people working and trying to get their homes, what's left of them back together and get a hold of some of their valuables. Everybody always looks for pictures. We've seen a lot of people walk away with pictures of loved ones.
There we see our friend Austin who we met earlier with a baseball bat that he found. He also found one of his school t-shirts a little earlier. The Macon County Tigers. So that was good news for him. But boy oh boy, as you look around, you just saw some of the shots we were showing. It is total devastation. There are so many people who do not have homes and are either staying with loved ones or are in the shelters and are really thinking long and hard about what they will do next. In fact I want to introduce you to someone, this is his home behind me, Larry Driver. Larry, if you can come over here and tell me a little bit more about what happened when this tornado came through. I know that you were inside with some of your family members. And this, in fact, is the home that you built with your own two hands.
LARRY DRIVER, SOTRM SURVIVOR: We was in the bedroom watching TV. I was watching election coverage and watching the weather. They was talking about storm in Galvin. I was kind of keeping an eye on it and the satellite went out. So I thought I'd get up and go to the door, kind of check on the weather. And about the time I got to the door and opened the door, big boom went off, and I think it hit the Columbia Gulf Station down there. And so that kind of got my attention. It just kind of started roaring and everything. So I got my wife, told her get in the closet. And my grandson was asleep. And so I just started to pick him up and take him to the closet. And a big ringing starting going in my head.
COLLINS: Did you know at that point what you were dealing with?
DRIVER: I was pretty sure. I never dealt with nothing like that, but I can tell it was something real different. And so at that point I was getting a little concerned -- well, real concerned. I just grabbed my grandson, throw him in the closet and about the time I got the door closed, all the glass and everything in the house just exploded and we just ...
COLLINS: And this now, we turn around and look at your house, this now is what you are left with. What are we looking at up there?
DRIVER: That's the gable end. Evidently, like I say, it just seemed like it exploded from the inside. It just blowed out from the inside, it blowed the brick off the gable.
COLLINS: I mean this is your attic. We're looking at your clothes, we are looking at storage boxes. There is a light hanging off of there. Your flood lights are hanging off the other side of the tip of the attic there. When you look at this, I mean what are you thinking?
DRIVER: That's one of the good parts of the house. The rest of it is a whole lot worse than that. I mean it's hard to see it. Like I say, you build it yourself and live here for 13 years, have all the memories with your family, and it is just hard to see.
COLLINS: Yeah, I'm sure it is. Will you walk back with me to the other side of the house quickly so we can show everyone? The reason I want to go back here is to show a little bit more about the power, the strength of this storm. Because this right here is the top of your house, or is that the top of someone else's house?
DRIVER: That's the top of the carport that was attached to my house. And it was over vehicles, which now you can see, it's not. But it was attached to that part of the roof right there.
COLLINS: Wow. What about this in the back? Was that a detached garage?
DRIVER: Detached garage. Our other vehicle's sitting down there, which we're driving it now. It has a small amount of damage but it is drivable. And there is a lot of stuff inside the garage. That's just the building collapsed on. You can see, it is just pretty well all broke too.
COLLINS: And also right over there we're looking at a backhoe. I know that several of your neighbors have come over and asked if you will help clear their driveway with that backhoe. I also think there were people that came to your home last night to seek refuge and be safe.
DRIVER: Yeah. When we was in the closet, we was trying to get out and scraping against the door. We made it out of the closet, we heard someone screaming at the back door. It was two next-door neighbors, Saley and Austie (ph) McCard (ph) they was at the back door screaming. Finally made it to the door and kicked everything out of the way, got them in. And Ms. McCard was bleeding pretty good. We got them in. Then the lady across the road, her grandchildren, the Burroughs (ph) they was across the road screaming. So I went across the road and got them over here.
COLLINS: It is really a testament to the way the house was built, again you being the builder. This is one of the homes, Larry Driver's home, don, that is still standing and we haven't seen a lot of that. The foundation is there. You can see some of the walls still. The roof is on the top. That really is a unique sight to a lot of what we see around us, which is, as we've said so many times, unfortunately, total devastation for many people like Larry. His friends and neighbors in fact.
LEMON: Heidi, he said the other side is much worse than that. So at least he is looking on the bright side there. Our hearts go out to all the folks.
COLLINS: Yeah, he really is.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much for that, Heidi.
PHILLIPS: Much more ahead on the breaking political news. Mitt Romney abandons his bid for the presidency. We're going to check in with our political analyst Bill Schneider next. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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LEMON: All right. We're still following a developing news concerning Mitt Romney today in the CNN NEWSROOM. What does Mitt Romney's decision to suspend his campaign mean to the battle for the Republican nomination? Well we get some reaction now and some analysis from Republican Senator Orrin Hatch who joins us now, of Utah, joining us now to talk about this from Washington, DC. Were you surprised by this?
SEN. ORRIN HATCH, (R) UT: Somewhat. I knew that things were certainly going in John McCain's favor. You got to give him a lot of credit for climbing that mountain and getting up on the top on Super Tuesday. But I wasn't quite sure what Mitt was going to do. What he has done is he's suspended his campaign as far as I can see, and that means he's retaining his delegates and that gives him certainly a bridge as we go down the road, I'm sure.
LEMON: That's very interesting. I'm glad you brought that up -- What happens to his delegates? He retains them, then he gets to use them as he sees fit. Can you explain to our viewers, give us some perspective on this?
HATCH: Well, I think that's what's behind it. I think also, this is still very early in this race. You never know what's going to happen. You never know what events can occur. I think it is just a very cautious approach after he's run so well but did not do really well on Super Tuesday. I think it is a cautious approach to make sure that his delegates go to the right person.
LEMON: We saw 286 delegates. Still more than the other person, Mike Huckabee, who is in this race. And that's a substantial number, it could help him out. The conventional wisdom, and I spoke to Dana Bash and a number of our analysts here, Senator Hatch, and it appears to -- this has really sealed the deal for John McCain.
HATCH: Well, I think most commentators have been saying McCain is not only the front-runner but the prohibitive favorite. I think most people in the business would probably conclude that's true. But Mitt has run a very interesting race. He came from almost obscurity as governor of Massachusetts to a position of tremendous prominence. Most people will admit that it came down to a race between John McCain and Mitt Romney. And I think both of them have run very good races, but John is better known and you got to give him credit. That's just all there is to it.
LEMON: Let me ask you this and I hope I didn't bury the lead here -- as a Mormon, how does that factor in? Do you hate to see him go as a Mormon?
HATCH: I don't think that's really the issue here. I think one thing that has come out of this is that a lot of people who have been prejudiced against people of my faith, the Mormon faith, actually the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is the real name of the church, a very fervent belief in Jesus Christ. A lot of those have now I think changed some of their positions somewhat by understanding that we should be judging people by the values they live and not by their particular denomination.
And Mitt has been a really, really stalwart person in that regard. He has ignored the criticisms, has ignored the prejudice, gradually has won a lot of people over, including many evangelical people who are sincere and dedicated and are saying this is a man that shares our values, this is a man who lives his religions and lives his beliefs and has raised his family that way, who is happily married to his wife for 39 years. These are all important things. And I think Mitt Romney has broken through. What really, I found when I ran back in 1999, was pretty strongly there. And it doesn't deserve to be there in a country as great as ours. We ought to judge people by who they are, what they are, how they live, what their values are and what they believe.
And of course Mitt's come through all of that with flying colors and I think has helped us understand we should not be prejudice against another person's religion.
LEMON: And senator, we've got a lot of moving parts today so we have to move on, but real quick, have you decided who you are going to support in this?
HATCH: Well, I'm going to support whoever wins this nomination. I personally don't believe that Mike Huckabee can win, so it's pretty darn natural for me to support John McCain. I've always admired him. I think a lot of him. And with regard to foreign policy and national security issues, he is as good as it gets.
And we ought to all, as Republicans, get behind him and hopefully help him to get there.
LEMON: Senator Orrin Hatch, thank you.
PHILLIPS: You heard it here first, Republican Mitt Romney suspending his campaign for president. Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider joins us now live from Washington. Question is, Bill, where do the delegates go now?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, by suspending his campaign, the delegates remain Romney delegates. They're not totally free to go anyway they want. They are still Romney delegates but they do not have to support any candidate that he endorses. So if he endorses John McCain today or tomorrow, his delegates do not automatically become McCain delegates. Then they free to support any candidate they want. But technically as long as he's suspended his campaign, he did not get out of the race, they are still counted as Romney delegates.
PHILLIPS: And what's the difference between suspending your campaign and dropping out of the campaign?
SCHNEIDER: Well, if you drop out you're no longer a candidate for president. If you suspend your campaign it means you're no longer campaigning. You're still a candidate but you're no longer campaigning.
PHILLIPS: OK. So taking that into consideration, what are we going to see over the next weeks, months, with regard to Mitt Romney, the support for Mitt Romney, when you look at the technicality between those two words?
SCHNEIDER: We're going to see if Mitt Romney gets on board with John McCain. He said some nice things about John McCain. He indicated that John McCain could have his support. He did that with a fairly striking sentence. He said, "I simply cannot let my campaign be part of aiding a surrender to terror." He described electing a Democratic president, either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, as a surrender to terror. That's a very harsh thing to say. But Mitt Romney has said a lot of harsh things in this campaign. That's why he's made a lot of enemies. The question is what will he be doing? It looks like he'll be on board with John McCain. And John McCain is now the presumptive Republican nominee.
PHILLIPS: Bill Schneider, thanks for the insight.
SCHNEIDER: OK.
LEMON: Coming live from L.A. where a SWAT situation ended in tragedy this morning. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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PHILLIPS: Getting word now that that shooting that took place in Ohio, the shooter now found dead. If you are not familiar with the story, a teacher was shot and stabbed in her classroom today in front of her students at the Notre Dame Elementary School in Portsmouth, Ohio. No students were harmed when the man came into the room. We are told it was the woman's husband. He came shouting, opened fired and stabbed her. CNN has now confirmed that that Ohio shooter is dead. Our affiliate WSAZ out of Ohio bringing us these pictures. We will bring you more information as we get it. LEMON: More news on another standoff, a police officer and four other people are dead after an overnight stand-off and shootout in Los Angeles. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez joins us live now. Thelma?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, I can tell you that we are still waiting for the gunman's name to be released. Now this neighborhood here in the San Fernando Valley is still closed off right now. Los Angeles police tell us this is a very, very terrible day. They say it is a kick in the stomach because they lost two of their best. Two of their own.
Now this dramatic standoff started at 9:00 p.m. last night Pacific Time. The gunman called 911. He said he shot three members of his own family. The SWAT team responded immediately. They tried to negotiate with him for about three and a half hours. After that they went into the home and that is when they started to exchange gunfire with this man. Two officers were shot. Fifty-one-year-old Randy Simmons, a 27-year veteran of the police force was killed. He is a father, a husband. This is a man very much loved by the LAPD. He organized toy drives. He was a mentor to disadvantaged children. He was shot and killed.
His partner, 51-year-old James Veentra was shot in the face. We heard a short time ago from doctors, they say fortunately he will survive but will need many surgeries. Again they say this is a terrible blow.
Now there was a woman who was in the home at the time of this standoff. About 5:30 this morning, tear gas canisters were fired into the home and during that time she was able to escape. Now we don't know how she is related to the gunman. But fortunately she was able to escape and a police officer told me a short time ago that she is being debriefed by investigators right to you to try to figure out who is related to whom and how this all went down. Don, back to you.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much for that, Thelma Gutierrez.
PHILLIPS: An unexpected trip to the hospital. If you haven't done any planning the problem can become a disaster. We're going to show you how to avoid it. Elizabeth Cohen is here.
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PHILLIPS: Well just give us a few minutes and we might help you survive or avoid a major medical crisis. Accidents all, we all know that. Like the wave of tornadoes that swept across the South. And as a potential patient you need to be prepared. Here with that medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The tornadoes have definitely shown us catastrophe can strike at any time. So if you were injured in a tornado, have you done everything you should do so that if you are incapacitated everyone would know what's your medical history, who can make decisions for you?
PHILLIPS: Well, I've got my living will done.
COHEN: There you go. OK. That's a step in the right direction.
PHILLIPS: From all the times I was going to Iraq, you have to get that.
COHEN: That's a very good point. Well, I'm going to ask you two questions about preparing in case you get incapacitated. What you should do. So here is two questions. I think you're going to do fine.
PHILLIPS: If I'm incapacitated how am I going to remember or know to do this?
COHEN: You do it before you get incapacitated! That's the point. Do it now.
PHILLIPS: I'm giving you a hard time. OK. I'm with you.
COHEN: The first question is, it is best to appoint your spouse to make your medical decisions in case you can't make decisions on your own, that you really ought to appoint your spouse. Do you think that's true if you have one?
PHILLIPS: I would think that -- I know legally that is -- I mean, yeah, it is your spouse. Right?
COHEN: You can appoint anyone you want. If you don't appoint anyone they'll go to your spouse. When you are trying to decide to ...
PHILLIPS: You could appoint anybody. Even if you are married. I could even appoint you.
COHEN: I hope not. I'm not sure I want that responsibility!
PHILLIPS: I didn't know that.
COHEN: The spouse is not always the best. Most of the time, yes. But if your spouse has a hard time making decisions, if they're very emotional, you might want to pick somebody else and a lot of people don't know that, you can pick who you want.
PHILLIPS: What about the living will?
COHEN: Living will, you know what? You actually don't need one. You need to appoint who is going to make decisions for you, but if that person knows what decisions to make you don't need a living will. But do you have to appoint someone to make those decisions for you.
PHILLIPS: Interesting. Good advice. All right, Elizabeth Cohen. Appreciate it.
LEMON: Well, the accidental overdose death of actor Heath Ledger. Commonly used prescription drugs you may be taking yourself. Take a hard look at the risks. PHILLIPS: And a political surprise in Washington. Mitt Romney suspends his battle for the Republican presidential nomination. We've got the latest with the best political team on television.
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