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Glenn Beck

Muslims Angered by Pope`s Comments; Is the U.N. Worthless?

Aired September 18, 2006 - 19:00   ET

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

GLENN BECK, HOST: Tonight, we are going to talk a little bit about the pope and what he said last week. Is this going to cause a holy war or are we already in it and just in denial?
Also, a frank conversation with Pete Rose. Coming up.

ANNOUNCER: Tonight`s episode is brought to you by the United Nations. When you can`t screw it up on your own, the United Nations is here to screw it up for you. We guarantee it.

BECK: All right. Last week, the pope caused an uproar in the Muslim world when he quoted a 14th Century emperor who was critical -- and that might be putting it mildly -- of the Prophet Mohammed.

He quoted the emperor as saying, "Show me what Mohammed has brought that was new, and there you`re only going to find things that are evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached," end quote.

Since then, churches have been set on fire across the Middle East, and Muslim militants apparently shot and killed a nun in Somalia.

Now, while our legal department is making sure that I impress upon you that there is no proof that this latest wave of violence was directly related to the pope`s peach, come on. One thing is clear. Muslims are a little upset. Not all of them, just the whack job Muslims.

The pope has issued an apology yesterday, to which he said, "I`m really sorry you responded this way."

Al Qaeda has responded, quote, "We shall break the cross and spill the wine. God will help Muslims to conquer Rome. May God enable us to slit their throats."

Well, could I get an apology for that?

Here`s tonight`s point, and before I say it, you`ve got to promise me to give me a few minutes to explain, or just turn the TV off. Please, it`s not going to be worth the aggravation. You`ve got to listen to this in context and all of it. Ready?

Here`s tonight`s point. The pope is right. Here`s how I got there. I reread the pope`s speech like four times over the weekend. I called to the smartest people I know. I was on the phone with archbishops: "Hey, can you help me out on this?" It`s -- it is steeped in philosophical jargon and a little bit of Latin just to make it more confusing. If you read it closely, over and over again and -- here`s a crazy secret -- in context, the speech is actually a slap in the face to the west.

Even so, as a westerner, I`m not going to go kill a nun. His whole thesis is that religion should not be sidelined. It should be involved in culture, and science and education. He warned that the west, if it continues to ostracize faith in favor of science, will be seen as godless by Islam and the rest of the world. I`m a Christian and I agree with that.

However, the people who have used Islam, he went on, to twist religion into a violent jihad need to stop or be stopped. Dialogue, he said, is the key to solving these issues.

Now I don`t know how you take those words as a cue to start burning churches and killing nuns. I mean, how do you expect me, as a non-Muslim, to look at the reactions on the Islamic streets and not say, "I mean, I don`t know what the pope said, but looks like he was right"?

What you saw over the weekend, however, was not the real show. That was the genuine reaction of the frothing-at-the-mouth extremist who only wants jihad. The real fall-out, the things that you should worry about that are coming, will come with the leaders, the creators of the game chess, look at the whole world as that giant chessboard and they decide to make the next move. That could be weeks, could be months, but they will use the pope`s speech to trigger off a series of events that will divert attention from whatever it is they`re really working on.

Do you remember -- this is why I say this -- those Danish cartoons about Islam that everybody was all riled up about? Remember the secret to those cartoons. They were published in November of last year, but the riots didn`t happen until February. Why the delayed response?

I have no evidence of this; it`s just my gut and reading and paying attention to the news. I believe Syria wanted to distract everyone from the assassination of the Lebanese prime minister.

So if sanctions against Iran get serious at the U.N., or as serious as they can, the pope speech will become even a bigger story than it is now. And it will have nothing to do with the average Muslim on the street; everything to do with their leaders.

This week, the real powers in the Middle East want all of the attention on President Tom from Iran having the courage to go eye to eye with President Bush right there in the belly of the beast in midtown Manhattan.

The extremists will find a way to use the pope`s speech as an excuse to kill in the name of Allah at a more convenient time. Not this week.

So here`s what I know tonight. The warning bells, at least for me, are ringing now almost non-stop. It is time for the world to come together on this. Europe needs to understand, to everything, there is a season: a time for talk, and a time for action.

In this country, we need to understand that this is not a time for partisanship, but a time, just like in the days after 9/11, to stand united. A great danger is at our doorstep.

I also know that there is some good news from all of this. Nobody was burning down churches here in America. No nuns were killed here in America. The Muslim community, for the most part, gets it here in America. They have not been radicalized, and we need them on our side. And Muslims here in America, believe me, you need us on your side, as well. Look at what is happening to Christians and Muslims in Darfur.

Here`s what I don`t know. Even if you think that what the pope said was offensive, do his words justify murder? In my book, it`s pretty clear. No.

Ahmed Younis is the national director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

Ahmed, do they?

AHMED YOUNIS, NATIONAL DIRECTOR, MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL: Well, in one of God`s books, in the Koran, they are absolutely not justified, and we have condemned the killing of the nun, and we have condemned all of the violence on the streets.

The people on the streets that we see on our screens, those aren`t the people that the pope needs to engage in a dialogue.

BECK: Right.

YOUNIS: Their are the people, as you have just said, that have been encouraged and strengthened by the idea that there is a worldview of a clash of civilization.

And the pope made a mistake, and the pope acknowledged the mistake. And we have put out a press release accepting that apology and acknowledgment. And the mistake was to take the thoughts of a man that`s sitting between the crusades and the Inquisition and to use them as analysis of what is happening in the world today. I could not agree more with almost everything that you have said in the run up to bringing me on.

BECK: Yes. You know, Ahmed, I will tell you I said on the air today that the -- exactly what you said, to -- to use, you know, a 14th Century emperor, not a good idea, because the Catholics did the same thing with Jews. They were bringing people to Jesus. Jews for Jesus in Spain. It was a scary time back then. And, you know, hopefully we`ve all changed a little bit.

YOUNIS: Absolutely.

BECK: From them.

YOUNIS: I`ve just come back from a major conference in Malaysia, of all places. A pluralism of religion and ethnicity, a Muslim country. And the tone of the conversation there about the west is -- it started that crusades. They say everything with the west started that crusades and now look what we are going through now.

BECK: Yes.

YOUNIS: And this kind of rhetoric just supports that idea.

BECK: Well, you know, I find it interesting that the speech that the pope gave was on Tuesday, but we didn`t really start to see any steam pick up on this thing until Friday, which brings me to this, Ahmed. And I don`t -- look, I`m going to be completely politically incorrect. But I just want to tell you what I have witnessed firsthand.

I was in Jerusalem, and I happened to be at the Western Wall, and I -- you know, as a tourist, I`m just watching what`s going on.

It`s a Friday. I leave the western war Friday afternoon, and all of these police cars pass me. And I get to the hotel. I turn on TV. I hear that after the services on the Temple Mount let out, there were Muslims that came, and they took rocks and dropped them on the heads of Jews.

My honest question to you is, how does someone who doesn`t understand Islam look at events like this and not ask the question, how can -- what kind of religion is it that you leave the service and want to drop rocks on people`s head? Do you leave the service and you want to go kill a nun?

YOUNIS: Yes, I mean, the problem here is when they try to assess what Muslims are doing globally through the lines of religion and religiosity. I mean, Islam is very clear in the Korean. God made very clear through the prophet. There is absolutely no compulsion in religion.

We do not have the rights to force people into coming into it. If God wanted everybody to be a Muslim, he would have created them that way.

It`s absolutely clear that there was a responsibility to protect religious minorities. The Muslim majority context and the Medea constitution that the prophet put together after he left Mecca from great oppression is a perfect example of that. So the religion is very clear.

What we in the west have to do is assess what we see on television through the lens of politics, economics, sociology and how many people can be cultured into these kinds of reactions. And we need to understand their context.

BECK: You know, Ahmed, I couldn`t agree with you more. Unfortunately, they are using -- the politicians over there are using Islam to dupe so many people and it -- it is very real whether we choose to believe it or not, on their side, this is a holy war. And they plan on taking of us down.

Ahmed, best of luck and thank you so much for being on the program with us.

YOUNIS: My pleasure, sir.

BECK: Coming up, the president is going to the U.N. this week. Our president and maybe their president, too. Bush and President Tom, going to speak to the world body that doesn`t really listen and has nothing to say.

Also, Steve Irwin`s 8-year-old daughter is going to swim with stingrays for her dad. You won`t believe this.

And later, kind of an uncomfortable conversation with me and Pete Rose about his baseball signing apologies and his efforts to get to Cooperstown. Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: When President Tom actually came out this weekend and said George Bush is practically Adolf Hitler, I laughed. I think we need a -- you know, on tomorrow`s show, could we do a refresher course on Adolf Hitler?

I think there might be another Adolf Hitler. I don`t know. Maybe this one was from Milwaukee and he cheated on his taxes and generally spoke in an ill fashion to children from time to time.

Because he can`t be comparing George Bush to the Adolf Hitler that we`re all thinking. That Adolf Hitler wanted to control the whole world and completely -- and gas people that stood in the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: You know, this weekend I spent some time teaching my son, you know, about the alphabet, and we have those alphabet books, the blocks, you know, that would give you, you know, a word for letter.

After about the third book and looking at all the blocks, I realized the letter "x" is completely useless. Every example was always "xylophone." And that should be spelled with a "z." You can`t think of any other words?

So I`ve thinking about the alphabet. Is there any letter that is more useless than the letter "x"? The answer, surprisingly, yes. It`s the letters "u" and "n" when put together.

The U.N. is quite possibly the most worthless, ineffective, and, worst, expensive organization you can think of. You know, this year alone, do you know what our tab is for the U.N.? Check, please. $1.7 billion.

But what do you get for that $1.7 billion? I`ll tell you. You get blue helmets that are sent out to act as human shields in the Middle East. You get genocide in Darfur that nobody will do anything about and a bunch of resolutions that nobody ever wants to act on.

Oh, oh, and we get the U.N. General Assembly here in New York every year. It`s like a world leader summer camp, but this year with the added threat of nuclear Holocaust. I can`t be the only one here on the crew. Am I the only one that thought today, "Gee, I hope somebody is sending them through radiation detectors when they get off the plane"?

Also, our usual allies like Jacques Chirac of France are scheduled to meet with your sworn enemies this week, like President Tom from Iran. I don`t know; probably to see who can insult us in the most languages.

Then, tomorrow, the highlight of the week takes place as President George Bush addresses the entire general assembly, followed immediately by the Democratic response from President Tom. You can`t make this stuff up.

Anne Bayefsky, she is a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute. Anne, last time you were on, I believe, the U.N. demanded an apology

ANNE BAYEFSKY, SENIOR FELLOW, HUDSON INSTITUTE: Well, I didn`t hear that. But I did want to correct one thing. Senator Tom Coburn actually did a count of how much America spent on the U.N. in 2005. And counting the in kind contributions, it was $5 billion.

BECK: Oh, well, I apologize. Now let`s hate the U.N. together and make them both -- make them hate both of us.

Here is the -- here`s the thing that I find amazing, Anne. I believe the U.N. is actually working against us with President Tom. Because President Tom is now getting a world stage, and it`s -- the viewers are not meant to be you and me. The viewers -- correct me if I`m wrong -- I think are meant to be those in the Middle East, where he can stand in the U.N. eye-to-eye with George Bush and try to convince the Arab people that he`s the best leader.

BAYEFSKY: There`s no doubt that the United Nations is now working actively against our Iran policy. I mean, Kofi Annan himself said that we want to make sure that we don`t isolate Iran. No. On the contrary, we want to give them a world platform and web cast it around the world and give him an opportunity to pretend to be a man of peace.

BECK: Yes, this is what`s going to happen. I mean, it`s the Adolf Hitler thing all over again, isn`t it? I mean, he`s just going to come up, and he`s going to -- he`s going to -- I mean, there will be people tomorrow that believe him, too, won`t there?

BAYEFSKY: Well, you know, we hope not, but the reality is that he will masquerade as a person who`s a man of peace when he`s a warmonger. He`ll masquerade as a person who`s not interested in nuclear weapons when we know he`s actively pursuing them at a rapid pace.

And the reality is that the United Nations has become part of the problem, because instead of isolating him, we in fact are embracing him.

BECK: So what should the president say tomorrow? What do you hope he says?

BAYEFSKY: Well, I hope the first thing he says is give the U.N. a report card. A year ago, we -- the United Nations and all the world leaders said that they would engage in active U.N. reform.

What`s happened since then? No definition of terrorism. No comprehensive convention against terrorism, no management reform, totally stalled, 9,000 mandates. Not one a single one has been done away with.

And so I hope he says first and foremost, the United Nations has failed to live up to our expectations. Genocide is going on in Sudan. Iran, there`s no sanctions in sight. It`s a failure.

BECK: How do you not -- how do you not just stop what`s happening in Darfur? I mean, there`s no trying to get some oil from that area. But there`s no real -- you know, there`s no real global politics or money or anything else in that area.

How does the U.N. not act on something this clear?

BAYEFSKY: Well, it doesn`t act, because it`s controlled by countries that are not interested in stopping genocide in Darfur. There are 192 U.N. states; 132 of them belong to the group of 77 developing countries. And 118 of the non-aligned movement, as it`s so called, just come fresh from Cuba. These are -- they`re not interested in stopping genocide. They`re interested in bashing the United States and Israel.

BECK: Anne, thank you so much. I really appreciate your time.

This week, when Ahmadinejad isn`t busy giving speeches condemning America, you know, I`m just thinking, there`s bound to be some down time. You know? And, listen, President Tom, this is a great city. It is. There are so many things you can do. While you`re in New York, put your feet up. Make the most of it. It`s the city that never sleeps.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Just because you`re a tyrannical dictator doesn`t mean you can`t have loads of fun during your stay here in New York.

Central Park is always beautiful this time of year. Why not take a romantic carriage ride with someone you love?

Then hop aboard a ferry and set sail to Liberty Island, where you can get an up close look at the Statue of Liberty one final time before someone blows it up.

And then finish your day off with a gnosh at a genuine kosher deli on New York`s Upper West Side, where there are so many Jews you`d swear you were in Tel Aviv. So many Jews to hate, so little time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Every day you can hear my radio program on stations all across the country, including 830 KLAA in Los Angeles. And by the way, if you can`t find an affiliate in the area, you can sign up and listen online at my web site, GlennBeck.com.

Dave Glover is on our affiliate in St. Louis, KFDK 97.1 FM.

Hello, Dave.

DAVE GLOVER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: How are you doing, buddy?

BECK: Pretty good. It`s a little hairy here in New York. The streets are all closed down. Everybody for the U.N. is here. Karzai and Musharraf are both a couple of floors above me. There are SWAT teams all over this building today.

GLOVER: Wow.

BECK: It`s craziness.

GLOVER: That is crazy. And you, of course, are worried about spinach.

BECK: Yes, I am.

GLOVER: Well, I`m not. It`s the first time there`s been an epidemic that could never touch me.

BECK: You know what? That is the simplest thing. I told my wife, because she`s always like, "You have to have a salad." No, it could kill you.

GLOVER: How smart do we look now?

BECK: Yes. It is the best.

GLOVER: I`ve been calling it on the air the vegetarian rapture. Although I believe the medial term is Popeye`s revenge.

BECK: Let me ask you -- let me ask you this question.

GLOVER: Yes.

BECK: Wouldn`t the best advice is just never eat spinach?

GLOVER: Again, I`m going to call my mom after we get off the air here.

BECK: It is something I live by. I mean, I think I only had one -- every time -- every time I live in a house, I have one box of frozen spinach. And then when you move, you throw that box away, and then you buy a new box of frozen spinach.

GLOVER: Yes. And it doesn`t even take into consideration the tens of thousands killed silently by Brussels spouts. It`s all going to come out eventually.

BECK: Let me talk to you about Bindi Irwin.

GLOVER: Yes.

BECK: Tell me the story.

GLOVER: OK. We all know Steve Irwin, you know, killed in this freak accident by the stingray. Now it comes out that his 8-year-old daughter, who has her own show, I believe "Jungle Girl", is going to finish that film. And she`s going to swim with not only stingrays, but the exact stingray that killed her dad. And this is going to be happening in the next few days.

BECK: What is -- what is wrong with the Irwins?

GLOVER: You know, I think -- this is the kind of story, Glenn, that a lot of people are going to find sweet and brave and the whole deal. You and I, of course -- to me, this is creepy at best.

BECK: I mean, here`s the -- here`s the thing. I mean, look, let me say this right away, because we`re going to get more -- I`m telling you. We could say the most outrageous thing ever, and the thing that would get me burned in effigy is coming out against Steve Irwin.

GLOVER: Yes. I never had -- never had so much hate mail.

BECK: Me, too. I like Steve Irwin. However, can we stop endangering the Irwin kids?

GLOVER: Did you know about the revenge killings? Did you hear this? Dozens of stingrays were knifed like the Jets and the Sharks in "West Side Story" or something. People were going into the ocean and killing stingrays.

BECK: Like that`s what Steve Irwin wants. Here he is, a conservationist.

GLOVER: Right.

BECK: He`s killed by -- and then they go out like you`re going to teach the stingrays a lesson. You`re the one that did it, you dirty bastard. No.

GLOVER: Yes. And so how his 8-year-old daughter -- I mean, she`s not 18. She`s 8. And this is why, legally, little kids can`t consent to things like contracts or relationships.

By the same token, the mom, I pray to God, steps in and says, "Honey, not just for your physical safety, but for your emotional and mental well- being."

BECK: Her mom -- her mom was there when Steve took her. Remember when he had her in his arms?

GLOVER: Yes, yes, yes.

BECK: She was there, too.

GLOVER: Good point. Good point. Yes.

BECK: Thanks so much. We`ll check in again with you next week. Bye- bye. Dave Glover.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Welcome to "The Real Story." This is where we try to cut through the media spin and figure out why a story is actually important to you.

I have to tell you, I`ve been in such a great mood all day, and it wasn`t until about mid-afternoon that I realized why. We are just 50 days away from the November elections. That is -- we`ve got a couple of different political headlines to run through. And I`ve got to tell you, politics makes my eyes bleed. I`m going to try to make this as painless as possible. But here goes.

First, recent polls have shown that voters consider the situation in Iraq to be the most important issue in the upcoming elections. Well, we already knew that. The real story is Democrats are having a very hard time capitalizing on it.

They claim they can unite America, but the reality is they`re not even united themselves, America`s not, especially when it comes to Iraq. I think the problem is, is that they are campaigning not on what they believe, but they`re trying to find a message that has some wide appeal to liberals and independents. But in Iraq, that message just doesn`t exist.

A recent Pew Research Poll found 47 percent of voters want to keep the troops in Iraq and another 47 percent want to bring them home. Another poll shows 47 percent want a timetable to withdraw. Another 45 percent say that`s a bad idea.

There is no clear winning political position. You just got to go with your gut and do what you believe is right, which is why you`ll hear someone like Hillary Clinton saying, "We`ve got to stay in Iraq," while Nancy Pelosi wants to pull out. And they`re in the same party.

People realize they don`t have a uniform message and, in many cases, that they`re directly contradicting each other. I mean, I think that makes them as dysfunctional with just one party as Congress is with two.

Next, I want to focus on one of those recent polls, the one I just told you about, where 47 percent of Americans believe we should pull our troops out of Iraq. The real story is with that poll it proves just how poorly Americans understand what we`re doing in Iraq. And I think the big reason for that is the president has just lost so much credibility with a ton of people. They don`t trust him.

And people have made up their mind. So if you`re one of those people, do me a favor: Stop listening to the president entirely. Instead, listen directly to the words of Osama bin Laden. When he tells you that we are in World War III, listen to him. Listen to him when he tells you that Iraq is the central front of the war, because it is the capital of the caliphate, which is the idea of a unified Islamic state.

It`s the words of bin Laden and President Tom, who says the capital of the caliphate will be in ancient Babylon -- which is Iraq -- that we have this reason we have to win in Iraq. Make your decision based on those things, not on politics, not on parties, not on emotions.

I hate to say it, but Iraq, as a country, is almost inconsequential at this point. It is so much bigger than Iraq. And when the American people finally understand that, when they get what`s really happening, that`s when they should go into the voting booth. That`s when they should pull the lever -- and not for the "R" or just for the "D," but whatever candidate actually understands what is truly happening and has the spine to do something about it.

In some areas, that will be the "R." In other areas, that will be the "D." And in my state of Connecticut, I believe it will be the "I."

Finally tonight -- and then, I swear, no more politics -- a story came out over the weekend about how a lot of Democrats across the country are now running campaign ads featuring President Bush. Their premise is that, since so many voters have a negative opinion of Bush, showing pictures of him with their opponent can only help.

Here is a clip run by Patricia Madrid, who is running for representative in New Mexico. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD, MADRIDFORCONGRESS.COM)

ANNOUNCER: Heather Wilson even missed a vote on setting a timetable for withdrawal so she could attend a fundraiser with George Bush. That`s not independence, not be a long shot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: No, it`s not. Be afraid, very afraid. The real story is many of these ads may actually be helping Republicans, believe it or not. A lot of the political pundits out there believe that one of the keys to the Republicans at least this November is getting their base to actually turn out and vote. Until recently, that`s been a huge question mark.

But now, some polls are showing that the ads are actually rallying Republicans around the president. I think it all goes back to our first story tonight: Americans vote for something, not against it. When I go to Baskin Robbins, I never walk in and say, "Give me anything but the damned pistachio." I select a flavor I do like. But apparently some parties haven`t yet figured out that people pick their candidates like we pick our flavors of ice cream.

Evan Tracey, the founder and chief operating officer of Campaign Media Analysis, how are you, sir?

EVAN TRACEY, COO, TNS MEDIA INTELLIGENCE: Good.

BECK: You know, as I said that about the ice cream, I remember Newt Gingrich. Newt Gingrich was demonized, and people did walk into a voting booth and say, "Anything but that damn pistachio." Have we really gotten to a place where people vote against and not for?

TRACEY: Well, we have, and it`s nothing new in politics. Politics is about either getting people to vote for something or against something. Attack ads by and large are used to motivate your base and also confuse the undecided voters so they stay home. It`s much more easier for the strategists to figure out who`s going to turn out on election day if they can kind of de-motivate a group of voters, like independent voters.

BECK: Right. But this -- I mean, when you attack Bush, when it comes to the war on terror, et cetera, et cetera, I mean, the Republicans are very, very strong on this, the only thing the Republicans have left, quite honestly. As a conservative, I`m so confused on what they stand for, except for security.

When you attack that, don`t you run the risk of creating another "Fahrenheit 9/11," which motivated so many conservatives to come out and just make sure that the Democrats lost?

TRACEY: Well, that`s the risk at this point for the Democratic strategy. And as we look nationally, one in every five ads by Democrats running for either the House or the Senate right now has a picture or mention of George Bush. Now, they`re trying to separate a little bit the war on terror from the war on Iraq. That`s really where they`re laying their flag in this particular election, is trying to attach incumbent Republicans and Republican challengers, essentially, to an unpopular president.

BECK: Twenty percent of the ads feature George W. Bush. That`s exceptionally high, isn`t it?

TRACEY: Yes, especially in a midterm election, which these tend to be about local issues. I mean, for House and for Senate, but they really tend to be about the pocketbook issues, about school, about crime, about education. The fact of the matter is, Democrats are trying to delocalize these elections, these midterm elections, and essentially make them a referendum on Bush, hoping that low poll numbers will translate into high Democratic turnout. In other words, they`re trying to motivate their base with this president and not try and motivate the Republican base, obviously.

BECK: OK. Let me be fair for 20 seconds here or balanced for 20 seconds. I always try to be fair. The Republicans are going to do the same damn thing. I mean, you know that Ted Kennedy-Nancy Pelosi is going to come and bring President Tom directly into your child`s bedroom. That ad is coming.

TRACEY: Oh, absolutely. And you talked about the `96 elections where Democrats basically attached Newt Gingrich to every competitive seat in the country. Republicans ran a great ad right down the stretch about two weeks before the election where they essentially had a fortune-teller looking into a crystal ball saying, "What would happen if Democrats took control of the Congress?" I suspect you`ll see that ad again.

I mean, Politics is about fighting the last war, so what worked in the past is guaranteed to happen to be a tactic again employed in this election.

BECK: All right. So with that we`ve kind of stirred the water up and made it all muddy. And I don`t really know -- so what are you -- if I ask you to play Kreskin for me and look into your crystal ball, who do you think is going to -- who is going to be most effective at this?

TRACEY: Well, the strategy from the Democratic standpoint is sound at this standpoint. The risk is really what happens over these next 50 days. You know, if there`s a big break in the war on terror or something and the president`s poll numbers go up, if gas prices go down and the president`s poll numbers go up, then attaching the race nationally to the president may not have been the best strategy. However, if the opposite is true, it was the greatest strategy in the world.

BECK: Well, isn`t that always the case? If it works, it was my idea. Evan, thanks a lot.

And that is "The Real Story" tonight. If you`d like to read more about it or if you`ve found a real story on your own, please tell us about it. We`d love to put it on the television. Just visit glennbeck.com -- that`s with two n`s -- click the "Real Story" button. You`ll find all the information there.

Let`s go now "Straight to Hill." It`s Erica Hill, the anchor of "PRIME NEWS" on Headline News.

Erica, how was your weekend?

ERICA HILL, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: I had a very nice weekend, thank you. And yourself?

BECK: Where are you, a casino? What`s behind you?

HILL: I`m upstairs at CNN.

BECK: Oh, it`s CNN. You`re in Atlanta. You know, we`ve got -- I just mentioned a little while ago -- we have Musharraf and Karzai here in the building.

HILL: Yes.

BECK: It is like...

HILL: The security has got to be insane.

BECK: Oh, the whole -- all of New York is insane today. It is closed down everywhere. You walk down -- I walked down Sixth Avenue today? Dogs everywhere sniffing cars. It`s crazy with all the people here.

HILL: Jeez. And you thought it was just because you were coming to work on a Monday.

BECK: Well, I thought so. So what`s happening?

HILL: So I knew you were just talking about "The Real Story." Well, a lot of people, this tragic story that we`ve heard about Anna Nicole Smith, are wondering what the real story is there. We`re learning a little bit more. Apparently, her son was using prescription antidepressant medication when he died last week. That`s according to the pathologist who did the second autopsy.

Cyril Wecht, who Anna Nicole Smith hired independently, says though it is still too early to tell if that medication actually played a role in the 20-year-old`s death. Both doctors now who`ve conducted autopsies say there`s no evidence that he died of a suicidal overdose, and they`ve also ruled out several natural causes, as well as foul play. So one bit of information and still a lot of questions.

BECK: Yes, I know. I heard today, you know, the synopsis, ruled out natural causes and suspicious death. And I thought...

HILL: What`s left?

BECK: ... "Well, I know he`s not alive." Thanks, Erica. I appreciate it.

HILL: Thank you.

BECK: You bet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: We need to speak the truth. We need to speak it calmly, and plainly, and reasoned, and stick to our guns. These are bullies, and they are bullying not only Christians and Jews, but Muslims, as well. And we`ve got to speak the truth to each other, and we must take a firm stand; otherwise, it is a sign of retreat.

Look, you never win a game playing defense. You only win when you`re playing a game of offense. You don`t believe me? Ask the Philadelphia Eagles about their game this weekend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: While we`re here on the topic of sports, Pete Rose is in the studio with me.

Mr. Rose, how are you, sir?

PETE ROSE, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER: Good. I thought defense won everything. I guess I was wrong all these years.

BECK: Well, don`t -- really, you don`t want to get into a sports talk with me. I`m a complete -- we were just talking. You apparently have been briefed on me and told that I was a troublemaker with you.

ROSE: No, no.

BECK: No, no?

ROSE: You`re a good bad boy.

BECK: I`m a good bad boy.

ROSE: Whatever the hell that means.

BECK: I don`t know what the heck that means, either.

ROSE: It means you`ve got your own show.

BECK: May we speak frankly with each other?

ROSE: Talk whatever you want to talk about. Go ahead.

BECK: Well, here`s the thing: I`m not a sports fan.

ROSE: OK.

BECK: So, you know, what happened in your past never affected me.

ROSE: OK.

BECK: However, I heard the news today about these baseballs that are coming out that you signed -- I don`t even know how many. I heard as many as 300.

ROSE: Not many. Not many.

BECK: OK. So you signed the baseballs, and you put, "I apologize." What does it say exactly?

ROSE: "I`m sorry I bet on baseball."

BECK: OK.

ROSE: Well, first of all, now, let`s all be frank here. And if I hadn`t did what I did, I`d probably be in the Hall of Fame. I`d probably still be managing the Cincinnati Reds.

BECK: You`re a legend.

ROSE: However, I signed some baseballs, "I`m sorry I bet on baseball," for a friend of mine who was going to put them away. And somehow, somehow -- I have no idea how 30 of them got out. And I guess they`re going to be on auction or something.

So what I decided to do today -- of course, you don`t know this, but I work 15 days a month at Caesar`s Forum Shop at the Field of Dreams Store in Las Vegas, Nevada. And I represent the Memories and Dreams Incorporated (ph) and Stars Live 365, and I haven`t even signed it yet.

So for my fans who want that kind of ball, when I get back to Vegas on Friday or Thursday, I`m going to start signing, and we`re going to put them up to sell there and, of course, on PeteRose.com.

BECK: OK.

ROSE: Because I had no idea when I signed these balls -- my buddy, who I talked to today, who I signed them for said, "I`m not doing anything with these balls. I`m going to wait 10, 15, 20 years." So somehow 30 of them got out there, and I don`t know how they got out there.

That`s the whole story. It`s kind of amazing that that can knock all these presidents that are in town off the front page of the paper.

BECK: Oh, I know, it`s crazy. So let me just say this to you and get your response on this. Again, I didn`t follow the whole thing, but this is what came to me.

ROSE: OK.

BECK: Fourteen years, you denied anything happened, but then, as a casual observer of this, when you wrote a book, you said, "OK, I did." And to me...

ROSE: That`s not exactly true, though. OK, let me give...

BECK: Help me out.

ROSE: ... give you the time line. As you know, or you may not know, five or six days after I was suspended, Bart Giamatti died, OK? And then Fay Vincent took over as commissioner, and he wasn`t going to give me a second chance, not at all.

BECK: Right.

ROSE: Then all of a sudden he got fired as commissioner of baseball. And it took me until the year 2000 to meet with the commissioner of baseball. And I told the commissioner of baseball everything I did the first opportunity I got to talk to him, and that was actually about 13 months before the book come out. So I did not use the book to announce that I bet on baseball. Do you understand what I`m saying?

BECK: Yes.

ROSE: Because, in my life, Glenn, the only guy that could help me, the guy who`s in charge of my life is the commissioner of baseball. I could have told Bob Costas. I could have told Jim Gray. I could have told Jim Rome. I could have told you. But how is that going to help me?

And the first time and the first opportunity that I got to talk to the commissioner of baseball, that was Bug Selig in Milwaukee, I told him -- and I even thanked him. I said, "Thank you for giving me an opportunity to take this off my shoulders."

BECK: OK. So what was the pivot point in your life? What was the point where you said, "You know what? I did wrong." Where were you or what did you go through that you went, "I`m a changed man"?

ROSE: Well, when you get suspended from baseball -- I mean, I was in baseball for over 24 years. I managed for four or five. Now all of a sudden I`m on the outside looking in. And it just hit me. I said, "What the hell did I do here? How did I do this?" I mean, I messed up a good thing.

I mean, but, you know, I hurt my family is who I hurt, and I hurt myself. And, of course, I affected some of my fans, but I think most of my fans, not all of my fans, now understand that I`m sorry I made the mistake.

But, Glenn, it happened in 1987 and 1988; that`s almost 20 years ago. I mean, sure, I can go on for the next 15 years hopefully and say, "I`m sorry, I`m sorry," everybody is not going to hear you. There are still people who say, "Well, he`s still not remorseful." I mean, it`s been almost 20 years.

BECK: I have to tell you...

ROSE: I`ve been suspended 17 years.

BECK: I have to tell you, again, to be completely honest with you, I really didn`t think I would like you. In fact, you were coming on the set, and I said, "No, no, no, not on the set," because I really didn`t think I would like you. And you`re real.

ROSE: Well, you probably say that not knowing much about sports, and a lot of people feel that way about me because I`m not like I played.

BECK: Yes.

ROSE: You know, I had to be a rough SOB to play the game the way I did, knocking this guy down, knocking this guy down, bowling this guy over, trying to slide to take an extra base.

BECK: One of our writers, Paul Stark (ph), actually believes you killed a man on sliding into base.

(LAUGHTER)

ROSE: Well -- but the reality of it is, when I left the ballpark, I was a regular guy. I mean, I love fans.

BECK: Right.

ROSE: And I think -- I`m seeing a lot of payback now because of my gig I have in Las Vegas. I mean, we talk to grandmas, and little kids this big, and dads, and moms, and sisters, and brothers. I mean, it`s amazing the business we do in Las Vegas. And it`s all baseball fans whose may never have a chance to see a Derek Jeter in New York or myself in Cincinnati, because they live in North Dakota or South Dakota or Wyoming and places like that.

BECK: OK. Mr. Rose, thank you very much. Best of luck to you.

ROSE: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

BECK: Thank you. You bet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: OK, it`s time for "Ask Glenn." And the first question comes in from Lawrence in Tampa. He says, "Hey, Glenn, I`ve been looking for a way to justify my weekend activities, which include beer, football, and more beer. Since you`re an alcoholic, I thought you might have some ideas that I haven`t thought of."

Well, Larry, I mean, I appreciate the opportunity to use our valuable network airtime to add to your delinquency and most likely ruin your marriage. But actually there is a report that came out from the Reason Foundation that says that drinkers earn 10 percent to 14 percent more money than non-drinkers. They say this is because drinkers are better socially. And, I mean, do you really want to party with a prohibitionist? I don`t think so.

Now, this happens to be the complete opposite of what a 2000 Harvard study said, but why would you trust Harvard when you have the Reason Foundation? Plus, is your wife really going to research it? No. Well, actually, if she`s like my wife, she probably will. But, hey, you could get lucky.

Garrett from Seattle writes in, "Glenn, I hope you heard of this girl who saved herself from a sexual predator via text message. When are we going to get serious about these freaks?"

This is an amazing story. This dirt bag posed as a cop to abduct a 14-year-old girl and bring her into an underground maze of tunnels. He used the bunkers to hide from police who were trying to arrest him on a separate abduction of a 12-year-old girl.

The 14-year-old gets to the cell phone of the alleged attacker and sent a text message to her mom, was saved after 10 days underground. Here`s the sheriff describing how he avoided authorities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE MCCASKILL, KERSHAW COUNTY SHERIFF: He even cut a two-foot square hole in his bedroom, in his mobile home, and had mattress and carpet over it. And when the deputies would come in to try to serve the search warrant, his common law wife would let them come in. They`d search, of course, and couldn`t find anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: His common law wife? Outside was a gate. He put a sign up there. It said, "Anyone who tries to get past this gate will be shot, no questions asked. This includes cops." And the word "cops" was underlined three times.

Now, I`m thinking that anyone who not only has that sign, but has taken the time to underline "cops" three times, oh, is looking for the instant arrest, you know? Even if you`re pretty sure they didn`t commit a crime, roll the dice. You`re probably going to find something, you know, from "Saw 3" inside. Not a constitutional scholar, remember, but I am a thinker.

See you tomorrow on the radio show, you sick freak.

END