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Congress Taking Hard Look at Vioxx Debacle This Morning; Journalist Convicted of Criminal Contempt for Not Revealing Source; Dems Miss Bubba

Aired November 18, 2004 - 11:35   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.


RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It's about 35 minutes after the hour now, I'm Rick Sanchez.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Daryn Kagan. Here's what's happening now in the news.

U.S. troops in Falluja say they've found a safehouse containing two letters, one from the insurgent leader Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, and one addressed to him. They also say the house had symbols pledging loyalty to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Dignitaries are gathering on the banks of the Arkansas River in Little Rock this hour for the dedication of the Clinton Presidential Library. You're looking at a live picture right now. President Bush and all the former presidents, except for Gerald Ford are on hand today for the ceremony, which begins just under 30 minutes from now, officially.

In California, lawyers in the Scott Peterson trial are asking for a new jury and a new venue for the penalty phase which begins on Monday. Peterson was convicted last Friday and could face the death penalty.

The United Nations is holding a rare Security Council meeting away from its New York headquarters. Today's session is in Nairobi, Kenya, and are focusing on the civil in the Sudan and the crisis in the Darfur region. U.S. ambassador John Danforth predicts a peace deal will be signed by the end of the year.

And the U.S. Agriculture Department is investigating a possible case of mad cow disease today. If confirmed, it would be the second in the United States this year. Early tests are inconclusive. Officials say the animal in question never entered the food chain.

SANCHEZ: Congress is taking a hard look at the Vioxx debacle this morning. A Senate panel wants to know what the drug manufacturers, Merck, knew about Vioxx's health risks and how soon did the company, a, realize it and, b, act on it? Merck withdrew the painkiller September 30th, admitting that it could raise the risk of a heart attack and a stroke. The FDA is also coming under scrutiny at today's hearing. Critics say that the agency should have forced Vioxx off the market well before September. Vioxx brought in $2.5 billion in sales for Merck in the year 2003 alone.

Now a problem facing the drug companies these days, there's no blockbuster in the pipeline. Financial correspondent Allan Chernoff is joining us now in New York this morning to talk about the problem with the pharmaceutical industry.

Thanks, Allan, for being with us.

What is the main problem?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Rick, when it comes to pharmaceutical development, bigger is not necessarily better, and what's been happening within the pharma industry is that we've had so many mergers over the past few years, we have these giant companies, and it takes a long time to combine the research staffs and to bridge cultural divides.

Also in these situations, very often the research manager is not able to spend as much time on individual products, and it gets more complicated. It's a larger company. And they're also tends to be less collaboration among scientists.

SANCHEZ: Now, weren't there two studies on this particular drug, one in 1988 -- pardon me, one in 1998 and another back one in 1999, and didn't they find something that should have alerted somebody somewhere?

CHERNOFF: Well, that is certainly the case. Merck is saying, though, that it really didn't believe that there was a major health risk. Merck has maintained that they really have been responsible here, and it is a relatively complicated story. Merck really is saying that a lot of the reports that have come out thus far have been taken out of context. So, of course, there are two sides to all of this.

SANCHEZ: What -- the folks who are watching us at home are looking at this and saying, well, who's watching out for me? Obviously, if there was a study in '98, '99, they been come out with the information until 2004 that they seemingly learned in 1998, 1999, although they say they thought the study was inconclusive, where does that leave people to depend on government to protect them from a case like this in the future.

CHERNOFF: Well, that actually is a concern with regard to drug development here, because the FDA in the late '90s changed quite a bit and became much more willing to approve drugs, and that was pretty much applauded. The concern now within the pharmaceutical industry is that as a result potentially of these Vioxx hearings, maybe the FDA will now feel political pressure to be much tougher in terms of actually approving new drugs. So this could actually have the effect of slowing down that drug pipeline even further, a potential risk here.

SANCHEZ: Do you expect the hearing will come up with some conclusions, or perhaps, even better said, some type of mandate to put on the FDA and some of the drug companies?

CHERNOFF: Well, obviously the folks in Congress want to put a spotlight on this very issue, but it's impossible to predict exactly where we head from here right now on the very Vioxx issue.

SANCHEZ: Allan Chernoff, thanks so much for bringing us up to date on this very important story.

WHITFIELD: And this story just in, a story sure to send ripples through the journalism community. A Rhode island journalist has been found guilty by a federal judge of criminal contempt for refusing to reveal a source in a story about a city official allegedly accepting a bribe. The reporters' name, Jim Taricani of WJAR, facing up to six months in prison for refusing a court order to reveal who gave him an FBI videotape showing the official accepting an envelope, which allegedly contained some cash. The sentencing is scheduled for December 9th.

SANCHEZ: Sticking to his guns, as promised.

She was just nominated to be America's next secretary of state. Now Condoleezza Rice faces a little surgery. We'll bring you the details on it, nothing alarming. That's next.

WHITFIELD: You're looking at, right there, Little Rock, Arkansas, home of the new Bill Clinton Presidential Library. Dignitaries from around the globe are on hand for the dedication.

And right now, you're looking at a performance by the African Drum Ballet, African drum rhythm is what you're hearing right now. We'll be taking you -- and there's New York's Charles Rangel right there, among the 30,000 invited guests right here at the ceremony inside the glass building, a building that stands something like 20,000 square feet. Huge. Anyway, we'll be taking you back out to Little Rock right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: I want to bring you some new information out of Iraq. As you know, most of the fighting in Falluja has ended. So now, U.S. military officials have gone into the site, and they have found in one particular case what may be described by some as a treasure trove of information about one particular insurgency group, that belonging to Zarqawi. In fact, moments ago there was a press briefing where General John F. Sattler described some of the items that were found in what may have been Zarqawi's hideout.

Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. JOHN SATTLER, U.S. MARINES CORPS: We have found a number of headquarters, command and control cells. We found a number of letters which we're in the process of exploiting, individuals that list fighters from other countries, other parts of the globe, not just those immediately surrounding the country of Iraq.

I can't go into that, because we're in the process of exploiting those. We would not -- I can not stand here and tell you we found the command and control house or building where Zarqawi went ahead and orchestrated and dealt his VBIDs, his suicide VBIDs and the other death and destruction that he has spread throughout the country of Iraq. We will continue to look for that. If, in fact, we do find it, our intent would to be to exploit that information, and hopefully turn that into actual intelligence to go ahead and continue to breathe down his neck and bring him to justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Once again, you have it there. That's Lieutenant General John F. Sattler with the very latest information. He's part of the 1st Expeditionary Core, the very latest information on what they're going in and finding now in some of these buildings in Falluja, and particularly in how it relates to Al Zarqawi.

Fred, over to you.

WHITFIELD: More on a breaking story we're following for you. A journalist in Rhode Island being convicted of criminal contempt and now facing up to six months in prison for not revealing information, sources in particular, about how he received tape of a city employee in Providence, Rhode Island, apparently accepting some kind of cash, allegedly.

Let's go to our Deborah Feyerick who is in Providence with more on this case -- Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Fredricka. A federal judge has found a reporter, Jim Taricani, guilty of criminal contempt for refusing to reveal the identity of the source. The source in question has provided the reporter with a copy of an FBI videotape which was being used as part of the federal corruption probe. Lawyers and defendants at the time were under a gag order, and special prosecutors were called in to investigate who actually gave this reporter that tape.

Now Jim Taricani, the investigative reporter, issued a statement from the courthouse moments after he was found guilty. He said, quote, "When I became a reporter 30 years ago, I never imagined I would be put on trial and face the prospect of going to jail simply for doing my job." But the judge said this was not about his doing his job, that had he no problem with the tape being broadcast, what the judge did have a problem with was the fact that somebody may have knowingly, under a gag order, released that videotape, thereby potentially compromising the integrity of the trial, and the integrity those on trial to get a fair case.

Now, those who were in the trial, actually it was long over. (INAUDIBLE) the mayor of Rhode Island serving five years in prison in that trial. Even though that was over and the defense did get a fair trial, the judge said they still have to get to the bottom of who released that tape in the first place -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Deborah, the sentencing is scheduled for December 9th. He faces up to six months in prison. What kind of reaction is perhaps coming from the station where Taricani worked, WJAR, or other people in the city of Providence? FEYERICK: Well, the station actually has really backed the reporter. He thanked everybody at the station, saying that they had actually given him a pass for having to work on sweeps week pieces so that he could focus on the court matters, but they also issued a statement that the station, NBC 10, is profoundly disappointed by the conviction of its investigative reporter, and that they were disappointed that he was having to go to jail simply for keeping his word (INAUDIBLE), the identity of the source -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Deborah Feyerick, in Providence, Rhode Island, thanks very much for that update of a seasoned journalist with WJAR, out of Providence, Rhode Island, a journalist of more than 30 years, convicted of contempt, criminal contempt for not revealing sources, and this decision coming down from a federal judge. Sentencing in early December.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and it's what we all learn in libel law when we study this craft we call journalism, the idea that you have to protect your sources or, else you create what's called a prior restrain.

And here we have the man who just ran for the presidency of the United States, and lost, Senator John Kerry attending now the inauguration of the brand new facility there on the banks of the Arkansas River for former President Bill Clinton, the library. And the voice you hear in the background, by the way, is that of Phil Driscoll, "My Country Tis of Thee" is what he is performing. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: There you go. This is the inauguration of the Clinton library. We'll be dipping in , as we promised, from time to time. The musical program is soon going to give formal way to the formal dedication of the presidential library, which is scheduled to begin, by the way, straight up at noon.

Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is covering that event for us. She's joining us this morning with more on the festivities. She sets the scene for us now.

Candy, over to you.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick. I'm sorry. I can hear you. We're about six minutes away from dedicating more than just a library to President Clinton. This is a museum. This is an archive. This is going to be an active graduate school. It has been six years in the making and bears every single fingerprint of President William Jefferson Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY (voice-over): A $165 million, 148,000 square foot glass and steel presidential library, museum, grad school, research center, archives and outdoor park. It is just perfect, an outsized complex for a larger than life politician. How the Democrats miss him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He could be president forever as far as I'm concerned, he's my president.

CROWLEY: There are 79,000 objects, almost 2 million pictures and yes, mention of Monica Lewinsky, Ken Starr and impeachment, all part of timeline framed as political assaults. They still miss him

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he was a good president, but he's kind of shady sometimes, too. You know, it's all the -- I don't know, he has a lot of secrets.

CROWLEY: There are an estimated 80 million pages in the Clinton archives, roughing out to 27,000 for every day in office. Historians are salivating to get at it. Less enthused are architectural critics who have called the structure "the world's largest double-wide."

BILL CLINTON, 42ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, that's me, I'm a little red and a little blue.

CROWLEY: Oh, how they miss him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was just a sense of this was a person to whom we could connect.

CROWLEY: It has only been four years for heavens sakes, but two agonizing elections have made Democrats feel as though they are living dog years. So the party with little reason to party lately is doing it up big this week.

As many as 30,000 people from Hollywood to Armenia are gathering to salute the blue states' favorite politician with red state appeal. Vetting the good old days, fretting the days ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they're going have to find another Bill Clinton or they're going to be in trouble.

CROWLEY: Fresh off John Kerry's loss, Democrats here fumble when pressed to name the next Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not sure. I think he really could but I'm not sure that he would be able to get all the votes. Who else, I'm not sure. Who else could it be?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: And while you do hear a lot of Hillary '08 talk and see a lot of Hillary '08 paraphernalia here this week in Arkansas, there is trepidation as well. Talking to several Democrats who said, we just tried a blue state senator, and that didn't work out as we'd hoped -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: There we're seeing Teresa Heinz Kerry, as a matter of fact, under an umbrella. How is it, and I think most of us out here in the real world would probably want to know, that these people who just finished an incredibly nasty campaign, the red state/blue state debate, the Republicans against the Democrats, could now come together at a place like this? What do you expect, Candy? What do they say? How do they treat each other? CROWLEY: You know what's interesting is they talked a lot about how Bill Clinton could compartmentalize. So he could have a nasty, nasty fight going on about impeachment but he could still carry forward with his job. I think this is a time when all presidents compartmentalize. They have a lot more in common, having all been presidents, than they do have differences.

I was just talking to Jim Kennedy who still works with President Clinton. And he said, look, I think they really enjoy coming and seeing each other's libraries. So I think this is a time they actually really like each other and enjoy each other's company.

SANCHEZ: It's all about compartmentalizing. Well said, Candy Crowley, following it for us. And you won't miss a thing because we here at CNN will have continuing coverage of all events surrounding the Clinton Presidential Library and dedication throughout the day.

(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 November 18, 2004 - 11:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It's about 35 minutes after the hour now, I'm Rick Sanchez.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Daryn Kagan. Here's what's happening now in the news.

U.S. troops in Falluja say they've found a safehouse containing two letters, one from the insurgent leader Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, and one addressed to him. They also say the house had symbols pledging loyalty to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Dignitaries are gathering on the banks of the Arkansas River in Little Rock this hour for the dedication of the Clinton Presidential Library. You're looking at a live picture right now. President Bush and all the former presidents, except for Gerald Ford are on hand today for the ceremony, which begins just under 30 minutes from now, officially.

In California, lawyers in the Scott Peterson trial are asking for a new jury and a new venue for the penalty phase which begins on Monday. Peterson was convicted last Friday and could face the death penalty.

The United Nations is holding a rare Security Council meeting away from its New York headquarters. Today's session is in Nairobi, Kenya, and are focusing on the civil in the Sudan and the crisis in the Darfur region. U.S. ambassador John Danforth predicts a peace deal will be signed by the end of the year.

And the U.S. Agriculture Department is investigating a possible case of mad cow disease today. If confirmed, it would be the second in the United States this year. Early tests are inconclusive. Officials say the animal in question never entered the food chain.

SANCHEZ: Congress is taking a hard look at the Vioxx debacle this morning. A Senate panel wants to know what the drug manufacturers, Merck, knew about Vioxx's health risks and how soon did the company, a, realize it and, b, act on it? Merck withdrew the painkiller September 30th, admitting that it could raise the risk of a heart attack and a stroke. The FDA is also coming under scrutiny at today's hearing. Critics say that the agency should have forced Vioxx off the market well before September. Vioxx brought in $2.5 billion in sales for Merck in the year 2003 alone.

Now a problem facing the drug companies these days, there's no blockbuster in the pipeline. Financial correspondent Allan Chernoff is joining us now in New York this morning to talk about the problem with the pharmaceutical industry.

Thanks, Allan, for being with us.

What is the main problem?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Rick, when it comes to pharmaceutical development, bigger is not necessarily better, and what's been happening within the pharma industry is that we've had so many mergers over the past few years, we have these giant companies, and it takes a long time to combine the research staffs and to bridge cultural divides.

Also in these situations, very often the research manager is not able to spend as much time on individual products, and it gets more complicated. It's a larger company. And they're also tends to be less collaboration among scientists.

SANCHEZ: Now, weren't there two studies on this particular drug, one in 1988 -- pardon me, one in 1998 and another back one in 1999, and didn't they find something that should have alerted somebody somewhere?

CHERNOFF: Well, that is certainly the case. Merck is saying, though, that it really didn't believe that there was a major health risk. Merck has maintained that they really have been responsible here, and it is a relatively complicated story. Merck really is saying that a lot of the reports that have come out thus far have been taken out of context. So, of course, there are two sides to all of this.

SANCHEZ: What -- the folks who are watching us at home are looking at this and saying, well, who's watching out for me? Obviously, if there was a study in '98, '99, they been come out with the information until 2004 that they seemingly learned in 1998, 1999, although they say they thought the study was inconclusive, where does that leave people to depend on government to protect them from a case like this in the future.

CHERNOFF: Well, that actually is a concern with regard to drug development here, because the FDA in the late '90s changed quite a bit and became much more willing to approve drugs, and that was pretty much applauded. The concern now within the pharmaceutical industry is that as a result potentially of these Vioxx hearings, maybe the FDA will now feel political pressure to be much tougher in terms of actually approving new drugs. So this could actually have the effect of slowing down that drug pipeline even further, a potential risk here.

SANCHEZ: Do you expect the hearing will come up with some conclusions, or perhaps, even better said, some type of mandate to put on the FDA and some of the drug companies?

CHERNOFF: Well, obviously the folks in Congress want to put a spotlight on this very issue, but it's impossible to predict exactly where we head from here right now on the very Vioxx issue.

SANCHEZ: Allan Chernoff, thanks so much for bringing us up to date on this very important story.

WHITFIELD: And this story just in, a story sure to send ripples through the journalism community. A Rhode island journalist has been found guilty by a federal judge of criminal contempt for refusing to reveal a source in a story about a city official allegedly accepting a bribe. The reporters' name, Jim Taricani of WJAR, facing up to six months in prison for refusing a court order to reveal who gave him an FBI videotape showing the official accepting an envelope, which allegedly contained some cash. The sentencing is scheduled for December 9th.

SANCHEZ: Sticking to his guns, as promised.

She was just nominated to be America's next secretary of state. Now Condoleezza Rice faces a little surgery. We'll bring you the details on it, nothing alarming. That's next.

WHITFIELD: You're looking at, right there, Little Rock, Arkansas, home of the new Bill Clinton Presidential Library. Dignitaries from around the globe are on hand for the dedication.

And right now, you're looking at a performance by the African Drum Ballet, African drum rhythm is what you're hearing right now. We'll be taking you -- and there's New York's Charles Rangel right there, among the 30,000 invited guests right here at the ceremony inside the glass building, a building that stands something like 20,000 square feet. Huge. Anyway, we'll be taking you back out to Little Rock right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: I want to bring you some new information out of Iraq. As you know, most of the fighting in Falluja has ended. So now, U.S. military officials have gone into the site, and they have found in one particular case what may be described by some as a treasure trove of information about one particular insurgency group, that belonging to Zarqawi. In fact, moments ago there was a press briefing where General John F. Sattler described some of the items that were found in what may have been Zarqawi's hideout.

Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. JOHN SATTLER, U.S. MARINES CORPS: We have found a number of headquarters, command and control cells. We found a number of letters which we're in the process of exploiting, individuals that list fighters from other countries, other parts of the globe, not just those immediately surrounding the country of Iraq.

I can't go into that, because we're in the process of exploiting those. We would not -- I can not stand here and tell you we found the command and control house or building where Zarqawi went ahead and orchestrated and dealt his VBIDs, his suicide VBIDs and the other death and destruction that he has spread throughout the country of Iraq. We will continue to look for that. If, in fact, we do find it, our intent would to be to exploit that information, and hopefully turn that into actual intelligence to go ahead and continue to breathe down his neck and bring him to justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Once again, you have it there. That's Lieutenant General John F. Sattler with the very latest information. He's part of the 1st Expeditionary Core, the very latest information on what they're going in and finding now in some of these buildings in Falluja, and particularly in how it relates to Al Zarqawi.

Fred, over to you.

WHITFIELD: More on a breaking story we're following for you. A journalist in Rhode Island being convicted of criminal contempt and now facing up to six months in prison for not revealing information, sources in particular, about how he received tape of a city employee in Providence, Rhode Island, apparently accepting some kind of cash, allegedly.

Let's go to our Deborah Feyerick who is in Providence with more on this case -- Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Fredricka. A federal judge has found a reporter, Jim Taricani, guilty of criminal contempt for refusing to reveal the identity of the source. The source in question has provided the reporter with a copy of an FBI videotape which was being used as part of the federal corruption probe. Lawyers and defendants at the time were under a gag order, and special prosecutors were called in to investigate who actually gave this reporter that tape.

Now Jim Taricani, the investigative reporter, issued a statement from the courthouse moments after he was found guilty. He said, quote, "When I became a reporter 30 years ago, I never imagined I would be put on trial and face the prospect of going to jail simply for doing my job." But the judge said this was not about his doing his job, that had he no problem with the tape being broadcast, what the judge did have a problem with was the fact that somebody may have knowingly, under a gag order, released that videotape, thereby potentially compromising the integrity of the trial, and the integrity those on trial to get a fair case.

Now, those who were in the trial, actually it was long over. (INAUDIBLE) the mayor of Rhode Island serving five years in prison in that trial. Even though that was over and the defense did get a fair trial, the judge said they still have to get to the bottom of who released that tape in the first place -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Deborah, the sentencing is scheduled for December 9th. He faces up to six months in prison. What kind of reaction is perhaps coming from the station where Taricani worked, WJAR, or other people in the city of Providence? FEYERICK: Well, the station actually has really backed the reporter. He thanked everybody at the station, saying that they had actually given him a pass for having to work on sweeps week pieces so that he could focus on the court matters, but they also issued a statement that the station, NBC 10, is profoundly disappointed by the conviction of its investigative reporter, and that they were disappointed that he was having to go to jail simply for keeping his word (INAUDIBLE), the identity of the source -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Deborah Feyerick, in Providence, Rhode Island, thanks very much for that update of a seasoned journalist with WJAR, out of Providence, Rhode Island, a journalist of more than 30 years, convicted of contempt, criminal contempt for not revealing sources, and this decision coming down from a federal judge. Sentencing in early December.

SANCHEZ: Yes, and it's what we all learn in libel law when we study this craft we call journalism, the idea that you have to protect your sources or, else you create what's called a prior restrain.

And here we have the man who just ran for the presidency of the United States, and lost, Senator John Kerry attending now the inauguration of the brand new facility there on the banks of the Arkansas River for former President Bill Clinton, the library. And the voice you hear in the background, by the way, is that of Phil Driscoll, "My Country Tis of Thee" is what he is performing. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: There you go. This is the inauguration of the Clinton library. We'll be dipping in , as we promised, from time to time. The musical program is soon going to give formal way to the formal dedication of the presidential library, which is scheduled to begin, by the way, straight up at noon.

Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is covering that event for us. She's joining us this morning with more on the festivities. She sets the scene for us now.

Candy, over to you.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick. I'm sorry. I can hear you. We're about six minutes away from dedicating more than just a library to President Clinton. This is a museum. This is an archive. This is going to be an active graduate school. It has been six years in the making and bears every single fingerprint of President William Jefferson Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY (voice-over): A $165 million, 148,000 square foot glass and steel presidential library, museum, grad school, research center, archives and outdoor park. It is just perfect, an outsized complex for a larger than life politician. How the Democrats miss him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He could be president forever as far as I'm concerned, he's my president.

CROWLEY: There are 79,000 objects, almost 2 million pictures and yes, mention of Monica Lewinsky, Ken Starr and impeachment, all part of timeline framed as political assaults. They still miss him

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he was a good president, but he's kind of shady sometimes, too. You know, it's all the -- I don't know, he has a lot of secrets.

CROWLEY: There are an estimated 80 million pages in the Clinton archives, roughing out to 27,000 for every day in office. Historians are salivating to get at it. Less enthused are architectural critics who have called the structure "the world's largest double-wide."

BILL CLINTON, 42ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, that's me, I'm a little red and a little blue.

CROWLEY: Oh, how they miss him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was just a sense of this was a person to whom we could connect.

CROWLEY: It has only been four years for heavens sakes, but two agonizing elections have made Democrats feel as though they are living dog years. So the party with little reason to party lately is doing it up big this week.

As many as 30,000 people from Hollywood to Armenia are gathering to salute the blue states' favorite politician with red state appeal. Vetting the good old days, fretting the days ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they're going have to find another Bill Clinton or they're going to be in trouble.

CROWLEY: Fresh off John Kerry's loss, Democrats here fumble when pressed to name the next Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not sure. I think he really could but I'm not sure that he would be able to get all the votes. Who else, I'm not sure. Who else could it be?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: And while you do hear a lot of Hillary '08 talk and see a lot of Hillary '08 paraphernalia here this week in Arkansas, there is trepidation as well. Talking to several Democrats who said, we just tried a blue state senator, and that didn't work out as we'd hoped -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: There we're seeing Teresa Heinz Kerry, as a matter of fact, under an umbrella. How is it, and I think most of us out here in the real world would probably want to know, that these people who just finished an incredibly nasty campaign, the red state/blue state debate, the Republicans against the Democrats, could now come together at a place like this? What do you expect, Candy? What do they say? How do they treat each other? CROWLEY: You know what's interesting is they talked a lot about how Bill Clinton could compartmentalize. So he could have a nasty, nasty fight going on about impeachment but he could still carry forward with his job. I think this is a time when all presidents compartmentalize. They have a lot more in common, having all been presidents, than they do have differences.

I was just talking to Jim Kennedy who still works with President Clinton. And he said, look, I think they really enjoy coming and seeing each other's libraries. So I think this is a time they actually really like each other and enjoy each other's company.

SANCHEZ: It's all about compartmentalizing. Well said, Candy Crowley, following it for us. And you won't miss a thing because we here at CNN will have continuing coverage of all events surrounding the Clinton Presidential Library and dedication throughout the day.

(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