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Obama Health Care Town Hall; Health Care Reform: Fact and Fiction; Prescription for Change; Update on Phoenix Girl who was Gang- Raped; Crowds in an Uproar at Town Hall Meetings Across the Country

Aired August 11, 2009 - 14:13   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama and a big dose of New Hampshire-style democracy.

You just saw the president's sixth town hall on health care reform since June at Portsmouth High School in front of 1,800 people who were not handpicked by the White House, by the way. Like voters who have crowded town halls all across America, folks in the Live Free or Die State have very strong opinions on health care, money and government, and the president heard a lot of them.

He did not hear, however, a threat of eternal damnation as Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter did at a forum this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One day, God is going to stand before you and he is going to judge you and the rest of your damn cronies up on the Hill. And then you'll get your just dessert.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: It's a make-or-break month, and we're gauging the outrage and the pushback from health reform supporters.

In the past 24 hours, we've brought you town halls in three states, and another is getting under way. Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill spending a second straight day fielding questions and complaints from her fellow Missourians. Today's event is in the St. Louis suburb of Hillsboro.

McCaskill held two forums yesterday and spoke with our Brianna Keilar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: People had really strong opinions in there, but I think we had a good, full discussion. I think I was able to hopefully correct some really bad misinformation that's out there. People are just getting information that's just flat wrong.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What did you think was really important to say, this is true, this is no the true, et cetera? MCCASKILL: The most important thing, I have an 81-year-old mother that is incredibly important to me. And the notion that I would ever, or that our government would ever do anything to cut short or dismiss the quality of life for our seniors is so offensive to me as an American. And I think as the AARP said, it is just a flat lie.

There is no rationing of health care that is being proposed for our elderly. There is no notion that people are batting about that somehow elderly people are going to be dismissed and going to be told you can't get health care. Hopefully, I was able to reassure people that, not in America, that's not going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, this morning, Pennsylvania's party-switching senator, Arlen Specter, tried to explain a public option and the congressional committee process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: We're talking about a governmental option, a public option. We're debating it. So far, no bill has passed the Congress.

In the House of Representatives, five committees have passed bills, but the House has not passed a bill. In the Senate, we're still working on a bill, trying to get bipartisanship.

I know the American people are sick and tired of Republicans and Democrats fighting, and the American people would like to see some bipartisanship and coming together in the public interest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, let's take a look at where health care reform stands right now in Congress.

The breakdown looks kind of like your college basketball bracket. Three House committees have passed separate versions of the legislation. Now they have to be merged into one bill the full House can vote on. And in the Senate, two plans have to be merged. If bills pass the House and Senate, negotiators iron out differences, then both houses vote again.

Now, if the final bill passes, it goes to President Obama. Between now and then, assuming there is a "then," there is a lot of room for misinterpretation, confusion, fudging, parsing, or just plain made-up nonsense. Oh, and politics, too.

Now, when a bill's a thousand pages worth of legal speak, it's pretty easy to get lost. That's why we like to bring in Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley. But then again, Candy, at the same time, has been trying to parse all this out as well.

You know what? If you don't mind, Candy, because the president actually touched on this as well, let's go back to Arlen Specter's town hall today in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, because what this gentleman had to say even got the president to respond to him today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I reviewed 3,200 the best I could. To me, it is obviously written with the assumption that government has the right to control our lives from pre-birth to death. For that reason, it's not worth considering, it's not worth modifying, it's not worth amending. It needs to be dumped.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Candy, let's fact-check that, because even the president brought it up just a few minutes ago and it caught my attention, because I remembered what this gentlemen had said in Specter's town hall today.

Candy, can you hear me OK?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I'm sorry. I thought we were going to hear the president's answer before mine. I'm sorry.

PHILLIPS: No, that's OK. We were just listening to the president for about an hour.

CROWLEY: Not enough coffee.

PHILLIPS: Yes, that's all right. Pour the hot cup of tea. Here we go.

CROWLEY: Absolutely.

Listen, part of the problem here is what you just laid out before you came to me, and that is there are all these bills out there. They are open to interpretation. Nothing is final. And everyone is going through these things when they are not lawyers.

I don't know if you have ever seen a bill on Capitol Hill, but the reason that there are so many lawyers and judges in the United States of America is because people look at a law and see something different. So, you have just a situation that is open for flogging. If you are one side or the other, it is open for interpretation. And then you get what would seem to me some very real fears here from people, because they are trying to interpret something that doesn't yet exist, and about which there has not been adequate explanations.

It's why you see the president out there. It's why you see people like Senator Claire McCaskill out there. It's why you see Senator Chuck Grassley, who we are going to go see tomorrow.

Republicans and Democrats saying, here's what it is. What are your fears, what are your concerns? But there is just so much out there, that people pick and choose what they want without, A, seeing what they are finally going to get or, B, totally understanding what the lawmakers had in mind. PHILLIPS: And that the president even made that point. There's a lot of rumors out there. There's a lot of myths out there. And when the president mentioned a response to this today, he said that he felt there was a misunderstanding about coverage for consultation on end-of-life care.

Let's go back to that same town hall meeting, if you don't mind, and what this woman had to say also stood out to us as well, Candy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is about the systematic dismantling of this country. I'm only 35 years old. I have never been interested in politics. You have awakened a sleeping giant.

We are tired of this. This is why everybody in this room is so ticked off. I don't want this country turning into Russia, turning into a socialized country.

My question for you is, what are you going to do to restore this country back to what our founders created according to the Constitution?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: OK, according to the Constitution.

What did you make of what she brought up there?

CROWLEY: Here is what I make of it -- conservatives have watched the past six months as the president tries to get the economy back on track. And what they see is increased government involvement in the banking industry, in the mortgage industry, in the car industry. Now they look at this big bill, one-sixth of the economy, and they see the government getting further involved, beyond Medicare, beyond Medicaid, in the health industry.

You also have, according to our polls, people who overwhelmingly believe that reform is needed, some or a lot. But also, people who, 85 percent of whom, say, I actually like the health care that I am getting. That is, their doctors and the attention to their health needs. And 75 percent of whom say, and I like my insurance, actually.

So, you see people thinking there is going to be this big government, socialist, Russian takeover of this, and you add it on top of the other things they have seen, and I think that's what's driving this sort of concern.

PHILLIPS: Candy Crowley, good to see you.

CROWLEY: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Well, the president had his day on health care reform. You heard it.

How about a little feedback from the GOP? That's coming up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, a make-or-break month for health care in America. We just spent an hour at a presidential town hall in New Hampshire. Let's hear from a Republican critic, Texas Representative Pete Olson. He joins me now live from Houston. He was listening to the president's speech.

Why don't we begin with the first thing that stands out to you that you have an issue with?

REP. PETE OLSON (R), TEXAS: Well, Kyra, thanks for having me today.

And it was nice to see the president out on the trail like the rest of us. But, again, what stuck to me today is the same thing that's stuck with me forever. There is a fundamental difference between our side and his side as to what health care reform means.

We all agree that we need to reform our health care system. We have problems. But they see, the president sees the government as the solution. And we've got alternatives in the private sectors and with modifications, changes of tax code that will bring the American people the health care they want, they need, they deserve, at an affordable cost.

PHILLIPS: But the president made the point it's not just going to be a government-run system. There's still going to be plenty of options.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Under the reform we're proposing, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. You will not be waiting in any lines. This is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance. I don't believe anyone should be in charge of your health insurance decisions but you and your doctor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: He has made it pretty clear there -- options, options, options.

OLSON: I hear that, Kyra, but what the problem is, is the president talks about the public option and talks about it being comparative with private sector options, but what he doesn't mention is that the government will determine which private sector options qualify to compete within the public option. And that's going to screen many of them out.

There is tremendous problems with small businesses. I mean, one of the big things we are looking at there is a large tax increase on small businesses, up to eight percent, for those who provide insurance, but not up to the government's standards. That's what the president's not telling you, and that's the problem with the federal government being part of the competitive pool.

PHILLIPS: And he did make a point to talk about small business in New Hampshire, and also overall in this country.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Small businesses, they end up paying a lot more than large businesses per person for health care because they have got no bargaining power. They have got no leverage. So, we want small businesses to be able to buy into this big pool.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: He says small business wins.

OLSON: I'm sorry. That's exactly -- we support that idea as well as Republicans. I mean, he is expanding the pool for small businesses. It was called associated health plans a couple years ago. And that's part of our plan.

Certainly, we also think that small businesses should be given tax deductions, tax deductions very similar to corporations. Right now, a small business can't deduct, in some cases, the cost of providing health care insurance to their employees. And that makes no sense.

PHILLIPS: Well, something else, too, the president wanted to make very clear, because there has been a lot of back and forth on, look, overall, this is very much about keeping the insurance companies on their toes, wanting insurance companies to be able to compete. And that, of course, is better for you and me in the long run.

Let's take a listen to what the president said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We also want to make sure that everybody has some options. So, there has been talk about this public option. This is where a lot of the idea of government takeover of health care comes from.

All we want to do is set up a set of options so that if you don't have health insurance, or you are underinsured, you can have the same deal that members of Congress have, which is they can look at a menu of options -- we're calling it an exchange, but it's basically just a menu of different health care plans -- and you will be able to select the one that suits your family best. And I do think that having a public option as part of that would keep the insurance companies honest.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Congressman, whether Democrat or Republican, we have all felt the sting from an insurance company at least once in our life.

OLSON: The insurance companies are certainly -- there is some reform that can be done there. There needs to be more transparency.

One thing that we think is a good idea, too, is allowing insurance companies to take their business across state lines. And another thing is that if someone loses their jobs or changes jobs, there is no reason why their insurance shouldn't follow.

So, those are things that we endorse on our side of the aisle. We think we can do a better job of fixing our health care problems than what the president plans.

PHILLIPS: Congressman Pete Olson, thanks for joining us.

OLSON: Thank you very much. Have a great afternoon.

PHILLIPS: You too.

He left CNN Center in Atlanta yesterday a man with a mission. Shirt untucked, sunglasses on. In doors, all terminator-like. Hitting the road, hunting down your feedback on health care -- hopes, fears, ideas, criticisms. Good, bad, and ugly.

We're checking in with the studly Ali Velshi in just a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A life of love and service to others, a living prayer. Some really moving tributes coming in today for Eunice Kennedy Shriver. She died early this morning at the age of 88. She became respected in her own right, too, for founding the Special Olympics. Shriver's husband of 56 years, Sarge, right there by her side until the end. Also their five kids and 19 grandchildren there at the Cape Cod hospital. And we're told that there's been no final decisions on the funeral arrangements.

Another push forward in the Michael Jackson case. Police and federal drug agents today searched a pharmacy on Flamingo Road in Las Vegas. This follows raids on the home and clinic of the late pop star's personal doctor Conrad Murray, whom investigators think may have given Jackson drugs that killed him. The autopsy is in, by the way, but police are keeping the findings confidential for now.

More evidence that the economy is issue number one for many Americans. All these people lined up in Atlanta today are looking for help with their mortgages. This scene is just outside the Georgia World Congress Center where major lenders gathered to help homeowners find ways to avoid foreclosure and restructure home loans and reduce their mortgage rates. The event was organized by the nonprofit Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America. And we're told that about 15,000 people attended. Even more expected before the event closes today. And we've got an update on the gunman from that health club shooting last week. Five days before George Sodini opened fire on an aerobics class in Pennsylvania, he was questioned by police. Sodini fit the description of a man who allegedly had a grenade on a bus. Police didn't find on so they let him go. Now, police think they were right after all. An entry in Sodini's diary actually said it was a false grenade. Sodini killed himself after killing three women and injuring nine others at that gym.

An Army private captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Today, there is word on Bowe Bergdahl, the first since the Taliban released a video of him last month. The Taliban says that it's waiting for a response to its demands before deciding his fate. No word on what the demands are. Bergdahl disappeared in eastern Afghanistan in June. And a U.S. Military spokesperson says that everything possible is being done to get him back safely.

Secretary of State Clinton is in the Congo, since (INAUDIBLE) of an 11 year war that killed five million people and counting. And today she promised $17 million in U.S. aid to fight an epidemic of rape against Congolese women and girls. Deadly serious issues. But, the buzz is all about an apparent slip of the tongue in a Q&A session in the Congolese capital yesterday. Either a student misspoke or a translator mistranslated. A request for Mr. Clinton's opinion about Chinese deals in Congo didn't go over so well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not the Secretary of State. I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, quite a sound bite from mad secretary there. What's your reaction? Shoot us a tweet at kyracnn. We've already gotten some actually. Let me read just a few.

Syeth (ph) says, "Hey it happens. She is in the job, not her husband."

But the UFFP thinks, "She needs to chill, regardless of the translation error. Bill was the president of the United States, after all."

Go ahead and tweet us at kyracnn and we'll try to read a bunch more at the bottom of the hour.

Now, we take you live now to that town hall with Claire McCaskill in St. Louis, Missouri. As you know, she was going to hold this at another site actually in Hillsboro. But it was called off due to safety concerns. And that was because another town hall had broken into a bit of a melee and six people were arrested. So it had to change to this location at Jefferson College's Field House.

Let's go ahead and listen. (JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: I have not met any veterans yet -- there may be some in this crowd -- that want us to get rid of their specialized health care. And they have specialized health care that the government provides for them.

Now, there's two systems. There's the VA system and Medicare that are two examples of where the government has been involved in health care. Not perfect and we got work to do but I don't think that the idea that the government should not have any involvement in health care -- I don't think that dog's going to hunt in America, because I don't think most Americans want us to wipe out Medicare.

OK. The next question is from Lori Bougeoise (ph) from Ditmer, Missouri. It's another tough one, you guys will be glad.

Where are you, Lori?

OK. Lori, the one that I've got is the one where you want to hold me accountable about the kind of health care I might get. So --

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE). 802 people voted whether Congress should be required to have the same health care (INAUDIBLE) like the rest of us. The outcome was 99.2 percent yes.

(APPLAUSE)

(OFF-MIKE) This was a non-partisan poll. It was by people that vote for (INAUDIBLE).

Are you willing to vote against any bill that does not include this program? I believe that we have to get in the game (INAUDIBLE).

(APPLAUSE)

MCCASKILL: I agree. I agree. And I take that pledge. I'm not going to vote for any bill that would allow any federal employee -- and believe me -- I am blessed for so many reasons. I'm blessed to be standing here. I'm lucky to have this job and work for you, even though today may be a little tough. That's OK. That's OK.

And we do -- the federal employees -- I have the same choices in health care as any other federal employee, but they're good choices. And I think that any bill that's written should give the people that serve and write the bill the exact same options and require them to face the exact same options as anyone else who would be using the health care system.

(APPLAUSE)

MCCASKILL: OK. Next question.

OK, be polite, everybody. We've good manners in Missouri. I swear we do.

This is Mike O'Day (ph) from Kirkwood.

Yes, sir. Where are you? There you go.

OK, great. Thank you for being here.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE).

MCCASKILL: OK.

(APPLAUSE)

MCCASKILL: His -- this is a doctor who works at the VA and he's concerned that if we nationalized health care that it would drain resources away from social security disability and to the VA system.

In fact, the question is, will the VA remain intact?

First of all, let me just tell you and I said this yesterday, I'm going to say it again. If anyone wants to bet you whether or not we are going to get a single payer, nationalized health care bill out of Congress, take the bet and take their money. Because it is not going to happen. We will not get a single payer bill, nationalized health care system out of Congress.

I know you hate to hear good news but we will not do this, OK? So anyone who believes -- there is not any support in Congress -- very little support -- I shouldn't say any. There air few members that think it's a good idea. But there are many, many more members who think it's a bad idea. And it's not even being discussed. It's not even on the table.

So -- I don't understand this rudeness. What is this? I don't get it. I honestly don't get it. Do you all think that you are persuading people when you shout out like that?

Beg your pardon? You don't trust me. OK. You know, I don't know what else I can do. I don't know what else I can do. If you want me to go home -- OK, let me -- I -- I -- this -- please, please. And let me tell the doctor from VA, there is nothing in this bill that has any impact whatsoever on the VA system. And finally, I will not vote for a bill that is not deficit neutral.

All right. The next question, I don't -- from Andrea.

(END OF COVERAGE)

PHILLIPS: Well, this is just another example of a number of forums that we've been monitoring across the United States on health care. These town halls that are being held by senators like you see there. Senator Claire McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri.

Also, we've been following various congressmen and congresswomen holding town halls, as well. And people within the audience just getting really heated and emotional about their questions with regard to health care. And it just goes to show how important this is to Americans across the country and why we are doing our best to just follow these live events, all these various town halls as people like you and me come forward and want to ask our representatives important questions about what the health care bill is going to do for you and for me.

So we'll continue to follow this here with Claire McCaskill, out of Jefferson College's Field House. Interesting. They actually had to change to this location versus another location because they were worried about safety concerns because another town hall -- actually one that took place with U.S. Representative Russ Carnahan, a Democrat from St. Louis, also, had a health care forum last week and it turned into a melee and six people were arrested. So, there had to be extra security, extra eyes on these town hall meetings lately.

We will continue to follow it.

Another story we have been staying on top of for a couple of months now is a story that just really broke our hearts. It is quite a shame actually they had to meet under these circumstances. A Liberian diplomat in the U.S., after a crime that just rocked Phoenix's Liberian community. Hear about his emotional visit with the 8-year-old rape victim. A live interview with Edwin Sele, coming right up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

It's a story that outraged us. An eight-year-old girl allegedly gang-raped by a group of boys at Phoenix apartment complex. All of the children involved are from Liberia. The boys are now charged, one of them as an adult. And the little girl is in Child Protective Services.

Now, according to police, the girl's parents say that they did not want her back. Although family advocates say that was the result of a language barrier. The Liberian president has sent an ambassador to Phoenix. And earlier, I asked President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf what her message for the rape victim and her family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF (via telephone): We just want to make sure that the parents take care of that child. And if they don't, reach out to others facilitated by our ambassador to make sure she is placed in a situation where she can be administered to, that she can be loved and cared and call upon the parents to do right by that child. They cannot allow her life to be so interrupted by this incident and take away the future that is so bright for her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

President Sirleaf sent Edwin Sele, Liberia's Chief Deputy of Missions in the United States to meet with the little girl and her family. He's just back from that mission and joins me live from Washington. And let me ask you, if you don't mind, sir, when you talked with this little girl, how is she doing, what did she tell you? What's her sense -- or, what's your sense of her condition?

EDWIN SELE, LIBERIAN DEPARTMENT CHIEF OF MISSIONS IN THE U.S.: Let me say thank you for having me.

When I met this very cute, pretty, eight year-old little girl, I had a sobering moment with God. She was very she was very distraught. I took her a teddy bear that I told her was from the president of Liberia, her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, that she extended her love and Liberians everywhere extended their love to her.

It was a moment that I will never forget. As a father and grandfather, this girl has had so much at the tender age of eight. And it was a very sobering moment for me. And she expressed to me in a way that she was missing her parents and she know the parents have had statements of being destructive. You should also know that these parents have never been to school before. They only speak Liberian English, which is a broken English.

And it was really a moment for me that I will never forget.

PHILLIPS: Well, Mr. Ambassador, there is a lot of concern about this little girl being put back into possibly a family that doesn't necessarily want her, into a community that really hurt her. I mean, this has caused response from around the world.

Do you think it would be a good idea to put her back into that apartment complex with that family?

SELE: I recommended that she go back to the apartment. But it's important to note that the little girl -- there was some misinformation in the question of language.

According to the parents, they never said that they do not want their daughter. The father is quoted the daughter (ph) to the examiner when the incident took place. And that the examiner was able to say that the girl was OK.

So he, not understanding too much, did not mean that the rape did not occur. But it was important for him to know that the girl did not have a permanent damage. So they went back (INAUDIBLE) for the first day. The second day, they returned to the hospital and did similar tests.

Yes?

PHILLIPS: Well, Mr. Ambassador, respectfully, we did hear what her sister had said. We also heard what her mother had said and it didn't seem that this was lost in translation.

Let's listen to this just one more time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing has happened to my daughter, nobody not touched my daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She always bring trouble. She always bring trouble. When she comes I'm going to tell her don't ever do that again because all of us we are at the same family. We are from the same place. Now, she's just bringing confusion among us. Now the other people they don't want to see her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That's pretty heartbreaking when you hear the sister.

SELE: That's really unfortunate. The statement by the sister there that you heard --

PHILLIPS: Right.

SELE: -- was an off-the-cuff statement. But when the mother spoke, the examiner had said that the girl would be all right. It was based on this that they did not understand so well that the rape actually took place. They decided that the girl should be able to come home.

But it's very important to note that. I don't care how poor you are. It's important for some of us even in this sophisticated society, you may not understand, you may not know how to react when your eight year daughter is raped. So this was said under confusion, frustration and we have to take it as that.

PHILLIPS: Let me ask you this, Mr. Ambassador.

When you met with the little girl, were you able to have some type of conversation with her so she understands that this is not her fault? Because, when you listen to her sister, you get the impression that the family is blaming her for this, that she was the troublemaker.

SELE: That's unfortunate.

When I met with her, in fact, she is thinking that her parents are being sent away to Liberia. She wants her parents back. It's more injury to her to keep her away from the family setting.

This is what I suggested to the CPA that it is important. Because I saw the girl grieve. I nearly cried myself. I mean, it's unfortunate that this happened. But it is more important to bring the girl in her family setting. Before this, July 15th, 2009, there is no record of violence against her. They have always lived together. So it's very important that the girl goes back to the family situation.

We have spoken with the CPS and they are saying that after 90 days, perhaps there will be a moment for them to go back. But as we saw it, it's very important at least to have a telephone call by now to be able to talk to the child so that she can know the family is out there in the United States.

PHILLIPS: And you mentioned CPS. And in all fairness, I want to say that CPS did give us a statement because there is a lot of concern that this little girl may go back into a harmful environment.

And CPS said, "The department remains committed to ensuring the safety of the children in its care and custody. Department staff have met with representatives of the Liberian community and with the deputy ambassador --"

Of course, that's you.

" -- to foster better understanding and communication. As with all children, the safety, well-being and best interest of the child are the paramount consideration."

So no decision has been made what will happen with that eight year-old girl. But, Deputy Ambassador, we would like to stay in touch with you because I think more than anything, everybody that is paying attention to this story.

SELE: It's important if you allow me to say this. That after this incident on July 16, 2009, the Liberian community has been maligned. I mean, it's unfortunately. I want to state here emphatically that Liberians are peace-loving people. Liberians are civilized. We can never condone rape. It has never happened in the Liberian society. We will not do that. It should be said that Liberians are civilized people.

PHILLIPS: And I respect what you had to say. But, Mr. Ambassador, rape has been used as a tool in Liberia. And you know that, as well as I do and that's why the president of Liberia made it part of her inaugural address that this was something she was going to end.

So, we hope that these boys did not come into the United States seeing rape used as a tool of war to hurt women. Because that's the last thing we want to see as you point out --

SELE: It's important for you to note that this happened during the age of conflict, 14 years of conflict. Everywhere in the world, whether it was Bosnia, whether it was Iraq, there has been situations of sexual violence when there is conflict --

PHILLIPS: I understand but that cannot be tolerated in the U.S. That cannot be tolerated in the U.S. It is a crime. It's against the law and little girls should not be raped.

SELE: Definitely. And we all love the girl. I embrace her. We love the girl.

If you may allow me to say, here in the United States, it is said that statistics say that every two minutes, a woman is raped. We cannot say because of that sexual violence or assault is ingrained in cultural situation in the United States. This is what we are saying.

In Liberia, that is not the case. It has not been the case before and it's not now. People need to understand that. You cannot say that Liberia has been this way. This is a country that has a woman as president, minister of foreign affairs as president. Commerce minister as minister, a woman. We also have justice minister, a woman. All these things are very important for us.

PHILLIPS: Totally.

SELE: Now, (INAUDIBLE) of women (INAUDIBLE) and gender sensitivity.

PHILLIPS: And Deputy Ambassador, we want to stay focused on what's happening to that little girl here in the United States. And we will follow up with you. We're glad you met with her and we will follow up on the case and we sure appreciate your time.

Thank you very much.

SELE: And thank you. I just wanted to say thank you to all the City of Phoenix, the good people that were there that welcomed me, the Liberian community, Dr. Wright, Dr. Stuart, and all those within the African-American community that helped us to carry on the discussions.

PHILLIPS: Thank you so much, Ambassador Sele.

SELE: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: And you can see my full interview with the Liberian president on our blog. That's at CNN.com/kyra.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Wait, you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not the Secretary of State. I am. If you ask me my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I'm not going to be channeling my husband.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right. So we asked your reaction to that little snap by the Secretary of State. By the way, we were told there was a translation issue there, that apparently the reporter meant to say, "Obama," not "Clinton."

But, here's what your tweets say. We know that is a fact.

Smoothoperator says "It's good to see Hillary Clinton make a stand for herself. Show she still has some fire in her. You go, girl."

Bobby'sgirl1972 says "I honestly think it was a combination of jet lag, miscommunication and she is Secretary of State, not Bill. Plus, the North Korea thing. Cut her some slack."

And this from Ginger503 says, "That sort of reminded me of the Professor Gates overreaction. Secretary Clinton assumed a refusal to acknowledge women in government sensitive."

Professorcain says, "Can't blame the woman, can you? Living with Bill has been tough from the get-go."

(INAUDIBLE) says, "Stop entertaining. Talk about why she is there. Some reading material. Clinton set on ending sexual violence on allafrica.com."

Similar stuff from Rickweissberg, also. "Congo is filing in the news after hundreds of thousands of women have been raped and people focused on Hillary Clinton's feelings.

And we'll add with acalifornian. "It's a pity that the most powerful woman in the western hemisphere feels she still lives in her husband's shadow."

Thanks, guys for all the tweets. We appreciate it.

We'll be back here tomorrow. Rick Sanchez takes it from here.