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President Obama Speaks at American Legion National Convention; Flip Cam To Grilled Cheese; The Help Desk: Talk Back Question
Aired August 30, 2011 - 11:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Congressman Keith Ellison, this is his district.
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OBAMA: Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, a great friend.
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OBAMA: To all the other members of Congress and Minnesota elected officials who are here, welcome.
It is wonderful to be back with the American Legion, back in Illinois, my home state.
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OBAMA: Hey!
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OBAMA: Illinois is in the house.
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OBAMA: We worked together to make sure veterans across the state were getting the benefits they had earned. When I was in the U.S. Senate, we worked together to spotlight the tragedy of homelessness among veterans and the need to end it.
As president, I have welcomed Jimmy (ph) and your leadership to the Oval Office to hear directly from you. And I have been -- I have been honored to have you by my side when I signed advanced appropriations to protect veterans' health care from the budget battles in Washington, when I signed legislation to give new support to veterans and their caregivers, and, most recently, when I proposed new initiatives to make sure the private sector is hiring our talented veterans.
So, American Legion, I thank you for your partnership.
And I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you today about what we need to do to make sure America is taking care of our veterans as well as you have taken care of us.
And I'm grateful to be with you for another reason. A lot of our fellow citizens are still reeling from Hurricane Irene and its aftermath. And folks are surveying the damage. Some are dealing with tremendous flooding.
As a government, we are going to make sure that states and communities have the support they need so their folks can recover.
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OBAMA: And across the nation, we're still digging out from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. It's taken longer and it's been more difficult than any of us had imagined.
And even though we have taken some steps in the right direction, we have got a lot more to do. Our economy has to grow faster. We have to create more jobs, and we have to do it faster. And most of all, we have got to break the gridlock in Washington that's been preventing us from taking the action we need to get this country moving.
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OBAMA: That's why, next week, I will be speaking to the nation about a plan to create jobs and reduce our deficit, a plan that I want to see passed by Congress. We have got to get this done.
And here's what else I know. We Americans have been through tough times before, much tougher than these. And we didn't just get through them. We emerged stronger than before, not by luck, not by chance, but because, in hard times, Americans don't quit. We don't give up.
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OBAMA: We summon that spirit that says, when we come together, when we choose to move forward together as one people, there's nothing we can't achieve.
Legionnaires, you know this story because it's the story of your lives. And at times like these, all Americans can draw strength from your example. When Hitler controlled a continent and fascism appeared unstoppable, when our harbor was bombed and our Pacific Fleet crippled, there were those that declared that the United States had been reduced to a third-class power.
But you, our veterans of World War II, crossed the oceans and stormed the beaches and freed the millions, liberated the camps, and showed the United States of America is the greatest force for freedom that the world has ever known.
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OBAMA: When North Korea invaded the South, pushing the allied forces into a tiny sliver of territory, the Pusan Perimeter, it seemed like the war could be lost.
But you, our Korean veterans, pushed back, fought on year after bloody year. And this past
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It seemed like the war could be lost, but you, our Korean veterans, pushed back, fought on, year after bloody year. And this past Veterans Day, I went to Seoul and joined our Korean war veterans for the 60th anniversary of that war, and we marked that milestone in a free and prosperous republic of Korea, one of our greatest allies.
When communist forces in Vietnam unleashed the Tet Offensive, it fueled the debate here at home that raged over that war. You, our Vietnam veterans, did not always receive the respect that you deserved, which was a national shame, but let it be remembered that you won every major battle of that war, every single one.
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As president, I have been honored to welcome our Vietnam veterans to the White House and finally present them with the medals and recognition that they had earned. It's been a chance to convey on behalf of the American people those simple words with which our Vietnam veterans greet each other, "Welcome home."
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Legionnaires, in the decades that followed, the spirit of your service was carried forth by our troops in the sands of Desert Storm, in the rugged hills of the Balkans, and now it's carried on by a new generation. Next weekend will mark the 10th anniversary of those awful attacks on our nation.
In the days ahead, we will honor the lives we lost and the families that loved them, the first responders who rushed to save others. And we will honor all those who have served to keep us safe these 10 difficult years, especially the men and women of our armed forces.
Today, as we near this solemn anniversary, it's fitting that we salute the extraordinary decade of service rendered by the 9/11 generation, the more than five million Americans who have worn the uniform over the past 10 years. They were there on duty that September morning, having enlisted in a time of peace, but they instantly transitioned to a war footing.
They're the millions of recruits who have stepped forward since seeing their nation at war, and saying, "Send me." They are every single soldier, sailor, Airman, Marine and Coast Guardsman serving today who has volunteered to serve in a time of war, knowing that they could be sent into harm's way.
They come from every corner of our country -- big cities, small towns. They come from every background and every creed. They're sons and daughters who carry on the family's tradition of service, and they're new immigrants who have become our newest citizens. They're our National Guardsmen and Reservists who have served in unprecedented deployments.
There's a record number of women in our military, proving themselves in combat like never before. And every day, for the past 10 years, these men and women have succeeded together as one American team, a generation --
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They're a generation of innovators, and they have changed the way America fights and wins its wars. Raised in the age of the Internet, they have harnessed new technologies on the battlefield. They have learned the cultures and traditions and languages of the places where they served.
Trained to fight, they have also taken on the role of diplomats and mayors and development experts, negotiating with tribal sheiks, working with village shuras (ph), partnering with communities. Young captains, sergeants, lieutenants, they have assumed responsibilities once reserved for more senior commanders and remind us that in an era when so many other institutions have shirked their obligations, the men and women of the United States military welcome responsibility.
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In a decade of war, they have borne an extraordinary burden, with more than two million of our service members deploying to the war zones. Hundreds of thousands have deployed again and again, year after year. Never before has our nation asked so much of our all- volunteer force, that one percent of Americans who wears the uniform.
We see the scope of their sacrifice in the tens of thousands who now carry the scars of war, both seen and unseen, our remarkable wounded warriors. We see it in our extraordinary military families who serve here at home, the military spouses who hold their families together, the millions of military children, many of whom have lived most of their young lives with our nation at war and mom or dad deployed. And most profoundly, we see the wages of war in those patriots who never came home.
They gave their all, their last full measure of devotion, in Kandahar, in the Korengal, in Helmand, in the battles for Baghdad and Fallujah Ramadi. Now they lay at rest in quiet corners of America, but they live on in the families who loved them and in a nation that is safer because of their service.
And today we pay humble tribute to the more than 6,200 Americans in uniform who have given their lives in this hard decade of war. We honor them all. We are grateful for them.
Through their service, through their sacrifice, through their astonishing record of achievement, our forces have earned their place among the greatest of generations, toppling the Taliban in just weeks, driving al Qaeda from the training camps where they plotted 9/11, giving the Afghan people the opportunity to live free from terror.
When the decision was made to go into Iraq, our troops raced across deserts and removed a dictator in less than a month. When insurgents, militias and terrorists plunged Iraq into chaos, our troops adapted, they endured ferocious urban combat, they reduced the violence and gave Iraqis a chance to forge their own future.
When a resurgent Taliban threatened to give al Qaeda more space to plot against us, the additional forces I ordered to Afghanistan went on the offensive, taking the fight to the Taliban and pushing them out of their safe havens, allowing Afghans to reclaim their communities and training Afghan forces.
And a few months ago, our troops achieved our greatest victory yet in the fight against those who attacked us on 9/11, delivering justice to Osama bin Laden in one of the greatest intelligence and military operations in American history.
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Credit for these successes, credit for this progress belongs to all who have worn the uniform in these wars.
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Today we're honored to be joined by some of them. And I would ask all those who served this past decade, the members of the 9/11 generation, to stand and accept the thanks of a grateful nation.
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Thanks to these Americans, we are moving forward from a position of strength. Having ended our combat mission in Iraq and removed more than 100,000 troops so far, we'll remove the rest of our troops by the end of this year and we will end that war.
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Having put al Qaeda on the path to defeat, we won't relent until the job is done. Having started to draw down our forces in Afghanistan, we'll bring home 33,000 troops by next summer, and bring home more troops in the coming years.
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As our mission transitions from combat to support, Afghans will take responsibility for their own security, and the longest war in American history will come to a responsible end. And for our troops and military families who have sacrificed so much, this means relief from an unrelenting decade of operations. Today, fewer of our sons and daughters are serving in harm's way. For so many troops who have already done their duty, we've put an end to the stop-loss. Our soldiers can now look forward to shorter deployments, and that means more time at home between deployments and more time training for the full range of missions that they will face. Indeed, despite 10 years of continuous war, it must be said America's military is the best that it's ever been.
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We saw that most recently in the skill and precision of our brave forces who helped the Libyan people finally break free from the grip of Moammar Gadhafi. And as we meet the test that the future will surely bring, including hard fiscal choices here at home, there should be no doubt, the United States of America will keep our military the best trained, the best led, the best equipped fighting force in history. It will continue to be the best.
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Now, as today's wars end, as our troops come home, we're reminded once more of our responsibilities to all who have served. The bond between our forces and our citizens must be a sacred trust. And for me and my administration, upholding that trust is not just a matter of policy, it is not about politics, it is a moral obligation.
That's why my very first budget included the largest percentage increase to the V.A. budget in the past 30 years.
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So far, we're on track to have increased funding for Veterans Affairs by 30 percent. And because we passed advanced appropriations when Washington politics threatens to shut down the government, as it did last spring, the veterans medical care that you count on was safe.
And let me say something else about V.A. funding that you depend on. As a nation, we're facing some tough choices as we put our fiscal house in order, but I want to be absolutely clear. We cannot, we must not, we will not balance the budget on the backs of our veterans. As commander-in-chief, I won't allow it.
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With these historic investments, we're making dramatic improvements to veterans' health care. We're improving V.A. facilities to better serve our women veterans. We're expanding outreach and care for our rural veterans like those that I met during my recent visit to Cannon Falls, including two proud Legionnaires, Tom Newman (ph) of Legion Post 620 and Hugo and Joseph Kidd (ph), Post 164 in Stewartville.
Are they here right now?
They're out there somewhere.
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That was a good lunch, by the way.
For our Vietnam veterans, because we declared that three diseases are now presumed to be related to your exposure to Agent Orange, we've begun paying the disability benefits that you need.
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For our veterans of the Gulf War, we're moving forward to address the nine infectious diseases that we declared are now presumed to be related to your service in Desert Storm.
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At the same time, our outstanding V.A. secretary, Rick Shinseki, is working every day to build a 21st century V.A. Many of our Vietnam vets are already submitting their Agent Orange claims electronically. Hundreds of you from all wars are requesting your benefits online.
Thanks to the new blue button on the V.A. Web site, you can now share your personal health information with your doctors outside of the V.A. And we're making progress in sharing medical records between DOD and V.A.
We're not there yet. I have been pounding on this thing since I came into office. We are going to stay on it, we are going to keep at it until our troops and our veterans have a lifetime electronic medical record that you can keep for your life.
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Of course, we've still got some work to do. We've got to break the backlog of disability claims.
I know that over the past year, the backlog has actually grown due to the new claims from Agent Orange. But let me say this -- and I know Secretary Shinseki agrees -- when our veterans who fought for our country have to fight to get the benefits that you have already earned, that's unacceptable. So this is going to remain a key priority for us.
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We're going to keep hiring new claims processors and we're going to keep investing in new paperless systems and keep moving ahead with our innovation competition in which our dedicated V.A. employees are developing new ways to process your claims faster. We want your claims to be processed not in months, but in days.
So the bottom line is this -- your claims need to be processed quickly and accurately the first time. We're not going to rest until we get that done. We will not rest.
(APPLAUSE) The same is true for our mission to end homelessness among our veterans. Already, we've helped to bring tens of thousands of veterans off the streets.
For the first time ever, we have made veterans and military families a priority not just of the V.A., not just of DOD, but across the federal government. And that includes making sure that federal agencies are working together so that every veteran who fought for America has a home in America.
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We're working to fulfill our obligations to our 9/11 generation veterans, especially our wounded warriors. Now, the constant threat of IEDs has meant a new generation of service members with multiple traumatic injuries, including traumatic brain injury. And thanks to advanced armor and medical technologies, our troops are surviving injuries that would have been fatal in previous wars.
So we're saving more lives, but more American veterans live with severe wounds for a lifetime. And that's why we need to be for them for a lifetime.
We are giving unprecedented support to our wounded warriors, especially those with traumatic brain injury. And thanks to the veterans and caregivers legislation I signed into law, we have started training caregivers so that they can receive the skills and the stipends that they need to care for their loved ones.
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We are working aggressively to address another signature wound of this war which has led to too many fine troops and veterans to take their own lives, and that's Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. We are continuing to make major investments improving outreach and suicide prevention, hiring and training more mental health counselors, and treating more veterans than ever before.
The days when depression and PTSD were stigmatized, those days must end. And that's why I made the decision to start sending condolence letters to the families of service members who take their lives while deployed in a combat zone.
These Americans did not die because they were weak. They were warriors. They deserve our respect. Every man and woman in uniform, every veteran needs to know that your nation will be there to help you stay strong. It's the right thing to do.
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In recent months we've heard new reports of some of our veterans not getting the prompt mental health care that they desperately need, and that, too, is unacceptable. If a veteran has the courage to seek help, then we need to be doing everything in our power to deliver the life-saving mental care that they need. So Secretary Shinseki and the V.A. are going to stay on this. And we'll continue to make it easier for veterans with post-traumatic stress to qualify for V.A. benefits regardless of the war that you served in. If you served in a combat theater, and a V.A. doctor confirms a diagnosis of PTSD, that's enough, which brings me to the final area where America must meet its obligations to our veterans.
This is a place where we need each other. And that's the task of renewing our nation's economic strength.
After a decade of war, it's time to focus on nation-building here at home. And our veterans, especially our 9/11 veterans, have the skills and the dedication to help lead the way.
That's why we're funding the post-9/11 GI bill, which is now helping more than 500,000 veterans and family members go to college, get their degrees, and play their part in moving America forward.
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It's why this fall, we'll start including vocational training and apprenticeships as well, so veterans can develop the skills to succeed in today's economy. And that's why I have directed the federal government to hire more veterans, including more than 100,000 veterans in the past year and a half alone.
But in this tough economy, far too many of our veterans are still unemployed. And that's why I have proposed a comprehensive initiative to make sure we're tapping the incredible talents of our veterans. And it's got two main parts.
First, we're going to do more to help our newest veterans find and get that private sector job. We're going to offer --
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We're going to offer more help with career development and job searches. I have directed DOD and the V.A. to create what we're calling a reverse boot camp to help our newest veterans prepare for civilian jobs and translate their exceptional military skills into industry -- into industry accepted licenses and credentials.
And today I'm calling on every state to pass legislation that makes it easier for our veterans to get the credentials and the jobs for which they are so clearly qualified. This needs to happen, and it needs to happen now.
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Second, we're encouraging the private sector to do its part. So I have challenged companies across America to hire or train 100,000 unemployed veterans or their spouses. And this builds on the commitments that many companies have already made as part of the joining forces campaign championed by the first lady and vice president's spouse, Dr. Jill Biden. One hundred thousand jobs for veterans and spouses. And to get this done, I have proposed a returning heroes' tax credit for companies that hire unemployed veterans and a wounded warrior tax credit for companies that hire unemployed veterans with a disability.
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When Congress returns from recess, this needs to be at the top of their agenda. For the sake of our veterans, for the sake of our economy, we need these veterans working and contributing and creating the new jobs and industries that will keep America competitive in the 21st century.
These are the obligations we have to each other, our forces, our veterans, our citizens. These are the responsibilities we must fulfill not just when it's easy, not just when we're flush with cash, not just when it's convenient, but always. That's a lesson we learned again this year in the life and in the passing of Frank Buckles, our last veteran from the First World War who passed away at the age of 110.
Think about it. Frank lived the American century. An ambulance driver on the western front, he bore witness to the carnage of the trenches in Europe. Then, during the Second World War, he survived more than three years in Japanese prisoner of war camps.
Then, like so many veterans, he came home, went to school, pursued a career, started a family, lived a good life on his farm in West Virginia. Even in his later years, after turning 100, Frank Buckles still gave back to his country.
He would go speak to schoolchildren about his extraordinary life. He would meet and inspire other veterans. And for 80 years, he served as a proud member of the American Legion.
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The day he was laid to rest, I ordered the flags be flown at half-staff at the White House, at the government buildings across the nation, at our embassies around the world. As Frank Buckles lay in honor at Arlington's Memorial Chapel, hundreds passed by his flag- draped casket in quiet procession. Most were strangers who never knew him, but they knew the story of his service, and they felt compelled to offer their thanks to this American soldier.
And that afternoon, I had the privilege of going over to Arlington and spending a few moments with Frank's daughter, Suzanna (ph), who cared for her father until the very end. And it was a chance for me to convey the gratitude of the entire nation and to pay my respects to an American who reflected the best of who we are as a people.
And Legionnaires, it was a reminder not just to the family and friends of Corporal Frank Buckles, but to the veterans and families of every generation. No matter when you serve, no matter how many years ago that you took off your uniform, no matter how long you live as a proud veteran of this country we love, America will never leave your side. America will never forget. We will always be grateful to you.
God bless you. God bless all our veterans. And God bless the United States of America.
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SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama before the country's largest veterans organization and their families, speaking in Minneapolis here.
We just got some information while the president was talking about his schedule commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The president will be going to all three sites, memorial sites, in New York, Pennsylvania, as well as the Pentagon. He will end his day commemorating the attacks and the resilience of the American people at the National Cathedral.
It is going to be part of a concert of hope. That is where he will be giving a major address.
We're also following another story, the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. We have seen massive flooding in several states and some amazing rescue attempts that have been taking place, particularly in New Jersey this morning.
We're going to have a live report after the break.
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MALVEAUX: All that water left behind by Hurricane Irene, well, it has got to go somewhere.
The Passaic River poured into homes in northern New Jersey today. This is a look at Little Falls, New Jersey. This is about 15 miles outside New York City. The Passaic crested there today seven feet above flood stage. Emergency workers say they have rescued some 1,700 people now. Officials say scenes like this prove that Irene, a storm felt by 65 million on the East Coast, was not hyped.
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BRIGADIER GENERAL DUKE DELUCA, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: There is a tremendous amount of economic and physical damage that we're still frankly assessing and we won't know those final numbers for some weeks. So, I don't think it was hyped.
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MALVEAUX: In Upstate New York, communities in the Catskills took a hard hit from Irene. Floodwaters rolled down the mountains, practically washing away several towns.
Now, just last hour, I spoke with a woman who lost her home.
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DIANA SALTER, FLOOD VICTIM: It is gone. I literally saw my home float by me.
MALVEAUX: Were you...
SALTER: We got out with about 10 minutes to spare.
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MALVEAUX: The number of deaths linked to Hurricane Irene rose today to 38. The department -- the Energy Department says now that 3.3 million customers, they still are without power.
We want to get the latest on the flooding and the rescues in New Jersey. That's where our Mary Snow is. She is live in Paterson, New Jersey.
And, Mary, have things gotten any better this morning, this afternoon?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They haven't, Suzanne, and it's going to get worse because the Passaic River hasn't yet crested here. It's about three blocks behind from where I'm standing.
We are here with the New Jersey Urban Search and Rescue command post and teams have been going out in boats. They just came in bringing people in.
And joining us now is the Paterson fire chief, Michael Postorino.
Chief, how many evacuations have you been doing so far?
MICHAEL POSTORINO, PATERSON FIRE CHIEF: At this point, we have over 600 boat evacuations of residents within the city.
SNOW: Over 600?
POSTORINO: Yes.
SNOW: And you are expecting many more?
POSTORINO: We are. The number -- we haven't gotten any letup and the numbers just -- just get more and more requests for people needing to be evacuated.
SNOW: Is it your understanding that the Passaic River is cresting here this afternoon, correct?
POSTORINO: At some point today, it is expected to crest.
SNOW: At this point, how deep is that water?
POSTORINO: It's hard to say. They are projecting that the river is going to crest somewhere at 14 feet, which is obviously seven feet above flood level, and -- but it's really hard to say.
SNOW: There were mandatory evacuations in place, correct? POSTORINO: There were mandatory evacuations of sections of the city, yes, but we are now being overcome by areas that are not normally affected by flooding.
SNOW: And this is an area that's affected by flooding quite often, right?
POSTORINO: Yes, quite often.
SNOW: Worst you have ever seen?
POSTORINO: The worst I have ever seen.
SNOW: All right. And, Chief, I don't want to keep you too long. Thank you so much for your time. Good luck.
And, Suzanne, we are also talking to the mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, who was telling us that the city is looking to open four or five schools so that when people are coming out of their homes, they have a place to go. And there, we just saw a boat with children in it. I was talking to the chief before.
He said, to his knowledge, no serious injuries, but children yesterday, we were told, two 11-year-olds had to be rescued. People are thinking that the water may be a few inches, when it's a few feet deep, and the pace of the water, too, the speed of the river is also adding to the danger here -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Mary, do we know how people are communicating with each other? If folks are actually stuck at their homes or on bridges or things like that, are they able, are these emergency workers able to pinpoint where these folks are, identify where -- those who are in greatest need?
SNOW: Yes, in some cases, you know, they know pockets where people need to be evacuated, but we have talked to one gentleman who said that he had decided to stay in his home and that he was on the second floor, the water had reached the first floor level, and he decided last night that he needed to get out.
He did not have a cell phone, so he said he was keeping an eye on the window and that when he saw boats passing, people are just -- in his case, he was looking for boats and, when he saw a boat this morning, called over and that's how he was able to be rescued.
And you see behind me two -- this is -- we have been seeing this throughout the day. These crews started going out a couple of hours ago and we continually see people coming in. Here is a man with a small child and these crews are expecting to do this. We are told there are about 16 boats that are out there right now and they are expecting this is only going to continue for several more hours, and you heard the chief say that the river hasn't crested here yet.
MALVEAUX: All right. Mary Snow, thank you very much. We really appreciate it. Tropical Storm Katia now is on deck today, far out in the eastern Atlantic. Now, right now, top winds are at 45 miles an hour. And forecasters say that warm ocean waters will quickly fuel Katia into a major hurricane. That could happen this weekend. Watch out for that.
Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton is jailed in Southern California today. He is going to be brought back to Atlanta to face a murder charge. The dead woman had four children. The NBA suspended the player in 2010 after he and a teammate brought guns into the Washington Wizards locker room.
HLN legal talker Nancy Grace, she is taking her eye off of the lineups for awhile. She's joining the celebrity lineup on "Dancing With the Stars." That's right, our own Nancy Grace. You may know -- she may know her way around the courtroom, yes, but she admits she's guilty of botching things up on the dance floor.
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NANCY GRACE, HOST, "NANCY GRACE": I feel I can try. Look, I know I'm not the youngest, the thinnest, the prettiest or the best dancer, but I got a lot of heart. And that's got to count for something, right?
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MALVEAUX: We wish her the very best. That's right, a lot of heart. "Dancing With the Stars" returns on September 19.
Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is in critical condition at a Texas hospital today. A source told CNN that he's in a coma. But a short time ago, Texas prison officials said that's not true, that Jeffs is sedated, but responsive. Now, Jeffs had told prison workers that he was fasting. Early this month, he was convicted of sexually assaulting two girls he claimed were his wives.
Syrians jammed the streets today. Once again, Syrian soldiers opened fire on protesters in several cities. Worshipers had just left mosques where they were marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and opposition sources tell CNN at least seven people were killed, the latest casualties in the revolt against the Syrian regime.
Well, Libya's new political leaders are calling on Algeria to send Moammar Gadhafi's relatives home to face charges. Gadhafi's wife, two of his sons and his daughter, have surfaced in Algeria. Algeria says it took them in as a humanitarian gesture. Gadhafi's daughter reportedly gave birth to a baby girl just hours after reaching Algeria.
ATF Director Ken Melson has lost his job over a botched gun tracking program known as Fast and Furious. He is being reassigned to the Justice Department. Melson's agents were supposed to follow guns sold illegally in the United States to be taken to Mexico, but the ATF didn't have the resources to keep up with all of those weapons. Investigators found the agency let more than 2,000 weapons end up in the hands of criminals in Mexico.
Here's your chance to talk back. One of the big stories of the day, today's question, will the talk about Governor Rick Perry's intelligence help or hurt him in his run for the White House.
Carol Costello, she is joining us from New York.
Hi, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne.
Rick Perry is on top of the GOP field according to the latest CNN/ORC poll. So why are people asking if he's smart enough to be president? Politico.com even asked, "Is Rick Perry dumb?" and talked about his lack of intellectual credentials. It has aggravated some conservatives who are now debating whether President Obama is dumb.
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SEAN HANNITY, HOST, "HANNITY": Liberals like yourself referred to Reagan as an amiable dunce. You constantly attack Michele Bachmann's intelligence, Sarah Palin's intelligence...
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS: That is true, by the way.
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HANNITY: ... George Bush's intelligence, and then all of a sudden every liberal is a genius that drives the economy into a ditch, and then you say this guy is brilliant.
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COSTELLO: Sad part in all of this, it plays to the same old stereotypes.
As CNN contributor John Avlon says, Republicans are either cruel or stupid, you know, either Cheney or Nixon, cruel, or Reagan or Bush, stupid. And Democrats, they are either naive or amoral, you know, Jimmy Carter naive, Clinton amoral.
It is fair to wonder about Rick Perry's doubts about evolution and global warming, but when critics use the word dumb, it eliminates any real debate about whether a candidate is prepared to be president. Of course, it may all backfire on Perry's critics. The D-word may actually fire up conservatives and win Perry even more supporters.
So the "Talk-Back" question today, will talk about Perry's intelligence help or hurt him? Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I will read your answers shortly -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right, Carol.
And we have got a great story. I guess it's lunchtime, so we might as well give it to you -- almost as American as apple pie, but these days it's hard to find a place that sells a simple casual grilled cheese sandwich. Well, until a Silicon Valley inventor, he put his mind to it. We will take you to a joint called The Melt.
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MALVEAUX: Well, didn't take long for tablets to gain universal acceptance, quite popular. They have become the rage with women and seniors.
Now, according to gadget.com, sales to people 55 and over spiked significantly last fall, between last fall and now, so why embrace the new technology? Well, they're pretty easy to use. You can increase the text size. That's pretty cool. It's a feature that's very popular with the older set, including myself.
From inventing the flip-cam to making gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, it's a career change that has people kind of shaking their heads, what's going on, until you see the number of Silicon Valley venture capitalists who are throwing their money, throwing it into what is called The Melt -- Silicon Valley.
Correspondent Dan Simon is joining us live from San Francisco at the grand opening.
So, that's kind of a drastic career change, don't you think, Dan?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly a crazy change going from the flip-cam to the grilled cheese sandwich.
They may have more in common than you think. We are actually going to talk to the CEO of this restaurant called The Melt. As you said, today is their grand opening. We are in downtown San Francisco. We will go ahead and walk inside.
Over here is Jonathan Kaplan. He is the inventor of the Flip.
And, Jonathan, thanks for joining us.
JONATHAN KAPLAN, CEO AND INVENTOR, THE MELT: Absolutely. Good morning.
SIMON: I think the most obvious question here is, what is a technology guy doing opening up a grilled cheese sandwich restaurant?
KAPLAN: Well, I think we're just trying to make people happy.
So, the idea here is make a product that people love, market it well, wrap a little technology around it, and I think you are on the road to success. So, that is what we're trying to do.
SIMON: So why the grilled cheese sandwich in particular?
KAPLAN: I think it's because it's nostalgic, it's memorable. It's the kind of thing that when you bite into it, it's just delicious and it's makes you happy. And that's what we wanted to try to do. SIMON: You're a technology person. You put a lot of technology into this restaurant. Can you tell us about some of the things you have going on back here to make these sandwiches?
KAPLAN: Well, one of the reasons why The Melt is so special is we've invented some technology with Electrolux that allows us to create a sandwich in just about one minute, actually 60 seconds. So the idea here is you can order your sandwich at anytime and anywhere, either on the website or using your mobile phone, and then when you come into the restaurant, you scan a bar code. That bar code allows our restaurant to know that you're ready to eat your meal hot and fresh and we can, using the Electrolux equipment, we can immediately cook your meal and have it ready for you in an instant.
SIMON: So this has never been done before in a restaurant. You have a bar code here on your iPhone. You prepaid for your meal. You come up here and what do you do?
KAPLAN: Right, you just go through here. Basically you've got this QR code. Your QR code looks like that. And you come over here and scan it. Once your order has been scanned, you'll notice coming out of the printer is my order. My receipt is there. And I'm up on the order board.
SIMON: Now, we're not talking about just one restaurant or two restaurants. You want to open up a bunch of these all over the country.
KAPLAN: I think the idea is to start a fast, casual restaurant chain. Our hope is to open around 50 restaurants between now and the end of next year, then 500 over the next five years.
SIMON: Five hundred restaurants throughout the United States. And serving on your board of directors is Ron Johnson, who --
KAPLAN: Right, formerly of Apple and now the CEO of J.C. Penny. We also have Michael Mean (ph) on our board, helping us with all of the culinary side. And a number of others. Mike Morits (ph). Christan Levy (ph). So we put together what I consider to be the team of people necessary to build the next generation fast casual restaurant chain.
SIMON: Well, good luck. Thanks very much for joining us.
KAPLAN: OK. Thank you so much.
SIMON: Suzanne, as they say, only in America can you see a guy going from inventing a camcorder to re-inventing the grilled cheese sandwich. It looks pretty good. And we look forward to trying it. And that's The Melt.
We'll send it back to you.
MALVEAUX: Yes, Dan, I got two questions for you. First, have you tried The Melt? Is it a good sandwich? And, second, how soon will we see this in Atlanta? SIMON: Well, I have tried one. It is a very good sandwich. And what he was talking about is they've created this technology that allows you to do this quickly and they're using natural ingredients, eco-friendly. It's wholesome, as they say.
And Suzanne Malveaux is asking when are we going to see this in Atlanta?
KAPLAN: Well, Atlanta is probably about two and a half years away. We're going to do the West Coast first. Then we'll move east. And probably you'll see Atlanta in about maybe two years.
SIMON: OK.
MALVEAUX: Two years?
SIMON: You heard it, a few years. So you've got to wait.
MALVEAUX: I've got to wait two years for a grilled cheese sandwich?
SIMON: You've got to come out here.
KAPLAN: Come out to San Francisco and visit us. We're open starting at 11:00.
MALVEAUX: I got to go to the West Coast and get a grilled cheese sandwich.
SIMON: Come out to San Francisco.
MALVEAUX: All right. Two years. I guess I'll just wait two years. Great. Nice to see you, Dan.
SIMON: OK.
MALVEAUX: All right, "Talk Back" question of the day, will the talk about Governor Rick Perry's intelligence hurt him, help him in the run for the White House? Going to read through some of your responses after the break.
But first, here's some free money advice from the CNN "Help Desk."
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POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Well, time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, the founder of the financial advice blog, askthemoneycoach.com. And Stacy Francis, she's a certified financial planner and the president of Francis Financial.
Ladies, thank you for being here.
First question to you, Stacy. It comes from a 66-year-old named Michael. He's got about $100,000 that he is thinking about putting into annuity. His question is, is it better to start Social Security next year or wait until he is 70?
STACY FRANCIS, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: Well, if you take a look at an annuity, make sure you look at maybe a Vanguard annuity. Lower fees. And whether or not he takes Social Security depends on your life expectancy. If you expect to live a long life, wait until 70. If you're sick or have health issues, take it now.
HARLOW: That's very good advice.
And to you, Lynnette, this question comes from Dominique (ph). She writes -- he's a college student and she has student loan debt, as a lot of college students do. Her debt is multiple loans with different businesses and varying amounts. So she's asking, is it better to keep the loans separate or to consolidate them?
LYNNETTE KHALFANI-COX, FOUNDER, ASKTHEMONEYCOACH.COM: It actually can be a good idea to consolidate those student loans, mainly because it's more manageable to keep track of just one repayment to one potential loan source. So that's one reason why some students do it.
You do have to be aware, though, of course, if you consolidate student loans, not all of them can be consolidated. And then the loan term might get extended, which means you're going to pay more in interest charges over the life of the loan.
HARLOW: OK. OK, you've got to think it through. Thank you, ladies, so much.
And, folks, if you have a question that you want answered, just send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.
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MALVEAUX: Getting new information now. The death toll from Hurricane Irene has just been raised from 38 now to 40 people who lost their lives from this hurricane. This is across 11 states. Flood waters are on the rise now and there are some search and rescue efforts that are underway in New Jersey. The Passaic River is reaching dangerously high levels now. About 1,700 people have been rescued so far. Just last hour we talked with Sergeant Alex Popov of Patterson, New Jersey, Police Department.
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SGT. ALEX POPOV, NEW JERSEY POLICE DEPARTMENT: Most of the rescue calls we're getting are people that are actually in their homes. Some have minimal power. And we are getting to them as fast as we can. We're rescuing elderly people, children, families, even pets. We're getting them to safety and transporting them to a shelter.
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MALVEAUX: Sergeant Popov says people who need help can call these two numbers, 973-321-1142 or 973-321-1195. This month has been the deadliest ever for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Sixty-six American troops have died. That is the most since the conflict began almost 10 years ago. Thirty U.S. service members died in just one day when insurgents shot down their helicopter.
Now, the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks is just two weeks away and tens of thousands of U.S. troops are still in the region. Forty-seven thousand service members in Iraq and 99,000 in Afghanistan. So, what is the state of U.S. troops who have returned from those wars? Some heavy figures here. Two hundred and twelve thousand have suffered traumatic brain injuries. That is everything from penetrating injuries to concussions. And almost 67,000 suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. And 232,000 U.S. troops who serve in Iraq and Afghanistan now don't have jobs. That is a rate of 12.4 percent. That is much higher than the nationwide unemployment rate.
Just a few minutes ago, President Obama spoke to veterans and their families at the American Legions Convention in Minneapolis.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Already we've helped to bring tens of thousands of veterans off the streets. For the first time ever, we've made veterans and military families a priority, not just at the V.A., not just at DOD, but across the federal government, and that includes making sure that federal agencies are working together so that every veteran who fought for America has a home in America.
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MALVEAUX: And now 10 years after September 11th, almost 10 years since the war in Afghanistan began, what is going on there? Well, I'm going to be heading to Afghanistan next week to find out. I'll be investigating the training of Afghan troops. Are they prepared to take over once U.S. troops have all gone home? I'm also going to be talking with American men and women who were just children on the days of those attacks. And I'm going to be reporting live from Afghanistan starting on Friday, September 9th, through the weekend of September 11th.
You've been sounding off on our "Talk Back" question. Carol Costello is in New York with some of your responses.
Hey, Carol, provocative question.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is indeed. Today's question, will the talk about Rick Perry's intelligence help or hurt his run for the White House?
This from Michael. He says, "I think the question of intelligence is not just something Perry has to deal with, but Bachmann as well. Obama may not be doing everything right, but he's a smart guy in the end, which is sometimes comforting to a lot of people." Dottie says, "leadership comes from knowing how to use what a person has learned. Relying on computers in schools has taught us how to access information instead of actually learning. Obama has all the paperwork but cannot apply them to real life."
This from Charles. "I don't think Perry's dumb. He has to be a smart guy to be elected governor of Texas. I don't think he has the credentials of a presidential candidate. Why not Ron Paul? Answer me that."
Ron Paul has some passionate supporters, Suzanne.
Please continue the conversation, facebook.com/carolcnn. And thanks, as always, for your comments. And, you be careful in Afghanistan, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right, thank you, Carol.
We're watching a hard landing for a plane in Illinois. We've got that video coming up next.
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MALVEAUX: Stories cross country now.
Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is in critical condition in a hospital. Texas prison officials tell CNN that Jeffs fell ill while fasting in his prison cell. Jeffs is serving a life sentence on child sex charges.
The FBI has arrested former NBA player Javaris Crittenton on murder charges. He was taken into custody last night in L.A. while trying to board a plane to Atlanta. Crittenton is wanted in connection with the drive-by shooting death of a woman in Atlanta on August 19th.
And a hard landing for a United Express flight in Illinois. The plane veered off the runway while landing yesterday, coming to a stop in a grassy area. No one was hurt. Federal transportation officials are now investigating.
Well, CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Randi Kaye.
Hey, Randi.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Suzanne. Thank you.
