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9/11 Memorial Dedicated at Ground Zero; The President's Words on 9/11; Republican Party Showdown; Surviving the Pentagon Attack; Republican Party Showdown; Moments from 9/11 Tributes
Aired September 11, 2011 - 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: Thanks for joining us, everyone. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Don Lemon live in Tampa, Florida, for Monday night's CNN Tea Party GOP debate. A preview is just ahead, but we start first with the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
It's been a long day of deep emotions and quiet memories.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: America pauses to remember the attacks of 9/11 exactly ten years ago. The site of the World Trade Center opened today as a memorial to those who died. Large square fountains occupy the space where the Twin Towers once stood.
CNN's Poppy Harlow has been there all day. And, Poppy, I want to know what the reaction is now that the memorial has finally been open. Is there some degree of comfort?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I think they're absolutely is, Don, from all the people that I talk to today, those that lost their children, if you can imagine that. Those that lost fathers, brothers, mothers, aunts and uncles. For a lot of them this was cathartic in a sense and this was closure and also rebirth for some of them.
It was the first time this morning that they were able to walk in those gates, walk to the memorial, those stunning poles with each and every one of the names of those who lost their life at 9/11 at the Twin Towers etched in stone. Many of them went up and they would rub their hand over the name of their loved one. It was a very touching moment in my mind.
Something else as it got dark here in Lower Manhattan. I want to show you a shot that means a lot, especially to New Yorkers. This is a shot that I have watched over the past 10 years. As you see, the blue rights reflecting of the Twin Towers reminding us where they stood, what they meant. It's a shot that we see, really just once a year and now on this 10th anniversary of 9/11.
What stood with me, Don, looking back on today is the personal story. There is no way to tell all of them. But I want to tell you one that really struck me. It's about a girl named Andrea Haberman. She was 25 years old from a small town outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her first business trip ever. She flew here. She went to a meeting on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Center. I sat down today with her father.
Take a listen to what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: You lost your daughter Andrea ten years ago.
GORDON HABERMAN, DAUGHTER DIED ON 9/11: My daughter Andrea was murdered 10 years ago. I didn't lose her. She was on the 92nd floor. All of them were murdered that day.
HARLOW: The north tower?
HABERMAN: North tower.
HARLOW: This is Andrea, right?
HABERMAN: This is. Close to the heart.
HARLOW: I have heard from some people that they felt a bit of hope today, that today wasn't as somber as some other anniversaries.
HABERMAN: The memorial is beautiful. It is. It's been a long 10 years. I was honored to read names again. Like I told you, I don't think that they will be doing that in the next year or so. It's a passage for me.
HARLOW: What will you leave here feeling tonight?
HABERMAN: I'm with friends. I have a whole New York family.
HARLOW: That's what came out of it?
HABERMAN: I'm blessed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: If you can believe it, someone going through a tragedy like that saying "I am blessed," Don. Certainly leaving here, feeling much different than he and his family did when they lost their daughter 10 years ago.
He told me that the moment that they saw the plane hit the tower, they got in their car from Wisconsin and drove out here to New York trying to rescue and find their daughter. There is a book being written about her. I want to point people to the Web site, because I've read part of it today and it's just an amazing story. It's called JustAFewSleepsAway.com.
And everyone has this story. This is one of about 3,000 stories, Don. But that's what sticks of us today. Of course, it's a somber day, a sad day but also a day of renewal, a day of hope, and I think a day of moving on for some here this morning throughout the ceremony and throughout the day today.
LEMON: Poppy Harlow, thank you so much for your reporting.
President Barack Obama traveled to all three locations devastated by the terror attacks 10 years ago today. This afternoon, he attended a remembrance at The Pentagon where 184 victims died.
Earlier, he walked the fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, remembering the 40 lost there. And the president began his day at a ceremony at Ground Zero where 2,753 people were killed. The First Lady and president and Mrs. Bush walked with him during the service.
Mr. Obama gave a reading from the Bible. And, tonight, he spoke at a concert for hope held at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And make sure you join us later in the broadcast when we look back on this full day of remembrance. The anniversaries, moments to remember. We'll show you how our nation paid its respects.
We want to listen now to the president earlier tonight in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the decade since, much has changed for Americans. We've known war and recession; passionate debates and political divides. We can never get back the lives we lost on that day, or the Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the wars that followed.
And yet today, it is worth remembering what has not changed. Our character as a nation has not changed. Our faith - in God and each other - that has not changed. Our belief in America, born of a timeless ideal that men and women should govern themselves; that all people are created equal, and deserve the same freedom to determine their own destiny - that belief, through test and trials, has only been strengthened.
These past ten years have shown that America does not give in to fear. The rescue workers who rushed to the scene; the firefighters who charged up the stairs; the passengers who stormed the cockpit - these patriots defined the very nature of courage. Over the years we have also seen a more quiet form of heroism - in the ladder company that lost so many men and still suits up to save lives every day; the businesses that have rebuilt; the burn victim who has bounced back; the families that press on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Fighter jets were scrambled today because of reports of suspicious activities aboard two domestic flights. Both planes landed safely and there were no further signs of trouble. But three people were taken into custody from a frontier airline flight from Denver after it landed in Detroit. F-16s also shadowed an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York after reports that several passengers were behaving strangely.
The 9/11 anniversary was honored in Afghanistan, too, but soldiers at one base didn't have much time to dwell on it. They were left reeling by a suicide attack that wounded 77 Americans. Here's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (via-telephone): All 77 NATO service members wounded in a Saturday attack against a coalition base in Afghanistan are U.S. troops. A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force said on Sunday.
Two Afghan civilians and 25 others were also wounded in the attack which occurred on the eve of the 10th anniversary of al Qaeda's attack on the United States. None of the U.S. injuries is life- threatening and those wounded are expected to return to duty shortly.
It was a suicide truck bomb at a U.S. base in Wardak Province in central eastern Afghanistan where the attack took place.
Barbara Starr, CNN, Washington.
LEMON: And next, we turn our attention to politics. CNN and the Tea Party Express will be hosting a Republican debate just hours from now. And we look to the connections between the Tea Party and the GOP.
And a scene of excitement becomes a scene of horror when a balcony full of people collapses.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: One stage, eight candidates, all fighting for attention and support from the Tea Party and any other Republican that they can attract. Let's preview Monday night's debate here on CNN.
Amy Kremer is a chairwoman of the Tea Party Express. She is with me right here in Tampa. And in New York tonight, CNN contributor and political anchor for New York One, Errol Louis.
Thank you very much.
Amy, let's talk about the Tea Party and the Republican Party. Do you see much of difference between the two and what are the goals going to be come tomorrow night?
AMY KREMER, CHAIRWOMAN, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: Well, the Tea Party subjective is not to send a Republican to Washington but to send a conservative to Washington. This movement is a direct result of people being frustrated and angry with both political parties, but especially the Republican Party because they have gotten away from their conservative principles and values. And so we want a conservative in Washington. Not necessarily a Republican. LEMON: But the people on that stage obviously tomorrow night are all Republicans. And what is the Tea Party going to be looking for them to say tomorrow night to hear from them?
KREMER: Well, we want to know who is going to turn this economy around. It's about jobs, jobs, jobs. And that's what all Americans are concerned about right now.
LEMON: OK. Errol, I want to turn to you now.
What about candidates like John Huntsman? He's struggling in the polls, but he's trying to present himself to people as someone who is a viable candidate. What does he have to do?
ERROL LOUIS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think he's going to have to move off what he tried in the last debate which was trying to make the very unusual case of saying, look, I can be elected in the general election, but because I am not all that unacceptable to independents or to crossover Democrats. That's not what you normally want to hear if you are a GOP primary voter. He's got his work cut out for him. He's going to have to try a different angle of attack if he wants to get into this race. We should expect to see if he makes any progress with that tomorrow.
LEMON: You know what, it's interesting to me, Amy, that these Republican candidates at the debates, they have rarely talked about issues like Afghanistan. Is that OK with you? Does the Tea Party have a position on that?
KREMER: Well, we stick to fiscal issues because that's the glue that holds us together. We try not to go into foreign policy, absolutely no social issues because you will never going to get everybody to agree on that.
What we can all agree on is that we want a balanced budget. We want Washington to live within their means.
LEMON: You said absolutely no social issues, but a lot of the candidates, even those who are Tea Party favorites have really, they have agendas when it comes to social issues and they put that front and center.
KREMER: Right, and they may to that. But, look, at the end of the day, people decide what their issue is when they go to the polls. And there are people that will vote on the social issue that's important to them, but most people are voting on the economy. And, again, it's about jobs, jobs, jobs.
LEMON: Errol, if Afghanistan isn't an issue, is that good or bad politically for President Obama?
LOUIS: I think, frankly, it doesn't bode well for the president if people decide as was just said that this isn't about foreign policy. This isn't about his record on catching and killing Osama Bin Laden. Well, that takes a couple of important points off the table for him. So that's not good news for the president. And I'm reminded of the first President Bush. President George H. W. Bush was enormously popular. He won the Gulf War. The voters thanked him by voting him out of office, you know. I mean, it really could backfire for the president. So we'll see whether or not, it is a real issue or not.
LEMON: Errol, as someone who has been covering this forever, do you think we're going to see a lot of talk about seniors and social security? Does Rick Perry have some damage control when it comes to that issue?
LOUIS: Oh, I would say so. One in three Republican primary voters in Florida is over 65, so that's a whole lot of people who have some experience with the system, who have paid into the system who don't necessarily think that they have done something wrong or that. This system in some cases is keeping them alive and maintaining this standard of living. It is some sort of criminal enterprise.
I think, you know, he made his point that, yes, in 20, or 30 years, this system is going to have to be retuned or adjusted somewhere along the way. I don't know if it's going to sell to make it sound as if it's got to get done this year, right now.
And, you know, look, it scares people when you talk about cutting off or possibly cutting off an important lifeline for them. I think he's going to find out that the hard way, starting tomorrow.
LEMON: And, Amy, Mitt Romney's people certainly think that he has some explaining to do because they have been handing out flyers on social security here in Florida.
KREMER: This is I think, Don, is that when the Medicare board of trustees has said that Medicare will go bankrupt in 2024 if it is not reformed, it is totally radical and irresponsible for Washington not to do anything about it. I think these seniors would rather know what they are going to face down the road, or people that will be, you know, facing retirement in the next 10 to 20 years instead of the unknown. It's simply irresponsible not to do anything about it.
LEMON: And you think Rick Perry's language, the way he's treated it, does that resonate with people here?
KREMER: What I think is there is a serious problem. And somebody has to address it. And like I said, it is irresponsible not to address it. So Rick Perry is shining the light on something that we need to deal with. Maybe he hasn't used the correct term that people would like him to use, but there is a serious issue there, and it needs to be dealt with.
LEMON: All right. Amy Kremer, I feel like you have been co- anchoring with me.
KREMER: Absolutely.
(CROSSTALK) LEMON: Thank you, Amy. Thank you. Thank you. We're going to a lot more if you come tomorrow as well. And also Errol Louis, as always, we appreciate you joining us here as well on CNN as you do every Sunday night.
And you don't want to miss Monday night's Republican debate. Co- hosted by CNN and the Tea Party. It's at 8:00 Eastern. We're going to be live from here at Tampa, site of the 2012 Republican National Convention. That's a CNN Tea Party Republican debate, Monday night, 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
184 people died when a plane flew into the side of The Pentagon on 9/11. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr was there 10 years ago. Her video recollection is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Thousands remember the heroes of 9/11 today. President Obama laid a wreath at the Pentagon memorial site. 184 people died when American Airlines Flight 77 flew to the side of the building.
CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr was in the building that Tuesday morning doing her job as a correspondent when the plane hit. September 11 just happens to be her birthday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: You were either here that day or you weren't. For the people who work in the building today who were there 10 years ago, I don't think you can ever forget I'm sitting here and I'm seeing the flames in front of me on this beautiful morning.
And 9/11 is my birthday. I woke up that morning, looked out the window, the weather was beautiful. And I thought how little time could I possibly spend at work? I'll put something nice on, I'll go out to dinner with friends and it will be a nice birthday.
But then, New York. Ten years ago, this was the area where the Pentagon press corps was working. That morning we had been watching the attacks unfold in New York. I came out in this hallway and suddenly, there was a Pentagon policeman coming from that direction running down this hallway yelling, "Get out, get out! Everybody get out! We've been hit. Get out!"
American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon. By the time I made my way from my office down there to this part of the hallway, it was full of people. We could smell the smoke. Hundreds of people come into this hallway, coming down the stairs from the upper floors, coming up the stairs from the basement. The doors had closed shut due to the security alert, so it took a few minutes for them to open it and for people to make their way out to safety.
This entire side of the Pentagon was a wall of flame and black smoke. I remember seeing people coming out of the wreckage where the plane had hit, some covered in blood, trying to make their way to safety. Hundreds of workers had gathered here.
At one point before a large number of police or fire personnel could even get here, they called for people who had any kind of emergency or medical training and hundreds of military people came moving back in towards the wreckage to help in any way that they could. That's what it was really all about here on that day in this place, for the U.S. military -- no retreat, no surrender.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Barbara and many others remembering what happened ten years ago today. More signs the end is near for the Moammar Gadhafi regime. His son flees to Niger.
Also a balcony crowded with people collapses during a festival, and people are seriously hurt. Those stories and more in your top stories -- next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RICHELLE CAREY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Richelle Carey at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Back to Don in Tampa in just a moment. First, let's check on our top stories.
Another member of Moammar Gadhafi's family has fled Libya. The latest Saadi Gadhafi, a former soccer player and playboy who is now in Niger according to officials there. He was accepted with eight former regime officials on humanitarian grounds. He is not the first to leave. Moammar Gadhafi's wife, two of his sons and other relatives fled recently to Algeria.
One person was killed Sunday and several others injured when, watch this, this balcony collapsed. This is during a procession in Mumbai, India. Two women are reportedly in critical condition. The balcony was crowded with people trying to catch a glimpse of a religious idol as it passed in a procession marking the last day of a Hindu festival.
Across the country today, people paused to remember the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks. In New York, a tree-filled plaza now surrounds two large square fountains where the twin towers once stood. One by one, the names of the people who were killed on this date 10 years ago were read aloud. Ceremonies were held at The Pentagon as well. 184 people were killed when American Airlines Flight 77 flew right into the side of the building.
And in Shanksville, Pennsylvania --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEOPLE SINGING
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAREY: Beautiful, isn't it? There was also a ceremony at the site where United Airlines Flight 93 went down in that field.
On the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, the Taliban showed coalition forces are still in danger in Afghanistan. 77 U.S. troops were injured when militants launched a suicide bomb attack overnight on a NATO base in Wardak Province. A t least two Afghan civilians were killed, 25 others hurt in the blast. None of the injuries are believed to be life threatening. Militants used a truck loaded with firewood to hide the massive explosives.
Fighter jets were scrambled today because of reports of suspicious activities aboard two domestic flights. Both planes landed safely. There were no further signs of trouble, but three people were taken into custody in Detroit after a Frontier Airlines flight landed from Denver. F-16s also shadowed an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York after reports several passengers were behaving strangely.
Now on to your Monday morning commute, meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is here.
Jacqui, these security issues that we had mentioned, are they going to affect people's travel at all?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, they may, again, Richelle, tomorrow. You know, if there is a major security breach, obviously there's going to be a problem. But hopefully it won't be much more than just kind of a little inconvenience for you. Maybe 10, 15 minutes delays because of extra security. This is nationwide. This is at airports, train stations and subway systems.
Now in New York City in particular, they are doing an increase of baggage checks at all of those areas. Additional officers are out there patrolling. They're going to be working extra hours. Canine teams have been deployed.
They are doing some checks at tunnels and bridges, but they do expect a gradual decrease in the security in the upcoming days. This has been going on since September 1st actually. They say it's not going to be a big drop off tomorrow if those just kind of gradually face it out as they see it necessary.
What can you do? Of course arrive early, be on alert. And if you see anything suspicious, of course, report that to authorities right away.
Let's get to tomorrow's commute tonight. How is the weather going to impact your travel? Number five, Los Angeles, you're going to see some fog delays there. Number four, D.C. as well as Baltimore, some showers and thunderstorms that poke up in the afternoon. Little windy for you in Minneapolis. Arrival delays especially at the airport. Number 2, in New York City, we got fog as well as those issues due to security. And number one, Miami. Lots of rain.
Richelle?
CAREY: Thank you very much. Those are the top stories this hour.
Let's head on back to Tampa, and my friend Don.
Hey, Don.
LEMON: Everybody here is talking about, look at these two good women on the set back in Atlanta. And where are you, Don? In Tampa. Thanks for inviting me to the party at least.
CAREY: We're holding it down for you. That's what we do.
LEMON: All right. Tell, Jacqui, I said, hi.
Thank you, Richelle.
Up next, what GOP contenders must do to win Monday night's debate from our political analysts. We're back in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back to Tampa, site of Monday's "CNN/Tea Party Express Republican Debate." And fasten your seat belts because we're going to talk with two people who are never afraid to share their opinions. Erick Erickson is in Atlanta. He is a CNN contributor and the editor-in-chief of RedState.com. And on the West Coast tonight, CNN political analyst Roland Martin.
OK, guys, thanks for joining us.
Eric, I'm going to start with you. Rick Perry isn't backing down from calling social security a Ponzi scheme. How is that going to play in Florida? How is that going to play in Peoria?
ERICK ERICKSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it depends on how far he goes with this. There are a lot of people who understand I think what he means. It's come out over the weekend. The right-leaning Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman, left-leaning Nobel Prize winner Paul Samuelson have all said this. In fact, Mitt Romney in 2008 called it a criminal enterprise. So, we'll see how far he goes in the deck.
There is word that Michele Bachmann may try to attack Perry over this. It's all about senior citizens in Florida. And I think he may be able to couch it in a way that he doesn't want to end the system, he wants to fix the system. And polls are suggesting senior citizens kind of get that.
LEMON: We're going to see tomorrow night. But, Roland, listen, he said it. So, Ponzi scheme. Was it a bad term? It may not have been the right term but social security really is on shaky financial ground.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, it's a dumb term. And so, what you don't want to do is you don't want to fall for the bumper sticker slogan and not adequately explain yourself. And so, here you are going to another debate and now if you're Governor Rick Perry, you have to explain yourself further. He must be clear and concise.
And don't forget, the previous governor from Texas who was president, President George W. Bush, he talked about having private social security accounts. That was his big thing. It was a logical thing that Republicans supported.
So, Perry better be very clear what he's talking about. Otherwise, the opponents will tear him to shreds and he will lose ground by keep talking about Ponzi schemes.
LEMON: Yes and as you said it's a bumper sticker slogan.
But, you know, Erick, we have all heard the term "Romney Care," that's the slogan. But Rick Perry -- he's got to explain a little bit more because he's being criticized as well for what some people are calling "Perry Care," his mandate in Texas that young girls get vaccinated against sexually transmitted viruses. He's got some explaining to do about that.
ERICKSON: You know, it's interesting, I said for a very long time that this is going to be his Achilles heel in the Republican primary. I fundamentally disagreed with what he did back when he did it in 2007. Now it never went anywhere, but it was a judgment call based on his loathing of cancer and a personal history with members of his family. I get that.
But I think he handled it poorly. And then I'm going to see -- I'm interested to see if he does a Tim Pawlenty and says, you know, I screwed up, I shouldn't have done it. Mitt Romney seemed willing to give him a pass last week at the debate, saying he probably wouldn't have done it again over. I think Perry would just going to have to come out and say, yes, I screwed up.
LEMON: Does his "Perry Care" hurt him in the long run or the short term, Roland?
MARTIN: Well, first of all, look, this economy will come down to the election. It's not going to come down to "Perry Care." Sure, folks will see here and try to score some points when it comes to "Romney Care." But it all boils down to the candidate.
I think one of the biggest mistakes that we're going to make is that we continue to make this debate tomorrow all about Governor Perry and Mitt Romney.
If you are Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, you want to do well. If you're Jon Huntsman, you want to stay away from science talk or whatever and you really want to hone in on your economic message, which the "Wall Street Journal," a conservative -- editorial page, really supported.
And so, I think it's wrong for us when one ballot has not been cast to make this whole debate out to be about Perry and Romney. That to me is a huge mistake by the media.
LEMON: There are other people in the race. Real quickly, I want to get to this. Everywhere I go people are still talking about this, for a person who's not even in the race. I'm talking about Sarah Palin. She's not even in the debate tomorrow night and people are saying -- are talking about her. I want to play this from one person I spoke to, a supporter here in Florida this week. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, my favorite is my role model, Sarah. I would love to see Sarah do that.
LEMON: Sarah Palin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be right behind -- I'll take a bullet for her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Listen. I've got just about 15 seconds left here. First to you, Erick, what's your reaction to that?
ERICKSON: You know, I realized there are a lot of people who want Sarah Palin to come in, but she whipped so many people into frenzy. I really think she needs to get in soon. If she's not in by October, she's lost ballot access. But she's doing herself and others a disservice by waiting so long. Polls are showing now if she gets in she's really not even going to have a real impact.
LEMON: Roland?
MARTIN: Don, we were shut up, OK. Stop following this woman around everywhere she goes. If she gets in, great. If she doesn't, fine. We're the ones who are making a big deal out of this, just like we keep asking Rudy Giuliani. Guess what. If she wants to get in, she'll get in. We in the media are making a bigger deal out of this than anybody else. We should shut up.
ERICKSON: That's right.
LEMON: Hey, thank you, guys. Listen, I've got to say though and she draws a crowd. Rudy Giuliani and no other candidate draws a crowd like Sarah Palin. And guess what. When you put her on television, the ratings go up. And that says a lot about what people are interested in.
MARTIN: So does James Brown but he's not running for office.
LEMON: Thank you -- well, James Brown is dead, dude. Thank you, guys. I appreciate it.
You can catch all the action on Monday night -- "The Republican Debate," co-hosted by CNN and the Tea Party. It's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern from Tampa only on CNN.
Next, we'll look at the Tea Party's influence on the GOP nomination. Plus, my sit-down interview with Americans about what they want to hear from the candidates. We'll drill down on the "No Talking Points" -- on that segment, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Let's continue our political discussion now with CNN's senior political editor Mr. Mark Preston and CNN political reporter Shannon Travis.
OK. You got the new information earlier about Michele Bachmann that she is going to come out swinging and she's going to target Rick Perry.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes. She has to target Rick Perry because Rick Perry is the person who's taken the wind out of her sails. In fact, we are all wondering would she go after Rick Perry in tomorrow night's debate. What I have been told now by some of her campaign advisers that on three issues she will try to differentiate herself. It's very important now -- three issues -- HPV vaccination mandate...
LEMON: Yes. They're going to call that "Perry Care." Go ahead.
PRESTON: Social security. Differentiate herself on that one as well. And what she really wants to do is to show that she is the true conservative in this right race now.
LEMON: OK. You know, there are other people in the race and we have been sitting here talking about mostly about three candidates. I mean, honestly, there are, you know, five other candidates who are going to be up on that stage tomorrow night. And the people who we're not talking may feel a bit left out. You heard Roland Martin say, hey, listen, we have to stop saying it's a two-person race or maybe a three-person race, we've got to focus on the other folks.
PRESTON: But let's call it a two-person race for the moment, the time that we're in. That is the most accurate way to say. But yes, we are going to see the likes of Herman Kane and Rick Santorum, even Jon Huntsman. He's not going to be playing to the Tea Party, Don, right?
Shannon, it's not going to be his -- what he's going to be doing, but it's still a national stage. It's not just going to be Tea Party activists watching.
LEMON: Let's talk to Shannon now.
Shannon, how long have you been covering -- you have been following the Tea Party. You did a documentary on it?
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, I did a documentary back in October -- since the birth of the movement really, since February 2009.
LEMON: How have you seen a change? I mean, thinking about the Tea Party -- started to fracture. Some people say they are fractured now. They may be more organized when they started a couple of years ago and then now -- to this, which is history, the first Tea Party debate. They have grown in the last couple of years.
TRAVIS: They have grown. I mean, like most movements, they have grown in size. Their message has obviously grown. They are a lot more fractured. A lot of people don't realize that the Tea Party, they embrace a common message of less spending and adheres to the constitution. But there are different factions in the Tea Party. They actually have little warring episodes or warring moments at times.
But another way that they are different now is that they are trying to seem or at least appear a lot more moderate. Remember, the criticism, the rap on them...
LEMON: Yes.
TRAVIS: ...was that they were crazy and extremes. And I just spoke with the Tea Party Express chairwoman, Amy Kremer, and she said, you know what, the fact that we are having this debate on CNN will help us present ourselves as a...
PRESTON: And you know what she told -- what she used to say, the fact of the matter is the Tea Party is not a party; they are not the Republican Party; they are not the Democrat Party; they are just a movement.
LEMON: Yes. And so -- I spoke to them here and they said, you know what, we are tired of people making us out to be crazies; we're not crazies; and, Don, make sure you say that. And I tell them, listen, early on, you know, the signs and you heard about that and people thought they were racists and the demographics of the Tea Party. The demographics of the Tea Party, it's really what? Older people.
TRAVIS: Older. Largely white.
LEMON: Yes.
TRAVIS: Although they do have some African-American followings, minorities.
LEMON: But Amy says, you know, we're not -- party doesn't matter to us, it can be a Democratic, it can be an independent. But most people in the Tea Party are Republicans.
TRAVIS: Most of them are Republicans. I would say the vast majority of them are conservatives.
LEMON: Do you know any Democrats that are in the Tea Party?
TRAVIS: I have met some, but very small. It's very small in number of Democrats in the Tea Party movement. But what they want to do, again, this whole -- is re-branding themselves, seeming more moderate to attract more Democrats, to attract even independents, because, again, they know that the conservative firebrand -- the fire breathing will work in a conservative primary, but they need more people to help them win in a general election. LEMON: Yes.
I have to ask you, in the short time we have left, Mark, you're the political editor, you have been doing this for a long time. Have you seen anything like the Tea Party, this movement, which is said is not a party, gain so much momentum in such a short amount of time?
PRESTON: No, absolutely not. But let's go back to its birth (ph). They are just conservatives and what they have been able to, Don, been able to do is to come together and to bring in independents, conservative independents and folks who were not necessarily involved in politics. And that's what we have seen in the last few years.
LEMON: All right. Mark, Shannon, thank you. I'll be seeing you guys tomorrow. Get some sleep now because it's going to be a long day. We appreciate it.
And I tell you this. Many Americans may not think of themselves as Tea Partiers but they may have something in common with them. During my time here in Florida this week, I met with a lot of Tea Party supporters and they shared a view to our elected officials that cuts across party lines. They are tired of spin and they are tired of something we try hard to avoid right here on this show -- talking points. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: When you said the voter wants a real person and not a political robot, not someone who's just going to spout off talking points and say what they're supposed to say.
SHARON CALVERT, FOUNDER, TAMPA TEA PARTY: Well, we want somebody that has actually -- who has actually created something, has actually been a producer in this, you know, in this economy, not just always being one that's been on the government side or the academic side.
LEMON: Is that why it doesn't matter if you have political experience for the Tea Party? You want a real person.
TIM CURTIS, CO-CHAIRMAN, TAMPA 912 PROJECT: In the political experience, probably isn't nearly as important as the leadership experience. The ability to demonstrate that you can get something done.
CALVERT: Yes, political experience. I mean, I'm not saying that you don't need that. But what we are saying here from a grassroots perspective, we want to get local people to run for local offices and become the farm team because then you groom those people and then they can go further.
LEMON: As a member of the Tea Party -- the Tampa Tea Party, what do you want to hear from them?
CURTIS: I want to hear that they are going to offer something other than the same tired dribble that we have been hearing for years.
LEMON: Like what?
CURTIS: Like I have a plan to do to cut spending. I have a plan to reduce government. Because we have heard that same song.
LEMON: Talking points.
CURTIS: Well, sometimes talking points aren't bad if they are the important points. So I get that. But there has to be real commitment. Because everyone can talk the talking points. It's a matter of actually living up to it.
LEMON: If you had one piece of advice to give to them -- one -- what would you give to them?
CALVERT: I would want them to give us a solution.
CURTIS: Yes. Make it short. Make it sweet. Make it right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm broadcasting today as you know right here from WTBN Studios and the local talk radio host hears from voters everyday.
LEMON: When you hear from people who are listening to you, what do they want to hear? Are they sick of talking points? They want real people? What?
BILL BUNKLEY, HOST, WGUL AND WLSS: I think they -- I think they want candidates who are speaking from their heart. I think that when you hear canned responses or you hear the same responses over and over and over, that's when the age of Internet and the age of Twitter and Facebook, we've got a more educated population and they can tell when someone is really speaking from their heart. And we want to leave the Washington buzz in Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Voters here in Florida voicing their concerns.
More than 1,500 homes now destroyed by Texas wildfires and the number of fires, well, continues to grow. That report and more of your top stories next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RICHELLE CAREY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Richelle Carey at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. We'll go back to Tampa and Don Lemon in just a moment. First, let's check on the top stories.
Across the country today, people pause to remember the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York. Take a look at that. A tree- filled plaza now surrounds two large square fountains where the Twin Towers once stood. One by one the names are read aloud of the people who were killed on this date exactly ten years ago. Ceremonies were held at the Pentagon as well. 184 people died when American Airlines Flight 77 slammed right into the side of that building.
And in Shanksville, Pennsylvania --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHILDREN SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAREY: Beautiful sound of children's voices. There was also a ceremony at the site where United Airlines Flight 93 went down in a field.
And on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, the Taliban showed coalition forces are still in danger in Afghanistan. 77 U.S. troops were injured when militants launched a suicide bomb attack overnight on a NATO base in Wardak Province. At least two Afghan civilians killed, 25 others hurt in this blast. Militants used a truck loaded with firewood to hide the explosives.
And the wildfire disaster in Texas is growing tonight. Officials now say the number of homes destroyed by the still raging flames has risen to more than 1,500 and 17 people are unaccounted for, but officials believe or are hoping these people are simply out of town. More than 180 fires have erupted across the state in just the last week.
Those are the top stories this hour. As I said, we'll go back to Tampa right now to my friend Don Lemon.
Yes, I know, Don. Tough times.
LEMON: Let's hope they get some relief soon. Yes. Absolutely. Thank you, Richelle.
CAREY: Sure.
LEMON: Next, we'll show you how Americans across the nation remember the victims of 9/11 on this 10th anniversary of the terror attacks. We're back in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: From sun up to beyond sun down, the nation remembered what we lost and how we triumphed through this day 10 years ago. Here now just some of the moments that brought us together as we remember September 11, 2001.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not fear. Even though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: Please join in observing our first moment of silence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Although words cannot ease the pain of these losses, paying tribute and recall not just the horror of that day but the heroism as well can hopefully give you some comfort and stiffen the resolve of this nation.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT: I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Firefighter Gary Richard Box.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christopher and Joseph Blackwell.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my dad, Michael Batch (ph).
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: God bless every soul that we lost. God bless the family members who have to endure that loss. And God, guide us to our reunion in heaven and God bless the United States of America.
ALAN JACKSON, SINGER (SINGING)
SAMUEL LLOYD III, CATHEDRAL DEAN: We will turn our thoughts to building together a world where such terrible events no longer occur.
PATTI LABELLE (SINGING)
OBAMA: It will be said that we kept the faith, that we took a painful blow and we emerged stronger than before.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And live pictures now of the twin beams that represent the World Trade Center where they once stood.
I'm Don Lemon in Tampa, the site of Monday night's CNN/Tea Party Republican Presidential Debate. I'll be reporting from here tomorrow and I'll see you here on this program next weekend. Thanks for watching. Good night.
