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Campbell Brown
Convention Coverage; Interview With Dick Durbin; Interview With John Kerry
Aired August 25, 2008 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: All right, guys they're rocking here on the floor at the Democratic Convention.
Suzanne Malveaux is right in the middle of the action. She's got Dick Durbin in the Illinois delegation. Dick Durbin one of the early supporters of Barack Obama, the senior senator from Illinois. And he knows the Obamas quite well -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you're absolutely right. We were just talking about this in the break with the senator. You two met some 12 years ago or so. You know, the senator very well. You met over dinner.
There are a lot of voters, however, who still do not know who Barack Obama is. There are even about 27 percent of Hillary Clinton's supporters who say they're going over to John McCain.
What do we need to hear from Michelle Obama tonight to really convince them that this is, perhaps, the candidate?
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: I think what they're going to learn is she's a great woman, she's a great mother, she's a great wife. I've known her so many years. We just love her. And a lot of things that have been written about her have been so unfair and so distorted. She's a genuinely good person, came from a family that basically didn't have much. She worked her way up through school, got a great education, a law degree.
I mean she is an American success story.
MALVEAUX: Do you think that she has been more of a help or a liability to the campaign?
DURBIN: Definitely a help. Now, there have been some stories that were totally unfair.
As people get to know her and realize her highest priority is her family, they're going to realize that's what they want as first lady of this country.
MALVEAUX: We saw Senator Joe Biden, who just arrived in the audience here. You've known him for years and years.
What kind of role did you play in convincing Barack Obama that he would be the right choice for V.P.? What do you think he brings to the ticket?
DURBIN: Well, Barack and I sat down twice, the last time a few weeks ago. It was really his personal decision. I didn't push him one way or the other. But we went through all the candidates -- the pluses and the minuses. Joe Biden came out very high on that list.
I mean he has extraordinary experience. You would want him in the room with the president when important decisions are being made. And he also, I think, has a great life story -- where he's come from, a working family in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He's made it all the way to the top of the United States Senate.
I think he'll be a great vice president and a terrific person when it comes to this campaign.
MALVEAUX: What kind of -- what kind of rapport do they have together, these two, when they're behind the cameras, behind the scenes?
DURBIN: You know, I think they get along very well. They're both very outgoing, personable, humorous. I mean they're good people. They tell jokes and they enjoy this business. It makes life a lot easier.
When they were in Springfield just this last Saturday, I saw Barack and Michelle and Joe and Jill sitting together in a little room just drinking a soda, you know, after the speech. And I thought this group is going to be good. It's going to be a good, strong team.
MALVEAUX: What do you think is going to be his greatest challenge, at this point, moving forward?
DURBIN: Well, I think he's going to ill have an important challenge to make sure that we get out our vote. We've got a level of excitement and energy that we've never seen in this country. We've got to make sure that people follow through and realize if it's going to work, if we're really going to change America for the better, we've got to be there November 4th, so taking that great organization behind two great candidates can do it.
MALVEAUX: OK.
Senator, thank you so much.
Senator Dick Durbin, Senior senator from Illinois -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Suzanne.
Thanks to Senator Durbin, as well.
We're standing by to hear from Senator Ted Kennedy. We now believe, despite the brain cancer, despite how seriously ill he is, after this video tribute to Senator Kennedy, we will manage -- he will manage to actually speak. And that will be such a dramatic, poignant moment -- Anderson Cooper. They're getting ready. This is one of these Democratic Conventions -- I don't know if I've ever experienced it before -- they're actually running a little bit ahead of schedule...
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: It's you heard of.
BLITZER: ...than they normally do. Usually the Republicans are pretty good with these schedules.
COOPER: Yes.
BLITZER: The Democrats are doing well tonight.
COOPER: We believe Senator Kennedy will be -- if he is to speak or whatever he's able to do -- will happen within this hour. Obviously, Michelle Obama will be speaking in the next hour, in the 10:00 hour.
BLITZER: There's George McGovern, who was the Democratic presidential candidate back in 1972. He did not win, as a lot of us remember from those days. He's here.
And I just got a note from a friend of mine who was involved in the 2000 Democratic Convention, Jimmy Carter. We were wondering why he didn't speak after that video tribute. He reminded us that back in 2000, Jimmy Carter also had a video tribute, but he declined. He didn't want to speak then. So I suspect that he -- Jimmy Carter -- probably didn't want to speak tonight, as well. And he just walked out with Rosalynn Carter, his wife.
COOPER: Seeing Senator McGovern, it's one of those interesting things about being at the convention, on the floor, as we are, is that you see these -- these well-known politicians just mingling with everybody. People stop. They want photographs with them. It's very hard for them to even move around because so many people want to come up to them, talk to them, say hello and get their photo taken with them.
I want to go to some of our panelists in New York who have been following this convention along with us, in particular, some of the Republicans -- Bill Bennett.
What do you think the message that this convention tonight is sending out to Independents, to people around the United States?
I mean within this auditorium -- Alex Castellanos is there, I'm told. Within this auditorium, Alex, obviously, Jimmy Carter plays very well. Senator Kennedy plays very well. You had Jesse Jackson, Jr. speaking earlier.
But are they sending out too liberal a message on this, the opening night of this convention?
ALEX CASTELLANOS, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Well, if you did a ballot question -- if you asked the American people if they were going to vote today for John McCain or Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Carter probably wouldn't do so well. And that's the same thing with, I think, you know, John McCain versus Nancy Pelosi, or versus -- even Ted Kennedy, as much respect as I think we all have for him. You know, this is a very liberal evening for the Democrats. And I think that's what we're -- that's not necessarily the message, I think, that the convention wants to put out.
COOPER: David Gergen, do you think that's a mistake on the part of the Democrats?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: Yes. And I think for a couple of things.
First of all, Jimmy Carter has won a Nobel Peace Prize here recently. He's one of the two Democrats speaking at this convention -- Al Gore being the other -- who won Nobel Peace Prizes. That must be a first in history. And I think he should have been given the stage.
But more to the point, Anderson, what really has surprised me so far is that we're two hours into this and the Democrats have offered almost no substance for television purposes. You know, we've had very little that's been compelling this far. I'm sure this is working well in the hall and the excitement in the hall is palpable, you know, in the coverage.
But for the large television audience that's watching and waiting to hear what the message is, to get two hours into a convention -- you know, it is really stunning to me. And I think -- having worked on the choreography of these before, you need to grab people's attention with a message early on and then build to your 10:00, not let these hours sort of get frittered away in a lot of hoopla, which is -- you know, it's fun and interesting, but I don't think it's compelling.
COOPER: I should point out, as you see on the television screens, they are now handing out Kennedy signs, again, in anticipation of Senator Kennedy appearing.
David Brody, to David Gergen's point -- David Brody is a CNN contributor, also a senior correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network.
For folks watching at home -- we're told, John -- John -- I'm sorry, David. Hold on one second -- Jack, what are you hearing?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I just received an e-mail from a source saying Senator Kennedy is in the building.
COOPER: Senator Kennedy is -- and do we -- do we know for sure if he is going to speak or not?
KING: We know he wants to speak. I would expect him to speak if he's here. We don't know that yet. That was a call to made in the last minute. But I just received word from somebody who is in the bowels back there that Senator Kennedy is in the building.
COOPER: And, what, there's going to be a video tribute first? KING: He recorded a video message to this convention because there were concerns that he could not make it. And as we have been talking about all night, he was an early supporter of Barack Obama and he very much wants the party to come together.
The expectation is the video would be played and he would come out and give a wave. The question then is a short speech was also written for him as an addendum, if you will, and that's what we have to look for and we're trying to work our sources as we speak.
COOPER: David Brody, CNN contributor, the message you think the last two hours have been sending out to folks, not in this auditorium, because clearly we see the reception it's receiving here.
How do you think it's playing nationwide?
BRODY: I think so far, Anderson, if I can hear most of your question there, I think the message obviously has been playing pretty well tonight. I have to tell you, it was interesting, because when this convention first started, Leah Daughtry, the chairman of this committee -- or this convention -- says we came together and talked about faith and prayer right at the beginning.
You know, you haven't seen that at previous conventions. Very interesting. It wasn't just an opening prayer and moving on.
So, I mean I think the Democrats are trying to set a new tone here this year.
Some of my sources, by the way, on a separate note, are telling me regarding Hillary Clinton -- or not Hillary Clinton, but John McCain -- that the campaign -- or at least the Republican Committee -- will -- Republican National Committee will go ahead and release some sort of ad a little later this week -- we understand it may even be as early as tomorrow -- once again, targeting Hillary Clinton supporters.
So that is in the works. Expect that tomorrow. That's, at least, what my sources are saying tonight.
BLITZER: David, thanks very much.
I just got an e-mail. I just want to alert our viewers that, from a very well placed Democrat who is inside this building, saying Ted Kennedy will, in fact, speak. If he's any strength left, he is going to be speaking. So that's going to be such a moment for all of us to watch. And, as you saw, the Kennedy signs are already out in full force. That Kennedy tribute will be with us right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're here at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Within the next two minutes or so, maybe three, the tribute to Senator Ted Kennedy will begin. And what a moment that will be here on the floor of the convention.
There are about 20,000 people who are packed inside. They've already distributed the Ted Kennedy signs. He's here. He's suffering from brain cancer. It was touch and go whether, A, he would make -- be able to make the flight to Denver.
There you see John Kerry, the other senator from Massachusetts. He's here, as well, getting ready with Teresa Heinz Kerry, his wife, to pay tribute to his colleague, Senator Ted Kennedy.
We weren't sure that Senator Ted Kennedy would be able to come to Denver, let alone whether or not he'd be able to speak. There will be first this video tribute and then we are expecting, Anderson -- we are expecting now that Senator Kennedy, sick as he is right now, will walk up and he will say a few words. And this crowd will be very appreciative of that.
KING: I make the point everybody in this hall now knows what's coming up next. They put a clock up (INAUDIBLE) in the convention (INAUDIBLE).
If you're watching at home, whether you're a Democrat, Republican or an Independent, the tribute is to a man -- the man who will come out, is a 76-year-old. He's a liberal icon, but he is one of the most effective legislators in the history of the United States Senate -- not over the past 15 or 20 years or the past 30 years. His fingerprints are on so many major pieces of legislation.
Now, many Republicans out there may not like them, they think that they're over the top -- but also some of the more bipartisan pieces of legislation.
Remember, this is the senator who got in trouble with the Democrats for working on No Child Left Behind with President Bush, Medicare reform with President Bush, his working with none other than John McCain and President Bush on that big comprehensive education reform.
So he is a legend in the Democratic Party -- but put partisanship aside for a second. He is a legend in the history of the United States Senate.
BLITZER: And Jeff Toobin in New York, whether you support him, his policies or not, there is no one in the U.S. Senate really like Senator Ted Kennedy right now.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST, "NEW YORKER" MAGAZINE COLUMNIST: That is for sure. But, you know, I think it is important to point tonight that this is a man who has been somewhat been sailing against the wind his whole career. In fact, he gave a very famous speech in 1978 where he said sometimes a party must sail against the wind.
This is a Democrat who was a Great Society New Deal Democrat at a conservative time. And his achievements are really all the more remarkable because he is a liberal who has managed to create so many achievements in a conservative time.
BORGER: Anderson. A lot of his top senior staff, old friends, are with him, including Bob Shrum, perhaps one of the greatest political speechwriters of our time. And I guarantee you that if we haven't heard about the stakes in this election tonight so far, we might hear it from Ted Kennedy.
COOPER: We're less than a minute away now from when the lovely Caroline Kennedy is supposed to come on stage -- John. KING: I just wanted to say, I grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts. My dad was a union organizer. And he used to say of Ted Kennedy -- my dad was a little bit more conservative than Ted Kennedy. But he would say he's an SOB, but he's my SOB. And the people of Massachusetts, I think, have thought that way about Ted Kennedy for a long time.
BLITZER: And we're going to be hearing from Caroline Kennedy. She's going to be introducing Senator Kennedy literally within the next few seconds.
This crowd, which is very enthusiastic -- they're dancing to this good music right now. But now it will be silent as she is introduced. Only a few seconds -- you can see 13 seconds, 12 seconds. They're counting down to Caroline Kennedy.
This is going to be one of the highlights. And later tonight, we'll be hearing from Michelle Obama. That will be the other major highlight of this night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Miss. Caroline Kennedy to the Uncle Teddy.
CAROLINE KENNEDY: Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: I'm here tonight I'm here tonight to pay tribute to two men who have changed my life and the life of this country -- Barack Obama and Edward M. Kennedy.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: Their stories are very different, but they share a commitment to the timeless American ideals of justice and fairness, service and sacrifice, faith and family.
Leaders like them come along rarely. But once or twice in a lifetime, they come along just when we need them the most. This is one of those moments.
(APPLAUSE) C. KENNEDY: As our nation faces a fundamental choice between moving forward or falling farther behind, Senator Obama offers the change we need. Everywhere I go in this country, people tell me that Barack Obama is making them feel hopeful, the way they did when my father was president.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: It's partly the words he uses -- words that remind us that we are all in this together and that we each have something to contribute to this country that has given us so much. But it's the life he's led that's the true source of this inspiration -- a life spent fighting for ordinary people in neighborhoods and courts, in the state senate and in the United States Senate.
I've never had someone inspire me the way people tell me my father inspired them, but I do now -- Barack Obama.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: And I know someone else who's been inspired all over again by Senator Obama. In our family, he's known as Uncle Teddy...
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: And more than any Senator of his generation, or perhaps any generation, Teddy has made life better for people in this country and around the world. For 46 years, he's been so much more than just a senator for the people of Massachusetts, he's been a senator for all who believe in a dream that's never died.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: If you're no longer being denied a job because of your race, gender or disability, or you've seen a rise in the minimum wage you're being paid, Teddy is your Senator, too.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: And if your children are receiving health care thanks to the Children's Health Insurance Program, if you see a nurse at a community health center or if you're benefiting from the Medicare program that he fought to create, and just last month he returned to the Senate to save, Teddy is your senator, too.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: If you're a child that's getting an early boost in life through Head Start or attending a better school or can go to college because a Pell Grant has made it more affordable, Teddy is your senator, too.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: And if you're an 18-year-old who's going to vote for the first time -- and I bet it will be for Barack Obama -- Teddy is your senator, too.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: Not only has Teddy helped put the American dream within reach for so many families, he's been a powerful force around the world for human rights and human dignity, for refugees and the dispossessed. He helped end apartheid in South Africa and bring peace to Northern Ireland.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: He's been a leader on arms control and he took a strong, early and courageous stand against the war in Iraq.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: He's man who always insists America live up to her highest ideals, who always fights for what he knows is right and who is always there for others.
I've seen it in my own life. No matter how busy he is, he never fails to find time for those in pain, those in grief or those who just need a hug. In our family, he's never missed a first communion, a graduation or chance to walk one of his nieces down the aisle. He has a special relationship with each of us. And his 60 great nieces and nephews all know that the best cookies and the best laughs are always found at Uncle Teddy's.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: Whether he's teaching us about sailing, about the Senate or about life, he has shown us how to chart our course, take the helm and sail against the wind. And this summer, as he faced yet another challenge, he and Vicky have taught us all about dignity, courage and the power of love.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: In this campaign, Barack Obama has no greater champion. And when he's president, he will have no stronger partner in the United States Senate.
(APPLAUSE)
C. KENNEDY: And now it is my honor to introduce a tribute to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
(APPLAUSE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The sea, for me, has always been a metaphor of life. The sea is a constantly evolving, changing, shifting aspect of both nature and of life. That sort of exposure to the sea is both enriching and enhancing and it's fun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The sea, the wind, the outdoors -- it is the most renewing, healing place for him, and always has been.
T. KENNEDY: Oh, wait. That's good job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?
T. KENNEDY: Swing it a little bit.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: He loves getting out and sailing. I think he's never more at peace and, perhaps, in some ways, never more in touch with his family and his roots and his brothers than when he's out there sailing.
T. KENNEDY: I grew up in a family that wanted to achieve in the sense of making a difference in people's lives.
KERRY: I know that Ted Kennedy has always been unbelievably sensitive to the accomplishments of his brothers. They were his inspiration.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has a legacy. He's done his very best to pick up where his two brothers left off.
T. KENNEDY: Like my three brothers before me, I pick up a fallen standard. Sustained by their memory of our priceless years together, I shall try to carry forward that special commitment to justice, to excellence, to courage that distinguished their lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He championed the cause of those who had been left out -- the poor, the elderly, our children, those without education.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was brought up to believe that, you know, to those who much is given, much is required. But it's really bigger than that. He really feels a moral obligation to do everything possible to make this world a better place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've heard Senator Kennedy say on many occasions that health care is not a privilege, it is a right.
T. KENNEDY: As long as I have a voice in the United States Senate, it's going to be for that Democratic platform plank that provides decent quality health care north and south, east and west, for all Americans as a matter of right and not a privilege.
KERRY: Because of Ted Kennedy, people have things today, they're able to do things today, they're able to reach for the American dream in ways that they never imagined.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I first met the senator at something called Children's Congress through the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. And he asked me to testify in front of Congress about stem cell research and his support for that. If I could help someone almost as much as Senator Kennedy has helped me, then I'd be a very happy person.
T. KENNEDY: City Year has given the opportunity for the best of our young people to serve in the community.
KERRY: He deeply believes that national service ought to be part of the everyday life of every single American.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He committed right away to introduce new legislation to take programs like City Year to scale, to make it possible for young people all over our country to serve our country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He deeply believes in service. Even as a United States senator, he's read every Tuesday at a local school in Washington, D.C. as part of an Everybody Wins Program.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were signed up for this reading program and I was assigned to read with Senator Kennedy as my reading partner. It gave me someone to want to do well for and make proud. I'm going to the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, and I'll be majoring in education.
KERRY: We're talking about a man of incredible sensitivity. He's always been there for the troops. He's always been there understanding the sacrifices that those troops made. He's been there for their families.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We met Senator Kennedy for the first time in November of 2003, when we buried our son John at Arlington National Cemetery.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their son was lost because his Humvee was not up armored. And they've really dedicated their lives to making sure that other young men and women don't suffer the same fate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John died just after his 20th birthday. Senator Kennedy agreed to call hearings. Within six months of those hearings, all troops in Iraq had body armor. And to that, I owe the senator.
T. KENNEDY: Brian and his wife Alma turned that enormous personal tragedy into a remarkable force for change.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Kennedy was -- had been in a gold star family before I was born. He remembers where his mother was, where his father was when they came to tell them his brother Joseph was killed. We share a wound that doesn't heal and a deep and abiding love for this country. And Senator Kennedy taught me that government can function for the common man.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His patriotism, his family, his faith, really, those three things are just intrinsic to who he is. You know, I think of him as this guy who's got really, really big shoulders and he's strong for all of us. And he's funny. And he sort of leads the way. He's the pied piper in our family.
(CROSSTALK)
T. KENNEDY: Well, let's count them.
What do we call the one that's way, way, way up at the tippy top?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Well, that's a halyard (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Fisherman?
T. KENNEDY: Fisherman. Don't tell me you want to put the fisherman on the other side now, dad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In spite of all the changes and in spite of all of the progress, Senator Kennedy would tell us that we still have a great distance to go.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE: The year I was born, President Kennedy let out word that the torch had been passed to a new generation of Americans. He was right. It has. It was passed to his youngest brother. From the battles of the 1960s to the battles of today, he has carried that torch, riding the wave for all who share his American ideals.
KERRY: This moment is the moment for us to get health care done. And Ted Kennedy wants to be leading the charge where he ought to be, the head of that committee, making sure he's working with President Obama to get health care for all Americans.
T. KENNEDY: We'll break the old gridlock and finally make health care what it should be in America -- a fundamental right for all, not just an expensive privilege for the few.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see the day when President Barack Obama and Ted Kennedy will be moving progressive legislation through the Congress to help some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
T. KENNEDY: The people in this country are going to respond to in a hopeful and positive way. It's going to be a very dramatic and very important alteration and change. And it's one that I'm looking forward to being part of.
My friends, I ask you to join in this historic journey, to have the courage to choose change. It's time again for a new generation of leadership. It is time now for Barack Obama.
We're all set now.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
(APPLAUSE)
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Caroline.
My fellow Democrats, my fellow Americans, it is so wonderful to be here.
And nothing -- nothing is going to keep me away from this special gathering tonight.
(APPLAUSE)
I have come here tonight to stand with you to change America, to restore its future, to rise to our best ideals, and to elect Barack Obama president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
As I look ahead, I am strengthened by family and friendship. So many of you have been with me in the happiest days and the hardest days. Together we have known success and seen setbacks, victory and defeat.
But we have never lost our belief that we are all called to a better country and a newer world. And I pledge to you -- I pledge to you that I will be there next January on the floor of the United States Senate when we begin the great test.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.
For me this is a season of hope -- new hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few -- new hope.
And this is the cause of my life -- new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American -- north, south, east, west, young, old -- will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.
(APPLAUSE)
We can meet these challenges with Barack Obama. Yes, we can, and finally, yes, we will.
(APPLAUSE)
Barack Obama will close the book on the old politics of race and gender and group against group and straight against gay.
(APPLAUSE)
And Barack Obama will be a commander-in-chief who understands that young Americans in uniform must never be committed to a mistake, but always for a mission worthy of their bravery.
(APPLAUSE)
We are told that Barack Obama believes too much in an America of high principle and bold endeavor, but when John Kennedy called of going to the moon, he didn't say it's too far to get there. We shouldn't even try.
Our people answered his call and rose to the challenge, and today an American flag still marks the surface of the moon. (APPLAUSE)
Yes, we are all Americans. This is what we do. We reach the moon. We scale the heights. I know it. I've seen it. I've lived it. And we can do it again.
(APPLAUSE)
There is a new wave of change all around us, and if we set our compass true, we will reach our destination -- not merely victory for our Party, but renewal for our nation.
And this November the torch will be passed again to a new generation of Americans, so with Barack Obama and for you and for me, our country will be committed to his cause. The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on.
(APPLAUSE)
BLITZER: All right. So there were a lot of tears here at the Pepsi Center at the Democratic National Convention. If you just looked out, you saw the signs. You saw a lot of Democrats crying, men and women, there was no doubt about that. This was one of those moments, these people that were inside, and millions of people watching around the world, Anderson, will never ever forget. Ted Kennedy, we didn't even know if he would make it here to Denver. He made it to Denver and then we didn't know if he'd be strong enough to deliver a speech.
What we heard, a lot of us have heard Ted Kennedy over the years, this was a powerful, vintage Ted Kennedy making his point and winding up with his important point that he wanted to make, which was get Barack Obama elected.
COOPER: You certainly saw how important it was to Senator Kennedy to come here tonight and to be able to speak. All evening long, we've been checking in with John King and Gloria Borger, who have been talking literally to their sources within the Kennedy camp. What did you hear about the back story how this came to be, John King.
KING: It's fascinating. First, I just want to say, it was nice to have somebody in the hall who spoke with the right accent. It's about time for that. I was told -- I had an Obama campaign official who was back there when Senator Kennedy came in through the loading dock. When he got out of the car, they put him immediately into a golf cart. When he brought him back stage, he was waving to people, but he wasn't saying anything.
They weren't sure he could do this. Right before he came out, they put a stool up there for him to sit down on when he wanted to speak. He pushed the stool aside and delivered that speech. I think we can rack that up as an adrenaline moment. We know his wife and doctors said, don't come here. It's not worth the trip. He joked to them, if you don't want to come along, that's fine by me. The guy wanted to be here.
Again, whatever you think of his politics, he is a lion. I think he proved it tonight.
BORGER: This is the kind of fortitude we've seen from Senator Kennedy when he's negotiating legislation in the Congress. He just doesn't stop. I must say, the speech tonight, of course, so reminiscent of the speech when he gave up his dream of the presidency. Except this time -- And I assume it's Bob Shrum wrote, "the dream lives on," instead of "the dream never dies."
COOPER: Candy Crowley is on the platform. Candy, you have covered an awful lot of conventions. You have heard Senator Kennedy give speeches before. Your thoughts.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I was sitting here thinking, because the very first convention I ever covered, I stood on the floor and listened to that speech he gave when he lost to Jimmy Carter the nomination, and it was called the "Dream Never Dies Speech." The minute he said that dream line, you knew where that came from. This is a name -- the Kennedy name is just a platinum name in Democratic politics. He is someone who is the last carrier of that torch of those brothers that you saw.
What was interesting, I think, was that the film itself was very emotional. But boy, you didn't see that from the senator. It was on to business. There was no sort of reaching back, no kind of really, I thought, sentimental moments that he allowed himself. But it was there simply because of his presence and because of his audience.
COOPER: I should point out that Ken Burns, the famous documentary film-maker, is responsible for that film, we're told, one of the directors of that film. I want to go to Jeff Toobin, who is standing by in New York, and David Gergen as well. David, you have certainly heard a lot of speeches, what did you think?
GERGEN: Finally, Anderson, the Democrats have really kicked off this convention. It got off to a slow start, in my view. I think that the last 20 minutes or so have been exactly what the Democrats had hoped, something that has not only energized the hall, but sent a powerful message to the country, someone who is inspiring because of his courage coming here tonight, putting his life -- his doctors didn't want him to come on an airplane. It took courage to do that. He started to frame the message of the convention, that is America has a choice this fall, an incredibly important choice.
One other thing, Anderson, I thought that he did, and very helpful he did; in terms of the last few days, we've been talking about the Obama versus Clinton -- they're like two forces of the Democratic party. Teddy Kennedy coming here tonight to remind us, and I think forcefully inserted, that there are actually three families in the Democratic party. There's the Obama family, the Clinton family and there is the Kennedy family, an important legend. I think that broadens and softens the tension between Obama and Kennedy, and is a healing force for this convention.
COOPER: Jeff Toobin, to go back to a point David Gergen made earlier, him voicing concern on the Democrats for basically spending the first two hours of this convention without really a focused message, without hearing much about John McCain, without hearing much about issues at all. We heard some about John McCain, some attacks against John McCain from Nancy Pelosi. But that's about it.
TOOBIN: I don't think we are going to be thirsty for more attacks against John McCain by Thursday night. I think there's going to be plenty of that. I think this was really a very special moment in American political history. This will be a moment people will remember this convention by. Ted Kennedy is such a large figure in American life. This is a guy whose oldest brother died in World War II, whose next oldest brother was assassinated as president of the United States, whose next brother was assassinated in 1968.
It is such an extraordinary American epic. Yet, Ted Kennedy spent all his time talking about the future, not the past. That is the kind of senator he's been. And I think that's why he has been so effective. As amazing as his story is, he's not about the past, he's about the future. Even now, he was talking about being in the Senate in 2009, if, we all hope, his health allows.
COOPER: Donna Brazile here in the stadium. You were certainly up on your feet as a Democrat. Was this exactly what you wanted to hear?
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Absolutely. Ted Kennedy has a large personal family, but his political family extends all throughout the country. You cannot talk about Ted Kennedy without thinking about your life, whether it's civil rights, whether it's ending poverty in this country. Ted Kennedy has been a champion. He's been someone that everyone looked up to. I remember back when I first went on Capitol Hill as a staff person. Everyone wanted to meet Ted Kennedy, because they said Ted Kennedy will always champion your issues. And that's why Democrats love Ted Kennedy. Even those who disagree with him on the issues respect Ted Kennedy for his tenacity.
BORGER: -- argument tonight, not only on domestic policy, health care, which has been the driving force in his life, but also on the commander in chief question for Barack Obama. The line that Obama will be a commander in chief who understands that young Americans can never be committed to a mistake. He tonight, I think, raised Iraq in a way we haven't heard, tonight.
KING: I also think David Gergen made an excellent point about the bridge of this convention. A lot of those Clinton Democrats, retired steel workers, 65 year old Catholics in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, they're Kennedy Democrats too.
BLITZER: It was interesting, they pointed out that he was one of the original gold star families. He lost an older brother in World War II and remembers that meeting he got.
Let's go right to Suzanne Malveaux. She's on the floor. She has a special guest. Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: Senator John Kerry is joining us with his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, here on the floor. Ted Kennedy, a very dear friends of yours. Obviously he was optimistic, said he wanted to come back to the Senate in January. You've spoken to him many times. How is he doing?
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: You saw him tonight. Ted Kennedy is full of fight. I thought tonight's performance was unbelievably courageous and moving. He wants to be back there in January leading the fight to get health care. He meant what he said. Take him at face value.
MALVEAUX: What kind of loss has it been, the fact that he's not been active in the Senate. So many people are looking to him for his leadership and his guidance.
KERRY: I'm sorry. I couldn't hear.
MALVEAUX: What type of loss has it been, an absence, if you will?
KERRY: Ted Kennedy is the best legislator in the United States Senate. When you lose your quarterback, you lose the key player on the team for a period of time, you know, it's tougher. We have a very capable group of people in the Senate. A lot of people have stepped in on various issues. It takes a lot of people to be doing the one thing that he was doing. But he's quarter backing from where he is. He's really still engaged. His staff is fully engaged.
Believe me, I had a wonderful visit with him a few days ago. This man is really focused and geared on the work he's always been focused on. I think he plans to be back there in January with President Obama.
MALVEAUX: Tell me what this night is like for you. It must be bittersweet, four years ago being --
KERRY: I don't spend time on that. You have to look to the future. You can't stall. There's too many important choices and issues. I'm excited about this moment. I'm here, as I've been to other conventions in the past, excited about our nominee, our ticket.
The issues separating the Republicans and Democrats are just gigantic. We need to fix this economy. We need to fix our politics. We need to strengthen America and the world again. I believe Americans understand that. I think they regret the last four years. And we are going to embrace a new future.
MALVEAUX: Senator Kerry, thank you so much. Teresa Heinz-Kerry, thank you once again. Thank you.
BLITZER: All right, Suzanne, thanks very much. We'll take a quick break. Remember CNNpolitics.com, you can watch all this uninterrupted on your laptop, get a lot more information on CNNpolitics.com. We're now standing by for the next major event of this night, Michelle Obama, the wife of the Democratic presidential candidate. She'll be speaking to this huge crowd in Denver. And our coverage will continue right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Welcome back to the floor of the Democratic National Convention. The next major speaker, the big speaker will be Michelle Obama, the wife of the Democratic presidential candidate. She's going to be speaking in this next hour. She's going to be speaking about her husband and why he should be the next president of the United States. We're going to be watching that very closely. And we just heard Senator Ted Kennedy, a very powerful, emotional moment.
Even as we're watching all of this unfold, Anderson, there's news breaking out on the floor. They're trying to patch over what is a serious split between these Clinton and Obama supporters. They're trying to make sure it doesn't upset this convention.
COOPER: That's right. There's actually a petition now being circulated -- Donna Brazile just signed the petition, because she's a super delegate and a strong Democratic activist. Explain what this petition is about.
BRAZILE: As you know, this is the technical day of the convention. So for the first couple of hours, we're getting the platform, the rules, the credential. This is also the time to get signatures, 300 signatures by both pledged and unpledged delegates, to place the candidate's name in nomination. Senator Obama's name must be placed in nomination. Senator Clinton, as well as Senator Biden as the vice presidential choice.
So I sign a petition to place Senator Clinton's name in nomination.
COOPER: This is a closely negotiated deal. They have agreed that both candidates would be nominated. Each candidate needs 300 signatures to be eligible. At some point, Clinton is going to give some of the votes at the beginning of the roll call, then cut it off, declaring Obama the nominee by acclamation.
BRAZILE: Once again, these two campaigns are working very closely together back in the boiler room. They have the same floor operation and they are coordinating all of these activities to ensure that we have a smooth process.
COOPER: There's the petition literally being circulated by hand. People being asked to sign. Can any delegate sign it?
BRAZILE: Yes, you can. If you pledged to that candidate during the primary, you may sign it. But as an unpledged super delegate, I can sign the petition as well. Technically, they are going through Senator Clinton's delegates, and they're getting them to place her name in nomination. But the Obama campaign is coordinating this effort, as you see those bright green shirts. Those are floor whips. They are tasked with making sure that the convention runs smoothly on the floor.
BORGER: Maybe -- we don't know this, but who will call for the votes by acclimation for Barack Obama? Could it be Hillary Clinton?
BRAZILE: She may, of course. As a super delegate, she may sit with the New York delegation and the chair of the delegation could turn the microphone over to Senator Clinton, and she could, of course, declare that Senator Obama is the nominee by acclimation.
COOPER: Our technology is pretty extraordinary. Our cameraman has been following this man basically through all these subterranean passages. It is amazing, in this day and age, the access that we can get.
KING: No more backroom deals. The cameraman will follow you all the way in there and get a live picture of it.
BRAZILE: He's heading to the boiler room, which is adjacent to the stadium -- I mean the podium. Again, both Clinton operatives as well as the Obama operatives are in there. In fact, I have a pass to go in the boiler room. And I've been there several times as an at- large super whip.
COOPER: They have secret cloaking devices in the boiler room that's breaking up our transmission apparently. Clearly, no camera will be allowed in there. What is going on there? You say there is unity. Are you putting a brave face on things or is that for real?
BRAZILE: I stepped into the boiler room yesterday and volunteered yesterday to help out on the floor. I know most of the delegates. And they said, Donna, we think everything is fine. The first state they sent me to earlier today was Florida. Of course, Florida has a wonderful seat in the house here. And everyone is feeling good. They're excited. And, of course, they're looking forward to hearing Michelle Obama tonight.
BLITZER: The interesting thing about that boiler room, and you were pointing it out, Donna -- but just go ahead and elaborate a little bit. You say the Clinton folks and the Obama folks, they're working hand in hand, they're working together in there. We can't get into that boiler room. It's off limits to the media.
BRAZILE: You need a pass.
BLITZER: You have that pass. Tell us how they're working together, what they're trying to do?
BRAZILE: Well, Craig Schmidt is leading the operation for the Clinton operation. He is a former campaign manger for President Clinton. Paul Thues (ph), who ran the Iowa caucuses for Barack Obama, is heading up the entire floor effort. They are working hand in hand. They have the same exact communication system. And they are talking to one another and they're making sure that both floor whips, the Obama whips, the Clinton whips, you can't distinguish between the two. We're all wearing the same beautiful green vests tonight.
BLITZER: It's interesting also -- one of the things we're standing by to hear from, there's a former Republican Congressman Jim Leach, who is a Republican, but you know what? He's going to be speaking here momentarily at the Democratic National Convention, because he has emerged as a strong supporter of Barack Obama. Now, he was, as all of us know who covered Congress for a long time, a very moderate Republican, very liberal, shall we say, on many of the issues.
It's interesting, John King, that they've invited this Republican to address this Democratic Convention.
KING: You will see Joe Lieberman and perhaps other Democrats, local Democrats at the Republican convention. One of the interesting things about this very topsy turvy political year has been that obviously the candidates to get their party's nomination compete for the activists in their own party. But both Senator McCain and Senator Obama, once they clinched, started talking about how much they want to break the grid lock in Washington, how much they want to work across the aisle, how quick they will be to invite members of the other party into consultations and how it can't just be about party.
Why is that? Because if you travel the country, the mood of the country is why can't these people in Washington behave like I have to behave? Why can't they balance their check book? Why can't they get along with their neighbors? Why can't they figure out the hard things? That mood is palpable, whether you're at a Democratic event or a Republican event. Both parties and both of these candidates, who are campaigning on a message of I'm different, are now talking bipartisanship, bipartisanship. It is the traditional rush for the middle, but it's more specific in this campaign because both of these guys are trying to out compete, if you will, for the argument that I'm better qualified or I'm more likely to break the grid lock you have seen during all the years of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
BORGER: Jim Leach was part of a dying breed of moderate Republicans in the House of Representatives. And it's clearly an appeal to those independent voters that Barack Obama wants to reach out to. And Leach agrees with him on most of the issues and is now a supporter.
BLITZER: He comes from a key battle ground state right now, and that would be Iowa.
COOPER: Curious to hear from Ed Rollins, Alex Castellanos in New York, how they see from a Republican standpoint -- how they see what we have seen over the last several hours. Ed Rollins, your take?
