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Election Campaigning Continues; Candidates Speak on the Trail

Aired March 01, 2008 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Ali. It's Dana. Thank you very much. We're actually going to go to a Democratic candidate to see what they are going to say actually live. Barack Obama speaking live in Providence, Rhode Island, one of the four states that's going to hold its primary contest on Tuesday. Let's listen in to see if he's saying anything about the issue that you are hearing from voters.
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The plan set in peril and the green that so many generations fought for feel like it's slowly slipping away. You see it here in Rhode Island. You see it across the country. People are working harder just to get by. They've never paid more for college. They've never paid more for gas at the pump. It's harder to save. It's harder to retire. Our health care system leaves millions of people without coverage. And those who have coverage are seeing their co-payments or deductibles, your premiums going up and up and up.

Our school system, despite the slogan, leaves millions of children behind. Unable to compete in a global economy. In such circumstances, we can't afford to wait. We can't wait to fix our schools. We cannot wait to fix our health care system. We cannot wait to provide good jobs, good wages. We cannot wait to end global warming. We cannot wait to bring this war in Iraq to a close. We cannot wait. We can't wait. We cannot wait.

And so a year ago, I said to myself, the size of our challenges, and I have stripped the capacity. I thought the American people were eager, were desperate for something. They wanted a politics that wasn't about tearing each other down but about lifting the country up. They wanted politicians who weren't about spin and pr but were about straight talk and an honest conversation with the American people. In other words, I decided to run because of you. I was betting on you.

Some of you know I now live in Chicago and that has been my home for most of my adult life. But I'm not originally from Chicago. I moved there after college when I wasn't much older than a lot of the young people here today. To be a community organizer, to work as a community organizer with churches that were trying to deal with the devastation of steel plants that had closed. And thousands of people had been laid off of work. And I worked with these churches to set up job training programs and after school programs.

It was the best education I ever had. It was hard work, but it taught me that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they are given a chance. And it's taught me -- it's taught me that change doesn't happen from the top down. It happens from the bottom up. It happens because ordinary people decide to make change happen. And so I have always been convinced that the American people are decent people and generous people willing to work hard and sacrifice for future generations. If we can just get beyond our divisions, the divisions of race and region and religion.

If we could come together, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, young, old, rich, poor. If we could come together, if we could come together to challenge the special interests that have come to dominate Washington, the fat cats and the money, that have set the agenda, if we could also come together to challenge ourselves to be better. Better parents, better neighbors, better citizens. Then I believe there was no challenge we could not solve. There was no destiny that we could not fulfill.

And I am here to report to you, Rhode Island, that after traveling all across the country for a year, after logging in more miles than I care to remember, after talking to hundreds of thousands of people, after shaking tens of thousands of hands, after kissing hundreds of babies and eating hundreds of chicken dinners, I am here to report to you that my bet has paid off. My faith in the American people has been vindicated because everywhere I go; they are saying we are ready for change. We are ready to turn the page and write a new chapter in American history.

Now I would like to take all the credit for this amazing interest and turnout here in Rhode Island. We're seeing record registration rates all around the country, record voters. Young people voting like never before. I would like to take all the credit for it, but I have to admit I can't. Part of the reason why everyone is so enthusiastic, so energized, so interested in this election is they know that this November they'll be choosing the next president of the United States and they know that no matter what else happens, the name George W. Bush won't be on the ballot. No Bush. No Bush.

The name of my cousin, Dick Cheney, will not be on the ballot. The name -- yeah, some of you read about this. They did a genealogical survey of some sort and apparently Cheney and I are distant relation. This was really embarrassing when this news came out. But his name won't be on the ballot, which means the failed policies of the last 7 1/2 years, the Katrina and the wiretaps and the Scooter Libby justice and the brownie incompetence and the Karl Rove politics, all that will finally be over next year.

But that's not the only reason that you are here today. That's not the only reason I'm here. It's easy to be against something. We don't just want to be against something. We want to be for something. We want to feel -- we want to feel as if it's possible for us to do great things in this country, to come together and solve big problems. And we've got big problems to solve. I hear about them every day. I hear the stories of the American people and all too often, they are stories of hardship and stories of struggle.

I'll be down in San Antonio and I'll meet a couple who got into -- involved in a predatory loan, a deceptive loan, and suddenly their mortgage doubles and they are looking at losing their home to foreclosure. And having to cut back on medicine that keeps them well just to stay in their home. All across this country, I meet workers who have seen their jobs shipped overseas and suddenly, instead of making 20 or $25 an hour, they are making $7 bucks an hour at the local fast food joint. No benefits. No health care. No pensions. All across this country, I meet teachers who are digging into their own pockets to buy school supplies because the schools were under funded.

I meet young people who have dropped out because they don't see any prospects for themselves. And if they do through determination and grit get through high school and graduate and they want to go to college, they look and realize they are going to have to take out 20 or 30 or 40 or $50,000 worth of debt and many of them decide not to do it. And those who do are burdened with back-breaking debt that they can't dig themselves out of. All across this country, I meet seniors who are worried about their retirement, worried about Social Security. Can't afford a full dose of prescription drugs because it's gotten so expensive.

All across this country, I meet veterans who -- of Iraq and Afghanistan who are proud of their service and rightfully so. They have done everything. They have done everything that's been asked of them, but they think about those that they left behind, those who are still deployed. They question the wisdom of a mission that's cost us so dearly in blood and in treasure. Sometimes I'll meet homeless veterans or disabled veterans who ask how it is that their service could have been forgotten so quickly.

And sometimes I'll meet in rope lines after rallies like this; I will meet mothers or fathers like the one that gave me this bracelet to commemorate a son 20 years old who was killed in a roadside bomb. Who wept silently in my arms and asked that I bring the rest of the young men and women home. So all across the country, all across the country, people are desperate for different politics. They don't expect government to solve all their problems, but they do want a government that's listening to them, that's fighting for them, that's advocating for them, that cares about them.

They do expect a government that can help knock down some of the barriers that stand between them and their dreams. So what I tell people is, I wouldn't be running if I wasn't confident in my ability to fight and advocate on your own behalf, if I didn't believe I could bring about real change in America. But I have to tell you, Rhode Island, I can't do it by myself. I have not to have your help. Remember, change doesn't happen from the top down. It happens because the American people are mobilized, are activated, are engaged, are involved, because you guys are ready for change.

BASH: That's Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama speaking in Providence, Rhode Island. Rhode Island is one of the four states holding primary contests on Tuesday a very important state. Might not have as many delegates as the biggies, Ohio and Texas, but particularly in the Democratic race, every single one of those delegates matter a lot.

And our own Bill Schneider, our senior political analyst, is there in Rhode Island with Barack Obama. Bill, I want to ask what you are seeing in terms of the polls right now in Rhode Island. BILL SCHNEIDER, SR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The polls here in Rhode Island show this is a Hillary Clinton state. She's been ahead in Rhode Island for most of the campaign. And the latest poll shows her leading by about nine points, exactly nine points, and 49 percent to 40 percent in a poll that just came out this morning.

Let me add that is within the margin of error for the poll and there is still 11 percent undecided which means this race is a lot closer than it was supposed to be. And that is why Barack Obama decided to make this stop in Providence, Rhode Island. He believes he has a chance to win here. If he can deny Hillary Clinton Rhode Island, then she is in very serious trouble indeed.

And I can tell you that this is the same hall, the same arena at Rhode Island College, where Hillary Clinton spoke last Sunday and she made that widely publicized speech mocking Obama, essentially saying that he was making all these empty promises, that he was raising false hopes, the heavens would open up, celestial choirs would sing but we spoke to an official at the college who said at her rally last Sunday about 2,000 people attended. He's got about triple that number attending, about 6,000 people, 5,000 inside, about 1,000 outside in the snow. And at his rally here in Providence, Rhode Island. So, clearly, his decision to come here means he believes he has a chance.

Dana.

BASH: The number of people you just described there, that may be almost the entire population of the small state of Rhode Island, Bill. But I want to ask you about that, just talking about the crowds. Regardless, I mean, Hillary Clinton, let's just say she got 2,000. If you compare that to what I see. I have been covering the Republicans. Whether it's John McCain or when he was in the race Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani, they got nowhere near that kind of attendance at any of their events. I'm wondering what you think that means in terms of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm for the Democrats versus the Republicans.

SCHNEIDER: Well, certainly the Democrats have gotten a huge turnout from state after state in almost every state surpassing the Republican turnout. Here in Rhode Island, they are reporting record numbers of voters registering. And interestingly, the voter registration in Rhode Island, we were told by the officials, that most of the people registering are registering as independents. Not Democrats or Republicans. Independents can vote in either party's primary and they are people that have been voting heavily for Barack Obama in other states.

All of this points to, you know a lot of excitement, a lot of enthusiasm. Much for both Democrats really. But particularly for Barack Obama. And we have seen Democratic turnout just skyrocketing in primary after primary all over the country this year.

BASH: Well we certainly are, Bill. Talking to the Republicans who are trying to do well this year, they are extremely worried about the numbers that you report on every election night with regard to turnout and the big deficit that Republicans seem to have across the board to Democrats. So, Bill, thank you very much. Enjoy that big rally there. Hopefully we'll be able to talk to you in a little while so we can hear you better.

We're going to talk a little more about what the Democrats have been fighting about over and over again over the past several days. They seem to be tripping over themselves on the issue of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trying to make the point that each one of them is very much against it because they are trying to appeal to voters in Ohio, voters who Democrats feel they have been hurt by that free trade agreement. It has been pretty nasty between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on this issue. And John McCain even jumped into it. We'll talk about more of that right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): When we say CNN equals politics, we mean it. With one of the biggest days of a political season approaching this Tuesday, CNN is flooding the zone with the best political team on television. Bringing you the latest news from the candidates and voices of the voters. With reporters in the key states of Texas and Ohio and teams hard at work in our New York, Washington and Atlanta newsrooms. CNN has this story covered like no other.

BASH: Welcome back to this Saturday edition of BALLOT BOWL 08. I'm Dana Bash in Sedona, Arizona, the home state of Republican presidential candidate John McCain. He's spending the weekend here in his home state.

But we are bringing you this over the next several hours. Information and speeches from the candidates, John McCain and Democrats as well. All Republicans and Democrats, matter of fact. Over the past week or so, as they have been speaking, trying to get the votes in some of the key contest states coming up on Tuesday. Very crucial day, Tuesday. Primaries in Texas and Ohio and Rhode Island and Vermont.

But what we want to do for you now is give you a little window into one of the issues that has been very much front and center on the campaign trail. Primarily between Democrats, but Republican John McCain jumped in as well. That issue is NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. Something signed into law by President Clinton 14 years ago. Something that President Clinton touted as one of his biggest accomplishments.

It opened up free trade between the United States and its northern neighbor, Canada and Mexico to the south as well. But Democrats have been really focusing on this because they have been hearing particularly in the state of Ohio that people are very concerned about NAFTA hurting them in terms of taking their jobs away.

So you've been hearing more and more debate within -- between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama about whether or not NAFTA was the right thing to do. And really going after each other in terms of mail pieces, in terms of talking from the stump about who was -- who really supported it, whether Hillary Clinton supported it or not. We want to give to you big chunks of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as well as John McCain talking about this issue this past week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I understand also that in a press conference today, President Bush criticized both Senator Obama and myself on NAFTA. And in particular, on my pledge to renegotiate NAFTA. And I find that highly ironic since President Bush has turned a blind eye to all of the actions by China and others to dump steel into Ohio, hurting Ohio workers and the Ohio economy and has also failed to act in the face of other imports like lead-based toys and contaminated pet food and so much else that really requires a president to step in and protect the interests of American workers and consumers.

I also was reminded that Senator Obama had a chance to take a stand against China and their trade practices that hurt our country with actions like dumping below market priced steal. When we had a vote in the Senate on how we could better defend against those kinds of behaviors, Senator Obama voted against it. I voted for it. So trade remains a very important issue here in Ohio, and it's one that I have put forth a very specific set of policies that I would follow to try to create a level playing field. And I'm well aware that, you know, many parts of our country have different views about trade. I was in Laredo, as I've said many times, last week, which has greatly benefited from the increase in trade.

But we need a win-win. We need to have a set of policies that are good for all of our country. So we need to maintain the positive aspects but to get very specific about what we're going to do to fix an agreement like NAFTA. And I've said we need core labor and environmental standards. We need a tougher enforcement regiment with mechanisms that really work. I have advocated for a trade prosecutor. We need to eliminate the right of foreign companies to sue to overturn our laws that protect our environment and protect the health and safety of our workers. So I think we can renegotiate on terms that would be much more beneficial to everyone.

SENATOR BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The benefits of NAFTA are ones that I would like to see retained. But that if we cannot have stronger labor standards and environmental standards and safety standards, then my job as president will be to look at what effect this has on the economy overall.

Let me give you a very specific example. It is true that some of the border communities along Mexico and Texas have benefited from NAFTA. What is also true is that there are enormous numbers of Mexicans, agricultural workers who have been displaced and part of the reason we've seen such a problem with immigration over recent years is the grinding poverty that exists in Mexico.

And so I can't look just anecdotally at where it has helped. I want to look at overall, can we approve this so that it's good not only for workers in Ohio and workers in Texas, but also good for workers in Mexico who, right now, can't support themselves and end up coming here and potentially depressing U.S. jobs as well.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're facing some difficult economic times. We all know that. And some parts of America are in more difficulty than others. I am a free trader. I believe that NAFTA has created jobs. And I think it's been good for our economy. I think it's been good for the Canadian economy and I think it's been good for the Mexican economy. Are there inequities? Is there -- did everything go perfectly well? Of course not.

And we have problems with some of our trading partners. But the fact is that I believe that we should continue to seek free trade agreements. By the way, I would have as one of my highest priorities of the pending free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia. I believe in free trade. I think that may be one of the many differences between myself and whoever the nominee of the Democratic Party is. We've got to have the training and education programs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: There you heard John McCain at the end there jumping into the Democrats' debate over Iraq. What John McCain has been trying to do as he's been in this transition period between the primary season and the election season is test drive some of his messages and find really clear dividing lines between him and the Democrats, whomever it's going to be.

And he definitely in his campaign, it's pretty clear they found trade is one of the issues he thinks he can do well on because as he said there, he is very much a free trader and if that does also play extremely well in the state of Texas, where free trade does seem to have been beneficial as opposed to other states like Ohio. You heard Hillary Clinton talking about where it seems to have hurt some of the voters, especially key voters for Democrats.

After we just heard about this debate about NAFTA, we want to go after this short break to talk about what's going on online. Very much this year more than ever, the campaigns on both sides of the aisle have been using the Internet to get their messages out. We'll check in on what's going on at least right now a couple of days, a few days ahead of a very important primaries on Tuesday. Josh Levs will be with us right after a break to check in on that. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Senator Barack Obama is speaking in Providence, Rhode Island, before a rally talking about national security, healthcare, a number of issues that voters are all paying very close attention to. In the meantime, we are seeing Chelsea Clinton. She is in Akron, Ohio, where she is stumping for her mother. She just got to the stage; she just got to the podium to speak. Let's take a quick listen to Chelsea.

CHELSEA CLINTON, HILLARY CLINTON'S DAUGHTER: ...talking to people here in Ohio and across our country, and you know, you heard everyone here talk about how important it is that we all talk to as many people as we can. You know, knocking on doors, calling people, texting people, you know, putting YouTube videos online like the one we saw from the young woman earlier. Because I fundamentally believe that if we work hard and we reach out and talk to people about the questions that are important to each of us as voters, whether that is a woman's right to choose, college affordability, ensuring our economy is back on track, not only ending the war but standing for American values again, people will vote for my mom on Tuesday.

(APPLAUSE)

So it is -- it is really up to us. So, please do just talk to everyone that you can between now and when the polls close on Tuesday. My mom will actually be in Akron tomorrow at 3:30.

(APPLAUSE)

At Greenville high school. So please, please come. Come to the rally. Bring your friends who are undecided to the rally. Urge your friends who maybe didn't watch the debate here in Ohio to watch the debate online, to watch all of the debates online. There have been 20 now in the Democratic primary. Go to my mom's Web site, hillaryclinton.com so that people can hear not only from us or even from me about why each of us so passionately supports my mom, but from my mom directly, from not only her vision, but her very real policies to help us get there.

So, please talk to as many people as you can, bring them to the rally. Make sure people are online, getting informed, getting engaged and I believe that Ohio and the rest of the states who are voting on Tuesday will support my mom. Thank you very much for having us. And please, please, please, keep talking. Thank you all.

MALVEAUX: You're listening to Chelsea Clinton giving a plug for her mother saying that her mother will be in Akron, Ohio tomorrow. That is where she'll be stumping, as well.

We also know that Senator Barack Obama is in Providence, Rhode Island, that is where he's addressing voters at a rally talking about a number of issues that people are paying very close attention to. It is not only Iraq, but it is healthcare, it is jobs, it is gas prices. Let's listen in to Barack Obama.

BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He thinks that the clouds will part and, you know, he's so naive. He is -- wait, wait, wait. Oh, you know, he thinks he can wave a magic wand and suddenly everything will be great. You know, it is true that I talk about hope a lot, out of necessity. The odds of me standing here are very slim.

(APPLAUSE)

You know, I was born -- I was born to a single mom. I was born to a teenage mom. My dad left when I was two. So, I was born to -- and raised by a single mom and my grandparents. And they didn't have money, they didn't have fame or fortune, they gave me love, they gave me an Education and they gave me hope.

(APPLAUSE)

So it's true, Rhode Island, I do talk about hope. I put hope on my signs. And I gave a speech in Boston about hope And I wrote a book called the "Audacity of Hope." (APPLAUSE)

And so now Senator Clinton and others they say: oh, he's peddling false hopes. He needs a reality check. He's a hopemonger.

(LAUGHTER)

You know, the implication is, if you talk about hope, that you must be naive, your head must be in the clouds. You must look at the world through colored glasses, you must not really know the score, you must not be wise to the world or know what it takes to bring about real change. And they say that about, by the way, you guys, too, the people who come to our rallies who are getting behind us. They say: oh, they just like him because he talks good. You know, he's just -- they're just infatuated.

Well, let me tell you something, I bet that a lot of people here who have gone through hard times. I'll bet there are a lot of people here who've lost a job or lost a loved one or lost their healthcare or tried to figure out how to pay for their college education. There aren't a lot of romantics here.

See, the critics, the cynics don't understand what hope is. Hope is not blind optimism. Hope is not ignorance of the challenge to stand between you and your dreams. Hope is exactly the opposite. Hope is believing and then working and then fighting for things. Yeah, I know how hard it will be to provide healthcare to every American. If it was easy, it would have already been done. I know how difficult it will be to change our energy policy. ExxonMobil made $11 billion last year.

(BOOING)

They don't want to give those profits up. I know how hard it will be to alleviate poverty. I know how difficult it will be to improve our schools. I know because I fought on the streets of the community organizer. I have fought in the courts as a civil rights attorney. I have fought in the legislature. And I've won some battles, but I've lost some, too, because good intentions aren't enough. You got to have political power and political will. You've got to build a coalition to make things happen. I know how hard it is because I've seen this country turn on itself, how politicians can manipulate in order to make us distrust ourselves and to be suspicion of immigrants or suspicious of guy people. I've seen these things.

But here's what I also know, Rhode Island, here's what I also know. That nothing worthwhile in this country has ever happened except somebody somewhere was willing to hope.

(APPLAUSE)

That is how -- that is how the 13 colonies, a band of patriots, had the courage to declare independence against the mighty British empire. Nobody gave them a chance, but they had hope. That is how slaves and abolitionists resisted an evil system and how a new president chartered a course to ensure we would not remain half slaves and half free. They had hope.

That is how immigrants traveled from distant shores. That is how pioneers went West. That's how the greatest generation, my grandfather, fighting in Patton's army in World War II. My grandmother staying behind with a baby, working on a bomber assembly line, that greatest generation defeating Hitler and fascism and lifting itself up out of a great depression. Hope. That's how women won the right to vote, that how workers won the right to organize. That's how young people in the...

MALVEAUX: You are listening to Senator Barack Obama talk about his message of hope and optimism for the future. It is now accident that he is doing it there at that particular venue in Providence, Rhode Island, because that is exactly where we heard Senator Hillary Clinton just last week mocking Senator Obama for that message. She talked about the sky is opening up, to much applause of her audience there. Let's take a quick listen to what Barack Obama is addressing from Hillary Clinton earlier in the week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I could stand up here and say: let's just get everybody together. Let's get unified. The sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing, and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The back and forth between Senator Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton over that message of hope, whether it is one that is naive, whether it is backed up by solid plans, and policies. This back and forth, obviously, heating up as the weekend continues, as we get much closer to that critical day, March 4, Tuesday, for those critical big state contests.

Coming up after this break on BALLOT BOWL, we'll hear from Mike Huckabee the Republican still very much in this race on the U.S./Mexican border.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Welcome back to BALLOT BOWL '08. I'm Dana bash in Sedona, Arizona. This is John McCain's home state and he is here in Arizona for the weekend. He's at his home thanking some supporters today. He is not on the campaign trail, but his Republican rival, Mike Huckabee, very much is and he is campaigning today in the state of Texas. Texas is one of four states holding a very important primary or primaries, I should say, on Tuesday. And Huckabee spent the morning on the border between the U.S. and Mexico. He was in Laredo, Texas. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: First of all, I want to say thanks to the chief and all the men and women here at Border Patrol who have been absolutely wonderful giving us a briefing of their duties and responsibilities, as well as giving us an overview of the many challenges that they face.

Clearly one of the great challenges of our nation right now is controlling our borders and making sure that we have true border security and it's not so much that we want to keep people out, but we want to keep bad people out. People who would come here to do drug trafficking, people that would want to come here to commit crime, whether it's murder or theft, kidnapping, and obviously, the ultimate bad guys, the terrorists, who could use the openness of our borders as a means of getting here to do damage to innocent American citizens.

It's been very impressive to see not only the tactical operations of what is being done here, but I think even more impressive is the strategic view of the broad concept that has been employed over the past few years, understanding that this has got to be a comprehensive approach that can't be done piecemeal. It also is very evident that there are amazing challenges.

No. 1 is the sheer length of the border that has to be patrolled. Secondly, as you can see here Carrizo cane, that no matter what kind of efforts you have or cameras, getting lost in this incredibly fast-growing Carrizo cane makes the challenge all that more difficult and so different types of terrain require different types of deployment for responsibilities and that's one thing that would be pretty daunting.

I come away from this with, I think, not only a greater understanding of some of the unique challenges but also the sense of urgency that, as a country, we need to put our resources on border protection rather than on waiting until people have gotten past our borders, gone into the interior of our country and then created problems with drug trafficking, crime. There's an old saying: it costs a whole lot more to do it over than it does to do it right. Doing it right is capturing criminals at the border, it's stopping the flow of not only drugs, but illegal human trafficking at the border, and then designing a system where people can come into this country for the purpose of work, but do it in a legal and responsible way and not create what we have now, which is an absolutely uncontrolled situation. And so I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to have been able to come and see the men and women who worked on these borders.

I frankly find what they have to do is pretty overwhelming because we give them probably a whole lot less of the resources they need to do a job, and I think you are being innovative in the manner in which they are trying to use both traditional and old-fashioned forces of simple fences, natural impediments like rivers, as well as new technologies that are electronic and more modern ways to combat it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And that's former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee, campaigning on the issue of immigration right along the border between the U.S. and Mexico in Laredo, Texas. That was earlier today. And Immigration is the one -- one of the many issues that Mike Huckabee in his, perhaps, subtle way has been trying to get at John McCain because John McCain in terms of his stance on immigration is not really and has not been in line with many in the Republican base. And certainly many months ago, it hurt him very much with Republican voters, so Mike Huckabee, not really hitting him in an overt way but certainly in a subtle way just being on the Mexican border there in Texas. It was very much a message that people who care about immigration should go for him and not John McCain.

Now after the break, we're going to go and talk to Josh Levs. Josh Levs has been looking online at what's been going on with the campaign trail online, and we are going to go to him right after a break, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Welcome back to BALLOT BOWL 08. I'm Dana Bash in Sedona, Arizona. Arizona is the home state of John McCain. He's spending the weekend here and John McCain is the Republican candidate who is hoping to succeed President George W. Bush. And during BALLOT BOWL, as we've been bringing you this program for the past several weeks, we've been bringing you the candidates who want to succeed Bush, whether it's on the Democratic side or the Republican side. But, we haven't brought you very much of President Bush himself. Well, today we're going to do that because today, President Bush actually cast a ballot. He voted in the Texas primary.

We've been telling you that Texas is one of four very important states holding a primary on Tuesday. And I want to bring in our White House correspondent, Ed Henry, who was in Crawford, Texas.

And Ed, it's so interesting. I was just thinking about this. This is probably the first time, I guess, in eight years during a presidential contest season that President Bush has not gone into the voting booth and cast a vote for himself.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You are absolutely right. And what's also interesting is that the president is here in Crawford because he's been hosting the Danish prime minister, Mr. Rasmussen and they were a key ally. They are talking about a lot of big substantive issues like Iraq, Afghanistan and the NATO alliance, there, global warming, but of course, the subject everyone wants to know about is the 2008 U.S. presidential election. And in this case it was not even a U.S. reporter.

When they had a small press conference, it was a Danish reporter who asked Mr. Bush, what are the biggest differences on foreign policy between you and the Democratic presidential candidates. Mr. Bush of course laughed, he look over at me and some of the other American reporters and said, you know, these guys have been trying to get me to do that and talk about it for months, I'm not going to do it. But then, as we've seen before, the president, even as he says he doesn't want to talk about politics talked ever so slightly about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A very clever attempt by you to drag me into the middle of the 2008 campaign, similar to what these two fine folks -- three fine folks have been doing. So, therefore, we'll let it sort out, but I will tell you this. The issue in America is going to be who will keep taxes low and who will be tough in protecting America. And our candidate for president is going to win because -- because he will have a -- convince the American people that's the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: So, you hear the president laying out the broad theme that he thinks the Republican presidential nominee should focus on. As you noted, Dana, the president did also reveal at the end of the press conference that he has now voted in the Texas primary. He said that he voted by mail, since there is early voting, but then with the last thing he looked at us and said, basically, I'll never tell you who I voted for. I think, obviously, a lot of people assume that he voted for Senator John McCain. They've been very close, joined at the hip on issues like Iraq. The president has spoken out publicly and defended Senator McCain in some ways. Some of the attacks from conservatives have said he believes John McCain is a true conservative. But, for the record, he's not telling us who he voted for -- Dana.

BASH: He's not telling us who he voted for. But, you know, just from watching that, Ed. You know this, I covered President Bush for a while, covered his re-election in 2004. You've been covering him for so long, he -- you know, we always talk about Bill Clinton as somebody who really gets into the nitty-gritty and the political statistics and really the political animal. George W. Bush is the same way. He loves it. He loves the sport of politics. And so he really has been jumping in, even as you said, he really can't help himself. And he did it earlier this week at a press conference, I believe, you were at as well. He didn't say his name but it was pretty clear he was trying to make his argument against Barack Obama. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: And I just remind people that a -- the decisions of the U.S. president to have discussions with certain international figures can be extremely counterproductive.

I believe Senator Obama better stay focused on his campaign with Senator Clinton.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: OK, I was wrong, he did say his name there. It was pretty overt, there, Ed. But, you know, that was clearly an assist to John McCain because John McCain on the campaign trail has been trying to make the point that you just heard President Bush make, which is that Barack Obama, he says that he wants to sit down with Raul Castro, the successor and brother to Fidel Castro, you know, unconditionally, that that is completely naive. It's really interesting to see President Bush get involved there like that, isn't it?

HENRY: You are absolutory right. I mean, the bottom line as you pointed out. President Bush is a political animal like former president, President Clinton. He can't help himself but get involved, even in the periphery, here.

And you are absolutely right. When the president does weigh in, it's very interesting that he typically weighs in on subjects that sort of reinforce the message from the Republican presumptive nominee, John McCain, as you said. That first clip about Raul Castro hitting Senator Obama on what John McCain has hit him on. Namely the idea of sitting down without preconditions with various dictators, whether it be Raul Castro, whether it be a leader that the U.S. does not like to work with, the Iranian president, Ahmadinejad, for example.

And also the second clip was a reference when the president was asked about the fact that Barack Obama, just in the past week, was saying that if al Qaeda emerges in Baghdad, he would send troops back to Iraq. The president, as John McCain earlier this week said, look, al Qaeda is already in Iraq. They've made it clear they want to be there. And so the president basically was reinforcing John McCain's message -- Dana.

BASH: Very interesting. It will be very interesting. And we can talk about this and I'm sure we'll talk about this time and time again to see how John McCain uses or doesn't use President Bush on the campaign trail during the general election campaign. We know that it has been a big debate inside the McCain campaign. So, it will be interesting to see that.

Ed Henry reporting from Crawford, Texas, near the president's ranch. Thanks, Ed, very much.

Now, I want to go to over to our colleague, Suzanne Malveaux who's not too far from Crawford. She's in Dallas, Texas.

Hi Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Well hey, Dana. We're waiting for Senator Clinton to come here and to speak very shortly before this rally, this group that is gathering. And of course, one of the things that you look for, really the intangibles, to see how this campaign is doing. You look at the size of the crowd. You get an idea of how the audience is feeling. What did they respond to, some of those lines they throw out there? Where the big applause lines? So, we're going to be looking for all of those things as all of our viewers will be able to do at the same time as we go live to this event. It is a coliseum normally used for rodeos, but we are going to be hearing from Senator Hillary Clinton very shortly, right here before this crowd and we're also get a sense to show you some of the other candidates, both Democrats and Republicans, live, unscripted as BALLOT BOWL continues.

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