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Lou Dobbs Tonight
Bush Makes Effort to Unite Republican Party; John McCain vs. Mike Huckabee; Battle Between Senators Clinton and Obama Intensifies
Aired February 08, 2008 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Wolf.
Tonight President Bush tries to unite the Republican Party one day after Senator McCain becomes the clear front runner in the GOP race for the White House. We'll have complete coverage of that, the Democratic contest, much more straight ahead tonight.
Good evening, everybody. President Bush today tried to rally his party's base in the battle for the White House. The president saying the stakes in the presidential election are high and peace and prosperity are at stake. President Bush did not mention Senator McCain by name, even though McCain is nearly certain to be the GOP nominee. But the president's speech could help Senator McCain in his fight with Democratic presidential candidates by healing GOP division.
Now, Ed Henry has the report from the White House -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Kitty, this coming from the president just one day after Mitt Romney stunned this very same conservative crowd by dropping out of the race and making John McCain the all but inevitable Republican nominee. The president today though before this group, CPAC was very careful not to shove either Mike Huckabee or Ron Paul for that matter aside but he did say that conservatives need to make sure that they are there for the eventual Republican nominee. That coming at a time when some on the right are saying that in November they will either stay at home or vote for the Democrat rather than voting for John McCain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Soon we'll have a nominee who will carry a conservative banner into this election and beyond. The stakes in November are high. This is an important election. Prosperity and peace are in the balance. So with confidence in our vision and faith in our values, let us go forward, fight for victory and keep the White House in 2008. God bless you and God bless America.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now after this speech, the president headed down to Tennessee after this speech to try and comfort tornado victims. I was aboard Air Force One and I pressed White House spokesman Scott Stanzel on whether or not this was basically a tacit endorsement of John McCain and he insisted it was that President Bush is still remaining neutral in this race.
That the process is not over yet, but all of this is a reminder that it's going to be a very delicate balancing act for John McCain if in fact he does get the nomination as to how much he uses President Bush in the fall to help him campaign. As you know, obviously, president very unpopular right now but also McCain tied to the president both on the war in Iraq as well as that comprehensive immigration reform proposal. It's going to be a very difficult balancing act for McCain with Democrats already charging that a vote for McCain would be a vote for a third Bush term -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much, Ed Henry.
New indications today that Senator McCain may find it difficult to win the support of his conservative critics, the influential Christian conservative James Dobson again declared that he's supporting Mike Huckabee. Senator McCain today said the GOP won't win the presidential election unless it is united. Mary Snow has the report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senator John McCain took his campaign to Virginia, one day after Mitt Romney dropped out of the Republican race, putting the Arizona senator one step closer to becoming the GOP nominee. And he got questions about his new status; including one about what he would look for in a running mate but McCain cautioned...
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't want in any way to discount the candidacy of Governor Huckabee. He's in this race and for me to dismiss him I think would be inappropriate and unrealistic.
SNOW: The reality is the math makes it daunting for Mike Huckabee to garner enough delegates to catch up to McCain. Questions continually come up about whether his real aim is to become McCain's running mate. Huckabee told a crowd in Kansas he still believes in the impossible.
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fact is a lot of folks who said well why don't you quit? Well let me tell you something. Let me explain why I'm not going to quit. Because, first of all, I still believe that we can win.
SNOW: Huckabee is trying to make the case he's the conservative's choice, calling in endorsement from James Dobson, leader of the conservative group "Focus on the Family" significant. The nod is seen as a snub to McCain who is trying to make nice with conservatives, angered by a stance of a number of issues, including his support of a comprehensive immigration bill, which they say amounts to amnesty. McCain's theme -- unity.
MCCAIN: The best way of succeeding is to unite the party and we'll have great difficulties if we don't.
SNOW: As part of that unity McCain says he spoke to Mitt Romney saying he looks forward to meeting with his one time rival.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: And while McCain is stressing unity among Republicans he's also drawing a sharp contrast with the Democratic presidential candidates calling a plan by Senators Clinton and Obama to withdraw troops from Iraq saying it would have, in his words, catastrophic consequences -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Mary, you know he has the lead in the numbers so far but he really does need to unite this party, doesn't he?
SNOW: He does. And as this criticism is still continuing from conservatives, it's something that he's really watching and, in fact, tomorrow's caucuses in Kansas one of his supporters who had been traveling with him today is Senator Sam Brownback who is a staunch conservative and Senator McCain when he was campaigning here earlier made sure to let everybody know that Brownback was on his team.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much, Mary Snow. Thanks Mary.
Republican presidential candidates are fighting to win primaries and caucuses tomorrow in Washington State, Louisiana and Kansas. Democrats are also holding primaries and caucuses this weekend in Washington State, Nebraska, Louisiana and Maine. The battle between Senators Clinton and Obama is most intense in Washington. Seventy- eight delegates are at stake there. Jessica Yellin reports from Seattle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are crisscrossing Washington State. Clinton in Tacoma.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I need all of you to redouble your efforts to go to the caucuses tomorrow, to be there, to stand up for what we need in a president.
YELLIN: Obama in Seattle.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I cannot bring about change by myself. It is up to you, the American people, to stand up for change.
YELLIN: They are on the air waves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now she's the only candidate for president.
YELLIN: And in the trenches with the ongoing endorsement war. The senators are for her, the governor came out for him.
GOV. CHRISTINE GREGOIRE (D), WASHINGTON: And I've come here today to announce my endorsement for the next president of the United States, Barack Obama.
YELLIN: Even Hillary Clinton's top advisors say they expect Senator Obama to win tomorrow's caucuses. That's because he does best with upscale, well educated voters and he has hit the jackpot home of the upscale well educated technology guru. The state is whiter and richer than the national average. And the Hispanic population is smaller here than around the nation. None of that bodes well for Senator Clinton.
H. CLINTON: I am so honored and humbled by the faith that people are facing in me and I'll bring your voices and your values to the White House and I'll fight for you every day.
YELLIN: Still she's fighting for every supporter and she and Senator Obama try to rack up as many delegates as possible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN: And Kitty, to be sure Senator Clinton's team is setting expectations low, they certainly do hope and expect to win a good number of the almost 160 delegates that are at stake in the various primaries and caucuses that will be held around the nation tomorrow -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Jessica, this is a proportional distribution. Any guesses on the split?
YELLIN: Well, it seems that everyone expects that Obama will get a heftier portion of those delegates, but again Senator Clinton expects to walk away with a good number as well so they can keep adding up their total delegate count as they head toward the convention.
PILGRIM: Thanks so much, Jessica Yellin. Thanks Jessica.
Democrats tonight are debating which of their remaining candidates would do best against Senator McCain. That debate has intensified since Mitt Romney dropped out of the presidential contest. Bill Schneider reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): John McCain is the latest issue in the Democratic race.
H. CLINTON: And for Democrats who would be our best candidate to stand on the stage with Senator McCain?
SCHNEIDER: Two polls this month asked registered voters nationwide how they would vote if the choice were between Republican John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton. The CNN poll conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation shows Clinton three points ahead of McCain within the polls margin of error.
Their "TIME" magazine poll shows a dead heat between Clinton and McCain. Barack Obama believes he can do better.
OBAMA: I've got appeal that goes beyond (INAUDIBLE). SCHNEIDER: Let's see. Obama leads McCain by eight points in the CNN poll outside the margin of error. He leads McCain by seven in the "TIME" poll. Why does Obama look stronger than Clinton?
OBAMA: I think there's no doubt that she has higher negatives than any of the remaining Democratic candidates. That's just a fact. And there's some who will not vote for her.
SCHNEIDER: That was three weeks ago. Now only two Democratic candidates remain. Forty-four percent of the public say they don't like Senator Clinton. That's higher than the 36 percent who don't like McCain and the 31 percent who don't like Obama.
The big reason why Obama does better against McCain than Clinton does? Men -- among men, McCain has an 18-point lead over Clinton. Against Obama, McCain's lead among men nearly disappears. Women, on the other hand, vote for either Clinton or Obama by similar margins.
Some Democrats may be worried about how Obama will fair with white voters. Let's see. Whites give McCain a 15-point lead over Clinton. Obama actually fairs better than Clinton with white voters. McCain still leads but by a smaller margin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: Obama argues that he can reach across party lines and he does do a little better than Clinton does with Independents and with Republicans at least in these polls. But the big difference is that Clinton does not draw very well with men. Obama does -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Bill, we've had a big turnout in the youth vote haven't we?
SCHNEIDER: Yes we have. It's been really unprecedented. And they've gone overwhelmingly for Barack Obama in state after state. The question is will they continue to turn out if Obama does not get the nomination or if he's not on the ticket. That's why there's a lot of pressure for him to get on the ticket, either in the top place or the second place to keep that youth enthusiasm going.
PILGRIM: All right, thanks very much. Bill Schneider.
Still to come, the federal government intensifies its crackdown against immigrants working in this country illegally.
Casey Wian will have the story -- Casey.
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kitty, ICE agents raided this Los Angeles business last night, now the ACLU and other immigrants' rights group are fuming -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Thanks Casey. We look forward to that.
Also the mortgage crisis is devastating entire neighborhoods. Middle class Americans are struggling to survive. We'll have a special report. Also a horrific shooting in a city council chamber in Missouri, five people are dead. We'll have the very latest live from the scene. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues to crack down on illegal immigrants working in the United States and is focusing on those who steal the identities of Americans to get the job. Now last night ICE raided a Los Angeles business, arrested 138 people on immigration and fraud charges. Casey Wian reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WIAN (voice-over): Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided the Los Angeles headquarters of Micro Solutions Enterprises (ph) Thursday, arresting eight people on criminal charges of document fraud and identity theft and 130 others on administrative immigration violations. ICE says it executed a federal search warrant at the printer cartridge manufacturing plant that remains under seal. A former ICE official now in the private sector says it is likely investigators are trying to build a case against the company.
MARC RAIMONDI, FORMER ICE SPOKESMAN: What ICE has said for years now is that they are going target employers who make illegal immigration, hiring illegal aliens as part of their business practice and doesn't matter what size the company is, what type of industry or where they are located, they are going to go after them.
WIAN: Micro Solutions refused to answer CNN's questions but Friday posted a notice to customers on its Web site saying,"right now we are intensely focused on supplying products with minimal interruption.
MSE is and always has been a company devoted to lawful employment practices." Authorities say 84 of the apprehended are illegal aliens and are now in custody awaiting deportation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WIAN: Don't sign anything a woman shouts as an ICE bus departs. Immigrant rights groups have criticized the agencies raids as inhumane.
(on camera): In this case ICE says it interviewed all of the suspected illegal aliens and released 46 on humanitarian grounds including pregnancy, child care and health concerns. Those suspects were finger printed, photographed and will be processed for deportation at a later time.
(voice-over): The American Civil Liberties Union rushed to the scene of the raids and is now complaining about access to the suspects.
AHILAN ARULANANTHAM, ACLU: What I really want is a chance to talk to people and really find out what happened inside, get two sides of the story instead of just the government side of the story and they are making that very difficult for us.
WIAN: ICE says work side arrest for criminal immigration offenses have jumped 45 fold since 2001 to 863 last year. About 4,000 others were detained for administrative immigration violations.
Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: ICE this month issued a work-site enforcement advisory; know your workforce and it outlines for employers the widespread use of fraudulent Social Security documents by illegal aliens. It also tells employers what to look for. The advisory also reminds employers they could face criminal charges if they disregard or ignore employee eligibility laws.
A federal judge late yesterday upheld a new Arizona law that prevents businesses from hiring illegal aliens and punishes those businesses that do. It's a second federal court ruling this week in support of local efforts to deal with the illegal immigration crisis. Bill Tucker has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's big news for cities and states wanting to take action over illegal immigration, two decisions from federal judges in different jurisdictions. The U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Missouri and the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona have affirmed that state and local communities can pass laws addressing illegal immigration. The lawyer who drafted the Missouri ordinance and consulted with the legislators in Arizona as they drafted theirs calls the rulings profound.
KRIS KOBACH, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: These two cases represent for the first time in many years an unequivocal statement, a green light from the federal courts to cities and states saying it's OK. Congress allows you to do this and a federal law permits you to impose some sanctions.
TUCKER: In both Valley Park, Missouri and in Arizona the ordinances say that any business which knowingly hires an illegal alien can have their business license revoked. The judges in both cases agree that such ordinances do not conflict with federal law and are, in fact, in line with federal immigration law. But the American Civil Liberties Union which was a party to the plaintiff's in Arizona and Missouri warns the reasoning in these cases could create a legal nightmare.
OMAR JADWAT, ACLU IMMIGRANTS' RIGHTS PROJECT: That every municipality in every state makes slightly different choices in how they implement these differences and so you have not one and not two but literally thousands of different ways to address the significant policy issues that are at the root here.
TUCKER: The rulings are the polar opposite of the ruling in Hazleton, Pennsylvania where the court ruled that the town had no right to construct local ordinances dealing with illegal immigration.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCKER: Now both cases are expected to be appealed. That would mean there would be at least three separate cases when you include Hazleton under review at the appellate court level. And that increases the possibility that well perhaps, Kitty, the U.S. Supreme Court might find this compelling enough to listen to the arguments. We'll just have to wait and see.
PILGRIM: Bill, would these two cases constitute a seat change in your mind?
TUCKER: Well I don't know if it's a seat change, but it is a definite departure. These two rulings both coming within a week of each other to the day are big, big rulings and very different than what the courts have been ruling before in Hazleton. The judge for example said they had no business trying to construct local ordinances or regulate business based on immigration law. These two guys didn't agree.
PILGRIM: All right, thanks very much. Bill Tucker, thank you.
Coming up, middle class Americans across the country struggling to save their homes from a foreclosure. Who is at fault for the crisis spreading through our cities and suburbs? We'll have a special report on that.
Also a gunman storms a city council meeting in a St. Louis suburb with tragic consequences. We'll have that story. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: The country's mortgage crisis is spreading quickly from urban city centers to the suburbs. Homeowners facing foreclosures across the country are scrambling to save their homes. Political leaders are working to preserve communities. Christine Romans examines the impact of skyrocketing foreclosures in suburban Cleveland.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Counting up every household expense these suburban Ohio homeowners are looking for ways to make the mortgage and save their home. Diane Swigonski is fighting a date with foreclosure on February 12th. She lost her job around the same time her mortgage rate reset and the housing market collapsed three years ago.
DIANE SWIGONSKI, FACING FORECLOSURE: My husband and I ended up getting three jobs each to make the house payment because it was an adjustable arm and it was an 80/20 mortgage. It wasn't from under five percent to 9.5 percent on the 80 percent and 11 percent on the 20. ROMANS: She clearly understands her loan. But many Ohio homeowners took loans they did not understand and would never afford. The mayor of Maple Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, blames predatory lending.
MAYOR JEFF LANSKY, MAPLE HEIGHTS: You can buy a house with as little as maybe $1,000 down and then you can't make you know the mortgage payments. And, again, you're moving out in the middle of the night.
ROMANS: So many homes left vacant he has hired five more police officers and three new building inspectors to patrol neighborhoods. Like many suburban officials he's angry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to find the banks, the realtors, you know the landlords, the slum landlords, who ever they are they can run but they can't hide.
ROMANS: The county treasurer says years of warning fell on deaf ears because Wall Street was making money and trading Ohio's risky loans.
JIM ROKAKIS, CUYAHOGA COUNTY TREASURER: Securitization was a wondrous thing. It brought money from all over the world to America to help finance our real estate market. But greed, greed took over common sense lost out and here's where we are today.
ROMANS: Cuyahoga County officials say there were 15,287 foreclosures last year, more than double seven years ago. Total cost to the county, $6.5 million. Diane Swigonski doesn't want to be one of those statistics.
SWIGONSKI: I know it's tiring and it can be a full time job trying to save your house and I don't know for sure that I'm going to save mine. But I would say don't give up.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: The county treasurer, Jim Rokakis, has some pretty colorful language to describe what is happening all over the country with the crisis from years of easy lending. He says quick and easy and no questions ask mortgages were like a drug. Irresponsible borrowers were the users. The brokers and the banks were the pushers and Wall Street money, Kitty, was the big major supplier.
PILGRIM: Yeah, it is so sad when you hear three jobs each to try to keep their house. There is a ripple effect in the neighborhoods from this, too, isn't there?
ROMANS: That's right. What happens is even if you had a mortgage that is a 30-year fixed and that you didn't get sucked into this easy lending and your mortgage is solid as a rock, if you have people in your neighborhood who did get these risky mortgages, who are not paying their mortgage now because they can't or they are leaving their homes in the middle of the night, as the case in some of these suburbs, it's going to bring your home value down. You're going to have a harder time reselling and it is something that hurts the tax base and the schools and all kinds of ramifications. So you're seeing it in different communities across the country. We focused in on Cleveland and those suburbs, but it's a similar story playing out elsewhere.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much, Christine Romans, a very sad story indeed. Thank you.
Time now for tonight's poll, what do you intend to do with your check from the economic stimulus package. Spend it, save it, pay off debt? Cast your vote at Loudobbs.com. We'll bring you the results a little bit later in the broadcast.
We do have time now for some of your thoughts. Robert in New York wrote to us. "Lou, the Republicans have proven that the Democratic candidates are terrible and the Democrats have proven that the Republican candidates will lead us to disaster. They're both right. Can we fire them all and start over with Independents?"
And Doug in New York wrote to us. "Lou, I just don't get it. Polls always indicate that we Americans are not in favor of granting amnesty to the millions of illegal aliens in this country. Yet we are on the verge of having a choice of presidential candidates on both sides that would like nothing more than to give it to them. What is the country coming to?"
And David in North Carolina, "I am appalled to learn about the enormous power of so-called super-delegates. To heck with any political party, the system is a sham. Sign me up now as an Independent."
We will have more of your e-mails a little bit later in the broadcast. Each of you whose e-mail is read here receives a copy of Lou's new book "Independents Day: Awakening the American Spirit." It is the book corporate America, the Democratic and Republican Parties don't want you to read.
Coming up, the battle for the White House enters a critical phase. Three top political analysts will join me for that.
Also shock and grief after a massacre in a city council meeting in Missouri, we will have a live report.
Police try to determine a motive for a deadly shooting in a Louisiana technical college. We'll have that story.
And one of the country's most powerful unions demands the firing of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters in a fight over Mexican trucks. We'll have the details on that. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Some news just in to CNN. Insurgents today killed four more of our troops in Iraq. The soldiers were kill by a roadside bomb northwest of Baghdad. Thirteen of our troops have been killed so far this month -- 3,957 of our troops have been killed since the war began. And again, we have just learned that insurgents have killed four more of our troops in Iraq.
In this country, in the quiet town of Kirkwood, Missouri the town is in shock tonight after a gunman with an alleged grudge against the city hall opened fire at a city council meeting last night. Five people were killed before the suspect was fatally shot by police.
Jim Acosta joins us now from the scene of the shooting -- Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Kitty, relatives of the man believed to be the gunman say he left behind a note that essential read, the truth will come out in the end. And while police say they have yet to officially name their suspect, people here at city hall know him all too well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Investigators say the gunman shouted,"Shoot the mayor," as he blasted his way into the city council meeting, killing five people, including two police officers, two council members and the local public works director. Also wounded in the rampage was Kirkwood's mayor. Witnesses saw the city attorney fight for his life, and survive.
ALAN HOEPFL, WITNESS: While I was on the floor I heard three, four, maybe five more shots and then within a minute or so he was having an altercation with the city attorney, John Hassel (ph), and while Mr. Hassel was trying to protect himself and throwing chairs at Cookie, I saw my chance to leave the premises and I bolted for the door.
ACOSTA: Moments later, Kirkwood police took down the gunman identified by witnesses as Charles Lee Thornton, known to friends as Cookie. He was local business owner with a history of heated confrontations with city officials. Relatives say Thornton had a score to settle.
GERALD THORNTON, BROTHER OF SUSPECTED GUNMAN: My brother went to war tonight with the people that were of the government that was putting torment and strife into his life.
ACOSTA: According to Gerald Thornton, the city had blocked his brother from speaking out at council meetings on municipal fines he had racked up at his business. Charles Lee Thornton took the matter to court on free speech grounds and lost in a ruling that came down just last week.
Friends and family members of the victims are still trying to understand how small town city politics could turn so violent. One of the city's two slain council members, Connie Karr, was in the middle of a race to become Kirkwood's next mayor.
KATHY PAULSEN, FRIEND OF SLAIN COUNCIL MEMBER: I don't know if anyone will ever make sense of why our country has so much violence. But I think people should be committed to moving away from violence and moving toward resolution like --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: As for the current mayor of Kirkwood, he's still recovering in the hospital tonight. He's listed in stable condition. As for the other victims, funeral arrangements are being made at this hour -- Kitty.
PILGRIM: Thanks very much. Jim Acosta.
Well, investigators are trying to determine the motive behind another deadly shooting. This one at a Louisiana technical college in Baton Rogue. Police say a female student fatally shot two other women in a classroom this morning and then turned the gun on herself. Officials say the shooter never left the classroom. No one else was injured.
At least four employees were killed, at least four other people missing, after a massive explosion at a sugar refinery last night. It happened at the Imperial Sugar Plant in Port Wentworth just outside of Savannah. Fire officials say the blast may have been caused by sugar dust, which under certain conditions can be ignited. Witnesses describe the blast as a volcanic plume of flame that shook homes miles away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOYCE BAKER, WITNESS TO EXPLOSION: It was like going straight into hell. The fire and the men coming out and they were burned so badly and the only thing they wanted to know is where is my friend. They're just amazing people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PILGRIM: State officials said the bodies of three workers were discovered in the ruins this morning. The fourth was found this afternoon. Doctors say dozens of people were injured, several have severe burns over 60 percent of their bodies.
President Bush is reaching out to tornado victims in Tennessee. Of the 56 people who died in the disaster, 32 of them were from Tennessee. Today, the visit -- president visited some of the hardest hit counties and met with some of the victims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm hear to listen to determine, you know, to make sure that the federal response is compassionate and effective. I don't want people to think something is going happen that's not going happen. Therefore, when we say something is going happen, we're going to get their feedback on it granted it will happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PILGRIM: President Bush also declared parts of Tennessee and Arkansas major disaster areas which will make federal funding available for the recovery.
Meanwhile, a heart warming story in all of this tragedy. This little boy miraculously survived being thrown 100 yards by a twister that destroyed his home. Rescuers found him in a field covered with mud and debris but, remarkably, he only suffered minor injuries. Tragically, though, his mother did not survive.
Parts of the Midwest are still digging out two days after a massive snow storm. The storm dumped about 20 inches of snow on southern Wisconsin late Wednesday. Blizzard like conditions forced schools, businesses and airports to shut down. Hundreds of motorists were left stranded for hours on the interstates.
Floodwaters slowly residing in northwest Ohio after the second major flood in five months. At least 300 homes were flooded in Finley, Ohio. Many of those homes were also hit last summer with historic flood levels and dozens of people were forced from their homes, including residents of a nursing home. Three days of heavy rain melting snow pushed the Blanchard River over its banks.
Coming up, the teamsters want the Secretary of Transportation fired over Mexican trucks on U.S. highways. We'll have that story.
Senator McCain reaches out to Mitt Romney to try to unite the GOP. Will the senator be able to win over the conservative right?
And with more delegates up for grabs this weekend there could be a shift in the dead heat between Senators Clinton and Obama. We'll discuss those issues and more with our distinguished panel of political analysts.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Teamsters union President, James Hoffa, today demanded the firing of Transportation Secretary, Mary Peters. The union claimed she's ignoring a federal law designed to stop a program that allows Mexican trucks unlimited access to U.S. highways. Now there are serious concerns that trucks from Mexico present a safety hazard and a national security risk. Louise Schiavone has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The teamsters union launched a morning rush hour protest near the Department of Transportation, calling for the ouster of DOT Secretary, Mary Peters.
JAMES HOFFA, INTL. BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS: What we're saying is asta la vista to Mary Peters because she's breaking the law.
SCHIAVONE: At issue, the Bush administration's decision to give Mexican trucks greater access to U.S. highways, despite a congressional prohibition against the program.
SEN. BYRON DORGAN (D), NORTH DAKOTA: It's arrogant on the part of the Department of Transportation and they're going to run into trouble.
SCHIAVONE: The Department of Transportation argues that Congress meant to block new cross border trucking programs. But the Senate's legislative council asserts, the law precludes all such programs. Since the program began last September, DOT reports five U.S. companies operating 46 vehicles inside Mexico and 12 Mexican companies operating 42 trucks inside the U.S.
The teamsters argue that neither Mexican vehicles nor commercial drivers can be trusted.
HOFFA: The United States has high standards. You have to be drug tested, you have to have a background check. You have to be in a database. With regards to Mexicans, they don't have any of those standards.
SCHIAVONE: The Department of Transportation insists no unsafe Mexican trucks, or drivers, are cleared onto U.S. highways, although Senator Dorgan noted a court complaint against one Mexican trucker, Trinity, initially cleared for the program, reveals the company averaged over 100 violations per truck. Trinity has since withdrawn. And meanwhile, this DOT spokesman suggested American truckers should turn their attention to a different safety concern.
BRIAN TURMAIL, DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION: So what we would hope that what we could do, working with the Teamsters, is actually find a way to perhaps put some advertising revenue into increasing the number of seat belt usage among truck drivers.
SCHIAVONE (on-camera): With Congress and the administration at logger heads over the meaning of the law, the issue goes next to the ninth circuit court of appeals this month.
Louise Schiavone, for CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Now the case will be heard next Tuesday. The Teamsters are planning a rally outside of the court in San Francisco to further protest the administration's cross border trucking program.
Coming up at the top of the hour, the "Election Center" with John Roberts.
And John joins us now with a preview -- John.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kitty, thank you very much.
CNN "Election Center" coming up at the top of the hour. John McCain and conservatives don't exactly see eye to eye. Coming up, we'll explore the issues where they part company. I'll ask an all- star panel of conservative activists if the Republicans can unite around a McCain candidacy.
Meanwhile, the Democratic presidential candidates have set their sights on a state that almost never gets attention until just before the November election. See where it is and how much it means to them, all coming up at the top of the hour on the "Election Center."
Kitty, we'll see you soon.
PILGRIM: We look forward to that, John.
A reminder now to vote in tonight's poll: What do you intend to do with your check from the economic stimulus package? Spend it, save it or pay off debt. Cast your vote at Loudobbs.com. We'll bring you the results in just a few minutes.
Coming up, going into tomorrow Democratic caucuses in Washington state, Senators Obama and Clinton battle for delegates.
Conservative Republicans are facing a tough choice. If they don't support McCain, do they run the risk of contributing to a Democratic victory?
And, Bill Clinton says he made a mistake defending his wife and that he'll change his role in the campaign.
We'll discuss all of that, and more, with three of the leading political analysts in the country. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: Joining me now are three of the best political analysts in the country. We Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the "New York Daily News," Michael Goodwin and syndicated columnist, Miguel Perez. Also, Jonathan Martin, senior political reporter for Politico.com.
Gentleman, thank you. Let's start with Washington state. It's fascinating, it's coming up. So, 78 delegates. The governor endorsed Obama. The Senators endorsed Clinton. Who do you think has the advantage in this contest?
Let me go to Jonathan, the remote guest. Go ahead, Jonathan.
JONATHAN MARTIN, POLITICO: You know, I think that this could be a state where Obama actually does pretty well for this reason: he tends to perform well in states that have a high population of well educated, liberal leaning, sort of affluent voters. And goodness knows, Seattle has got plenty of those, this is the home of Starbucks after all.
So, it seems right for his kind of voter. Now that said, she will probably perform better in out-state Washington, well beyond Seattle, because she tends to do better with more down-scale, white rural voter.
PILGRIM: Let's take a look at the delegates right now. And we do have the counts. Hillary Clinton total 1,033, Barack Obama, 937. We have Louisiana with 67 delegates and Nebraska with 24.
Will -- how do you think it will play out after this weekend, Miguel? MIGUEL PEREZ, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: Louisiana looks very good with the African-American population there for Obama. I agree with Jonathan about what's happening in Washington. But what's happening in Washington with the elected officials divided, it's what's happening all over the country with the Democratic party. All Democrats are divided over this issue.
PILGRIM: Michael, do you think this tight race is going to continue all the way -- ?
MICHAEL GOODWIN, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: I do. I happen to believe, also, that -- that neither one will break free of the other very far in a significant way. It ultimately will come down the super-delegates, those -- the party officials, the members of Congress, the Democratic National Committee of which there are about 400 members all together. About 20 percent of the delegates are free to choose whoever they want and I think they will make the final choice.
PILGRIM: Does it appear that the Democratic voters could be disenfranchised with this emphasis on the super-delegates, Miguel?
PEREZ: Actually, if it goes beyond the super-delegates and we start I talking about Michigan and Florida and whether Senator Clinton has the right to claim those, maybe -- maybe this whole thing will end up in court.
PILGRIM: Yes, yes. Well you know now that you bring up Michigan and Florida, Senator Bill Nelson, today, said that the Democratic party is heading for a potential train wreck by not counting the delegates in Michigan and Florida.
Jonathan, thoughts on that?
MARTIN: For every day this sort of takes off here, and especially given that John McCain effectively has won the Republican nomination, I think you're going to see more and more Democrats becoming concerned about what's going to happen in this race. As we get into March and particularly if we get into April and this race is still going on, I think you're going to see some gray beards (ph) in the party speak up and try and bring some kind of resolution to this.
Guys, if we're talking about super-delegates, talking about the Florida and Michigan delegations being seated at a convention, that's bad news for a Democrat party that right now can see victory ahead.
PILGRIM: Michael --
GOODWIN: Well, it's not the sort of thing that turns voters on. Voters don't like this stuff. It's not what they want -- they don't want to fall back into the process of Congress and Washington and party control. They want excitement on the stump, progressive ideas. That's what the Democratic party wants right now. So it's setback.
PILGRIM: Yes. And you know, with the youth vote being so energized, with this being a very dynamic campaign season, to start suddenly talking about super-delegates kind of --
GOODWIN: The cynicism will rise very quickly.
PILGRIM: Yes. Let's listen what former president Bill Clinton had to say about his role in the Clinton campaign and how he feels now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well I -- everything I have said has been factually accurate. But I think the mistake that I made is to think that I was a spouse like any other spouse who could defend his candidate. I think I can promote Hillary but not defend her because I was president. I have to let her defend herself or have someone else defend her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PILGRIM: What's Bill Clinton's role? You're laughing, Michael. Go ahead.
GOODWIN: Well, it's just -- he's a victim again. It was an honest mistake, he thought he was just another spouse. Come on. Come on. He ought to just go away on a long vacation if he really wants Hillary to be on her own, he ought to just take a hike.
MARTIN: Kitty --
PILGRIM: Go ahead, Jonathan, go.
MARTIN: It's classic Bill Clinton. It's sort of a half defense, half apology all baked in one. And look, he recognizes that he did some damage, I think, in South Carolina. He's now trying to walk that back. But he also is, at his core, a politician and he can't help himself. He has got to be out there on the trail, at the rope lines. It feeds him.
PILGRIM: It's his milieu.
Let's look at something that "Wall Street Journal" columnist, Peggy Noonan wrote, which I find intriguing. She wrote, "Mrs. Clinton is losing this thing . It's not one big primary, it's a rolling loss, a daily one, an inch-by-inch deflation. The trends and indices are not in her favor."
Isn't it a little early to be saying this?
PEREZ: Yes, I agree with you. It's a little early. And I don't -- and I still think she's the favorite. It's still her's to lose. It's an uphill battle for Mr. -- Senator Obama at this point. He still has a good shot. But it's not the way she paints it.
PILGRIM: We just put up the delegate count and it doesn't really speak to this. Go ahead, Michael.
GOODWIN: I think Peggy is a terrific writer but I think in this case, Clinton is still the favorite, slightly because of the super- delegate arrangement and Bill Clinton's ability to work the room with the super-delegates and her presumptive situation. Obama has failed twice to dethrone her when he had the chance. First in New Hampshire, and second in Super Tuesday. So I think, in a way, she remains on top until he knocks her off.
PILGRIM: Yes. Let's go to the Republicans -- fair point, Michael.
Let's go the Republicans so we don't short shrift the Republicans. John McCain -- we're doing delegate totals. John McCain, 714, Mitt Romney -- let's see, 286, Mike Huckabee 181, Ron Paul 16. Where do we stand here? What do you think, Miguel?
PEREZ: Well, it's not over. As long as the Republicans keep fighting with each other. It's always the -- it's always that McCain is the nominee, but it doesn't mean anything as long as the party is so divided. So, people who are saying, no, McCain has all this time and all this advantage over the Democrats because the Democrats are bickering. Well the conservatives are still bickering and they're still very divided, and I don't know what they're going to do because sooner or later they're going to realize that it's either McCain or Hillary.
PILGRIM: Yes.
PEREZ: And I don't think they're going to be wanting to vote for Hillary very much.
PILGRIM: Let me just bring up something that John McCain said today in Kansas, really trying to appeal to the conservative base.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am proud to carry the banner of a conservative Republican with a record of conservative thought and action and voting and principles and values into this election in November and I need you to help me get there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PILGRIM: Now McCain was cheered and booed at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Jonathan, what do you make of McCain's position and how he has to restructure his image?
MARTIN: There's a reason why Senator McCain had Senator Sam Brownback behind his left shoulder. Recall Brownback ran for president last year, he's the senator from Kansas stalwart cultural conservative and McCain needs to win there on Saturday.
They're going to have a caucus. It wouldn't necessarily hurt him terribly if he lost, but it would reinforce this idea that he's having trouble with the conservatives in his party. But, look, this party is coming around to the realization that John McCain is going to be their nominee and the best motivator that they have is the specter of Hillary Clinton being the Democrats.
PILGRIM: We really have to ask, can the conservative Republicans afford not to support McCain? Do they risk losing the whole thing?
GOODWIN: That's a rational question, I think,for an individual. The problem is that, I think for the Republican party in the fall, is going to be enthusiasm. And if there's no enthusiasm among large segments of the party, then they're not going to turn out in large numbers.
And that was the genius of Karl Rove was turnout. He didn't expand the base he just turned it out down to the last voter, especially in 2004. And so without someone to do that, without a real incentive for turnout, the enthusiasm is not there, voters don't show up on Election Day.
PILGRIM: Jonathan, I'll go to you for a second. You were saying -- you agree?
MARTIN: Yes. I was just saying Michael raises a very, very important point. And that is, these conservatives faced with Hillary, will probably suck it up and vote for John McCain. The key question, and what could ultimately determine this race, will they put in the man hours? These folks worked for George Bush in 2000 and 2004 like bees. They made the phone calls, knocked on doors, put up sign. I'm not sure they're going to have that same motivation for John McCain. But we shall you see.
PILGRIM: But you know, we heard a lot of negatives about John McCain from the conservatives before Super Tuesday. And yet, he still managed to pull off what he pulled off -- Miguel.
PEREZ: It's an uphill fight for any Republican, definitely it's going to be McCain now. Because, the lack of enthusiasm among the Republicans and the additional enthusiasm we see among the Democrats. The Democrats are turning out in some states two-to-one, just in turn out. And so that means that they are motivated to go out and vote and the Republicans, if they don't get their act together really, really quick, they're never going to do it in time.
GOODWIN: But also Kitty, I would argue that some of McCain's victories are not -- not what they seem. He did not really win the Southern states. And -- it's a Southern party. Republicans are largely a Southern party today. Winning New York and Connecticut and the Northeastern states is fine, but he didn't pierce the armor in the Southern states and that's what he has to do better at.
PILGRIM: Gentlemen, we have to hold it there. We'll have plenty to talk about, I'm sure, after the weekend. Michael Goodwin, Jonathan Martin, Miguel Perez, thank you. Always a pleasure.
GOODWIN: Thanks, Kitty.
PILGRIM: Still ahead, heroes, tonight we introduce you to petty officer, Joshua Chiarini, a combat medic who braved enemy fire to save the lives of his comrades. Stay with us for that. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PILGRIM: And now, heroes. It's our tribute to the men and women who serve our country in uniform. Seven years, ago Joshua Chiarini was turned down by three branches of the armed forces because they believed he had asthma. Chiarini was later recruited by the United States Navy and became a combat medic.
Petty Officer Chiarini has treated dozens of wounded Marines and recently he earned the Silver Star for saving the lives of several Marines in Iraq. Philippa Holland has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILIPPA HOLLAND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are many calls on the battlefield, yet none so urgent as Core Man Up. It means a Marine is down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give him some air. Give him some air.
HOLLAND: Petty officer, Joshua Chiarini, is one of the core men. In three deployments to Iraq, he did not lose a single Marine. Chiarini says he owes that success to one thing...
PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS JOSHUA CHIARINI, U.S. NAVY: As a coreman, you've got to be always flexible. You're -- the role of a medical provider at one time, but you also might need to step in the role as a rifleman to save one of your Marines.
HOLLAND: During a 2006 deployment in Al Anbar Province, Doc. Chiarini travelled with the Marine convoy. A roadside bomb forced the lead vehicle off the road.
CHIARINI: As I'm watching this, I'm on the radio. I'm looking forward at them. I see them all climb out, and then all of a sudden, as soon as they stepped out of the vehicle, there was a massive secondary explosion that was twice as big as the first one. And they all disappeared in a giant fireball. And like -- my heart just dropped.
HOLLAND: Chiarini grabbed his rifle and medical kit and dashed more than 100 yards, dodging enemy bullets, to the wounded Marines and their interpreter.
CHIARINI: We started taking fire from different sides of the road but, to me, I didn't even know I was getting shot at. Like, I was just running. All I could think about was getting to my guys. And it's like running the longest run of your life. That dreaded sound you hear, "core man up."
HOLLAND: Chiarini moved each wounded man to safety, treating them with one hand and returning fire with the other.
CHIARINI: I felt like all the other core man who had gone in -- before me, in the past, had their hands on my shoulders while I worked. And God was looking down on me, taking care of me that day. HOLLAND: Chiarini now wears a Silver Star for his heroism. And he knows what the medal signifies.
CHIARINI: Freedom is not free. The price is paid and bought, unfortunately. Real heroism is having (INAUDIBLE) who gave all and sacrificed all and the ones that are still over there fighting right now. And my heart goes out to them. Be safe brother.
Philippa Holland, CNN
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: During the Vietnam War, one in three of our troops died of wounds sustained on the battlefield. And now in Iraq and Afghanistan, one in seven. The improving odds are due to advances in medical technology and courageous medics, such as Petty Officer Chiarini. We wish him well.
Now the results of tonight's poll. We asked you: what will you do with your economic stimulus check? Forty-five percent of you plan to pay off debt, 39 percent plan to save, only 16 percent plan to spend it.
We have time now for one last e-mail. And Todd in Washington wrote to us, "Why does everyone make such a big deal about endorsements? I personally couldn't care less who is endorsing who. The only thing that should matter is what the candidates' policies are and whether or not they can bring the necessary change to America."
If we read your e-mail, we'll send you a copy of Lou's new book, "Independents Day: Awakening the American Spirit." The book the Republicans, Democratic parties and corporate America don't want you to read.
Thanks for being with us tonight. Please join us tomorrow. The "Election Center" with John Roberts starts right now.
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