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CNN Live Today
New Offensive in Iraq a Day After 35 Children Die; Purported Al Qaeda Tape Released; Bush, Kerry Debate Foreign Policy
Aired October 01, 2004 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. From the CNN headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin.
Sounds of intense street fighting today fill the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad. The U.S. military says more than 100 insurgents have been killed in the operation, one of the largest in the area in months. And one U.S. soldier has also died. About 1,000 Iraqi troops are assisting U.S. forces in routing out insurgents from their strongholds, which include an important Shiite mosque. A live report in the ongoing battle is straight ahead.
And Usama bin Laden's No. 2 man is purportedly heard on an audiotape being aired by al Jazeera. Now, CNN cannot confirm the voice is actually of Ayman al Zawahari. And it's not known how recently the tape was made. But the speaker identifies Palestine as the epicenter of a global conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims.
And a bomb exploded during prayers at a Shiite mosque in Pakistan today. At least 20 people were killed and another 50 were wounded. As many as 800 people were inside the mosque at the time of the explosion. The attack comes less than a week after a top al Qaeda suspect was killed in a shoot-out with Pakistani police.
And to the Middle East, Palestinian sources say more than 30 Palestinians have been killed in fierce fighting with Israeli troops in northern Gaza. Three Israelis also died there. Israel's incursion into Gaza follows a rocket attack Wednesday that killed two Israeli children.
And Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair will remain overnight in a London hospital, after a procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat. Mr. Blair downplayed the seriousness of the so-called heart flutter, and said he's going to be back at work on Monday.
We begin this hour in Samarra in Iraq. A stronghold of insurgent activity, the U.S. forces are pounding that city fiercely. Also reports that a hostage has been located.
CNN's Jane Arraf is on the telephone and has the very latest for us -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Carol, that fight now started late last night. That was many hours ago, and U.S. troops here are still taking fire from suspected insurgents. Including this area that we're at around the mosque, one of the holiest shrines in Shiia Islam, where two of the twelve imams are buried and a third -- the twelfth imam disappeared.
Now, it was extraordinary (AUDIO GAP) lining the streets up to this mosque. They left (AUDIO GAP) in the shrine (AUDIO GAP) forces were (AUDIO GAP)
LIN: Jane's having a sat -- Jane, stand by. Let's try to correct the satellite phone signal there. I know it's pretty tough for you because you're in Samarra, where the heat of battle is going right now.
Jane Arraf, reporting in by telephone from the battle scene, where U.S. forces are bounding insurgents. U.S. forces had indicated that they were going to hit insurgents hard and fast both in Samarra and Fallujah, to try to soften up the insurgency, as the weeks are leading up to January elections. Still planned in that country. We're going to get back to Jane as soon as we can because the battle still ensuing.
But right now, we want to move on to politics. Hopefully you were watching last night the first presidential debate. And the question may not be who won last night's contest but did it actually sway any voters?
Our coverage begins with CNN's Dan Lothian at the University of Miami.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CHEERING)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In their first face-off in Florida, Senator John Kerry accused the president of diverting his attention from the real war on terror by going into Iraq.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president just talked about Iraq as a center of the war on terror. Iraq was not even close to the center of the war on terror before the president invaded it. This president has made, I regret to say, a colossal error of judgment.
LOTHIAN: President Bush responded by portraying Kerry as a candidate trying to have it both ways.
GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: First of all, what my opponent wants you to forget is that he voted to authorize the use of force, and now says it's the wrong war at the wrong time at the wrong place. I don't see how you can lead this country to succeed in Iraq if you say wrong war, wrong time wrong place.
LOTHIAN: It's a phrase the president would use repeatedly, attempting to show how Kerry's mixed message would send the wrong message to world leaders. Kerry did acknowledge making mistakes. But gave a defense. KERRY: When I talked about the $87 billion, I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?
LOTHIAN: As both campaigns work their war rooms, sending out rapid-fire responses and fact checks, and as hundreds of people protested outside, two interesting moments from the candidates. First, after Kerry gave a laundry list of how he would deal with homeland security, President Bush saw an opening.
BUSH: I don't think we want to get to how he's going to pay for all these promises. It's like a huge tax gap, and -- anyway. That's for another debate.
LOTHIAN: Then when the president seemed to imply that Iraq attacked the U.S., Senator Kerry pounced on it.
KERRY: Saddam Hussein didn't attack us. Usama bin Laden attacked us. Al Qaeda attacked us.
LOTHIAN: Even though the president at times seemed to be frustrated, no one appeared to land fatal blows in this first round.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Coral Gables, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well our CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll questioned voters who watched the debate. Now keep in mind that views can change a few days after the poll, so these numbers may also change. But that's why we call it a flash poll. Fifty-three percent of those polled say that John Kerry did a better job in the debate. Thirty-seven percent said President Bush performed better.
Both President Bush and John Kerry are back on the road after the debate, and so are our White House correspondents John King and national correspondent Frank Buckley covering their appearances.
John, let's start with you in Miami. What's the feedback from the Bush campaign?
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, they concede that John Kerry probably won if you score this like a debating coach. But they believe the president protected himself and defended himself politically on the key questions going in. And that, they say is the threshold to look at in the polling perhaps 72 hours from now. Do voters still favor President Bush to handle the war in Iraq? Do voters still favor President Bush when it comes to handling the broader war on terrorism?
Now you mention back on the campaign trail, the president left Miami this morning on his way to Allentown, Pennsylvania. Then on to Manchester, New Hampshire. Two states the president puts on his map right now. Two states; at least definitely Pennsylvania that the Democrats would concede Senator Kerry needs to win if he is to win the White House. The president after the debate last night immediately turned his focus back to domestic policy. He says he enjoyed last night's debate and is very much looking forward to one of the debates to come dedicated to domestic policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I'm looking forward to the debate on domestic policy, too.
(CHEERING)
BUSH: There are some big differences. He's going to run up your taxes.
(BOOING)
BUSH: I'm going to keep them low.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
KING: Now at the debate last night the Bush campaign believes it did do a good job in raising questions about Senator Kerry's credibility to be commander in chief, about what the Bush campaign calls his vacillation and shifting positions on the war in Iraq and other issues. Some Republicans though, privately conceding, and even some advisers close to President Bush conceding that they wish he spent more time defending and explaining his policy in Iraq before attacking Senator Kerry.
Still the Bush campaign, Carol, goes back on the road today believing that Senator Kerry scored some points. Not enough they believe to turn around the president's lead on those key war on terrorism, commander in chief issues. They say that is the thing to watch in the days to come -- Carol.
LIN: Will do. Thanks very much, John.
Let's go to CNN's Frank Buckley who is traveling with the Kerry campaign. He joins us from Tampa -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NAT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Kerry campaign aides are very happy about the performance last night by Senator Kerry. They, of course, are very involved in the post-debate spin right now. Very important period in which the American voters will decide, some of those who haven't seen the debate, which candidate won based on just the spin that they've heard. One of the aides that I talked to this morning, literally hoarse from talking to so many people like me.
Now, the president -- the senator is coming here to Tampa for a rally later today. And then he'll be starting to make that pivot, as John was mentioning, into domestic policy as well, into the economy and into health care. The next presidential debate, of course, going to be focusing on domestic issues. That debate coming up next Friday. The Kerry campaign believes that they can use some of the same arguments that they used to frame, in their view, the foreign policy debate that just took place on Iraq, using the argument that President Bush can't fix problems if he isn't willing to acknowledge some of those problems. They also believe that last night they successfully reintroduced Senator Kerry to some of those undecided voters. Made a strong case that he could be a stronger commander in chief. Now they will make this pivot to domestic policy, saying that Senator Kerry has a better plan. Here's how Senator Kerry put it last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY: The president is not getting the job done. So the choice for America is, you can have a plan that I've laid out in four points. Each of which I can tell you more about or you can go to johnkerry.com and see more of it. Or you have the president's plan, which is four words: more of the same. I think my plan is better. And my plan has a better chance of standing up and fighting for those troops. I will never let those troops down, and will hunt and kill the terrorists wherever they are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: So that comment referring to his Iraq plan. But again Kerry aides believe that that's an argument that they can now use in their pivot into domestic issues. Tomorrow Senator Kerry expected to make a major speech on the economy -- Carol.
LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Frank.
We're also going to be talking with people from both campaigns, Joe Lockhart with the Kerry campaign and Terry Holt with the Bush campaign. Talk directly about them --to them about the results from last night.
And we're still addressing the ongoing violence, and now U.S. forces attacking in an insurgent stronghold. They are living and dying in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM: It's kind of a difficult because you don't know who the bad guy is. And some days you don't even know if you're the good guy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: You know, we're going to have the talk to U.S. troops and hear their surprising attitudes about what their votes mean in the upcoming election.
And later British Prime Minister Tony Blair undergoes what is billed as a routine heart procedure. The latest on his condition coming up.
Also straight ahead, the plan to get a Great White shark out of a shallow lagoon and back out to sea. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Focusing on the first presidential debate last night. And the results so far in a/"USA Today"/Gallup flash poll is that John Kerry at 53 percent. Fifty-three percent of those polled right after the debate said that John Kerry did a better job in the debate. What does that really mean, though?
Jay Carney is the deputy Washington bureau chief for "Time" magazine, who is here to break down the debate.
Good morning, Jay.
JAY CARNEY, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Carol.
LIN: Who do you think won?
CARNEY: Well, look, I think those initial polls are accurate. John Kerry had a higher hill to climb last night and he succeeded. He had three goals. One: to keep within the time frame. Not to be verbose and complicated in his speech. He managed to do that. He never went over time. He had to speak clearly. He had to sound like he knew what he was saying and that he had crisp responses to every question. He did that.
And he needed to seem presidential. And simply by getting onstage with the president of the United States, and thereby appearing there as his equal, and maintaining a strong demeanor, I think Kerry succeeded in that. So I don't think the president lost the debate. I think he made a few mistakes. But I certainly think Kerry did what he needed to do more than the president.
LIN: Let's show some examples. For example, John Kerry last night, President Bush had the opportunity to accuse him, as he has on the campaign trail directly for flip-flopping on whether to fund the war in Iraq. Let's take a look at what John Kerry had to say after that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY: When I talked about the $87 billion, I made a mistake in how I talked about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse? I believe that when you know something is going wrong, you make it right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Jay, do you think -- do you think that John Kerry once and for all has put to bed the notion that he's a flip-flopper, as the Bush campaign has been so effective in portraying him up until the debate?
CARNEY: Well, I don't think he's put it to bed. But I'll tell you it was a shocking response. Shocking because you felt like, why the heck didn't he say that before? I mean he -- even as recently as yesterday morning, on a morning show, John Kerry gave a convoluted answer that made it seem like he still hadn't sort of settled on a clear response to those kind of accusations. And last night, his answer was very effective.
And what it did was it changed the topic from John Kerry's past statements to President Bush's policies. And that's the debate that Kerry and the Democrats want to have. They want it to be about the president and his record, and not about John Kerry's complicated statements on Iraq in the past.
LIN: Well, at one point Jim Lehrer, the moderator, talked to President Bush about whether his hackles were getting up over the criticism of his decision-making leading up to the Iraq War. Let's take a look at that moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I'm a pretty calm guy. I mean I don't take it personally. But you know, look. We looked at the same intelligence. And came to the same conclusion. That Saddam Hussein was a grave threat. And I don't hold it against him that he said grave threat. I don't -- I'm not going to go around the country saying he didn't tell the truth. When he looked at the same intelligence I did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Fundamental question here, when people were asked in our flash poll, who do you trust more to handle the Iraq -- to handle Iraq and the broader war on terrorism? Who do you think is going to be tougher; a majority of people still said President Bush. So, in effect, did the president hold his ground here, and is he going to maintain a lead in the eventual polls?
CARNEY: Well, you know, I'm not -- it's impossible for me to predict how the broad swathe of American voters responded last night.
Now, George Bush went into last night's debate with a tremendous advantage on that issue, of generally on waging the war on terror. And even on how to handle Iraq. So, did he cede all of the ground on those advantages? I doubt it. But my sense from last night, and our sense from looking at these flash polls, is that Kerry probably made up some ground. He still has a lot of work to do in a very short time. But I think that, you know, John Kerry certainly did what he needed to do.
LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Jay Carney with "Time" magazine, deputy bureau chief up in Washington.
Taking a wild ride now on the wild side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the coolest ride I've ever taken.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: One surfer gets an unexpected lift while riding a wave. The almost unbelievable story later. And is your ride costing you too much at the pump? If you're thinking about downsizing, our Gerri Willis has some advice on selling your SUV. Her five tips coming up.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, Carol. Get the best price for your gas-guzzler. We'll show you how when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: If you've got a gas-guzzling SUV and it's taking too big a bite out of your wallet, you may want to downsize your vehicle before pump prices rise again. CNN/FN personal finance editor Gerri Willis here with five selling tips.
How do you sell something when gas is going at two bucks and up -- Gerri?
WILLIS: It may be the time to cash out of that SUV. You're right, Carol. Start by getting a price check on how much your SUV is worth. This is where the web is really handy. Go to kbb.com, that's the Kelly Blue Book site. Now, understand that you're going to see a few prices here. One is a trade-in price, another is a private party buyer price. That means maybe you're selling it in your local newspaper, how much you might get there.
But there are other places. Edmunds.com is a great place to go to get prices. And if you want to know what other individual sellers are listing their cars at go to autotrader.com or cars.com. You can get a great feel for SUV prices.
LIN: It's a good idea, Gerri to have the paperwork on the maintenance so that you can make your best case for your vehicle?
WILLIS: Right. You know, people are nervous about buying from a private seller. So you need to do what you can to encourage them to feel comfortable. Two things to get. One is a Carfax report. Very important. This will reassure buyers that your car's never been in a major accident, and that you have never rolled back the odometer. Also go to a certified dealership. And here you can get the car inspected and a report written up that will tell potential buyers, hey, there's no major problems with this SUV -- Carol.
LIN: Still the problem though, that gas is going to cost the buyer just as much as the seller. So, how do you find somebody who really, really, really wants your SUV?
WILLIS: Well, I think the best answer to that is really going after a broad market. The best way to do that, go online, sell your car there. And then you can open up to all buyers in the country. Look, Carol it will cost you about 800 bucks to get your car sent cross-country if somebody on the other coast decides they want to buy your SUV.
LIN: And how do you know how to price it?
WILLIS: Well, pricing is critical. I don't know if you've ever been to a dealership, you know they price cars at like $21,995. Right? They just come right up to that whole number but they don't cross the line. You can beat that dealership by pricing slightly below that so maybe $21,750 might be a place to go. But you've got to pay attention how you're pricing against the total market.
LIN: Yes, how long do you think at this marketplace it's going to take to sell your SUV?
WILLIS: I'm telling you, it could take awhile. As you probably know, the major auto manufacturers are doing everything they can to move SUVs, giving special deals, special incentives to buyers so it may take awhile. One small thing you can do to make your SUV a little more attractive is get it cleaned up. Get it detailed. Make sure it looks the best it possibly can, so any buyer out there will be attracted.
LIN: All right, good tips. Thanks very much, Gerri.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
LIN: All right. We're all about politics this morning and the first presidential debate. After their first face-off...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I know that. And secondly, to think that another...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: ... it's know what the candidates know now. We're going to hear directly from the Bush and Kerry camps straight ahead.
And U.S. troops in a war zone and what they think their votes in the next month's election are going to be worth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired October 1, 2004 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. From the CNN headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin.
Sounds of intense street fighting today fill the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad. The U.S. military says more than 100 insurgents have been killed in the operation, one of the largest in the area in months. And one U.S. soldier has also died. About 1,000 Iraqi troops are assisting U.S. forces in routing out insurgents from their strongholds, which include an important Shiite mosque. A live report in the ongoing battle is straight ahead.
And Usama bin Laden's No. 2 man is purportedly heard on an audiotape being aired by al Jazeera. Now, CNN cannot confirm the voice is actually of Ayman al Zawahari. And it's not known how recently the tape was made. But the speaker identifies Palestine as the epicenter of a global conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims.
And a bomb exploded during prayers at a Shiite mosque in Pakistan today. At least 20 people were killed and another 50 were wounded. As many as 800 people were inside the mosque at the time of the explosion. The attack comes less than a week after a top al Qaeda suspect was killed in a shoot-out with Pakistani police.
And to the Middle East, Palestinian sources say more than 30 Palestinians have been killed in fierce fighting with Israeli troops in northern Gaza. Three Israelis also died there. Israel's incursion into Gaza follows a rocket attack Wednesday that killed two Israeli children.
And Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair will remain overnight in a London hospital, after a procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat. Mr. Blair downplayed the seriousness of the so-called heart flutter, and said he's going to be back at work on Monday.
We begin this hour in Samarra in Iraq. A stronghold of insurgent activity, the U.S. forces are pounding that city fiercely. Also reports that a hostage has been located.
CNN's Jane Arraf is on the telephone and has the very latest for us -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Carol, that fight now started late last night. That was many hours ago, and U.S. troops here are still taking fire from suspected insurgents. Including this area that we're at around the mosque, one of the holiest shrines in Shiia Islam, where two of the twelve imams are buried and a third -- the twelfth imam disappeared.
Now, it was extraordinary (AUDIO GAP) lining the streets up to this mosque. They left (AUDIO GAP) in the shrine (AUDIO GAP) forces were (AUDIO GAP)
LIN: Jane's having a sat -- Jane, stand by. Let's try to correct the satellite phone signal there. I know it's pretty tough for you because you're in Samarra, where the heat of battle is going right now.
Jane Arraf, reporting in by telephone from the battle scene, where U.S. forces are bounding insurgents. U.S. forces had indicated that they were going to hit insurgents hard and fast both in Samarra and Fallujah, to try to soften up the insurgency, as the weeks are leading up to January elections. Still planned in that country. We're going to get back to Jane as soon as we can because the battle still ensuing.
But right now, we want to move on to politics. Hopefully you were watching last night the first presidential debate. And the question may not be who won last night's contest but did it actually sway any voters?
Our coverage begins with CNN's Dan Lothian at the University of Miami.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CHEERING)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In their first face-off in Florida, Senator John Kerry accused the president of diverting his attention from the real war on terror by going into Iraq.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president just talked about Iraq as a center of the war on terror. Iraq was not even close to the center of the war on terror before the president invaded it. This president has made, I regret to say, a colossal error of judgment.
LOTHIAN: President Bush responded by portraying Kerry as a candidate trying to have it both ways.
GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: First of all, what my opponent wants you to forget is that he voted to authorize the use of force, and now says it's the wrong war at the wrong time at the wrong place. I don't see how you can lead this country to succeed in Iraq if you say wrong war, wrong time wrong place.
LOTHIAN: It's a phrase the president would use repeatedly, attempting to show how Kerry's mixed message would send the wrong message to world leaders. Kerry did acknowledge making mistakes. But gave a defense. KERRY: When I talked about the $87 billion, I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?
LOTHIAN: As both campaigns work their war rooms, sending out rapid-fire responses and fact checks, and as hundreds of people protested outside, two interesting moments from the candidates. First, after Kerry gave a laundry list of how he would deal with homeland security, President Bush saw an opening.
BUSH: I don't think we want to get to how he's going to pay for all these promises. It's like a huge tax gap, and -- anyway. That's for another debate.
LOTHIAN: Then when the president seemed to imply that Iraq attacked the U.S., Senator Kerry pounced on it.
KERRY: Saddam Hussein didn't attack us. Usama bin Laden attacked us. Al Qaeda attacked us.
LOTHIAN: Even though the president at times seemed to be frustrated, no one appeared to land fatal blows in this first round.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Coral Gables, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well our CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll questioned voters who watched the debate. Now keep in mind that views can change a few days after the poll, so these numbers may also change. But that's why we call it a flash poll. Fifty-three percent of those polled say that John Kerry did a better job in the debate. Thirty-seven percent said President Bush performed better.
Both President Bush and John Kerry are back on the road after the debate, and so are our White House correspondents John King and national correspondent Frank Buckley covering their appearances.
John, let's start with you in Miami. What's the feedback from the Bush campaign?
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, they concede that John Kerry probably won if you score this like a debating coach. But they believe the president protected himself and defended himself politically on the key questions going in. And that, they say is the threshold to look at in the polling perhaps 72 hours from now. Do voters still favor President Bush to handle the war in Iraq? Do voters still favor President Bush when it comes to handling the broader war on terrorism?
Now you mention back on the campaign trail, the president left Miami this morning on his way to Allentown, Pennsylvania. Then on to Manchester, New Hampshire. Two states the president puts on his map right now. Two states; at least definitely Pennsylvania that the Democrats would concede Senator Kerry needs to win if he is to win the White House. The president after the debate last night immediately turned his focus back to domestic policy. He says he enjoyed last night's debate and is very much looking forward to one of the debates to come dedicated to domestic policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I'm looking forward to the debate on domestic policy, too.
(CHEERING)
BUSH: There are some big differences. He's going to run up your taxes.
(BOOING)
BUSH: I'm going to keep them low.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
KING: Now at the debate last night the Bush campaign believes it did do a good job in raising questions about Senator Kerry's credibility to be commander in chief, about what the Bush campaign calls his vacillation and shifting positions on the war in Iraq and other issues. Some Republicans though, privately conceding, and even some advisers close to President Bush conceding that they wish he spent more time defending and explaining his policy in Iraq before attacking Senator Kerry.
Still the Bush campaign, Carol, goes back on the road today believing that Senator Kerry scored some points. Not enough they believe to turn around the president's lead on those key war on terrorism, commander in chief issues. They say that is the thing to watch in the days to come -- Carol.
LIN: Will do. Thanks very much, John.
Let's go to CNN's Frank Buckley who is traveling with the Kerry campaign. He joins us from Tampa -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NAT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Kerry campaign aides are very happy about the performance last night by Senator Kerry. They, of course, are very involved in the post-debate spin right now. Very important period in which the American voters will decide, some of those who haven't seen the debate, which candidate won based on just the spin that they've heard. One of the aides that I talked to this morning, literally hoarse from talking to so many people like me.
Now, the president -- the senator is coming here to Tampa for a rally later today. And then he'll be starting to make that pivot, as John was mentioning, into domestic policy as well, into the economy and into health care. The next presidential debate, of course, going to be focusing on domestic issues. That debate coming up next Friday. The Kerry campaign believes that they can use some of the same arguments that they used to frame, in their view, the foreign policy debate that just took place on Iraq, using the argument that President Bush can't fix problems if he isn't willing to acknowledge some of those problems. They also believe that last night they successfully reintroduced Senator Kerry to some of those undecided voters. Made a strong case that he could be a stronger commander in chief. Now they will make this pivot to domestic policy, saying that Senator Kerry has a better plan. Here's how Senator Kerry put it last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY: The president is not getting the job done. So the choice for America is, you can have a plan that I've laid out in four points. Each of which I can tell you more about or you can go to johnkerry.com and see more of it. Or you have the president's plan, which is four words: more of the same. I think my plan is better. And my plan has a better chance of standing up and fighting for those troops. I will never let those troops down, and will hunt and kill the terrorists wherever they are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: So that comment referring to his Iraq plan. But again Kerry aides believe that that's an argument that they can now use in their pivot into domestic issues. Tomorrow Senator Kerry expected to make a major speech on the economy -- Carol.
LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Frank.
We're also going to be talking with people from both campaigns, Joe Lockhart with the Kerry campaign and Terry Holt with the Bush campaign. Talk directly about them --to them about the results from last night.
And we're still addressing the ongoing violence, and now U.S. forces attacking in an insurgent stronghold. They are living and dying in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM: It's kind of a difficult because you don't know who the bad guy is. And some days you don't even know if you're the good guy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: You know, we're going to have the talk to U.S. troops and hear their surprising attitudes about what their votes mean in the upcoming election.
And later British Prime Minister Tony Blair undergoes what is billed as a routine heart procedure. The latest on his condition coming up.
Also straight ahead, the plan to get a Great White shark out of a shallow lagoon and back out to sea. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Focusing on the first presidential debate last night. And the results so far in a/"USA Today"/Gallup flash poll is that John Kerry at 53 percent. Fifty-three percent of those polled right after the debate said that John Kerry did a better job in the debate. What does that really mean, though?
Jay Carney is the deputy Washington bureau chief for "Time" magazine, who is here to break down the debate.
Good morning, Jay.
JAY CARNEY, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Carol.
LIN: Who do you think won?
CARNEY: Well, look, I think those initial polls are accurate. John Kerry had a higher hill to climb last night and he succeeded. He had three goals. One: to keep within the time frame. Not to be verbose and complicated in his speech. He managed to do that. He never went over time. He had to speak clearly. He had to sound like he knew what he was saying and that he had crisp responses to every question. He did that.
And he needed to seem presidential. And simply by getting onstage with the president of the United States, and thereby appearing there as his equal, and maintaining a strong demeanor, I think Kerry succeeded in that. So I don't think the president lost the debate. I think he made a few mistakes. But I certainly think Kerry did what he needed to do more than the president.
LIN: Let's show some examples. For example, John Kerry last night, President Bush had the opportunity to accuse him, as he has on the campaign trail directly for flip-flopping on whether to fund the war in Iraq. Let's take a look at what John Kerry had to say after that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY: When I talked about the $87 billion, I made a mistake in how I talked about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse? I believe that when you know something is going wrong, you make it right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Jay, do you think -- do you think that John Kerry once and for all has put to bed the notion that he's a flip-flopper, as the Bush campaign has been so effective in portraying him up until the debate?
CARNEY: Well, I don't think he's put it to bed. But I'll tell you it was a shocking response. Shocking because you felt like, why the heck didn't he say that before? I mean he -- even as recently as yesterday morning, on a morning show, John Kerry gave a convoluted answer that made it seem like he still hadn't sort of settled on a clear response to those kind of accusations. And last night, his answer was very effective.
And what it did was it changed the topic from John Kerry's past statements to President Bush's policies. And that's the debate that Kerry and the Democrats want to have. They want it to be about the president and his record, and not about John Kerry's complicated statements on Iraq in the past.
LIN: Well, at one point Jim Lehrer, the moderator, talked to President Bush about whether his hackles were getting up over the criticism of his decision-making leading up to the Iraq War. Let's take a look at that moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I'm a pretty calm guy. I mean I don't take it personally. But you know, look. We looked at the same intelligence. And came to the same conclusion. That Saddam Hussein was a grave threat. And I don't hold it against him that he said grave threat. I don't -- I'm not going to go around the country saying he didn't tell the truth. When he looked at the same intelligence I did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Fundamental question here, when people were asked in our flash poll, who do you trust more to handle the Iraq -- to handle Iraq and the broader war on terrorism? Who do you think is going to be tougher; a majority of people still said President Bush. So, in effect, did the president hold his ground here, and is he going to maintain a lead in the eventual polls?
CARNEY: Well, you know, I'm not -- it's impossible for me to predict how the broad swathe of American voters responded last night.
Now, George Bush went into last night's debate with a tremendous advantage on that issue, of generally on waging the war on terror. And even on how to handle Iraq. So, did he cede all of the ground on those advantages? I doubt it. But my sense from last night, and our sense from looking at these flash polls, is that Kerry probably made up some ground. He still has a lot of work to do in a very short time. But I think that, you know, John Kerry certainly did what he needed to do.
LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Jay Carney with "Time" magazine, deputy bureau chief up in Washington.
Taking a wild ride now on the wild side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the coolest ride I've ever taken.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: One surfer gets an unexpected lift while riding a wave. The almost unbelievable story later. And is your ride costing you too much at the pump? If you're thinking about downsizing, our Gerri Willis has some advice on selling your SUV. Her five tips coming up.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, Carol. Get the best price for your gas-guzzler. We'll show you how when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
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LIN: If you've got a gas-guzzling SUV and it's taking too big a bite out of your wallet, you may want to downsize your vehicle before pump prices rise again. CNN/FN personal finance editor Gerri Willis here with five selling tips.
How do you sell something when gas is going at two bucks and up -- Gerri?
WILLIS: It may be the time to cash out of that SUV. You're right, Carol. Start by getting a price check on how much your SUV is worth. This is where the web is really handy. Go to kbb.com, that's the Kelly Blue Book site. Now, understand that you're going to see a few prices here. One is a trade-in price, another is a private party buyer price. That means maybe you're selling it in your local newspaper, how much you might get there.
But there are other places. Edmunds.com is a great place to go to get prices. And if you want to know what other individual sellers are listing their cars at go to autotrader.com or cars.com. You can get a great feel for SUV prices.
LIN: It's a good idea, Gerri to have the paperwork on the maintenance so that you can make your best case for your vehicle?
WILLIS: Right. You know, people are nervous about buying from a private seller. So you need to do what you can to encourage them to feel comfortable. Two things to get. One is a Carfax report. Very important. This will reassure buyers that your car's never been in a major accident, and that you have never rolled back the odometer. Also go to a certified dealership. And here you can get the car inspected and a report written up that will tell potential buyers, hey, there's no major problems with this SUV -- Carol.
LIN: Still the problem though, that gas is going to cost the buyer just as much as the seller. So, how do you find somebody who really, really, really wants your SUV?
WILLIS: Well, I think the best answer to that is really going after a broad market. The best way to do that, go online, sell your car there. And then you can open up to all buyers in the country. Look, Carol it will cost you about 800 bucks to get your car sent cross-country if somebody on the other coast decides they want to buy your SUV.
LIN: And how do you know how to price it?
WILLIS: Well, pricing is critical. I don't know if you've ever been to a dealership, you know they price cars at like $21,995. Right? They just come right up to that whole number but they don't cross the line. You can beat that dealership by pricing slightly below that so maybe $21,750 might be a place to go. But you've got to pay attention how you're pricing against the total market.
LIN: Yes, how long do you think at this marketplace it's going to take to sell your SUV?
WILLIS: I'm telling you, it could take awhile. As you probably know, the major auto manufacturers are doing everything they can to move SUVs, giving special deals, special incentives to buyers so it may take awhile. One small thing you can do to make your SUV a little more attractive is get it cleaned up. Get it detailed. Make sure it looks the best it possibly can, so any buyer out there will be attracted.
LIN: All right, good tips. Thanks very much, Gerri.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
LIN: All right. We're all about politics this morning and the first presidential debate. After their first face-off...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I know that. And secondly, to think that another...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: ... it's know what the candidates know now. We're going to hear directly from the Bush and Kerry camps straight ahead.
And U.S. troops in a war zone and what they think their votes in the next month's election are going to be worth.
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