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Brazilian Marathoner Attacked, Takes Bronze; Moderates Dominate Podium Time at GOP Convention; Political Faces of Music
Aired August 30, 2004 - 14:30 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: A former mayor in legal hot water: seven count indictment was unsealed today against the ex-Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell. It alleges him of taking a payment from a subcontractor during the city's Y2K preparations. Campbell says he is innocent.
Checking on Tropical Storm Gaston now. Jacqui Jeras in the house. What's the latest now, Jacqui?
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Thanks so much. We take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: News around the world now.
Targeting terrorists: two Chechen women at the center of the probe into last week's deadly Russian plane crash -- crashes, rather. A Russian newspaper reports the women were either suicide bombers or their passports were used by other women. The women's bodies have not yet been identified. Russia says the explosion led to the near simultaneous crashes.
Against a backdrop of that violence in Russia, Chechens choose a new president over the weekend. Alu Alkhanov, who is backed by Moscow, is promising to revive the war-torn Chechnya and crush extremists. Election officials say he got 74 percent of the vote. Opponents say the election was tainted.
Well, another case of tainted gold at the summer games. Marathoner Vanderlei de Lima was attacked by this defrocked priest in a kilt, I want to add. De Lima continued running but lost his lead and finished third. The Brazilian sports officials blame poor security and plan to appeal for a duplicate gold medal.
What do you think?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Kyra and I are unanimous on this subject. And that in and of itself is worthy of breaking news. We agree...
PHILLIPS: On something.
O'BRIEN: ... De Lima should get the gold. You out there pretty well divided on this. More division than I would have anticipated. Let's go to the e-mails you've been sending us. By the way, thanks for them. They're really good.
Jay in Birmingham: "The marathon should have ended at the point where it was disrupted. It's the only fair way to solve the issue. If it were a car race, all cars would have held their positions as they cleared the track. You can't do that in a marathon. The only fair solution is an early end to the race."
Good point, Jay.
"Sure, he was nearly tackled, but he still had a 33-second lead going into the final few miles. If he's truly the world's best, he would have sucked it up, overcome the mental and physical setback, and won the race outright," Karl Norberg of San Francisco.
I would suspect he has never run a marathon, however, because at that point, three miles to go you are on -- well, you're on the tight rope there.
Bob in Spotsylvania, Virginia: "There is no way he could have lost unless he fell asleep or died. It is a shame that the international Olympics body spent $60 million on security and couldn't keep that clown off the track. Give him the medal!"
On the same vein, "I still find it out that a 'nut,' dressed in a costume, with a weird comment written on his back, was allowed in the country in spite of the extreme security." That's from a Brazilian in the U.S.
Maureen in Somerville, "I watched the marathon from start to finish. It was unfortunate that the Brazilian leader was pushed to the side but the chase pack was gaining on him as each kilometer passed and I believe he wouldn't have won the gold even if this attack didn't occur." Maureen in Somerville with that one.
Timothy J.W. Logan has this one for us. "I ran one marathon in my life here in NYC." Just like me, Timothy. "If somebody did that to me around 22 or 23 mile mark, I never would have finished" -- me, too, Timothy -- "much less held on the way he did. The man deserves a gold medal."
Brian in Mountain View: "A 30-second lead with three miles to go in a marathon is not very large and the Brazilian was coming back to the field. He was simply trying to hang on. Arrest the ex-priest, give the Brazilian lots of press so that he can at least make some money, but don't mess with the medals." Brian, rather pragmatic there.
Ivelisse Pena has this: "I find it outrageous that this question is being asked. He was holding first place and a psychotic man attacked him. He should not be held responsible for this deranged man's actions. I think he should definitely receive the gold, because he truly does deserves it. He earned it."
Ivelisse, amen. PHILLIPS: We should talk about this defrocked priest a little bit more.
O'BRIEN: Well, we could.
PHILLIPS: You know?
O'BRIEN: We could but...
PHILLIPS: He needs to be held accountable. This guy stepped out and attacked (ph) this guy.
O'BRIEN: Yes. And that was quite an outfit, wasn't it? All right. Let's go to break.
PHILLIPS: De Lima needs the gold, plain and simple.
O'BRIEN: Yes. All right. Let's take a break. We'll be back with more in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: It's a big day ahead at the RNC. America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, and the senator from Arizona, John McCain, joining the Garden party tonight. I think the theme is Republican heroes or some such. Just who they're trying to woo might surprise you.
Judy Woodruff is a CNN heroine, or hero. What is correct? What is politically correct? Heroine or hero these days? I don't know.
Anyway, it's good to see you.
JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Neither one.
O'BRIEN: Neither one? You qualify. It's good to see you there at Madison Square.
And John McCain -- you know, no matter where you go in this campaign you see John McCain. He's like the Zelig of this presidential campaign, isn't he?
WOODRUFF: Well, you know, Miles, I interviewed John McCain yesterday, and I said, you know, "You've spent so much time with George W. Bush over the last few weeks you'd think you were his running mate instead of Dick Cheney." And of course, he laughed that off.
But the fact is he and George W. Bush have had their tense moments over the last several years, certainly they were more tall enemies, political enemies back in 2000. But John McCain says he's put all that behind him. At least he's not confessing publicly to anything differently.
But you know, I did talk to him about how he has defended George W. Bush and at the same time how these swift boat ads and just sort of the general rancorous tone of this campaign makes one wonder whether that's going to continue after the election.
I'm going to just show you a part of that interview, Miles, that I did with John McCain yesterday.
Listen in...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: Do you think this country is going to remain divided after this election, no matter who wins?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The way this campaign is going, yes. But if I were President Bush, as soon as I'm re-elected I would make my top priority trying to bring this nation back together.
This is the worst, most partisan environment that I have seen in 22 years in public office. And I deeply regret it. I deeply regret it. We are friends. We're not enemies. We have a common enemy. Maybe we ought to start working together to address that challenge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: So Miles, you can see just how strongly Senator McCain feels. He has called on President Bush to condemn those swift boat attack ads. The president has not specifically condemned them. He said all these ads ought to stop. But we haven't heard the end of all this.
O'BRIEN: Clearly, we haven't heard the end of all this. Let me ask you this. He has refrained from saying again and again tat he'd like the president to condemn that specific swift boat ad.
Why has he stopped saying that? Is he sort of onboard now, now that the president has included him in the whole process of trying to reform these so-called 527 groups?
WOODRUFF: You know, I think he still -- he still would acknowledge he wants the president to condemn them, but he's not going to make a point of it. I think he feels that he's done that. The people around him certainly would say that he's done that and his view has not changed.
But they do have to be onboard now. They -- John McCain wants George W. Bush to win. He wants him to win this election. He's going to be out campaigning with him tomorrow in three states, three battleground states right in the middle of this convention.
So he -- you know, in a way, he's got to get his story in line with the president's. But that doesn't make him happy about the turn of events of the last few weeks.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let's talk about Rudy Giuliani the other person who will be making a talk tonight, another main event type person, marquis event.
Rudy Giuliani, it seems to me, has potential -- a national profile that he could exploit for political gain at some point. Does he aspire to do that, do you think?
WOODRUFF: Everybody who knows Rudy Giuliani well and, Miles, I don't profess to be one of them, they will say that Rudy Giuliani is looking seriously at future political office.
You know, there are people who say, well, he's going to run against Hillary Clinton for the Senate. Maybe he's going to run for president.
But whatever it is, Rudy Giuliani is doing everything he can, even as he runs a consulting business and by all accounts is making millions of dollars on the side doing that, he's also going around the country making speeches, and in the best sense of the word and others would say, in a -- in a take advantage sense of the word, capitalizing on his 9/11 experience.
But I don't think there's any doubt that Rudy Giuliani has political aspirations down the road.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Republican conventions, we've all witnessed in the past. One that comes to mind is Houston in 1992, which was widely perceived as being, well, I guess the tone would be harsh, no matter which side of the spectrum you're on. It was a harsh tone there.
To what extent, what have the Republicans done this time, if anything, to try to change that tone and try to sort of aim for the middle?
WOODRUFF: Everything, in a word. They want to do the opposite of Houston in 1992. They felt the convention was taken over by Pat Buchanan and by others who came out with a very divisive message, an "us versus" them message. Their message at this convention is all about inclusion.
They are putting out there the mavericks like John McCain, the moderates like Rudy Giuliani. Tomorrow, Miles, we're going to be talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger, very popular Republican.
They are giving these moderates, mavericks, if you will, far more time at the podium than they are the more conservative members of the party.
Now, they will say, well, you're going to hear from the president and the vice president. Of course you are. You -- One does that at a convention. But the people who are being showcased are people who are popular, presentable faces for this Republican Party.
Not the same message that you get when you look at the platform. But they're saying that doesn't matter. People don't read much of the platform anyway.
O'BRIEN: Judy Woodruff, you always brighten our screen. We appreciate you dropping by. And Judy, of course, will take -- take the con in 15 minutes for an expanded version of "INSIDE POLITICS." Excuse me, "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS," coming up at 3 Eastern. We invite you to tune in. You'll get your full political does -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: If you don't have a television, Miles, are you going to have your boom box up on your shoulder?
O'BRIEN: What do you mean, if you don't have a television? Who doesn't have a television? First of all, these people are watching us.
PHILLIPS: I know there's a lot of people. If you don't have it, then, hey, turn to the radio, 8 to 11 tonight. You've got affiliates all across the country. Miles will be listening, because he'll love to critique me the next day. We're going to instigate lots of good discussion, good debates, Carol Costello and I on the -- You can't say dial anymore, I guess on the button.
O'BRIEN: On the button, yes. On the radio.
PHILLIPS: OK. There you go.
O'BRIEN: That's wherever your CNN affiliate might be. And if you don't have a television, by all means give us a call right now. We'll get you one.
PHILLIPS: We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Did you start with the catch up?
O'BRIEN: Yes. Well, our lead in to Fred Katayama is a visual joke. Is President Bush catching up? Catching? There you go. Get it? Catching up with Kerry? Two condiment makers are offering some condiment alternatives.
PHILLIPS: Fred Katayama catching us up on all the ketchup and the Heinz Kerry and all that stuff.
O'BRIEN: Fifty-seven -- 57 varieties. Go ahead, Fred.
(STOCK REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Mr. Katayama, thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right, we've got a lot more ahead. We're going to go for the quest, I guess you could say...
O'BRIEN: The quest, as they call it.
PHILLIPS: ... of American politics and viewpoints.
O'BRIEN: Ohio is one of the key battleground states in this presidential election. Our Richard Quest is in that lynchpin state trying to determine precisely what a Buckeye is. Right?
PHILLIPS: He's inside the museum. Look at the guitars behind him.
O'BRIEN: I think there must have been a security snafu to allow him in, but he's there.
PHILLIPS: Surprised he's not playing the guitar. All right. He's in the hall of fame, of course, if you don't know. Cleveland, Ohio.
O'BRIEN: I think he's at the Beatles exhibit. Right? Are you there, with the Beatles?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a very large exhibition of the Beatles which as Miles says. And oddly enough, Miles and Kyra, I was born in Liverpool. So one word against the Beatles from either of you two and there will be some serious repercussions.
O'BRIEN: We won't do that.
PHILLIPS: We love the Beatles.
O'BRIEN: No, no, no.
PHILLIPS: We didn't do anything.
O'BRIEN: No, no, no. We're not picking any fights on the Beatles.
QUEST: I'm here at the hall of fame, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. And you know, the one thing I want to talk about briefly is the way in which rock stars have come out for one side or the other, and the Republicans or the Democrats.
Now, for example, the Democrats have got Jon Bon Jovi. They've got Bruce Springsteen. They have Willie Nelson. The Republicans are looking a little -- a little limp, one might say, with Ricky Martin and Larry Gatlin and Ricky Skaggs. Democrats tend to get the rockers; Republicans tend to get the country and western.
O'BRIEN: Richard -- Richard -- Richard, that could be fighting words for people who are fans of those particular acts, don't you think?
QUEST: Well, indeed, but what about the Dixie Chicks? I'm choosing my words carefully here. Because one thing is clear, guys, if -- if an artist comes out for one side or the other, you risk alienating a vast majority or a vast part of the American public.
So that is -- I was talking to the professor, the curator here, who was telling me that it's fascinating that more so than perhaps since the Vietnam War more rock 'n' roll musicians are coming out one way or the other, and it could cost them dear in their career.
PHILLIPS: Again with that eye.
O'BRIEN: I wonder -- You go ahead. PHILLIPS: Well, I was just curious whose guitar is behind him.
QUEST: All right. Hang on. Hang on. These are all -- these are all guitars from a local exhibition. They've just got names like Shannon Strath (ph), untitled, Speedy.
PHILLIPS: I want a picture of him standing up next to him.
O'BRIEN: I'm curious. Richard, do you know who was the first rock 'n' roll star to enter the political fray in this way, do you recall? I mean, certainly the Beatles or Elvis. They never -- you never knew where they were -- certainly the Beatles weren't voting, but what they thought.
QUEST: Well, you've got to go really back to the '20s, for songs like, for example, "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?" Sort of the -- the social conditional songs.
But then you go on to the Vietnam era when you have artists like Linda Ronstadt and all those Americans...
O'BRIEN: There you go.
QUEST: ... who came out with anti-war songs.
Now, of course, you don't get the songs except maybe, for example, from George Michael. You actually get, instead, the cause without the songs because the song might cost you dear.
PHILLIPS: The music goes all the way back, though, to royalty. And I mean, we can go way back and trace music in political realms, right?
QUEST: Absolutely. Music has been an expression of both political change and political thought and, indeed, of social unrest. What we are not seeing, what we are not seeing at the moment is the songs. We are merely seeing the artists and frankly, they're doing it in a rather wishy-washy way.
PHILLIPS: Wishy-washy. Mr. Quest is not wishy-washy.
O'BRIEN: They're kind of flip-floppers themselves.
All right, Richard Quest.
PHILLIPS: Always a pleasure.
O'BRIEN: Enjoy your difficult assignment. As always, he gets the tough one.
Checking entertainment headlines this Monday.
Bravo to R&B bad boy Bobby Brown. The singer is negotiating -- you had to say that very slowly. That's a hard one. He's negotiating with the Bravo network to air his own reality show. Brown's production company has already shot the footage. The deal reportedly hinges on the participation of Brown's wife, singer Whitney Houston and probably his probation officer, too.
Anyway, Russell Crowe is eating crow. The Aussie actor says he is to blame for a brawl between himself and his own bodyguard. That's not the way it's supposed to work. You're not supposed to go after your own bodyguard.
Crowe tells an Australian newspaper the fight was a misunderstanding at a party. Might have been a few drinks involved. The pair made up. We don't know about kissing, but they at least made up the next day. Crowe also denies taking a bite of his bodyguard's ear, a la Mike Tyson.
And Posh Spice is preggers again. Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and her soccer star husband, David Beckham, expecting their third little spicedom. The Beckhams say the baby is due in March. Sugar and spice and everything nice, we hope.
PHILLIPS: Aw. At the MTV music awards in Miami, the daughters of -- are we going to talk about the daughters?
O'BRIEN: I think we're done.
PHILLIPS: Are we finished?
O'BRIEN: I think that's it. No daughters?
PHILLIPS: Are we talking daughters? No daughters?
It is back in. We're going to talk about it. Here we go. Roll the video. Cue the video.
The daughters of the presidential candidates, they get a lesson in freedom of speech. I know you guys were all watching this last night. Let's take a little sound.
Oh, yes, the MTV music awards in Miami. Look at this. Oh, boy.
O'BRIEN: At least you can say they got Kerry'd away.
PHILLIPS: They tried to hush the crowd. But John Kerry's daughters, Vanessa and Alexandra, seemed a little shocked at the crowd's reaction. You heard the boos. But it's not really clear who the cheers and jeers were for and why.
There was also a mixed reaction when a video of the Bush twins was played. However, MTV didn't air the crowd sounds during the live broadcast of that video. Got a little confusing.
Kerry's daughter Vanessa said that she was just a little concerned on stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANESSA KERRY, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER: I was scared out of my mind. I mean, I grabbed my sister and I thought, what is happening? And -- but it doesn't matter, because we're fighting for something that I believe in so strongly. I will go up there and hear the whole arena boo if it means connecting with one person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Evidently the candidates' daughters were just trying to encourage the young crowd to get out and vote and found themselves in the middle of a boo fest.
O'BRIEN: I think they just wanted, you know, a snappy musical number.
PHILLIPS: You think?
O'BRIEN: Yes, probably.
PHILLIPS: Good. They're going to have Britney Spears come out.
O'BRIEN: Maybe they should have had one ready. You know, a little something or another.
Anyway...
PHILLIPS: A soft shoe.
O'BRIEN: ... that wraps up this edition of LIVE FROM. I'm Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. Joining us again for a special 90-minute edition of INSIDE POLITICS, of course, our Judy Woodruff live from Madison Square Garden.
Hi, Judy.
WOODRUFF: My two favorite folks, Miles, Kyra, thank you both.
Well, I am here in Madison Square Garden at the Republican National Convention. The festivities are already under way here. We're going to take a look at what's already happened and what we can expect tonight.
Plus we'll examine the convention speaker line-up and look at why many of them are liked by both parties. The fight for moderates when INSIDE POLITICS begins in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired August 30, 2004 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A former mayor in legal hot water: seven count indictment was unsealed today against the ex-Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell. It alleges him of taking a payment from a subcontractor during the city's Y2K preparations. Campbell says he is innocent.
Checking on Tropical Storm Gaston now. Jacqui Jeras in the house. What's the latest now, Jacqui?
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Thanks so much. We take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: News around the world now.
Targeting terrorists: two Chechen women at the center of the probe into last week's deadly Russian plane crash -- crashes, rather. A Russian newspaper reports the women were either suicide bombers or their passports were used by other women. The women's bodies have not yet been identified. Russia says the explosion led to the near simultaneous crashes.
Against a backdrop of that violence in Russia, Chechens choose a new president over the weekend. Alu Alkhanov, who is backed by Moscow, is promising to revive the war-torn Chechnya and crush extremists. Election officials say he got 74 percent of the vote. Opponents say the election was tainted.
Well, another case of tainted gold at the summer games. Marathoner Vanderlei de Lima was attacked by this defrocked priest in a kilt, I want to add. De Lima continued running but lost his lead and finished third. The Brazilian sports officials blame poor security and plan to appeal for a duplicate gold medal.
What do you think?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Kyra and I are unanimous on this subject. And that in and of itself is worthy of breaking news. We agree...
PHILLIPS: On something.
O'BRIEN: ... De Lima should get the gold. You out there pretty well divided on this. More division than I would have anticipated. Let's go to the e-mails you've been sending us. By the way, thanks for them. They're really good.
Jay in Birmingham: "The marathon should have ended at the point where it was disrupted. It's the only fair way to solve the issue. If it were a car race, all cars would have held their positions as they cleared the track. You can't do that in a marathon. The only fair solution is an early end to the race."
Good point, Jay.
"Sure, he was nearly tackled, but he still had a 33-second lead going into the final few miles. If he's truly the world's best, he would have sucked it up, overcome the mental and physical setback, and won the race outright," Karl Norberg of San Francisco.
I would suspect he has never run a marathon, however, because at that point, three miles to go you are on -- well, you're on the tight rope there.
Bob in Spotsylvania, Virginia: "There is no way he could have lost unless he fell asleep or died. It is a shame that the international Olympics body spent $60 million on security and couldn't keep that clown off the track. Give him the medal!"
On the same vein, "I still find it out that a 'nut,' dressed in a costume, with a weird comment written on his back, was allowed in the country in spite of the extreme security." That's from a Brazilian in the U.S.
Maureen in Somerville, "I watched the marathon from start to finish. It was unfortunate that the Brazilian leader was pushed to the side but the chase pack was gaining on him as each kilometer passed and I believe he wouldn't have won the gold even if this attack didn't occur." Maureen in Somerville with that one.
Timothy J.W. Logan has this one for us. "I ran one marathon in my life here in NYC." Just like me, Timothy. "If somebody did that to me around 22 or 23 mile mark, I never would have finished" -- me, too, Timothy -- "much less held on the way he did. The man deserves a gold medal."
Brian in Mountain View: "A 30-second lead with three miles to go in a marathon is not very large and the Brazilian was coming back to the field. He was simply trying to hang on. Arrest the ex-priest, give the Brazilian lots of press so that he can at least make some money, but don't mess with the medals." Brian, rather pragmatic there.
Ivelisse Pena has this: "I find it outrageous that this question is being asked. He was holding first place and a psychotic man attacked him. He should not be held responsible for this deranged man's actions. I think he should definitely receive the gold, because he truly does deserves it. He earned it."
Ivelisse, amen. PHILLIPS: We should talk about this defrocked priest a little bit more.
O'BRIEN: Well, we could.
PHILLIPS: You know?
O'BRIEN: We could but...
PHILLIPS: He needs to be held accountable. This guy stepped out and attacked (ph) this guy.
O'BRIEN: Yes. And that was quite an outfit, wasn't it? All right. Let's go to break.
PHILLIPS: De Lima needs the gold, plain and simple.
O'BRIEN: Yes. All right. Let's take a break. We'll be back with more in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: It's a big day ahead at the RNC. America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, and the senator from Arizona, John McCain, joining the Garden party tonight. I think the theme is Republican heroes or some such. Just who they're trying to woo might surprise you.
Judy Woodruff is a CNN heroine, or hero. What is correct? What is politically correct? Heroine or hero these days? I don't know.
Anyway, it's good to see you.
JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Neither one.
O'BRIEN: Neither one? You qualify. It's good to see you there at Madison Square.
And John McCain -- you know, no matter where you go in this campaign you see John McCain. He's like the Zelig of this presidential campaign, isn't he?
WOODRUFF: Well, you know, Miles, I interviewed John McCain yesterday, and I said, you know, "You've spent so much time with George W. Bush over the last few weeks you'd think you were his running mate instead of Dick Cheney." And of course, he laughed that off.
But the fact is he and George W. Bush have had their tense moments over the last several years, certainly they were more tall enemies, political enemies back in 2000. But John McCain says he's put all that behind him. At least he's not confessing publicly to anything differently.
But you know, I did talk to him about how he has defended George W. Bush and at the same time how these swift boat ads and just sort of the general rancorous tone of this campaign makes one wonder whether that's going to continue after the election.
I'm going to just show you a part of that interview, Miles, that I did with John McCain yesterday.
Listen in...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: Do you think this country is going to remain divided after this election, no matter who wins?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The way this campaign is going, yes. But if I were President Bush, as soon as I'm re-elected I would make my top priority trying to bring this nation back together.
This is the worst, most partisan environment that I have seen in 22 years in public office. And I deeply regret it. I deeply regret it. We are friends. We're not enemies. We have a common enemy. Maybe we ought to start working together to address that challenge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: So Miles, you can see just how strongly Senator McCain feels. He has called on President Bush to condemn those swift boat attack ads. The president has not specifically condemned them. He said all these ads ought to stop. But we haven't heard the end of all this.
O'BRIEN: Clearly, we haven't heard the end of all this. Let me ask you this. He has refrained from saying again and again tat he'd like the president to condemn that specific swift boat ad.
Why has he stopped saying that? Is he sort of onboard now, now that the president has included him in the whole process of trying to reform these so-called 527 groups?
WOODRUFF: You know, I think he still -- he still would acknowledge he wants the president to condemn them, but he's not going to make a point of it. I think he feels that he's done that. The people around him certainly would say that he's done that and his view has not changed.
But they do have to be onboard now. They -- John McCain wants George W. Bush to win. He wants him to win this election. He's going to be out campaigning with him tomorrow in three states, three battleground states right in the middle of this convention.
So he -- you know, in a way, he's got to get his story in line with the president's. But that doesn't make him happy about the turn of events of the last few weeks.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let's talk about Rudy Giuliani the other person who will be making a talk tonight, another main event type person, marquis event.
Rudy Giuliani, it seems to me, has potential -- a national profile that he could exploit for political gain at some point. Does he aspire to do that, do you think?
WOODRUFF: Everybody who knows Rudy Giuliani well and, Miles, I don't profess to be one of them, they will say that Rudy Giuliani is looking seriously at future political office.
You know, there are people who say, well, he's going to run against Hillary Clinton for the Senate. Maybe he's going to run for president.
But whatever it is, Rudy Giuliani is doing everything he can, even as he runs a consulting business and by all accounts is making millions of dollars on the side doing that, he's also going around the country making speeches, and in the best sense of the word and others would say, in a -- in a take advantage sense of the word, capitalizing on his 9/11 experience.
But I don't think there's any doubt that Rudy Giuliani has political aspirations down the road.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Republican conventions, we've all witnessed in the past. One that comes to mind is Houston in 1992, which was widely perceived as being, well, I guess the tone would be harsh, no matter which side of the spectrum you're on. It was a harsh tone there.
To what extent, what have the Republicans done this time, if anything, to try to change that tone and try to sort of aim for the middle?
WOODRUFF: Everything, in a word. They want to do the opposite of Houston in 1992. They felt the convention was taken over by Pat Buchanan and by others who came out with a very divisive message, an "us versus" them message. Their message at this convention is all about inclusion.
They are putting out there the mavericks like John McCain, the moderates like Rudy Giuliani. Tomorrow, Miles, we're going to be talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger, very popular Republican.
They are giving these moderates, mavericks, if you will, far more time at the podium than they are the more conservative members of the party.
Now, they will say, well, you're going to hear from the president and the vice president. Of course you are. You -- One does that at a convention. But the people who are being showcased are people who are popular, presentable faces for this Republican Party.
Not the same message that you get when you look at the platform. But they're saying that doesn't matter. People don't read much of the platform anyway.
O'BRIEN: Judy Woodruff, you always brighten our screen. We appreciate you dropping by. And Judy, of course, will take -- take the con in 15 minutes for an expanded version of "INSIDE POLITICS." Excuse me, "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS," coming up at 3 Eastern. We invite you to tune in. You'll get your full political does -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: If you don't have a television, Miles, are you going to have your boom box up on your shoulder?
O'BRIEN: What do you mean, if you don't have a television? Who doesn't have a television? First of all, these people are watching us.
PHILLIPS: I know there's a lot of people. If you don't have it, then, hey, turn to the radio, 8 to 11 tonight. You've got affiliates all across the country. Miles will be listening, because he'll love to critique me the next day. We're going to instigate lots of good discussion, good debates, Carol Costello and I on the -- You can't say dial anymore, I guess on the button.
O'BRIEN: On the button, yes. On the radio.
PHILLIPS: OK. There you go.
O'BRIEN: That's wherever your CNN affiliate might be. And if you don't have a television, by all means give us a call right now. We'll get you one.
PHILLIPS: We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
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PHILLIPS: Did you start with the catch up?
O'BRIEN: Yes. Well, our lead in to Fred Katayama is a visual joke. Is President Bush catching up? Catching? There you go. Get it? Catching up with Kerry? Two condiment makers are offering some condiment alternatives.
PHILLIPS: Fred Katayama catching us up on all the ketchup and the Heinz Kerry and all that stuff.
O'BRIEN: Fifty-seven -- 57 varieties. Go ahead, Fred.
(STOCK REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Mr. Katayama, thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right, we've got a lot more ahead. We're going to go for the quest, I guess you could say...
O'BRIEN: The quest, as they call it.
PHILLIPS: ... of American politics and viewpoints.
O'BRIEN: Ohio is one of the key battleground states in this presidential election. Our Richard Quest is in that lynchpin state trying to determine precisely what a Buckeye is. Right?
PHILLIPS: He's inside the museum. Look at the guitars behind him.
O'BRIEN: I think there must have been a security snafu to allow him in, but he's there.
PHILLIPS: Surprised he's not playing the guitar. All right. He's in the hall of fame, of course, if you don't know. Cleveland, Ohio.
O'BRIEN: I think he's at the Beatles exhibit. Right? Are you there, with the Beatles?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a very large exhibition of the Beatles which as Miles says. And oddly enough, Miles and Kyra, I was born in Liverpool. So one word against the Beatles from either of you two and there will be some serious repercussions.
O'BRIEN: We won't do that.
PHILLIPS: We love the Beatles.
O'BRIEN: No, no, no.
PHILLIPS: We didn't do anything.
O'BRIEN: No, no, no. We're not picking any fights on the Beatles.
QUEST: I'm here at the hall of fame, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. And you know, the one thing I want to talk about briefly is the way in which rock stars have come out for one side or the other, and the Republicans or the Democrats.
Now, for example, the Democrats have got Jon Bon Jovi. They've got Bruce Springsteen. They have Willie Nelson. The Republicans are looking a little -- a little limp, one might say, with Ricky Martin and Larry Gatlin and Ricky Skaggs. Democrats tend to get the rockers; Republicans tend to get the country and western.
O'BRIEN: Richard -- Richard -- Richard, that could be fighting words for people who are fans of those particular acts, don't you think?
QUEST: Well, indeed, but what about the Dixie Chicks? I'm choosing my words carefully here. Because one thing is clear, guys, if -- if an artist comes out for one side or the other, you risk alienating a vast majority or a vast part of the American public.
So that is -- I was talking to the professor, the curator here, who was telling me that it's fascinating that more so than perhaps since the Vietnam War more rock 'n' roll musicians are coming out one way or the other, and it could cost them dear in their career.
PHILLIPS: Again with that eye.
O'BRIEN: I wonder -- You go ahead. PHILLIPS: Well, I was just curious whose guitar is behind him.
QUEST: All right. Hang on. Hang on. These are all -- these are all guitars from a local exhibition. They've just got names like Shannon Strath (ph), untitled, Speedy.
PHILLIPS: I want a picture of him standing up next to him.
O'BRIEN: I'm curious. Richard, do you know who was the first rock 'n' roll star to enter the political fray in this way, do you recall? I mean, certainly the Beatles or Elvis. They never -- you never knew where they were -- certainly the Beatles weren't voting, but what they thought.
QUEST: Well, you've got to go really back to the '20s, for songs like, for example, "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?" Sort of the -- the social conditional songs.
But then you go on to the Vietnam era when you have artists like Linda Ronstadt and all those Americans...
O'BRIEN: There you go.
QUEST: ... who came out with anti-war songs.
Now, of course, you don't get the songs except maybe, for example, from George Michael. You actually get, instead, the cause without the songs because the song might cost you dear.
PHILLIPS: The music goes all the way back, though, to royalty. And I mean, we can go way back and trace music in political realms, right?
QUEST: Absolutely. Music has been an expression of both political change and political thought and, indeed, of social unrest. What we are not seeing, what we are not seeing at the moment is the songs. We are merely seeing the artists and frankly, they're doing it in a rather wishy-washy way.
PHILLIPS: Wishy-washy. Mr. Quest is not wishy-washy.
O'BRIEN: They're kind of flip-floppers themselves.
All right, Richard Quest.
PHILLIPS: Always a pleasure.
O'BRIEN: Enjoy your difficult assignment. As always, he gets the tough one.
Checking entertainment headlines this Monday.
Bravo to R&B bad boy Bobby Brown. The singer is negotiating -- you had to say that very slowly. That's a hard one. He's negotiating with the Bravo network to air his own reality show. Brown's production company has already shot the footage. The deal reportedly hinges on the participation of Brown's wife, singer Whitney Houston and probably his probation officer, too.
Anyway, Russell Crowe is eating crow. The Aussie actor says he is to blame for a brawl between himself and his own bodyguard. That's not the way it's supposed to work. You're not supposed to go after your own bodyguard.
Crowe tells an Australian newspaper the fight was a misunderstanding at a party. Might have been a few drinks involved. The pair made up. We don't know about kissing, but they at least made up the next day. Crowe also denies taking a bite of his bodyguard's ear, a la Mike Tyson.
And Posh Spice is preggers again. Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and her soccer star husband, David Beckham, expecting their third little spicedom. The Beckhams say the baby is due in March. Sugar and spice and everything nice, we hope.
PHILLIPS: Aw. At the MTV music awards in Miami, the daughters of -- are we going to talk about the daughters?
O'BRIEN: I think we're done.
PHILLIPS: Are we finished?
O'BRIEN: I think that's it. No daughters?
PHILLIPS: Are we talking daughters? No daughters?
It is back in. We're going to talk about it. Here we go. Roll the video. Cue the video.
The daughters of the presidential candidates, they get a lesson in freedom of speech. I know you guys were all watching this last night. Let's take a little sound.
Oh, yes, the MTV music awards in Miami. Look at this. Oh, boy.
O'BRIEN: At least you can say they got Kerry'd away.
PHILLIPS: They tried to hush the crowd. But John Kerry's daughters, Vanessa and Alexandra, seemed a little shocked at the crowd's reaction. You heard the boos. But it's not really clear who the cheers and jeers were for and why.
There was also a mixed reaction when a video of the Bush twins was played. However, MTV didn't air the crowd sounds during the live broadcast of that video. Got a little confusing.
Kerry's daughter Vanessa said that she was just a little concerned on stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANESSA KERRY, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER: I was scared out of my mind. I mean, I grabbed my sister and I thought, what is happening? And -- but it doesn't matter, because we're fighting for something that I believe in so strongly. I will go up there and hear the whole arena boo if it means connecting with one person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Evidently the candidates' daughters were just trying to encourage the young crowd to get out and vote and found themselves in the middle of a boo fest.
O'BRIEN: I think they just wanted, you know, a snappy musical number.
PHILLIPS: You think?
O'BRIEN: Yes, probably.
PHILLIPS: Good. They're going to have Britney Spears come out.
O'BRIEN: Maybe they should have had one ready. You know, a little something or another.
Anyway...
PHILLIPS: A soft shoe.
O'BRIEN: ... that wraps up this edition of LIVE FROM. I'm Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. Joining us again for a special 90-minute edition of INSIDE POLITICS, of course, our Judy Woodruff live from Madison Square Garden.
Hi, Judy.
WOODRUFF: My two favorite folks, Miles, Kyra, thank you both.
Well, I am here in Madison Square Garden at the Republican National Convention. The festivities are already under way here. We're going to take a look at what's already happened and what we can expect tonight.
Plus we'll examine the convention speaker line-up and look at why many of them are liked by both parties. The fight for moderates when INSIDE POLITICS begins in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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