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Campbell Brown
Interview With California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; Wall Street's Big Plunge
Aired October 22, 2008 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody.
Once again tonight, we're beginning with breaking news on the global financial crisis, another huge plunge for the markets today, by one estimate, a loss of $700 billion. That's right, $700 billion in market value. Why? What happened today? Ali Velshi is going to be with us to explain coming up in just a moment.
Then, with 13 days left before Election Day, John McCain and Sarah Palin teamed up at rallies, where they're throwing everything at Obama, socialism, Joe the plumber, and whether there's something about Obama that would cause our enemies to test the U.S.
And look at who's weighing in on the campaign today, one of the most popular, influential Republicans in the country, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has been tied up with California's own budget crisis. Today, we did have a chance to sit down together, and I asked him about Governor Sarah Palin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Do you think she's qualified to be president?
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: I think that she will get to be qualified.
BROWN: She will get there. What do you mean? She's not ready yet?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: We also talked about the state of the race and his own political future. We're going to have a lot more of that coming up for you tonight.
But, first, as we do every night, we're cutting through the bull.
A lot of sniping and a lot of stories today about Sarah Palin's clothes. Politico.com reports that the Republican National Committee spent more than $150,000 on clothes, hair, and makeup for Palin on the campaign trail.
Now, these are not your tax dollars. This is money given by Republican donors to the RNC. But the report questions whether it's legal to use campaign cash for -- quote -- "personal use." My issue, there is an incredible double standard here. And we're ignoring a very simple reality. Women are judged based on their appearance far, far more than men. This is a statement of fact. There has been plenty of talk and plenty written about Sarah Palin's jackets, her hair, her looks.
Sound familiar? There was plenty of talk and plenty written about Hillary Clinton's looks, hair, pantsuits. Compare that to the attention given to Barack Obama's $1,500 suits or John McCain's $520 Ferragamo shoes. There is no comparison.
Women get scrutinized based on appearance far more than men. And, look, I speak from experience here. When I wear a bad outfit on the air, I get viewer e-mail complaining about it, a lot of e-mail, seriously. When Wolf Blitzer wears a not-so-great tie, how much e- mail do you think he gets?
My point is, for women, unfortunately, appearance is part of the job. If Wolf or Anderson shows up on the air without makeup, do you think you would even notice? I show up on the air without makeup, trust me, you will notice.
This doesn't just apply to TV. All women in the public eye deal with this issue. And it's for this reason that I think the RNC should help Palin pay for hair, clothes, and makeup. It's part of the job.
Now, you may think that's an awful lot of money to spend on clothes, hair, and makeup, or you may complain, as some have, it's hypocritical to sell yourself as a small-town hockey mom when you're wearing designer clothes. That's fine. Just don't ignore the fact that there is a double standard here.
And, personally, I think, in this campaign, with so much at stake, this is a peripheral issue. I myself have raised plenty of questions about Sarah Palin, much to the annoyance of the McCain campaign. But those questions have been about her qualifications and experience, never her appearance. Let's keep the focus on what really matters here.
Now to our breaking news, today's monster Wall Street sell-off, $700 billion in market value gone, evaporated.
Senior business correspondent Ali Velshi here to explain what is going on.
Ali, what's going on?
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Campbell.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: Tough to explain.
Look, again, it was one of those late-day market sell-offs, one that we have seen for a long time. The Dow was in negative territory, so were U.S. markets, for most of the day. Take a look at that little trend. It was a little higher through the day. It was looking OK. And then, as always, in that 3:00 to 4:00 hour, it plummeted.
But here's the good news. It came back just a little bit before the end of the day. And that is because, in this market that we're in, first of all, we're still hanging around that $8,500 mark. Remember that bottom I told you we might be forming around $8,500 and $9,000. I would start to get worried if we close a day below that.
But part of it is that there are people are selling stocks because they want to get out of this market. So, they stocks when the market goes up a little bit, and there are other people who are buying, because the market really is a group of companies, and they have to make money. So, there are people who think these companies are undervalued, and they're buying.
Why was there selling today? Well, because there are some concerns about how those companies will do, because we have had reports of more layoffs than we expected. In fact, the government releases a number of mass layoffs for the month of September. This is September. Mass layoffs are layoffs at companies, more than 50 layoffs at a given company.
It's the highest we have seen since the month of September of 2001. Here is what it looks like for the year. We have lost a total of 750,000 jobs so far this year. Now, economists tell us that we have got to gain 100,000 to 150,000 jobs just to keep up with the growth in the working-age population. So, you have to gain 100,000 to 150,000 just to keep your unemployment rate where it is.
So, we're at 6.1 percent. We lost 159,000 jobs in the month of September. We won't get the next jobs report until November 7, a few days after the election. And there are a lot of folks expecting it to be a lot worse than the numbers we saw in September. That's what has people worried, Campbell.
If you don't have a job, you can't spend money. The economy can't get going again -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right, Ali, I know you're going to keep an eye on this for us and update us each day. Ali Velshi for us tonight -- Ali, we appreciate it.
Moving on, I am here in California for what has become the nation's top gathering of women.
Some 14,000 of us packed the Long Beach Convention Center today for California first lady Maria Shriver's annual Women's Conference. And we talked about issues ranging from the economy to foreign policy.
I moderated one panel that included Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. And she agreed that this incredible election year is a milestone for women because a female presidential or vice presidential candidate will, in her words, no longer be a novelty.
I also sat down today with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for a fascinating conversation. We covered everything from the offshore oil drilling debate to his own future. And, of course, we talked about presidential politics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: We're at this extraordinary event that your wife has put together.
This year, you had a woman who got 18 million votes in this election. You have a woman on the GOP ticket for the first time ever. And, yet, a lot of people out there say there's a glass ceiling for women in politics.
What do you think we have learned this year?
SCHWARZENEGGER: Well, first of all, let me just say that this conference is really growing rapidly. I mean, it's really amazing.
And I think that, this presidential election, we have seen again a huge move forward. We see two women in the mix here. We saw Hillary Clinton doing an extraordinary job with her campaign. And we see now, with Governor Palin also being now in the mix, and, for the Republican Party, that was even actually a bigger kind of a surprise, because I thought it would take the Republican Party much longer to get -- go in that direction.
BROWN: Let's talk about the campaign more generally. Do you think John McCain is going to win this election?
SCHWARZENEGGER: You know, I think that, if I would know that 100 percent, I would start making bets on it.
(LAUGHTER)
SCHWARZENEGGER: And I think, in politics, you never know.
As you know, that, in the last few presidential elections, they have been very, very close, sometimes only by a few hundred thousand votes, sometimes where the candidates go more of the popular vote and the other more of the electoral vote.
So, I think that it's very hard to say. I'm going to go to Columbus, Ohio...
BROWN: To campaign for him.
SCHWARZENEGGER: ... to campaign for McCain and to help out. I feel very...
BROWN: What are you going to say? What is your message?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I feel very reluctant, always, leaving the state, because our state is also in a crisis, like the rest of the country. So, that's why I didn't go out there campaigning much more than I wanted to.
But, you know, I would basically just say out there that it is very important to elect McCain. He's a solid guy. He has great character. He has served this country well. He's been a public servant. He's been a war hero. And he has great ideas for the economy, great ideas for the environment.
And he's a rebel in his own party. And that's what I like, because I'm, in a way, a rebel in my own party, you know, that we don't look at it just in an ideological way. But he's willing to cross the aisle. He's willing to make decisions that is best for the people, rather than what is best for the party. And, to me, that's always the most important thing.
BROWN: But, earlier this month, you criticized both campaigns for the type of campaign that you felt they were running.
And McCain is who you're endorsing. And, yet, you have seen his campaign accuse Obama of palling around with terrorists, of questioning his patriotism. What do you make of those tactics?
SCHWARZENEGGER: You know, I don't get involved in forming or shaping the campaign.
To me, only one thing counts. And this is to stay with the facts and to stay with what is best for the people. Campaigns have their own ways of running things. As you know, in the history of America, campaigns are run in a certain way. And they do what they think is best.
I don't believe in personal attacks. I personally don't think that the people are interested that, many times. I think that the people really want to hear what your issues are. And I have always said that both of the candidates should stay with the topics of, how do we form our energy policy for the next 10 years that Americans will benefit? And how do we go and clean up the environment? Those are the issues I think that they ought to talk about, and leave everything else out.
BROWN: But, on the issues, for example, energy, which is obviously an incredibly important issue out here in California, the mantra of the McCain/Palin ticket has been, drill, baby, drill.
Do you think that is the right approach?
SCHWARZENEGGER: Well, you're absolutely incorrect. I'm sorry to correct you.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: It was chanted at the convention.
SCHWARZENEGGER: Can I just -- let me just tell you why you're incorrect. I don't believe in drilling off the shore of California. Other states don't mind...
BROWN: But they do.
SCHWARZENEGGER: No, other states don't mind drilling off the shore. He -- the federal government made it very clear it's up to the states to make that decision. So, he's all for that. But he's also said that we should explore renewable energy. He talked to me many times about 20 percent of renewables in the next 10 years. He talked to me about nuclear energy, fusion, alternative fuels, biofuels, all of those things, and making cars, electric cars, and then going on various different energies.
So, people forget that sometimes, and don't mention those things, because it sounds more shocking when they say, drill, baby, drill.
BROWN: But when the entire Republican Convention is chanting drill, baby, drill, how -- this isn't the media pushing this.
(CROSSTALK)
SCHWARZENEGGER: The entire Republican Convention does not speak for McCain. As I have said, he's a rebel in his own party.
And the important thing is that McCain has a great portfolio of different energy sources and different solutions to the problem we're facing today. And that's important. And that is what the people should know. And that's what I want to talk about.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Later in the program, I ask Governor Schwarzenegger about the other Republican governor getting many headlines.
Sarah Palin, many people will tell you, is very much a part of the conservative movement of the Republican Party. What do you think of her as a choice? What Schwarzenegger says about Sarah Palin and why he has confidence she has what it takes to be a good vice president in a moment.
BROWN: Later in the program, I ask Governor Schwarzenegger about the other Republican governor getting many headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Sarah Palin, many people will tell you, is very much a part of the conservative movement of the Republican Party. What do you think of her as a choice?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: What Arnold Schwarzenegger says about Sarah Palin and why he has confidence she has what it takes to be a good vice president -- that coming up in a moment.
But we have got to get to the presidential campaign, a ton of news today. Though our new polls on battleground states don't change the critical electoral map, they do strongly hint at some new trends. John King and his magic map are ready to go coming up.
And, later, John McCain sits down with Wolf Blitzer and pushes back against Colin Powell's criticism than Sarah Palin isn't qualified. You're going to want to hear McCain's answer.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Check it out. This is a pretty long line of early voters. This is today in suburban Atlanta, Georgia one of some three dozen states that allow early voting. Nationwide, well over three million votes have already been cast.
Another snapshot of what is going right now, our latest nationwide poll of polls shows Obama's lead shrinking by two points since yesterday. He now leads McCain 50 percent to 43 percent, or 51- 44 percent, that was yesterday. But, as we always remind you, nationwide popularity polls are not the best measure of who is ahead. The election boils down to the Electoral College.
And, today, we're releasing some new numbers that do suggest some new trends from the all-important battleground states.
And let's bring in chief national correspondent John King now to take a look at the magic map for us -- John.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, all five of our new battleground polls are in states the McCain campaign acknowledges it must win. Yet, it is Barack Obama leading into four of the five heading into the final days.
Let's take a closer look. We will go east to west, starting here in North Carolina. Not since Jimmy Carter in 1976 has a Democrat carried North Carolina for president. But look at that, 51-47 percent, a narrow Obama lead heading into the final days. This is a map of four years ago. Look at the blue. That is where John Kerry did well. It's where Obama needs to do better, especially among African-American down here and up here in the state. So far in early voting in North Carolina, the Obama campaign is quite encouraged.
Let's skip north to Virginia. Not since 1964 has a Democrat carried this state for president, but look at that, 54 percent to 44 percent, a 10-point Barack Obama lead in a state where John McCain has his presidential campaign headquarters. Let's slide that off the map.
Most significant in this state, a 2-1 advantage for Barack Obama in northern Virginia. About 25 percent of the vote will come out of here. And nine percent of Republicans in the state of Virginia at the moment tell us they will support the Democratic candidate for president.
We will clear that and move over to West Virginia, this the only bright spot for McCain in our polling, critical to George W. Bush twice, blue-collar West Virginia, John McCain with what looks like a safe lead there at the moment, 53 percent to 44 percent.
But it gets troubling again as you skip over to the key battleground of Ohio. How many times have we said no Republican has ever won the White House without carrying Ohio? Advantage Obama, a small lead, but 50-46 percent as we head into the final days.
What is most telling in this state, a dead heat out there, in the Cincinnati-Dayton area. Republicans need a big turnout down here to build a margin to help them offset the urban areas, where the Democrats do well. At the moment in Cincinnati-Dayton, a dead heat. And again 10 percent of Republicans in the state of Ohio tell us they plan on supporting the Democrat for president, a bit of evidence there, the pollsters say, of a Sarah Palin effect alienating some moderate voters.
We end out here in Nevada, a must-win for the McCain campaign. Look at these numbers, advantage Obama by a narrow margin, 51 percent to 46 percent. All of that margin is coming down here, a 67 percent to 30 percent, more than 2-1, edge among non-white voters. A large influx of Latinos into Nevada in recent years, that's benefiting Obama hugely at the moment.
If you come back out to the basic math, we have this, advantage Obama to begin with, and nothing changes in McCain's benefit based on these five new polls -- Campbell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: John King for us tonight -- John, thanks.
Coming up, our next stop, the campaign trail. John McCain, Sarah Palin combine forces, throwing everything from socialism to Joe the plumber at Barack Obama.
Obama telling his crowds -- quote -- "Don't be hoodwinked and bamboozled." But he's about to take two days off to visit his ailing grandmother in Hawaii. We're going to talk about what that may mean.
And, then, later, more of my interview with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. As you know, he supports fellow Republican John McCain, so I asked him about McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: What do you think of her as a choice?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I think it was a great choice. And -- but every choice has...
BROWN: Why?
SCHWARZENEGGER: ... its assets and every choice has its shortcomings.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: With just 13 days left until the election, Barack Obama getting ready to take two days off to fly to Hawaii to see his grandmother. She's gravely ill, we're told now by the campaign.
So, today, Obama tried to swat down all the incoming Republican attacks, including some remarks John McCain made during an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer today.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And I'm astonished and amazed to hear Senator Obama -- Senator Biden predict that the untried, untested President Obama will be tested by our enemies.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The important point to make is, is that, yes, we are going to face a number of threats and tests and challenges, because, for the last eight years, we have had a bad policy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: We're going to have more from Wolf's interview with McCain coming up in just a little bit, plus the back and forth on this issue.
But, right now, we want to focus on Obama's fairly extraordinary leave of absence from the campaign trail. Tonight, the senator told CBS News, he regrets not being at his mother's bedside when she died. And, for that reason, he's heading to Hawaii to visit his ailing grandmother.
He told CBS -- quote -- "I want to make sure I don't make the same mistake twice."
With me right now to talk about a number of issues, Republican strategist Kevin Madden, who was national press secretary for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, "New York Daily News" columnist Errol Louis, "TIME" magazine editor at large and senior political analyst Mark Halperin also joining us tonight.
Errol, let me start with you here.
Obviously, no question that Obama should be at his grandmother's bedside. Does it matter, though, during some fairly crucial days in the campaign, that he's off the trail?
ERROL LOUIS, "THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": Well, it certainly has to matter. Every minute, every news cycle, every hour really is precious.
And the hours that he doesn't spend at a rally or in state or talking with donors is doing something else that's really, really necessary is going to be an hour that he won't be able to get back. So, there's no getting around that.
On the other hand, if you read his biographies, in some ways, he was closer to his grandmother than to his mother. This is something that is really deeply personal, not something that you can avoid. And anybody who has family members who have been through serious illness knows that it's just not something that you could even compare to even the most important office in the world.
BROWN: A point I agree with.
Mark, what do you think?
MARK HALPERIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I know we all, first and foremost, send our best wishes to the Obama family. This is a very difficult time for Senator Obama and his whole family.
And I think it's -- I'm reluctant to even talk about the politics. I agree with what Errol said. Obviously, I think it's just logical that it matters. But I will tell you something. In this campaign, one thing that Senator Obama has proven -- a truism in politics, but he has lived it -- when you do the right thing, when you do what you believe in, voters tend to reward that and not punish it.
So, I think he's doing what he wants to do and what he feels he needs to do. And I think it will turn out just fine for him, if you -- don't think it will cost him a single vote, on balance.
BROWN: And, Kevin, do you think this means basically a break from any attacks coming from the McCain campaign? You have to tread carefully, given the circumstances.
KEVIN MADDEN, FORMER ROMNEY CAMPAIGN NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY: They have to tread carefully. But, look, this is closing argument time.
The McCain campaign is still going to go out there in all these battleground states and they're going to try and take advantage of the simple fact that they're going to have a leg up with some of the local media in many of these battleground states.
They can't attack the decision that Barack Obama has made to go visit his ailing grandmother, but they can continue to talk about the reasons why they think John McCain would make a better president. But, again, it's very important to point out that, while this is some -- this is a decision that many people sympathize with and understand, it definitely puts the Obama campaign at a disadvantage.
BROWN: Let me move on to a different issue, what we were talking about, or what you saw the candidates talking about a moment, Joe Biden's comments over the weekend, Mark, that Obama would be tested in his first six months being president through some sort of international crisis.
It's allowed McCain to resurrect national security out on the campaign trail. Obama commented on Biden's comments for the first time today. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: I think that Joe sometimes engages in rhetorical flourishes, but I think that his core point was that the next administration is going to be tested, regardless of who it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, Mark, did the Obama campaign create an opening here, an opportunity for McCain to change the subject from economy to national security?
HALPERIN: Yes, they did. It's one of the few mistakes that this campaign made. I would say also when Senator Obama used his "spread the wealth" phrase with Joe the plumber, that was a mistake, too.
The McCain campaign has taken advantage of it, to some expect, but it hasn't transformed the race. I do think that is what is most interesting to me about this, assuming that Senator Obama ends up winning this race, you see every so often Senator Obama flicks his finger just a little bit in the direction of Biden and slaps him a bit for using imprecise language. I think, if those two end up in the White House, we may see more of that when, as people say, Biden is being Biden.
BROWN: Kevin, do you think they're taking enough advantage of this issue to put national security back on the table?
MADDEN: Well, look, if you give the McCain campaign an inch right now, they're going to try to take an entire football field on the issue of national security.
Any time that this campaign in these last closing days turns away from the economy and back to national security is going to be a good day for John McCain. It allows him again to make the argument on readiness. It allows him to make the argument on experience and the fact that he's somebody who has been tested on the big national security issues of the day, while Barack Obama hasn't.
So, this has probably provided a little bit of an opening, not enough to really change the dynamics, but enough to changing atmospherics for at least a news cycle or two. And the McCain campaign will take everything and anything right now.
BROWN: All right, guys, stand by. I know you're coming back in a moment.
We want to move on to a separate issue. My colleague Wolf Blitzer, as we mentioned earlier, had some pretty tough questions for John McCain today, like this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Colin Powell was pretty biting in his criticism. He said you were a little unsure of how to deal with the economic crisis. You seemed to have, he said, a different approach every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Coming up, we're going to hear the rest of that exchange, how McCain responded.
And, then, later, part two of my interview with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Find out what he really thinks about Governor Sarah Palin -- when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: More now of Wolf Blitzer's interview with Senator John McCain today, McCain still feeling the fallout of retired General and former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell's dramatic endorsement of Barack Obama.
On Sunday, Powell hammered McCain's response to the fiscal crisis and questioned his judgment for picking Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Today, Wolf asked McCain for his reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Colin Powell was pretty biting in his criticism. He said you were a little unsure of how to deal with the economic crisis. You seemed to have, he said, a different approach every one day. He sensed you didn't have a complete grasp of the economic crisis the people are going through now. I wonder if you'd like to respond to Secretary Powell.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I respect General Powell, but I respectfully disagree, especially disagree when he said the comments that he made about Governor Palin, the most popular governor in America. The governor knows energy issues, $40 billion pipeline reformer, took on the governor of her own party. And I hope that sometime General Powell take the time out of his busy schedule to meet with her. I know she'd be pleased to meet with him.
BLITZER: But on the economic issues, his criticism was that you were going back and forth on some of the specific issues, and he didn't like that. He thought that Senator Obama had a consistency in his approach.
MCCAIN: Well, all I can do is laugh. We've been very consistent about cutting spending, cutting taxes and the fundamentals of our economic message. Senator Obama has been all over the place, including wanting to "raise taxes on only the rich," 95 percent tax cut for 95 percent of Americans, when 40 percent of them pay no federal income taxes as it is. You know, whatever it is he's changed.
Look at the positions that he held on tax increases when he was first running in the primary. And look at them now. They're vastly different. And the fundamental difference, and maybe Secretary Powell agrees with him, I don't know, but to spread the wealth around is certainly not something that I would ever do.
BLITZER: Do you think --
MCCAIN: That I would ever do.
BLITZER: Do you agree with Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, who said this week, he said that it's now a good time for a second economic stimulus package, seeming to join hands with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Is it a good time to do that, to come up with another $150 billion stimulus package?
MCCAIN: I would be glad to look at anything that could be helpful to our economy. I respect Ben Bernanke. I'm sick and tired, and the American people are sick and tired of the pork barrel spending. Why don't we cancel the $18 billion in pork barrel projects that we put in last year at a minimum and use some of that money to help stimulate the economy as well, instead of bridges to nowhere and projectors in planetariums such as Senator Obama asked for? He asked for nearly a billion dollars in pork barrel projects. Why don't we ask those and to give -- make sure that money that was given to pork barrel projects back to helping American families. And then I think that Americans would be more likely to support such a thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Coming up, what Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks of Sarah Palin. I also asked him about Barack Obama, whether Obama has enough experience to be president, and whether Schwarzenegger would be open to a job in an Obama administration.
And then later, our "Bull's-Eye" award goes to Ellen DeGeneres. She gets politicians to do things nobody else can. Here, of course, Obama at her dance-off. But wait until you hear what she said about us, about CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Now more of my interview with popular Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and why he thinks Sarah Palin would learn to be a good vice president. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: You said have a couple times now that McCain is a rebel within his own party, that he walks his own path, that he's not necessarily always in lockstep and certainly you're right about that with the die-hard conservatives of the Republican Party. But Sarah Palin, many people will tell you, is very much a part of the conservative movement of the Republican Party. What do you think of her as a choice?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I think it was a great choice.
BROWN: Why?
SCHWARZENEGGER: But every choice has its assets and every choice has its shortcomings. And what you do when you are on the other side of the camp is you point out the other side's shortcomings and so that we always point out she's not experienced and that she's bought too much clothes and all those kind of issues.
She's an executive as the governor running the state, and she has an approval rating of 80 percent. So it shows you, again, that she has done an extraordinary job in that. And one would assume from seeing this history and her passion about public service and reaching out and helping people, that she would do the same job as the vice president when she's in office.
BROWN: Do you think she's qualified to be president?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I think that she will get to be qualified.
BROWN: She will get there.
SCHWARZENEGGER: Oh, yes.
BROWN: She's not ready yet?
SCHWARZENEGGER: By the time that she's sworn in, I think she will be ready. You know, you get to get up to speed. I know when I became governor, there were a lot of things I did not know.
The answer is do you have the will? Do you have the will to educate yourself? Do you have the will to get up to speed? Do you have the will -- are you a sponge that absorbs information very quickly? And that's the kind of a person she is. That's exactly what she would do also if she becomes vice president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: So what does our panel think? Back with me again, Kevin Madden, Errol Louis and Mark Halperin.
Kevin, so there you have it. Schwarzenegger says when asked whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be president, she'll get there. Is that good enough?
KEVIN MADDEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, look, I think we have to look at why Sarah Palin has energized a lot of voters within the Republican base. They like her because she's genuine, because she's authentic, because she connects with them on a lot of the kitchen table issues that they care about.
But, you know, the pick was also supposed to help the McCain campaign reach out to swing voters, conservative Democrats and likeminded independents. And they seem stuck on that issue. And we haven't really had a great deal of success up until this point in convincing them to back McCain because of the Sarah Palin pick because they don't feel that the vice president is a job that you learn on the job. They feel like the one requirement is that you be ready on day one.
BROWN: And, Mark, to that point, John King just showed us some evidence that about one of 10 Republicans in Virginia and Ohio are switching to Barack Obama. He said, possibly because of a Sarah Palin backlash. Do you buy that? MARK HALPERIN, "TIME" MAGAZINE: I don't mean to direct the show, but if you could put Kevin Madden back up, I'd like to yield my time back to Kevin. And, Kevin, tell Campbell and her audience what Republicans are really saying today about Sarah Palin and about the pick and about the effect -- this revelation about the clothes, the clothing allowance the RNC gave her. Tell people what Republicans are really thinking.
MADDEN: Oh, Mark. Mark, this is what Mark used to do to me when I was on the Romney campaign. He always direct the questions at me. This is no fun.
But look -- look, I think --
BROWN: Come on.
MADDEN: I think -- I think it's broken down --
BROWN: I give -- and let me just say, that's why Kevin is on this show almost every night because he's always honest with me. And I love that about him.
Go ahead, Kevin.
MADDEN: Well, look, I think it's --
BROWN: And then I'll make Mark answer the question.
MADDEN: Well, let's break it down into the two different types of Republicans. There are those out there who are, you know, in these battleground states that are really energized by the simple fact that they finally have somebody like them on the ticket, somebody they can identify. But, of course, there's --
(CROSSTALK)
HALPERIN: Only with a $150,000 clothing allowance.
MADDEN: There's always going to be that political clash here in Washington that feels that the Sarah Palin pick, what it did was exceeded the grounds on economic conservatism and national security with the issues of experience. We've always been a party that has nominated folks who have very strong philosophical moorings on those issues, along evidentiary trail of having worked on those issues. And that seems to be lacking here. But again, the issue of readiness, issue of experience, ultimately that's left up to the voters. It's not left up to the folks who think and talk about these issues and think tanks here in Washington, D.C.
ERROL LOUIS, "NEW YORK DAILY NEWS": Well --
BROWN: All right. Let me --
LOUIS: Outside of Washington, though, you've got to remember, Kevin, I mean, repeatedly, many of the editorial endorsements that have now gone to Barack Obama specifically cite Palin as the reason. I mean, they very pointedly put that in there, as did General Powell, that she's the reason that they just couldn't go along with it. And I think you're right about the loss of support from independents.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Republicans side.
LOUIS: Independents is now a 13-point lead for Obama, 25 points swing in a month.
BROWN: OK. Hold on, I want to play --
HALPERIN: It isn't just a matter of 3,000 miles away from Washington.
BROWN: Hold on. I want to play a little bit more of an interview. This is "Nightly News" tonight." Brian Williams asked John McCain and Sarah Palin about the criticism she's been getting, that she's not ready including that from Colin Powell. Let's listen. Let's them have their say here and listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FROM NBC "NIGHTLY NEWS")
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I see all these attacks on Governor Palin. I don't live in a bubble. But those people obviously are either not paying attention to or don't care about the record of the most popular governor in the United States of America.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's not forget also in this context of one endorsement, senator -- or Colin Powell, that you have received the endorsement of at least four former secretaries of state and hundreds.
MCCAIN: Five secretaries, former secretaries.
PALIN: Five, and hundreds of retired top U.S. brass.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, Mark, what do you think? You do get the sense McCain getting a little frustrated, maybe fielding questions about his running mate's fitness for the job rather than his own.
HALPERIN: You know, in that interview, a little bit. The one where I thought he showed a lot of frustration was this morning with Imus on the radio. He was calling for New Hampshire. Imus began to ask him a question about Sarah Palin and McCain went off on him so intensely and in such a cranky fashion that for a moment, I thought maybe it was one of those Imus parodies where you have an actor playing John McCain. He just -- he became off message and in a defensive position. And again, you got Arnold Schwarzenegger saying maybe he'll be ready.
BROWN: Right.
HALPERIN: That's a bad thing.
BROWN: All right. Guys, thanks so much. I wish we had more time. We got to go, but appreciate it.
Coming up, what Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks about Barack Obama, whether he is ready to be president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: What do you think about Obama? Do you think he's ready to be commander in chief?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I think that he's a very strong, aggressive person that is a visionary. I think that he's --
BROWN: Ready to be commander in chief, then?
SCHWARZENEGGER: He is, I think, sees himself --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: And now for the "Bull's-Eye," our nightly shout-out to somebody who just nails it, a direct hit. And tonight, Ellen DeGeneres hits the "Bull's-Eye" because she has been surprising the presidential candidates on her talk show and because she can't get enough of the best political team on television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW")
ELLEN DEGENERES, HOST, "THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW": I have never watched so much CNN in my life. I normally don't watch CNN, and now I'm watching it so much, I realized the other day I called my dentist "SITUATION ROOM." I was going in. I painted one of my rooms in my house "Campbell Brown" and I'm sleeping now in a "Larry King" sized bed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And Ellen also gets a point for when she asked Barack Obama to critique his dance moves. Obama did not dance around this question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEGENERES: Yes. You have 20 seconds to respond to this clip.
MUSIC: Get up off that thing and dance get up off that thing and dance sing it now get up off that thing and dance you can do better.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me tell you that Michelle may be a better dancer than me, but I'm convinced I'm a better dancer than John McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: So Ellen hitting the "Bull's-Eye" for us tonight.
Coming up, why Barack Obama and John McCain are arguing right now about the World Series. We're going to put what they're saying to our "No Bull Test."
And later, Arnold Schwarzenegger tells me he thinks Barack Obama is a great candidate, but would he serve in an Obama administration? We'll have that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Still ahead, our nightly "No Bull Test." Tonight, the candidates and trash talk and the World Series. First, though, Jason Carroll has "The Briefing" -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right. A quick update, Campbell. Two big stories we're following tonight.
Right now, deliberations resume tomorrow in the corruption trial of Senator Ted Stevens. Prosecutors say an oil contractor paid for $250,000 worth of renovations at Stevens' Alaska home, and Stevens didn't report it. The veteran Republican says he didn't know the renovations were free.
The Bush administration is telling Iraqi leaders to accept a new security deal or else. The current agreement expires at the end of the year. Pentagon leaders say without a new deal, the U.S. military might leave Iraq. The White House insists American troops must stay in order to keep the peace -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right, Jason, appreciate it. Jason Carroll for us tonight.
Next up on Larry King, the countdown clock running. Two weeks to go, less than two weeks to go, every moment counts for the candidates. Larry has got more on that and on the reaction to news of Sarah Palin's pricey makeover -- Larry.
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Is it a wardrobe malfunction of the political kind? We're going to get in to all the money spent on Sarah Palin's clothes and accessories. Is that an issue or not? Campbell might have a better idea on that than me.
Plus, can the Republicans play catch-up with 13 days to go? Are the Democrats getting cocky? We'll talk about it all next on "LARRY KING LIVE" -- Campbell.
BROWN: All right. Larry, we'll see you in a few.
Coming up, term limits. Arnold Schwarzenegger can't run again for governor of California, so what is next for him? We're going to ask him in a moment. Here's a quick preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: You suggested in an earlier interview that if asked, you would consider serving in an Obama cabinet.
SCHWARZENEGGER: Absolutely, it would be wrong. Absolutely it would be wrong.
BROWN: Explain what you meant.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I never said --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Later, the World Series and trash talking presidential candidates like the American pastime on red bull. Our own "No Bull Test" next up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: More now with prominent Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. You may be surprised by what he said about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: What do you think about Obama? Do you think he's ready to be commander in chief?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I think that he's a very strong, aggressive person that is a visionary. I think that he is --
BROWN: Ready to be commander in chief, then?
SCHWARZENEGGER: He is, I think, sees himself as a leader. I think that he long ago had those inspirations to climb that ladder. He's mapped it out very carefully. He's done a good job.
At that end, he is a great communicator. And so those are all his assets and then it's up to the people. I obviously, believe that McCain is the better man, but believe me, I think both of them are great candidates.
BROWN: You suggested in an earlier interview that if asked, you would consider serving in an Obama cabinet.
SCHWARZENEGGER: Absolutely it would be wrong, absolutely -- absolutely wrong.
BROWN: Well, explain what you meant.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I never said that. I just want you to know that this was maybe taken this way and then you heard it that way.
BROWN: OK. Well, explain to me what you meant.
SCHWARZENEGGER: What I meant was that I --
BROWN: Because you're making a case here for a very post partisan view of the world. SCHWARZENEGGER: No. First of all, I made it -- I made it very clear that I will not leave California before my term is up, which is in -- end of 2010, beginning of 2011.
BROWN: Right.
SCHWARZENEGGER: So therefore, it doesn't matter who is president. I will not leave the state no matter for what decision. So that's number one.
Number two, I made it also very clear that no matter who wins, that I will always be there and help in any way I can. If Obama wins or if McCain wins, if they ask me, can you help us here to go overseas and negotiate with the environmental issues, with global warming, or with whatever it may be, you never turn down a president. That's an old rule.
So, of course, if someone calls me and says, could you help me on this then you don't want to take a cabinet position, but can you help with this or that? I will be there, and that's what I said. So someone immediately picked it up and said, oh, he is willing to go and work for Obama. I'm willing to help any president or senator in order to get things done because to me it's all about making America great and keeping America great.
BROWN: What's the next act for Arnold Schwarzenegger? A lot of people are going to be wondering. I know you've got two more years, but what happens after?
SCHWARZENEGGER: Well, you know, it is not important right now for me to think about that because what is important is to keep my eye on the ball right now. I am focusing right now on California and on America, and not about my career two years from now. Who cares?
I have dealt with myself. I am the most masculine man in the world. I want to be the richest guy. I want to go and be a star in a movie. I've done that.
BROWN: You've evolved.
SCHWARZENEGGER: Now is about -- well, it's evolvement, but I mean, it's like been there, done that. It's not about me now. It's about California and about America because everything that I've done, every single dream that I have had became a reality because of America. And now it's important for me to work very hard that other people that have big dreams can make their dreams become a reality.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Coming up, "No Bull" on the World Series. Who's telling the truth and well, who not so much? Our "No Bull Test" when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We have been hearing a lot of trash talk from the candidates, even when it comes to the World Series, but do they really know what they're saying? We're putting their words to the "No Bull Test" tonight.
CNN's Tom Foreman has the results -- Tom.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Campbell, McCain is flinging bean balls at Obama, accusing him of hitting foul on his World Series pick. Has he? Well, here's the first pitch.
From Chicago, home of the Cubs, bless them, and the White Sox. Here is Obama in the important swing state of Pennsylvania about a week and a half ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Do we have any Phillies fans in the house? I'm a White Sox fan, but since the White Sox are out of it, I'll root for the Phillies now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: All right, that's a fair hit. But here comes the next at-bat in the also important swing state of Florida. Obama surrounds himself here with Rays' fans and says, hey, I'm the unity candidate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So when you see a White Sox fan showing love to the Rays and the Rays showing some love back, you know we're on to something right here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: So with this side retired, McCain is now at bat. And he looks straight at Obama, those two statements, and he sees a big, fat pandering pitch over the plate, and bing, it's a tater.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When he's campaigning in Philadelphia, he roots for the Phillies. And when he's campaigning in Tampa Bay, he shows love to the Rays.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Obama's camp says the whole thing is ridiculous and you know, they may be right. But give McCain a solid base hit on this, Obama is batting from both sides of the plate. But look out. It's a late rally. Turns out Sarah Palin has also been pitching a change-up. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How about those Tampa Bay Rays? The people in this area know a little something about turning an underdog into a victor. Congratulations to you Phillies on making it to the World Series. You do know all about turning an underdog into a victor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: So it looks like the "Truth Squad" will have to play some extra innings of "No Bull" baseball, Campbell. And hey, I've enjoyed your interview with Governor Schwarzenegger all evening. You know why?
BROWN: Why?
FOREMAN: Because you can tell we both lift weights.
BROWN: All right. Tom, might be the best "No Bull" you have ever done.
That is it for us. Tom Foreman, as always, thanks.
"LARRY KING LIVE" starts right now.
