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Manhunt for a Machine Gun Wielding Killer; The Man Behind the Miracle Landing Finally Speaks; The Inaugural Speech
Aired January 24, 2009 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, real talk, not a love fest. Top political mind say look no further than the president's inaugural speech to figure out what he's going to do and when. It is a conversation you definitely want to be a part of. We're going to break it down.
Plus, breaking news on a manhunt for a machine gun wielding killer. A city in fear as one person fights for life. We go to the streets of Miami.
Hudson Hero. The man behind the miracle landing finally speaks.
Hot and dry, dangerous conditions fuelling deadly wildfire, lives and homes at stake tonight.
Search and rescue, looking for survivors in the ruble of a stadium collapse that already claimed four young boys.
And mystery killer. A little known disease strikes down on up and coming super model in her prime. The news starts right now.
Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Right now, Miami is a city in fear, with people getting more worried by the minute wondering if they, too, could end up in the crosshairs of a killer wielding a machine gun. The gunman mowed down a group of teenagers last night in Miami's Liberty City neighborhood. Two teenage boys are dead; one person is in critical condition. The gunman shots seven people before getting away. And police believe the gunman used an AK-47. That kind of firepower strikes fear in police all across America. We'll talk about that a little bit later on.
But to find out what happened, Richard Jordan of our Miami affiliate, WSVN, spoke to the people who lived through the attack. Here's his report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD JORDAN, WSVN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And I heard the kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, boom, boom.
Northwest 71st street and 15th avenue blasted by a barrage of bullets Friday night.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was like a war zone, as if I had enrolled in the search for something. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The people that did that are animals. I'm telling you, animals. They're not human.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of people on the ground. They told me to get on the ground.
JORDAN: The victim say a gunman wearing a masked ordered the crowd to lay on the ground and started firing. The shooting broke up a game of craps. Evidence markers litter like confetti, police pulling out all the stops on the hunt for a dangerous killer carrying an AK-47. The search came up empty. A 23-year-old woman recovering from a bullet to the backside, so is 16-year-old Andrew Jackson.
ANDREW JACKSON, SHOOTING VICTIM: He came around the corner, and like get down and just started shooting.
JORDAN: All together, nine people were hit but the gunfire left two teenagers dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I witnessed this guy lying out with his face looked like it was completely tore off. And his eyes was all I could see, and he had a grip on some money and he's gasping and trying to live as he head up to say something.
JORDAN: 16-year-old Brandon Mills, it seem was not alone on this street. An 18-year-old Derek Gloster was killed leaving his family members struggling to cope.
DEBRISHA GLOSTER, BROTHER KILLED: It ain't hit me yet. It feels like he's coming home any minute.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Richard Jordan joins us now from the hospital where some of those people were taken.
Richard, I understand, there's still one person in critical condition?
JORDAN: That's right. One person in critical condition, but officials are very optimistic. Tonight, there's actually five here in the hospital. And officials do believe that all of them will be able to make it out of here, walk on their own and should be just fine, just living to tell of this horrifying experience.
LEMON: Richard, we spoke to police and they say they are combing that neighborhood, looking for who might be responsible for this. But people are really scared who live there, to even leave their homes.
JORDAN: That's right, they are. In fact, a lot of them are telling us that they were forced to get on the ground. This guy shows up, carrying a large gun, an AK-47. He starts pointing it around, told everyone get on the ground, get on the ground. A lot of them were just teenagers. They go to a high school, which is a few blocks away. They went, got ahead, went ahead, got down on the sidewalk and just lay there. And that's when a lot of them said they were shot. In fact, two of the victims we spoke with say they were shot in the backside so they never actually got to see this gunman. But one woman who did see this man says that he had his face covered. He has ski mask on. So not even the victims, not even the people who were directly impacted and shot have been able to help police figure out who this was.
LEMON: And people are hoping -- police at least are hoping that someone comes forward. Richard Jordan from our Miami affiliate WSVN. Thank you.
Well, Atlanta is no stranger to street violence either. Early this morning, the 19-year-old son of a record producer was gunned down outside his father's studio. It happened not far from the Georgia Tech campus. (INAUDIBLE). He was at the Hot Beats recording studio with his father about 2:00 a.m. when he went next door just to get a bag of ice. What Atlanta police believe it may have been a robbery attempt. No one has been arrested in that case.
Harold Copus is a former FBI special agent and CNN security analyst Mike Brooks joins us by telephone as well.
Mike and Harold, thank you very much for joining us.
Is this a -- are we living now? You heard about the young man, what happened here, and the people who were just out -- are we living in a false sense of security here? What should we be thinking about as Americans?
HAROLD COPUS, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Well, I think what you're going to find is that the use of guns is increasing. Last year, roughly 500,000 people were victims of guns and almost 12 or 14,000 were killed by guns. Something's wrong.
LEMON: Is this, you know -- we hear about these shootings and we're starting to hear about them quite often. Mike Brooks, I want to talk to you about these assault weapons or AK-47. What kind of problems are those weapons posing for police right now?
VOICE OF MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Well, you know, you never like to see any assault weapons, Don, you know, on the street at all period. Just recently, I was in Philadelphia at the National Conference of Mayors, and Mayor Diaz from Miami and Chief Timothy who spoke out against this earlier today. You know, there was one of their main concerns was the number of uses of assault weapons around the world -- I mean, around the country period.
And you know, this is something that the new administration is going to have to take on. You look at Vice President Biden, he was again -- he was all for the assault weapons ban. Now, you know, will it make crime go down? That remains to be seen. But I can tell you right now, the people of Miami, Liberty City are concerned because, you know, are they going to be the next victims?
LEMON: Yes, that's a big question. I want to bring Harold back in. What about city's cutting budgets and cutting down on both the number of police and really essential services. Is this posing a problem as well?
COPUS: Major problem. Here in Atlanta, they cut now our police services where these guys are working four days a week, which means that roughly 20 percent of our law enforcement is off the street. We've had two murders, as you know, in just the last two weeks. When will this stop? Something is going to have to change.
LEMON: Yes, absolutely. Mike Brooks, final thought. Police in Miami need someone to come forward and they need them to come forward fast.
BROOKS: Absolutely. When you have more than one perpetrator involved, they're all -- somebody knows something. You know, this whole thing of -- you know, we're going to rat on this person, no. You need to come forward. You need to call the crime stoppers, tip line. You don't have to give your name, but you need to come forward right now because there are going to be other useless lives, you know, that other people did, they're just going to be killed.
I mean, this is a 16 and an 18-year-old kid. These are children that are killed at a dice game, you know, over what? We don't know the motives. But you go back, and you know, was it gang related? We don't know, but it sure seems that way.
LEMON: So anyone dies, it doesn't have to be that way. Our security analyst Mike Brooks, we appreciate it.
And also Harold Copus, he's a former FBI special agent. Thank you for joining us and helping us to sort of sort through this terrible, terrible mess that's going on.
Meantime, we want to talk about a hero's welcome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUDIENCE: Sully, Sully, Sully!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Yes, that was a hero's welcome for the man who steered dozens of lives to safety in the icy waters of the Hudson River.
Also, welcome to the world, President Obama. It is your new world. We're working over the weekend, he is at least, and the economic stimulus package of course is right in their ranks. And we're breaking down his inaugural address for you, taking a closer look at what was and what wasn't said on Tuesday and looking forward -- there maybe some clues in his speech as to when he is going to act.
Also, we want to know what's on your mind tonight. This concerns any story here on CNN. And also as we go over the president's inaugural speech, logon to any one of those platforms right there and we'll get your responses on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: When he made an emergency landing in the Hudson River and everyone on board survived, all of America had the same question, who's the pilot?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUDIENCE: Sully, Sully, Sully!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, we quickly learned it was U.S. Airways pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. He got a heroes welcome today in his hometown of Danville, California, and we finally got to hear him speak. He did it briefly, though.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. CHESLEY "SULLY" SULLENBERGER, US AIRWAYS PILOT: Laura and I are grateful for your incredible outpouring of support. It's great to be home in Danville with our neighbors and our friends. Circumstance determined that it was this experienced crew that was scheduled to fly at that particular flight on that particular day. But I know I can speak for the entire crew, when I tell you, we were simply doing the jobs we were trained to do. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the captain's wife also spoke. And she fought back tears as she thanked her neighbors and praised her husband.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORRIE SULLENBERGER, CAPT. SULLENBERGER'S WIFE: I knew when I married Sully, the one thing for sure was that he was the most honorable man I knew. I have always known him to be an exemplary pilot. I knew what the outcome would be that day because I knew my husband. But mostly, for me, he's the man that makes my cup of tea every morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, yesterday, the left engine from the US Airways plane was recovered. And tonight, the NTSB says that engine shows the same soft body impact damage that was found on the right side engine. More evidence that the plane struck birds shortly after takeoff.
A wind blown tragedy in Spain. People tried to comfort one another amid piles of rubble today after hurricane force winds destroyed a sports arena outside Barcelona. Four boys ages 9 to 12 were killed and at least nine other people were injured. The boys were playing baseball when the winds hit. Storms have reportedly killed at least eight other people across Spain and four in France, where more than a million homes are now without power. Back here in the U.S. It looks like the sky is on fire in parts of Texas and neighboring Oklahoma. This is Holly in North Central, Texas, just one of several spots where wildfires have charred thousands of acres, but flames have destroyed at least six homes, and at least one person was killed in the grass fire near some homeless camps just outside Austin.
In Corpus Christi, new video tonight of a wildfire that is about 50 percent contained at this hour. Authorities report it's causing a lot of traffic congestion, but no homes are in danger at this time.
And in the Oklahoma City area, check this out. The wildfire inch close to a neighborhood, but firefighters were able to put it out. Parts of Oklahoma remain under a wildfire alert tonight because of high winds and dry weather conditions there.
There's another weather alert to tell you about in the south central part of the U.S. and this one is icy. Jacqui Jeras joins us now with the information on that.
Jacqui, what's going on?
(WEATHER REPORT)
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Don, check out this video from the University of Wisconsin, Madison today. The students there trying to break a Guinness Book of World Records getting so many people out there throwing the snowballs. But look at -- do you feel that dust in there? Winds so cold, there was no moisture. They had a hard time making the snowballs. They fell far short of the previous record of 37,000 students from Michigan Tech back in 2006. They hope to try it when the weather gets a little warmer, believe it or not.
LEMON: But it's so fun. I'm sure they had a good time.
JERAS: Isn't it great?
LEMON: Now go inside with coco and get next to a fireplace and warm up.
JERAS: Yes, I'm thinking it's not coco.
LEMON: You said it.
JERAS: It's mad town, come on.
LEMON: Thank you, Jacqui.
JERAS: All right.
LEMON: Much appreciate it.
Well, the president's words forever committed to history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: So it has been, so it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We are taking an in-depth look at what President Obama said in his inaugural address and how he said it. Here's whose going to talk to us about it. CNN contributor Amy Holmes, Presidential historian, Thomas Whalen, and radio talk show host, Michael Eric Dyson. This will not be a love fest, real talk, right, guys?
AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Real talk.
LEMON: We'll break it down for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Of all the challenges facing the nation's new president, the economy of course remains number one. And for that reason, Saturday has been anything but a day off at the White House. This morning, President Obama met with his top economic advisors and used his first weekly address to the nation to promote his $825 billion stimulus plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: It's a plan that will save or create 3 to 4 million jobs over the next few years, and one that recognizes both the paradox and the promise of this moment. The fact that there are millions of Americans trying to find work, even as all around the country, there's so much work to be done. That's why this is not just a short term program to boost employment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So we're going to take some time now. Much has been said about this speech. Take some time tonight and give you an extended look at President Barack Obama's inaugural speech. What he said and why? And why did he choose the words he used?
Presidential speeches are always analyzed for their rhetoric and their style -- their rhetoric and their style. How they draw on the past and how they look to the future. Mr. Obama's speech did all of those things, but it was also grounded firmly in the present.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: But we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Joining me right now to talk about the president's inaugural speech, three people who know a whole lot about words, rhetoric and symbolism - Thomas Whalen is a Boston University professor and author of "A Higher Purpose: Profiles in Presidential Courage." Amy Holmes, of course, is a CNN political contributor and a former speechwriter for Republican Senator Bill Frist. And Michael Eric Dyson is a professor at Georgetown University. He's written everything. He has a book that comes out like at least once a week. He is also a radio host.
Welcome to all of you. OK, we're in the midst of a crisis. It is now well understood. Our nation is time for a new age. We've got some hard choices to do. That first part of the speech I just played for you, what did you think he meant by that and what was he saying? Amy, I'll start with you.
HOLMES: Well, one of the things that really jumped out at me was that he said we are a nation at war. And he put the fight against terrorism as in -- on a war footing. This is, you know, in contrast to John Kerry back in 2004, who said that the fight against terrorism was really a criminal issue in terms of investigating, arresting, trying these people. So this was a welcome rhetoric to a conservative like me to hear that our new commander-in-chief regards it as a war on terror.
LEMON: Michael Eric Dyson, do you agree?
PROF. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Well, certainly. I think that Barack Obama made it very clear from the very beginning that he understood that this nation was under attack, that its voters had been vulnerable as a result of the Vitriol spewed at us by, you know, enemies of the United States of America. So I think he was always clear about that.
Some of his conservative brothers and sisters trying to make political hate out of his, you know, out of his understanding that we also have to defend civil liberties, tried to pretend that he wasn't, you know, willing to prosecute to the full extent this war on terror. But I think what's also interesting there for his part of the speech is that he was talking about responsibility, gearing up for this continual war, not only against terror from the outside, but from the elements that weaken us from within, and I think that's what's equally powerful.
LEMON: And Michael, we're going to talk about personal responsibility a little bit later on as well.
But Thomas Whalen, I want to -- was this really a slam on the Republican or George Bush's war on terror, right at the top?
PROF. THOMAS WHALEN, BOSTON UNIVERSITY: I think you could interpret it as that. But, you know, I see the speech overall as kind of not a speech for the ages, but a speech for our times, and the concerns that people have.
In many ways, it kind of reminds me of a coach giving a halftime locker room speech to his team who's behind in the game. And what Barack Obama is saying is that we need to make these improvements or adjustments in order to prevail.
LEMON: All right. Let's play this. He's talking about the economy still in his speech. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered, our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Eric Dyson -- Michael Eric Dyson --
DYSON: Yes?
LEMON: Your thoughts on that part of the speech.
DYSON: Well, look, he's talking about the difficulties that we're facing domestically here. The business is being shuttered, the homes being lost, people suffering. I think, again, President Obama is extending himself as the empathetic chief so to speak, that he's willing to understand what the consequences are of the failed decisions.
He mentioned on the early part of that speech that we make on the part of some that was great greed, and now he's elaborating how the consequences are falling to those who are more vulnerable. But I think he's willing to ask us again to all stand up and do our part to strengthen this economy.
LEMON: OK, guys, because I have -- we have so much to get to. I need you, if you guys can keep it brief, I'd really appreciate it.
Amy, some critics has said this is stating the obvious.
HOLMES: Well, it's stating the obvious but he's doing it in a very clever way, politically. If you notice, he uses very passive language, homes have been lost. So he's not laying the blame at the feet of say homeowners who got in over their head or Fannie or Freddie or banking entities that gave out bad loans. So, in that way, he is being able to sort of give the impression that he is empathetic, but he said hard choices are need to be made. But in that portion of that speech, he doesn't really lay them out.
LEMON: Thomas Whalen, do you agree, he doesn't lay them out?
WHALEN: Well, I think in an inaugural speeches, you can't get too much into specifics. But like John F. Kennedy said of himself that he was, you know, an idealist without illusion. I think that's what Barack Obama wanted to get across here.
LEMON: And some people say if you look at his speech and the way he laid it out, it's almost as if it's in the direct way or exactly the way that he's going to handle, what issues he's going to take on and when. So not sure if that is true. I'm going to be interested to get your guys' responses after this, because we're going to play more.
Barack Obama -- President Barack Obama puts his critics on notice. We'll break down his inaugural speech and look at the future. You'll want to take notes on this one, and we're going to take your responses as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We continue now with our extended look at President Barack Obama's inaugural speech. He used part of his remarks to address the partisan bickering that so often consumes the nation's Capitol and to call for an end to the old ways of Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them. That the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Thomas Whalen, was this pointed at conservatives, and if so, why?
WHALEN: I think it is actually pointed at conservatives and liberals. And you know, he also said it's time to put away childish things, that these are outdated dogmas on the left and the right, and the only way to move forward as a nation is to come together and compromise, work out our differences.
LEMON: Stale political arguments, Amy, interesting choice of words.
HOLMES: Well, it's interesting we heard Obama do this before during the campaign, which is to set himself up as the non- ideological, sort of arbiter than of what should happen. You know, but I would -- of course have to disagree with this. That I don't think $825 billion is a petty concern or what is the role of government -- big government versus small government. I don't think that that's a cynical debate; I think it's central to the political debate of our times.
LEMON: Do you see -- is there cynicism in there, Michael Eric Dyson?
DYSON: Well, I think that what Barack Obama is trying to suggest here is that, look, we have got to get past of these paralyzing poisonous debates of the past and get to fresher debates. It's not as, as Ms. Holmes has indicated, it's not the debates themselves, the substance of them can't be contested and of course disagreed about. But the reality is we can't approach it from the same old way. And he won the vote of the American population by promising he would move past it. I think he was just trying to reinforce it in that speech. LEMON: All this talk we heard about big government. Government is too big. He talked about that in his speech as well. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Amy Holmes, he received some push back this week on that stimulus plan. He is saying people should be able to retire and the question of big government, we're looking at it wrong.
HOLMES: That's what he's saying and that's what he said in his inaugural address. And that he said if government works, then we'll move forward. But again this is, you know, the debate of our time. Government also crowds out private enterprise and private efforts to solve this list of problems that Barack Obama enumerated. But, you know, did win with 53 percent of the vote. I think what he's saying is that he has a mandate and as the leader of this country or commander-in-chief that he will be the final judge on what works.
LEMON: Mr. Whalen, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified, where the answer is yes, we will move forward. It sounds like he's ruling everything else out.
WHALEN: Well, I think what he's saying here is that he's a pragmatist, that like Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s, you know, he used both conservative and liberal approaches to try to solve the "Great Depression" problems here. So, again, he's also, as Amy pointed out, he's painting himself as kind of a non-ideologue. Whether that will pan out in actual practice remains to be seen.
LEMON: I just have to say this, Michael Eric Dyson, you're awfully quiet tonight and well-behave.
DYSON: Well, I'm waiting for you to call on me, brother. I just don't want to be -- I wanted to approach this with the same Barack Obamian kind of balance. So, obviously, I think that Barack Obama is a gifted wordsmith, but he also try -- he's trying to help America adjust to these extraordinary demands and expectations they have.
He knows he has to be practical and pragmatic. He knows he has to put forth his vision that will be able to unify the country. And he doesn't want to begin with bickering and nastiness and cynicism. He wants to call us to move beyond that. And I think, look, the programs that had to stay, the one that don't -- he's trying to throw a bone to the conservatives in such a way that allows them to say that they have purchase on this, but at the same time, let's be real. The government bloated under George Bush so that Republicans have no copy right on trying to scale down the size of the government. Barack Obama proves he's a pragmatist who can bring both left and right together.
LEMON: I want to move on to our next subject, but just really quickly - 10 seconds, Mike -- I'm going to let you talk on this, because my colleague in Chicago, Carol Marine (ph), said he's much more an incrementalist than a pragmatist, even more careful because he goes incrementally only letting you know as much as he feels you need to know or he needs to take in before making a decision. Do you agree with that? Are you saying that in this part of the speech, is that what he's saying? Is that what he's doing?
DYSON: Well, you know, if you buy that. But, look, he's a pragmatist. And part of that pragmatism could be incrementalism. Part of it could be, you know, what change happens over space and time, but it's often revealed in a specific moment. I think Barack Obama is trying to be careful and cautious here more than anything else so that he doesn't waste the resources that had been, you know, given to him in trust by the American public.
LEMON: I thought you're going to start preaching there, Michael Eric Dyson. Michael Eric Dyson is part of our panel, Amy Holmes as well, and Thomas Whalen. They're going to join us again in just a little bit. We're going to talk about the president's inaugural speech.
President Barack Obama wasting no time tackling the really tough international issues. We're going to talk foreign policy and international issues from his inaugural address. We're breaking it down for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The Obama administration is wasting no time getting involved in the Middle East politics. Two administration sources tell CNN that U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell could travel to the Middle East as early as next week including stops in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Egypt. The administration has not officially confirmed Mitchell's trip. The diplomacy comes amid renewed hostilities between Israeli forces and militants in Gaza.
And another big hot spot the administration will have to deal with is Afghanistan. The U.S. military says 15 militants were killed in a battle with coalition forces. It happened in an eastern province. The military says coalition forces came under fire from automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades as they approached a suspected militant compound. No coalition casualties were reported. Local government sources report at least ten civilian deaths.
Let's talk now more about the president's inaugural speech and the passages that covered America's foreign policy. The president mixed words of warning with a pledge to use diplomacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: To those leaders around the globe who seek to sell conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Thomas Whalen, should he have been doing this? Is he rousing people who may not agree with America?
PROF. THOMAS WHALEN, BOSTON UNIVERSITY: Well, I think it's a smart move here. And I think Barack Obama knows that given the current economic situation, you can't decouple domestically what's happening foreign policy-wise. We cannot afford to maintain two foreign wars at this time. We've already seen our dollar devalued, our balance and payments -- a wry here that he is trying to in a diplomatic way find a solution to a very difficult problem in the Middle East.
LEMON: Michael Eric Dyson, he's speaking out to people who he said might so conflict, and then also, you know, he closed -- signed papers to close Gitmo this week, really tackling foreign policy head- on, and -- I mean, right out of the speech, he said he was going to, now he's doing it.
DYSON: Well, absolutely. He's trying to follow through on his promises. But even before he issued the warning so to speak to those people who consider themselves the enemies of what goes on here in America. He said, look, I'm reaching out to my Muslim brothers and sisters. So Barack Obama, again, is trying to balance out appreciation for and consideration of those who had been stigmatized and stereotyped at the same time suggesting.
And he didn't say we'll beat you down and we'll kill you. He said, look, your people, themselves, will judge you by what you build and not what you destroy. So he's appealing to -- it's to take Lincoln, the better angels of their nature to suggest, why don't you look at your society, and if you want to, you know, rebuild it -- rebuild it not according to the hatred of America, but to the reconstitution of your own internal life, so to speak.
And I think that was a very new note that was sounded in American foreign policy over the last eight years.
LEMON: All right, stand by, Mr. Whalen. I want to play another one. This is also a warning to, he says, those who cling to power through corruption and deceit. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit, and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are unwilling to unclench your first.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: OK, listen, I said, Mr. Whalen, but I saw -- I saw Amy shaking her head there.
Amy, what did you want to say about that?
AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, well, just in the previous passage where he said, you know, people will judge you by what you build. I think that that's smart diplomacy in terms of trying to get that message out to say people in the Middle East, but (INAUDIBLE) true.
Unfortunately, we are dealing with people who do reward their leaders for what they destroy. I mean, what was 9/11, except but an act of war and destruction on the United States of America that unfortunately was widely cheered by many in the Middle East. But in terms of, you know, where in this inaugural address, I think that it was appropriate, we are a nation that's at war on two fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he's been elected in wartime as commander-in- chief. So he did need to touch upon foreign policy in this speech.
LEMON: Mr. Whalen, when I heard that line, I sort of thought back to the campaign when so much was made over unplanned meetings with America's enemies. And when he said, but we will extend a hand if you're willing to unclenched your first.
WHALEN: Well, I think that's a signal to moderate elements in Iran, that in order to have any kind of Middle East peace settlement, Iran has got to be have to be brought to the table. And I think that's what he's indicating here, right from the get-go. I found that very interesting.
LEMON: That Iran will have to be brought to the table.
WHALEN: Iran, yes.
LEMON: Why? Why is that? Why do you say that? Explain more. That sounds very interesting to me.
WHALEN: Well, the fact that he, just from the beginning of his administration is already giving signals of, you know, he wants to definitely get Iran into the peace making process. And when you think about it, even, you know, if we prevail in Iraq militarily when our troops leave, it's a Shia dominated country, so they are going to naturally align themselves with Iran.
Basically, thanks to the Bush foreign policies, we have given basically Iraq to Iran. Iran has doubled its power in the Middle East so we have to deal with that reality.
HOLMES: But Don, you raised a really interesting point, that Barrack Obama was getting, you know, pretty heavily slammed during the campaign when he said we would meet with these adversaries without any preconditions. He as president of the United States would be willing to meet with the heads of their country, particularly Iran. But if you notice in the speech, he said we will extend our hand if you unclench your first. So he was putting, you know, a caveat on there that require some action on the part of the person with whom we would be meeting.
DYSON: Yes, but I think what's interesting is that Barack Obama never assumed there would be no preconditions for the exercise of the bully pulpit of conversation from America to these others. I think that what he meant is that he would relieve the kind of narrowly imposed restraints that the administration -- the previous administration had recognized in regards to having conversation.
You can't just go in and try to beat people down. You got to say, look, we disagree with you. There will be consequences here, but at least -- let's at least have an openness to the possibility of that conversation as a first step to resolution, not just lowering the boom of American power.
LEMON: Michael Eric Dyson, Amy Holmes, Thomas Whalen, stand by. We're going to continue this conversation. And, you know, noting the obvious in the inaugural address, we'll take a closer look at what President Barack Obama had to say about race.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK, so John F. Kennedy famously gave Americans this advice, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." President Barack Obama this week used different words, but struck a similar note in his inaugural speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility. A recognition on the part of every American that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world. Duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Michael Eric Dyson, is he saying, as you know, as some people say, we have been living high on the hog for too long and now we need to come off of that and really get down to the business of being real Americans, taking some responsibility?
DYSON: Sure, no doubt about that. A kind of belt-tightening gesture. But also, what's interesting here is that he's doing not to be the negative, but the kind of the positive, so to speak. He's not trying to beat people down again. What he's trying to say is, look, I'm appealing to your, you know, good character. I'm appealing to your sense of destiny and spirit. That this is the fulfillment of our own desire to help one another.
And in doing that, and in both in sacrificing and being responsible, we can also do good for somebody else. You know, that old canard, if you want to help -- if you're feeling bad and you want to feel better, go out and help somebody worse than you and you'll do well.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Yes, yes. And Mr. Whalen, you know, even with the last thing we talked about, we talked about the clenched first, and even in this sound bite, you said that -- and I'm not sure if you feel that about this one, definitely recalled a Kennedyesque moment in what he's saying.
WHALEN: Right. That what he's really doing is appealing to the youth of America. Many of my own students have indicated that -- to me that no one in their lifetime has ever asked them to do something for their country. It's always, you know, President Bush said after 9/11, Americans, go out and buy, go to your shopping malls. Well, this is a far different thing and a far more important thing that he's asking young Americans.
HOLMES: Well, you know, I do have to disagree with that. That George Bush, he actually asked Americans to serve. I worked for Americorps, the federal agency that oversees these service projects. George Bush turned Americorps into a billion dollar agency. He did PSA. He created Freedom Corps at the White House. He asked his fellow Americans after 9/11 that the best thing you could do would be go out and serve your fellow Americans.
Unfortunately, a lot of the media have sort of repeated this sort of slandered that George Bush, all he ever did was asked people to shop. It's simply not true.
LEMON: Well, but I think that, you know, maybe -- some people maybe --maybe, you know, putting it on the Bush administration when it was really during the election that conservatives in many instances I watched, Amy, made fun of Barack Obama's -- President Barack Obama's being a community leader, as if community service was something funny or wasn't substantial.
HOLMES: There could have been conservatives who did that during the campaign. But I -- I mean, I can reiterate, say it again that President Bush made a major, major push to try to get people engaged in service. I was there. I watched while it happened. And, you know, by the way, a lot of conservative didn't want him to. They wanted him to cut Americorps, but they didn't see it as a worthwhile --
(CROSSTALK)
DYSON: But unfortunately -- I think unfortunately what happen is that George Bush made a very key statement at a very critical time, and that what sticks with us, you know, to Amy's point is that perhaps there's a more substantial argument he made in defense of service, but perhaps the reality is, is that when he made that critical point about us going out to shop, so to speak, that shopaholism would in one sense undermine the threat of terror, I think that struck in the craw of people and it struck us as a kind of narrow vicious way of coming at a much broader problem.
(CROSSTALK) LEMON: Speaking of paying the price, that's OK, I'm sorry, I want to get through these things. I will let you guys have final thoughts in a minute. Speaking of paying the price for what we do and being responsible, he also has another line. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence. The knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: He brings God in here, Mr. Whalen, to talk about -- to help back up his words on personal responsibility.
WHALEN: Well, most presidents do in their inaugural speeches here. And I think the irony here is that the Republican Party, over the last decade or so, seems to have a monopoly on God. You know, when a Democrat mentions God in a speech or statement, you know, it's news. Well, you know, it really shouldn't be.
LEMON: Amy?
HOLMES: I would agree with that. But I would also add that he added a bit of a conservative note in saying that we should be reaching back to our first principles, to our national character, to the relationship that one might have with a higher power. I think that was very welcome to a lot of Republicans and conservatives. And, you know, moving forward as he governs, hopefully, that these are, you know, things that he takes into consideration.
LEMON: OK, certainly --
DYSON: I'm a progressive and, you know, I'm also an ordained Baptist minister so I don't think conservatives have a copyright on the notion of reaching back. In fact, the notion of landmarks from which we draw in order to forge a future is central to the progressive religion that I practice as an African-American Baptist and that so many other parkas of evangelicals have appealed to. So this is perhaps where conservatives and progressives join together in religious rhetoric.
LEMON: OK, Michael -- hang on, everyone. Let's talk now about service, serving in the community.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant, can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: OK. So he's talking about service here, and about taking the oath, and about what we should be doing. And I have been listening to people all across the country talking about and hearing news reports of people who are going to be doctors and going to volunteer now. Is this something you think that they're doing just because they are all fired up because of Barack Obama? President Obama making that -- using that one line in his speech or is it something that will wear off, Dr. Whalen?
WHALEN: I don't think it is something that's going to wear off. You know, I listen to him, I hear John F. Kennedy, but I also hear Andrew Jackson from the 19th century. And he ushered in an era of the common man. I think Barack Obama is also ushering in a new era for the common men on the 21st century.
LEMON: Ten seconds, Michael.
DYSON: Well, there's no question that he's linking service and sacrifice, and he's also linking history and memory. Because he said without that particular history, he wouldn't be where he is today. The memory of it has stung, but now he looks towards the future. I think it's a beautiful combination of the past and the future.
LEMON: Final thoughts, real quick, Amy.
HOLMES: Well, asking your fellow Americans to serve is, you know, one of the biggest uses I think of the bully pulpit that the president has. And, you know, that was, I think, a very beautiful moment in his speech, which was -- you know, it's gotten criticism. It's mostly prose, not a lot of poetry, but it's also rooted in the American character to be of service to one another.
LEMON: Thank you, guys. I have spent time working with all of you last week, and I know you're tired. I can barely string together a thought. So thank you so much for joining us late on Saturday night.
OK, Thomas Whalen, author of "A Higher Purpose: Profiles in President Courage," Michael Eric Dyson, author of "April 4, 1968," and CNN's Amy Holmes. Amy, you need to get a book.
HOLMES: I do have a book idea, but not nearly as lofty as those.
DYSON: She is a book. She is a walking encyclopedia.
LEMON: When you get it on paper, come back, we'll have you on. Thank you, guys.
HOLMES: Thank you.
DYSON: Thank you.
WHALEN: Thank you.
LEMON: Next, an African-American mayor is in a small New Jersey town, and he steps down. Why? Too, dangerous. He and his family are the targets of racial hatred, vandalism, even death threats. A man hounded by hate, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Americans who like to think that this week's inauguration signal the end of racial barriers in this country. It did not. A disturbing case in one small town proves that racism can still have a chilling effect. Our David Mattingly has this stark example of hate. And here's a warning for you, in order to tell the full story, you will hear language that many consider deeply offensive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One year before Barack Obama's historic inauguration, Charles Tyson was making some history of his own. He was quietly sworn in as the first African-American mayor of tiny South Harrison, New Jersey, a big moment in a very white small town.
CHARLES TYSON, FORMER MAYOR: And my family was beside me, we all hugged. It was a great moment.
MATTINGLY (on camera): How long did those good feelings last?
TYSON: Not that long.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Before Tyson could do anything in office, he was hit with something he never knew existed here, hate. A defaced campaign sign appeared in front of his home with an unmistakable message.
TYSON: They painted in red KKK and one in the other side is painted nigger.
MATTINGLY: South Harrison rallied around its mayor. They put up a $20,000 reward for the person who planted the sign. But no one came forward and then things got worse.
Bill White, one of the country's most notorious white supremacists, whose Web site once displayed a picture of Barack Obama in the cross hairs, allegedly contacted Tyson.
(on camera): He knew where you lived.
TYSON: Right.
MATTINGLY: He knew your wife's name.
TYSON: Right.
MATTINGLY: He knew your phone number.
TYSON: Right.
MATTINGLY: Your Internet address.
TYSON: Absolutely.
MATTINGLY: He knew everything about you.
TYSON: Yes, he did.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): A federal indictment says White called Tyson's wife and e-mailed him, calling him unworthy to govern over any white man, and hoping to see the day when white men could run black officials out with tar and feathers.
MARK POTOK, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: There are many people who have been badly frightened by Bill White and the New Jersey mayor is not the only one of them.
MATTINGLY (on camera): White is also accused of posting the address of a federal juror, allegedly attempting to encourage someone to do the juror harm.
(voice-over): White is now in federal custody and his lawyer defends his words to Charles Tyson and others with the First Amendment.
NISHAY SANAN, ATTORNEY FOR BILL WHITE: There is no threat in the communication that he sends to the mayor. They're trying to pick and choose Mr. White's words to make it look like a threat.
MATTINGLY: But White's words did have an effect on Tyson. Fearing for himself and his family, Tyson quit as mayor, to take a lower profile town council position. And he's now worried about another history maker.
Are you concerned about what might happen to Barack Obama?
TYSON: Very much so. Very much so.
MATTINGLY: Because of your experience?
TYSON: Very much. Racism was here yesterday, it's here today and it's going to be here tomorrow.
MATTINGLY: Tyson plans to testify in a federal case against White, but says he no longer has the ambition for higher office.
David Mattingly, CNN, South Harrison, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A top young model dies from a bizarre bacterial infection and no one seems to know why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: A young Brazilian fashion model is dead from a little known disease. Mariana Bridi was a healthy young woman just weeks ago, seemingly on her way to fame and fortune. What apparently started as a common urinary tract infection, developed into something far worse, something resistant to drugs. Her health declined rapidly, doctors have amputated her hands and feet and remove both kidneys and part of her stomach. And despite that, they still could not save her life. She died today at the age of 20 years old.
Lots of you have been weighing in on our topics tonight and our panel discussion. Cityguy2675 says, "It's appalling that white supremacists can still intimidate people including public officials.
Advocacyforchange, "Obama is change through tough love, commitment and conviction."
There are many, many more comments. Sorry we couldn't get them on for you tonight. We'll be here again tomorrow night. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. See you here tomorrow night 7:00 and 10:00 Eastern. Good night.
