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Road Ahead for Mahmoud Abbas Could be Long and Bumpy

Aired January 10, 2005 - 13:35   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.


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: A renewed sense of hope is emerging today in the West Bank and Gaza. As expected, former Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas won an overwhelming majority of votes in Sunday's election to replace long-time leader Yasser Arafat. International monitors reported a few problems, but said overall the election was fair and free. One of the most prominent observers was former President Jimmy Carter. Earlier he spoke to CNN's Wolf Blitzer about the landmark vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY CARTER, FMR. PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: Within that framework of being an occupied people, I think the election was superb. The Palestinian people and the election commission deserve enormous credit because they've only had 60 days to prepare for this election after the death of Yasser Arafat. And I think, in general terms, they have done an outstanding job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now can you see more of Jimmy Carter's interview at 5:00 Eastern an CNN's "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS."

Abbas may have won the election by a landslide, but as CNN's Guy Raz reports, the road ahead could be long and bumpy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president of a nation without a state. But the challenge ahead for the man known as Abu Mazen will rival that of any world leader.

MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT-ELECT (through translator): We have a difficult, tough task ahead of us, to build a secure and stable state based on the rule of law.

RAZ: A man better known for being unknown, Abu Mazen quickly embraced the limelight on the campaign trail and the legacy of Yasser Arafat, even mimicking the scarf-waving style of his predecessor, but the two men couldn't be more different.

NASSER JUMAA, AL AQSA MARTYRS BRIGADE (through translator): Abu Mazen should pursue Arafat's path in insisting on Palestinian national demands, but we don't want him to follow Arafat's legacy of complete and utter corruption.

RAZ: This is another Abu Mazen, a man with the same nom de guerre as the president and someone Mahmoud Abbas has to contend with. We met him at a safe house. He's the Nablus leader of the armed Palestinian faction, al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. His real name is Nasser Jumaa.

He's constantly on the move, a target for assassination by Israeli intelligence, which sees him as a terrorist and believes he's responsible for the death of Israelis.

To locals, he's a hero of the resistance. Here in the warren of alleyways of the old city of Nablus, Jumaa is safe and important. Important enough for Mahmoud Abbas to pay a special campaign visit to see him last week.

Abbas wants these men to end their attacks against Israelis. In return, he promises to protect them.

ABBAS (through translator): As for the honorable wanted men from al Aqsa and other factions, we will not accept anything less than a dignified, secure, stable life in their society.

RAZ: Nasser Jumaa says his group is prepared to call a cease- fire with Israel, but he doesn't believe Israel will agree to his terms. And ending the violence, he says, is a two-way street.

JUMAA (through translator): Abu Mazen needs to understand that our guns will not be disposed of as long as there is Israeli occupation, and this is a subject we won't even discuss.

RAZ: In parts of Nablus, Jumaa's men control the streets, not the official Palestinian police. Mahmoud Abbas wants them all under his control, a major challenge. For the time being, Nasser Jumaa is willing to give it a chance.

Mahmoud Abbas accepted this role reluctantly. He didn't want the job. Now he can expect to be squeezed from every side, his own people and Israel.

Guy Raz, CNN, Nablus, in the West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: So is Mahmoud Abbas the answer to bringing peace to the Middle East? Stephen Cohen has known Abbas for 20 years. He's the founder for the Institute for Middle East Peace and Development.

Dr. Cohen, good to have you with us. It occurs to me that Mahmoud Abbas faces a very brief, if at all, evident honeymoon. How much time does he have with these very, very difficult factions that he has to somehow bring along into the fold? How much time does he have to do that?

DR. STEPHEN COHEN, ISRAEL POLICY FORUM: Well, the important thing is that he'll have more time if at the same time that he's trying to do that very difficult task, he is convincing the Israelis that he's sincere and serious about it, making it his top priority. And if at the same time the Israelis and the Americans are convincing the Palestinian people that there is a willingness to try to improve the quality of their life while these political processes start to take life again.

Abu Mazen is going to be measured the same way he was measured when he was prime minister, only moreso. At that time he failed to be able to get much authority from Arafat because he was not able to show that he could improve either the economic situation of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, or their security situation. That is that there was no diminution of the number of road blocks, there was no diminution of the Israeli attacks on Palestinians, and there was no willingness of the Israelis to release significant numbers of the Palestinian prisoners who are in Israeli...

O'BRIEN: So his -- ultimately, his success in consolidating power among Palestinians relies upon the Israelis meeting him halfway way, at least. Is that likely?

COHEN: Well, I think that there's a recognition in Israel and in the United States, that they lost their chance with Abu Mazen the first time and they don't want to lose it a second time. They know that if Abu Mazen does not succeed in bringing about a real ceasefire and a real move towards a peaceful negotiation process, that there is not going to be a likelihood that his successor will have any better chance. In fact, his successor is not likely to run on a platform which advocates so clearly the end of the military intifada.

O'BRIEN: Tell me a little bit about -- you've known him for many years, over 20 years. Tell me about his relationship with Yasser Arafat and to what extent that either helps or hinders him as he attempts to consolidate power?

COHEN: Well, it's an interesting question for me personally, because the first time that I met Abu Mazen, he was not the top leadership, he was the second layer of leadership. And I met him in a meeting in which Yasser Arafat was talking to me with the other two top leaders, Abu Jihad and Abu Iyad. And it was clear that Abu Mazen was an associate of Abu Iyad, and was responsible for much of the attempt of the Palestinians at that time, which was after the expulsion from Beirut and when they had just arrived in Tunis that Abu Mazen was in charge of trying to develop confidential contacts with Israelis, Israelis both from the left and also from the center.

And he was doing so through the contacts that the PLO had through the Russians and through others in Eastern Europe. He had not yet developed any relationships successfully, either with the United States or with the Europeans. And so he was very eager to get to know me because he wanted to create those contacts because he believed that the Palestinian future depended on contact with Westerners, especially Americans, and with Israelis.

O'BRIEN: A final quick thought here. We're really out of time. But I wanted to ask you, at this point, what should the U.S. be doing? Some are saying at this point, the U.S. should start imposing some sort of peace plan. Should it go that far?

COHEN: I don't think imposing is going to work. What I think the United States has to be clear about is that it has the full intention of the full implementation of the road map and that it understands that the road map means ending the occupation which began in June 1967. That is the critical thing that we need to hear now from the United States. It is to give a political horizon to the Palestinians so that Abu Mazen has a chance to convince the people of Al Aqsa, the people of Hamas, and his own people in Fatah, to convince them that it is worthwhile to put down the military intifada, put it away for an extended period of time so that Abu Mazen has a chance to see what would happen from peaceful talks with Ariel Sharon and with his colleagues or successors.

O'BRIEN: Stephen Cohen. Thank you very much for your time, sir.

COHEN: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Back with more LIVE FROM in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: President Bush says the U.S. is committed to helping tsunami victims for a long time to come. One major question though, how best to coordinate the aid right now? Well, Neal Keny-Guyer is the CEO of Mercy Corps. He met with President Bush today to talk about tsunami relief and he joins us now from Washington. Good afternoon to you.

NEAL KENY-GUYER, CEO, MERCY CORPS: Good afternoon.

NGUYEN: Well, you spoke with the president today about the next steps in these relief efforts. What are those next steps?

KENY-GUYER: Well, the next steps are it's very important now that we get more organized and coordinated as an international humanitarian community. This -- these last ten days, as you can imagine, it's just been a rush to get -- to find the people in the need and to get life-saving aid to them. Now it's time that we begin to pull together the assessment, coordinate the food deliveries, coordinate the delivery of medicines, get everybody in shelter.

And then also, as quickly as possible, move to recovery efforts. The sooner we can get the fishermen back in their boats, can get farmers back in their fields, can get small businesses up and running, the sooner that we'll be able to restore a normal life for these people. And that's so important.

NGUYEN: That's quite an effort. Because in the beginning, a lot of relief workers just really described chaos on the ground. But now, as you try to get all of this coordinated, how do you plan to do so? Because it is a large effort.

KENY-GUYER: Well, the most important coordination happens on the ground closest to the people in need. And I'm happy to report that coordination efforts are being established. The U.N. is beginning to get its people on the ground, beginning to pull together the assessments. The government is finally getting organized. Remember, in places, especially in Aceh province, the government, so many of their own people lost their lives and were forced out of their homes because the destruction was so overwhelming. But at this point, we're beginning to see the early stages of coordination occur, and increasingly, that will get better and better as the days go on.

NGUYEN: You talk about coordination. People at home watch the video and want to help. So as they send in their dollars, how do they know where that money is going?

KENY-GUYER: Well, that's such an important question. You know, there has been such a tremendous outpouring of compassion and support, unprecedented for many of us. So it is really important that people who do donate go to the interaction Web site, go to the Better Business Bureau, look at the organizations who already have a track record and have programs on the ground out there, because these are the organizations that are committed to international standards, have worked in the field out there, and will get those donated resources to the people in the greatest need.

NGUYEN: Are you fearful that with time, these donations are going to taper off, although the need still remains?

KENY-GUYER: Well, we see that in so many crises. So I'm fearful of that. But at the same time, I'm fearful that the -- all the donations that were going to Darfur, Sudan, to Afghanistan, to Liberia and other places of need will drop off as well, because those places are still in need, and there's important and vital work to be done there, just as there is an incredible, incredible humanitarian effort required for all the areas affected by the tsunami now.

NGUYEN: So spread the generosity around. All right, Neal Keny- Guyer with Mercy Corps. We thank you for your time and your insight today.

KENY-GUYER: Thank you very much.

NGUYEN: And stay tuned for more LIVE FROM after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right, he's once called the fastest, richest Texan by "Fortune" magazine. Ross Perot, known for his eccentric personality. See here, remember that? And his business savvy. He put his mark on the political landscape of this country of course. As part of CNN's anniversary series, "Then and Now," we take a look at his story and where he is today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSS PEROT: Thank you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER (voice-over): H. Ross Perot, a Texas billionaire with an eye on the bottom line, a nose for shaking up politics, and an ear for a catchy phrase. PEROT: I don't mean subsidized business. I don't mean burp 'em and diaper them, but let's stop breaking their legs first thing every morning.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Perot appeared on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" in 1992 and announced he would run for president, if the people wanted him.

PEROT: I will not run as either a Democrat or a Republican, because I will not sell out to anybody but the American people.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Millions of Americans responded by signing petitions to get him on the ballot.

CROWD: We want Ross! We want Ross!

PEROT: Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Perot became the candidate and leader of the Reform Party. Using $57 million of his own money, Perot captured 19 percent of the popular vote in the '92 election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you swear to tell the truth?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Nearly a decade after his last run for president in 1996, Perot champions the cause of veterans and POWs, something he's worked on since the Vietnam War.

PEROT: We need to be sure we can protect our men and treat our men in future wars.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Perot turned 75 this year, and recently received the Eisenhower Award in honor of his work with veterans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, If Ross Perot wasn't enough, coming up in our second hour of LIVE FROM, Newt versus Hillary? Could it happen in the next election? We'll chew on this concept and other political news with our own Carlos Watson.

And find out what America's favorite newlyweds have to say about America's favorite soon-to-be no-longer-weds. We've got your entertainment headlines and much more. LIVE FROM's hour of power begins after this.

(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 January 10, 2005 - 13:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: A renewed sense of hope is emerging today in the West Bank and Gaza. As expected, former Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas won an overwhelming majority of votes in Sunday's election to replace long-time leader Yasser Arafat. International monitors reported a few problems, but said overall the election was fair and free. One of the most prominent observers was former President Jimmy Carter. Earlier he spoke to CNN's Wolf Blitzer about the landmark vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY CARTER, FMR. PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: Within that framework of being an occupied people, I think the election was superb. The Palestinian people and the election commission deserve enormous credit because they've only had 60 days to prepare for this election after the death of Yasser Arafat. And I think, in general terms, they have done an outstanding job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now can you see more of Jimmy Carter's interview at 5:00 Eastern an CNN's "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS."

Abbas may have won the election by a landslide, but as CNN's Guy Raz reports, the road ahead could be long and bumpy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president of a nation without a state. But the challenge ahead for the man known as Abu Mazen will rival that of any world leader.

MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT-ELECT (through translator): We have a difficult, tough task ahead of us, to build a secure and stable state based on the rule of law.

RAZ: A man better known for being unknown, Abu Mazen quickly embraced the limelight on the campaign trail and the legacy of Yasser Arafat, even mimicking the scarf-waving style of his predecessor, but the two men couldn't be more different.

NASSER JUMAA, AL AQSA MARTYRS BRIGADE (through translator): Abu Mazen should pursue Arafat's path in insisting on Palestinian national demands, but we don't want him to follow Arafat's legacy of complete and utter corruption.

RAZ: This is another Abu Mazen, a man with the same nom de guerre as the president and someone Mahmoud Abbas has to contend with. We met him at a safe house. He's the Nablus leader of the armed Palestinian faction, al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. His real name is Nasser Jumaa.

He's constantly on the move, a target for assassination by Israeli intelligence, which sees him as a terrorist and believes he's responsible for the death of Israelis.

To locals, he's a hero of the resistance. Here in the warren of alleyways of the old city of Nablus, Jumaa is safe and important. Important enough for Mahmoud Abbas to pay a special campaign visit to see him last week.

Abbas wants these men to end their attacks against Israelis. In return, he promises to protect them.

ABBAS (through translator): As for the honorable wanted men from al Aqsa and other factions, we will not accept anything less than a dignified, secure, stable life in their society.

RAZ: Nasser Jumaa says his group is prepared to call a cease- fire with Israel, but he doesn't believe Israel will agree to his terms. And ending the violence, he says, is a two-way street.

JUMAA (through translator): Abu Mazen needs to understand that our guns will not be disposed of as long as there is Israeli occupation, and this is a subject we won't even discuss.

RAZ: In parts of Nablus, Jumaa's men control the streets, not the official Palestinian police. Mahmoud Abbas wants them all under his control, a major challenge. For the time being, Nasser Jumaa is willing to give it a chance.

Mahmoud Abbas accepted this role reluctantly. He didn't want the job. Now he can expect to be squeezed from every side, his own people and Israel.

Guy Raz, CNN, Nablus, in the West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: So is Mahmoud Abbas the answer to bringing peace to the Middle East? Stephen Cohen has known Abbas for 20 years. He's the founder for the Institute for Middle East Peace and Development.

Dr. Cohen, good to have you with us. It occurs to me that Mahmoud Abbas faces a very brief, if at all, evident honeymoon. How much time does he have with these very, very difficult factions that he has to somehow bring along into the fold? How much time does he have to do that?

DR. STEPHEN COHEN, ISRAEL POLICY FORUM: Well, the important thing is that he'll have more time if at the same time that he's trying to do that very difficult task, he is convincing the Israelis that he's sincere and serious about it, making it his top priority. And if at the same time the Israelis and the Americans are convincing the Palestinian people that there is a willingness to try to improve the quality of their life while these political processes start to take life again.

Abu Mazen is going to be measured the same way he was measured when he was prime minister, only moreso. At that time he failed to be able to get much authority from Arafat because he was not able to show that he could improve either the economic situation of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, or their security situation. That is that there was no diminution of the number of road blocks, there was no diminution of the Israeli attacks on Palestinians, and there was no willingness of the Israelis to release significant numbers of the Palestinian prisoners who are in Israeli...

O'BRIEN: So his -- ultimately, his success in consolidating power among Palestinians relies upon the Israelis meeting him halfway way, at least. Is that likely?

COHEN: Well, I think that there's a recognition in Israel and in the United States, that they lost their chance with Abu Mazen the first time and they don't want to lose it a second time. They know that if Abu Mazen does not succeed in bringing about a real ceasefire and a real move towards a peaceful negotiation process, that there is not going to be a likelihood that his successor will have any better chance. In fact, his successor is not likely to run on a platform which advocates so clearly the end of the military intifada.

O'BRIEN: Tell me a little bit about -- you've known him for many years, over 20 years. Tell me about his relationship with Yasser Arafat and to what extent that either helps or hinders him as he attempts to consolidate power?

COHEN: Well, it's an interesting question for me personally, because the first time that I met Abu Mazen, he was not the top leadership, he was the second layer of leadership. And I met him in a meeting in which Yasser Arafat was talking to me with the other two top leaders, Abu Jihad and Abu Iyad. And it was clear that Abu Mazen was an associate of Abu Iyad, and was responsible for much of the attempt of the Palestinians at that time, which was after the expulsion from Beirut and when they had just arrived in Tunis that Abu Mazen was in charge of trying to develop confidential contacts with Israelis, Israelis both from the left and also from the center.

And he was doing so through the contacts that the PLO had through the Russians and through others in Eastern Europe. He had not yet developed any relationships successfully, either with the United States or with the Europeans. And so he was very eager to get to know me because he wanted to create those contacts because he believed that the Palestinian future depended on contact with Westerners, especially Americans, and with Israelis.

O'BRIEN: A final quick thought here. We're really out of time. But I wanted to ask you, at this point, what should the U.S. be doing? Some are saying at this point, the U.S. should start imposing some sort of peace plan. Should it go that far?

COHEN: I don't think imposing is going to work. What I think the United States has to be clear about is that it has the full intention of the full implementation of the road map and that it understands that the road map means ending the occupation which began in June 1967. That is the critical thing that we need to hear now from the United States. It is to give a political horizon to the Palestinians so that Abu Mazen has a chance to convince the people of Al Aqsa, the people of Hamas, and his own people in Fatah, to convince them that it is worthwhile to put down the military intifada, put it away for an extended period of time so that Abu Mazen has a chance to see what would happen from peaceful talks with Ariel Sharon and with his colleagues or successors.

O'BRIEN: Stephen Cohen. Thank you very much for your time, sir.

COHEN: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Back with more LIVE FROM in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: President Bush says the U.S. is committed to helping tsunami victims for a long time to come. One major question though, how best to coordinate the aid right now? Well, Neal Keny-Guyer is the CEO of Mercy Corps. He met with President Bush today to talk about tsunami relief and he joins us now from Washington. Good afternoon to you.

NEAL KENY-GUYER, CEO, MERCY CORPS: Good afternoon.

NGUYEN: Well, you spoke with the president today about the next steps in these relief efforts. What are those next steps?

KENY-GUYER: Well, the next steps are it's very important now that we get more organized and coordinated as an international humanitarian community. This -- these last ten days, as you can imagine, it's just been a rush to get -- to find the people in the need and to get life-saving aid to them. Now it's time that we begin to pull together the assessment, coordinate the food deliveries, coordinate the delivery of medicines, get everybody in shelter.

And then also, as quickly as possible, move to recovery efforts. The sooner we can get the fishermen back in their boats, can get farmers back in their fields, can get small businesses up and running, the sooner that we'll be able to restore a normal life for these people. And that's so important.

NGUYEN: That's quite an effort. Because in the beginning, a lot of relief workers just really described chaos on the ground. But now, as you try to get all of this coordinated, how do you plan to do so? Because it is a large effort.

KENY-GUYER: Well, the most important coordination happens on the ground closest to the people in need. And I'm happy to report that coordination efforts are being established. The U.N. is beginning to get its people on the ground, beginning to pull together the assessments. The government is finally getting organized. Remember, in places, especially in Aceh province, the government, so many of their own people lost their lives and were forced out of their homes because the destruction was so overwhelming. But at this point, we're beginning to see the early stages of coordination occur, and increasingly, that will get better and better as the days go on.

NGUYEN: You talk about coordination. People at home watch the video and want to help. So as they send in their dollars, how do they know where that money is going?

KENY-GUYER: Well, that's such an important question. You know, there has been such a tremendous outpouring of compassion and support, unprecedented for many of us. So it is really important that people who do donate go to the interaction Web site, go to the Better Business Bureau, look at the organizations who already have a track record and have programs on the ground out there, because these are the organizations that are committed to international standards, have worked in the field out there, and will get those donated resources to the people in the greatest need.

NGUYEN: Are you fearful that with time, these donations are going to taper off, although the need still remains?

KENY-GUYER: Well, we see that in so many crises. So I'm fearful of that. But at the same time, I'm fearful that the -- all the donations that were going to Darfur, Sudan, to Afghanistan, to Liberia and other places of need will drop off as well, because those places are still in need, and there's important and vital work to be done there, just as there is an incredible, incredible humanitarian effort required for all the areas affected by the tsunami now.

NGUYEN: So spread the generosity around. All right, Neal Keny- Guyer with Mercy Corps. We thank you for your time and your insight today.

KENY-GUYER: Thank you very much.

NGUYEN: And stay tuned for more LIVE FROM after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right, he's once called the fastest, richest Texan by "Fortune" magazine. Ross Perot, known for his eccentric personality. See here, remember that? And his business savvy. He put his mark on the political landscape of this country of course. As part of CNN's anniversary series, "Then and Now," we take a look at his story and where he is today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSS PEROT: Thank you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER (voice-over): H. Ross Perot, a Texas billionaire with an eye on the bottom line, a nose for shaking up politics, and an ear for a catchy phrase. PEROT: I don't mean subsidized business. I don't mean burp 'em and diaper them, but let's stop breaking their legs first thing every morning.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Perot appeared on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" in 1992 and announced he would run for president, if the people wanted him.

PEROT: I will not run as either a Democrat or a Republican, because I will not sell out to anybody but the American people.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Millions of Americans responded by signing petitions to get him on the ballot.

CROWD: We want Ross! We want Ross!

PEROT: Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Perot became the candidate and leader of the Reform Party. Using $57 million of his own money, Perot captured 19 percent of the popular vote in the '92 election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you swear to tell the truth?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Nearly a decade after his last run for president in 1996, Perot champions the cause of veterans and POWs, something he's worked on since the Vietnam War.

PEROT: We need to be sure we can protect our men and treat our men in future wars.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Perot turned 75 this year, and recently received the Eisenhower Award in honor of his work with veterans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, If Ross Perot wasn't enough, coming up in our second hour of LIVE FROM, Newt versus Hillary? Could it happen in the next election? We'll chew on this concept and other political news with our own Carlos Watson.

And find out what America's favorite newlyweds have to say about America's favorite soon-to-be no-longer-weds. We've got your entertainment headlines and much more. LIVE FROM's hour of power begins after this.

(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