Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Edwards Speaks at Iowa Rally; Blair Accepts Responsibility for Brit. Iraq Intel. Problems; Senate Votes Down Gay Marriage Ban
Aired July 14, 2004 - 13:58 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Live pictures now of vice presidential candidate John Edwards. He's attending a rally in Des Moines, Iowa. It's his first solo campaign appearance since he was named John Kerry's running mate last week. We'll take it there live in just a few minutes.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Also, from the Bears to the Senate? Does former NFL coach Mike Ditka have a chance to score if he decides to run?
PHILLIPS: A massive bomb in Baghdad. An Iraqi governor assassinated in the worst violence since the U.S. handover of sovereignty. We're LIVE FROM... Baghdad.
LIN: And family portrait. The Bush twins make a fashion statement and political splash at an upcoming vogue magazine spread.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin, in for Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM... starts right now.
LIN: A suicide bombing in Baghdad. Another official assassinated. A country under fire on a holiday celebrating a coup that killed a king. July 14, that's what I'm talking about. It's a famous date for Iraqis and this year it brings the deadly ambush of a regional governor and the bloodiest single insurgent attack since the return of self-rule. We get the latest now from CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf
Jane, it was terribly deadly. What was the new government's response to today?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Well, the response was to say that they're going to crackdown on this and find the people responsible. Easier said than done, of course. And in recent hours, it has gotten worse, of course. The assassination of the Governor of Mosul, Osama Kashmoula, who was a university professor who just took the job four months ago.
Now, it has to be a very brave person to take these jobs these days, because these officials, and much lower level officials, are the favorite targets of assassinations. Indeed, his office says, as he was traveling in a convoy with security guards from the northern city of Mosul to Baghdad, a car next to them opened fire, killing him. According to another report, a grenade was thrown first at the car -- an indication that things remain quite dangerous for officials affiliated with this interim government, even though it is new, sovereign Iraq. And for people, Iraqis in general, that car bomb this morning, the suicide bomb outside a major gathering point for Iraqis and foreigners going into the convention center and other areas in the Green Zone.
And that suicide bomb, 10 people killed and dozens wounded, breaking a two-week lull that many Iraqis had hoped would be the start of more peaceful times -- Carol.
LIN: Jane, so for the average Iraqi, the sources that you've been talking to, how does this affect their morale? Are you seeing a backlash against insurgents, or are you seeing a backlash against the government for not controlling the violence?
ARRAF: They seem to be willing to give the government a chance. There is an intense amount of anger, of course. And a lot of that anger, we have to be honest, is still directed at the United States and at U.S. forces. Now, you think back to the time, even after the war, when they could actually go out in the streets and weren't afraid of being blown up by a car bomb.
And they blame the United States for not maintaining that security and for allowing this vacuum to take place where these groups have sprung up. There's some sort of backlash against the people launching these attacks as well, when they're killing women and children, particularly.
But it's very complicated here. And people blame just about everybody, Carol.
LIN: Yes, and everybody looking for a solution. Thanks very much. Jane Arraf reporting live in Baghdad -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Flawed but not fudged, the final word from an independent study of the British intelligence used to justify toppling Saddam Hussein. Britain's prime minister says that he accepts that conclusion wholeheartedly. We get the details now from CNN European political editor Robin Oakley in London.
Robin, I'm curious. With the information coming out about British intelligence and the flaws that are being reported, is the consensus still that the war was justified, according to the Brits?
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: There are still plenty of criticisms of the war, Kyra, and Tony Blair is still languishing in opinion poll ratings, because the British public basically does not trust the case that he made for war. Something like two-thirds of the British public still believes that they were misled on the causes of the war.
But there's good news and bad for Mr. Blair in the report by Lord Butler, a former cabinet secretary. He does, indeed, say that when the war with Iraq began that there weren't significant stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, if any, in Iraq. Not good for Mr. Blair's case, because he pitched his whole case for war on the existence of those weapons of mass destruction.
But the report's criticisms of flawed intelligence and undependable sources for some of that intelligence, it says that there was no deliberate distortion, that there was no culpable negligence. Where the real criticism of Mr. Blair and the intelligence chief comes is that Lord Butler says that in putting together their dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons, they stripped out the necessary caveats, the cautions that intelligence services would normally have built in.
They didn't let the public know just how unsound a lot of the intelligence was, of which they were basing their judgments in that dossier. But they don't actually point the finger at any specific individual, either Mr. Blair or John Scarlet, the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, which had ownership of this report.
Basically, everybody comes out of it with a collective criticism, but not an individual criticism. And in the House of Commons soon afterwards, Tony Blair was happy, really, to greet the result.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This report, like the Hutton inquiry, like the report of the Intelligence and Security Committee before it, and of the Foreign Affairs Committee before that, has found the same thing. No one lied, no one made up the intelligence, no one inserted things into the dossier against the advice of the intelligence services.
Everyone genuinely tried to do their best in good faith for the country in circumstances of acute... (UNINTELLIGIBLE). That issue of good faith should now be at an end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: So that's what Mr. Blair is hoping, Kyra, that the good faith issue has been put to bed. But the opposition are still saying Mr. Blair's credibility is very much on trial.
PHILLIPS: Robin Oakley live from London. Thank you -- Carol.
LIN: All right, Kyra, we want to update folks on the U.S. Marine who says he was abducted from his base in Iraq. Well, he's due to return to American soil tomorrow. The military had planned to fly Corporal Wassef ali-Hassoun from Germany to Delaware today.
Now, he disappeared June 19th, as you might remember. And a videotape released several days later showed him blindfolded, with a sword over his head. But mysteriously, he resurfaced July 7th in Lebanon, where he has family. Lots of questions there, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Now, the preemptive strike in the U.S. Senate against same-sex marriage. It fizzled today when the Republicans fell a full dozen votes short in an effort supported strongly by President Bush. CNN's Ed Henry is live on Capitol Hill to tell us how it happened -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Kyra. It did fall 12 votes short in the motion to proceed to continue the debate. Also significant that this effort fell 19 votes short of the super majority of 67 votes that would be needed to actually change the constitution.
That happened, in part, because six Republicans, including John McCain, voted against their leadership, and instead, stuck with the Democrats. The Democrats had 50 votes against this effort. That division was highlighted by Democrats throughout the debate. And, in fact, right after the vote, the head of the Human Rights Campaign, a major gay rights group, said this is a major defeat for the Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHERYL JACQUES, PRES., HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN: Today we saw President Bush and the Republican leadership attempt to divide America, and it backfired, instead dividing their own party. We saw, in a bipartisan show of support, that they couldn't get a simple majority to amend the United States Constitution. We saw the politics of distraction fail, and fail handily today.
(END OF CLIP)
HENRY: But Republican Senator Sam Brownback vowed that the GOP will be back and that they will ultimately prevail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SAM BROWNBACK, (R), KANSAS: It just is a big country, and it's a very active one. I think you will see this issue churning, and ultimately, we will win this fight. Marriage is the union of a man and a woman.
(END OF CLIP)
HENRY: It's clear that we have not heard the last of this issue. President Bush was on the campaign trail today in Wisconsin. Conservatives feel that this will help them in November, that they will highlight this issue. They will show that they will be back again next year. President Bush was pushing very hard on this.
But Democrats like John Edwards, also on the campaign trail today -- John Edwards and John Kerry did not show up for this vote, since it was a procedural vote. They said their votes did not matter on it. But Republicans are vowing that they will make that a political issue, the fact that they did not show up.
Democrats, however, insist that this debate shows that the Republicans were being intolerant, and that will help Democrats in November, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Live from the Capital. Thanks so much -- Carol. LIN: All right. The search for an escaped tiger comes to an end in Florida, and his distraught owner wants to know why the animal was shot five times -- the details ahead. And before you click that "send" button on your next office email, guess who else might be reading it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: This is from Washington. It goes...
(END OF CLIP)
LIN: King me -- LIVE FROM... takes you to the all out table war to crown the checkers champ.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Live pictures now -- John Edwards rallying followers in Des Moines, Iowa, his first solo campaign appearance since he was named John Kerry's running mate.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D-NC), VICE PRES. CANDIDATE: ... because she is extraordinary. She is a wonderful woman. All of you are proud of her. We're proud of her. Nationally, as Democrats, we're so glad to have her speak at the convention.
And also, I'm a little out of time. I've got to say something about the woman who, at the end of this month, I'll have been married to 27 years, the love of my life, the mother of my children, Elizabeth.
I have to tell you, the time that I spent here in Iowa was so important to what I am today. And I know John Kerry feels exactly the same way, because we've talked about it. And Tom Vilsack mentioned this. It wasn't a matter of just speaking. It had to do with listening -- hearing on main streets and houses all across the State of Iowa the problems that people face every single day in their lives, what you want your president and vice president to fight for, the values that you want us to stand up for.
I heard it day after day after day, in events six, seven, eight times a day, some days campaigning here in the State of Iowa. I just want you to know, with John Kerry and I in the presidency and the vice presidency -- we heard your voices. You are part of who we are, and your cause is our cause, and it will be when we run this country.
Is that better? Better, better, no, yes? You know, there's news from London today. The British just came out with their intelligence report on the failures and the mistakes of the intelligence with respect to Iraq. And it was an interesting response from their prime minister. Tony Blair didn't run from the report. He didn't try to not acknowledge it.
Instead, what Tony Blair said was, "I take full responsibility for the mistakes." That's because he understands what leadership is. John Kennedy did exactly the same thing after the Bay of Pigs. He said, "I take full responsibility. I am the public servant responsible for this." The truth is this. What we need in the White House is somebody who has the strength, courage, and leadership to take responsibility and be accountable, not only for what's good, but for what's bad. That's what John Kerry will be.
And you know, it's not very complicated. When John was captaining that swift boat in Vietnam, during the Vietnam War, he was the captain of the ship. He didn't try to give responsibility to somebody else. He knew who was responsible and accountable for those men who served with him. He showed then, as he has his entire life, that he will be responsible, that he will lead, that he has courage and dedication.
This is the man you and I are going to put in the White House. This is the man that will stand up for us, stand up for all Americans, just as he did for those men in Vietnam.
And I've got to tell you something. You're going to hear a lot during this campaign about values. You're going to hear some of the candidates talking about values. Well, I know something about values, just like all of you do. I grew up in a small town in North Carolina. I know what values are. I grew up with them.
Work, faith, responsibility, family, giving everybody an opportunity to do what they're capable of doing, not just a few people at the top -- those are the kinds of values you and I grew up with.
And John Kerry understands it. All of you know that, because of the time he spent campaigning here. He knows about the struggles that middle class families are facing. And you all don't need us to tell you about this. You know you can't save any money. It takes all the money you make just to pay your bills.
And the problem is, if something goes wrong, if somebody in the family gets sick, if there's a layoff, a financial problem, you go right off the cliff. John Kerry knows that, which is why he will fight for jobs, the creation of jobs, for a trade policy that works, for America and for American workers.
And I want to say just as an aside, just for a moment. You know, I have to admit something to you. Something happened in Washington today that is so extraordinary and so unusual, which is Democrats and Republicans together joined to reject the politics of division...
The president and the vice president tried to use our constitution and the amendment of that constitution as a political tool, and the United States Senate today said, "No. We will not accept it."
Instead, both Democrats and Republicans said, instead of focusing on using the constitution as a political tool, why don't we focus on the things people face in their lives every day -- the creation of jobs, healthcare, making sure parents can send their kids to college? Is that not what our public servants are supposed to be doing in Washington? That's what the United States Senate said with its vote today.
And I'll tell you something else. John Kerry will fight to get rid of the greed and the waste in our healthcare system so that we have a healthcare system that actually works for all Americans, bringing down healthcare costs for all Americans, and providing healthcare coverage to the millions of Americans who have no healthcare coverage. That's what we'll get with John Kerry as our president.
PHILLIPS: John Edwards rallying up supporters there in Des Moines, Iowa. As you know, it's his first solo campaign appearance since he was named John Kerry's running mate. By his side, Governor Tom Vilsack and his wife Christine. As you know, Christine will be speaking at the DNC in Boston. We'll continue to follow what Edwards is saying. We'll take a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Thunderstorms playing havoc with residents of the Northeast, looking for a little relief from all that wet stuff. Many New Jersey residents already beset by flooding are bracing for more downpours today. That nasty weather is causing some significant delays for air travelers too...
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERICAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Some news across America now. Fire crews are battling wildfires out west, where it's 100 degrees. Dozens of homes have been evacuated. Some 1,700 firefighters are working the fire lines in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.
A snapshot of mad cow testing is apparently unflattering to the Agriculture Department. An internal investigation by the USDA suggests the problems may be under-reported, because too few animals are tested. Now, so far, there has only been one reported case of mad cow disease here in the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS (on-camera): Well, we want to follow up on a story that we first told you about yesterday. "Bobo," the pet tiger of a Florida man, has been killed. But questions remain about whether the big cat escaped or was somehow released. Wildlife officials who had searched for the 600-pound tiger say they were forced to shoot it -- John Zarrella reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Florida wildlife officers said they intended to tranquilize Bobo the tiger, but instead were forced to kill him. JORGE PINO, FLORIDA FISH & WILDLIFE COMM.: Unfortunately, there was some kind of either a lunging toward the officer, that the officer felt threatened enough where he needed to use lethal force.
STEVE SIPEK BOBO'S OWNER: This is the blood of Bobo, my Bobo.
ZARRELLA: The big cat's owner, Steve Sipek, distraught and covered in his animal's blood, said he could have walked Bobo back into his compound had he been given the chance.
SIPEK: He was still under the bushes where he slept all day. When they came, he raised his head, they shot him five times -- five times, not once, just five times.
ZARRELLA: The encounter with Bobo by two wildlife officers who were tracking him came more than a day after the tiger escaped Sipek's residence in rural Palm Beach County. Sipek, who played Tarzan in 1960s B versions of the movie, raised Bobo from a cub. Earlier in the day, Sipek said he was concerned about his pet's fate.
SIPEK: I'm afraid they're going to kill him. I'm afraid they're going to kill him.
ZARRELLA: Bobo's escape had residents on edge. Wildlife officers cordoned off the area where they thought the animal was hiding, set up a command post and warned residents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you guys have any animals or anything like that, bring them inside.
ZARRELLA: One woman offered her pig as bait -- the offer promptly rejected. It's not clear how Bobo got out of Sipek's compound, where he keeps another tiger, a couple of lions, and a panther. And the danger is clearly marked. Mail carrier Jan Mahoney was the first person to see Bobo on the loose.
JAN MAHONEY, MAIL CARRIER: I was close to delivering Steve's mail, and when I turned the corner at the driveway that's Steve's house, the tiger was laying right here behind the palm fronds.
ZARRELLA: Wildlife officials say they will investigate why the officers felt it necessary to kill the animal.
(on camera): Several area residents came out to express their support for Sipek with lit candles. Wildlife officials say they are saddened too. The last thing they wanted to do, they say, was to kill Bobo.
John Zarrella, CNN, Loxahatchee, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: From the voting booth to the vote getters, the political power of women in this year's election. We're going to talk about it on LIVE FROM...
(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 14, 2004 - 13:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Live pictures now of vice presidential candidate John Edwards. He's attending a rally in Des Moines, Iowa. It's his first solo campaign appearance since he was named John Kerry's running mate last week. We'll take it there live in just a few minutes.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Also, from the Bears to the Senate? Does former NFL coach Mike Ditka have a chance to score if he decides to run?
PHILLIPS: A massive bomb in Baghdad. An Iraqi governor assassinated in the worst violence since the U.S. handover of sovereignty. We're LIVE FROM... Baghdad.
LIN: And family portrait. The Bush twins make a fashion statement and political splash at an upcoming vogue magazine spread.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin, in for Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM... starts right now.
LIN: A suicide bombing in Baghdad. Another official assassinated. A country under fire on a holiday celebrating a coup that killed a king. July 14, that's what I'm talking about. It's a famous date for Iraqis and this year it brings the deadly ambush of a regional governor and the bloodiest single insurgent attack since the return of self-rule. We get the latest now from CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf
Jane, it was terribly deadly. What was the new government's response to today?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Well, the response was to say that they're going to crackdown on this and find the people responsible. Easier said than done, of course. And in recent hours, it has gotten worse, of course. The assassination of the Governor of Mosul, Osama Kashmoula, who was a university professor who just took the job four months ago.
Now, it has to be a very brave person to take these jobs these days, because these officials, and much lower level officials, are the favorite targets of assassinations. Indeed, his office says, as he was traveling in a convoy with security guards from the northern city of Mosul to Baghdad, a car next to them opened fire, killing him. According to another report, a grenade was thrown first at the car -- an indication that things remain quite dangerous for officials affiliated with this interim government, even though it is new, sovereign Iraq. And for people, Iraqis in general, that car bomb this morning, the suicide bomb outside a major gathering point for Iraqis and foreigners going into the convention center and other areas in the Green Zone.
And that suicide bomb, 10 people killed and dozens wounded, breaking a two-week lull that many Iraqis had hoped would be the start of more peaceful times -- Carol.
LIN: Jane, so for the average Iraqi, the sources that you've been talking to, how does this affect their morale? Are you seeing a backlash against insurgents, or are you seeing a backlash against the government for not controlling the violence?
ARRAF: They seem to be willing to give the government a chance. There is an intense amount of anger, of course. And a lot of that anger, we have to be honest, is still directed at the United States and at U.S. forces. Now, you think back to the time, even after the war, when they could actually go out in the streets and weren't afraid of being blown up by a car bomb.
And they blame the United States for not maintaining that security and for allowing this vacuum to take place where these groups have sprung up. There's some sort of backlash against the people launching these attacks as well, when they're killing women and children, particularly.
But it's very complicated here. And people blame just about everybody, Carol.
LIN: Yes, and everybody looking for a solution. Thanks very much. Jane Arraf reporting live in Baghdad -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Flawed but not fudged, the final word from an independent study of the British intelligence used to justify toppling Saddam Hussein. Britain's prime minister says that he accepts that conclusion wholeheartedly. We get the details now from CNN European political editor Robin Oakley in London.
Robin, I'm curious. With the information coming out about British intelligence and the flaws that are being reported, is the consensus still that the war was justified, according to the Brits?
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: There are still plenty of criticisms of the war, Kyra, and Tony Blair is still languishing in opinion poll ratings, because the British public basically does not trust the case that he made for war. Something like two-thirds of the British public still believes that they were misled on the causes of the war.
But there's good news and bad for Mr. Blair in the report by Lord Butler, a former cabinet secretary. He does, indeed, say that when the war with Iraq began that there weren't significant stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, if any, in Iraq. Not good for Mr. Blair's case, because he pitched his whole case for war on the existence of those weapons of mass destruction.
But the report's criticisms of flawed intelligence and undependable sources for some of that intelligence, it says that there was no deliberate distortion, that there was no culpable negligence. Where the real criticism of Mr. Blair and the intelligence chief comes is that Lord Butler says that in putting together their dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons, they stripped out the necessary caveats, the cautions that intelligence services would normally have built in.
They didn't let the public know just how unsound a lot of the intelligence was, of which they were basing their judgments in that dossier. But they don't actually point the finger at any specific individual, either Mr. Blair or John Scarlet, the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, which had ownership of this report.
Basically, everybody comes out of it with a collective criticism, but not an individual criticism. And in the House of Commons soon afterwards, Tony Blair was happy, really, to greet the result.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This report, like the Hutton inquiry, like the report of the Intelligence and Security Committee before it, and of the Foreign Affairs Committee before that, has found the same thing. No one lied, no one made up the intelligence, no one inserted things into the dossier against the advice of the intelligence services.
Everyone genuinely tried to do their best in good faith for the country in circumstances of acute... (UNINTELLIGIBLE). That issue of good faith should now be at an end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: So that's what Mr. Blair is hoping, Kyra, that the good faith issue has been put to bed. But the opposition are still saying Mr. Blair's credibility is very much on trial.
PHILLIPS: Robin Oakley live from London. Thank you -- Carol.
LIN: All right, Kyra, we want to update folks on the U.S. Marine who says he was abducted from his base in Iraq. Well, he's due to return to American soil tomorrow. The military had planned to fly Corporal Wassef ali-Hassoun from Germany to Delaware today.
Now, he disappeared June 19th, as you might remember. And a videotape released several days later showed him blindfolded, with a sword over his head. But mysteriously, he resurfaced July 7th in Lebanon, where he has family. Lots of questions there, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Now, the preemptive strike in the U.S. Senate against same-sex marriage. It fizzled today when the Republicans fell a full dozen votes short in an effort supported strongly by President Bush. CNN's Ed Henry is live on Capitol Hill to tell us how it happened -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Kyra. It did fall 12 votes short in the motion to proceed to continue the debate. Also significant that this effort fell 19 votes short of the super majority of 67 votes that would be needed to actually change the constitution.
That happened, in part, because six Republicans, including John McCain, voted against their leadership, and instead, stuck with the Democrats. The Democrats had 50 votes against this effort. That division was highlighted by Democrats throughout the debate. And, in fact, right after the vote, the head of the Human Rights Campaign, a major gay rights group, said this is a major defeat for the Republicans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHERYL JACQUES, PRES., HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN: Today we saw President Bush and the Republican leadership attempt to divide America, and it backfired, instead dividing their own party. We saw, in a bipartisan show of support, that they couldn't get a simple majority to amend the United States Constitution. We saw the politics of distraction fail, and fail handily today.
(END OF CLIP)
HENRY: But Republican Senator Sam Brownback vowed that the GOP will be back and that they will ultimately prevail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SAM BROWNBACK, (R), KANSAS: It just is a big country, and it's a very active one. I think you will see this issue churning, and ultimately, we will win this fight. Marriage is the union of a man and a woman.
(END OF CLIP)
HENRY: It's clear that we have not heard the last of this issue. President Bush was on the campaign trail today in Wisconsin. Conservatives feel that this will help them in November, that they will highlight this issue. They will show that they will be back again next year. President Bush was pushing very hard on this.
But Democrats like John Edwards, also on the campaign trail today -- John Edwards and John Kerry did not show up for this vote, since it was a procedural vote. They said their votes did not matter on it. But Republicans are vowing that they will make that a political issue, the fact that they did not show up.
Democrats, however, insist that this debate shows that the Republicans were being intolerant, and that will help Democrats in November, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Live from the Capital. Thanks so much -- Carol. LIN: All right. The search for an escaped tiger comes to an end in Florida, and his distraught owner wants to know why the animal was shot five times -- the details ahead. And before you click that "send" button on your next office email, guess who else might be reading it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: This is from Washington. It goes...
(END OF CLIP)
LIN: King me -- LIVE FROM... takes you to the all out table war to crown the checkers champ.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Live pictures now -- John Edwards rallying followers in Des Moines, Iowa, his first solo campaign appearance since he was named John Kerry's running mate.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS, (D-NC), VICE PRES. CANDIDATE: ... because she is extraordinary. She is a wonderful woman. All of you are proud of her. We're proud of her. Nationally, as Democrats, we're so glad to have her speak at the convention.
And also, I'm a little out of time. I've got to say something about the woman who, at the end of this month, I'll have been married to 27 years, the love of my life, the mother of my children, Elizabeth.
I have to tell you, the time that I spent here in Iowa was so important to what I am today. And I know John Kerry feels exactly the same way, because we've talked about it. And Tom Vilsack mentioned this. It wasn't a matter of just speaking. It had to do with listening -- hearing on main streets and houses all across the State of Iowa the problems that people face every single day in their lives, what you want your president and vice president to fight for, the values that you want us to stand up for.
I heard it day after day after day, in events six, seven, eight times a day, some days campaigning here in the State of Iowa. I just want you to know, with John Kerry and I in the presidency and the vice presidency -- we heard your voices. You are part of who we are, and your cause is our cause, and it will be when we run this country.
Is that better? Better, better, no, yes? You know, there's news from London today. The British just came out with their intelligence report on the failures and the mistakes of the intelligence with respect to Iraq. And it was an interesting response from their prime minister. Tony Blair didn't run from the report. He didn't try to not acknowledge it.
Instead, what Tony Blair said was, "I take full responsibility for the mistakes." That's because he understands what leadership is. John Kennedy did exactly the same thing after the Bay of Pigs. He said, "I take full responsibility. I am the public servant responsible for this." The truth is this. What we need in the White House is somebody who has the strength, courage, and leadership to take responsibility and be accountable, not only for what's good, but for what's bad. That's what John Kerry will be.
And you know, it's not very complicated. When John was captaining that swift boat in Vietnam, during the Vietnam War, he was the captain of the ship. He didn't try to give responsibility to somebody else. He knew who was responsible and accountable for those men who served with him. He showed then, as he has his entire life, that he will be responsible, that he will lead, that he has courage and dedication.
This is the man you and I are going to put in the White House. This is the man that will stand up for us, stand up for all Americans, just as he did for those men in Vietnam.
And I've got to tell you something. You're going to hear a lot during this campaign about values. You're going to hear some of the candidates talking about values. Well, I know something about values, just like all of you do. I grew up in a small town in North Carolina. I know what values are. I grew up with them.
Work, faith, responsibility, family, giving everybody an opportunity to do what they're capable of doing, not just a few people at the top -- those are the kinds of values you and I grew up with.
And John Kerry understands it. All of you know that, because of the time he spent campaigning here. He knows about the struggles that middle class families are facing. And you all don't need us to tell you about this. You know you can't save any money. It takes all the money you make just to pay your bills.
And the problem is, if something goes wrong, if somebody in the family gets sick, if there's a layoff, a financial problem, you go right off the cliff. John Kerry knows that, which is why he will fight for jobs, the creation of jobs, for a trade policy that works, for America and for American workers.
And I want to say just as an aside, just for a moment. You know, I have to admit something to you. Something happened in Washington today that is so extraordinary and so unusual, which is Democrats and Republicans together joined to reject the politics of division...
The president and the vice president tried to use our constitution and the amendment of that constitution as a political tool, and the United States Senate today said, "No. We will not accept it."
Instead, both Democrats and Republicans said, instead of focusing on using the constitution as a political tool, why don't we focus on the things people face in their lives every day -- the creation of jobs, healthcare, making sure parents can send their kids to college? Is that not what our public servants are supposed to be doing in Washington? That's what the United States Senate said with its vote today.
And I'll tell you something else. John Kerry will fight to get rid of the greed and the waste in our healthcare system so that we have a healthcare system that actually works for all Americans, bringing down healthcare costs for all Americans, and providing healthcare coverage to the millions of Americans who have no healthcare coverage. That's what we'll get with John Kerry as our president.
PHILLIPS: John Edwards rallying up supporters there in Des Moines, Iowa. As you know, it's his first solo campaign appearance since he was named John Kerry's running mate. By his side, Governor Tom Vilsack and his wife Christine. As you know, Christine will be speaking at the DNC in Boston. We'll continue to follow what Edwards is saying. We'll take a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Thunderstorms playing havoc with residents of the Northeast, looking for a little relief from all that wet stuff. Many New Jersey residents already beset by flooding are bracing for more downpours today. That nasty weather is causing some significant delays for air travelers too...
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERICAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Some news across America now. Fire crews are battling wildfires out west, where it's 100 degrees. Dozens of homes have been evacuated. Some 1,700 firefighters are working the fire lines in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.
A snapshot of mad cow testing is apparently unflattering to the Agriculture Department. An internal investigation by the USDA suggests the problems may be under-reported, because too few animals are tested. Now, so far, there has only been one reported case of mad cow disease here in the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS (on-camera): Well, we want to follow up on a story that we first told you about yesterday. "Bobo," the pet tiger of a Florida man, has been killed. But questions remain about whether the big cat escaped or was somehow released. Wildlife officials who had searched for the 600-pound tiger say they were forced to shoot it -- John Zarrella reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Florida wildlife officers said they intended to tranquilize Bobo the tiger, but instead were forced to kill him. JORGE PINO, FLORIDA FISH & WILDLIFE COMM.: Unfortunately, there was some kind of either a lunging toward the officer, that the officer felt threatened enough where he needed to use lethal force.
STEVE SIPEK BOBO'S OWNER: This is the blood of Bobo, my Bobo.
ZARRELLA: The big cat's owner, Steve Sipek, distraught and covered in his animal's blood, said he could have walked Bobo back into his compound had he been given the chance.
SIPEK: He was still under the bushes where he slept all day. When they came, he raised his head, they shot him five times -- five times, not once, just five times.
ZARRELLA: The encounter with Bobo by two wildlife officers who were tracking him came more than a day after the tiger escaped Sipek's residence in rural Palm Beach County. Sipek, who played Tarzan in 1960s B versions of the movie, raised Bobo from a cub. Earlier in the day, Sipek said he was concerned about his pet's fate.
SIPEK: I'm afraid they're going to kill him. I'm afraid they're going to kill him.
ZARRELLA: Bobo's escape had residents on edge. Wildlife officers cordoned off the area where they thought the animal was hiding, set up a command post and warned residents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you guys have any animals or anything like that, bring them inside.
ZARRELLA: One woman offered her pig as bait -- the offer promptly rejected. It's not clear how Bobo got out of Sipek's compound, where he keeps another tiger, a couple of lions, and a panther. And the danger is clearly marked. Mail carrier Jan Mahoney was the first person to see Bobo on the loose.
JAN MAHONEY, MAIL CARRIER: I was close to delivering Steve's mail, and when I turned the corner at the driveway that's Steve's house, the tiger was laying right here behind the palm fronds.
ZARRELLA: Wildlife officials say they will investigate why the officers felt it necessary to kill the animal.
(on camera): Several area residents came out to express their support for Sipek with lit candles. Wildlife officials say they are saddened too. The last thing they wanted to do, they say, was to kill Bobo.
John Zarrella, CNN, Loxahatchee, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: From the voting booth to the vote getters, the political power of women in this year's election. We're going to talk about it on LIVE FROM...
(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
