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CNN Live Today

A Look at Bush Campaign Strategy in Final Days of the Race; John Kerry Expected to Blast President Bush Over Economy at Campaign Stops in Wisconsin; ATL Artist Paints Breast Cancer Survivors

Aired October 15, 2004 - 11:30   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The days are dwindling on the campaign calendar. The presidential election is just 18 days away. With the race a dead heat, both candidates are in a sprint to the November 2nd finish line.
President Bush is barnstorming across two key battleground states in the Midwest today. He has rallies in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Oshkosh, Wisconsin, before returning to Washington.

John Kerry started off his day in Des Moines, Iowa. From there he is off to Wisconsin for a campaign event in three cities. The Democratic challenger ends his day in Dayton, Ohio.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And you mentioned that sprint to the finish. The president was saying, I'm excited about the sprint to the finish, now that the debates are finally over.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux look at the Bush campaign strategy in the final days of this race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president went into the debates with more momentum than when he came out. Bush aides concede in an effort to do damage control and turn the focus away from talk of a 3-0 Kerry debate win, President Bush, with Senator John McCain in tow, paid a rare visit to the press cabin aboard Air Force One.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nineteen days to go. And I'm looking forward to it. It's -- I enjoyed myself last night. The debate phase of the campaign is over, and now it's a sprint to the finish.

MALVEAUX: The Bush campaign chairman says it will have to be a strong one if the president is going to recapture the White House.

SCOTT REED, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Performing on the stump now is crucial. Performing every news cycle is crucial. Because you can't afford to let one go to the opponent.

BUSH: Thank you all for coming. I'm here to ask for the vote.

MALVEAUX: The Bush camp strategy going into the final two weeks is to highlight the president's strengths, play down his shortcomings, and put the debates behind.

BUSH: You know my blunt way of speaking.

(CHEERING)

BUSH: I get that from mom. They know I sometimes mangle the English language. I get that from dad. Americans also know I tell you exactly what I'm going to do, and I keep my word.

MALVEAUX: Mr. Bush hit two critical states Thursday: Nevada and Oregon Thursday. Polls show both states leaning for Kerry but still very much in play.

LEE MIHINGOFF, POLITICAL ANALYST: And now we move into the final phase, which is really to turn out the supporters, try to appeal to the few remaining undecided voters.

MALVEAUX (on camera): President Bush travels to the all- important states of Iowa and Wisconsin today. And then later in the weekend to ground zero of election 2000, West Palm Beach, Florida.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Medford, Oregon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Well, as for John Kerry, he is delivering what his campaign calls the closing arguments in the presidential races. He's expected to blast President Bush over the economy at campaign stops in Wisconsin today.

Our Ed Henry is in Milwaukee, shivering a little bit, with more on that.

Good morning, Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Daryn.

That's right, John Kerry is coming to the Milwaukee area technical college in order to hit the jobs issue. In the final 18 days, he really plans to zero in on domestic issues. He'll also going to be on a bus tour, accompanied by some members of the U.S. women's soccer team, obviously maybe a direct appeal to soccer moms. Here in a critical battleground state, as you heard earlier, Wisconsin is one of the dwindling number of battlegrounds where we'll see John Kerry and President Bush hitting repeatedly in the final days. And in fact, there are 10 electoral votes here. Al Gore carried it last time. Polls show it's a dead heat this time. it could go either way. So both candidates want to get here as often as they can.

Aides say here that Senator Kerry is coming out of the three debates with a head of steam, and we saw a little bit more confidence, perhaps a more aggressive stump speech yesterday in Las Vegas from John Kerry.

President Bush, once again, while he was in Las Vegas, taunted John Kerry with this line from boxing legend Joe Lewis, "He can run, but he can't hide." After days of not really responding to that, John Kerry finally did, by mentioning another heavyweight clash between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: George Foreman threw punch after punch, and Ali kind of stepped back and said to Foreman during this, he said, "George, is that all you've got?"

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: John Kerry then turned that into a refrain against President Bush. During that speech, he basically said after four years of losing jobs, four years of people losing health care, is that all you've got, Mr. President? We'll hear a lot more of that kind of rhetoric today when arrives in Milwaukee for this speech on jobs -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Let's talk a little bit more on our Ed Henry question of the day, about this the focus on women for the Kerry campaign. And as you mentioned, soccer players like Julie Foudy coming with her endorsement today. Listening to the debate the other night, it was very focused and targeted at the women audience. How important does this campaign think that the woman's vote is in order to win victory?

HENRY: The Kerry campaign knows it's critical. That's one of the reasons why Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000, he had women turn out for him more than they did for President Bush. There's been a lot of concern in Democratic circles in recent weeks that polls are showing women have been going a little bit more toward, tilting toward President Bush this time around. Some analysts think that's because of the security issue, that perhaps women feel the nation might be more secure if President Bush stays on as president, specifically on the terrorism issue. The John Kerry camp, though, feels confident that after each one of the three debates, they feel female voters started moving more towards them, but they want to make sure that they lock that up. That is obviously a key voting block for the Democrats, something Al Gore had in 2000, something John Kerry has to have in 2004 -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed Henry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ed, thank you.

SANCHEZ: CNN's Paula Zahn has been hosting a series of town hall meetings leading up to this election, as I'm sure many of you have seen. In this latest gathering, Vice President Cheney's daughters spoke out about Senator Kerry, making reference to her sister, who is gay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ CHENEY, DAUGHTER OF VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: For Senator Kerry to exploit the child of his opponent to make political point on his own, for his own political gain. And I have to say I think that I, like many Americans all across this country today, are wondering what kind of a man would do that.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Was your sister offended?

CHENEY: It was a very offensive thing for him to do, yes.

ZAHN: Did you talk to her about it?

CHENEY: It was very offensive. I think I'll just leave it there. I think people can make their own judgment about what he said.

(CROSSTALK)

CHENEY: It has nothing do with shame. And I think Mrs. Edwards was also out of line. Mary is one of my heroes. And it has nothing to do with being ashamed of Mary.

The issue is whether or not Senator Kerry or Senator Edwards, who did the same thing, frankly, in the debate with my father, have the right to exploit her, to bring her up in a situation in which they're clearly trying to make some kind of political point or some kind of political gain. And I think it is actually unprecedented in the history of American presidential politics that you would see that happen.

ZAHN: Why isn't this a cheap political trick on John Kerry's part?

KIKI MCLEAN, KERRY CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: With all due respect to Liz, I have admiration for her, I have a sister I love and I'm tremendously proud of, too. And I know I -- any time I heard her name raised by somebody I didn't know very well, I would probably bristle a little bit and wonder.

(CROSSTALK)

ZAHN: But is her sexuality being discussed?

MCLEAN: No. But I think what was going on is, I think the Cheneys have demonstrated a great amount of pride in their family.

And I think that what both Senator Edwards and Senator Kerry did was just acknowledge that and so much so that her own father thanked the vice president for that. And I can understand. Look, we're in the last 19 days of a campaign. It is getting tough out there.

ZAHN: Getting tough? It is ugly.

MCLEAN: It is getting tough and it is going to be a long 19 days. And I don't think any harm was intended. And, in fact, I think it was an acknowledgement of the pride the Cheneys have shown in their own family.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And you can tune into CNN's "PAULA ZAHN NOW" for an interview with John Kerry. That's tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Boy, that's an understatement -- 19 days left, and it's getting tough out there.

KAGAN: Yes, tough, that was one way to put it.

We are going to wrap up our series, week-long series, on women battling breast cancer, men, too. We're not leaving the men out of this. You know, sometimes when you're going through that battle, just getting through the day can be tough.

Up next, we're going to show you a place that hopes to put a little luxury back into breast cancer patient's lives.

SANCHEZ: And the strength and the beauty of cancer survivors was captured on cameras. You're going to meet the artist behind a powerful exhibit. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY, I'm Rick Sanchez. For women battling breast cancer, a little pampering can often go a very long way. So the spa industry is getting involved in the fight against this disease. We continue our week-long look now at breast cancer awareness with this report from CNN's J.J. Ramberg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over):

NADINE LAKE, BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR: When I had chemo I developed these black lines on a lot of my nails.

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, Nadine Lake has been through chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. But a few weeks ago she underwent an entirely different round of treatment. Nadine is part of a group of women who were invited to the SK Sanctuary in San Diego, California. The spa closes its doors once a month to its regular clients and opens them only to breast cancer survivors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the SK Institute's Breast Cancer Spa Program here at SK Sanctuary.

RAMBERG: Spas around the country are teaming up with medical staffs to provide free services to breast cancer patients, offering them days of pampering, massages, facials, manicures and yoga classes. Giving them the chance at least for a few hours, to forget the battle being waged within their body.

LINDA BOOTH, BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR: Today I was just a woman getting a facial. I forgot all about the heavy load.

RAMBERG: And doctors say forgetting about that load once in a while can be integral to the healing process.

DR. ALBERT DEISSEROTH, SIDNEY KIMMEL CANCER CENTER: To the extent that individual individuals can become more highly motivated, can become more confident of themselves, an experience like this has positive value.

RAMBERG: These days are not just about the beauty treatment. The spas also provide a place for breast cancer survivors to meet each other and talk about their experiences, in an atmosphere far from the needles and medications of the doctor's office.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It does grow back and thicker.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It will grow back curly, too.

DR. JEANNE STRYKER: A support group going to the hospital, it just -- it may be a post traumatic stress signal. So it just makes sense that you would go to a place that's very comfortable and you're pampered.

LAKE: It's really nice to talk to other women who have been through it, and gotten through it and are doing so well.

RAMBERG (on camera): Some spas are taking their involvement even a step further. In addition to providing special training on how to give treatments to cancer patients, they're also teaching therapists how to spot breast cancer while giving a massage, hopefully helping to catch the disease before it's too late.

J.J. Ramberg, CNN Financial News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: An exhibit on display here in Atlanta is also raising awareness about breast cancer. It is called "A Celebration of Healing: Lives Touched by Breast Cancer." The portraits represent abstracts done in a contemporary stained glass motif. Sal Brownfield is the artist behind the exhibit. He's here along with breast cancer survivor Lila Hertz who is also one of the models, a supermodel we should say.

Good morning.

SAL BROWNFIELD, ARTIST: Good morning.

LILA HERTZ, BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR: Good morning.

KAGAN: To both of you.

BROWNFIELD: Thank you.

KAGAN: Lila, start with you, your story, when were you diagnosed?

HERTZ: I was diagnosed 6 1/2 years ago. I was training for my first marathon and the doctor told me I would be able to do the marathon. I missed a week of training. I got back my training and my friends asked me where I was last week. I said, I had breast cancer surgery. KAGAN: As if you had shin splints or something.

HERTZ: And subsequently one of the women I was training with was also diagnosed. So we trained through our treatments and ran the marathon together.

KAGAN: What we're learning, it seems, with this week long series that we've been doing with breast cancer is that it really is about being a survivor is really what the breast cancer diagnosis is about and celebrating that. Would you agree with that?

HERTZ: Yes, definitely.

KAGAN: All right. Let's bring in the artiste, Sal. How did you get involved with the breast cancer project?

BROWNFIELD: Well, I've known people who were impacted by breast cancer. I had seen a lot of photo essays and so on of breast cancer survivors, but I wanted to do something that was a little more artistic. I believe that art is healing. And just the meeting with art itself is a healing experience or should be.

KAGAN: So you did a series of these paintings. This one, Lila, as we said, you're a model, let's put the one up that we have right here of Lila and explain what you were trying to do with the painting, Sal.

BROWNFIELD: Well, they are contemporary stained glass, the look to them, so that when they're all collected together there's a sense of sanctuary, so there's a sense of -- maybe of healing, of joy and celebration, of comfort, in fact.

And the models are all abstracted to some degree because I want them to be sort of every woman and every man. And there is a man in the series.

KAGAN: And a certain feature of all the paintings, none of the models as you paint them have eyes. What does that represent?

Only one and she's blind, a blind woman. I wanted to afford and honor their privacy. I think they're coming with their strength and willingness to share their wellness, that is really all we wanted to ask of them.

KAGAN: And then Lila, when you look at this portrait of you, it's just beautiful.

HERTZ: Thank you.

KAGAN: What do you think of it?

HERTZ: I love it. Through the painting of all of these portraits, we realized that we were uncovering emotions in women that they didn't even -- hadn't even faced for a long, long time. And a lot of people that looked at that painting said that they remember the first time that they went to try on a gown after their surgery. KAGAN: Ah.

HERTZ: And that really wasn't even the intention. It was just -- we just had the gown because of an event that I had been involved with. And the exercise clothes were representing how important the exercise was to me through my treatment.

KAGAN: So these paintings all together on exhibit here in Atlanta.

BROWNFIELD: They're an exhibit at Timothy Tew Gallerie -- Gallerie Timothy Tew in Buckhead. And Saturday night, tomorrow night, they go to the Pink Tie Ball at the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead -- at the Komen Foundation Pink Tie Ball, and then back to Timothy Tew's.

KAGAN: Great.

HERTZ: And they're available for sale on his Web site, timothytew.com.

KAGAN: And then the proceeds will go to breast cancer research.

HERTZ: A portion of the proceeds will go to the Komen Foundation here in Atlanta.

KAGAN: Excellent. Well, thank you for sharing your art and for sharing your story. And you'll be at the Survivor Tea where I'm bringing my mom at the end of the month.

HERTZ: Yes, I will.

KAGAN: I look forward to that. Lila Hertz and Sal Brownfield, thank you for sharing this morning.

BROWNFIELD: Thank you very much.

HERTZ: Thank you.

KAGAN: Well, shoppers came back in September. A complete look at business is coming up. But first, here's a look at what's coming up in the next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: I want to bring you a story now that's captured the interest of people from all over the world. This a woman who's just had five babies. She's had quintuplets. The babies are not doing all that well. And none are over two pounds. They're in critical condition. But there's another part to the story that's just as important. Her husband is also in critical condition. You know, his name is Joshua. Her name is Taunacy. But Joshua is a Marine in Iraq. He was just under attack there, and as a result, he's in critical condition, where he suffered serious damage to his torso and leg.

Just moments ago, Taunacy Horton spoke to her husband Joshua, and then spoke to reporters. Here it is. Here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAUNACY HORTON, MOTHER OF QUINTUPLETS: As you heard from the doctors and the nurses today, our babies are doing really well for being so premature. They are beautiful. They look just like their brother and sister, and each has their own personality, and there's still a long road ahead for these angels and hurdles along the way, but we are very hopeful and glad they are doing so well.

And Josh is doing well at Bethesda Naval Hospital, which is where he and I met 10 years ago, when I worked there as a corpsman, and we actually had our first son there, Shawn (ph). It's a great hospital. Josh is still really hurt, but we are hopeful for his recovery and know that he has the best care possible.

And even though circumstances didn't allow josh to be there at the delivery, my hope is that Josh can be there when we first get to hold these babies. I can't wait until we can be reunited and do this together. That would be very special.

My son and daughter are home, can't wait to see and hug their dad and update him on everything.

I talked to Josh for the first time about 8:00 this morning. As you can imagine, it was a very emotional and special moment for us. Wednesday, Josh was told of the arrival of the quintuplets and was able to see a video of them. His mother, Lochlin (ph), said that he was deeply moved, and reached out to touch the TV screen with his hand. I wish I could have been there, but I know that he is keeping them in his heart until he can see them in person.

I can't wait to be at home this weekend to be with my 7-year-old son, Shawn, and my 5-year-old daughter, Shaylee (ph). They have had such a hard time with both parents away, but they are so excited about their new brothers and sisters. And they are relieved to have their mother back. We need some time together while the twins grow and develop here at the hospital. We have a lot of work to get ready for when they come home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: She's tough and boy what a situation to be going through.

KAGAN: Absolutely.

Yes, I interviewed this couple before he left, and obviously, before she had the babies, and they were very realistic about the odds they faced both with these babies, which is a high-risk pregnancy, but also the odds that he faced in going to Iraq, and they felt as a couple, they were solid that this was what he was supposed to do, and go.

SANCHEZ: But before he got injured, before she... KAGAN: Before he even went.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

KAGAN: So they went with their eyes wide open.

SANCHEZ: Well, she's getting a lot of support, I understand, because it's making headlines all over the world, and she's been getting a lot of...

KAGAN: People donating all sorts of things. But, boy, does she have her work cut out for her, huh?

SANCHEZ: Yes, we'll follow it for you and bring you the very latest on the story as it develops.

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: That's going to do it for us.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it does.

KAGAN: Come back for a full week next week?

SANCHEZ: Yes, we'll be here, do the whole thing.

KAGAN: OK, very good.

SANCHEZ: Unless you want to give me a day off, I'll take it.

KAGAN: No, but I will be on assignment on Monday, so I think you're going to have to carry this one by yourself. You're well up the challenge.

SANCHEZ: Where are we going? Wolf Blitzer?

KAGAN: Wolf Blitzer, our colleague and friend in Washington D.C.

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 October 15, 2004 - 11:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The days are dwindling on the campaign calendar. The presidential election is just 18 days away. With the race a dead heat, both candidates are in a sprint to the November 2nd finish line.
President Bush is barnstorming across two key battleground states in the Midwest today. He has rallies in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Oshkosh, Wisconsin, before returning to Washington.

John Kerry started off his day in Des Moines, Iowa. From there he is off to Wisconsin for a campaign event in three cities. The Democratic challenger ends his day in Dayton, Ohio.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And you mentioned that sprint to the finish. The president was saying, I'm excited about the sprint to the finish, now that the debates are finally over.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux look at the Bush campaign strategy in the final days of this race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president went into the debates with more momentum than when he came out. Bush aides concede in an effort to do damage control and turn the focus away from talk of a 3-0 Kerry debate win, President Bush, with Senator John McCain in tow, paid a rare visit to the press cabin aboard Air Force One.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nineteen days to go. And I'm looking forward to it. It's -- I enjoyed myself last night. The debate phase of the campaign is over, and now it's a sprint to the finish.

MALVEAUX: The Bush campaign chairman says it will have to be a strong one if the president is going to recapture the White House.

SCOTT REED, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Performing on the stump now is crucial. Performing every news cycle is crucial. Because you can't afford to let one go to the opponent.

BUSH: Thank you all for coming. I'm here to ask for the vote.

MALVEAUX: The Bush camp strategy going into the final two weeks is to highlight the president's strengths, play down his shortcomings, and put the debates behind.

BUSH: You know my blunt way of speaking.

(CHEERING)

BUSH: I get that from mom. They know I sometimes mangle the English language. I get that from dad. Americans also know I tell you exactly what I'm going to do, and I keep my word.

MALVEAUX: Mr. Bush hit two critical states Thursday: Nevada and Oregon Thursday. Polls show both states leaning for Kerry but still very much in play.

LEE MIHINGOFF, POLITICAL ANALYST: And now we move into the final phase, which is really to turn out the supporters, try to appeal to the few remaining undecided voters.

MALVEAUX (on camera): President Bush travels to the all- important states of Iowa and Wisconsin today. And then later in the weekend to ground zero of election 2000, West Palm Beach, Florida.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Medford, Oregon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Well, as for John Kerry, he is delivering what his campaign calls the closing arguments in the presidential races. He's expected to blast President Bush over the economy at campaign stops in Wisconsin today.

Our Ed Henry is in Milwaukee, shivering a little bit, with more on that.

Good morning, Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Daryn.

That's right, John Kerry is coming to the Milwaukee area technical college in order to hit the jobs issue. In the final 18 days, he really plans to zero in on domestic issues. He'll also going to be on a bus tour, accompanied by some members of the U.S. women's soccer team, obviously maybe a direct appeal to soccer moms. Here in a critical battleground state, as you heard earlier, Wisconsin is one of the dwindling number of battlegrounds where we'll see John Kerry and President Bush hitting repeatedly in the final days. And in fact, there are 10 electoral votes here. Al Gore carried it last time. Polls show it's a dead heat this time. it could go either way. So both candidates want to get here as often as they can.

Aides say here that Senator Kerry is coming out of the three debates with a head of steam, and we saw a little bit more confidence, perhaps a more aggressive stump speech yesterday in Las Vegas from John Kerry.

President Bush, once again, while he was in Las Vegas, taunted John Kerry with this line from boxing legend Joe Lewis, "He can run, but he can't hide." After days of not really responding to that, John Kerry finally did, by mentioning another heavyweight clash between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: George Foreman threw punch after punch, and Ali kind of stepped back and said to Foreman during this, he said, "George, is that all you've got?"

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: John Kerry then turned that into a refrain against President Bush. During that speech, he basically said after four years of losing jobs, four years of people losing health care, is that all you've got, Mr. President? We'll hear a lot more of that kind of rhetoric today when arrives in Milwaukee for this speech on jobs -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Let's talk a little bit more on our Ed Henry question of the day, about this the focus on women for the Kerry campaign. And as you mentioned, soccer players like Julie Foudy coming with her endorsement today. Listening to the debate the other night, it was very focused and targeted at the women audience. How important does this campaign think that the woman's vote is in order to win victory?

HENRY: The Kerry campaign knows it's critical. That's one of the reasons why Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000, he had women turn out for him more than they did for President Bush. There's been a lot of concern in Democratic circles in recent weeks that polls are showing women have been going a little bit more toward, tilting toward President Bush this time around. Some analysts think that's because of the security issue, that perhaps women feel the nation might be more secure if President Bush stays on as president, specifically on the terrorism issue. The John Kerry camp, though, feels confident that after each one of the three debates, they feel female voters started moving more towards them, but they want to make sure that they lock that up. That is obviously a key voting block for the Democrats, something Al Gore had in 2000, something John Kerry has to have in 2004 -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed Henry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ed, thank you.

SANCHEZ: CNN's Paula Zahn has been hosting a series of town hall meetings leading up to this election, as I'm sure many of you have seen. In this latest gathering, Vice President Cheney's daughters spoke out about Senator Kerry, making reference to her sister, who is gay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ CHENEY, DAUGHTER OF VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: For Senator Kerry to exploit the child of his opponent to make political point on his own, for his own political gain. And I have to say I think that I, like many Americans all across this country today, are wondering what kind of a man would do that.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Was your sister offended?

CHENEY: It was a very offensive thing for him to do, yes.

ZAHN: Did you talk to her about it?

CHENEY: It was very offensive. I think I'll just leave it there. I think people can make their own judgment about what he said.

(CROSSTALK)

CHENEY: It has nothing do with shame. And I think Mrs. Edwards was also out of line. Mary is one of my heroes. And it has nothing to do with being ashamed of Mary.

The issue is whether or not Senator Kerry or Senator Edwards, who did the same thing, frankly, in the debate with my father, have the right to exploit her, to bring her up in a situation in which they're clearly trying to make some kind of political point or some kind of political gain. And I think it is actually unprecedented in the history of American presidential politics that you would see that happen.

ZAHN: Why isn't this a cheap political trick on John Kerry's part?

KIKI MCLEAN, KERRY CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: With all due respect to Liz, I have admiration for her, I have a sister I love and I'm tremendously proud of, too. And I know I -- any time I heard her name raised by somebody I didn't know very well, I would probably bristle a little bit and wonder.

(CROSSTALK)

ZAHN: But is her sexuality being discussed?

MCLEAN: No. But I think what was going on is, I think the Cheneys have demonstrated a great amount of pride in their family.

And I think that what both Senator Edwards and Senator Kerry did was just acknowledge that and so much so that her own father thanked the vice president for that. And I can understand. Look, we're in the last 19 days of a campaign. It is getting tough out there.

ZAHN: Getting tough? It is ugly.

MCLEAN: It is getting tough and it is going to be a long 19 days. And I don't think any harm was intended. And, in fact, I think it was an acknowledgement of the pride the Cheneys have shown in their own family.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And you can tune into CNN's "PAULA ZAHN NOW" for an interview with John Kerry. That's tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Boy, that's an understatement -- 19 days left, and it's getting tough out there.

KAGAN: Yes, tough, that was one way to put it.

We are going to wrap up our series, week-long series, on women battling breast cancer, men, too. We're not leaving the men out of this. You know, sometimes when you're going through that battle, just getting through the day can be tough.

Up next, we're going to show you a place that hopes to put a little luxury back into breast cancer patient's lives.

SANCHEZ: And the strength and the beauty of cancer survivors was captured on cameras. You're going to meet the artist behind a powerful exhibit. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY, I'm Rick Sanchez. For women battling breast cancer, a little pampering can often go a very long way. So the spa industry is getting involved in the fight against this disease. We continue our week-long look now at breast cancer awareness with this report from CNN's J.J. Ramberg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over):

NADINE LAKE, BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR: When I had chemo I developed these black lines on a lot of my nails.

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, Nadine Lake has been through chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. But a few weeks ago she underwent an entirely different round of treatment. Nadine is part of a group of women who were invited to the SK Sanctuary in San Diego, California. The spa closes its doors once a month to its regular clients and opens them only to breast cancer survivors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to the SK Institute's Breast Cancer Spa Program here at SK Sanctuary.

RAMBERG: Spas around the country are teaming up with medical staffs to provide free services to breast cancer patients, offering them days of pampering, massages, facials, manicures and yoga classes. Giving them the chance at least for a few hours, to forget the battle being waged within their body.

LINDA BOOTH, BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR: Today I was just a woman getting a facial. I forgot all about the heavy load.

RAMBERG: And doctors say forgetting about that load once in a while can be integral to the healing process.

DR. ALBERT DEISSEROTH, SIDNEY KIMMEL CANCER CENTER: To the extent that individual individuals can become more highly motivated, can become more confident of themselves, an experience like this has positive value.

RAMBERG: These days are not just about the beauty treatment. The spas also provide a place for breast cancer survivors to meet each other and talk about their experiences, in an atmosphere far from the needles and medications of the doctor's office.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It does grow back and thicker.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It will grow back curly, too.

DR. JEANNE STRYKER: A support group going to the hospital, it just -- it may be a post traumatic stress signal. So it just makes sense that you would go to a place that's very comfortable and you're pampered.

LAKE: It's really nice to talk to other women who have been through it, and gotten through it and are doing so well.

RAMBERG (on camera): Some spas are taking their involvement even a step further. In addition to providing special training on how to give treatments to cancer patients, they're also teaching therapists how to spot breast cancer while giving a massage, hopefully helping to catch the disease before it's too late.

J.J. Ramberg, CNN Financial News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: An exhibit on display here in Atlanta is also raising awareness about breast cancer. It is called "A Celebration of Healing: Lives Touched by Breast Cancer." The portraits represent abstracts done in a contemporary stained glass motif. Sal Brownfield is the artist behind the exhibit. He's here along with breast cancer survivor Lila Hertz who is also one of the models, a supermodel we should say.

Good morning.

SAL BROWNFIELD, ARTIST: Good morning.

LILA HERTZ, BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR: Good morning.

KAGAN: To both of you.

BROWNFIELD: Thank you.

KAGAN: Lila, start with you, your story, when were you diagnosed?

HERTZ: I was diagnosed 6 1/2 years ago. I was training for my first marathon and the doctor told me I would be able to do the marathon. I missed a week of training. I got back my training and my friends asked me where I was last week. I said, I had breast cancer surgery. KAGAN: As if you had shin splints or something.

HERTZ: And subsequently one of the women I was training with was also diagnosed. So we trained through our treatments and ran the marathon together.

KAGAN: What we're learning, it seems, with this week long series that we've been doing with breast cancer is that it really is about being a survivor is really what the breast cancer diagnosis is about and celebrating that. Would you agree with that?

HERTZ: Yes, definitely.

KAGAN: All right. Let's bring in the artiste, Sal. How did you get involved with the breast cancer project?

BROWNFIELD: Well, I've known people who were impacted by breast cancer. I had seen a lot of photo essays and so on of breast cancer survivors, but I wanted to do something that was a little more artistic. I believe that art is healing. And just the meeting with art itself is a healing experience or should be.

KAGAN: So you did a series of these paintings. This one, Lila, as we said, you're a model, let's put the one up that we have right here of Lila and explain what you were trying to do with the painting, Sal.

BROWNFIELD: Well, they are contemporary stained glass, the look to them, so that when they're all collected together there's a sense of sanctuary, so there's a sense of -- maybe of healing, of joy and celebration, of comfort, in fact.

And the models are all abstracted to some degree because I want them to be sort of every woman and every man. And there is a man in the series.

KAGAN: And a certain feature of all the paintings, none of the models as you paint them have eyes. What does that represent?

Only one and she's blind, a blind woman. I wanted to afford and honor their privacy. I think they're coming with their strength and willingness to share their wellness, that is really all we wanted to ask of them.

KAGAN: And then Lila, when you look at this portrait of you, it's just beautiful.

HERTZ: Thank you.

KAGAN: What do you think of it?

HERTZ: I love it. Through the painting of all of these portraits, we realized that we were uncovering emotions in women that they didn't even -- hadn't even faced for a long, long time. And a lot of people that looked at that painting said that they remember the first time that they went to try on a gown after their surgery. KAGAN: Ah.

HERTZ: And that really wasn't even the intention. It was just -- we just had the gown because of an event that I had been involved with. And the exercise clothes were representing how important the exercise was to me through my treatment.

KAGAN: So these paintings all together on exhibit here in Atlanta.

BROWNFIELD: They're an exhibit at Timothy Tew Gallerie -- Gallerie Timothy Tew in Buckhead. And Saturday night, tomorrow night, they go to the Pink Tie Ball at the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead -- at the Komen Foundation Pink Tie Ball, and then back to Timothy Tew's.

KAGAN: Great.

HERTZ: And they're available for sale on his Web site, timothytew.com.

KAGAN: And then the proceeds will go to breast cancer research.

HERTZ: A portion of the proceeds will go to the Komen Foundation here in Atlanta.

KAGAN: Excellent. Well, thank you for sharing your art and for sharing your story. And you'll be at the Survivor Tea where I'm bringing my mom at the end of the month.

HERTZ: Yes, I will.

KAGAN: I look forward to that. Lila Hertz and Sal Brownfield, thank you for sharing this morning.

BROWNFIELD: Thank you very much.

HERTZ: Thank you.

KAGAN: Well, shoppers came back in September. A complete look at business is coming up. But first, here's a look at what's coming up in the next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: I want to bring you a story now that's captured the interest of people from all over the world. This a woman who's just had five babies. She's had quintuplets. The babies are not doing all that well. And none are over two pounds. They're in critical condition. But there's another part to the story that's just as important. Her husband is also in critical condition. You know, his name is Joshua. Her name is Taunacy. But Joshua is a Marine in Iraq. He was just under attack there, and as a result, he's in critical condition, where he suffered serious damage to his torso and leg.

Just moments ago, Taunacy Horton spoke to her husband Joshua, and then spoke to reporters. Here it is. Here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAUNACY HORTON, MOTHER OF QUINTUPLETS: As you heard from the doctors and the nurses today, our babies are doing really well for being so premature. They are beautiful. They look just like their brother and sister, and each has their own personality, and there's still a long road ahead for these angels and hurdles along the way, but we are very hopeful and glad they are doing so well.

And Josh is doing well at Bethesda Naval Hospital, which is where he and I met 10 years ago, when I worked there as a corpsman, and we actually had our first son there, Shawn (ph). It's a great hospital. Josh is still really hurt, but we are hopeful for his recovery and know that he has the best care possible.

And even though circumstances didn't allow josh to be there at the delivery, my hope is that Josh can be there when we first get to hold these babies. I can't wait until we can be reunited and do this together. That would be very special.

My son and daughter are home, can't wait to see and hug their dad and update him on everything.

I talked to Josh for the first time about 8:00 this morning. As you can imagine, it was a very emotional and special moment for us. Wednesday, Josh was told of the arrival of the quintuplets and was able to see a video of them. His mother, Lochlin (ph), said that he was deeply moved, and reached out to touch the TV screen with his hand. I wish I could have been there, but I know that he is keeping them in his heart until he can see them in person.

I can't wait to be at home this weekend to be with my 7-year-old son, Shawn, and my 5-year-old daughter, Shaylee (ph). They have had such a hard time with both parents away, but they are so excited about their new brothers and sisters. And they are relieved to have their mother back. We need some time together while the twins grow and develop here at the hospital. We have a lot of work to get ready for when they come home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: She's tough and boy what a situation to be going through.

KAGAN: Absolutely.

Yes, I interviewed this couple before he left, and obviously, before she had the babies, and they were very realistic about the odds they faced both with these babies, which is a high-risk pregnancy, but also the odds that he faced in going to Iraq, and they felt as a couple, they were solid that this was what he was supposed to do, and go.

SANCHEZ: But before he got injured, before she... KAGAN: Before he even went.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

KAGAN: So they went with their eyes wide open.

SANCHEZ: Well, she's getting a lot of support, I understand, because it's making headlines all over the world, and she's been getting a lot of...

KAGAN: People donating all sorts of things. But, boy, does she have her work cut out for her, huh?

SANCHEZ: Yes, we'll follow it for you and bring you the very latest on the story as it develops.

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: That's going to do it for us.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it does.

KAGAN: Come back for a full week next week?

SANCHEZ: Yes, we'll be here, do the whole thing.

KAGAN: OK, very good.

SANCHEZ: Unless you want to give me a day off, I'll take it.

KAGAN: No, but I will be on assignment on Monday, so I think you're going to have to carry this one by yourself. You're well up the challenge.

SANCHEZ: Where are we going? Wolf Blitzer?

KAGAN: Wolf Blitzer, our colleague and friend in Washington D.C.

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