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What's Fair Game in Presidential Election?; Will GOP Strategy Succeed?; Country Stars Pen McCain Song; New Orleans Residents Head Home
Aired September 03, 2008 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: I talked so some Republican women about, you know, raising questions about her qualifications, her public policy positions, how she would govern. And they have told me it would be chauvinistic to not ask those questions, in the same way that it would be racist to not ask Barack Obama.
TARA WALL, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Right. I mean, listen, as I say, as I've said about Hillary Clinton and women in general, if you -- look, you're running with the big boys, you've got to play like the big boys. I don't think she's afraid, to run away from that. I don't think Sarah Palin will undoubtedly disagree with that. But at the same time...
ROBERTS: Yes, we should just interrupt you. That's the boyfriend, Levi Johnston, there holding hands with Bristol McCain that we see just on the right of the screen there. It's gone by. A little bit to the left.
WALL: And this -- this close to this issue, though, I mean, what you're also hearing and the reason you're getting this blow back from the McCain campaign is because you're hearing such visceral from many of these left-wing women, women's groups who are attacking, who are attacking her positions because she's conservative, which is her right, who are attacking the fact that she's made choices for her family that aren't in tune with what they believe is in tune. And it's attacking her with ridiculous claims about her son being her daughter's son, really, and those kinds of things.
(CROSSTALK)
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: There are loonies on the left and loonies on the right.
ROBERTS: ... for a second. What do you make of this scene here, Tara? And the fact that -- there's Bristol Palin, and there is Levi Johnston, the father of her unborn child. According to the Governor, the two of them are going to get married. They brought him...
WALL: I think, you know, it's a little -- I think it's a little contradictory. If you're going to talk about leaving our -- leaving this to our family and keeping our kids out of this, yet you pull him into this. I think that that -- I think that's pretty much a bad move on their part. I think they need to leave these two out of this. If that is the road they want to take. Now they're reentering him back into this, reentering her back into this, and opening up this discussion again. I don't think you can have it both ways. I think you've got to say, "Leave our family alone. Let our kids be our kids," and keep them out of it. But this is certainly a contradiction to that.
ROBERTS: Yes. There's an assembly for what looks like a large family photo here.
Let me ask you, Tara, a little bit more about that. The fact that they are now making this a campaign image, the fact that -- there's the boyfriend. Their daughter's -- their daughter and the father of her unborn child there. They have now brought him into the campaign. So what does that mean going forward?
MARTIN: I think, clearly, what they're looking at is that they are rallying around the whole notion of choosing to have the baby. Pro-lifers are wonderful.
But I thought it was pathetic yesterday for Evangelicals, individuals who are ministers, to only focus on let's celebrate the decision to have the child, which I have no problem with as evangelical, on the money.
But for you as a minister to say nothing about being a teen breaking God's law by premarital sex, having unprotected sex. For you not to also say both that, "You know what? We appreciate the decision to have the child, but we cannot allow a moment to go by." They said nothing.
And so I think if you want to sit here and try to play this here, you -- frankly, what you have just said is, you have the right to not criticize.
WALL: I think she briefly mentioned the fact that, obviously, this is not a decision that a parent would want to have to face. It's not something a parent would want to have to deal with that...
MARTIN: No. She didn't say that. She didn't say that.
ROBERTS: Well, let me ask you this question. We're going to wrap up here as McCain -- McCain and Cindy McCain and Governor Palin's family have boarded the Straight Talk Express.
The governor, going back to speech prep tonight. The fact that they just did that, a very, very public display of this grand family, have they now opened this whole idea up to scrutiny? And they can't claim privacy anymore.
WALL: Well, it's been scrutinized. Whether they want privacy or not, it's been scrutinized to the Nth degree. I think that they further fed into that with this.
I think what they're also trying to do, thought, is No. 1, when you get all this blow back and you get this visceral reaction to them that you've gotten from the left, it's actually -- actually, in some cases it's going to draw more conservatives to sympathize with them. And I think what they're doing with this is creating a little bit more sympathy and saying, "See, this is -- this is our family. We are embracing this. We don't necessarily agree with it. But we have to embrace it."
(CROSSTALK)
WALL: And she is opening -- absolutely. And now...
ROBERTS: They took a matter that they wanted very private and made it very public.
WALL: ... they're absolutely opening that door, and they're going to have to take the...
MARTIN: Now -- now they can be called hypocrites.
WALL: They are going to -- well, you know...
MARTIN: They can. They can be called hypocritical.
WALL: Well...
MARTIN: To say yesterday they're private; don't talk about it; there are limit. And Barack Obama answered about -- came on strong.
WALL: Barack Obama can be called hypocritical by saying he would want to change...
MARTIN: Now they -- Tara, now they've opened.
WALL: ... and putting Washington insiders on the ticket.
MARTIN: Tara, nice try. But they've opened it up.
WALL: There's -- Roland, there's hypocrites.
MARTIN: And -- and when...
WALL: There's criticism of...
MARTIN: ... the evidence (ph) is those hard family values.
WALL: I think that, you know, that...
MARTIN: You do that -- you do that, and you say don't, "Touch the children."
WALL: Yes -- you're being divisive.
MARTIN: But you put the children before national television. I'm sorry, it's off the table now.
WALL: You're being...
ROBERTS: Quick final thought, and we've got to go. WALL: You've being divisive. You know, who are you to say what they should put out there and what they should not put out there...
MARTIN: They did it.
WALL: ... and who is more Christian and who is not?
MARTIN: They did.
WALL: Who is -- I mean, that's just absurd. That's absurd, Roland...
MARTIN: I never said they weren't Christian. They put the children out. Bad move.
WALL: ... to say that they're being hypocritical because they want to now embrace their family...
MARTIN: I'll use your words, bad move.
WALL: ... despite the challenges that their family are now facing.
ROBERTS: We're going to have to leave this behind. But it's a fascinating discussion.
WALL: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: Well, Tara Wall...
MARTIN: I have this on my radio show today. Go to CNN.com. We'll duke it out.
ROBERTS: We -- and we've still got a couple of more days to go through this. You two are going to be on CNN.com?
MARTIN: Yes, the evidence (ph) is, yes.
WALL: He's afraid of me. He really is afraid of me.
MARTIN: She -- John, she has to get it together for the radio show.
ROBERTS: I'm going to tune in. All right.
We'll be back with more right after this. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN's live coverage of the Republican National Convention.
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Soledad O'Brien at the CNN Election Center in New York City.
John McCain's plane touched down in St. Paul just a few minutes ago, bringing him one step closer to the high point of his career so far, the moment when he accepts the Republican presidential nomination.
Greeting John McCain, his family, also the family of his running mate, Sarah Palin. You can see him there in the shot.
So far, though, today it's been Sarah Palin's show. John McCain's running mate is set to make her speech of her life, really, when she addresses the convention tonight.
Meanwhile, questions continue to swirl about her background, her experience, and her family. Palin will appear at the convention tonight with the young man who is the father of the unborn baby of 17- year-old Bristol Palin. Photo op, I'd imagine, that's guaranteed to set off a little media frenzy.
Let's get back to our panel. We've left off talking about passports. That's where we'll pick up.
Joining me is CNN political contributor Amy Holmes. She's an independent conservative. Leslie Sanchez is a Republican strategist, former advisor to President Bush, CNN political contributor too. And CNN senior political analyst, David Gergen, the former advisor to presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton.
So it was interesting. As we were talking about the passport issue, Amy said, "Listen, I know a million people at the State Department who have been traveling their whole lives and make idiotic decisions."
And people have been e-mailing me, saying, "Well, that means that every flight attendant should be running for vice president."
So Leslie, why don't you weigh in first? Do you think it's irrelevant that somebody who potentially is a heartbeat away from the president's seat, you know, has just gotten her passport? Non-issue?
LESLIE SANCHEZ, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No, I think going back to even Barack Obama, the fact that he's just now been to Iraq for a second time, Afghanistan for the first time. I mean, he argued he was the global candidate in terms of world travel and vision.
I think we're taking our eye off the ball in terms of who's going to be the leader of the country. What kind of administration would they have?
O'BRIEN: That doesn't answer my question. So without bringing other people in, do you think that vice president, potential pick, Sarah Palin may have some issue with...
SANCHEZ: That there's some passport?
O'BRIEN: Yes, you don't think it's relevant at all?
SANCHEZ: No, I don't. I don't. I think it's going to go back to her judgment and her leadership. It's a breath of fresh air. Don't forget: this is a woman who has galvanized the spirit of the Republican Party. And it's because of her real sense. I don't think there's anybody with a realer sense of what it is to be American and what people really go through than going back to Harry Truman. And because of that...
O'BRIEN: Wait. You don't think she has a realer...
SANCHEZ: No, I think she has a better sense of what Americans are living through. I think a real, live person.
O'BRIEN: With all due respect, you're kind of over dramatizing.
SANCHEZ: Not necessarily. Not from the responses that we've been getting and what people are saying in their own words.
O'BRIEN: We'll take that as Republican spin.
Mr. Gergen, do you agree or disagree? I mean, to a large degree, when we talk about the number of Americans who have passports, and it's something under a third, is this making her more real? She's yet another one of us, and, you know, Americans don't travel internationally, so why should the VP nod have to travel internationally?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, a lot of Republicans will probably say that this is now going to be media spin. So...
O'BRIEN: I know.
GERGEN: ... they're really going after the press now and the pundits and so forth.
O'BRIEN: Bring it on.
GERGEN: Exactly. Look, I think that Governor Palin has had a lot of real life experience. And I think they're extremely appealing to a great number of Americans. And that's fine; that is part of a campaign. And if they can connect to blue-collar families, blue- collar women and so forth, that's -- that's their right to do.
The question becomes about whether she's prepared to take over as president, should something happen to John McCain. The Republicans have been arguing all along that Barack Obama lacks international experience and, therefore, he is disqualified. And now they select someone who has even less international experience and say it doesn't matter anymore. So those two do not compute. Those are contradictory positions.
In my judgment, and I understand that -- the number we were hearing last night: 27 percent of Americans have passports. And most Americans don't. Fair enough, but most Americans are not going to be president. They're not being asked to be serving in that position.
What we do know in a global world today, that travel is important. Every major university in this country today is trying to raise money in order to get their undergraduates to live and have an experience overseas. They think that it's critical to coming into the new world.
David Rockefeller just gave Harvard $100 million to ensure that every undergrad will have a chance to go. This is not just an elitist thing. David Boren, who's the president of the University of Oklahoma, is trying to get every -- every student in the University of Oklahoma to go overseas. We know that that is now a prerequisite to being -- to living in a very complex world and having positions of responsibility.
This woman seems perfectly nice. But she has not had that kind of exposure. And it does suggest a certain lack of curiosity if you don't go overseas for 40 years.
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you a question, Amy, completely turning the corner here. A little while ago, we saw the plane land with Senator McCain getting off into the Straight Talk Express. And in the photo op lineup were Sarah Palin and her family and also the young man now.
After saying that things were off limits and the family members, which you know, I think we raised questions, but Barack Obama said, Joe Biden said family's off limits. Suddenly this kid is now in the photo op. Does that sort of change things?
AMY HOLMES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: According to the Palins, he's assumed to be family member, and he's the father of this young woman's baby. So he's a part of...
O'BRIEN: But you know what I meant. In terms of opening the conversation up. People now, I guarantee you there'll be newspapers who have that picture on the front page, and people will start looking into the 17-year-old kid's background of what he's done over the last 17 years of his life. And they've facilitated that. Yes?
HOLMES: But it's damned if you do, damned if you don't. If he doesn't show up, then it's, "Oh, the Palins are trying to hide this young man who has gotten their daughter pregnant." If he does show up, then "Who is he? Let's learn more about him."
The fact of the matter is, he's a part of their family. He's going to become a legal part of their family soon. So I think that this was probably the best way to handle it.
And if you listen to Evangelicals, they're really embracing the Palins for embracing the situation that Bristol is you know, carrying the baby to term, that they wrapped their arms around her in love and compassion. They haven't kicked her out of the house. They haven't sent her to a girls' home to go disappear for nine months.
O'BRIEN: That would really make the cover of magazines, if that all happened. Wow.
HOLMES: So Evangelicals really appreciate, actually, the way the Palins are approaching it. Or Palins, rather.
GERGEN: I almost thought -- I thought it was sort of -- I thought it was -- I like this. We're proud of this. We're moving ahead.
SANCHEZ: I mean, it's also alluding the fact that it's very transparent. They're not trying to hide anything.
O'BRIEN: But it makes the conversation about this, which is not the conversation on the issues and certainly not a conversation about John McCain. Keeps happening.
But we're out of time. So I think -- you all could go on forever without me. Thank you very much.
You know you've made it when someone writes a song about you, right? Well, John McCain has made it, then. Country music stars John Rich and Cowboy Troy are going to join others on the main convention stage tonight, going to perform Rich's original song called "Raising McCain."
John Rich and Cowboy Troy are at the CNN Grill for us.
Nice to see you guys. Look at you with your matching outfits.
JOHN RICH, COUNTRY MUSIC STAR: How's it going?
O'BRIEN: It's going really well. Thanks for joining me. I appreciate it. Got to love a man in a hat.
Listen, tell me a little bit about the song and why you decided to write it.
RICH: Well, I'm one of those young conservative voters that's voting for John McCain that everybody says doesn't really exist out there. But I know there's tens of millions of us, and I wanted to write a song that got everybody fired up and kind of a rally song, kind of a fight song.
And being a songwriter like I am, I did a little twist on the name McCain and came up with this title, "Raising McCain." I recorded it. I've been out playing it on the campaign trail with him. And I made it a free download at JohnRich.com, which my site. We've had hundreds of thousands of downloads in the last couple of weeks, and I'm actually going to be performing it tonight on the convention floor.
O'BRIEN: I heard it's getting a wonderful reception. Was it tricky to get the song to the campaign? I mean, how did you do that. Did you just call them up and say, "Hey, I've got a song. You want to have?" I mean, how does that work?
RICH: Well, you're not far off. Actually, I sent an mp3 to Meghan McCain, the senator's daughter. And I said, "Meghan, take a listen to this and tell me what you think about it. You think it's cool?"
And I sent it to her. She goes, "I love it." She played it for her father and for the campaign. They all loved it, thank goodness, and invited me out on the trail. I've been out with them this entire past week and gotten to spend one-on-one time with Governor Palin, which was incredible, and with Senator McCain and getting to be a part of this process. It's just off the charts for an old country guy like myself.
O'BRIEN: Wow. We might have a President Rich one day a couple years down the future, potentially.
Listen, as you guys both know, celebrity has kind of been a bad word on the campaign trail. Are you worried about that? I mean, do people not want you in photo ops? Are they limiting how much time you get to spend with candidates? Because to some degree, people are worried that celebrities make the whole thing seem glamier [SIC] and glitzier than it should.
I'd like to take that for me, Cowboy Troy.
COWBOY TROY, COUNTRY-RAP VOCALIST: I don't have a problem with being in photo ops at all. You know, I'm here to lend my support to Senator McCain and I'm excited to actually be here. So if I'm needed for anything, feel free to give me a shout.
O'BRIEN: I'm going to take that in case I need anything. I will also feel free to give you a shout.
Both of you guys, I know, are very energized about the youth vote. What have you been doing to try to get youth, I would imagine, on both sides of the political spectrum to at least just come out and exercise the right to vote?
RICH: Well, that's really the main point. You know, for me, the reason I'm into this so energetically is I want young people around the country to vote, strictly. If you're 18 years old, you should be voting on November 4.
And for me, I'm voting for John McCain, and I want people to go understand these candidates. It's really simple to do. You can go Google both candidates, their voting records. You can read all about them and really understand who you're voting for and not necessarily be hyped into voting for somebody or strong-armed into voting for somebody. You should learn on your own who exactly it is you're voting for and what they stand for.
O'BRIEN: You can watch CNN and you can go to CNN.com.
At the end of the day, is there any political advice -- Cowboy Troy, I'll leave this one with you -- that you give John McCain when he's got a big night, obviously, when he makes his big speech? You're a performer, you know how that all works. What do you talk to him about? What do you want to tell him?
TROY: You know, I would just say, you know, relax. Because, you know, you've been working your whole life to get to this point, and now that you're here, you know you're ready. You know everything that you're supposed to do. Just go out and relax and let fly. It will work out just fine. O'BRIEN: Well, gentlemen, I thank you both for joining me. We're going to play your song as we go out. And as you mentioned, people can get a free download if they want it of Cowboy Troy and John Rich, who's the songwriter there. Thank you, guys. I certainly appreciate it.
You want to be sure to stay with the best political team on TV for the best political coverage on TV. Soledad O'Brien at the CNN Election Center in New York. Stay with us.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Make way for Hanna. The next potential hurricane to threaten the U.S. is about to make its move for Haiti and the Bahamas. Hanna can't move soon enough.
Gustav is gone, and New Orleans -- New Orleanians are going home. They're still not officially invited, but they're not being turned away, either.
And as Sarah Palin prepares for the speech of a lifetime, our Kyra Phillips checks in from Alaska with the life and times of a very little-known governor.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
OK. Well the Gulf Coast finally gets a break as the Atlantic coast watches and waits. Three tropical storms are lined up in the Atlantic, "H," "I," "J," Hanna, Ike, and Josephine. Preparations already underway in Georgia and the Carolinas for the possible arrival of Hanna this weekend.
In Louisiana and Mississippi, it is day two of damage assessment and clean-up after Hurricane Gustav. New Orleans residents who want to come home won't be turned away, though the evacuation order is still in effect. It's still in effect until midnight.
Also, President Bush is visiting the storm zone today. He is in Louisiana at this hour. He arrived a short time ago. Chad Myers is watching closely some trouble in the tropics. But Secret Service had better be on the lookout, because we have some -- may have some tornadoes in Louisiana.
MYERS: Yes. Especially southwest Louisiana. Depends on where the president goes. We know we had a tornado on the ground in Crowley, Louisiana, a little bit ago. Now up near Rain and also Appaloosa.
This whole area here still kind of spinning. The tornado watches and tornado warnings. There's the one in Crowley. There's Appaloosa's, there. And this storm is just going to continue to spin here, but the potential for tornadoes in Louisiana today. But that's about it for that storm. Then we turn our attention to Hanna. Kind of a torn up storm, not very organized right now. And it looks like it's going to have trouble getting more organized.
Look at this path. You want to talk about an unpredictable path. This is not a computer model that will predict that. And then all the way back up here to the north, when it gets close to Charleston or maybe farther east, some of the newer computer models, Don, are taking this almost into a fish storm and missing North Carolina altogether. Wouldn't that be nice for maybe a little bit of sleep over the weekend, rather than having to worry about this thing?
And then there's Ike, a bigger storm: probably a Category 3 approaching South Florida or Cuba by the end of the weekend, beginning of next week.
LEMON: Oh, boy. OK. As we said they're lined up.
MYERS: They are.
LEMON: We'll be checking. Thank you very much for that, Chad Myers. We'll check back in with you just a little bit later on.
Let's talk now about the president of Haiti, he's pleading for help. For the third time in three weeks, his country's been clobbered by a tropical storm. Hanna passed right over the island last night, causing even more catastrophic flooding and mudslides.
Authorities have linked at least 25 deaths to this storm. They say more than 100 Haitians have been killed by floods since August.
Well, Gustav is gone, but it left a lot of problems in Louisiana and also in Mississippi. Our Sean Callebs joins me now from New Orleans.
And Sean, I just saw you in -- what was it, yesterday -- and they were cleaning up. How's the clean-up going? Have they got electricity back to much of the area?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, in simple terms not anywhere near most of the area. We're in the French Quarter, the heart of the quarter, really, on Bourbon and Bienville. And here things, the electricity's gone; people are trickling back in. Shops are opening up, beginning to open up.
But let's talk about the evacuees and what a mess that is turning in to be. The mayor made it very clear he didn't want people back until Thursday. Tier one, tier two personnel -- people, let's not call them personnel -- welcome back in the city. These are doctors, medical professionals, people who own businesses so they can begin opening up their shops.
But a lot of people just showing up at these checkpoints. And if you have a valid driver's license, if you can prove you live here, the governor, I mean, the mayor says he's not going to turn people away. Here's what he said just a short time ago. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: If you are on the interstate and you have jumped the gun and based upon what our -- you know, our progression. We were hoping to get the businesses in here so that they could open. We're trying to position generators for grocery stores, but now all that is going to be slowed down because we're dealing with gridlock on the interstate. We're just going to deal with it.
But no one will be turned back if you have an identification card for -- that you live in the metropolitan area. Now, if you're a visitor, you're coming in and you've got Tampa Bay fans coming in for this game, we're turning them around. We don't need them in our stadium anyway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: There's that temper.
So evacuees are showing up. But power's still off. Big problem here, Don. Eight hundred thousand people, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. I went up to where my house is. Not only is the power off, but a giant limb fell on the power line that goes to my house. That's ripped off. So I'm sure what's -- everybody else has juice, I'm still going to be staying down here in one of these French Quarter hotels, waiting for power to be restored.
Back to you.
LEMON: Not so bad. And it's not as -- as good as you think, because there's no room service and not really that many amenities.
CALLEBS: Yes.
LEMON: None of the restaurants are even open yet, though.
CALLEBS: We're doing good. We're doing well. I'm not complaining.
LEMON: All right, Sean. I saw some of the cars, some of the people lined up at 4:30 this morning at those checkpoints in Slidell on I-10, trying to get back into their homes. So people are wanting to get back.
Our Sean Callebs, joining us from the French Quarter in New Orleans. We appreciate your reporting, sir. Talk to you soon.
OK. Well, all along South Louisiana, Mississippi's Gulf Coast got battered by Gustav. Much of the damage was from storm surge. As in Katrina, Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, and Biloxi all reported flooding.
At last count, 92,000 homes in this state didn't have power, more than 14,000 people were in shelters. And meantime in Biloxi and elsewhere on the coast, 9 of 11 casinos are ready to reopen. After Katrina, when so many people had no idea what happened to their loved ones, the Red Cross set up a Web site to help out. It's called the Safe and Well list. All you have to do is click on it and let your friends and family know how you are doing. They, in turn, can search the same site for information about you. Just go to disastersafe.redcross.org.
A rare strain of E. coli bacteria is making scores of people sick in Oklahoma. One person is dead. We've got the very latest for you.
And a crucial speech tonight at the Republican convention. We'll tell you why the stakes are so high.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Coming to you from the CNN Election Center in New York, I'm Soledad O'Brien with continuing coverage of the 2008 Republican convention which is taking place in St. Paul, Minnesota.
John McCain arrived in the Twin Cities just a little while ago. His jet touched down a short time ago. He's not going to head directly to the convention tonight, instead he's going to watch as his formal rivals, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani sing his praises, this time around, and then tear into the Democrats. That's what we're expecting tonight.
He's going to see his running mate make her prime-time debut, and he'll also watch the roll call vote that will officially seal his nomination. So a big night, a full night, and lots to talk about right now as we look ahead.
CNN contributor, Leslie Sanchez, is with us, and also, Hilary Rosen. Leslie is a GOP strategist, Hilary is a Democratic strategist.
Nice to see both of you.
Let's get right to it. Let's talk about this speech. I think there's a lot that she's going to have to cover. What do you want to hear, Leslie, out of this speech?
SANCHEZ: People want to hear about her background, her life story, how she has basically been a leader, a wife, a mother, and what her direction is in terms of her vision for America moving forward, why she thinks that she is in the best position to be on this ticket. And I think people just really want to have a sense of who she is. It's a tremendous amount to cover because you're covering identity as well as theme in terms of positioning for the future (INAUDIBLE). But I think it's doable.
O'BRIEN: You've got controversy in there, as well. Do you cover that, Hilary? Or do you say, let's -- for this speech, this is not what we talk about?
HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, she's got to be really proactive. But she's got to put a lot of the controversy to rest. That's a tough balance.
Let's think back to the VP night from last week and think about what the Republican alternative is. So tonight we're going to have John McCain's former rivals saying nice things about John McCain. All the back story is going to be -- yes, but can you really believe that? Just like they questioned it when --
O'BRIEN: Pull clips where they're bashing him --
(CROSSTALK)
ROSEN: Look at all the horrible things these guys have been saying about John McCain for a year. So you have that bout of inauthenticity that they have to struggle with.
Then you have Sarah Palin, who doesn't just have to address sort of who she is, but actually has to address, going forward, what she brings to the ticket. Joe Biden last week, you know, filled the role of foreign policy expertise, really knocking down John McCain's judgment, being somewhat of an attack dog. What's Sarah Palin's role going to be in this campaign going forward? Is she just going to be the reformer mom? Or is she going to fill some complementary role that John McCain needs?
And that's a hard thing for her to do. She's got at lot of pressure on her.
SANCHEZ: It's very true in terms of that pressure. But what's interesting is people are looking to see is she authentic? There's this sense of, is she as real as we think they are? Because -- she's piqued everybody's interest in terms of her resume and what people know about her. But now they want to get a very good sense of is it real --
O'BRIEN: But don't voters go beyond that? Obviously everybody wants to connect with someone. But at the end of the day don't you --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Right. No I think --
O'BRIEN: People are voting on the issues whatever side they're on, right?
SANCHEZ: I think it's authenticity. You're speaking past all the liberal media and the biases, and anything else that has been said about her directly to the people in their living rooms. That's the biggest test, is are we going to see a bump? Are we going to see a shift in terms of how people see her? And it's very much based on how she sees herself. Does she see herself as somebody who is a reformer like John McCain? Can she handle the job? That's what they want to know.
O'BRIEN: Is the -- conversations have taken -- and even sort of the people not knowing a lot about her on whatever front you want to look at it -- has taken a lot of the focus, I think, off the Republican message. I want to play you a little chunk of an interview that Rudy Giuliani did with John Roberts earlier this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FMR. NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: What I respect about her is her executive experience. Having been a mayor, I think I understand how important it is to be in a situation where you have to make decisions.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Now when you talk about her executive experience, you're talking about as governor, as a mayor herself?
GIULIANI: Both.
ROBERTS: You were the mayor of a city of 8 million people.
GIULIANI: And she was governor of a very important state.
ROBERTS: But she was also the mayor of city of slightly fewer than 8,000 people. Is that the same experience?
GIULIANI: Of course not. It's not exactly the same experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: And -- you know -- so you kind of have someone sort of backtracking a little bit on what they've just said, which has got to be a little bit awkward.
Do you think that that's going to be a sticking point for them in this?
SANCHEZ: I think it depends -- the breath of her experience. A lot of people are going to say she has a tremendous amount of experience in her work/life balance and the fact that she's managing this family, that she has been able to be a career woman, the fact she's been able to lead a state, you know, 1 of 50 governors, and one of the most popular governors. But it's all the experience combined together.
And no, I agree with the mayor in that sense that those two don't match up. But they're looking -- you're not matching mayor to mayor as much as you are the breath of all of her experience.
O'BRIEN: But is it a problem? Because he says, you know, I think I understand, he says, what it means to be a mayor. And so the question, the obvious follow-up was, right, but you were the mayor of 8 million people.
ROSEN: That's going to be something that you have to look at and say, all right, based on everything she says, do I think she can pull this off? I think that what she says is going to be what matters, which is, will she tell people that her health insurance for her family is paid for by the state, but she's against getting 42 million uninsured Americans their own health care?
(CROSSTALK) O'BRIEN: I'm going to guess --
(CROSSTALK)
ROSEN: Will she say that --
O'BRIEN: I'm not a mind reader.
ROSEN: -- I'm against (INAUDIBLE) benefits.
Will she say --
O'BRIEN: That's what the Democrats would love to hear in this speech. That's not going to happen.
ROSEN: So what is she going to say about what she's going to do for America? That is, I think, the key point. And then everybody will sit back and decide whether she can deliver on what she's promising. And that's, I think, where people are going to judge. What does her candidacy mean for me?
O'BRIEN: Leslie, a lot of criticism about no talk about the economy yesterday. A lot of talk that, you know, flags and warm feelings, but no sort of here's where we are. The No. 1 issue on the minds of the American voter is the economy. No one really tackled that last night.
SANCHEZ: Let's look at the fact what the convention's designed to do. It's in two parts almost. The first one is team (ph). You have introduce, as much as all of us talk about it everyday, you have to introduce the candidates, their identity, their character, their leadership, their judgment.
From there, we move into the next stage, which you're framing for John McCain to come in and talk about what his themes are, his vision for America. I think that's when you're going to hear a lot more about the contrast with Barack Obama, talking about changing Washington, not changing America. And I think that's really where we're building up to for McCain's speech tomorrow.
ROSEN: I don't think you're going to get there. The McCain campaign manager has already said we can't let this campaign be about issues. I think that's because they know the American people are not where they are on the issues, on the economy, on jobs, on the war. And so what they want to do is make it be about narrative and personal story.
SANCHEZ: No, no, no.
O'BRIEN: Someone's going to mention the word economy over the next couple of days.
(CROSSTALK)
ROSEN: They clearly tried not to. And in fact, in their own words, have said that they just assume it not be about those issues. SANCHEZ: I think this is a perfect example where Sarah Palin can do an incredible job. She is the one who understands how to meet a family budget. She's the person who is probably most real in that sense of managing of a family, managing a budget, being a real mom, being a real leader. And in that sense, in that context, people will look at her and think it's authentic.
O'BRIEN: That's our final word. We're going to chat with you once again next hour. Leslie and Hilary, thank you very much.
Just ahead, he's planned for war veterans, attended both conventions, trying to keep politicians honest about their promises to the men and women with their lives on the line. He's an Iraq war veteran. Going to get his impressions when our coverage continues. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Explosions are still part of daily life in Iraq. The conditions there improving considerably over the last year or so, but they're still dangerous and definitely fragile. That said, the war over the war between Barack Obama and John McCain is getting hotter, though both candidates say they agree on supporting the troops, both in Iraq and once those troops get home. The next guest seconds that notion trying to hold politicians to their promises. Chad Lego is just back from a tour of duty in Iraq. He's a spokesman for the non- partisan Circle of Friends for American Veterans.
Nice to see you, Chad. Thanks for talking with us. Appreciate it.
What are you hoping -- I know you attended the DNC, now you're at the RNC. What's your goal? What are you doing there?
CHAD LEGO, SPOKESMAN, CIRCLE OF FRIENDS FOR AMERICAN VETERANS: Well, our goal with the Circle of Friends for American Veterans is to make sure we hold the politicians' feet to the fire during this election year. And after the election, to make sure that they hold true to their word.
We're a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping veterans, especially those veterans who served in the combat zone. And we were called by our country to do a job. We did it with diligence, honor, and respect. And now we ask the same. We deserve the respect and we need to be taken care of, especially through the V.A.
O'BRIEN: As one of those who served in the combat zone then, do you feel like you're getting shortchanged, or do you think that your treatment -- you've been getting that honor and respect and diligence with which you served right back now that you're home?
LEGO: Well, personally, I was treated very well. But I have personal experience with battle buddies that I served with in Iraq that went to the V.A., asked for help and support, especially with PTSD issues, and they were faced with a month or two month waiting list. That is unacceptable. We need to make sure that they have counselors available and the tools necessary to make sure that this mental condition is treated in an expedient manner, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: I think the number was something like over 40,000 cases of PTSD in the military since 2003, which is obviously a tremendous load on the system. Do you feel that veterans are being talked about enough by both sides in this campaign battle? What are you hearing on both sides?
LEGO: Well, on both sides of the ticket, whether it's Democratic or Republican, they're hearing what we have to say and they're responding very well. We're well received.
But at the same time, we have to make sure that they hold true to their word after the election.
O'BRIEN: You're going to hold their feet to the fire on that.
Chad Lego is with us, joining us from the Circle of Friends for American Veterans, an Iraq war veteran, as well.
Thanks for talking with us. Certainly appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed this convention as you enjoyed the last one, I'm sure.
Much more convention coverage coming to you in the next 15 minutes and throughout the day, as well.
In New York, I'm Soledad O'Brien in the CNN Election Center. We'll send it back to Atlanta and CNN NEWSROOM right after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. It is 47 past the hour. Time now to tell you some of the stories we're working on for you today here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A 28-year-old ex-convict is under arrest in northeastern Washington after allegedly killing six people during a shooting rampage. Isaac Zamora recently served a six month sentence for drug possession. His mother says he's been mentally ill for years.
There are reports that North Korea has started reassembling its nuclear complex. The North Koreans had agreed to dismantle the complex, but they say the United States hasn't lived up to its side of the deal -- a promise to remove North Korea from the list of countries supporting terrorism.
Pakistan's foreign ministry is accusing NATO troops of carrying out a deadly attack inside Pakistan. It says troops flown in from Afghanistan killed several civilians and it warned that Pakistani cooperation with the war on terror could be in jeopardy. The Pentagon had no immediate comment on that.
One killer hurricane fades away, another big storm bears down. This hour, President Bush is in Louisiana surveying damage from Gustav. A mandatory evacuation order for New Orleans is in effect until midnight. But some people are heading back early knowing they may not have electricity or even working toilets.
We could soon see more evacuations, this time on the Georgia- Carolina coast. It all depends on where Tropical Storm Hanna goes after battering the Caribbean. Our Chad Myers will have the very latest track. We'll do that for you in just about 30 minutes.
Investigators are trying to pinpoint the cause of a deadly E. coli outbreak in northeastern Oklahoma. One person is dead, more than 200 others have gotten sick. The focus is the Country Cottage. It is a restaurant in Locust Grove about 50 miles east of Tulsa. Health officials say all the victims are suffering from a rare form of the bacteria. They're urging everybody to take simple precautions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MARK ROWLAND, EPIDEMIOLOGIST: This is an epidemic, it's a severe epidemic. But it's one that can be easily controlled with hand washing. And that's the main thing here -- is that we all need to pay attention to what we know we should be doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, this is said to be the largest outbreak of this E. coli particular -- this particular E. coli strain in U.S. history.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin checking out the spot where she'll accept the GOP vice presidential nomination. She'll do that in just a few hours. We'll carry that for you on CNN. But, before that, our Kyra Phillips will join us from Alaska, with a look at what brought Palin to this moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Sarah Palin's big night. Alaska's governor checked out the podium this morning for her primetime vice presidential nomination acceptance speech. It will be aimed largely at those wondering whether Palin has the experience to be vice president.
My colleague Kyra Phillips is in Alaska, where she has been looking into Palin's record.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): She's been Alaska's governor for just 21 months and she's hardly a household name. So, who is Sarah Heath Palin, and is she ready to lead?
FRED DYSON (R), ALASKA STATE SENATE: She's a very capable person and very bright and tough without being abrasive. And I don't know whether she can do it or not. Time will tell.
PHILLIPS: Most of her government experience is local. Two terms on the city council and two terms as Mayor of Wasilla, a town near Anchorage. Population, 7,000. She earned a reputation as a tax- cutting conservative who limits spending, cleans up government and challenges the establishment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She didn't settle for the status quo. And she took on the establishment, whether it was in her own party or out of her party.
PHILLIPS: In her first state-wide position as chairman of Alaska's Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Palin even went after the head of her own state party in 2003, for alleged ethics violations.
As governor, she signed an ethics bill and opened up the process for oil and gas bidding. Her record as Mayor of Wasilla gives ammunition to supporters and detractors alike. But she did cut property taxes in Wasilla. And while it's not exactly the Pentagon budget, reduced spending on the town museum while opposing a bigger library. She was also mayor when the local sales tax was increased to build a popular sports complex.
And then there's the controversial bridge to nowhere. A favorite target of Senator John McCain. Because of the enormous costs of building a bridge to a remote Alaskan community. When John McCain introduced Palin to America last week --
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: I told Congress, thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere.
PHILLIPS: While running for governor, Palin supported the bridge, saying it was essential for local prosperity. But in office, she spiked it. Citing rising costs and the needs of other projects. A long-time opponent of Palin accuses her of a flip-flop.
ANDREW HALCRO (R), FORMER GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: It was a bridge to somewhere. And then when she got elected and the political winds had changed, it became a bridge nowhere.
PHILLIPS: Now the governor's biggest problem. An investigation by the Alaska legislature into why she fired public safety commissioner Walt Monegan. Did she abuse her power because Monegan wouldn't terminate her former brother-in-law, a state trooper who was involved in a nasty custody dispute with her sister. Monegan says the governor never raised the issue with him directly. Now, investigators are expected to rule before the election.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: OK. That was our Kyra Phillips reporting.
And Kyra joins us by phone from Anchorage. Kyra, we just saw some of Palin's political history.
What else are you finding out about Sarah Palin, the woman.
PHILLIPS: Well, you know, we address obviously the issues there and her political background. But also, we're getting to know more about her personally. And what people in here -- people here in Alaska think of her. Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, Don, you can't ignore the fact that she's a pretty remarkable woman. I mean, a mother of five. She hunts, she fishes, she snow mobiles. You know, she's really a renaissance woman operating in a man's world. She's one of the most popular governors in the United States right now. If you walk the streets here in Alaska, everybody's talking about her. Everybody's talking about her personality, even more so than her politics. Because she's been so dynamic and represented reform.
And one thing that really won over the women in Alaska -- and I've talked to a number of them. We were able to even go to her church on Sunday, and talk to her pastor and talk to parishioners, was the fact that she kept her baby that has down syndrome. It really impacted women here in Alaska.
Here's one woman we talked to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH BROWN, ATTENDS GOV. PALIN'S CHURCH: It was something very, very personal. Her decision with her son, her recent son, the birth of her son, to keep him. But I -- because she's in the spotlight, I see that as a decision a leader has made. And I respect that, what she has said to the public about the privilege and the responsibility it is to be Trig's mother. I respect that.
PHILLIPS: It will be interesting to see what brings up in her speech tonight. Those close to her have said that she will talk a lot about her personal life and her personal decisions. And also of course, talk about her legislative record as well.
And apparently she's not going to attack the Democratic ticket. That's the word I'm getting. And she's going to highlight her leadership skills on ethics issues in Alaska. And probably, Don, reach out to those Democrats who originally voted for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primaries. She's going to reach out for the women vote.
Kyra, as you were talking, we were looking at some -- well this is a tape earlier of her checking out the podium. But we are looking at live pictures of that podium tonight where she'll be speaking.
We're going talk to Kyra Phillips later on. She's going to be following the story. And Kyra, we're running out of time but I'll leave you with this. You said you can't ignore the fact that she's an accomplished woman. You also can't ignore the fact that people are curious about her because she's a little-known national figure and all of a sudden she is being nominated for the vice presidency on the Republican ticket. So, Kyra has been following this story, doing a very great job.
We'll talk to you later, Kyra. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
LEMON: Hanna's heading straight for the southeast coast. Ike and Josephine are not far behind. We'll update you on these threats from the tropics after more live coverage of the Republican convention.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
