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Specter to be Judiciary Chairman; Dentists Less Scary?
Aired November 19, 2004 - 08:30 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody, on a Friday. It's 8:30. Good morning again.
Senate Republicans giving Arlen Specter their nod of approval to chair the powerful Judiciary Committee, but it's a nod that did not come easily. A look at an important struggle between some powerful factions that could signal more fights to come down there on Capitol Hill.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, what's new from the land of pain. Millions of Americans are afraid of going to the dentist. Are they living in the past? Sanjay is going to tell us all about the latest dental tools and they could make you hurt a whole lot less.
HEMMER: Yes, you think?
O'BRIEN: That would be nice. I love going to the dentist. But not Heidi apparently.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I have to go on Monday. And it's going to take me all weekend to prepare.
O'BRIEN: No. It's going to be a lot less painful.
COLLINS: Exactly. I'll be watching the story.
O'BRIEN: You have got headlines this morning?
COLLINS: Yes, I do. In fact, straight to Iraq, Soledad.
"Now in the News," within the past half hour, an explosion in Baghdad targeting Iraqi police. A car bomb went off as a convoy of Iraqi police drove by. A police official there says there are many casualties.
President Bush is set to leave for Chile in the next hour for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. Topping the agenda this weekend, new measures to open world trade and steps to combat terrorism. The president is expected to hold one-on-one sessions with leaders from South Korea and Russia.
Scientists are calling it a landmark in evolution. Researchers in Spain say they have found a 13 million-year-old fossil, possibly the last ancestor humans shared with gorillas and other modern apes. The skeleton suggests the creature was male, weighed around 75 pounds and ate fruit. The story appears in today's issue of the journal "Science."
And what may have been a television first, every major British channel was carrying the same tune.
(MUSIC)
COLLINS: The new Band Aid video premiered yesterday. It is the 20th anniversary of the song meant to draw attention to the famine in parts of Africa. Among the artists featured, Bono, Dido and Robbie Williams. And we're going to talk with the founder of Live Aid, you remember his name, Sir Bob Geldof in the next hour. Boy, what a success it was the first time around, right?
HEMMER: Sure was. Ethiopia then, now Sudan 20 years later. Thank you, Heidi.
HEMMER: Despite some upsetting of some very vocal conservatives, the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously backing Senator Arlen Specter to be the panel's chairman. From Washington this morning, Joe Johns sorts through it today for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senator Arlen Specter's intense campaign for the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee paid off with this announcement.
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT), CHAIRMAN, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Arlen Specter will be our next chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
JOHNS: With virtually all of his Republican colleagues on the committee standing in support of him, Specter, an abortion rights Republican, read a long written statement declaring he would not stand in the way of anti-abortion judicial nominees.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: I have not and would not use a litmus test to deny confirmation to pro-life nominees. I have assured the president that I would give his nominees quick committee hearings and early committee votes.
JOHNS: The committee's support appears to end the controversy that began when Specter said anti-abortion nominees would have a tough time getting confirmed by the Senate. But some of the conservative groups who fought against Specter say they're disappointed by the announcement. One group suggesting there was still time to fight.
WENDY WRIGHT, CONCERNED WOMEN FOR AMERICA: He's given promises in the past which he has reneged on. So he has a history of not being trustworthy. Why should we take his word now.
JOHNS: Leading conservative James Dobson of "Focus on the Family" said Specter will be watched very carefully and, quote, "will assume his new position on a very short leash."
Despite the hammering he has taken, Specter denies he was coerced into making concessions. SPECTER: I have not been pressured at all in anything which I have said or done.
JOHNS: A final vote on the matter is not scheduled until January.
Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Anti-abortion activists lobbied hard against Senator Specter, even holding a pray-in at the Capitol on Tuesday -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, that story is one of the things we're talking about this morning on the dish that we like to call "Gimme a Minute." Our chefs this morning, joining us, Jenny Backus. She is in Washington, D.C. She's a Democratic strategist. Mark Simone joins us as well from WABC Radio right here in New York. And Washington, D.C., Andy Borowitz, ambassador of comedy, Dr. Borowitz at the borowitzreport.com.
Nice see you guys. Let's get right it to. And let's start with what we had to hear from Arlen Specter, the Senator saying he wasn't coerced, at the same time we hear from James Dobson, he's going to keep him on a, quote, "very short leash."
Jenny, why don't you take a handle on this. What do you think of this?
JENNY BACKUS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I mean, I think this is actually probably pretty good news for the Democrats. The more that we see James Dobson out there on television, I think the more the membership with DNC is going to go rapidly up. It's very obvious that the specter that people need to be worried about is not Arlen Specter, but the specter of some of these sort of antediluvian judicial nominations that are going to come forward, you know, people who still think women should still be dragged around in caves by their hair. So I think that's what we've got to look for. There is going to be some very radical nominees coming up, people whose views are way out of step with most of mainstream of America.
O'BRIEN: Wow, being dragged around a cave by your hair. That's got to hurt, Mark, what do you think the impact is on all of this for Arlen Specter?
MARK SIMONE, WABC RADIO: Well, I hate to say I told you so, but a week ago I said he would flip-flop completely and become the chairman. Arlen Specter is about as sincere as a John Kerry hunting trip. I think that -- you've got to remember that on the Warren Commission, remember they had that crazy theory about the magic bullet that zig-zagged every which way? The young Warren Commission counsel that came up with it was Arlen Specter. He has been that way ever since, just zig-zagging, you will never know what he's going to do next.
O'BRIEN: Andy, it sounds like -- well, we're going to ignore that bell. It sounds like Mark is saying it's more about Arlen Specter than it is about anybody else. What do you think?
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: No. I have got news for Arlen Specter, if he's just going to roll over and agree with everybody, he's going to wind up in the cabinet.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: Moving on and Mark, why don't you take a look at this one for us? Karl Rove, isn't this nice news, reaching out across the aisle to Democratic Senator Ben Nelson from Nebraska, wants him in that cabinet. And you just heard Andy talking about -- wait a minute, say cynics, not so fast, he is really just trying to change the makeup in the Senate. Where do you weigh in on this?
SIMONE: Well, yes, probably it's a little of both. Nelson has been a big supporter of Bush, he crossed the aisle to help him on tax cuts and Iraq. He's an expert on agriculture issues. He has been very innovative there. Is it just a great political move? Yes. Karl Rove is like a political Godzilla and the Democrats are like thousands of fleeing Japanese here.
(LAUGHTER)
BACKUS: Now actually Ben Nelson was the person who seconded Harry Reid's nomination for leader. So I think Karl Rove is just trying to do a little bit of politics as usual. And I think that's probably the big problem that this administration has. They're so much interested in political domination that they're missing sort of important things, like how are they going to get us out of Iraq and what's going on in Iran? So I think they're a little too much in love with the political superiority and they're missing the fact that they actually have to run the country now.
O'BRIEN: Oh my goodness, Andy, did you hear that, Karl Rove, politics, doing politics?
BOROWITZ: Now I think they're genuinely reaching out to Democrats. You know, they're about to name Zell Miller ambassador to Mars.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: Let's -- Jenny, talk a little bit about this money that was left over in John Kerry's war chest, 15 to 17 million, there are some Democrats who are very angry, say that money could have gone either to Kerry's own campaign or it certainly could have gone to help out some local folks as well. Where do you weigh in on this?
BACKUS: Well, actually I think that it's kind of interesting if you compare the Democrats and the Republicans. Yesterday they just voted to raise the debt ceiling, we're spending a million dollars a minute, which, under George Bush -- or actually going into debt a million dollars a minute. John Kerry was just sitting on his money, making sure -- he was husbanding (ph) it for a rainy day.
Actually, no, John Kerry was very smart, tried to save some money until the end because we thought we would get FEC complaints, we would get a lot legal challenges from the Republicans. He gave about $32 million to the Democrats. So I think this is -- it's just a sign the Democrats are pretty fiscally responsible. And he's going to share that money with Democrats going forward.
O'BRIEN: We will see. You see, Mark, he wasn't hoarding the money, he was being fiscally responsible.
SIMONE: Well, he wasn't turning it over until he was asked. I think the problem is he didn't -- to him it wasn't much money, to him it was petty cash. When you're married to Teresa, that's like a week's allowance. But the problem is, next time you say Kerry only lost Ohio by a few votes, just remember, he could have spent the 15 million in Ohio and maybe won the state.
O'BRIEN: Maybe. All right, Andy, what do you think?
BOROWITZ: You know, the Kerry campaign was so messed up, they were actually planning a December surprise.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: Finally, before I let you all go, let's talk about the under-covered story of the week. Mark, why don't you start for us, what did we miss?
SIMONE: Well, you know, this could be the most fascinating Senate race of all. Hillary Clinton is up for re-election in '06, if she loses, that will kill her presidential bid. Republicans here in New York are now talking to Colin Powell about throwing his helmet into the ring. That could be fascinating, once again, you'll see an American general try to topple a ruthless dictator.
O'BRIEN: Jenny Baucus, what's the under-covered story.
BACKUS: Well, I hit it a little bit already. It's the debt limit. It's the fact that as we head into the Christmas season, we're all worried about credit card bills. They are only going to get higher because George Bush is bankrupting the country, taking us into debt.
O'BRIEN: Andy Borowitz, you get the final word for us this morning.
BOROWITZ: Well, this week, President Bush spoke out against importing cheap drugs, citing Anna Nicole Smith.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: All right, you guys, as always, thank you very much. Nice to see you. Have a great weekend. We will check back with you next week.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Singer Vanilla Ice has found himself wrapped up with Florida officials after a goat and a wallaroo escaped from his yard.
Soledad, what's a wallaroo, I ask you today?
O'BRIEN: Well, Bill, funny you should ask. It's a cross been a wallaby and a kangaroo.
HEMMER: Correct, ding, 800, Alex. Considered an exotic animal, not allowed in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
O'BRIEN: Ah, there's the problem.
HEMMER: Farm animals are also banned, they say. They eighty pound, or 60-pound Wallaroo and the goat found wandering around town. Vanilla Ice, by the way, real name Robert Van Winkle. Really? Robert Van Winkle?
O'BRIEN: Yes, that's why he changed it.
HEMMER: Best known for the hit back in the '90s, "Ice Ice Baby."
O'BRIEN: "Ice Ice Baby" -- remember. That poor guy, he's got to be -- no matter what he does, he's going to be in the news, he's going to be known for "Ice Ice Baby."
HEMMER: Here's comes the base.
O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, a deathbed confession that was so stunning it even shocked local authorities. We'll explain.
HEMMER: Also, in a moment here, something to smile about before you head off to the dentist next time. Sanjay is back to tell us why it's a lot less painful than it used to be.
Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. A Massachusetts woman in a death bed confession admitted to killing her husband. The district attorney says he's stunned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTHA COAKLEY, MIDDLESEX CO., MASS D.A.: It's very bizarre, and investigators with whom I work and I agree this is an unusual set of circumstances.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: As she lay dying last Friday, Geraldine Demarzo Kelly (ph) told one of her children that she'd murdered their father in California 14 years ago. The body was shipped to Massachusetts in a freezer. Police found it in a storage facility yesterday.
On a different topic, Soledad, if you're afraid of going to the dentist, you've got some company, too. One study suggest about a third of adults take a pass on their visit. If you're one of them, Sanjay tell us today that technology may help change your attitude.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The sound of the drill or the fear of a needle can be enough to keep millions of adults away from the dentists office. Those who haven't had their teeth checked in a while may not be aware of some newer gadgets that can take the bite out of a dental exam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Vanessa. How you been?
GUPTA: So we asked one dentist to show us what's new at the office. For example, it's now a lot easier to actually look at your teeth with the help of an intra-oral camera.
DR. PETER VANSTROM, COMPREHENSIVE DENTIST: It gives you a magnification up to 40 times, and you can see things on a large screen that you couldn't see just looking with your small mirror in the mouth.
GUPTA: And if a cavity isn't yet visible, a laser device can help see those cavities before they get to be a big problem.
VANSTROM: It gives us the capacity for very earl detection of any cavities that are in the teeth. It actually emits a light that the bacteria absorb and reflect back in through the machine, and the machine gives a reading, both numerical and in tone, as to how much of the bacteria is present.
GUPTA: What you're hoping for is that the numbers stay low. If they rise over 20 or 25, a cavity has been found.
And that brings us to avoiding those dreaded shots. It's Ora Quick, and it numbs the gums, and even thought it's applied with a syringe, there's no needle. But does it work. Here's what Dr. Vanstrom's wife and patient had to say.
BETTY VANSTROM, WIFE & PATIENT: This, definitely if I don't have to get a shot. But it feels very numb. So it's much -- there's no pain.
GUPTA: Then, if your tooth needs some rebuilding, a new device that actually sees the color of your teeth can help match your crown to the color of other teeth. These new devices may just make your visit to the dentist, well, feel less like a visit to the dentist.
Dr. Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Just that drilling sound that brings it home for everyone.
Final thought here, the best way to make your next visit pain free, brush and floss daily. See your dentist regularly, every six months, they say. And speaking of smiles, Sanjay's has got a lot to smile about. This weekend's "HOUSE CALL" comes your way Saturday and Sunday morning. He'll be talking about babies this weekend, and lots of babies, Soledad.
Soledad's going to help him out, the newest expert on raising twins at home, and Sanjay has some inside information on bringing up more than one baby at a time.
You are the expert now, by the way, aren't you?
O'BRIEN: Yes, you know what, I'm not going to be an experts until I ship those kids off to college, but we'll see.
HEMMER: Still to come this morning, the president and PDA. "The Cafferty File" is straight ahead, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The creator of Nike shoes stepping down and Sharper Image announcing duller results than they'd like. Andy Serwer's here "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Sharper duller.
CAFFERTY: That's an old play on words.
SERWER: Very good.
OK, let's talk about the markets, first of all. Dow was up almost 23 points yesterday, almost 23 points. Altria, the old Phillip Morris, is up.
Today, Sirius Satellite should be on the move. They hired Mel Karmizan (ph), former No. 2 at Viacom. And, but stock futures are lower because oil prices are higher.
Nike, Phil Knight, an iconic CEO if there ever was one, he cofounded this company 30 years ago, is stepping aside; he's going to become chairman. They have a new CEO coming in, a guy named William Perez, who's the CEO of Johnson Wax. They make Drain-O. They make Windex and they make Glade. I don't know about that for a background.
He said -- I love this, though -- he said nobody's going to fill Phil's shoes. That kind of works on a lot of levels, doesn't it?
And what else? A lot of chairman, founders like this have been stepping down as CEOs, like Dell, Michael Dell stepped down, he's chairman, Bill Gates, he's now chairman, Schultz from Starbucks. So that's kind of the in thing these days.
Sharper Image, interesting. This is lame excuse for bad earnings No. 327. First of all, Sharper Image said they had bad earnings. First of all, it is legitimate. They're saying the tie-ups at Long Beach and L.A. They're having trouble getting product from Asia. That's OK, but you dig down into their earnings release here, and they say we believe the election activities distracted customers from direct-response sales from August, September and October. They're blaming the election for bad sales at Sharper Image. It's so true, every time an election comes up I don't want to buy an ionic purifier. I mean, it's true, I always put those two things together. How can they say that?
CAFFERTY: It's lame, very lame.
O'BRIEN: That's funny.
SERWER: That's silly.
CAFFERTY: All right, on to the "File." The next public health warnings may be about the dangers of pornography. This is yet another way to part taxpayers from their hard-earned money. Researchers are calling on Congress to approve federal funding for studies of porn addiction. They want Congress to study pornography, and then they want a health campaign to alert us all to the dangers of pornography in society. They say porn is like heroin. They want more regulation for elicit Internet sites, they want billboards, they want bus ads that warn us all about pornography. Strip clubs, prostitutes, all hazardous to our health.
O'BRIEN: Imagine the pictures on the billboards.
CAFFERTY: Yes, that's what we need is Congress studying pornography. There are days they are.
President Bush has had a busy week when it comes to attending nomination ceremonies and planting congratulatory kisses on his female cabinet secretary. Tuesday, we saw this, kissing Condoleezza Rice on both cheeks, then he got a little bolder on Wednesday, and laid one right on Margaret Spellings' lips. Now what I want to know is why he never does this to Donald Rumsfeld or Dick Cheney? After all, they're part of the cabinet, too.
A schoolteacher in Manchester, England is in trouble because she told 250 kids, ages 13 and 14, that a meteorite was going to crash into the Earth in 10 days and they should go home and say goodbye to their families. The teacher, at St. Matthews Roman Catholic School, has not been named. If we're on the air in England, you may want to make a note of the school and make sure you never, ever, ever send your children there. This woman said she only realized her announcement was misjudged when the children started to crying. She tried to explain that she was simply trying to motivate them to seize the day and make the most of their studies.
O'BRIEN: Carpe diem, that's what she meant to say, carpe diem.
SERWER: Yes, but instead she said a meteorites going to hit your house. I can understand that connection, too, a lot of connections here this morning. CAFFERTY: The woman's an idiot.
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And that, too.
SERWER: Yes, yes, I agree.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Top stories in a moment. Also, we're going to get back to this story about new questions surrounding Iran's nuclear capabilities. A new report puts into doubt a claim made just yesterday by Colin Powell. Live to the White House. We'll try and figure it out in a moment here, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING Quick News at CNN.com/am.
Still to come this morning, the fallout from the Vioxx hearings. One official says five other drugs still on the market could be just as dangerous. We'll take a look at which ones, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired November 19, 2004 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody, on a Friday. It's 8:30. Good morning again.
Senate Republicans giving Arlen Specter their nod of approval to chair the powerful Judiciary Committee, but it's a nod that did not come easily. A look at an important struggle between some powerful factions that could signal more fights to come down there on Capitol Hill.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, what's new from the land of pain. Millions of Americans are afraid of going to the dentist. Are they living in the past? Sanjay is going to tell us all about the latest dental tools and they could make you hurt a whole lot less.
HEMMER: Yes, you think?
O'BRIEN: That would be nice. I love going to the dentist. But not Heidi apparently.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I have to go on Monday. And it's going to take me all weekend to prepare.
O'BRIEN: No. It's going to be a lot less painful.
COLLINS: Exactly. I'll be watching the story.
O'BRIEN: You have got headlines this morning?
COLLINS: Yes, I do. In fact, straight to Iraq, Soledad.
"Now in the News," within the past half hour, an explosion in Baghdad targeting Iraqi police. A car bomb went off as a convoy of Iraqi police drove by. A police official there says there are many casualties.
President Bush is set to leave for Chile in the next hour for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. Topping the agenda this weekend, new measures to open world trade and steps to combat terrorism. The president is expected to hold one-on-one sessions with leaders from South Korea and Russia.
Scientists are calling it a landmark in evolution. Researchers in Spain say they have found a 13 million-year-old fossil, possibly the last ancestor humans shared with gorillas and other modern apes. The skeleton suggests the creature was male, weighed around 75 pounds and ate fruit. The story appears in today's issue of the journal "Science."
And what may have been a television first, every major British channel was carrying the same tune.
(MUSIC)
COLLINS: The new Band Aid video premiered yesterday. It is the 20th anniversary of the song meant to draw attention to the famine in parts of Africa. Among the artists featured, Bono, Dido and Robbie Williams. And we're going to talk with the founder of Live Aid, you remember his name, Sir Bob Geldof in the next hour. Boy, what a success it was the first time around, right?
HEMMER: Sure was. Ethiopia then, now Sudan 20 years later. Thank you, Heidi.
HEMMER: Despite some upsetting of some very vocal conservatives, the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously backing Senator Arlen Specter to be the panel's chairman. From Washington this morning, Joe Johns sorts through it today for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senator Arlen Specter's intense campaign for the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee paid off with this announcement.
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT), CHAIRMAN, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Arlen Specter will be our next chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
JOHNS: With virtually all of his Republican colleagues on the committee standing in support of him, Specter, an abortion rights Republican, read a long written statement declaring he would not stand in the way of anti-abortion judicial nominees.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: I have not and would not use a litmus test to deny confirmation to pro-life nominees. I have assured the president that I would give his nominees quick committee hearings and early committee votes.
JOHNS: The committee's support appears to end the controversy that began when Specter said anti-abortion nominees would have a tough time getting confirmed by the Senate. But some of the conservative groups who fought against Specter say they're disappointed by the announcement. One group suggesting there was still time to fight.
WENDY WRIGHT, CONCERNED WOMEN FOR AMERICA: He's given promises in the past which he has reneged on. So he has a history of not being trustworthy. Why should we take his word now.
JOHNS: Leading conservative James Dobson of "Focus on the Family" said Specter will be watched very carefully and, quote, "will assume his new position on a very short leash."
Despite the hammering he has taken, Specter denies he was coerced into making concessions. SPECTER: I have not been pressured at all in anything which I have said or done.
JOHNS: A final vote on the matter is not scheduled until January.
Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Anti-abortion activists lobbied hard against Senator Specter, even holding a pray-in at the Capitol on Tuesday -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, that story is one of the things we're talking about this morning on the dish that we like to call "Gimme a Minute." Our chefs this morning, joining us, Jenny Backus. She is in Washington, D.C. She's a Democratic strategist. Mark Simone joins us as well from WABC Radio right here in New York. And Washington, D.C., Andy Borowitz, ambassador of comedy, Dr. Borowitz at the borowitzreport.com.
Nice see you guys. Let's get right it to. And let's start with what we had to hear from Arlen Specter, the Senator saying he wasn't coerced, at the same time we hear from James Dobson, he's going to keep him on a, quote, "very short leash."
Jenny, why don't you take a handle on this. What do you think of this?
JENNY BACKUS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I mean, I think this is actually probably pretty good news for the Democrats. The more that we see James Dobson out there on television, I think the more the membership with DNC is going to go rapidly up. It's very obvious that the specter that people need to be worried about is not Arlen Specter, but the specter of some of these sort of antediluvian judicial nominations that are going to come forward, you know, people who still think women should still be dragged around in caves by their hair. So I think that's what we've got to look for. There is going to be some very radical nominees coming up, people whose views are way out of step with most of mainstream of America.
O'BRIEN: Wow, being dragged around a cave by your hair. That's got to hurt, Mark, what do you think the impact is on all of this for Arlen Specter?
MARK SIMONE, WABC RADIO: Well, I hate to say I told you so, but a week ago I said he would flip-flop completely and become the chairman. Arlen Specter is about as sincere as a John Kerry hunting trip. I think that -- you've got to remember that on the Warren Commission, remember they had that crazy theory about the magic bullet that zig-zagged every which way? The young Warren Commission counsel that came up with it was Arlen Specter. He has been that way ever since, just zig-zagging, you will never know what he's going to do next.
O'BRIEN: Andy, it sounds like -- well, we're going to ignore that bell. It sounds like Mark is saying it's more about Arlen Specter than it is about anybody else. What do you think?
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: No. I have got news for Arlen Specter, if he's just going to roll over and agree with everybody, he's going to wind up in the cabinet.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: Moving on and Mark, why don't you take a look at this one for us? Karl Rove, isn't this nice news, reaching out across the aisle to Democratic Senator Ben Nelson from Nebraska, wants him in that cabinet. And you just heard Andy talking about -- wait a minute, say cynics, not so fast, he is really just trying to change the makeup in the Senate. Where do you weigh in on this?
SIMONE: Well, yes, probably it's a little of both. Nelson has been a big supporter of Bush, he crossed the aisle to help him on tax cuts and Iraq. He's an expert on agriculture issues. He has been very innovative there. Is it just a great political move? Yes. Karl Rove is like a political Godzilla and the Democrats are like thousands of fleeing Japanese here.
(LAUGHTER)
BACKUS: Now actually Ben Nelson was the person who seconded Harry Reid's nomination for leader. So I think Karl Rove is just trying to do a little bit of politics as usual. And I think that's probably the big problem that this administration has. They're so much interested in political domination that they're missing sort of important things, like how are they going to get us out of Iraq and what's going on in Iran? So I think they're a little too much in love with the political superiority and they're missing the fact that they actually have to run the country now.
O'BRIEN: Oh my goodness, Andy, did you hear that, Karl Rove, politics, doing politics?
BOROWITZ: Now I think they're genuinely reaching out to Democrats. You know, they're about to name Zell Miller ambassador to Mars.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: Let's -- Jenny, talk a little bit about this money that was left over in John Kerry's war chest, 15 to 17 million, there are some Democrats who are very angry, say that money could have gone either to Kerry's own campaign or it certainly could have gone to help out some local folks as well. Where do you weigh in on this?
BACKUS: Well, actually I think that it's kind of interesting if you compare the Democrats and the Republicans. Yesterday they just voted to raise the debt ceiling, we're spending a million dollars a minute, which, under George Bush -- or actually going into debt a million dollars a minute. John Kerry was just sitting on his money, making sure -- he was husbanding (ph) it for a rainy day.
Actually, no, John Kerry was very smart, tried to save some money until the end because we thought we would get FEC complaints, we would get a lot legal challenges from the Republicans. He gave about $32 million to the Democrats. So I think this is -- it's just a sign the Democrats are pretty fiscally responsible. And he's going to share that money with Democrats going forward.
O'BRIEN: We will see. You see, Mark, he wasn't hoarding the money, he was being fiscally responsible.
SIMONE: Well, he wasn't turning it over until he was asked. I think the problem is he didn't -- to him it wasn't much money, to him it was petty cash. When you're married to Teresa, that's like a week's allowance. But the problem is, next time you say Kerry only lost Ohio by a few votes, just remember, he could have spent the 15 million in Ohio and maybe won the state.
O'BRIEN: Maybe. All right, Andy, what do you think?
BOROWITZ: You know, the Kerry campaign was so messed up, they were actually planning a December surprise.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: Finally, before I let you all go, let's talk about the under-covered story of the week. Mark, why don't you start for us, what did we miss?
SIMONE: Well, you know, this could be the most fascinating Senate race of all. Hillary Clinton is up for re-election in '06, if she loses, that will kill her presidential bid. Republicans here in New York are now talking to Colin Powell about throwing his helmet into the ring. That could be fascinating, once again, you'll see an American general try to topple a ruthless dictator.
O'BRIEN: Jenny Baucus, what's the under-covered story.
BACKUS: Well, I hit it a little bit already. It's the debt limit. It's the fact that as we head into the Christmas season, we're all worried about credit card bills. They are only going to get higher because George Bush is bankrupting the country, taking us into debt.
O'BRIEN: Andy Borowitz, you get the final word for us this morning.
BOROWITZ: Well, this week, President Bush spoke out against importing cheap drugs, citing Anna Nicole Smith.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: All right, you guys, as always, thank you very much. Nice to see you. Have a great weekend. We will check back with you next week.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Singer Vanilla Ice has found himself wrapped up with Florida officials after a goat and a wallaroo escaped from his yard.
Soledad, what's a wallaroo, I ask you today?
O'BRIEN: Well, Bill, funny you should ask. It's a cross been a wallaby and a kangaroo.
HEMMER: Correct, ding, 800, Alex. Considered an exotic animal, not allowed in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
O'BRIEN: Ah, there's the problem.
HEMMER: Farm animals are also banned, they say. They eighty pound, or 60-pound Wallaroo and the goat found wandering around town. Vanilla Ice, by the way, real name Robert Van Winkle. Really? Robert Van Winkle?
O'BRIEN: Yes, that's why he changed it.
HEMMER: Best known for the hit back in the '90s, "Ice Ice Baby."
O'BRIEN: "Ice Ice Baby" -- remember. That poor guy, he's got to be -- no matter what he does, he's going to be in the news, he's going to be known for "Ice Ice Baby."
HEMMER: Here's comes the base.
O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, a deathbed confession that was so stunning it even shocked local authorities. We'll explain.
HEMMER: Also, in a moment here, something to smile about before you head off to the dentist next time. Sanjay is back to tell us why it's a lot less painful than it used to be.
Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. A Massachusetts woman in a death bed confession admitted to killing her husband. The district attorney says he's stunned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTHA COAKLEY, MIDDLESEX CO., MASS D.A.: It's very bizarre, and investigators with whom I work and I agree this is an unusual set of circumstances.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: As she lay dying last Friday, Geraldine Demarzo Kelly (ph) told one of her children that she'd murdered their father in California 14 years ago. The body was shipped to Massachusetts in a freezer. Police found it in a storage facility yesterday.
On a different topic, Soledad, if you're afraid of going to the dentist, you've got some company, too. One study suggest about a third of adults take a pass on their visit. If you're one of them, Sanjay tell us today that technology may help change your attitude.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The sound of the drill or the fear of a needle can be enough to keep millions of adults away from the dentists office. Those who haven't had their teeth checked in a while may not be aware of some newer gadgets that can take the bite out of a dental exam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Vanessa. How you been?
GUPTA: So we asked one dentist to show us what's new at the office. For example, it's now a lot easier to actually look at your teeth with the help of an intra-oral camera.
DR. PETER VANSTROM, COMPREHENSIVE DENTIST: It gives you a magnification up to 40 times, and you can see things on a large screen that you couldn't see just looking with your small mirror in the mouth.
GUPTA: And if a cavity isn't yet visible, a laser device can help see those cavities before they get to be a big problem.
VANSTROM: It gives us the capacity for very earl detection of any cavities that are in the teeth. It actually emits a light that the bacteria absorb and reflect back in through the machine, and the machine gives a reading, both numerical and in tone, as to how much of the bacteria is present.
GUPTA: What you're hoping for is that the numbers stay low. If they rise over 20 or 25, a cavity has been found.
And that brings us to avoiding those dreaded shots. It's Ora Quick, and it numbs the gums, and even thought it's applied with a syringe, there's no needle. But does it work. Here's what Dr. Vanstrom's wife and patient had to say.
BETTY VANSTROM, WIFE & PATIENT: This, definitely if I don't have to get a shot. But it feels very numb. So it's much -- there's no pain.
GUPTA: Then, if your tooth needs some rebuilding, a new device that actually sees the color of your teeth can help match your crown to the color of other teeth. These new devices may just make your visit to the dentist, well, feel less like a visit to the dentist.
Dr. Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Just that drilling sound that brings it home for everyone.
Final thought here, the best way to make your next visit pain free, brush and floss daily. See your dentist regularly, every six months, they say. And speaking of smiles, Sanjay's has got a lot to smile about. This weekend's "HOUSE CALL" comes your way Saturday and Sunday morning. He'll be talking about babies this weekend, and lots of babies, Soledad.
Soledad's going to help him out, the newest expert on raising twins at home, and Sanjay has some inside information on bringing up more than one baby at a time.
You are the expert now, by the way, aren't you?
O'BRIEN: Yes, you know what, I'm not going to be an experts until I ship those kids off to college, but we'll see.
HEMMER: Still to come this morning, the president and PDA. "The Cafferty File" is straight ahead, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The creator of Nike shoes stepping down and Sharper Image announcing duller results than they'd like. Andy Serwer's here "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Sharper duller.
CAFFERTY: That's an old play on words.
SERWER: Very good.
OK, let's talk about the markets, first of all. Dow was up almost 23 points yesterday, almost 23 points. Altria, the old Phillip Morris, is up.
Today, Sirius Satellite should be on the move. They hired Mel Karmizan (ph), former No. 2 at Viacom. And, but stock futures are lower because oil prices are higher.
Nike, Phil Knight, an iconic CEO if there ever was one, he cofounded this company 30 years ago, is stepping aside; he's going to become chairman. They have a new CEO coming in, a guy named William Perez, who's the CEO of Johnson Wax. They make Drain-O. They make Windex and they make Glade. I don't know about that for a background.
He said -- I love this, though -- he said nobody's going to fill Phil's shoes. That kind of works on a lot of levels, doesn't it?
And what else? A lot of chairman, founders like this have been stepping down as CEOs, like Dell, Michael Dell stepped down, he's chairman, Bill Gates, he's now chairman, Schultz from Starbucks. So that's kind of the in thing these days.
Sharper Image, interesting. This is lame excuse for bad earnings No. 327. First of all, Sharper Image said they had bad earnings. First of all, it is legitimate. They're saying the tie-ups at Long Beach and L.A. They're having trouble getting product from Asia. That's OK, but you dig down into their earnings release here, and they say we believe the election activities distracted customers from direct-response sales from August, September and October. They're blaming the election for bad sales at Sharper Image. It's so true, every time an election comes up I don't want to buy an ionic purifier. I mean, it's true, I always put those two things together. How can they say that?
CAFFERTY: It's lame, very lame.
O'BRIEN: That's funny.
SERWER: That's silly.
CAFFERTY: All right, on to the "File." The next public health warnings may be about the dangers of pornography. This is yet another way to part taxpayers from their hard-earned money. Researchers are calling on Congress to approve federal funding for studies of porn addiction. They want Congress to study pornography, and then they want a health campaign to alert us all to the dangers of pornography in society. They say porn is like heroin. They want more regulation for elicit Internet sites, they want billboards, they want bus ads that warn us all about pornography. Strip clubs, prostitutes, all hazardous to our health.
O'BRIEN: Imagine the pictures on the billboards.
CAFFERTY: Yes, that's what we need is Congress studying pornography. There are days they are.
President Bush has had a busy week when it comes to attending nomination ceremonies and planting congratulatory kisses on his female cabinet secretary. Tuesday, we saw this, kissing Condoleezza Rice on both cheeks, then he got a little bolder on Wednesday, and laid one right on Margaret Spellings' lips. Now what I want to know is why he never does this to Donald Rumsfeld or Dick Cheney? After all, they're part of the cabinet, too.
A schoolteacher in Manchester, England is in trouble because she told 250 kids, ages 13 and 14, that a meteorite was going to crash into the Earth in 10 days and they should go home and say goodbye to their families. The teacher, at St. Matthews Roman Catholic School, has not been named. If we're on the air in England, you may want to make a note of the school and make sure you never, ever, ever send your children there. This woman said she only realized her announcement was misjudged when the children started to crying. She tried to explain that she was simply trying to motivate them to seize the day and make the most of their studies.
O'BRIEN: Carpe diem, that's what she meant to say, carpe diem.
SERWER: Yes, but instead she said a meteorites going to hit your house. I can understand that connection, too, a lot of connections here this morning. CAFFERTY: The woman's an idiot.
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And that, too.
SERWER: Yes, yes, I agree.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Top stories in a moment. Also, we're going to get back to this story about new questions surrounding Iran's nuclear capabilities. A new report puts into doubt a claim made just yesterday by Colin Powell. Live to the White House. We'll try and figure it out in a moment here, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING Quick News at CNN.com/am.
Still to come this morning, the fallout from the Vioxx hearings. One official says five other drugs still on the market could be just as dangerous. We'll take a look at which ones, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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