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Inside Politics

Ralph Nader Announces Presidential Run; Super Tuesday Showdown for Kerry, Edwards

Aired February 22, 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, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: INSIDE POLITICS today, is Ralph running? What Nader's decision means for Democrats and President Bush in the race for the White House.
A Super Tuesday showdown for senators Kerry and Edwards. Who is in position to pull it out and face President Bush in November? Two campaign strategists sound off.

Plus, the costly campaign. Which candidates are low on cash? We'll find out straight ahead.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Washington, this is INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

CROWLEY: Welcome to INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY. Politics doesn't take weekends off, and neither do we. I'm Candy Crowley. It is Sunday, February 22, the birthday of America's first President.

We begin with a political bombshell. Just moments ago, Ralph Nader announced on national television he plans to run for President. The 2000 Green Party standard bearer appears on NBC's "Meet the Press" to say the long-shot bid about the White House is more about principle than about the presidency. He says it's time for a third party because there's not enough difference between Republicans and Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH NADER (I), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: After careful thought and my desire to retire our supremely selected president, I've decided to run as an independent candidate for president. And if you'll allow me to explain why, I'll give some of the reasons with elaboration coming on our Web site, votenader.org.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: Nader has written a book called "Crashing the Party," and many Democrats say his challenge will crash their party. His bid will take votes away from their eventual nominee.

The political community was speculating long before Nader's announcement. New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson, is attending the National Governors Association in gathering in Washington. He's among the Democrats who has been urging Nader not to enter the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: It's not going to help the Democrats. But again, you can never get in his mind. He has a unique set of principles. He's made a contribution to this country. But he should step aside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: In an exclusive CNN interview yesterday, Elizabeth Edwards, wife of candidate John Edwards, had these possible thoughts on a Nader run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, WIFE OF JOHN EDWARDS: I think that Ralph's rationale in 2000 for getting into the race was that there was no difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party and, therefore, he had to offer the American people an alternative. That's clearly not -- didn't turn out to be the case. There's an enormous difference between the parties and what they have to offer. So I'm not certain what his rationale is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: We are waiting now for a live stakeout, and we'll take you to Nader shortly. But right now, senior political analyst Bill Schneider has been watching the Nader news with us now.

I'm a little surprised by this. Are you?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I am very surprised. I can't think of a single supporter, certainly no Democrat, and no one who supported Ralph Nader in 2000 who came out and urged Ralph Nader to run. I mean, there was just nobody there. I imagine the only people who are really celebrating this announcement are in the White House, Karl Rove perhaps.

CROWLEY: So it's true, all of these analyses that we've just heard, even pre this announcement, that this hurts Democrats, no doubt about it?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I can think of a scenario where it possibly could help the Democrat, but it would go something like this: Ralph Nader raises a lot of tough criticisms of President Bush, which he just did on "Meet the Press." He articulates them, he makes a powerful case against Bush. And then at the end, he gets out and says, I endorse the Democrat, you should vote for the Democrat.

Or, also likely, nobody votes for him or very few people vote for him. That is possible. He could help the Democrats.

CROWLEY: But even in a -- if he doesn't get that many votes -- and I think we saw in Florida, you know, not that many votes would have changed that race -- I mean, isn't there a hard core Nader group out there that's going to vote for him that could make a difference in a lot of those iffy states? SCHNEIDER: Absolutely. What we found in 2000 is that about half the people who voted for Ralph Nader said they wouldn't have voted at all. The rest of them overwhelming would have voted for Al Gore over George W. Bush. Nader's position is essentially the differences between Democrats and Republicans are still minimal.

He acknowledges there are some differences, but in his remarks he said he gives the Republicans a D- and the Democrats a D+. He said both part parties are part of occupied corporate territory in Washington. And essentially, basically what it come downs to is, to vote for Ralph Nader, you're saying it doesn't make any difference whether the Democrats or George Bush is in the White House.

CROWLEY: Now, we had Howard Dean in the race. He said essentially the same thing, there is no difference. In fact, he made a big deal about the fact that there was no difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. What are the chances that Nader can appeal to those Dean voters?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I imagine there are a few Dean voters who are unhappy with whoever the Democrats will put up because it's not Howard Dean. But look, in the end, remember what motivated the Dean voters? Real antipathy towards George W. Bush.

They dislike George Bush so much and want to get him out so badly that it's very unlikely they would do anything that would risk reelecting Bush. And that means voting for Ralph Nader.

COOPER: So if you are John Edwards or John Kerry or whoever eventually assumes the mantle of the Democratic Party, how do you treat Ralph Nader?

SCHNEIDER: I think with a certain respect. What you want to say is he makes some good points, but don't vote for him. That's the basic point.

It is irrational to vote for Ralph Nader if you want to get rid of George Bush. Think about what you're doing. Do you honestly believe there's no difference between the two parties? If you don't believe that, then it makes sense to vote for the Democrats.

CROWLEY: And just out of curiosity, what do you think makes Ralph run?

SCHNEIDER: Well, a lot of people think it must be vanity. I think it is, in part, the view that he's a king maker. Look at what he did in 2000. Lots of people are saying he made George Bush president.

So probably he's of the view, you got to pay attention to me, folks, because I have power. Look at what I did in the 2000 election. Now you're going to listen to me or not?

CROWLEY: Of course the Nader -- probably the Democrat votes would say he crowned the wrong. Thanks so much, Bill Schneider. Again, we were waiting for a stakeout to hear more from Ralph Nader. More on that later on. But you can expect much more on the Nader candidacy in coming days. Don't miss Judy Woodruff's interview. She sits down with Nader on tomorrow's edition of "INSIDE POLITICS." That's at 3:30 Eastern here on CNN.

So let's get our bearings. Here's how the Democratic race stands right now. Moving into the last week of February, 61 delegates are at stake Tuesday in three contests that some have overlooked: Hawaii, Idaho and Utah. The candidates seem focused on the big prize one week later, Super Tuesday.

It's the first time in years Super Tuesday has mattered this much because of the surging interest in John Edwards. In all, 1,151 delegates are on the block that day. New York, California, Ohio, Minnesota, and five other states all have contests.

And here's the current delegate count. Kerry with 626, second place, very interesting; the departed Howard Dean has 193; John Edwards holds 190; Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich are barely on the board.

The battle between the Democratic front-runners looks more and more like a contest between Mr. Outside and Mr. Inside. CNN's Kelly Wallace is in Georgia, one of the Super Tuesday states -- Kelly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Kerry returns to the campaign trail Saturday night in Atlanta, and came out swinging.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know what it is about what these Republicans who didn't serve in any war have against those of us who are Democrats who did. But I'm tired of their trying to divert attention from the real issues that confront America.

WALLACE: Kerry sharply responding to Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, who questioned the senator's voting report on defense and intelligence issues Saturday. The senator then raised the stakes in a letter challenging President Bush to a debate on the impact of their Vietnam era experiences. A not so subtle dig at Mr. Bush, who did not fight in the Vietnam War.

KERRY: I am not going to stand by and allow these Republicans who continually go to the low road to challenge my commitment to the defense of our nation.

WALLACE: Asked about another challenge, a possible presidential bid by Independent Ralph Nader, Kerry said he is not worried.

KERRY: I'm going to have a campaign that will speak to the people who talked so appropriately a number of years ago and who supported him last time. And this will be a different campaign this time, I can assure you. SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I need to you join me in this campaign and this cause.

WALLACE: But John Edwards keeps saying, not so fast. He sprinted across New York, Ohio, and here in Minnesota, attracting crowds so large he had to get some help to speak to his supporters. Throughout the day, one message.

EDWARDS: ... changing Washington, changing what is going on in Washington.

WALLACE: The one-term senator is making the case that he is a Washington outsider. Part of his full-court press to win the highly coveted endorsement of Howard Dean and his thousands of supporters.

EDWARDS: My message to them is, I am the person who has new, fresh ideas. I'm the person who wants to change America and change Washington. And a lot of those things are the same things Governor Dean represents.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And both candidates are now reacting to this news that Ralph Nader will, in fact, run for the presidency. An Edwards aide telling CNN, "If you have a Democratic nominee who can attract all kinds of voters, progressive, moderates, and dissatisfied Republicans, Democrats will win the White House in November." This aide saying John Edwards has shown that he attracts voters from all across the political spectrum.

As for the Kerry campaign, an aide saying, "We hope that those that want to see change in America and return to the track of prosperity that are health care and new and better jobs will unite behind the Democratic nominee for President, whomever that might be."

So Candy, both trying to sort of spin this in a positive way. But really, both camps ultimately not totally happy that Ralph Nader is in this race -- Candy.

CROWLEY: We can assume that they would rather he not have run. Let me ask you, Kelly, back to the campaigns themselves, has much changed about what they are saying or doing on the trail since New Hampshire? Are they ignoring each other? Are they on parallel tracks? What's different about the trail now?

WALLACE: Well, what is mainly different is really Tuesday, after Edwards very strong second place showing in Wisconsin. What he is trying to do is play up on his background, a contrast with John Kerry. He's been playing up on trade, how he says he would not have voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement had he been in the Senate at that time.

And what you are having from the John Kerry campaign is, they are trying to focus on President Bush and continue to play the role of the front-runner. But they are having to contend with John Edwards. And you are sensing just a little but of frustration, maybe a little bit of worry watching the crowds that John Edwards is attracting and in his message.

And they are trying to play up the fact that the two men really have kind of parallel issues and parallel views. And they are trying to make the case that John Kerry continues to be the more electable candidate -- Candy.

CROWLEY: Thanks again. Kelly Wallace on the campaign trail with John Kerry. I appreciate it.

Now for our Sunday edition of "Campaign News Daily."

Dick Cheney to rally Republicans and raise campaign cash. The vice president and his wife, Lynne, head to Minnesota tomorrow, just days before the March 2 primary there. Mr. Cheney spoke Friday at $1,000 a plate fund-raiser in Puerto Rico and an event in Tampa, Florida, that raised $600,000. The war in Iraq was the centerpiece of his speeches.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the war on terror, we have only one option. We must take the fight to the enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: Kerry scoops up more endorsements. Senator Mark Dayton of Minnesota is backing the Democratic front-runner. Dayton says he has been a Kerry supporter since Kerry's bid for Congress in 1972.

More endorsements are expected tomorrow in New York. Congressman Charles Rangel and former New York Mayor David Dinkins are joining camp Kerry.

Kucinich campaigns in two Super Tuesday states. He was in Minnesota yesterday with Dr. Patch Adams. That's the man Robin Williams played in the movie. Kucinich held several events in the twin cities. He flies to California today.

Hillary Clinton headlines Jefferson Jackson Dinner in Florida. The New York senator urged Democrats to make a major showing in the 2004 election. The event raised about $100,000 for Florida Democrats. Today, Mrs. Clinton lines her own war chest with fund-raisers for her reelection campaign in 2006.

Coming up next, the two Johns move across the country before Super Tuesday. Who is ahead? Who has got the money and the big mo? We'll ask strategists from both camps.

And later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: We have some exclusive footage now shot by CNN. This is Howard Dean at home in Vermont. Take a look.

HOWARD DEAN (D), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yeah!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: Don't miss the best bytes of the week on INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Welcome back.

Once again, we are waiting to hear from Ralph Nader as he gets off NBC. And again, he has said he's running for president.

Now, the numbers for the Democrats. Senators Kerry and Edwards continue to lead the pack. Take a look at the latest "Newsweek" poll of likely Democratic voters conducted February 19 and 20.

Fifty-four percent of respondents say their first choice for the Democratic nomination is John Kerry. Nineteen percent chose John Edwards. There was a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

We want to hear from both camps now. Jennifer Palmieri is in Raleigh. She is the Edwards campaign press secretary. And in Washington, Steve Elmendorf, the Kerry campaign's political adviser.

Let me first, since you have location, location, location, Steve, let me ask you about Ralph Nader's decision to run. How badly do you think this hurts the Democrats?

STEVE ELMENDORF, POLITICAL ADVISER, KERRY CAMPAIGN: Well, I don't think it hurts us that badly. I think it's unfortunate. But I think at the end of the day, voters want change, and they are going to see that they're going to have two real choices in this election between a Democratic nominee, which we hope will be John Kerry, and between George Bush. And I think they are going to make the decision not based on Ralph Nader.

CROWLEY: You know, Jen, I think much could have been said for the same thing for Al Gore in 2000. And yet there are -- state after state we can show where he really hurt. Do you think the Nader factor is still as big as it was in 2000?

JENNIFER PALMIERI, PRESS SECRETARY, EDWARDS CAMPAIGN: I have to agree with Steve. I don't think it's going to be as big as it was in 2000. And I think that, first of all, people have seen that they are really -- I think they've learned the hard way that there really was a huge difference between Al Gore and George Bush. And I think that if we have a nominee who has really broad-based appeal and can appeal to progressives, as well as Independents, and even maybe some independent-thinking Republicans, that the Nader factor won't be as prominent.

And I just don't think -- it seems to me that even some of his supporters are saying it's unfortunate that he got in. And I just don't think that he's going to find the following that he had last cycle.

And I think that Steve would agree with me that, after all the -- Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards both have been through in this election cycle, it's like put another log on the fire. These candidates have been through a lot. And I think that the Democrats will do fine.

CROWLEY: Bring it on, as they say.

PALMIERI: Yes, bring it on.

CROWLEY: Steve -- let me tell you both that the White House has said that they look forward to a vigorous debate on the important issues with the eventual Democratic nominee in response to, I believe, a letter from your candidate, Steve, about a debate with the president. Now, let me take to you another issue, which is that Senator Kerry wrote the White House yesterday, the day before, complaining that some of the White House surrogates have been questioning his patriotism. The Bush campaign saying, look, Senator Kerry has an honorable war record and a terrible voting record.

What is it that the Bush campaign is doing that bothers you all so?

ELMENDORF: Well, if you listen to the various cable talk shows all week long, they have their surrogates out. I was on with Charlie Black as a representative of the Bush campaign yesterday on another show, where he talked about Hanoi Jane and talked about John Kerry's testimony against the war.

I mean, they have a full-scale effort going to try to throw in the question of Senator Kerry's record. And we're going to respond. We're not going to sit here and let a bunch of people like Saxby Chambliss, who didn't serve, question the record of somebody who did.

CROWLEY: Understand. But you all had been running on Senator Kerry's record, both as a lawyer and someone who fought for the peace when he came home. Why is that not fair game? And what I...

ELMENDORF: It is fair game. But we'd like to have the debates directly with George Bush rather than with the surrogates.

PALMIERI: Candy, can I interject?

CROWLEY: Sure -- absolutely, Jen. Yes, absolutely.

PALMIERI: I mean, this, I think, is the problem with this, like when Senator Edwards talks about the old style of politics and how he's trying to run a campaign. I mean, he doesn't think that this campaign is about Senator Kerry or himself or even George Bush. It's about the American people.

And if we're going to have a debate with George Bush, it should be a debate about the future. It shouldn't be a debate about the past or, you know, someone's personal record. I mean, I don't think -- this is not the type of issues that the American people want to hear the president of the United States and a Democratic nominee even -- putting aside the fact that we don't have a Democratic nominee yet -- talk about.

They want to hear a debate about the issues that they care about. They want to hear debates about talking about jobs and the economy and health care and education. And I think that to be focused on the past and sniping back and forth about personal histories is really misplaced. And I think that it's terrible.

Look, we are all very proud of Senator Kerry's heroic military record. And he deserves a great deal of respect for it. And it's terrible what Saxby Chambliss and the other Republicans are doing to try to smear him. And it's ridiculous. I don't think the American people are going to buy it. But I also don't think that's what the American people are concerned about.

CROWLEY: OK. And let me move this over to Steve.

If that is so, Jen, and if you believe that these are personal attacks, why didn't you all jump all over Terry McAuliffe when he said the president was AWOL? I mean, if this is not about who is more patriotic, and this is really about the records, why didn't you jump all over him?

ELMENDORF: We -- you know, that wasn't the issue. The issue was that Saxby Chambliss and a whole bunch of Republican surrogates questioned John Kerry. It's not our place to question Terry McAuliffe.

CROWLEY: But he's the head of the Democratic Party.

ELMENDORF: If George Bush -- the Republicans jumped all over him. That's their job. Not our job. Our job is, when we are being attacked by Republicans, one of the messages of our campaign here is we are not going to let them define us before this election gets started.

CROWLEY: But aren't you asking the president to jump all over Saxby Chambliss?

ELMENDORF: No. We're asking the president to debate us.

CROWLEY: And he said he would. I'm just -- you know -- I mean, I think -- it sounds to me like everybody -- what Jen said, that everybody would sort of like to move forward. We have polls showing they don't really want to debate the Vietnam War. I'm asking if you've got responsibility in that.

ELMENDORF: No. I mean, look, we agree -- I agree with Jen. We are happy to move forward and debate the issues. You know, the Republicans are the ones who want to constantly drag us down in the mud. We have this Republican spin machine that is going full time that wants to -- because George Bush is losing, that wants to attack the Democratic candidates.

CROWLEY: Jen, next time you get the first word. Thank you very much, Jen Palmieri...

PALMIERI: Thank you, Candy.

CROWLEY: ... with the Edwards campaign, Steve Elmendorf, with the Kerry campaign. Let's do it again.

ELMENDORF: Thank you.

CROWLEY: Thank you.

What does an Internet dating site have to do with the presidential election? Details later in our story behind the story.

But up next, 3,000 same-sex couples received marriage licenses at San Francisco City Hall over the last week. President Bush's response.

And is it a possible pitfall in the race for the White House? Our Dana Bash has that story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Where oh where is Ralph Nader? We are awaiting his appearance at the microphone. He has within the hour told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he's going to run for president. We're waiting to have him explain a little bit more about that at the microphones. We will stick with it.

For now, in addition to one more person in the race, there's a new issue on the already cramped agenda of election 2004. Along with economy, job creation and the war on terror, comes the passionate debate over same-sex marriages. It's affecting Democrats and Republicans.

CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From Massachusetts to San Francisco, same-sex marriage dominates the headlines and is about to explode on to the campaign trail.

BILL MCINTURFF, PUBLIC OPINION STRATEGIES: Beyond Iraq, jobs and health care, it's kind of the last big difference of the national debate we're going to have.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm troubled by what I've seen. People need to be involved with this decision. Marriage ought to be defined by the people, not by the courts.

BASH: Conservatives have pushed for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage for months. After treading carefully on the hot button issue, aides say the president is now poised to support one like this: marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman, leaving open the possibility of states allowing civil unions, like in Vermont. The latest CNN-Gallup poll shows an overwhelming number of Americans, 64 percent, oppose gay marriage. But they are mixed on whether amending the Constitution is necessary. Gay rights activists in the president's party have a warning.

MARK MEAD, LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS: We would urge the president to weigh in against this amendment. It's neither compassionate nor conservative.

BASH: While gay marriage has become a key civil rights issue for core Democrats, candidates see the polls, too, and know there are risks. Presidential hopeful John Edwards opposes gay marriage, but supports granting some rights. And front-runner John Kerry supports civil unions.

KERRY: I don't happen to support marriage. I support rights. I think it's important to give people rights, but there's a distinction between the two.

BASH: He was only one of 14 senators to vote against the 1996 Defensive Marriage Act, which made states free to ignore gay unions and marriages from other states. Bush campaign aides say it fits perfectly into their "John Kerry is a liberal" play book.

MCINTURFF: There's no way in the world he can walk away from that issue. It has to be, therefore, one of the major differences in this campaign.

BASH (on camera): Aides say once the president makes his decision, the issue is likely to be high up in his stump speech. Democrats accuse the White House of looking for a cultural wedge issue because things like Iraq and jobs haven't been going Mr. Bush's way.

Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: President Bush isn't the only Republican talking about gay and lesbian marriage. California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, says he's seen enough from San Francisco and he'll take action. Be sure to watch Thursday, when Governor Schwarzenegger is Judy Woodruff's guest on "INSIDE POLITICS."

We're coming right back with a look at the top stories this hour.

Also, what went wrong? Howard Dean's campaign ushered in a new era of reaching for political support through the Internet. We'll go "Behind the Story" to find out how it all went wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: I'm going to enjoy this when we go to California and New York and when we go to Rhode Island and when we go to Massachusetts -- yahoo!

(END VIDEO CLIP) CROWLEY: And later, if you missed anything from the campaign trail this week, don't miss our week that was.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

CROWLEY: Well, faithful viewers, a little sad news. Ralph Nader, we are told, went out the back door at NBC, so we won't be having him at the microphones today. However, don't give up, because Judy Woodruff will be talking to Ralph Nader tomorrow 3:30 Eastern Time. Of course, that will be on "INSIDE POLITICS."

The Internet has proven itself a powerful tool in rallying voter support. But did it have a negative effect on one candidate's campaign?

CNN senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, now with "The Story Behind the Story."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Last year, we heard a lot of hype about the Howard Dean campaign and the Internet.

SIMON ROSENBERG, NEW DEMOCRATIC NETWORK: What the Dean campaign is doing, whether he wins or loses, will go down in history as the beginning of a really new era of presidential campaign.

SCHNEIDER: The Internet was supposed to transform American politics.

LARRY NOBLE, CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE POLITICS: I think we will look back in ten or 15 years and see this election cycle as a turn point.

SCHNEIDER: So, what happened? You know all those Internet dating sites? Match.com? Lovebrowser.com? Americansingles.com?

You might say Howard Dean turned out to be a bad Internet date. His message came across great on the Web. Hundreds of thousands of eager suitors responded to it.

STEVE MCMAHON, DEAN MEDIA ADVISER: He's brought new people into the process. He's give the Democratic Party back its voice, it's soul. And he's made it OK for candidates to stand up and take on President Bush very directly, which....

SCHNEIDER: Many liberals were feeling disempowered. Dean's message of empowerment thrilled them.

DEAN: You have the power to take back our country.

SCHNEIDER: The message stirred supporters to contribute. But a campaign is more than a message. Sooner or later voters had to meat the man. Last year, Dean's support surged in New Hampshire. Voters liked Dean's message. This year, when it came time to make a commitment, his support collapsed. Oh, my, many voters said, you're not at all what I expected. Dean's temperament, his rashness, his edge of irritation seemed to rub voters the wrong way, even before his notorious Iowa concession speech.

The vote for president is the most personal vote Americans cast. They have to live with the president in their homes day after day for four years on television. Television is intensely personal. It's how the voters get to know you.

The Internet is not very personal. Anyone can use it to feed voters a line. Dean turned out to be a an exciting date prospect.

DEAN: This has been a campaign that has been extraordinarily different. The new approach, planting seeds on the Internet, strengthening grassroots, face to face obtaining support from hundreds of thousands of small donors.

SCHNEIDER: But in the end, not the man voters wanted to marry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: The Internet was a phenomenal success for organizing and fund-raising. Howard Dean's message, that Democrats need to show some backbone, also caught on. So well, in fact, that the other candidates stole it -- Candy.

CROWLEY: My mother was right. That Internet dating stuff, very risky.

Thanks, Bill.

Still to come, the forgotten primary. The candidates are already focused on Super Tuesday in March, but there are a few contests on the calendar this month. Who's voting and why it matters.

Plus, who's got the campaign cash to go the distance? The inside scoop when we brew up our "Morning Grind" just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Welcome back.

Here with our Sunday cup of "The Morning Grind," CNN's political editor, John Mercurio.

Hi, John.

JOHN MERCURIO, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello.

CROWLEY: We have to stop meeting like this.

MERCURIO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

CROWLEY: Money numbers.

MERCURIO: Yes.

CROWLEY: They -- we -- not a lot of cash on hand for these guys.

MERCURIO: Not a lot of cash on hand at all. These numbers just came in this weekend. And once again, they continue their trend of raising the money in California and New York, and then going to New Hampshire and Iowa to spend this.

These are just for January. We see that John Kerry raised about $7.5 million. Now that includes a $3.5 million personal loan which should not be confused with the $6.4 million personal loan that he made last year. Edwards raised about $6 million, no loans there.

And their cash-on-hand total is what we're really talking about, which is -- for Kerry just about, 2 million, which -- and for Edwards, I think he had about a half a million dollars. Both of them have considerable debt.

Now what's interesting, I think, is that both Kerry and Edwards spent heavily in New Hampshire and Iowa, but it was actually Wesley Clark and Howard Dean who spent the most money and obviously who came out with much worse results.

CROWLEY: So money doesn't always do it.

MERCURIO: Money doesn't buy you love.

CROWLEY: And really they just need enough cash to get to the next one, right, at this point?

MERCURIO: Right.

CROWLEY: Because money sort of follows success.

MERCURIO: Exactly. Which it did, because the Edwards people showed us or told us that since January, they've raised $10.4 million. The Kerry people say they've raised about $9 million. So they both have plenty of money going into Super Tuesday.

CROWLEY: And I don't even know why I'm asking this, but, I guess George Bush has more money.

MERCURIO: George Bush has considerably more money.

We all remember in 1996 how Bill Clinton raised and spent a considerable amount of money. It was record breaking at the time. George Bush will probably raise and spend about twice as much as Bill Clinton did in '96, which is considerable. During January, he raised $12.9 million. He total to this day has raised $145 million and has about $104 million on hand. So you guy does the math. I mean, that's everything combined times 10 for the Democrats.

CROWLEY: Let me -- let me ask you about -- Howard Dean got out of the race this week. But a lot of talk, particularly in his campaign, about those ads that -- with Osama bin Laden ad...

MERCURIO: Right.

CROWLEY: ...very negative that came up in Iowa. What are you hearing about that still?

MERCURIO: Well, you're talking about this -- it was a group called the Americans for Job -- I have to look at my notes, because I forget. It was a long title -- Americans for Jobs Health Care and Progressive Value. It was put together by a guy named David Jones. He's a former fund-raise for Dick Gephardt. They spent about $500,000 on these ads that you're talking about, the Osama bin Laden ads, in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

We heard last month, I think, that Bob Torricelli, a former New Jersey senator, put about $50,000 into it. What we haven't heard, though, I think, is that George Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees, through his company -- I think it's called Yankees Entertainment and Sports -- spent twice as much as Torricelli. He spent -- he put $100,000 into these ads.

CROWLEY: Wow...

(CROSSTALK)

MERCURIO: I don't think Howard Dean is going to be a season ticket holder for the Yankees.

CROWLEY: I guess not.

Listen, you know, we've got these contests coming up, Idaho, Utah, Hawaii. I personally wanted to cover the Hawaii primaries.

MERCURIO: Me too.

CROWLEY: I'm sure you pushed.

MERCURIO: Idaho's not bad either.

CROWLEY: Why -- why are we not paying any attention to these states? Do they matter?

MERCURIO: They do matter, of course. I don't want to get angry calls from anybody in Idaho.

But they -- I guess it's fair to say they don't matter as much as the Super Tuesday states, and Edwards and Kerry both have limited resources, as we just showed you. So they need to be focusing on states that matter.

Edwards is not competing at all in these states. In fact, he pulled out of the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner last night in Idaho. Idaho Democrats we're able to get Al Gore to replace him, which -- I was able to talk to a Democrat this morning in Idaho, who said that Gore gave a terrific speech. He was a little sun burned because he had been skiing all day in Sun Valley. But that he didn't mind that he called John Ashcroft the worst attorney general ever, and he said he didn't regret his endorsement of Howard Dean because he's energized the party.

He urged everybody -- this might have been a little nod to Ralph Nader -- he urged everybody to stick with the Democratic Party and vote for the nominee.

CROWLEY: John Mercurio. Why don't you come back next Sunday?

MERCURIO: I'd love to.

CROWLEY: All right. Thanks.

John brews the best daily briefing on politics in "The Morning Grind." Go to www.cnn.com/grind for the latest political news.

Up next, our panel recaps the hot topics of the week. Ralph Nader's decision -- how will it affect the polls? We'll find out.

Also, same sex marriages. We'll find where the candidates stand on the controversial issue, and examine its role in election 2004.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NADER: After careful thought and my desire to retire our supremely selected president, I've decided to run as an independent candidate for president. And if you'll allow me to explain why, I'll give some of the reasons with elaboration coming on our Web site, votenader.org.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: So many hot topics, so little time. We want to get right to it.

Republican strategist Tara Setmayer is in Miami. And here in Washington, we have Michelle Cottle, senior editor of The New Republic.

Look, Michelle, I want to first just throw up the Florida figures from 2000. As we hear all of these Democrats saying, Hey, you know, no biggie that Ralph Nader is in. What happened is that in Florida, Ralph Nader got almost 97,500 votes, which clearly in a race that close would have made a huge difference.

So are they sort of whistling bravely here, the Democrats?

MICHELLE COTTLE, THE NEW REPUBLIC: I think what they're hoping is that Democrats learned their lesson last time around. Ralph Nader's message was there is no difference. You know, Bush, Gore, you know, six of one, half dozen of the other. So vote for me. I've given you a real choice.

Well, after, you know, three years, we've clearly seen there's a huge difference. And, you know, hopefully Democrats will have learned their lesson and this will now make Ralph Nader completely obsolete.

CROWLEY: So, Tara, I suppose you think this is a fairly good thing for Republicans?

TARA SETMAYER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think it adds another element to the election.

You know, I find this very interesting that Democrats were discouraging -- you know, Terry McAuliffe was out there discouraging Ralph Nader with such shrill conviction. You know, please don't run. And, you know, this is a country about choice. And democracy -- true democracy is about choice. And I think it's really unfair that Democrats are out there trying to limit the people's choice in an election here. To me, that that is disingenuous.

CROWLEY: Tara, would you feel the same way if Ross Perot decided to run?

SETMAYER: Well, there -- you have to put principle over politics sometimes. I mean, yes, I am a party loyalist and, of course, looking at the numbers as a politician, no, we wouldn't want Ross Perot to run because it would hurt us. We found that out the hard way in '92.

But at the same time, we also have to be fair to the process and respect the American people's desire to vote for who they want to. And the choice should be theirs. The media, pundits like ourselves should not discourage the American people from wanting to vote for who they want to vote for, if it's a third party candidate or not. Or, you know, it's up to them. And I think it's disingenuous for us to discourage that.

CROWLEY: So -- so we'll move along to a different subject.

Gay marriage, just because this has been the very hot topic this week. We had a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll which showed that 64 percent of Americans don't think gay marriage should be valid.

How much of a sticky wicket is this for Democrats?

COTTLE: Well, if we're looking at John Kerry as a candidate, it could be an extremely sticky wicket because, as you know, the Massachusetts Supreme Court is right in the middle of this, talking about civil unions aren't going to do it, have got to go all the way. And this is going to make it very easy for the White House to paint John Kerry as, you know, the good old-fashioned, unreconstructed liberal.

CROWLEY: And Tara, you know, I suspect that this is also going to be difficult for the Bush White House because the conservatives, I think, would, I suspect, want him to go a lot harder than he has been lately.

SETMAYER: Of course. And I, as a conservative, would like to see the president take a tougher stance on this. And I think that he will, and he'll have the support of the American people behind him, as well. This is one of those issues where it's clear that the American people -- overwhelming majority --favor -- keeping marriage as between man and a woman. If that requires a constitutional amendment to do so, I think that will be an interesting debate. Whether the president decides to take that step or not, I think that, you know, he's going to have to -- he's going to have to really think about how he wants to go about handling this, because we need to preserve the sanctity of marriage in this country, and what's going on in California is a travesty.

CROWLEY: Tara, while I'm with you, I want to move to another subject -- and we've got about 90 seconds and I want to get Michelle in too -- and that is the state of the race right now. George Bush looking very vulnerable all of a sudden. We even have Republicans beginning to quietly talk about how they've sort of ham-handedly handled a lot of these issues that have come up, Coast Guard -- or, I'm sorry, the National Guard, et cetera.

Is Bush in real trouble?

SETMAYER: I think that everyone needs to really just put things in perspective. It is only February. It is not September. It's not October. Many things can happen.

We have $150 million war chest where we -- where the election -- the campaign -- the presidential reelection campaign will be able to finally be proactive, not reactive. That's my suggestion to them. The president needs to highlight his successes and he's led this country in a good direction. There's been 336,000 job created. The economy is recovering and that's what the -- that's what campaign needs to start to do. They need to stop being so defensive.

CROWLEY: Tara, sorry to interrupt to you. Just want to get Michelle in real quick because we got about 30 seconds. You must be feeling a little bit better now looking at these polls. Bush pretty vulnerable to you, do you think?

COTTLE: Well, sure, but it's still -- it's going to depend on how things go. If the economy -- if the unemployment numbers still look really ugly or if anything really ugly happens in Iraq, he is very, very vulnerable.

CROWLEY: Michelle Cottle, thank you so much. We really appreciate it, senior editor of The New Republic. And we thank you too, Tara Setmayer in Miami. Thanks.

Straight ahead, birthday wishes for a president and two senators. And looking back at a critical week on the campaign trail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Birthday wishes to two senators celebrating today, Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee is 52, and the senior senator from Massachusetts, Edward Kennedy, is 72.

Today also marks the real birthday of George Washington, our first president, who was born on this day in 1732. We think senators Frist and Kennedy are in very good company.

This week started sounding off more like an auto race than a political race. It ended with Howard Dean fading into the sunset.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: Gentlemen, start your engines.

KERRY: We don't need a president who just says, Gentlemen start your engines. We need a president who says, America, let's start our economy and put people back to work in this country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, John Kerry has one quality I think all of us know. He can beat George Bush, and that's all we want to do. Let's kick his (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

EDWARDS: Not so fast, John Kerry.

Objects in your mirror may be closer than they appear.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I said to John, when you out back (ph) -- I said, When you were a young man, did you ever think you would go out to Vietnam and be a war hero? And he said, Let me ask you a question. When you were a young man, did you ever think that you would grow up to be the uncle-in-law of an Australian bodybuilder brother-in-law of the state of California? I said, no. But I like him (ph). Who knows?

DEAN: I am going to enjoy this when we go to California, and we go to New York, and when we go to Rhode Island, and when we go to Massachusetts -- yahoo!

(MUSIC)

DEAN: Now I got to put my coat and tie back on. This wouldn't look presidential.

DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS LATE SHOW HOST: We have some exclusive footage now, a shot by CNN. This is Howard Dean at home in Vermont, take a look.

DEAN: YEEEEEEEARGH!

LETTERMAN: Howard Dean at home in Vermont.

JAY LENO, HOST, NBC TONIGHT SHOW: You know, it's amazing. Dean spent over $40 million, didn't win a single primary. All that money and he didn't win. He's like the New York Yankees of politics.

EDWARDS: We are not done.

DEAN: I am no longer actively pursuing the presidency.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: Thank you for joining us INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Showdown for Kerry, Edwards>


Aired February 22, 2004 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: INSIDE POLITICS today, is Ralph running? What Nader's decision means for Democrats and President Bush in the race for the White House.
A Super Tuesday showdown for senators Kerry and Edwards. Who is in position to pull it out and face President Bush in November? Two campaign strategists sound off.

Plus, the costly campaign. Which candidates are low on cash? We'll find out straight ahead.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Washington, this is INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

CROWLEY: Welcome to INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY. Politics doesn't take weekends off, and neither do we. I'm Candy Crowley. It is Sunday, February 22, the birthday of America's first President.

We begin with a political bombshell. Just moments ago, Ralph Nader announced on national television he plans to run for President. The 2000 Green Party standard bearer appears on NBC's "Meet the Press" to say the long-shot bid about the White House is more about principle than about the presidency. He says it's time for a third party because there's not enough difference between Republicans and Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH NADER (I), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: After careful thought and my desire to retire our supremely selected president, I've decided to run as an independent candidate for president. And if you'll allow me to explain why, I'll give some of the reasons with elaboration coming on our Web site, votenader.org.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: Nader has written a book called "Crashing the Party," and many Democrats say his challenge will crash their party. His bid will take votes away from their eventual nominee.

The political community was speculating long before Nader's announcement. New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson, is attending the National Governors Association in gathering in Washington. He's among the Democrats who has been urging Nader not to enter the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: It's not going to help the Democrats. But again, you can never get in his mind. He has a unique set of principles. He's made a contribution to this country. But he should step aside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: In an exclusive CNN interview yesterday, Elizabeth Edwards, wife of candidate John Edwards, had these possible thoughts on a Nader run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, WIFE OF JOHN EDWARDS: I think that Ralph's rationale in 2000 for getting into the race was that there was no difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party and, therefore, he had to offer the American people an alternative. That's clearly not -- didn't turn out to be the case. There's an enormous difference between the parties and what they have to offer. So I'm not certain what his rationale is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: We are waiting now for a live stakeout, and we'll take you to Nader shortly. But right now, senior political analyst Bill Schneider has been watching the Nader news with us now.

I'm a little surprised by this. Are you?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I am very surprised. I can't think of a single supporter, certainly no Democrat, and no one who supported Ralph Nader in 2000 who came out and urged Ralph Nader to run. I mean, there was just nobody there. I imagine the only people who are really celebrating this announcement are in the White House, Karl Rove perhaps.

CROWLEY: So it's true, all of these analyses that we've just heard, even pre this announcement, that this hurts Democrats, no doubt about it?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I can think of a scenario where it possibly could help the Democrat, but it would go something like this: Ralph Nader raises a lot of tough criticisms of President Bush, which he just did on "Meet the Press." He articulates them, he makes a powerful case against Bush. And then at the end, he gets out and says, I endorse the Democrat, you should vote for the Democrat.

Or, also likely, nobody votes for him or very few people vote for him. That is possible. He could help the Democrats.

CROWLEY: But even in a -- if he doesn't get that many votes -- and I think we saw in Florida, you know, not that many votes would have changed that race -- I mean, isn't there a hard core Nader group out there that's going to vote for him that could make a difference in a lot of those iffy states? SCHNEIDER: Absolutely. What we found in 2000 is that about half the people who voted for Ralph Nader said they wouldn't have voted at all. The rest of them overwhelming would have voted for Al Gore over George W. Bush. Nader's position is essentially the differences between Democrats and Republicans are still minimal.

He acknowledges there are some differences, but in his remarks he said he gives the Republicans a D- and the Democrats a D+. He said both part parties are part of occupied corporate territory in Washington. And essentially, basically what it come downs to is, to vote for Ralph Nader, you're saying it doesn't make any difference whether the Democrats or George Bush is in the White House.

CROWLEY: Now, we had Howard Dean in the race. He said essentially the same thing, there is no difference. In fact, he made a big deal about the fact that there was no difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. What are the chances that Nader can appeal to those Dean voters?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I imagine there are a few Dean voters who are unhappy with whoever the Democrats will put up because it's not Howard Dean. But look, in the end, remember what motivated the Dean voters? Real antipathy towards George W. Bush.

They dislike George Bush so much and want to get him out so badly that it's very unlikely they would do anything that would risk reelecting Bush. And that means voting for Ralph Nader.

COOPER: So if you are John Edwards or John Kerry or whoever eventually assumes the mantle of the Democratic Party, how do you treat Ralph Nader?

SCHNEIDER: I think with a certain respect. What you want to say is he makes some good points, but don't vote for him. That's the basic point.

It is irrational to vote for Ralph Nader if you want to get rid of George Bush. Think about what you're doing. Do you honestly believe there's no difference between the two parties? If you don't believe that, then it makes sense to vote for the Democrats.

CROWLEY: And just out of curiosity, what do you think makes Ralph run?

SCHNEIDER: Well, a lot of people think it must be vanity. I think it is, in part, the view that he's a king maker. Look at what he did in 2000. Lots of people are saying he made George Bush president.

So probably he's of the view, you got to pay attention to me, folks, because I have power. Look at what I did in the 2000 election. Now you're going to listen to me or not?

CROWLEY: Of course the Nader -- probably the Democrat votes would say he crowned the wrong. Thanks so much, Bill Schneider. Again, we were waiting for a stakeout to hear more from Ralph Nader. More on that later on. But you can expect much more on the Nader candidacy in coming days. Don't miss Judy Woodruff's interview. She sits down with Nader on tomorrow's edition of "INSIDE POLITICS." That's at 3:30 Eastern here on CNN.

So let's get our bearings. Here's how the Democratic race stands right now. Moving into the last week of February, 61 delegates are at stake Tuesday in three contests that some have overlooked: Hawaii, Idaho and Utah. The candidates seem focused on the big prize one week later, Super Tuesday.

It's the first time in years Super Tuesday has mattered this much because of the surging interest in John Edwards. In all, 1,151 delegates are on the block that day. New York, California, Ohio, Minnesota, and five other states all have contests.

And here's the current delegate count. Kerry with 626, second place, very interesting; the departed Howard Dean has 193; John Edwards holds 190; Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich are barely on the board.

The battle between the Democratic front-runners looks more and more like a contest between Mr. Outside and Mr. Inside. CNN's Kelly Wallace is in Georgia, one of the Super Tuesday states -- Kelly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Kerry returns to the campaign trail Saturday night in Atlanta, and came out swinging.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't know what it is about what these Republicans who didn't serve in any war have against those of us who are Democrats who did. But I'm tired of their trying to divert attention from the real issues that confront America.

WALLACE: Kerry sharply responding to Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, who questioned the senator's voting report on defense and intelligence issues Saturday. The senator then raised the stakes in a letter challenging President Bush to a debate on the impact of their Vietnam era experiences. A not so subtle dig at Mr. Bush, who did not fight in the Vietnam War.

KERRY: I am not going to stand by and allow these Republicans who continually go to the low road to challenge my commitment to the defense of our nation.

WALLACE: Asked about another challenge, a possible presidential bid by Independent Ralph Nader, Kerry said he is not worried.

KERRY: I'm going to have a campaign that will speak to the people who talked so appropriately a number of years ago and who supported him last time. And this will be a different campaign this time, I can assure you. SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I need to you join me in this campaign and this cause.

WALLACE: But John Edwards keeps saying, not so fast. He sprinted across New York, Ohio, and here in Minnesota, attracting crowds so large he had to get some help to speak to his supporters. Throughout the day, one message.

EDWARDS: ... changing Washington, changing what is going on in Washington.

WALLACE: The one-term senator is making the case that he is a Washington outsider. Part of his full-court press to win the highly coveted endorsement of Howard Dean and his thousands of supporters.

EDWARDS: My message to them is, I am the person who has new, fresh ideas. I'm the person who wants to change America and change Washington. And a lot of those things are the same things Governor Dean represents.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And both candidates are now reacting to this news that Ralph Nader will, in fact, run for the presidency. An Edwards aide telling CNN, "If you have a Democratic nominee who can attract all kinds of voters, progressive, moderates, and dissatisfied Republicans, Democrats will win the White House in November." This aide saying John Edwards has shown that he attracts voters from all across the political spectrum.

As for the Kerry campaign, an aide saying, "We hope that those that want to see change in America and return to the track of prosperity that are health care and new and better jobs will unite behind the Democratic nominee for President, whomever that might be."

So Candy, both trying to sort of spin this in a positive way. But really, both camps ultimately not totally happy that Ralph Nader is in this race -- Candy.

CROWLEY: We can assume that they would rather he not have run. Let me ask you, Kelly, back to the campaigns themselves, has much changed about what they are saying or doing on the trail since New Hampshire? Are they ignoring each other? Are they on parallel tracks? What's different about the trail now?

WALLACE: Well, what is mainly different is really Tuesday, after Edwards very strong second place showing in Wisconsin. What he is trying to do is play up on his background, a contrast with John Kerry. He's been playing up on trade, how he says he would not have voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement had he been in the Senate at that time.

And what you are having from the John Kerry campaign is, they are trying to focus on President Bush and continue to play the role of the front-runner. But they are having to contend with John Edwards. And you are sensing just a little but of frustration, maybe a little bit of worry watching the crowds that John Edwards is attracting and in his message.

And they are trying to play up the fact that the two men really have kind of parallel issues and parallel views. And they are trying to make the case that John Kerry continues to be the more electable candidate -- Candy.

CROWLEY: Thanks again. Kelly Wallace on the campaign trail with John Kerry. I appreciate it.

Now for our Sunday edition of "Campaign News Daily."

Dick Cheney to rally Republicans and raise campaign cash. The vice president and his wife, Lynne, head to Minnesota tomorrow, just days before the March 2 primary there. Mr. Cheney spoke Friday at $1,000 a plate fund-raiser in Puerto Rico and an event in Tampa, Florida, that raised $600,000. The war in Iraq was the centerpiece of his speeches.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the war on terror, we have only one option. We must take the fight to the enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: Kerry scoops up more endorsements. Senator Mark Dayton of Minnesota is backing the Democratic front-runner. Dayton says he has been a Kerry supporter since Kerry's bid for Congress in 1972.

More endorsements are expected tomorrow in New York. Congressman Charles Rangel and former New York Mayor David Dinkins are joining camp Kerry.

Kucinich campaigns in two Super Tuesday states. He was in Minnesota yesterday with Dr. Patch Adams. That's the man Robin Williams played in the movie. Kucinich held several events in the twin cities. He flies to California today.

Hillary Clinton headlines Jefferson Jackson Dinner in Florida. The New York senator urged Democrats to make a major showing in the 2004 election. The event raised about $100,000 for Florida Democrats. Today, Mrs. Clinton lines her own war chest with fund-raisers for her reelection campaign in 2006.

Coming up next, the two Johns move across the country before Super Tuesday. Who is ahead? Who has got the money and the big mo? We'll ask strategists from both camps.

And later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: We have some exclusive footage now shot by CNN. This is Howard Dean at home in Vermont. Take a look.

HOWARD DEAN (D), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yeah!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: Don't miss the best bytes of the week on INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Welcome back.

Once again, we are waiting to hear from Ralph Nader as he gets off NBC. And again, he has said he's running for president.

Now, the numbers for the Democrats. Senators Kerry and Edwards continue to lead the pack. Take a look at the latest "Newsweek" poll of likely Democratic voters conducted February 19 and 20.

Fifty-four percent of respondents say their first choice for the Democratic nomination is John Kerry. Nineteen percent chose John Edwards. There was a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

We want to hear from both camps now. Jennifer Palmieri is in Raleigh. She is the Edwards campaign press secretary. And in Washington, Steve Elmendorf, the Kerry campaign's political adviser.

Let me first, since you have location, location, location, Steve, let me ask you about Ralph Nader's decision to run. How badly do you think this hurts the Democrats?

STEVE ELMENDORF, POLITICAL ADVISER, KERRY CAMPAIGN: Well, I don't think it hurts us that badly. I think it's unfortunate. But I think at the end of the day, voters want change, and they are going to see that they're going to have two real choices in this election between a Democratic nominee, which we hope will be John Kerry, and between George Bush. And I think they are going to make the decision not based on Ralph Nader.

CROWLEY: You know, Jen, I think much could have been said for the same thing for Al Gore in 2000. And yet there are -- state after state we can show where he really hurt. Do you think the Nader factor is still as big as it was in 2000?

JENNIFER PALMIERI, PRESS SECRETARY, EDWARDS CAMPAIGN: I have to agree with Steve. I don't think it's going to be as big as it was in 2000. And I think that, first of all, people have seen that they are really -- I think they've learned the hard way that there really was a huge difference between Al Gore and George Bush. And I think that if we have a nominee who has really broad-based appeal and can appeal to progressives, as well as Independents, and even maybe some independent-thinking Republicans, that the Nader factor won't be as prominent.

And I just don't think -- it seems to me that even some of his supporters are saying it's unfortunate that he got in. And I just don't think that he's going to find the following that he had last cycle.

And I think that Steve would agree with me that, after all the -- Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards both have been through in this election cycle, it's like put another log on the fire. These candidates have been through a lot. And I think that the Democrats will do fine.

CROWLEY: Bring it on, as they say.

PALMIERI: Yes, bring it on.

CROWLEY: Steve -- let me tell you both that the White House has said that they look forward to a vigorous debate on the important issues with the eventual Democratic nominee in response to, I believe, a letter from your candidate, Steve, about a debate with the president. Now, let me take to you another issue, which is that Senator Kerry wrote the White House yesterday, the day before, complaining that some of the White House surrogates have been questioning his patriotism. The Bush campaign saying, look, Senator Kerry has an honorable war record and a terrible voting record.

What is it that the Bush campaign is doing that bothers you all so?

ELMENDORF: Well, if you listen to the various cable talk shows all week long, they have their surrogates out. I was on with Charlie Black as a representative of the Bush campaign yesterday on another show, where he talked about Hanoi Jane and talked about John Kerry's testimony against the war.

I mean, they have a full-scale effort going to try to throw in the question of Senator Kerry's record. And we're going to respond. We're not going to sit here and let a bunch of people like Saxby Chambliss, who didn't serve, question the record of somebody who did.

CROWLEY: Understand. But you all had been running on Senator Kerry's record, both as a lawyer and someone who fought for the peace when he came home. Why is that not fair game? And what I...

ELMENDORF: It is fair game. But we'd like to have the debates directly with George Bush rather than with the surrogates.

PALMIERI: Candy, can I interject?

CROWLEY: Sure -- absolutely, Jen. Yes, absolutely.

PALMIERI: I mean, this, I think, is the problem with this, like when Senator Edwards talks about the old style of politics and how he's trying to run a campaign. I mean, he doesn't think that this campaign is about Senator Kerry or himself or even George Bush. It's about the American people.

And if we're going to have a debate with George Bush, it should be a debate about the future. It shouldn't be a debate about the past or, you know, someone's personal record. I mean, I don't think -- this is not the type of issues that the American people want to hear the president of the United States and a Democratic nominee even -- putting aside the fact that we don't have a Democratic nominee yet -- talk about.

They want to hear a debate about the issues that they care about. They want to hear debates about talking about jobs and the economy and health care and education. And I think that to be focused on the past and sniping back and forth about personal histories is really misplaced. And I think that it's terrible.

Look, we are all very proud of Senator Kerry's heroic military record. And he deserves a great deal of respect for it. And it's terrible what Saxby Chambliss and the other Republicans are doing to try to smear him. And it's ridiculous. I don't think the American people are going to buy it. But I also don't think that's what the American people are concerned about.

CROWLEY: OK. And let me move this over to Steve.

If that is so, Jen, and if you believe that these are personal attacks, why didn't you all jump all over Terry McAuliffe when he said the president was AWOL? I mean, if this is not about who is more patriotic, and this is really about the records, why didn't you jump all over him?

ELMENDORF: We -- you know, that wasn't the issue. The issue was that Saxby Chambliss and a whole bunch of Republican surrogates questioned John Kerry. It's not our place to question Terry McAuliffe.

CROWLEY: But he's the head of the Democratic Party.

ELMENDORF: If George Bush -- the Republicans jumped all over him. That's their job. Not our job. Our job is, when we are being attacked by Republicans, one of the messages of our campaign here is we are not going to let them define us before this election gets started.

CROWLEY: But aren't you asking the president to jump all over Saxby Chambliss?

ELMENDORF: No. We're asking the president to debate us.

CROWLEY: And he said he would. I'm just -- you know -- I mean, I think -- it sounds to me like everybody -- what Jen said, that everybody would sort of like to move forward. We have polls showing they don't really want to debate the Vietnam War. I'm asking if you've got responsibility in that.

ELMENDORF: No. I mean, look, we agree -- I agree with Jen. We are happy to move forward and debate the issues. You know, the Republicans are the ones who want to constantly drag us down in the mud. We have this Republican spin machine that is going full time that wants to -- because George Bush is losing, that wants to attack the Democratic candidates.

CROWLEY: Jen, next time you get the first word. Thank you very much, Jen Palmieri...

PALMIERI: Thank you, Candy.

CROWLEY: ... with the Edwards campaign, Steve Elmendorf, with the Kerry campaign. Let's do it again.

ELMENDORF: Thank you.

CROWLEY: Thank you.

What does an Internet dating site have to do with the presidential election? Details later in our story behind the story.

But up next, 3,000 same-sex couples received marriage licenses at San Francisco City Hall over the last week. President Bush's response.

And is it a possible pitfall in the race for the White House? Our Dana Bash has that story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Where oh where is Ralph Nader? We are awaiting his appearance at the microphone. He has within the hour told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he's going to run for president. We're waiting to have him explain a little bit more about that at the microphones. We will stick with it.

For now, in addition to one more person in the race, there's a new issue on the already cramped agenda of election 2004. Along with economy, job creation and the war on terror, comes the passionate debate over same-sex marriages. It's affecting Democrats and Republicans.

CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From Massachusetts to San Francisco, same-sex marriage dominates the headlines and is about to explode on to the campaign trail.

BILL MCINTURFF, PUBLIC OPINION STRATEGIES: Beyond Iraq, jobs and health care, it's kind of the last big difference of the national debate we're going to have.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm troubled by what I've seen. People need to be involved with this decision. Marriage ought to be defined by the people, not by the courts.

BASH: Conservatives have pushed for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage for months. After treading carefully on the hot button issue, aides say the president is now poised to support one like this: marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman, leaving open the possibility of states allowing civil unions, like in Vermont. The latest CNN-Gallup poll shows an overwhelming number of Americans, 64 percent, oppose gay marriage. But they are mixed on whether amending the Constitution is necessary. Gay rights activists in the president's party have a warning.

MARK MEAD, LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS: We would urge the president to weigh in against this amendment. It's neither compassionate nor conservative.

BASH: While gay marriage has become a key civil rights issue for core Democrats, candidates see the polls, too, and know there are risks. Presidential hopeful John Edwards opposes gay marriage, but supports granting some rights. And front-runner John Kerry supports civil unions.

KERRY: I don't happen to support marriage. I support rights. I think it's important to give people rights, but there's a distinction between the two.

BASH: He was only one of 14 senators to vote against the 1996 Defensive Marriage Act, which made states free to ignore gay unions and marriages from other states. Bush campaign aides say it fits perfectly into their "John Kerry is a liberal" play book.

MCINTURFF: There's no way in the world he can walk away from that issue. It has to be, therefore, one of the major differences in this campaign.

BASH (on camera): Aides say once the president makes his decision, the issue is likely to be high up in his stump speech. Democrats accuse the White House of looking for a cultural wedge issue because things like Iraq and jobs haven't been going Mr. Bush's way.

Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: President Bush isn't the only Republican talking about gay and lesbian marriage. California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, says he's seen enough from San Francisco and he'll take action. Be sure to watch Thursday, when Governor Schwarzenegger is Judy Woodruff's guest on "INSIDE POLITICS."

We're coming right back with a look at the top stories this hour.

Also, what went wrong? Howard Dean's campaign ushered in a new era of reaching for political support through the Internet. We'll go "Behind the Story" to find out how it all went wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: I'm going to enjoy this when we go to California and New York and when we go to Rhode Island and when we go to Massachusetts -- yahoo!

(END VIDEO CLIP) CROWLEY: And later, if you missed anything from the campaign trail this week, don't miss our week that was.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

CROWLEY: Well, faithful viewers, a little sad news. Ralph Nader, we are told, went out the back door at NBC, so we won't be having him at the microphones today. However, don't give up, because Judy Woodruff will be talking to Ralph Nader tomorrow 3:30 Eastern Time. Of course, that will be on "INSIDE POLITICS."

The Internet has proven itself a powerful tool in rallying voter support. But did it have a negative effect on one candidate's campaign?

CNN senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, now with "The Story Behind the Story."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Last year, we heard a lot of hype about the Howard Dean campaign and the Internet.

SIMON ROSENBERG, NEW DEMOCRATIC NETWORK: What the Dean campaign is doing, whether he wins or loses, will go down in history as the beginning of a really new era of presidential campaign.

SCHNEIDER: The Internet was supposed to transform American politics.

LARRY NOBLE, CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE POLITICS: I think we will look back in ten or 15 years and see this election cycle as a turn point.

SCHNEIDER: So, what happened? You know all those Internet dating sites? Match.com? Lovebrowser.com? Americansingles.com?

You might say Howard Dean turned out to be a bad Internet date. His message came across great on the Web. Hundreds of thousands of eager suitors responded to it.

STEVE MCMAHON, DEAN MEDIA ADVISER: He's brought new people into the process. He's give the Democratic Party back its voice, it's soul. And he's made it OK for candidates to stand up and take on President Bush very directly, which....

SCHNEIDER: Many liberals were feeling disempowered. Dean's message of empowerment thrilled them.

DEAN: You have the power to take back our country.

SCHNEIDER: The message stirred supporters to contribute. But a campaign is more than a message. Sooner or later voters had to meat the man. Last year, Dean's support surged in New Hampshire. Voters liked Dean's message. This year, when it came time to make a commitment, his support collapsed. Oh, my, many voters said, you're not at all what I expected. Dean's temperament, his rashness, his edge of irritation seemed to rub voters the wrong way, even before his notorious Iowa concession speech.

The vote for president is the most personal vote Americans cast. They have to live with the president in their homes day after day for four years on television. Television is intensely personal. It's how the voters get to know you.

The Internet is not very personal. Anyone can use it to feed voters a line. Dean turned out to be a an exciting date prospect.

DEAN: This has been a campaign that has been extraordinarily different. The new approach, planting seeds on the Internet, strengthening grassroots, face to face obtaining support from hundreds of thousands of small donors.

SCHNEIDER: But in the end, not the man voters wanted to marry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: The Internet was a phenomenal success for organizing and fund-raising. Howard Dean's message, that Democrats need to show some backbone, also caught on. So well, in fact, that the other candidates stole it -- Candy.

CROWLEY: My mother was right. That Internet dating stuff, very risky.

Thanks, Bill.

Still to come, the forgotten primary. The candidates are already focused on Super Tuesday in March, but there are a few contests on the calendar this month. Who's voting and why it matters.

Plus, who's got the campaign cash to go the distance? The inside scoop when we brew up our "Morning Grind" just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Welcome back.

Here with our Sunday cup of "The Morning Grind," CNN's political editor, John Mercurio.

Hi, John.

JOHN MERCURIO, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello.

CROWLEY: We have to stop meeting like this.

MERCURIO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

CROWLEY: Money numbers.

MERCURIO: Yes.

CROWLEY: They -- we -- not a lot of cash on hand for these guys.

MERCURIO: Not a lot of cash on hand at all. These numbers just came in this weekend. And once again, they continue their trend of raising the money in California and New York, and then going to New Hampshire and Iowa to spend this.

These are just for January. We see that John Kerry raised about $7.5 million. Now that includes a $3.5 million personal loan which should not be confused with the $6.4 million personal loan that he made last year. Edwards raised about $6 million, no loans there.

And their cash-on-hand total is what we're really talking about, which is -- for Kerry just about, 2 million, which -- and for Edwards, I think he had about a half a million dollars. Both of them have considerable debt.

Now what's interesting, I think, is that both Kerry and Edwards spent heavily in New Hampshire and Iowa, but it was actually Wesley Clark and Howard Dean who spent the most money and obviously who came out with much worse results.

CROWLEY: So money doesn't always do it.

MERCURIO: Money doesn't buy you love.

CROWLEY: And really they just need enough cash to get to the next one, right, at this point?

MERCURIO: Right.

CROWLEY: Because money sort of follows success.

MERCURIO: Exactly. Which it did, because the Edwards people showed us or told us that since January, they've raised $10.4 million. The Kerry people say they've raised about $9 million. So they both have plenty of money going into Super Tuesday.

CROWLEY: And I don't even know why I'm asking this, but, I guess George Bush has more money.

MERCURIO: George Bush has considerably more money.

We all remember in 1996 how Bill Clinton raised and spent a considerable amount of money. It was record breaking at the time. George Bush will probably raise and spend about twice as much as Bill Clinton did in '96, which is considerable. During January, he raised $12.9 million. He total to this day has raised $145 million and has about $104 million on hand. So you guy does the math. I mean, that's everything combined times 10 for the Democrats.

CROWLEY: Let me -- let me ask you about -- Howard Dean got out of the race this week. But a lot of talk, particularly in his campaign, about those ads that -- with Osama bin Laden ad...

MERCURIO: Right.

CROWLEY: ...very negative that came up in Iowa. What are you hearing about that still?

MERCURIO: Well, you're talking about this -- it was a group called the Americans for Job -- I have to look at my notes, because I forget. It was a long title -- Americans for Jobs Health Care and Progressive Value. It was put together by a guy named David Jones. He's a former fund-raise for Dick Gephardt. They spent about $500,000 on these ads that you're talking about, the Osama bin Laden ads, in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

We heard last month, I think, that Bob Torricelli, a former New Jersey senator, put about $50,000 into it. What we haven't heard, though, I think, is that George Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees, through his company -- I think it's called Yankees Entertainment and Sports -- spent twice as much as Torricelli. He spent -- he put $100,000 into these ads.

CROWLEY: Wow...

(CROSSTALK)

MERCURIO: I don't think Howard Dean is going to be a season ticket holder for the Yankees.

CROWLEY: I guess not.

Listen, you know, we've got these contests coming up, Idaho, Utah, Hawaii. I personally wanted to cover the Hawaii primaries.

MERCURIO: Me too.

CROWLEY: I'm sure you pushed.

MERCURIO: Idaho's not bad either.

CROWLEY: Why -- why are we not paying any attention to these states? Do they matter?

MERCURIO: They do matter, of course. I don't want to get angry calls from anybody in Idaho.

But they -- I guess it's fair to say they don't matter as much as the Super Tuesday states, and Edwards and Kerry both have limited resources, as we just showed you. So they need to be focusing on states that matter.

Edwards is not competing at all in these states. In fact, he pulled out of the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner last night in Idaho. Idaho Democrats we're able to get Al Gore to replace him, which -- I was able to talk to a Democrat this morning in Idaho, who said that Gore gave a terrific speech. He was a little sun burned because he had been skiing all day in Sun Valley. But that he didn't mind that he called John Ashcroft the worst attorney general ever, and he said he didn't regret his endorsement of Howard Dean because he's energized the party.

He urged everybody -- this might have been a little nod to Ralph Nader -- he urged everybody to stick with the Democratic Party and vote for the nominee.

CROWLEY: John Mercurio. Why don't you come back next Sunday?

MERCURIO: I'd love to.

CROWLEY: All right. Thanks.

John brews the best daily briefing on politics in "The Morning Grind." Go to www.cnn.com/grind for the latest political news.

Up next, our panel recaps the hot topics of the week. Ralph Nader's decision -- how will it affect the polls? We'll find out.

Also, same sex marriages. We'll find where the candidates stand on the controversial issue, and examine its role in election 2004.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NADER: After careful thought and my desire to retire our supremely selected president, I've decided to run as an independent candidate for president. And if you'll allow me to explain why, I'll give some of the reasons with elaboration coming on our Web site, votenader.org.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CROWLEY: So many hot topics, so little time. We want to get right to it.

Republican strategist Tara Setmayer is in Miami. And here in Washington, we have Michelle Cottle, senior editor of The New Republic.

Look, Michelle, I want to first just throw up the Florida figures from 2000. As we hear all of these Democrats saying, Hey, you know, no biggie that Ralph Nader is in. What happened is that in Florida, Ralph Nader got almost 97,500 votes, which clearly in a race that close would have made a huge difference.

So are they sort of whistling bravely here, the Democrats?

MICHELLE COTTLE, THE NEW REPUBLIC: I think what they're hoping is that Democrats learned their lesson last time around. Ralph Nader's message was there is no difference. You know, Bush, Gore, you know, six of one, half dozen of the other. So vote for me. I've given you a real choice.

Well, after, you know, three years, we've clearly seen there's a huge difference. And, you know, hopefully Democrats will have learned their lesson and this will now make Ralph Nader completely obsolete.

CROWLEY: So, Tara, I suppose you think this is a fairly good thing for Republicans?

TARA SETMAYER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think it adds another element to the election.

You know, I find this very interesting that Democrats were discouraging -- you know, Terry McAuliffe was out there discouraging Ralph Nader with such shrill conviction. You know, please don't run. And, you know, this is a country about choice. And democracy -- true democracy is about choice. And I think it's really unfair that Democrats are out there trying to limit the people's choice in an election here. To me, that that is disingenuous.

CROWLEY: Tara, would you feel the same way if Ross Perot decided to run?

SETMAYER: Well, there -- you have to put principle over politics sometimes. I mean, yes, I am a party loyalist and, of course, looking at the numbers as a politician, no, we wouldn't want Ross Perot to run because it would hurt us. We found that out the hard way in '92.

But at the same time, we also have to be fair to the process and respect the American people's desire to vote for who they want to. And the choice should be theirs. The media, pundits like ourselves should not discourage the American people from wanting to vote for who they want to vote for, if it's a third party candidate or not. Or, you know, it's up to them. And I think it's disingenuous for us to discourage that.

CROWLEY: So -- so we'll move along to a different subject.

Gay marriage, just because this has been the very hot topic this week. We had a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll which showed that 64 percent of Americans don't think gay marriage should be valid.

How much of a sticky wicket is this for Democrats?

COTTLE: Well, if we're looking at John Kerry as a candidate, it could be an extremely sticky wicket because, as you know, the Massachusetts Supreme Court is right in the middle of this, talking about civil unions aren't going to do it, have got to go all the way. And this is going to make it very easy for the White House to paint John Kerry as, you know, the good old-fashioned, unreconstructed liberal.

CROWLEY: And Tara, you know, I suspect that this is also going to be difficult for the Bush White House because the conservatives, I think, would, I suspect, want him to go a lot harder than he has been lately.

SETMAYER: Of course. And I, as a conservative, would like to see the president take a tougher stance on this. And I think that he will, and he'll have the support of the American people behind him, as well. This is one of those issues where it's clear that the American people -- overwhelming majority --favor -- keeping marriage as between man and a woman. If that requires a constitutional amendment to do so, I think that will be an interesting debate. Whether the president decides to take that step or not, I think that, you know, he's going to have to -- he's going to have to really think about how he wants to go about handling this, because we need to preserve the sanctity of marriage in this country, and what's going on in California is a travesty.

CROWLEY: Tara, while I'm with you, I want to move to another subject -- and we've got about 90 seconds and I want to get Michelle in too -- and that is the state of the race right now. George Bush looking very vulnerable all of a sudden. We even have Republicans beginning to quietly talk about how they've sort of ham-handedly handled a lot of these issues that have come up, Coast Guard -- or, I'm sorry, the National Guard, et cetera.

Is Bush in real trouble?

SETMAYER: I think that everyone needs to really just put things in perspective. It is only February. It is not September. It's not October. Many things can happen.

We have $150 million war chest where we -- where the election -- the campaign -- the presidential reelection campaign will be able to finally be proactive, not reactive. That's my suggestion to them. The president needs to highlight his successes and he's led this country in a good direction. There's been 336,000 job created. The economy is recovering and that's what the -- that's what campaign needs to start to do. They need to stop being so defensive.

CROWLEY: Tara, sorry to interrupt to you. Just want to get Michelle in real quick because we got about 30 seconds. You must be feeling a little bit better now looking at these polls. Bush pretty vulnerable to you, do you think?

COTTLE: Well, sure, but it's still -- it's going to depend on how things go. If the economy -- if the unemployment numbers still look really ugly or if anything really ugly happens in Iraq, he is very, very vulnerable.

CROWLEY: Michelle Cottle, thank you so much. We really appreciate it, senior editor of The New Republic. And we thank you too, Tara Setmayer in Miami. Thanks.

Straight ahead, birthday wishes for a president and two senators. And looking back at a critical week on the campaign trail.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CROWLEY: Birthday wishes to two senators celebrating today, Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee is 52, and the senior senator from Massachusetts, Edward Kennedy, is 72.

Today also marks the real birthday of George Washington, our first president, who was born on this day in 1732. We think senators Frist and Kennedy are in very good company.

This week started sounding off more like an auto race than a political race. It ended with Howard Dean fading into the sunset.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: Gentlemen, start your engines.

KERRY: We don't need a president who just says, Gentlemen start your engines. We need a president who says, America, let's start our economy and put people back to work in this country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, John Kerry has one quality I think all of us know. He can beat George Bush, and that's all we want to do. Let's kick his (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

EDWARDS: Not so fast, John Kerry.

Objects in your mirror may be closer than they appear.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I said to John, when you out back (ph) -- I said, When you were a young man, did you ever think you would go out to Vietnam and be a war hero? And he said, Let me ask you a question. When you were a young man, did you ever think that you would grow up to be the uncle-in-law of an Australian bodybuilder brother-in-law of the state of California? I said, no. But I like him (ph). Who knows?

DEAN: I am going to enjoy this when we go to California, and we go to New York, and when we go to Rhode Island, and when we go to Massachusetts -- yahoo!

(MUSIC)

DEAN: Now I got to put my coat and tie back on. This wouldn't look presidential.

DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS LATE SHOW HOST: We have some exclusive footage now, a shot by CNN. This is Howard Dean at home in Vermont, take a look.

DEAN: YEEEEEEEARGH!

LETTERMAN: Howard Dean at home in Vermont.

JAY LENO, HOST, NBC TONIGHT SHOW: You know, it's amazing. Dean spent over $40 million, didn't win a single primary. All that money and he didn't win. He's like the New York Yankees of politics.

EDWARDS: We are not done.

DEAN: I am no longer actively pursuing the presidency.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: Thank you for joining us INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Showdown for Kerry, Edwards>