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Inside Politics

Countdown to Iowa; Rocky Week for Howard Dean

Aired January 11, 2004 - 10:00   ET

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

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


CANDY CROWLEY, GUEST HOST: INSIDE POLITICS today. Iowa, eight days and counting. Newspapers pick their candidates. We'll find out who got the crucial endorsements. You may be surprised.
A rocky week for Howard Dean. His campaign manager, Joe Trippi, joins us live.

New poll numbers show a tight Iowa race that may be a fight to the finish straight ahead.

The CNN election express rolls into Des Moines just about a week before the Iowa caucuses.

Good Sunday morning. I'm Candy Crowley.

Politics doesn't take weekends off, and neither do we. Newspapers here in the Hawkeye State are weighing in with endorsements, and there's a political stunner. Iowa's largest newspaper is backing Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. The "Des Moines Register" says, "John Edwards is one of those rare, naturally gifted politicians who doesn't need a long record of public service to inspire confidence in his abilities. His life has been one of accomplishing the unexpected and flashes of brilliance."

The "Quad-City Times," among three Iowa papers endorsing Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, saw experience as key. The paper said, "While other candidates demonstrate a promise for leadership in world affairs, Kerry has graduated from that school, Phi Beta Kappa."

For the Democrats fighting it out here, it's crunch time. With about 190 hours left to make an impact on voters, let's do the numbers.

A new "Los Angeles Times"-"Chicago Tribune" poll shows Howard Dean on top in Iowa, with support from 30 percent of the state's Democrats. Twenty-three percent back Congressman Dick Gephardt. In third place, Senator John Kerry, with 18 percent.

A new nationwide poll by "Newsweek" shows Dean with a much bigger league over his Democratic rivals. Twenty-four percent of Democrats back Dean. Wesley Clark and Gephardt are tied for second place, with 12 percent each. And Kerry is fourth, with 11 percent.

But the poll shows in a head-to-head race with President Bush, Dean would lose. Fifty-one percent of likely voters favor the president, 43 percent back Dean. Asked whether Dean is too liberal to defeat Bush, 43 percent of respondents said yes, 30 percent said no.

Senator Joe Lieberman says he's the candidate who can send the president packing. Most polls show the Connecticut moderate Democrat far from the front of the pack in his bid for the nomination, but Lieberman told Wolf Blitzer on "LATE EDITION" that he's the kind of leader the nation needs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm a mainstream Democrat, I'm socially progressive, pro jobs in the tradition of Bill Clinton, and strong on security. And I think that's exactly the kind of person America needs to be its president now. And it is the only kind of Democrat that can beat George W. Bush in the fall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: The entire interview with Senator Lieberman on "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER" at noon Eastern here on CNN.

Well, Howard Dean leads his rivals in Iowa. The former governor of Vermont has had to do some damage control over comments he made about the caucus system. Here is CNN's Kelly Wallace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In politics, one minute you are up, the next you could be down. Howard Dean was reminded of that this past week. First, let's go to the videotape.

HOWARD DEAN (D), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can't stand there listening to everybody else's opinion for eight hours about how to fix the world.

WALLACE: Ten days before the kickoff contest in Iowa, this tape surfaced, showing the plain talking Dean dissing the Iowa caucuses four years ago.

DEAN: If you look at the caucuses systems, they're dominated by the special interests on both sides and both parties.

WALLACE: The Democratic front-runner quickly jumped into damage control mode.

DEAN: I've heard a lot about Iowa and Iowa caucuses over the last two years. I've been to all 99 counties. And I couldn't be in this race if it weren't for the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.

WALLACE: Politics 101, hope for positive news to wash away the negative. Dean got his wish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That person is Governor Howard Dean of Vermont. WALLACE: Winning the most sought after endorsement in Iowa, that of the state's most popular Democrat, Tom Harkin. Back in Vermont, Howard Dean country, Dean's most ardent supporters say he is a man who speaks his mind knowing he might make some mistakes.

SEN. PAUL SHUMLIN (D), VERMONT SENATE: I mean, Howard will often say things that he probably wishes he didn't say exactly that way at the time. The beauty of him is that you're not going to can Howard Dean.

WALLACE: But Dean's critics say he is impulsive and not accustomed to nuance.

GARRISON NELSON, UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT PROFESSOR: This is really when he's gotten himself into trouble. These off the cuff remarks, not really considering fully the ramifications of what he has to say. And it is it caused him some difficulty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And of course the question now, how will this all play in Iowa, especially with undecided voters? And, Candy, you know this best, the polls are showing anywhere between 14 percent and more than 25 percent of caucus voters saying they still have not made up their minds.

CROWLEY: Which is what makes it so much fun, Kelly. Listen, let me go back to where you were earlier in the week, Vermont. Tell me what you found out that surprised you in Vermont about Howard Dean, about how that state sees him.

WALLACE: The biggest surprise, two perhaps misperceptions about Howard Dean. Number one, we have seen the magazine covers. Howard Dean portrayed as the angry man. Well, we talked to supporters and we talked to some critics, and they say he's not an angry man. Sometimes he might speak his mind, he might be a little bit thin skinned, but they don't think he's this angry man.

And secondly, this one really surprising, some say he's being portrayed, especially by his critics, as a left wing liberal from Vermont. Well, you talk to supporters and you talk to critics, and they say he is no left wing liberal. Proof of that, they say, his biggest critics in Iowa, Democrats who thought he was too conservative, especially on fiscal issues -- Candy.

CROWLEY: Well, there's probably a reason a lot of people refer to it as the republic of Vermont. So probably a conservative in Vermont, may not exactly be seen that way in New Hampshire, Kelly. What do they think just in terms of the issues? Did you see any vulnerabilities there that Vermonters saw?

WALLACE: Well, there is, again, his position on the issues. A fiscal conservative social liberal. Obviously some Democrats thought he could have been a bit more moderate or a little more less conservative through the years. One issue, though -- and you're watching this on the national stage -- the issue of Howard Dean deciding to seal his records. This is something that governors have done in the past. He has sealed his records for 10 years.

You know, you talk to supporters, you talk to critics, they say there is no "there" there. They don't think there is anything damaging in the closet. But some believe that just by sealing these records to avoid possibly anything embarrassing coming out, he's opening himself up to some criticism from Democrats who say he's not being transparent and he's being secretive and trying to hide something -- Candy.

CROWLEY: Thanks, Kelly. National correspondent Kelly Wallace. Come on out, Kelly, we'll see you here tonight.

WALLACE: I will see you there.

CROWLEY: All right, thanks.

We want to turn to Howard Dean's campaign manager, Joe Trippi, without an overcoat, drinking diet Pepsi, making us look like a bunch of wusses here without our heaters. But OK.

JOE TRIPPI, DEAN CAMPAIGN MANAGER: It's a warm day.

CROWLEY: Listen, let me talk first about something that Kelly mentioned, which was the records. Where are we on that? We saw in the last debate, Joe Lieberman saying, look, all you have to do is sign this piece of paper and you can release them. Is he going to release those records?

TRIPPI: They're in the hands of a judge. A judge is going to go through the records and decide what gets released and what doesn't. In Vermont, it is the custom that the governors seal the records. It's different in different states.

CROWLEY: You know, it is not the customer in Vermont for people to run for president. So having -- isn't it sort of an exception that he's running for president? Why not just say, fine, protect the people we have to protect, but let the rest of them out?

TRIPPI: Most of the records are out and open. There's some that aren't because of that exact issue, that there's private correspondence and some things like that in there. And right now, take it out of politics. I mean, take this whole thing out of politics, put it in a court, let the judge decide what gets released.

That way, if we keep anything in the -- anything sealed, there is still going to be a question about why did Howard Dean keep those sealed. So let a judge decide. Take it out of politics. We're not trying to hide anything. There is nothing to hide.

CROWLEY: Let me move on to something that is rare for you. You didn't get an endorsement. The "Des Moines Register," a pretty good paper, endorsed Bradley last time, who has endorsed Dean this time, in our way to sort of all come around together and be in the same family. What do you make of that?

TRIPPI: Well, this week, we got Senator Tom Harkin's endorsement. And we think that carries a lot of weight. We're not going to get every endorsement out there.

CROWLEY: But this is a pretty -- I mean, do you think this hurts you? This is a fairly big endorsement here from the biggest newspaper.

TRIPPI: Well, they didn't endorse Dick Gephardt either. And right now, the two of us are in the fight for first.

John Edwards has run a good campaign out here. But we're feeling very good about where we stand. And I take -- we're very proud to have Senator Tom Harkin's endorsement. That carries a lot of weight in this state, particularly with the undecided.

CROWLEY: Let me -- I want to tell you -- on the cover of "U.S. News and World Report," we want to show our voters -- our voters -- our listeners, your voters, it says "Moment of Truth. Is Dean really the one? Can he go the distance?"

I think those two questions encapsulate what we have seen over the past week. Is this guy too off the cuff? Does he say things without thinking? Do we really want that sort of leader in this sort of post 9/11 world, where diplomacy is everything?

Do they do diplomacy in Vermont? Have you looked at any of this and said, you know what, we have to dial this back?

TRIPPI: Governor Dean was the governor of Vermont for 12 years. He had Republicans and Democrats in the legislature, he balanced the budget 12 years in a row. Got health care for children. He's done a lot of things.

I mean, it's not -- this is about -- in our -- the way we think about this, this isn't about Howard Dean. This is really about changing America's politics.

And that's why I think, despite all the "he can't win, he can't win," I mean, we couldn't win because we couldn't raise money. When we raised money, we couldn't win because we didn't have enough cash on hand. And all the other arguments made against us. This campaign keeps moving forward because hundreds of thousands of Americans want to change politics in this country.

CROWLEY: Yes, he was governor of Vermont, he balanced the budget, he brought health care to people, but he was not an international leader who had to put together coalitions. And I think what you hear when you talk on the streets, I mean, this isn't just our making it up. You know this guy talks without thinking. Do you buy that? I mean, do you say he doesn't do that?

TRIPPI: No, not at all. He talks without calculating. I mean, if you want a calculating politician, somebody who looks at the polls, look at the focus groups, goes out and every word is measured and cautious and careful, there are plenty of those candidates in the race.

If you want somebody who is going to say what he thinks, every once in a while, make a mistake, but admit it and apologize and move on, but in the end, stand up for what he believes in, stand up to George Bush, stand up and say the war in Iraq is wrong when others are looking elsewhere and going with the popular -- sort of where the country is going, yes, that's not Howard Dean. And that's why so many Americans who think -- you know, basically the media in a lot of ways, I think have not questioned a lot of stuff.

You know, half of the -- really 61 percent of this country think Saddam Hussein ordered the attacks on 9/11. I mean, it's not going to change unless somebody says that's not so.

CROWLEY: Well, in fact, the president said that's not so. But it sort of takes me to the question that is that right after the capture of Saddam Hussein, the governor says, well, I don't think we're any safer. It seems to question to people whether Osama bin Laden is guilty. Has to put out a correction of what he actually meant.

There is no thought on your side that he needs to be a little bit more precise? Because these things have harmed him along the way.

TRIPPI: I mean, the pundits think they've harmed us. I think the American people know we're not safer once Saddam Hussein was caught. We went to orange alert within days.

We had fighter jets escorting commercial airliners into this country. That's -- you know, Saddam Hussein isn't the guy who is thinking about putting the bomb on a plane. It is Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. And that's the whole reason the governor believed we shouldn't have gone into Iraq in the first place.

We should have kept the focus on Osama bin Laden. What he's asked about Osama bin Laden, look, all of us want Osama bin Laden to be caught and get the death penalty. He was saying that he -- during the trial -- you know, that there's got to be a trial. The same thing we're doing with Saddam Hussein.

CROWLEY: We're going to have to let it go. One quick answer, are you going to win Iowa, by how much?

TRIPPI: We're going to win Iowa if our supporters keep doing what they've been doing, which is just work hard and get out. We have 3,500 people coming to the state to help us knock on doors, and I think we're going to win. I think it's going to be tight. I think it will be a tough race.

CROWLEY: They have to show up, too, at the caucuses.

TRIPPI: Yes, they do.

CROWLEY: Joe Trippi, Dean campaign manager. Thanks, Joe. Appreciate it.

TRIPPI: Thank you.

CROWLEY: Coming up next, what do Iowa voters want? We'll ask Gordon Fischer, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, how the candidate should woo voters in this final week before the caucuses.

And President Bush may not be on the ballot in Iowa, but the administration is keeping a close eye on the Democratic contest. We'll visit with White House correspondent Dana Bash in Texas.

And later, our Bill Schneider discusses the marketing problem that political challengers face every election year.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Time now for our Sunday edition of "Campaign News Daily."

Former Vice President Al Gore and Iowa Senator Tom Harkin gave Howard Dean a double dose of support. The high profile Dems appeared with Dean in Dubuque yesterday.

John Kerry's campaign got a boost from Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy. Kerry trails in the polls. Senator Kennedy reminded supporters that both his brothers, John and Robert, gained support for their presidential bids in Iowa.

A number of the candidates gathered for a banquet last night in Cedar Rapids. It was an opportunity to once again explain why caucus- goers should support their campaign. North Carolina Senator John Edwards was one of the candidates to make his case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you're looking for the candidate who will do the best job of sniping at the other Democratic candidates, that's not me. I think this is bigger than that. I think this election is about the future of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: Wesley Clark will be the only candidate absent from tonight's brown and black presidential forum in Des Moines. His campaign is concentrating on the New Hampshire primary; the forum is a nationally televised debate focused on minority issues. CNN will have highlights of the latest talk-a-thon.

There are few political certainties in politics or the Iowa caucuses and, as always, there are wildcards. What are they?

For some ideas, Gordon Fischer, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, thanks for joining us here on CNN's election campaign express. We appreciate it.

GORDON FISCHER, IOWA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN: Happy to be here. Happy to be here.

CROWLEY: Once again, showing us up without an overcoat. But OK.

Listen, the big thing that I have seen on the local news has been this comment that Dean made about the caucuses. There were even some polls showing that a great number of Iowans were disturbed by this. Does that have an effect to seemingly dis Iowa voters?

FISCHER: Well, I think voters are going to have to -- or caucus- goers, rather -- are going to have to look at that tape and kind of make that judgment for themselves. I would say that a lot of folks initially are wary of the Iowa caucuses don't really understand why Iowa should be first, and then spend time here and realize that it really isn't dominated by special interests. It is ordinary Iowans who are coming out to neighborhood meetings to express their concerns about bread and butter issues like jobs, like schools, like crime and so on.

CROWLEY: Compare this caucus, the feel of this to past caucuses.

FISCHER: There is no precedent for this. The closest would be 1988, when we had seven candidates. But this is such a wide-open field. And there are so many undecided caucus-goers and so many soft supporters, people that might be convinced to change their mind. There really isn't a precedent for anything like this.

CROWLEY: Tell people who don't always follow the Iowa caucus system how it is that someone could go in supporting a Howard Dean or a John Kerry and come out supporting Dennis Kucinich. Tell them just, you know, the version of how it works.

FISCHER: Candy, that is a wonderful question. The Iowa caucuses are not like an election. You don't cast a ballot.

What you do is you go to your neighborhood precinct meeting. And you stand up in groups. It's kind of like sixth grade gym. You divide up into different groups and you stand up and publicly declare your support for a particular candidate.

Now, obviously, there will be people there who will be trying to convince you to come over to your -- to their candidate. So there is debate, there is discussion going on.

Additionally, there is a rule of viability. Generally it is 15 percent. It depends on the caucus, but generally you need to have 15 percent of attendees to be viable. So if you go in for candidate x, he doesn't have 15 percent, or she doesn't have 15 percent, then you have to go with another candidate.

CROWLEY: Or someplace else. Wow. And so that explains sort of the volatility in this as well.

What about turnout? Are you getting any sense at all that because you have all these people all over the state that it's going to be better than usual?

FISCHER: Yes, I think it's going to be -- I think it's going to be high. All the signs are pointing to a very high turnout.

First, among Iowa Democrats, there's a tremendous antipathy towards George Bush, his reckless tax cuts, his rampant unilateralism. Much more antipathy than I saw with his father, or with Ronald Reagan even.

Second, we have huge crowds for all the presidential candidates. So I think there is going to be high turnout.

CROWLEY: Give me one-sentence answer. Can there be a big surprise in the Iowa caucuses? What is it?

FISCHER: Oh, absolutely. There is going to be a huge surprise in the Iowa caucuses, but I don't know what it is yet.

CROWLEY: Gordon Fischer, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, thanks, as always, for coming aboard the campaign express.

FISCHER: Candy, a pleasure.

CROWLEY: The "Des Moines Register's" endorsement came as a surprise to some. We'll speak to the man behind the paper's decision.

And later, the Reverend Al Sharpton has spent some time campaigning in the president's backyard. We'll tell you why.

You are watching INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: More now on the "Des Moines Register's" pick for the Democratic nomination. Iowa's largest paper is backing North Carolina Senator John Edwards. The paper's vice president and editor is Paul Anger, and he has stopped by this morning.

You know, I was surprised. I first heard it last night. I think it is a surprising pick.

PAUL ANGER, "DES MOINES REGISTER": Well, I think we surprised ourselves a little bit, too. We had not been focused on Senator Edwards for a long time. I think if you had said to us two months ago, you're going to endorse Senator Edwards, we probably would have said, I really don't think that will be the case.

But we have watched Senator Edwards campaign in Iowa. We think we have seen him grow. We think we have seen him mature on the campaign. And maybe it is just that we were listening to him a little better.

But we ended up at the point where you look at the issues, the Democratic candidates are under the same umbrella. There are differences by degrees. We ended up saying to ourselves, after some deliberation, believe me, that we thought Senator Edwards was the best combination of the issues approached, the best combination of leadership, the best sort of personal projection of forcefulness, ability to articulate, ability to oppose other candidates, and oppose policies in a way that didn't disenfranchise them, that wasn't angry.

CROWLEY: Yes. Is that a way of saying you think that the substance is basically the same across the nine, but the presentation, which we know does matter when people go to vote, with Howard Dean seeming too angry or with Dick Gephardt seeming whatever you thought it seemed, and it is the presentation that matters at this point?

ANGER: I think that is a part of it. I think that is a part of it. We could spend some time talking about issues and parsing degrees of difference.

We think that Senator Edwards has an intellect. He has a track record. He's 50 years old, for crying out loud. He serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

He's traveled widely. We think that he has the combination of the experience, the issues that are important to Democrats, and would be a good foil against President Bush in a campaign. And the ability personally to get the points across forcefully in such a way.

And I think this was shown in the "Des Moines Register" debate that we put on, in such a way that he leaves people saying, I understand what he said. I like the guy.

CROWLEY: I want to just quickly show a little bit of what you all wrote to our viewers. "Howard Dean's call to take our country back is the rallying cry. Dean has the slogan, but it is Edwards who most eloquently and believably expresses this point of view, with his trial lawyer skill for distilling arguments into compelling language that moves a jury of ordinary people."

I've got to guess that you all think this is going to be -- that Edwards is actually the toughest guy to go up against George Bush.

ANGER: Well, I think so, because anger can take you only so far, the angry approach. The Democratic candidates have been increasingly angry with each other, increasingly angry with President Bush, especially Governor Dean.

There are a lot of appealing things about all the candidates. Governor Dean's ability to use the Internet, energize young voters, appeal to the party's base. His campaign is based on issues and it's based on anger.

Senator Kerry with his experience.

Senator Edwards has enough experience to grasp the issues, the ability to project. And wouldn't it be a delicious campaign if you can visualize when Senator Edwards and Congressman Gephardt were going at each other a little bit of repartee, Senator Edwards won the point in our debate -- I'm referring to the "Des Moines Register" debate -- but did it in a way that was positive, that everybody understood what he was saying. Wouldn't it be delicious to see Senator Edwards and President Bush standing toe to toe?

CROWLEY: We'll see. ANGER: We'll see.

CROWLEY: And make (ph) the best effort of the "Des Moines Register." Thank you so much, Paul Anger. We appreciate it.

ANGER: Thank you very much.

CROWLEY: Turning to inside the Beltway politics, and new allegations from former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, fired by President Bush. One has to do with the administration's war with Iraq. He tells "TIME" magazine, "In the 23 months I was there, I never saw anything that I would characterize as evidence of weapons of mass destruction."

O'Neill is also quoted in a new book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind. In it, he says, "The Bush administration had its eye on Iraq early. From the start we were building the case against Hussein and looking at how we could take him out and change Iraq into a new country."

For the White House response, we go CNN's Dana Bash, who is in Crawford, Texas, where the president is weekending.

You know, you don't hear a lot of criticism from the inside of the Bush administration. This is bound to sort of perplex them at this point, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You hit the nail on the head, Candy. You know, a negative tell-all by a former cabinet member is an unwelcome thing for any White House, but particularly it is unique for the Bush team, which it really prides itself on its loyalty and its -- the fact that they are so tight lipped and so tight knit.

Now, the official White House response was from Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, who said, "It appears that the world according to Mr. O'Neill is more about trying to justify his own opinion than looking at the reality of the results we are achieving on behalf of the American people."

Now, privately, White House officials are painting Mr. O'Neill as somebody who really never really fit in. Essentially somebody who is a disgruntled former employee, if you will. One senior official on the condition of anonymity saying, "During the time, he, Mr. O'Neill, was there, there was a view that he had a political tin ear. That was obvious, but it is more obvious now because of these outrageous allegations."

And Candy, on the substance of what O'Neill has been saying, particularly on Iraq, that the plan to attack Saddam Hussein started on day one, administration officials are saying that they always have contingency plans for everything and that regime change in Iraq was not new to this administration. It actually had been the policy of the United States since Bill Clinton was in office -- Candy.

CROWLEY: Dana, you know, obviously, all the focus right now on the Democrats, on the Iowa caucuses. Is the Bush administration keeping a low profile?

BASH: Well, they are right now. But there is about to be a coming out party of sorts right where you are, Candy. The president's top political team and surrogates are heading out there in and around the Iowa caucuses. And those officials include Ken Melman, the president's campaign manager; Marc Racicot, the campaign chairman; Mary Matalin, Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader; and Representative Tom DeLay, the House majority leader.

They are going to be in and around Iowa, hitting all the major cities, we are told, to rally Republicans and also to sort of soak up all of the media attention that is there for the Democrats. But, of course, you have to remember that in Iowa, the president only really did lose there. He lost by one point to Al Gore.

And I should also mention that John McCain is going to do the same thing in New Hampshire for the president. Of course, John McCain beat the president by 16 points in the primary there.

CROWLEY: Dana Bash in Crawford, thanks very much.

It is winter of the normal sort here in Iowa. But bitter cold continues bearing down on the Northeast. On the stories making headlines this morning, just ahead.

Also, while most of the candidates are stumping in Iowa, Wesley Clark decides to skip out. We'll examine what effect, if any, it could have on his campaign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: We are back here in Des Moines with CNN's campaign express. But not all Democrats are focused on Iowa.

The first in the nation New Hampshire primary is just one week later. Wesley Clark hasn't campaigned here in Iowa, but his national poll numbers are rising anyway. CNN's Dan Lothian looks at that and more in the week just passed in politics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The race for the Democratic nomination, once dominated by a clear frontrunner, has become more competitive, after a week that saw Wesley Clark moving up in the polls. Ever closer to Howard Dean.

SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: For me, one candidate rose to the top.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): A key endorsement by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin was welcomed by Howard Dean.

DEAN: I think that Senator Harkin's endorsement is very helpful. Obviously, Iowans are going to make up their own mind in terms of who they chose to vote for. LOTHIAN: After a tough week that ended with his campaign answering questions about interviews Dean did three years ago on Canadian television, in which he criticized the Iowa caucuses. Dean, who had been way out front in national polls and graced the covers of two national magazines, was by midweek looking over his shoulder, as retired General Wesley Clark made a surge.

WESLEY CLARK (D), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to bring a higher standard...

LOTHIAN: Some political strategists say Clark may have benefited in part from weeks of attacks against Dean by his opponents on his positions and his temperament. Dean's campaign responded quickly, going after Clark, attacking him in flyers handed out at one of his New Hampshire events. The Clark campaign fired back with its own handout, calling the attacks half-truths.

The other top-tier Democratic candidates also spent a lot of time campaigning in New Hampshire, trying to gain ground by pushing their issues and going after the frontrunner.

(on camera): While much of the focus this week will be on Iowa, the battle for voters continues in New Hampshire, where the first in the nation primary becomes the next test on the road to the White House.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: Whether or not they are competing in Iowa, the next week is going to be hectic for all the Democratic presidential candidates. A preview now from CNN's political editor, John Mercurio. He is also editor of CNN's "MORNING GRIND," updated Monday through Friday on our Web site, cnn.com.

Hey, John, good to see you.

JOHN MERCURIO, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Candy. How are you?

CROWLEY: I'm all right. Out here in Iowa, the campaign express, but we're glad you're with us anyway.

MERCURIO: Thank you.

CROWLEY: Iowa likes to bill itself as the first contest in the presidential race. But it is not really. There is one in Washington, D.C.. What can you tell us about that contest?

MERCURIO: I know. That comes as a surprise to I think even some Washington voters. I think Democrats in Washington were hoping that they would -- could take the opportunity to highlight the issue of statehood, to make statehood sort of a national -- give it a national platform by creating the first primary.

Unfortunately, they sort of stepped on their own message, I think, by getting into this tangle with the DNC. They ended up backing down, and now have what it -- not what is taking place on Tuesday, which is sort of a non-binding primary, which is really nothing more than a beauty contest. What is going to happen I think is that in D.C...

CROWLEY: No, go ahead. I was just going to ask you -- I was going to ask you -- go ahead, finish up with D.C. I want to ask you about Howard Dean after this.

MERCURIO: Well, in D.C., you have a base that is left of center, it's predominantly African-American. That works well for Al Sharpton and for Dennis Kucinich. I think Kucinich has ads that are out right now with Danny Glover, who is an actor, who is doing -- I'm sorry, not ads, but a phone message, a phone bank. Al Sharpton has radio ads.

I think ultimately, though, you're going have Howard Dean winning. He's got endorsements from prominent D.C. council members. He's got the best organization. And he's going to win. At the end of the day, it's going to be sort of a non-event, unfortunately for D.C.

CROWLEY: For D.C. I know Howard Dean didn't show up for a debate they had. What is he doing in the next couple of days?

MERCURIO: Iowa voters, I think, will be forgiven if they are confused. They might think that Howard Dean has already chosen his running mate. Tom Harkin has basically, as a one aide told me, loaned his body to the Dean campaign for the next nine days or until January 19.

He will be joining Howard Dean on a bus tour that starts on the 14th. It goes all the way through the 19th. I'm told that he's also written a mailer that is going out midweek to Iowa voters that calls Howard Dean the Harry S. Truman of our day, says he has his head screwed on right.

There's also apparently the talk of a television ad that has been taped for -- or is going to be taped for Dean with Harkin in it. It is going to be running in Iowa. And he'll be on a bus tour with him. But he's not the only Iowa celebrity or the only celebrity who will be joining Dean this week.

Rob Reiner, Martin Sheen will be joining him on this bus tour. AFSCME president, Jerry McEntee, will also be in Iowa on Dean's behalf, as will Joan Jett. Joan Jett. Rocker Joan Jett is going to be out there on Friday, I believe, campaigning for Dean.

CROWLEY: John, the latest polls show, in fact, that Dean is pulling away. How does Gephardt plan to fight that?

MERCURIO: Gephardt is sending surrogates in for Howard Dean. I'm sorry, Gephardt is sending surrogates in for himself. There are as many as a dozen House members who are supposed to be campaigning for Gephardt this week, but he's really relying mostly on his labor unions, his labor organizations.

James P. Hoffa, president of the Teamsters, will be there this week. He'll be campaigning for Gephardt. But he's really not the only one.

There are some five other members. Leo Girard (ph), of the Steal Workers; Tom Buckinburger (ph), of the Machinists; three other members -- three other presidents of big unions are going to be out there as Gephardt surrogates.

I was talking to the political director of the Teamsters last night, who said that they're also getting a lot of response from voters very angry about Tom Harkin's endorsement of Howard Dean, saying that he's really sort of -- I think the quote is, "He's really" -- "Harkin has really burned a lot of bridges out here, as far as his labor support is concerned."

CROWLEY: Hey, John, thanks very much. We're going to have to run, but we appreciate it.

MERCURIO: Thank you, Candy.

CROWLEY: For the best daily briefing on politics, don't miss "THE MORNING GRIND." Go to cnn.com/grind for all the latest political news.

Forgotten primary. Only one road leads to the Oval Office, and it often starts with a good theme. Straight ahead, we'll have Bill Schneider.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Welcome back to Iowa, current stopping place for the CNN election express.

Politics is at least partially a marketing problem. They have to figure out what voters want that they're not getting from the incumbent. Bill Schneider explains in his story behind the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): After Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy sold youth. He promised to get the country moving again.

After the turmoil of the '60s, Richard Nixon sold order. He promised to bring us together.

After Watergate, Jimmy Carter offered morality. "I will never lie to you."

After Carter, Ronald Reagan sold leadership. He wasn't wishy- washy or ineffectual.

The first President George Bush seemed out of touch with ordinary Americans during the recession. Bill Clinton offered empathy, he felt your pain. George W. Bush offered character. He promised to uphold the honor and dignity of the presidency, unlike, well, you know who.

Howard Dean is now the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. What is he selling?

JOHN KENNETH WHITE, PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY: The central theme of Dean is the idea of empowerment and empowering the individual.

SCHNEIDER: So it is.

DEAN: Our campaign is really based on hope. Our campaign empowers ordinary people, many of whom have not been in politics for years to get involved.

SCHNEIDER: Dean's political masterstroke was to use the Internet as the instrument of empowerment.

FRANK RICH, "NEW YORK TIMES": The difference with the Dean campaign is the use of software and techniques that take you a -- take the user away from the screen to meet up, socialize and to work on behalf of the candidate.

WHITE: If you look at his Web blog each day, it is the idea that we can bring you into the loop.

SCHNEIDER: Question: who feels disempowered by the Bush presidency? Liberals certainly do.

DEAN: You have the power to take back our country so that the flag of the United States is no longer the sole property of John Ashcroft and Rush Limbaugh and Jerry Falwell.

SCHNEIDER: But do most Americans feel disempowered under President Bush? Dean intends to convince them that they are.

DEAN: He is a president who appears sometimes to care more about the special interests that his political policies help rather than ordinary Americans.

SCHNEIDER (on camera): Dean portrays the Bush administration as closed and secretive, as not listening to anybody, as serving the interests of big corporations. If you nod your head and say, that's exactly how I feel, Dean's hoping his message of empowerment is for you.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: The candidates are all over Iowa. And so are reporters. Up next, a pair of journalists on the campaign trail. They'll give us their behind-the-scenes perspective on who is ahead, who is behind and who might surprise us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY (voice-over): Checking our political history book, on this day in 1989, Ronald Reagan delivered his farewell address to the nation, urging Americans to pay more attention to history. RONALD REAGAN, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And let me offer lesson number one about America. All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: The caucuses are just days away, but the campaign has been going on for months. Two of the reporters who have been on the trail here in Iowa, Jeff Zeleny, of the "Chicago Tribune," Anne Kornblut with the "Boston Globe." I might want to amend that; it's been going on for years. But that's another thing.

Jeff, your paper just her a poll out with the "LA Times." And I want to show it to our viewers. Putting Dean at 30 percent, Gephardt at 23, Kerry at 18, Edwards at 11, everybody else in single digits. What inside that poll interested you?

JEFF ZELENY, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE": I think an interesting thing was, Candy, that this is a wide margin for Dean, the widest it has been in such a tight race. It is actually just within the margin of error. So people like Dean.

One thing that was interesting to me is that people like John Edwards, which is interesting given the "Des Moines Register's" endorsement this morning. They said, as a person we like John Edwards. We like his character, his morals. So that will be something to watch this week, personally how they react to that.

CROWLEY: Anne, did you pick up any sort of Edwards mojo out there? I mean, in the end, people do vote their gut. Anne?

ANNE KORNBLUT, "BOSTON GLOBE": Oh, sorry. Yes, certainly out talking to voters around Iowa, when you ask them, you know, who do you like, they'll say somebody. And then oftentimes the second choice will be Edwards. "He seems like such a nice man." "If only he had more experience," is something we've heard over and over talking to voters.

CROWLEY: Do either of you see that as a potential surprise, or do you see a potential surprise here?

ZELENY: I think -- look, I think one of the interesting things our polls showed was four in 10 likely caucus-goers say they're more than willing to change their minds. So I think that underscores the interesting eight days that we have ahead of us.

CROWLEY: Anne, what do you sort of see ahead as maybe a surprise?

KORNBLUT: Well, I mean, I'm not going to predict. I promised after 2000, no predictions. But I think everyone is pretty amazed that it's come down to Iowa. You know, we thought it would be maybe New Hampshire, maybe the races on February 3. But Iowa is really it right now. And it is surprisingly close, and it's actually going to determine what comes out next. So for all the talk about the caucus and the primary, the first ones not mattering as much, it actually seems to matter more.

CROWLEY: And in what way? I mean, you agree, Jeff, I'm assuming?

ZELENY: I do agree.

CROWLEY: Yes.

ZELENY: I do agree. I think because the process has been so front-loaded, that what happens in the next two weeks is absolutely a critical. After Joe Lieberman and Wesley Clark said that they weren't doing Iowa, some of us thought, maybe Iowa is not as important. But in the end, it is more important than ever.

CROWLEY: Well, in fact, could it -- it could take out Dick Gephardt, right?

KORNBLUT: It could take out -- I mean, who comes in first, second, third, fourth, even fourth place seems to matter. If John Edwards exceeds expectations, that could give him a boost. If John Kerry exceeds expectations, that could really help in New Hampshire. It could take out Gephardt.

CROWLEY: And do you see any sort of surprises out there, Jeff, I mean, in terms of turnout? The crowds are obviously now -- certainly over the weekend -- were fairly pumped up, kind of all over the place. Does any surprise you out here and you think, wow, I can't believe they relate to him or don't relate to him? Who surprises you?

ZELENY: I think the thing that surprises me is the amount of activity going on when the candidates are not around. That's the most important thing to watch this week, to find out the ground operations, what these campaigns are doing.

I was at an event last week, a small living room in Ames, Iowa, where there were 16 undecided voters. And the Dean campaign is going neighbor to neighbor to neighbor, house to house, trying to convince people to support it.

And the other campaign has been the exact same thing. So watch what is going on behind the scenes and the ground troops. It is very important.

CROWLEY: What's your sense of the ground troops, Anne?

KORNBLUT: Well, it's the same exact thing. I talked to one woman whose mother has gotten phone calls from eight of the campaigns. Now there aren't even eight people running in Iowa.

So, you know, it really seems people here are feeling bombarded. But, on the other hand, they like it, because they really are getting all the options. Some people go see all the candidates when they come to town.

CROWLEY: Quickly, because we've got less than a minute left, I want to get both of your opinions on the "Des Moines Register" endorsement of Edwards, because doesn't it have the potential then to split the anti-Dean vote and therefore help Dean in a kind of curious way?

ZELENY: I think that is one of the unintended consequences of having such a broad field, how the margin splits up. I think one thing, maybe we take endorsements sometimes a little bit too seriously or read too much into them, because four years ago, I remember that Bill Bradley won the endorsement of the "Des Moines Register." And we saw where that went.

CROWLEY: Anne, what do you think, real quick?

KORNBLUT: Oh, I agree. But, you know, endorsements normally don't matter, But in this race, every little thing seems to count because it is so close.

CROWLEY: Anne Kornblut, "Boston Globe," Jeff Zeleny, "Chicago Tribune," we appreciate it. Come back. We'll let you go inside next time.

ZELENY: We will.

CROWLEY: Did you miss any of INSIDE POLITICS this past week? Fear not. Just ahead, we'll have the best and the worst from the 2004 campaign trail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Be sure to stay with us all week as the CNN election express motors across Iowa. Tomorrow, the bus travels from Des Moines to Ames, home of Iowa State University. Then it is off to Iowa City, the former capital and home of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.

By Thursday, the election express reaches Cedar Rapids, Iowa's second largest city and oatmeal capital of the world. Friday, Davenport in the far eastern part of the state, along the Mississippi. We hope you'll be with us for the ride.

Campaign 2004 is, of course, at full tilt. Here are some of the sights and sounds of the week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: I would like to find out who on this stage agrees that they will pledge to vigorously support the Democratic nominee.

GEPHARDT: I'm nostalgic for Ronald Reagan.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This president has run the most inept, arrogant, reckless and ideological foreign policy in modern history. CLARK: If Karl Rove is watching today, Karl, I want you to hear this loud and clear. I'm going to provide tax cuts. You don't have to read my lips. I'm saying them.

DEAN: They're not quite ready to be flipped over. Maybe that one is.

BILL BRADLEY, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Dean campaign is one of the best things that has happened to American democracy in decades.

HARKIN: One candidate rose to the top as our best shot to beat George W. Bush and to give Americans the opportunity to take our country back. That person is Governor Howard Dean.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Howard Dean should take his tax-hiking, government-expanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, "New York Times"- reading...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Body-piercing, Hollywood-loving, left-wing freak show back to Vermont where it belongs.

BUSH: It is great to be back in the great state of Florida. We carried it once, and we're going to carry it again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've heard about you from my parents. And now that I get to see you and hear you speak, I really have faith that you'll be president.

CLARK: Thank you very much. You're coming to the White House!

GEPHARDT: I'm going win on the 19th.

EDWARDS: You have got to give me a shot at George W. Bush.

CLARK: I hear the results, but I don't know that they mean. You know, this is first time I've run for office.

DEAN: You can't beat George Bush by being Bush-lite.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me introduce to you, the next president of the United States, Joe Lieberman.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: Thanks for joining us on INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY. Another big week of politics ahead, so don't miss Judy Woodruff at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Monday through Friday for INSIDE POLITICS. And in one hour, at noon Eastern, Wolf Blitzer interviews Commerce Secretary Don Evans on "LATE EDITION."

For now, thanks for watching and being here on the campaign express bus. "CNN LIVE SUNDAY" continues now from CNN Center in Atlanta.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 11, 2004 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CANDY CROWLEY, GUEST HOST: INSIDE POLITICS today. Iowa, eight days and counting. Newspapers pick their candidates. We'll find out who got the crucial endorsements. You may be surprised.
A rocky week for Howard Dean. His campaign manager, Joe Trippi, joins us live.

New poll numbers show a tight Iowa race that may be a fight to the finish straight ahead.

The CNN election express rolls into Des Moines just about a week before the Iowa caucuses.

Good Sunday morning. I'm Candy Crowley.

Politics doesn't take weekends off, and neither do we. Newspapers here in the Hawkeye State are weighing in with endorsements, and there's a political stunner. Iowa's largest newspaper is backing Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. The "Des Moines Register" says, "John Edwards is one of those rare, naturally gifted politicians who doesn't need a long record of public service to inspire confidence in his abilities. His life has been one of accomplishing the unexpected and flashes of brilliance."

The "Quad-City Times," among three Iowa papers endorsing Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, saw experience as key. The paper said, "While other candidates demonstrate a promise for leadership in world affairs, Kerry has graduated from that school, Phi Beta Kappa."

For the Democrats fighting it out here, it's crunch time. With about 190 hours left to make an impact on voters, let's do the numbers.

A new "Los Angeles Times"-"Chicago Tribune" poll shows Howard Dean on top in Iowa, with support from 30 percent of the state's Democrats. Twenty-three percent back Congressman Dick Gephardt. In third place, Senator John Kerry, with 18 percent.

A new nationwide poll by "Newsweek" shows Dean with a much bigger league over his Democratic rivals. Twenty-four percent of Democrats back Dean. Wesley Clark and Gephardt are tied for second place, with 12 percent each. And Kerry is fourth, with 11 percent.

But the poll shows in a head-to-head race with President Bush, Dean would lose. Fifty-one percent of likely voters favor the president, 43 percent back Dean. Asked whether Dean is too liberal to defeat Bush, 43 percent of respondents said yes, 30 percent said no.

Senator Joe Lieberman says he's the candidate who can send the president packing. Most polls show the Connecticut moderate Democrat far from the front of the pack in his bid for the nomination, but Lieberman told Wolf Blitzer on "LATE EDITION" that he's the kind of leader the nation needs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm a mainstream Democrat, I'm socially progressive, pro jobs in the tradition of Bill Clinton, and strong on security. And I think that's exactly the kind of person America needs to be its president now. And it is the only kind of Democrat that can beat George W. Bush in the fall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: The entire interview with Senator Lieberman on "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER" at noon Eastern here on CNN.

Well, Howard Dean leads his rivals in Iowa. The former governor of Vermont has had to do some damage control over comments he made about the caucus system. Here is CNN's Kelly Wallace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In politics, one minute you are up, the next you could be down. Howard Dean was reminded of that this past week. First, let's go to the videotape.

HOWARD DEAN (D), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can't stand there listening to everybody else's opinion for eight hours about how to fix the world.

WALLACE: Ten days before the kickoff contest in Iowa, this tape surfaced, showing the plain talking Dean dissing the Iowa caucuses four years ago.

DEAN: If you look at the caucuses systems, they're dominated by the special interests on both sides and both parties.

WALLACE: The Democratic front-runner quickly jumped into damage control mode.

DEAN: I've heard a lot about Iowa and Iowa caucuses over the last two years. I've been to all 99 counties. And I couldn't be in this race if it weren't for the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.

WALLACE: Politics 101, hope for positive news to wash away the negative. Dean got his wish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That person is Governor Howard Dean of Vermont. WALLACE: Winning the most sought after endorsement in Iowa, that of the state's most popular Democrat, Tom Harkin. Back in Vermont, Howard Dean country, Dean's most ardent supporters say he is a man who speaks his mind knowing he might make some mistakes.

SEN. PAUL SHUMLIN (D), VERMONT SENATE: I mean, Howard will often say things that he probably wishes he didn't say exactly that way at the time. The beauty of him is that you're not going to can Howard Dean.

WALLACE: But Dean's critics say he is impulsive and not accustomed to nuance.

GARRISON NELSON, UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT PROFESSOR: This is really when he's gotten himself into trouble. These off the cuff remarks, not really considering fully the ramifications of what he has to say. And it is it caused him some difficulty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And of course the question now, how will this all play in Iowa, especially with undecided voters? And, Candy, you know this best, the polls are showing anywhere between 14 percent and more than 25 percent of caucus voters saying they still have not made up their minds.

CROWLEY: Which is what makes it so much fun, Kelly. Listen, let me go back to where you were earlier in the week, Vermont. Tell me what you found out that surprised you in Vermont about Howard Dean, about how that state sees him.

WALLACE: The biggest surprise, two perhaps misperceptions about Howard Dean. Number one, we have seen the magazine covers. Howard Dean portrayed as the angry man. Well, we talked to supporters and we talked to some critics, and they say he's not an angry man. Sometimes he might speak his mind, he might be a little bit thin skinned, but they don't think he's this angry man.

And secondly, this one really surprising, some say he's being portrayed, especially by his critics, as a left wing liberal from Vermont. Well, you talk to supporters and you talk to critics, and they say he is no left wing liberal. Proof of that, they say, his biggest critics in Iowa, Democrats who thought he was too conservative, especially on fiscal issues -- Candy.

CROWLEY: Well, there's probably a reason a lot of people refer to it as the republic of Vermont. So probably a conservative in Vermont, may not exactly be seen that way in New Hampshire, Kelly. What do they think just in terms of the issues? Did you see any vulnerabilities there that Vermonters saw?

WALLACE: Well, there is, again, his position on the issues. A fiscal conservative social liberal. Obviously some Democrats thought he could have been a bit more moderate or a little more less conservative through the years. One issue, though -- and you're watching this on the national stage -- the issue of Howard Dean deciding to seal his records. This is something that governors have done in the past. He has sealed his records for 10 years.

You know, you talk to supporters, you talk to critics, they say there is no "there" there. They don't think there is anything damaging in the closet. But some believe that just by sealing these records to avoid possibly anything embarrassing coming out, he's opening himself up to some criticism from Democrats who say he's not being transparent and he's being secretive and trying to hide something -- Candy.

CROWLEY: Thanks, Kelly. National correspondent Kelly Wallace. Come on out, Kelly, we'll see you here tonight.

WALLACE: I will see you there.

CROWLEY: All right, thanks.

We want to turn to Howard Dean's campaign manager, Joe Trippi, without an overcoat, drinking diet Pepsi, making us look like a bunch of wusses here without our heaters. But OK.

JOE TRIPPI, DEAN CAMPAIGN MANAGER: It's a warm day.

CROWLEY: Listen, let me talk first about something that Kelly mentioned, which was the records. Where are we on that? We saw in the last debate, Joe Lieberman saying, look, all you have to do is sign this piece of paper and you can release them. Is he going to release those records?

TRIPPI: They're in the hands of a judge. A judge is going to go through the records and decide what gets released and what doesn't. In Vermont, it is the custom that the governors seal the records. It's different in different states.

CROWLEY: You know, it is not the customer in Vermont for people to run for president. So having -- isn't it sort of an exception that he's running for president? Why not just say, fine, protect the people we have to protect, but let the rest of them out?

TRIPPI: Most of the records are out and open. There's some that aren't because of that exact issue, that there's private correspondence and some things like that in there. And right now, take it out of politics. I mean, take this whole thing out of politics, put it in a court, let the judge decide what gets released.

That way, if we keep anything in the -- anything sealed, there is still going to be a question about why did Howard Dean keep those sealed. So let a judge decide. Take it out of politics. We're not trying to hide anything. There is nothing to hide.

CROWLEY: Let me move on to something that is rare for you. You didn't get an endorsement. The "Des Moines Register," a pretty good paper, endorsed Bradley last time, who has endorsed Dean this time, in our way to sort of all come around together and be in the same family. What do you make of that?

TRIPPI: Well, this week, we got Senator Tom Harkin's endorsement. And we think that carries a lot of weight. We're not going to get every endorsement out there.

CROWLEY: But this is a pretty -- I mean, do you think this hurts you? This is a fairly big endorsement here from the biggest newspaper.

TRIPPI: Well, they didn't endorse Dick Gephardt either. And right now, the two of us are in the fight for first.

John Edwards has run a good campaign out here. But we're feeling very good about where we stand. And I take -- we're very proud to have Senator Tom Harkin's endorsement. That carries a lot of weight in this state, particularly with the undecided.

CROWLEY: Let me -- I want to tell you -- on the cover of "U.S. News and World Report," we want to show our voters -- our voters -- our listeners, your voters, it says "Moment of Truth. Is Dean really the one? Can he go the distance?"

I think those two questions encapsulate what we have seen over the past week. Is this guy too off the cuff? Does he say things without thinking? Do we really want that sort of leader in this sort of post 9/11 world, where diplomacy is everything?

Do they do diplomacy in Vermont? Have you looked at any of this and said, you know what, we have to dial this back?

TRIPPI: Governor Dean was the governor of Vermont for 12 years. He had Republicans and Democrats in the legislature, he balanced the budget 12 years in a row. Got health care for children. He's done a lot of things.

I mean, it's not -- this is about -- in our -- the way we think about this, this isn't about Howard Dean. This is really about changing America's politics.

And that's why I think, despite all the "he can't win, he can't win," I mean, we couldn't win because we couldn't raise money. When we raised money, we couldn't win because we didn't have enough cash on hand. And all the other arguments made against us. This campaign keeps moving forward because hundreds of thousands of Americans want to change politics in this country.

CROWLEY: Yes, he was governor of Vermont, he balanced the budget, he brought health care to people, but he was not an international leader who had to put together coalitions. And I think what you hear when you talk on the streets, I mean, this isn't just our making it up. You know this guy talks without thinking. Do you buy that? I mean, do you say he doesn't do that?

TRIPPI: No, not at all. He talks without calculating. I mean, if you want a calculating politician, somebody who looks at the polls, look at the focus groups, goes out and every word is measured and cautious and careful, there are plenty of those candidates in the race.

If you want somebody who is going to say what he thinks, every once in a while, make a mistake, but admit it and apologize and move on, but in the end, stand up for what he believes in, stand up to George Bush, stand up and say the war in Iraq is wrong when others are looking elsewhere and going with the popular -- sort of where the country is going, yes, that's not Howard Dean. And that's why so many Americans who think -- you know, basically the media in a lot of ways, I think have not questioned a lot of stuff.

You know, half of the -- really 61 percent of this country think Saddam Hussein ordered the attacks on 9/11. I mean, it's not going to change unless somebody says that's not so.

CROWLEY: Well, in fact, the president said that's not so. But it sort of takes me to the question that is that right after the capture of Saddam Hussein, the governor says, well, I don't think we're any safer. It seems to question to people whether Osama bin Laden is guilty. Has to put out a correction of what he actually meant.

There is no thought on your side that he needs to be a little bit more precise? Because these things have harmed him along the way.

TRIPPI: I mean, the pundits think they've harmed us. I think the American people know we're not safer once Saddam Hussein was caught. We went to orange alert within days.

We had fighter jets escorting commercial airliners into this country. That's -- you know, Saddam Hussein isn't the guy who is thinking about putting the bomb on a plane. It is Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. And that's the whole reason the governor believed we shouldn't have gone into Iraq in the first place.

We should have kept the focus on Osama bin Laden. What he's asked about Osama bin Laden, look, all of us want Osama bin Laden to be caught and get the death penalty. He was saying that he -- during the trial -- you know, that there's got to be a trial. The same thing we're doing with Saddam Hussein.

CROWLEY: We're going to have to let it go. One quick answer, are you going to win Iowa, by how much?

TRIPPI: We're going to win Iowa if our supporters keep doing what they've been doing, which is just work hard and get out. We have 3,500 people coming to the state to help us knock on doors, and I think we're going to win. I think it's going to be tight. I think it will be a tough race.

CROWLEY: They have to show up, too, at the caucuses.

TRIPPI: Yes, they do.

CROWLEY: Joe Trippi, Dean campaign manager. Thanks, Joe. Appreciate it.

TRIPPI: Thank you.

CROWLEY: Coming up next, what do Iowa voters want? We'll ask Gordon Fischer, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, how the candidate should woo voters in this final week before the caucuses.

And President Bush may not be on the ballot in Iowa, but the administration is keeping a close eye on the Democratic contest. We'll visit with White House correspondent Dana Bash in Texas.

And later, our Bill Schneider discusses the marketing problem that political challengers face every election year.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Time now for our Sunday edition of "Campaign News Daily."

Former Vice President Al Gore and Iowa Senator Tom Harkin gave Howard Dean a double dose of support. The high profile Dems appeared with Dean in Dubuque yesterday.

John Kerry's campaign got a boost from Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy. Kerry trails in the polls. Senator Kennedy reminded supporters that both his brothers, John and Robert, gained support for their presidential bids in Iowa.

A number of the candidates gathered for a banquet last night in Cedar Rapids. It was an opportunity to once again explain why caucus- goers should support their campaign. North Carolina Senator John Edwards was one of the candidates to make his case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you're looking for the candidate who will do the best job of sniping at the other Democratic candidates, that's not me. I think this is bigger than that. I think this election is about the future of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: Wesley Clark will be the only candidate absent from tonight's brown and black presidential forum in Des Moines. His campaign is concentrating on the New Hampshire primary; the forum is a nationally televised debate focused on minority issues. CNN will have highlights of the latest talk-a-thon.

There are few political certainties in politics or the Iowa caucuses and, as always, there are wildcards. What are they?

For some ideas, Gordon Fischer, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, thanks for joining us here on CNN's election campaign express. We appreciate it.

GORDON FISCHER, IOWA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN: Happy to be here. Happy to be here.

CROWLEY: Once again, showing us up without an overcoat. But OK.

Listen, the big thing that I have seen on the local news has been this comment that Dean made about the caucuses. There were even some polls showing that a great number of Iowans were disturbed by this. Does that have an effect to seemingly dis Iowa voters?

FISCHER: Well, I think voters are going to have to -- or caucus- goers, rather -- are going to have to look at that tape and kind of make that judgment for themselves. I would say that a lot of folks initially are wary of the Iowa caucuses don't really understand why Iowa should be first, and then spend time here and realize that it really isn't dominated by special interests. It is ordinary Iowans who are coming out to neighborhood meetings to express their concerns about bread and butter issues like jobs, like schools, like crime and so on.

CROWLEY: Compare this caucus, the feel of this to past caucuses.

FISCHER: There is no precedent for this. The closest would be 1988, when we had seven candidates. But this is such a wide-open field. And there are so many undecided caucus-goers and so many soft supporters, people that might be convinced to change their mind. There really isn't a precedent for anything like this.

CROWLEY: Tell people who don't always follow the Iowa caucus system how it is that someone could go in supporting a Howard Dean or a John Kerry and come out supporting Dennis Kucinich. Tell them just, you know, the version of how it works.

FISCHER: Candy, that is a wonderful question. The Iowa caucuses are not like an election. You don't cast a ballot.

What you do is you go to your neighborhood precinct meeting. And you stand up in groups. It's kind of like sixth grade gym. You divide up into different groups and you stand up and publicly declare your support for a particular candidate.

Now, obviously, there will be people there who will be trying to convince you to come over to your -- to their candidate. So there is debate, there is discussion going on.

Additionally, there is a rule of viability. Generally it is 15 percent. It depends on the caucus, but generally you need to have 15 percent of attendees to be viable. So if you go in for candidate x, he doesn't have 15 percent, or she doesn't have 15 percent, then you have to go with another candidate.

CROWLEY: Or someplace else. Wow. And so that explains sort of the volatility in this as well.

What about turnout? Are you getting any sense at all that because you have all these people all over the state that it's going to be better than usual?

FISCHER: Yes, I think it's going to be -- I think it's going to be high. All the signs are pointing to a very high turnout.

First, among Iowa Democrats, there's a tremendous antipathy towards George Bush, his reckless tax cuts, his rampant unilateralism. Much more antipathy than I saw with his father, or with Ronald Reagan even.

Second, we have huge crowds for all the presidential candidates. So I think there is going to be high turnout.

CROWLEY: Give me one-sentence answer. Can there be a big surprise in the Iowa caucuses? What is it?

FISCHER: Oh, absolutely. There is going to be a huge surprise in the Iowa caucuses, but I don't know what it is yet.

CROWLEY: Gordon Fischer, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, thanks, as always, for coming aboard the campaign express.

FISCHER: Candy, a pleasure.

CROWLEY: The "Des Moines Register's" endorsement came as a surprise to some. We'll speak to the man behind the paper's decision.

And later, the Reverend Al Sharpton has spent some time campaigning in the president's backyard. We'll tell you why.

You are watching INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: More now on the "Des Moines Register's" pick for the Democratic nomination. Iowa's largest paper is backing North Carolina Senator John Edwards. The paper's vice president and editor is Paul Anger, and he has stopped by this morning.

You know, I was surprised. I first heard it last night. I think it is a surprising pick.

PAUL ANGER, "DES MOINES REGISTER": Well, I think we surprised ourselves a little bit, too. We had not been focused on Senator Edwards for a long time. I think if you had said to us two months ago, you're going to endorse Senator Edwards, we probably would have said, I really don't think that will be the case.

But we have watched Senator Edwards campaign in Iowa. We think we have seen him grow. We think we have seen him mature on the campaign. And maybe it is just that we were listening to him a little better.

But we ended up at the point where you look at the issues, the Democratic candidates are under the same umbrella. There are differences by degrees. We ended up saying to ourselves, after some deliberation, believe me, that we thought Senator Edwards was the best combination of the issues approached, the best combination of leadership, the best sort of personal projection of forcefulness, ability to articulate, ability to oppose other candidates, and oppose policies in a way that didn't disenfranchise them, that wasn't angry.

CROWLEY: Yes. Is that a way of saying you think that the substance is basically the same across the nine, but the presentation, which we know does matter when people go to vote, with Howard Dean seeming too angry or with Dick Gephardt seeming whatever you thought it seemed, and it is the presentation that matters at this point?

ANGER: I think that is a part of it. I think that is a part of it. We could spend some time talking about issues and parsing degrees of difference.

We think that Senator Edwards has an intellect. He has a track record. He's 50 years old, for crying out loud. He serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

He's traveled widely. We think that he has the combination of the experience, the issues that are important to Democrats, and would be a good foil against President Bush in a campaign. And the ability personally to get the points across forcefully in such a way.

And I think this was shown in the "Des Moines Register" debate that we put on, in such a way that he leaves people saying, I understand what he said. I like the guy.

CROWLEY: I want to just quickly show a little bit of what you all wrote to our viewers. "Howard Dean's call to take our country back is the rallying cry. Dean has the slogan, but it is Edwards who most eloquently and believably expresses this point of view, with his trial lawyer skill for distilling arguments into compelling language that moves a jury of ordinary people."

I've got to guess that you all think this is going to be -- that Edwards is actually the toughest guy to go up against George Bush.

ANGER: Well, I think so, because anger can take you only so far, the angry approach. The Democratic candidates have been increasingly angry with each other, increasingly angry with President Bush, especially Governor Dean.

There are a lot of appealing things about all the candidates. Governor Dean's ability to use the Internet, energize young voters, appeal to the party's base. His campaign is based on issues and it's based on anger.

Senator Kerry with his experience.

Senator Edwards has enough experience to grasp the issues, the ability to project. And wouldn't it be a delicious campaign if you can visualize when Senator Edwards and Congressman Gephardt were going at each other a little bit of repartee, Senator Edwards won the point in our debate -- I'm referring to the "Des Moines Register" debate -- but did it in a way that was positive, that everybody understood what he was saying. Wouldn't it be delicious to see Senator Edwards and President Bush standing toe to toe?

CROWLEY: We'll see. ANGER: We'll see.

CROWLEY: And make (ph) the best effort of the "Des Moines Register." Thank you so much, Paul Anger. We appreciate it.

ANGER: Thank you very much.

CROWLEY: Turning to inside the Beltway politics, and new allegations from former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, fired by President Bush. One has to do with the administration's war with Iraq. He tells "TIME" magazine, "In the 23 months I was there, I never saw anything that I would characterize as evidence of weapons of mass destruction."

O'Neill is also quoted in a new book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind. In it, he says, "The Bush administration had its eye on Iraq early. From the start we were building the case against Hussein and looking at how we could take him out and change Iraq into a new country."

For the White House response, we go CNN's Dana Bash, who is in Crawford, Texas, where the president is weekending.

You know, you don't hear a lot of criticism from the inside of the Bush administration. This is bound to sort of perplex them at this point, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You hit the nail on the head, Candy. You know, a negative tell-all by a former cabinet member is an unwelcome thing for any White House, but particularly it is unique for the Bush team, which it really prides itself on its loyalty and its -- the fact that they are so tight lipped and so tight knit.

Now, the official White House response was from Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, who said, "It appears that the world according to Mr. O'Neill is more about trying to justify his own opinion than looking at the reality of the results we are achieving on behalf of the American people."

Now, privately, White House officials are painting Mr. O'Neill as somebody who really never really fit in. Essentially somebody who is a disgruntled former employee, if you will. One senior official on the condition of anonymity saying, "During the time, he, Mr. O'Neill, was there, there was a view that he had a political tin ear. That was obvious, but it is more obvious now because of these outrageous allegations."

And Candy, on the substance of what O'Neill has been saying, particularly on Iraq, that the plan to attack Saddam Hussein started on day one, administration officials are saying that they always have contingency plans for everything and that regime change in Iraq was not new to this administration. It actually had been the policy of the United States since Bill Clinton was in office -- Candy.

CROWLEY: Dana, you know, obviously, all the focus right now on the Democrats, on the Iowa caucuses. Is the Bush administration keeping a low profile?

BASH: Well, they are right now. But there is about to be a coming out party of sorts right where you are, Candy. The president's top political team and surrogates are heading out there in and around the Iowa caucuses. And those officials include Ken Melman, the president's campaign manager; Marc Racicot, the campaign chairman; Mary Matalin, Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader; and Representative Tom DeLay, the House majority leader.

They are going to be in and around Iowa, hitting all the major cities, we are told, to rally Republicans and also to sort of soak up all of the media attention that is there for the Democrats. But, of course, you have to remember that in Iowa, the president only really did lose there. He lost by one point to Al Gore.

And I should also mention that John McCain is going to do the same thing in New Hampshire for the president. Of course, John McCain beat the president by 16 points in the primary there.

CROWLEY: Dana Bash in Crawford, thanks very much.

It is winter of the normal sort here in Iowa. But bitter cold continues bearing down on the Northeast. On the stories making headlines this morning, just ahead.

Also, while most of the candidates are stumping in Iowa, Wesley Clark decides to skip out. We'll examine what effect, if any, it could have on his campaign.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: We are back here in Des Moines with CNN's campaign express. But not all Democrats are focused on Iowa.

The first in the nation New Hampshire primary is just one week later. Wesley Clark hasn't campaigned here in Iowa, but his national poll numbers are rising anyway. CNN's Dan Lothian looks at that and more in the week just passed in politics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The race for the Democratic nomination, once dominated by a clear frontrunner, has become more competitive, after a week that saw Wesley Clark moving up in the polls. Ever closer to Howard Dean.

SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: For me, one candidate rose to the top.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): A key endorsement by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin was welcomed by Howard Dean.

DEAN: I think that Senator Harkin's endorsement is very helpful. Obviously, Iowans are going to make up their own mind in terms of who they chose to vote for. LOTHIAN: After a tough week that ended with his campaign answering questions about interviews Dean did three years ago on Canadian television, in which he criticized the Iowa caucuses. Dean, who had been way out front in national polls and graced the covers of two national magazines, was by midweek looking over his shoulder, as retired General Wesley Clark made a surge.

WESLEY CLARK (D), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to bring a higher standard...

LOTHIAN: Some political strategists say Clark may have benefited in part from weeks of attacks against Dean by his opponents on his positions and his temperament. Dean's campaign responded quickly, going after Clark, attacking him in flyers handed out at one of his New Hampshire events. The Clark campaign fired back with its own handout, calling the attacks half-truths.

The other top-tier Democratic candidates also spent a lot of time campaigning in New Hampshire, trying to gain ground by pushing their issues and going after the frontrunner.

(on camera): While much of the focus this week will be on Iowa, the battle for voters continues in New Hampshire, where the first in the nation primary becomes the next test on the road to the White House.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: Whether or not they are competing in Iowa, the next week is going to be hectic for all the Democratic presidential candidates. A preview now from CNN's political editor, John Mercurio. He is also editor of CNN's "MORNING GRIND," updated Monday through Friday on our Web site, cnn.com.

Hey, John, good to see you.

JOHN MERCURIO, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Candy. How are you?

CROWLEY: I'm all right. Out here in Iowa, the campaign express, but we're glad you're with us anyway.

MERCURIO: Thank you.

CROWLEY: Iowa likes to bill itself as the first contest in the presidential race. But it is not really. There is one in Washington, D.C.. What can you tell us about that contest?

MERCURIO: I know. That comes as a surprise to I think even some Washington voters. I think Democrats in Washington were hoping that they would -- could take the opportunity to highlight the issue of statehood, to make statehood sort of a national -- give it a national platform by creating the first primary.

Unfortunately, they sort of stepped on their own message, I think, by getting into this tangle with the DNC. They ended up backing down, and now have what it -- not what is taking place on Tuesday, which is sort of a non-binding primary, which is really nothing more than a beauty contest. What is going to happen I think is that in D.C...

CROWLEY: No, go ahead. I was just going to ask you -- I was going to ask you -- go ahead, finish up with D.C. I want to ask you about Howard Dean after this.

MERCURIO: Well, in D.C., you have a base that is left of center, it's predominantly African-American. That works well for Al Sharpton and for Dennis Kucinich. I think Kucinich has ads that are out right now with Danny Glover, who is an actor, who is doing -- I'm sorry, not ads, but a phone message, a phone bank. Al Sharpton has radio ads.

I think ultimately, though, you're going have Howard Dean winning. He's got endorsements from prominent D.C. council members. He's got the best organization. And he's going to win. At the end of the day, it's going to be sort of a non-event, unfortunately for D.C.

CROWLEY: For D.C. I know Howard Dean didn't show up for a debate they had. What is he doing in the next couple of days?

MERCURIO: Iowa voters, I think, will be forgiven if they are confused. They might think that Howard Dean has already chosen his running mate. Tom Harkin has basically, as a one aide told me, loaned his body to the Dean campaign for the next nine days or until January 19.

He will be joining Howard Dean on a bus tour that starts on the 14th. It goes all the way through the 19th. I'm told that he's also written a mailer that is going out midweek to Iowa voters that calls Howard Dean the Harry S. Truman of our day, says he has his head screwed on right.

There's also apparently the talk of a television ad that has been taped for -- or is going to be taped for Dean with Harkin in it. It is going to be running in Iowa. And he'll be on a bus tour with him. But he's not the only Iowa celebrity or the only celebrity who will be joining Dean this week.

Rob Reiner, Martin Sheen will be joining him on this bus tour. AFSCME president, Jerry McEntee, will also be in Iowa on Dean's behalf, as will Joan Jett. Joan Jett. Rocker Joan Jett is going to be out there on Friday, I believe, campaigning for Dean.

CROWLEY: John, the latest polls show, in fact, that Dean is pulling away. How does Gephardt plan to fight that?

MERCURIO: Gephardt is sending surrogates in for Howard Dean. I'm sorry, Gephardt is sending surrogates in for himself. There are as many as a dozen House members who are supposed to be campaigning for Gephardt this week, but he's really relying mostly on his labor unions, his labor organizations.

James P. Hoffa, president of the Teamsters, will be there this week. He'll be campaigning for Gephardt. But he's really not the only one.

There are some five other members. Leo Girard (ph), of the Steal Workers; Tom Buckinburger (ph), of the Machinists; three other members -- three other presidents of big unions are going to be out there as Gephardt surrogates.

I was talking to the political director of the Teamsters last night, who said that they're also getting a lot of response from voters very angry about Tom Harkin's endorsement of Howard Dean, saying that he's really sort of -- I think the quote is, "He's really" -- "Harkin has really burned a lot of bridges out here, as far as his labor support is concerned."

CROWLEY: Hey, John, thanks very much. We're going to have to run, but we appreciate it.

MERCURIO: Thank you, Candy.

CROWLEY: For the best daily briefing on politics, don't miss "THE MORNING GRIND." Go to cnn.com/grind for all the latest political news.

Forgotten primary. Only one road leads to the Oval Office, and it often starts with a good theme. Straight ahead, we'll have Bill Schneider.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Welcome back to Iowa, current stopping place for the CNN election express.

Politics is at least partially a marketing problem. They have to figure out what voters want that they're not getting from the incumbent. Bill Schneider explains in his story behind the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): After Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy sold youth. He promised to get the country moving again.

After the turmoil of the '60s, Richard Nixon sold order. He promised to bring us together.

After Watergate, Jimmy Carter offered morality. "I will never lie to you."

After Carter, Ronald Reagan sold leadership. He wasn't wishy- washy or ineffectual.

The first President George Bush seemed out of touch with ordinary Americans during the recession. Bill Clinton offered empathy, he felt your pain. George W. Bush offered character. He promised to uphold the honor and dignity of the presidency, unlike, well, you know who.

Howard Dean is now the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. What is he selling?

JOHN KENNETH WHITE, PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY: The central theme of Dean is the idea of empowerment and empowering the individual.

SCHNEIDER: So it is.

DEAN: Our campaign is really based on hope. Our campaign empowers ordinary people, many of whom have not been in politics for years to get involved.

SCHNEIDER: Dean's political masterstroke was to use the Internet as the instrument of empowerment.

FRANK RICH, "NEW YORK TIMES": The difference with the Dean campaign is the use of software and techniques that take you a -- take the user away from the screen to meet up, socialize and to work on behalf of the candidate.

WHITE: If you look at his Web blog each day, it is the idea that we can bring you into the loop.

SCHNEIDER: Question: who feels disempowered by the Bush presidency? Liberals certainly do.

DEAN: You have the power to take back our country so that the flag of the United States is no longer the sole property of John Ashcroft and Rush Limbaugh and Jerry Falwell.

SCHNEIDER: But do most Americans feel disempowered under President Bush? Dean intends to convince them that they are.

DEAN: He is a president who appears sometimes to care more about the special interests that his political policies help rather than ordinary Americans.

SCHNEIDER (on camera): Dean portrays the Bush administration as closed and secretive, as not listening to anybody, as serving the interests of big corporations. If you nod your head and say, that's exactly how I feel, Dean's hoping his message of empowerment is for you.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: The candidates are all over Iowa. And so are reporters. Up next, a pair of journalists on the campaign trail. They'll give us their behind-the-scenes perspective on who is ahead, who is behind and who might surprise us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY (voice-over): Checking our political history book, on this day in 1989, Ronald Reagan delivered his farewell address to the nation, urging Americans to pay more attention to history. RONALD REAGAN, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And let me offer lesson number one about America. All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: The caucuses are just days away, but the campaign has been going on for months. Two of the reporters who have been on the trail here in Iowa, Jeff Zeleny, of the "Chicago Tribune," Anne Kornblut with the "Boston Globe." I might want to amend that; it's been going on for years. But that's another thing.

Jeff, your paper just her a poll out with the "LA Times." And I want to show it to our viewers. Putting Dean at 30 percent, Gephardt at 23, Kerry at 18, Edwards at 11, everybody else in single digits. What inside that poll interested you?

JEFF ZELENY, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE": I think an interesting thing was, Candy, that this is a wide margin for Dean, the widest it has been in such a tight race. It is actually just within the margin of error. So people like Dean.

One thing that was interesting to me is that people like John Edwards, which is interesting given the "Des Moines Register's" endorsement this morning. They said, as a person we like John Edwards. We like his character, his morals. So that will be something to watch this week, personally how they react to that.

CROWLEY: Anne, did you pick up any sort of Edwards mojo out there? I mean, in the end, people do vote their gut. Anne?

ANNE KORNBLUT, "BOSTON GLOBE": Oh, sorry. Yes, certainly out talking to voters around Iowa, when you ask them, you know, who do you like, they'll say somebody. And then oftentimes the second choice will be Edwards. "He seems like such a nice man." "If only he had more experience," is something we've heard over and over talking to voters.

CROWLEY: Do either of you see that as a potential surprise, or do you see a potential surprise here?

ZELENY: I think -- look, I think one of the interesting things our polls showed was four in 10 likely caucus-goers say they're more than willing to change their minds. So I think that underscores the interesting eight days that we have ahead of us.

CROWLEY: Anne, what do you sort of see ahead as maybe a surprise?

KORNBLUT: Well, I mean, I'm not going to predict. I promised after 2000, no predictions. But I think everyone is pretty amazed that it's come down to Iowa. You know, we thought it would be maybe New Hampshire, maybe the races on February 3. But Iowa is really it right now. And it is surprisingly close, and it's actually going to determine what comes out next. So for all the talk about the caucus and the primary, the first ones not mattering as much, it actually seems to matter more.

CROWLEY: And in what way? I mean, you agree, Jeff, I'm assuming?

ZELENY: I do agree.

CROWLEY: Yes.

ZELENY: I do agree. I think because the process has been so front-loaded, that what happens in the next two weeks is absolutely a critical. After Joe Lieberman and Wesley Clark said that they weren't doing Iowa, some of us thought, maybe Iowa is not as important. But in the end, it is more important than ever.

CROWLEY: Well, in fact, could it -- it could take out Dick Gephardt, right?

KORNBLUT: It could take out -- I mean, who comes in first, second, third, fourth, even fourth place seems to matter. If John Edwards exceeds expectations, that could give him a boost. If John Kerry exceeds expectations, that could really help in New Hampshire. It could take out Gephardt.

CROWLEY: And do you see any sort of surprises out there, Jeff, I mean, in terms of turnout? The crowds are obviously now -- certainly over the weekend -- were fairly pumped up, kind of all over the place. Does any surprise you out here and you think, wow, I can't believe they relate to him or don't relate to him? Who surprises you?

ZELENY: I think the thing that surprises me is the amount of activity going on when the candidates are not around. That's the most important thing to watch this week, to find out the ground operations, what these campaigns are doing.

I was at an event last week, a small living room in Ames, Iowa, where there were 16 undecided voters. And the Dean campaign is going neighbor to neighbor to neighbor, house to house, trying to convince people to support it.

And the other campaign has been the exact same thing. So watch what is going on behind the scenes and the ground troops. It is very important.

CROWLEY: What's your sense of the ground troops, Anne?

KORNBLUT: Well, it's the same exact thing. I talked to one woman whose mother has gotten phone calls from eight of the campaigns. Now there aren't even eight people running in Iowa.

So, you know, it really seems people here are feeling bombarded. But, on the other hand, they like it, because they really are getting all the options. Some people go see all the candidates when they come to town.

CROWLEY: Quickly, because we've got less than a minute left, I want to get both of your opinions on the "Des Moines Register" endorsement of Edwards, because doesn't it have the potential then to split the anti-Dean vote and therefore help Dean in a kind of curious way?

ZELENY: I think that is one of the unintended consequences of having such a broad field, how the margin splits up. I think one thing, maybe we take endorsements sometimes a little bit too seriously or read too much into them, because four years ago, I remember that Bill Bradley won the endorsement of the "Des Moines Register." And we saw where that went.

CROWLEY: Anne, what do you think, real quick?

KORNBLUT: Oh, I agree. But, you know, endorsements normally don't matter, But in this race, every little thing seems to count because it is so close.

CROWLEY: Anne Kornblut, "Boston Globe," Jeff Zeleny, "Chicago Tribune," we appreciate it. Come back. We'll let you go inside next time.

ZELENY: We will.

CROWLEY: Did you miss any of INSIDE POLITICS this past week? Fear not. Just ahead, we'll have the best and the worst from the 2004 campaign trail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Be sure to stay with us all week as the CNN election express motors across Iowa. Tomorrow, the bus travels from Des Moines to Ames, home of Iowa State University. Then it is off to Iowa City, the former capital and home of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.

By Thursday, the election express reaches Cedar Rapids, Iowa's second largest city and oatmeal capital of the world. Friday, Davenport in the far eastern part of the state, along the Mississippi. We hope you'll be with us for the ride.

Campaign 2004 is, of course, at full tilt. Here are some of the sights and sounds of the week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: I would like to find out who on this stage agrees that they will pledge to vigorously support the Democratic nominee.

GEPHARDT: I'm nostalgic for Ronald Reagan.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This president has run the most inept, arrogant, reckless and ideological foreign policy in modern history. CLARK: If Karl Rove is watching today, Karl, I want you to hear this loud and clear. I'm going to provide tax cuts. You don't have to read my lips. I'm saying them.

DEAN: They're not quite ready to be flipped over. Maybe that one is.

BILL BRADLEY, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Dean campaign is one of the best things that has happened to American democracy in decades.

HARKIN: One candidate rose to the top as our best shot to beat George W. Bush and to give Americans the opportunity to take our country back. That person is Governor Howard Dean.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Howard Dean should take his tax-hiking, government-expanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, "New York Times"- reading...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Body-piercing, Hollywood-loving, left-wing freak show back to Vermont where it belongs.

BUSH: It is great to be back in the great state of Florida. We carried it once, and we're going to carry it again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've heard about you from my parents. And now that I get to see you and hear you speak, I really have faith that you'll be president.

CLARK: Thank you very much. You're coming to the White House!

GEPHARDT: I'm going win on the 19th.

EDWARDS: You have got to give me a shot at George W. Bush.

CLARK: I hear the results, but I don't know that they mean. You know, this is first time I've run for office.

DEAN: You can't beat George Bush by being Bush-lite.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me introduce to you, the next president of the United States, Joe Lieberman.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: Thanks for joining us on INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY. Another big week of politics ahead, so don't miss Judy Woodruff at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Monday through Friday for INSIDE POLITICS. And in one hour, at noon Eastern, Wolf Blitzer interviews Commerce Secretary Don Evans on "LATE EDITION."

For now, thanks for watching and being here on the campaign express bus. "CNN LIVE SUNDAY" continues now from CNN Center in Atlanta.

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