Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Kerry Chooses Edwards as V.P.; Study Shows Children's Cough Medicines Not Effective

Aired July 06, 2004 - 13:00   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.


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am pleased to announce that with your help the next vice president of the United States of America will be Senator John Edwards.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Kerry's choice. How will the number two man on the ticket influence voters in November?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Firing back. President Bush trying to persuade folks Kerry did not get his first choice.

O'BRIEN: Message for a terrorist: get out of our country or get killed. Tough talk from an Iraqi group.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's at this site in central Mozambique that giant Gambian pouch rats, like two-year-old Ghitir (ph), are being used in a first of its kind project.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Got to love our Jeff Koinange. Rats to the rescue: sniffing out danger to save lives.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. It is Tuesday, July 6. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

John Kerry and John Edwards, that's the ticket. At least that's what the Democratic Party hopes will be the winning team in the battle for the White House in November.

After months of speculation, Kerry finally made it official today, selecting his former rival as his running mate. Kerry made the announcement during a rally in Pittsburgh. And that's where we find CNN's Joe Johns.

Hello, Joe. JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Miles, Kerry started his day today making calls to the finalists and others, including John Edwards. Then almost precisely at 9 a.m. Eastern Time here in Pittsburgh, he stepped out on the stage and made his big announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have chosen a man who understands and defends the values of America, a man who has shown courage and conviction as a champion for middle-class Americans and for those struggling to reach the middle class.

A man who has shown guts and determination and political skill in his own race for the presidency of the United States. A man -- a man whose life has prepared him for leadership and whose character brings him to exercise it.

I am pleased to announce that with your help, the next vice president of the United States of America will be Senator John Edwards from North Carolina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Edwards was not here in Pittsburgh when the announcement was made. Kerry and Edwards, of course, clashed in the primaries. Republicans immediately started using Kerry's own words against him, trying to portray Edwards as green, inexperienced.

The campaign, of course, argues that one of the big reasons why they wanted to bring Edwards in, obviously, was to bring in a little bit of youthful energy, also because of his positions on the middle class and the economy.

Whatever the case, one thing is clear. This campaign has moved very quickly to add Edwards' name to the ticket. And the latest evidence of that, of course, if you look at the campaign plane, when Kerry left here, the campaign plane was adorned then with the name of Edwards along with Kerry.

They went off to Indianapolis, Indiana. That is where Kerry is supposed to address a meeting of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. From there, back here to the Pittsburgh area sometime late this afternoon, this evening. Kerry and Edwards are supposed to meet.

So the question, of course, is whether we'll get a picture of these two men together on this first day -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: That will be interesting to watch.

Joe, why don't you give us a sense, if you could, to what extent do we know if that final group of finalists that were called this morning, as you referred to, if that jibed with what was out there on the street so to speak, or were there some dark horse candidates we'd never even caught wind of?

JOHNS: Well, what's clear is, he made calls to a lot of people. And the campaign aides would not be pinned down as to how many people he actually talked to. Apparently, about two dozen people were vetted in this process.

Now, we did know, of course, three finalists: Edwards, who turns out to be the big winner today; also Richard Gephardt of Missouri; Tom Vilsack of Iowa. His name also was, too, in the mix.

No one thing also is clear, Kerry came out, when he started talking about this whole process he was very, very gracious to all of those who went through the vetting process, which we're told was very extensive -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: I can only imagine. Joe Johns, thank much -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, ANCHOR: Well, in a bit of unusual timing, Kerry's announcement came on the president's birthday. Mr. Bush took some time out of his agenda to comment on the Kerry-Edwards pairing.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us now to tell us what he had to say -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Quite a birthday gift, huh, Kyra?

The president making comments about this earlier today.

I covered Edwards during the Democratic primaries. And Republicans were very quick to seize on what they call his lack of experience. They were just as quick today to attack him. The Republican National Committee putting out a 28-page memo, calling him disingenuous and unaccomplished.

Earlier in the day the Bush-Cheney campaign also releasing talking points to the supporters, characterizing it as one of the most divisive and out of the mainstream tickets for the presidency.

Also went on to say that Senator Edwards delivers his pessimism with a Southern drawl and a smile.

Well, President Bush publicly trying to distance himself from some of these comments. He was asked just what kind of tone this sets for the coming campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I welcome Senator Edwards on the ticket. The vice president called him early this morning to say, after the announcement was made, to say that he welcomes him to the race and as do I. And I look forward to a good- spirited contest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, another preemptive move, strategic move from the Bush administration, the campaign, they are releasing -- they have released, rather, a new campaign ad. And this features what they call the first choice. That is Republican Senator John McCain. They say, of course, that this was Kerry's first choice for that vice presidential nomination, that he rejected Kerry in that bipartisan ticket.

He went instead to campaign with President Bush. That was just a couple of weeks ago. That he supports Bush and his Iraq policy and that this essentially you're looking at who is a moderate, a maverick, someone who attracts the support of those swing voters. And they say that this is the guy essentially that Kerry wanted. This is the guy who is with President Bush.

The Kerry campaign shot back saying, "Look, you know, there was a lot of discussion back in campaign 2000, President Bush and perhaps looking at McCain as a ticket as well." And that they called Cheney a second choice.

So you can see the kind of tone that is being set here, this back and forth today.

And ironically also, Kyra, you should know President Bush is going to be traveling tomorrow to North Carolina, Edwards' home state, for some fund-raising as well as some campaigning. And we asked whether or not that was just purely coincidental. They said they wished they could take credit for that one, but it just so happened to be on the schedule -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux live from the White House. Thanks so much.

And also, coming up later in the hour, we're going to talk with John Wagner, reporter for the "Washington Post." He actually followed John Edwards in -- out of Raleigh, North Carolina. And also when he was a senator. We're going to check in with him and talk to him about what he remembers with regard to John Edwards -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. Obviously a big day in politics. Kerry- Edwards ticket, keeping the political world very busy. As a matter of fact, Judy Woodruff so busy today she's starting "INSIDE POLTIICS" a half hour early, but she's giving us a little bit of her time.

Judy, nice to see you.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Always good to see you. Thanks, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about the finalists and what this decision tells you about John Kerry, when you consider the choices he didn't go for.

WOODRUFF: Well, you know, the press was saying, in the last days, that the finalists were Tom Vilsack, the governor of Iowa; and Dick Gephardt, the congressman from Missouri, longtime serving congressman; in addition to John Edwards.

I will tell you, Miles, that I talked today with Jim Johnson, who was in charge of the vice presidential search for John Kerry. And he said there really were a number of others who were in the running, he said, right up until late last week. He said the press doesn't know who they are.

Of course, I asked him who they are. He said, "I'm not going to tell you." But he said the press, you know, is partly right on this. But he said there were other names who were seriously being looked at.

What does this choice say about John Kerry? It says he wanted to excite Democrats and independents around the country, and, in his words, even Republicans, that he was willing to pick somebody even more charismatic and exciting a campaigner than he is. I think that tells us a little bit about his confidence in himself.

It's a ticket that looks good. They were clearly thinking about how this ticket was going to come across on television, how it's going to look to voters. That's clearly a piece of this.

O'BRIEN: All right. Well, let's -- let's talk about some of the dark horse candidates that caught our attention. It may not have been reality. And that was Hillary Clinton. It really -- it was more of an Internet blip, I think, than reality.

But are there factions in Washington that really wish for that ticket?

WOODRUFF: Sure. I mean, there are people in this town and all over the country who love Bill Clinton and love Hillary Rodham Clinton and really want her to run for president one day.

But having said that, we know we're only three and a half years out from the Clinton presidency. It was in some ways a polarizing presidency. It's a presidency that fired up Republicans and got them energized to vote for George W. Bush.

There are still those who argue right now that if John Kerry had chosen Hillary Clinton, it would have been more polarizing, that he needed somebody who was not going to create as many problems as they did.

Plus, look, you can argue it both ways. There are those who say they would have energized Democrats. And I'm sure that's the case. But I think those are some of the arguments that were going on inside the Kerry camp.

O'BRIEN: All right. At the other end of the political spectrum here would be John McCain, and the conventional wisdom is -- was that John Kerry would have liked to have him as a running mate. And certainly the Bush camp is trying to enforce that today with that ad we just talked about.

How real was that, do you think, and is there disappointment that lingers in the Kerry camp they couldn't pull that one together?

WOODRUFF: I think that was a -- that was a wish. That was a dream ticket, that they probably dreamed about at night. And John Kerry and John McCain, our friends -- in fact, I talked to John McCain's office today. They were telling me that John Kerry -- that John McCain remains good friends with John Kerry. He remains good friends with John Edwards.

He will not be criticizing either candidate, either Democrat, during this campaign, which I think is very interesting, since the Bush campaign is out there using John McCain in a commercial.

But I don't think -- do I think it was ever going to happen? No, because I think, you know, having talked to John McCain on a number of -- a number of occasions, he's a Republican. He was always going to stay supporting George W. Bush.

But sure, he had those conversations. There were a lot of people in this town and all over the country, you know, who dream about a cross-party ticket, a ticket that, you know, that brings together Republicans and Democrats at a time when the country has never been more politically divided, at least certainly not in my memory.

O'BRIEN: At the very least, it keeps the salons in Georgetown buzzing. Judy Woodruff, thank you very much. We know you've got to get back to work. Appreciate you dropping by, as always.

WOODRUFF: Thanks, Miles. Sure.

O'BRIEN: She'll be back with an extended version of "INSIDE POLITICS" a little later today. As a matter of fact, two hours from now. Be sure to tune in for in-depth analysis of Kerry's decision and further reaction to that Democratic ticket; 3 Eastern, noon Pacific is the time.

And Thursday, John Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, will be the guests on "LARRY KING LIVE." That's 9 Eastern, 6 Pacific right here on CNN. Don't miss that one.

PHILLIPS: Polls show it's a neck and neck race between Kerry and President Bush. But that changes when survey respondents are broken down by race.

The latest Gallup poll finds that 41 percent of whites would vote for Kerry, while 53 percent support Bush. That trend is dramatically reversed among African-Americans. Eighty-one percent would pick Kerry and just 12 percent would vote for Bush.

Kerry also enjoys the support of most Hispanic voters. Fifty- seven percent say they would vote for the Democratic presidential candidate. Thirty-eight percent would pick President Bush.

Think Edwards was the best choice? Make your feelings known in our quick vote at CNN.com. It's fast, painless and right down there at the bottom of the home page.

O'BRIEN: Well, will it be a big impact? That's the question we're asking. John Edwards as vice presidential candidate. We'll get the scoop from a reporter who covered Edwards before we all got to know him on the national scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was the best. Harry S. Truman. He was the best.

PHILLIPS: "INSIDE POLITICS" for the toddler set. This 3-year- old will amaze you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flying. It just ripped, took right off. As if it had wings.

PHILLIPS: Through the roof. LIVE FROM's bumpy landing of the day.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": What quality does he have you like?

KERRY: I think he's a great communicator; he's a charming guy. I like him very much. He's a good friend of mine. And...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you saying that's something you don't have?

KERRY: What?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that a quality you don't have?

KERRY: I haven't thought about what quality he has that I would like. But I do admire him. I respect him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: "Charming." So can John Edwards bring some of that charm that Kerry spoke about to the campaign?

With more on Senator Edwards, the man, we're joined by "Washington Post" staff writer John Wagner. He's been covering John Edwards for years for "The Raleigh News and Observer." He followed him on the campaign trail earlier this year also.

John, good to have you.

JOHN WAGNER, "WASHINGTON POST": Thanks for having me.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about the charm of John Edwards. Is it there? You've spent a lot of time with him. You've talked to him face to face. Tell us some personal stories.

WAGNER: Well, it's hard to deny. Early on in the process when he was out in Iowa and New Hampshire, he was working, you know, primarily small rooms at that point. And he really would light up a room and meet strangers for the first time. And they would come away touched from hearing him talk.

PHILLIPS: Was there anything that he ever said to you or a time that you interviewed him or had some Q&A or even talked not even with regard to a story that he might have made an impact on you as a journalist?

WAGNER: Well, I'll tell you, he's got quite a photogenic family. And he took them out on the campaign trail for awhile. And it's hard not to come away feeling, you know, despite being a journalist, feeling some degree of affection for the family once you see them out on the trail and get a sense of them together.

PHILLIPS: You've talked about his wife, Elizabeth. Strong woman, isn't she?

WAGNER: She is. I think it will be an interesting pair with the -- with the ticket.

PHILLIPS: What does she have to offer? What are her strengths?

WAGNER: She really was a player at the table during his presidential campaign. Whether it was on, you know, issues of policy, of substance, or just, you know, what you should wear that day.

And she's very determined. She's very smart. She's a lawyer herself by training, though hasn't practiced for several years now.

PHILLIPS: Well, I was reading in this pre-interview with you that you had thought at times she's smarter than her husband. Is that true?

WAGNER: There are people who believe that.

PHILLIPS: Really? And why? Because of her intellect? Is it her personality? What is it?

WAGNER: Yes, they complement each other. I mean, I think she has more book smarts than perhaps he does. And he has street smarts.

I mean, he was a trial lawyer for many years. And you know, a master of that game. But she is -- she's much more liable to curl up with a book at night and was an English major in college.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about the impact that John Edwards had on North Carolina as a Senator.

WAGNER: Well, I think you're going to get, you know, very different opinions on that subject.

Republicans, by and large, accused him of being AWOL very early on, that it was clear that he had presidential ambitions or at least wanted to see if he could do this. So very early on, there was this rap on him, primarily from Republicans that he just wasn't tending to Senate business for North Carolina.

He disputes that very vigorously. And Democrats now are very proud of his run on the state for the most part and feel that, to some degree, he has softened the state's image that many people associated with Jesse Helms.

PHILLIPS: So when it comes down to the charm factor, is that the main -- you think that's the main gap he'll fill when it comes to putting Edwards and Kerry together? What is going to be his main strength that Kerry doesn't have?

WAGNER: I think that's part of it. There's also some evidence through polling and anecdotally and seeing him on the trail that he may be able to bring in some voters in swing states that Kerry has a harder time identifying with culturally, in states like Ohio. And if Kerry has any chance at all of carrying a Southern state, I think Edwards will be the entry point there.

PHILLIPS: John Wagner, "Washington Post," we'll be reading your byline. Thanks, John.

WAGNER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Miles.

O'BRIEN: Tables turn on a suspected terrorist. A video sent to an Arab television station threatens the life of one of Iraq's most wanted men. We'll have details in a live report from Baghdad.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rusty Dornin in West Jordan, Utah, where the family of Corporal Wassef Hassoun still wonders about the latest news of his release. More coming up.

O'BRIEN: And how effective is child's cough medicine, you ask? A new study may have you wondering why you made that trip to the drugstore.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right. Junior, little miss, whatever, she gets a cough, and you can't sleep. Give them a spoonful of sugar and the medicine, right? Elizabeth Cohen?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Basically.

O'BRIEN: And you hope they sleep. And you hope they sleep. But it's not as simple as that, is it?

COHEN: It sounds like this has happened to you as a father.

O'BRIEN: I've had a few nights of that. Haven't you?

COHEN: Yes. Absolutely. For sure. O'BRIEN: Yes, yes.

COHEN: And everyone knows that coughs are so frustrating. They can go on and on, and the child is coughing, and the child can't sleep, which means Mom and Dad can't sleep.

And so many people, of course, turn to over the counter cough and cold remedies. And they think, "Wow, well, of course this is going to work."

And there are so many. And you go and you think, "What are my kid's symptoms?" And it's very confusing and very frustrating.

And so some researchers said, "Gee, let's actually put these to the test and see if they work."

And what they found out is that the two most common ingredients in these preparations, which are dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine, work no better than sugar water.

They recruited kids, gave some sugar water, some those ingredients, and it didn't work any better. So what they found is that the American Academy of Pediatrics, what they have been saying for years now is true, according to this study, which is there's not a whole lot of evidence to say that these things work.

O'BRIEN: All right. So first of all, you've got -- I can't tell you how -- I've got a full shelf, maybe two shelves of these things. What do I do?

COHEN: Well, don't throw them out, because it doesn't necessarily mean that they won't work under any circumstances.

This study was done under a very specific set of circumstances. They gave these medicines to kids for one night to see what they would do.

So maybe if you gave them to children during the course of the day and the night, they'd work better. Maybe if you gave them to children night after night, they would work better. This study did not answer these questions.

But still, even having said that you have to remember these things are not candy. They have side effects. Some kids get overly sleepy; some get restless. You never know which your kid is going to be. So you certainly don't want the restless one.

O'BRIEN: Many parents are in favor of the overly sleepy part...

COHEN: Yes. Right, right.

O'BRIEN: ... in that situation, of course, although that's not the way to do it, folks.

COHEN: No, no. O'BRIEN: So what do you do? Make them gargle with hot water, salty water or something? Is there a remedy that we can offer up to people?

COHEN: There are several different remedies that people can try. First of all, the good old-fashioned medicines: acetaminophen and ibuprofen, better known as Tylenol and Advil, those often do very well, make the child much happier. Give your child plenty of liquids. Give them nose drops. It's just salt water, basically, but that can help a child to a great extent. And a humidifier.

So all of these basic, simple things that probably your mom did for you can also work very well.

O'BRIEN: And then if all else fails, hotel.

COHEN: That's right. Check them into the...

O'BRIEN: Check them in.

COHEN: ... Robotussin Hotel, right?

O'BRIEN: Just give us a call if you need us.

Well, all right. That definitely changes the way a lot of parents, I think, will operate, at least for now.

COHEN: That's right.

O'BRIEN: But we should remember, that was a very narrow study.

COHEN: Very narrow study, although it's -- it's part of more evidence saying that these things don't always work. And so you may give it to your child and think, "Wow, this is working great."

Well, colds by definition and coughs are what they call self- limiting. I mean, by definition, they're going to go away. So maybe they want to wait, because the medicine -- maybe they went away just because it was time for them to go away, and your kid got a good night's sleep.

O'BRIEN: Although things like Motrin are the wonder drugs for parents, you know.

COHEN: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks.

COHEN: Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Appreciate it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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


Aired July 6, 2004 - 13:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am pleased to announce that with your help the next vice president of the United States of America will be Senator John Edwards.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Kerry's choice. How will the number two man on the ticket influence voters in November?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Firing back. President Bush trying to persuade folks Kerry did not get his first choice.

O'BRIEN: Message for a terrorist: get out of our country or get killed. Tough talk from an Iraqi group.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's at this site in central Mozambique that giant Gambian pouch rats, like two-year-old Ghitir (ph), are being used in a first of its kind project.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Got to love our Jeff Koinange. Rats to the rescue: sniffing out danger to save lives.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. It is Tuesday, July 6. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

John Kerry and John Edwards, that's the ticket. At least that's what the Democratic Party hopes will be the winning team in the battle for the White House in November.

After months of speculation, Kerry finally made it official today, selecting his former rival as his running mate. Kerry made the announcement during a rally in Pittsburgh. And that's where we find CNN's Joe Johns.

Hello, Joe. JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Miles, Kerry started his day today making calls to the finalists and others, including John Edwards. Then almost precisely at 9 a.m. Eastern Time here in Pittsburgh, he stepped out on the stage and made his big announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have chosen a man who understands and defends the values of America, a man who has shown courage and conviction as a champion for middle-class Americans and for those struggling to reach the middle class.

A man who has shown guts and determination and political skill in his own race for the presidency of the United States. A man -- a man whose life has prepared him for leadership and whose character brings him to exercise it.

I am pleased to announce that with your help, the next vice president of the United States of America will be Senator John Edwards from North Carolina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Edwards was not here in Pittsburgh when the announcement was made. Kerry and Edwards, of course, clashed in the primaries. Republicans immediately started using Kerry's own words against him, trying to portray Edwards as green, inexperienced.

The campaign, of course, argues that one of the big reasons why they wanted to bring Edwards in, obviously, was to bring in a little bit of youthful energy, also because of his positions on the middle class and the economy.

Whatever the case, one thing is clear. This campaign has moved very quickly to add Edwards' name to the ticket. And the latest evidence of that, of course, if you look at the campaign plane, when Kerry left here, the campaign plane was adorned then with the name of Edwards along with Kerry.

They went off to Indianapolis, Indiana. That is where Kerry is supposed to address a meeting of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. From there, back here to the Pittsburgh area sometime late this afternoon, this evening. Kerry and Edwards are supposed to meet.

So the question, of course, is whether we'll get a picture of these two men together on this first day -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: That will be interesting to watch.

Joe, why don't you give us a sense, if you could, to what extent do we know if that final group of finalists that were called this morning, as you referred to, if that jibed with what was out there on the street so to speak, or were there some dark horse candidates we'd never even caught wind of?

JOHNS: Well, what's clear is, he made calls to a lot of people. And the campaign aides would not be pinned down as to how many people he actually talked to. Apparently, about two dozen people were vetted in this process.

Now, we did know, of course, three finalists: Edwards, who turns out to be the big winner today; also Richard Gephardt of Missouri; Tom Vilsack of Iowa. His name also was, too, in the mix.

No one thing also is clear, Kerry came out, when he started talking about this whole process he was very, very gracious to all of those who went through the vetting process, which we're told was very extensive -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: I can only imagine. Joe Johns, thank much -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, ANCHOR: Well, in a bit of unusual timing, Kerry's announcement came on the president's birthday. Mr. Bush took some time out of his agenda to comment on the Kerry-Edwards pairing.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us now to tell us what he had to say -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Quite a birthday gift, huh, Kyra?

The president making comments about this earlier today.

I covered Edwards during the Democratic primaries. And Republicans were very quick to seize on what they call his lack of experience. They were just as quick today to attack him. The Republican National Committee putting out a 28-page memo, calling him disingenuous and unaccomplished.

Earlier in the day the Bush-Cheney campaign also releasing talking points to the supporters, characterizing it as one of the most divisive and out of the mainstream tickets for the presidency.

Also went on to say that Senator Edwards delivers his pessimism with a Southern drawl and a smile.

Well, President Bush publicly trying to distance himself from some of these comments. He was asked just what kind of tone this sets for the coming campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I welcome Senator Edwards on the ticket. The vice president called him early this morning to say, after the announcement was made, to say that he welcomes him to the race and as do I. And I look forward to a good- spirited contest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, another preemptive move, strategic move from the Bush administration, the campaign, they are releasing -- they have released, rather, a new campaign ad. And this features what they call the first choice. That is Republican Senator John McCain. They say, of course, that this was Kerry's first choice for that vice presidential nomination, that he rejected Kerry in that bipartisan ticket.

He went instead to campaign with President Bush. That was just a couple of weeks ago. That he supports Bush and his Iraq policy and that this essentially you're looking at who is a moderate, a maverick, someone who attracts the support of those swing voters. And they say that this is the guy essentially that Kerry wanted. This is the guy who is with President Bush.

The Kerry campaign shot back saying, "Look, you know, there was a lot of discussion back in campaign 2000, President Bush and perhaps looking at McCain as a ticket as well." And that they called Cheney a second choice.

So you can see the kind of tone that is being set here, this back and forth today.

And ironically also, Kyra, you should know President Bush is going to be traveling tomorrow to North Carolina, Edwards' home state, for some fund-raising as well as some campaigning. And we asked whether or not that was just purely coincidental. They said they wished they could take credit for that one, but it just so happened to be on the schedule -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux live from the White House. Thanks so much.

And also, coming up later in the hour, we're going to talk with John Wagner, reporter for the "Washington Post." He actually followed John Edwards in -- out of Raleigh, North Carolina. And also when he was a senator. We're going to check in with him and talk to him about what he remembers with regard to John Edwards -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. Obviously a big day in politics. Kerry- Edwards ticket, keeping the political world very busy. As a matter of fact, Judy Woodruff so busy today she's starting "INSIDE POLTIICS" a half hour early, but she's giving us a little bit of her time.

Judy, nice to see you.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Always good to see you. Thanks, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about the finalists and what this decision tells you about John Kerry, when you consider the choices he didn't go for.

WOODRUFF: Well, you know, the press was saying, in the last days, that the finalists were Tom Vilsack, the governor of Iowa; and Dick Gephardt, the congressman from Missouri, longtime serving congressman; in addition to John Edwards.

I will tell you, Miles, that I talked today with Jim Johnson, who was in charge of the vice presidential search for John Kerry. And he said there really were a number of others who were in the running, he said, right up until late last week. He said the press doesn't know who they are.

Of course, I asked him who they are. He said, "I'm not going to tell you." But he said the press, you know, is partly right on this. But he said there were other names who were seriously being looked at.

What does this choice say about John Kerry? It says he wanted to excite Democrats and independents around the country, and, in his words, even Republicans, that he was willing to pick somebody even more charismatic and exciting a campaigner than he is. I think that tells us a little bit about his confidence in himself.

It's a ticket that looks good. They were clearly thinking about how this ticket was going to come across on television, how it's going to look to voters. That's clearly a piece of this.

O'BRIEN: All right. Well, let's -- let's talk about some of the dark horse candidates that caught our attention. It may not have been reality. And that was Hillary Clinton. It really -- it was more of an Internet blip, I think, than reality.

But are there factions in Washington that really wish for that ticket?

WOODRUFF: Sure. I mean, there are people in this town and all over the country who love Bill Clinton and love Hillary Rodham Clinton and really want her to run for president one day.

But having said that, we know we're only three and a half years out from the Clinton presidency. It was in some ways a polarizing presidency. It's a presidency that fired up Republicans and got them energized to vote for George W. Bush.

There are still those who argue right now that if John Kerry had chosen Hillary Clinton, it would have been more polarizing, that he needed somebody who was not going to create as many problems as they did.

Plus, look, you can argue it both ways. There are those who say they would have energized Democrats. And I'm sure that's the case. But I think those are some of the arguments that were going on inside the Kerry camp.

O'BRIEN: All right. At the other end of the political spectrum here would be John McCain, and the conventional wisdom is -- was that John Kerry would have liked to have him as a running mate. And certainly the Bush camp is trying to enforce that today with that ad we just talked about.

How real was that, do you think, and is there disappointment that lingers in the Kerry camp they couldn't pull that one together?

WOODRUFF: I think that was a -- that was a wish. That was a dream ticket, that they probably dreamed about at night. And John Kerry and John McCain, our friends -- in fact, I talked to John McCain's office today. They were telling me that John Kerry -- that John McCain remains good friends with John Kerry. He remains good friends with John Edwards.

He will not be criticizing either candidate, either Democrat, during this campaign, which I think is very interesting, since the Bush campaign is out there using John McCain in a commercial.

But I don't think -- do I think it was ever going to happen? No, because I think, you know, having talked to John McCain on a number of -- a number of occasions, he's a Republican. He was always going to stay supporting George W. Bush.

But sure, he had those conversations. There were a lot of people in this town and all over the country, you know, who dream about a cross-party ticket, a ticket that, you know, that brings together Republicans and Democrats at a time when the country has never been more politically divided, at least certainly not in my memory.

O'BRIEN: At the very least, it keeps the salons in Georgetown buzzing. Judy Woodruff, thank you very much. We know you've got to get back to work. Appreciate you dropping by, as always.

WOODRUFF: Thanks, Miles. Sure.

O'BRIEN: She'll be back with an extended version of "INSIDE POLITICS" a little later today. As a matter of fact, two hours from now. Be sure to tune in for in-depth analysis of Kerry's decision and further reaction to that Democratic ticket; 3 Eastern, noon Pacific is the time.

And Thursday, John Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, will be the guests on "LARRY KING LIVE." That's 9 Eastern, 6 Pacific right here on CNN. Don't miss that one.

PHILLIPS: Polls show it's a neck and neck race between Kerry and President Bush. But that changes when survey respondents are broken down by race.

The latest Gallup poll finds that 41 percent of whites would vote for Kerry, while 53 percent support Bush. That trend is dramatically reversed among African-Americans. Eighty-one percent would pick Kerry and just 12 percent would vote for Bush.

Kerry also enjoys the support of most Hispanic voters. Fifty- seven percent say they would vote for the Democratic presidential candidate. Thirty-eight percent would pick President Bush.

Think Edwards was the best choice? Make your feelings known in our quick vote at CNN.com. It's fast, painless and right down there at the bottom of the home page.

O'BRIEN: Well, will it be a big impact? That's the question we're asking. John Edwards as vice presidential candidate. We'll get the scoop from a reporter who covered Edwards before we all got to know him on the national scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was the best. Harry S. Truman. He was the best.

PHILLIPS: "INSIDE POLITICS" for the toddler set. This 3-year- old will amaze you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flying. It just ripped, took right off. As if it had wings.

PHILLIPS: Through the roof. LIVE FROM's bumpy landing of the day.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": What quality does he have you like?

KERRY: I think he's a great communicator; he's a charming guy. I like him very much. He's a good friend of mine. And...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you saying that's something you don't have?

KERRY: What?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that a quality you don't have?

KERRY: I haven't thought about what quality he has that I would like. But I do admire him. I respect him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: "Charming." So can John Edwards bring some of that charm that Kerry spoke about to the campaign?

With more on Senator Edwards, the man, we're joined by "Washington Post" staff writer John Wagner. He's been covering John Edwards for years for "The Raleigh News and Observer." He followed him on the campaign trail earlier this year also.

John, good to have you.

JOHN WAGNER, "WASHINGTON POST": Thanks for having me.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about the charm of John Edwards. Is it there? You've spent a lot of time with him. You've talked to him face to face. Tell us some personal stories.

WAGNER: Well, it's hard to deny. Early on in the process when he was out in Iowa and New Hampshire, he was working, you know, primarily small rooms at that point. And he really would light up a room and meet strangers for the first time. And they would come away touched from hearing him talk.

PHILLIPS: Was there anything that he ever said to you or a time that you interviewed him or had some Q&A or even talked not even with regard to a story that he might have made an impact on you as a journalist?

WAGNER: Well, I'll tell you, he's got quite a photogenic family. And he took them out on the campaign trail for awhile. And it's hard not to come away feeling, you know, despite being a journalist, feeling some degree of affection for the family once you see them out on the trail and get a sense of them together.

PHILLIPS: You've talked about his wife, Elizabeth. Strong woman, isn't she?

WAGNER: She is. I think it will be an interesting pair with the -- with the ticket.

PHILLIPS: What does she have to offer? What are her strengths?

WAGNER: She really was a player at the table during his presidential campaign. Whether it was on, you know, issues of policy, of substance, or just, you know, what you should wear that day.

And she's very determined. She's very smart. She's a lawyer herself by training, though hasn't practiced for several years now.

PHILLIPS: Well, I was reading in this pre-interview with you that you had thought at times she's smarter than her husband. Is that true?

WAGNER: There are people who believe that.

PHILLIPS: Really? And why? Because of her intellect? Is it her personality? What is it?

WAGNER: Yes, they complement each other. I mean, I think she has more book smarts than perhaps he does. And he has street smarts.

I mean, he was a trial lawyer for many years. And you know, a master of that game. But she is -- she's much more liable to curl up with a book at night and was an English major in college.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about the impact that John Edwards had on North Carolina as a Senator.

WAGNER: Well, I think you're going to get, you know, very different opinions on that subject.

Republicans, by and large, accused him of being AWOL very early on, that it was clear that he had presidential ambitions or at least wanted to see if he could do this. So very early on, there was this rap on him, primarily from Republicans that he just wasn't tending to Senate business for North Carolina.

He disputes that very vigorously. And Democrats now are very proud of his run on the state for the most part and feel that, to some degree, he has softened the state's image that many people associated with Jesse Helms.

PHILLIPS: So when it comes down to the charm factor, is that the main -- you think that's the main gap he'll fill when it comes to putting Edwards and Kerry together? What is going to be his main strength that Kerry doesn't have?

WAGNER: I think that's part of it. There's also some evidence through polling and anecdotally and seeing him on the trail that he may be able to bring in some voters in swing states that Kerry has a harder time identifying with culturally, in states like Ohio. And if Kerry has any chance at all of carrying a Southern state, I think Edwards will be the entry point there.

PHILLIPS: John Wagner, "Washington Post," we'll be reading your byline. Thanks, John.

WAGNER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Miles.

O'BRIEN: Tables turn on a suspected terrorist. A video sent to an Arab television station threatens the life of one of Iraq's most wanted men. We'll have details in a live report from Baghdad.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rusty Dornin in West Jordan, Utah, where the family of Corporal Wassef Hassoun still wonders about the latest news of his release. More coming up.

O'BRIEN: And how effective is child's cough medicine, you ask? A new study may have you wondering why you made that trip to the drugstore.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right. Junior, little miss, whatever, she gets a cough, and you can't sleep. Give them a spoonful of sugar and the medicine, right? Elizabeth Cohen?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Basically.

O'BRIEN: And you hope they sleep. And you hope they sleep. But it's not as simple as that, is it?

COHEN: It sounds like this has happened to you as a father.

O'BRIEN: I've had a few nights of that. Haven't you?

COHEN: Yes. Absolutely. For sure. O'BRIEN: Yes, yes.

COHEN: And everyone knows that coughs are so frustrating. They can go on and on, and the child is coughing, and the child can't sleep, which means Mom and Dad can't sleep.

And so many people, of course, turn to over the counter cough and cold remedies. And they think, "Wow, well, of course this is going to work."

And there are so many. And you go and you think, "What are my kid's symptoms?" And it's very confusing and very frustrating.

And so some researchers said, "Gee, let's actually put these to the test and see if they work."

And what they found out is that the two most common ingredients in these preparations, which are dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine, work no better than sugar water.

They recruited kids, gave some sugar water, some those ingredients, and it didn't work any better. So what they found is that the American Academy of Pediatrics, what they have been saying for years now is true, according to this study, which is there's not a whole lot of evidence to say that these things work.

O'BRIEN: All right. So first of all, you've got -- I can't tell you how -- I've got a full shelf, maybe two shelves of these things. What do I do?

COHEN: Well, don't throw them out, because it doesn't necessarily mean that they won't work under any circumstances.

This study was done under a very specific set of circumstances. They gave these medicines to kids for one night to see what they would do.

So maybe if you gave them to children during the course of the day and the night, they'd work better. Maybe if you gave them to children night after night, they would work better. This study did not answer these questions.

But still, even having said that you have to remember these things are not candy. They have side effects. Some kids get overly sleepy; some get restless. You never know which your kid is going to be. So you certainly don't want the restless one.

O'BRIEN: Many parents are in favor of the overly sleepy part...

COHEN: Yes. Right, right.

O'BRIEN: ... in that situation, of course, although that's not the way to do it, folks.

COHEN: No, no. O'BRIEN: So what do you do? Make them gargle with hot water, salty water or something? Is there a remedy that we can offer up to people?

COHEN: There are several different remedies that people can try. First of all, the good old-fashioned medicines: acetaminophen and ibuprofen, better known as Tylenol and Advil, those often do very well, make the child much happier. Give your child plenty of liquids. Give them nose drops. It's just salt water, basically, but that can help a child to a great extent. And a humidifier.

So all of these basic, simple things that probably your mom did for you can also work very well.

O'BRIEN: And then if all else fails, hotel.

COHEN: That's right. Check them into the...

O'BRIEN: Check them in.

COHEN: ... Robotussin Hotel, right?

O'BRIEN: Just give us a call if you need us.

Well, all right. That definitely changes the way a lot of parents, I think, will operate, at least for now.

COHEN: That's right.

O'BRIEN: But we should remember, that was a very narrow study.

COHEN: Very narrow study, although it's -- it's part of more evidence saying that these things don't always work. And so you may give it to your child and think, "Wow, this is working great."

Well, colds by definition and coughs are what they call self- limiting. I mean, by definition, they're going to go away. So maybe they want to wait, because the medicine -- maybe they went away just because it was time for them to go away, and your kid got a good night's sleep.

O'BRIEN: Although things like Motrin are the wonder drugs for parents, you know.

COHEN: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks.

COHEN: Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Appreciate it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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