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American Morning

Republican Debate Preview; Faith, Religion, & Politics

Aired June 05, 2007 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: It's the truth, it's a purely defensive measure, aimed not at Russia, but a true threat. And therefore as the president mentioned, I look forward to having conversations with President Putin. Not only at the G8 but up in the United States when he comes over. And my message will be, Vladimir, I call him Vladimir, that you shouldn't fear a missile defense system. As a matter of fact, why don't you cooperate with us on a missile defense system? Why don't you participate with the United States?
Please send your generals over to see how such a system would work? Send your scientists, let us have the ability to discuss this issue in an open forum, we'll be completely transparent. And I'll remind him that we're having these discussions not only bilaterally with the Czech Republic and Poland, but also through the context of NATO, that the missile defense system will be coordinated with NATO. So I just want the people of this important country to understand that our intention is -- and the reality is, is that we'll protect ourselves from the true threat. It seems like to me it's in this country's interests to work cooperatively with the latest technologies to provide protection, not only for themselves, but for others. It's a noble gesture and an important gesture and I'll tell Russia that they need not fear such a system. That Russia is someone with whom we would like to have positive relations.

It's a complex relationship, no doubt. There's a lot of areas where we can work together to deal with common threats and that will be my message Mr. President to President Putin, not only in Germany, but when he comes to visit me in the United States. We had a really important and interesting discussion. We've discussed a lot of important issues. That's what you should expect friends to do. I'm convinced that this relationship is really good for the United States of America and we'll continue to work to foster good relations, Mr. President and Mr. Prime Minister. Thank you for your hospitality and thank you for your important discussions and thanks for giving me a chance to discuss these issues with the media.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to AMERICAN MORNING, it is Tuesday, June 5th. I'm Kiran Chetry here in New York. Hi, John, good to see you.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you, too. I'm John Roberts, live in Manchester, New Hampshire, where tonight is the big night of the second of the CNN debates. The Republicans go at it tonight. President Bush obviously is going to be a topic that many of them are going to be discussing, the war in Iraq, as well, and now this new fight Kiran between President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin over the installation of parts of a missile defense shield there in the Czech Republic.

CHETRY: Yeah, it's interesting, that whole discussion overshadowing some of the other topics at the G8 summit. The president, as we just heard, speaking, giving a few remarks in Czechoslovakia in Prague, in the Czech Republic. He is then going to be after meeting with Czech president, he is then going to be heading to Germany in advance of that G8 summit. But again, the headlines dominating talk there is, of course, the showdown between Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, and our president.

ROBERTS: Yeah you know heading to that G8 summit and what the president is trying to do is he's trying to assure Russia President Vladimir Putin that they're putting this radar installation as part of the missile defense shield in the Czech Republic is not a threat to Russia, it is merely to protect the European allies of the United States against rogue states, like Iran firing missiles at it. Our Ed Henry is following the president's trip throughout Eastern Europe and as well going to Germany later on this week for the G8 summit. He joins us now. So Ed Henry, this dustup between the president and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the tough talk between the White House and the Kremlin, is that going to overshadow this entire G8 summit?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That is the big question right now, are we on the brink of another cold war. We had been talking in recent weeks about how the G8 summit would be all about economic issues, be all about climate change. The president in the run up talking about global HIV AIDS. But you're absolutely right, now all of a sudden U.S./Russian relations front and center and the president stopped before the summit here in the Czech Republic, only riling Mr. Putin more, as you noted. The U.S. wants to have the radar based here in the Czech Republic for that defense system. And then after the summit, the president is going to go to Poland, where the U.S. wants to base the interceptor missiles. All of that, though, a part of the president's sales pitch. Take a listen to how the president put it a couple of moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: My attitude on missile defense is that this is a purely -- not my attitude, it's the truth, it's a purely defensive measure, aimed not at Russia, but at true threats.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: But President Putin obviously not buying it at all. He's concerned that rather than being a defense program for the U.S. and its European allies, it could be turned into offensive weapons against Russia. That's why we heard in the last couple of days, President Putin threatening to aim nuclear weapons at Eastern Europe. John?

ROBERTS: So, Ed, is that more for domestic consumption there in Russia or does the United States really believe that Putin maybe serious about this whole thing?

HENRY: I think they're taking this very seriously. Obviously, you're absolutely right, you have to sometimes look at this through the prism of Vladimir Putin trying to hit the U.S. a bit, to help him domestically. But this has grown a lot larger. It's a lot more than that, not just on the missile defense issue. A little later today here in the Czech Republic President Bush will deliver a speech on what he calls the freedom agenda, obviously spreading democracy around the world. It's not working out so well right now in Iraq. When the president mentions Russia today, as he will, that also riles Mr. Putin because it's all about the U.S. saying that Russia has to stop backsliding on Democratic reforms. That's riled Putin as well. This relationship very much in disrepair and that's why after the G8 summit on July 1st, Mr. Bush has already invited Mr. Putin to Kennebunkport in Maine to try to smooth this over. John?

ROBERTS: So that invitation stands for now. Is there any chance that they could withdraw that invitation if the rhetoric gets more heated?

HENRY: Well, they could, but I bet that the U.S. is going to want to keep that invitation open because the mission here in the Czech Republic and then on into Germany is to try to cool down the rhetoric, calm everyone down. The U.S. is very concerned. They were, in fact, taken by surprise with what Mr. Putin said just in the last 48 hours. John?

ROBERTS: Yeah, I would expect that if they were to cancel that meeting in Kennebunkport, that that would be a serious new escalation in the rhetoric and something that the world would not want to see. Ed Henry for us this morning. Ed, thanks very much.

CHETRY: To Capitol Hill now and a 94-page indictment against Democratic Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson, bribery, racketeering, conspiracy and money laundering among the charges. Investigators say that $90,000 of that money ended up in Jefferson's freezer. That he took nearly half a million dollars in bribes over five years. Jefferson has denied all the charges. House minority leader John Boehner is expected to call today for an ethics committee review.

It also looks like Democrats are paying the price for approving the war funding bill. According to a new "Washington Post" ABC News poll, job approval ratings for congressional Democrats are down by 10 percent since April from 54 percent to just 44 now. And just 39 percent of people approve of the job congress is doing. Overall that's down from 44 percent in April.

ROBERTS: A big day for Lewis Scooter Libby. The former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney will be sentenced today in the CIA leak case. Libby was convicted back in March for lying about the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. The prosecutor Patrick Custera has asked that Libby serve up to three years. He is appealing his conviction, by the way.

Senator Craig Thomas died last night at the age of 74 after a battle with leukemia. Thomas, a Republican from Wyoming was reelected in November with 70 percent of the vote, while he was in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy. So what happens to Thomas' seat in the Senate and could it somehow affect the power structure there? Well, the governor of Wyoming is going to pick his replacement. Even though the governor is a Democrat, state law says he must choose the replacement from a list of names given to him by the state's GOP committee, so the balance will remain the same in the Senate. Kiran?

CHETRY: Ground beef sold in 10 western states is being recalled because of possible e.coli contamination. The meat is marked with sell by dates from April 20th to May 7th sold at Albertson's supermarkets in California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. It was also sold at Save A Lot stores in Arizona, California as well as Nevada. The parent company of the two chains have set up a toll free number customers can call, that's 800-325-4164. John?

ROBERTS: Well no question, it is debate week here on CNN. In a rare moment on the campaign trail last night, Hillary Clinton talking about how she survived her husband cheating on her. CNN's Soledad O'Brien asked Senator Clinton about it last night at a special forum on faith, religion and politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Infidelity in your marriage was very public and I have to imagine it was incredibly difficult to deal with. I'd like to know how your faith helped you get through it.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I'm not sure I would have gotten through it without my faith. For me, because I've been tested in ways that are both publicly known and those that are not so well known or not known at all. My faith and the support of my extended faith family, people whom I knew who were literally praying for me in prayer chains, who were prayer warriors for me and people whom I didn't know who I would meet or get a letter from sustained me through a very difficult time.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: In addition to Senator Clinton, Democratic candidates Barack Obama and John Edwards also took questions at last night's forum. Tonight, of course, the Republican candidates' debate, CNN's Wolf Blitzer moderates beginning at 7:00 p.m. eastern. And in just a couple of minutes we'll talk to one of the people who'll be up on that stage, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Kiran?

CHETRY: All right, sounds good. George P. Bush is backing Fred Thompson for president. George P. Bush is the president's nephew. He's the son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. George P. sending out a fundraising letter on Thompson's behalf, trying to urge Thompson to run. The former senator from Tennessee is not officially in the race yet, but if you're a betting man, John, he's probably going to jump in, huh?

ROBERTS: Oh, he's as in the race as Rudy Giuliani and Bill Richardson and all those other people were earlier this year.

Quick hits for you now. There seems to be an epidemic of bad driving across the country in Dallas. And elderly driver smashed his car into a restaurant. Police say he hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. Five people including customers and the driver were hurt in that incident.

And an SUV plowed into a home in southern California leaving a toddler badly hurt. Police say a 12-year-old boy was at the wheel. They're trying to figure out just how he got his hands on the family's SUV. The 2-year-old toddler, a girl, is in the hospital recovering from major injuries. A 12-year-old girl, also in the apartment at the time, suffered a broken leg.

Still to come this morning, the art of the handshake. Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee joins us. Can his personal style and solid conservative credentials give him a boost after tonight's debate? You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning is on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: A friendship born from tragedy topping our quick hits this morning. Beth Twitty, the mother of Natalee Holloway and John Ramsey, the father of Jon Benet Ramsey, are denying rumors that they're dating but say they have become good friends. Twitty separated from her husband last year and Ramsey's wife Patsy died a year ago.

An arson attack caught on tape. Surveillance tape showing a man breaking into a convenience store in Rome, Georgia, spraying lighter fluid, actually lighting a fire and then stealing lotto tickets. Police say they think the same guy has hit the area about six times in little more than a year.

And a tennis ball spiked with explosives. Police in Fairfield, Connecticut say that a family found the ball, was playing catch with it. One of the kids missed, the ball hit the ground and then burst into flames. Nobody was hurt. Police say they've seen these tennis ball bombs before where someone cuts the ball open and fills it with match heads. The friction then sets off the explosion.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(HUCKABEE INTERVIEW)

CHETRY: The search for survivors. Your quick hits now. A medical plane carrying six members of an mechanics of an organ transplant team plunged into Lake Michigan, had just taken off from Milwaukee's airport. The Coast Guard says that plane dropped off the radar screen just minutes after the pilot requested to turn back.

An out of control SUV slamming into a bus shelter in Las Vegas, three people managed to get out of the way. One person, though, was trapped under the vehicle and was seriously hurt.

Graduating from high school should be something to cheer about, right? Well, in one Illinois town, cheering at graduation can actually land you in some hot water. We'll have more on that story plus all of the breaking business, just ahead here on AMERICAN MORNING, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: A high-flying solution to airport security on our quick hits. The Department of Homeland Security is considering using armed but unmanned planes to patrol U.S. airports. They would fly at about 50,000 feet and be armed with lasers or infrared jammers that could zap shoulder launch missiles.

A new list is out this morning, the nation's worst airports for delayed arrivals. Guess what tops the list? Well no surprise to anybody who's ever flown out of there. Newark Liberty, where flights arrived only 55 percent of the time. At LaGuardia, just slightly better, 58 percent of the time. JFK, 60. O'Hare Airport in Chicago shared that number. Philadelphia, a little bit better, 65 percent, Charlotte 66 percent. In all, only 72 percent of domestic flights by the USA's 20 largest carriers have arrived on time since January.

Honda is pulling the hybrid version of the Accord. The 2007 model is going to be the last. According to sales reports, Honda sold 439 hybrids Accord hybrids last month. Meanwhile, Toyota sold 24,009 Priuses.

CHETRY: There's a no cheer rule that's costing some grads in Illinois their diplomas, just a month before the big day. Students and their parents were told to behave or suffer the consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAISHA GAYLES, DENIED DIPLOMA: There was a little cheering. Like they said my name, there was some cheering for like five seconds and then that was it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was disrespectful, I think, to our community.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well, that ban was put in place after a particularly rowdy ceremony two years ago. Parents complained that they couldn't even hear their kids' names being called. The school's principal says the students can get their diplomas if they perform eight hours of public service.

Well it's 23 past the hour now and Carrie Lee is minding your business this morning, in for Ali Velshi. Good to see you.

CARRIE LEE: Good to see you as well Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, it's been a big win for the networks over this appeal about the FCC decency ruling.

LEE: Right, and this really comes down to what can you say, what can't you say on television. Sometimes things slip out, we are working in this business so we know how things like this happen. Well this goes back to a March 2000 ruling from a Fox Television billboard music awards when singer Cher, Nicole Richie blurted out some profanities, this is how this all stems. So what's happening now is a U.S. appeals court has overruled federal regulators who decided that expletives uttered on broadcast television violated decency standards. So this is a major victory for television networks. The judge in the case says quote, "We find the FCC's new policy regarding fleeting expletives represents a significant departure from positions previously taken." Now in response, the FCC chairman, Kevin Martin says, "I find it hard to believe that the New York court would tell American families and they're talking about the "S" and "F" words here, are fine to say on broadcast television during the hours when children are most likely to be in the audience." So Kiran, probably not exactly the end of this story. But as it stands right now, this has been overruled. It sounds like they really need to define exactly what you can and cannot say and that's part of this appeal. They're saying the FCC wasn't clear on this in the beginning.

CHETRY: They're not talking about being able to actually plan to curse. They called it fleeting expletives and that's when things don't get bleeped out.

LEE: Exactly, exactly. If you say something and you're just, it's kind of off-the-cuff, you weren't planning it, well that's different from say a planned speech where you have the original intent to say something. So, that's where this stands right now.

CHETRY: Interesting. All right Carrie Lee, we'll check in with you in a little while. Thanks so much.

LEE: Ok thanks.

CHETRY: John?

ROBERTS: Quick hits now, the top story on cnn.com, GOP tanjosel for the spotlight. The candidates preparing for their debate in New Hampshire tonight. Our good friend John Dickerson from slate.com will be here in just a few minutes for a preview. Most popular right now on cnn.com, Diana Crash photos, upset princes. Prince William and Prince Harry urging a British television channel not to air photographs of her car fatal crash in an upcoming documentary.

Still to come this morning, faith and politics. The Democrats for president talk candidly about religion. How it sustains them at home on the campaign trail and in the face of tragedy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: They're all ears in Moscow. President Bush overseas and talking democracy. Will it diffuse or heat up cold war threats from Russia? Plus, faith, values and an unfaithful husband.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON: I'm not sure I would have gotten through it without my faith.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY: Revelations from a candid Hillary Clinton and her presidential rivals, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

And welcome back. Thanks so much for being with us on this Tuesday, June 5th. I'm Kiran Chetry here in New York.

ROBERTS: Good morning to you, Kiran. I'm John Roberts live in Manchester, New Hampshire where it's a little bit foggy this morning on the morning of this second debate with the Republicans going at it tonight. You can see our campaign bus behind us, it's supposed to be a nicer day. The weather here has just been terrible for the last couple of days to tell you the truth.

CHETRY: But the birds are out, at least we can hear the birds chirping in the background as you talk.

ROBERTS: You know, any New Hampshire morning where it's not coming down with rain or snow, is a beautiful morning.

Stories on our radar for you this morning, faith and politics. The Democrats for president talked candidly about religion last evening. Hillary Clinton weighed in on how her faith sustained her amid her husband's infidelities. We'll take a look at some of that for you coming up.

CHETRY: Yes, and the numbers are really interesting. The question being asked -- and we're going to ask our panel, Delia Gallagher, as well as Roland Martin -- can Democrats get the faith and values voters this time around? In 2004, I mean, large numbers of Evangelicals and even mainline Protestants voted for President Bush over John Kerry. So we're going to talk about that a little bit later in the show.

Also, united by tragedies. There are reports out this morning that the mother of Natalee Holloway and the father of JonBenet Ramsey are actually dating. We're going to tell you how they met and what they're saying about it this morning.

But first we start off with our top story.

President Bush wants Russia to know the Cold War is over. Just a half hour ago in Prague, the Czech Republic, the president talked about the European missile shield and what he'll say to Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, tomorrow at the G8 summit.

He says that Russia should not fear the shield, that it's intended to protect Europe from rogue states like Iran and North Korea, and he invited the Russians to cooperate with it. Putin, of course, sees it very differently. He's threatening to point nuclear missiles at Europe if that shield gets built.

Also, a dire warning coming from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. He says that his people are on the verge of an all-out civil war. Abbas says the infighting may be far worse than living under Israeli military rule. Some very controversial statements coming from him. Two parties have been governing through a very tense coalition -- Abbas' Fatah movement, as well as the Islamic militants of Hamas. But last month, another round of gun battles broke out, killing dozens of Palestinians in Gaza.

Well, to Capitol Hill now, and a 94-page indictment against Democratic Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson. Bribery, racketeering, conspiracy and money laundering all among those charges. Investigators saying $90,000 of that money ended up in Jefferson's freezer, and that he took nearly $500,000 in bribes over the course of five years. Jefferson denied these charges. House Minority Leader John Boehner is expected to call today for an Ethics Committee review.

It's also a big day for Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Not the kind of day you want, though.

The former aide to Vice President Cheney will be sentenced today in the CIA case. Libby was convicted in March for lying about the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. The prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, has asked that Libby serve up to three years.

ROBERTS: Ten Republican candidates will take the stage tonight for their debate here in Manchester, New Hampshire. The latest poll of New Hampshire's GOP voters has John McCain running at 30 percent; Mitt Romney not far behind, at 23 percent; Rudy Giuliani nipping at his heels at 21 percent.

The Fred Thompson factor not really a factor right now in the Granite State, as you can see, only 3 percent. That's because people in New Hampshire like to have their candidates on the trail here in the state, shaking hands, declared.

John Dickerson is the chief political correspondent for slate.com. He joins us now with a preview of tonight's GOP face-off.

And John, we saw on Sunday night as John Edwards and Barack Obama were going at each other, Hillary Clinton was trying to just fly above it all, straight up the middle there as the de facto party leader. I doubt if we're going to see that tonight, because they're all fighting for that top spot.

JOHN DICKERSON, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, SLATE.COM: That's right. They're all fighting for the top spot.

Rudy Giuliani may try to be above the fray, but they've all got to go out and raise money. And so they've all got to go out and sort of make a strong statement so they can spend the rest of this month out talking to donors and referring to their sterling performance in the debate. And so there are some of them who all have -- they all have an advantage to sort of mix it up.

ROBERTS: Yes, because this isn't really about voters, particularly here in New Hampshire yet, let alone across the country. This is all about creating a buzz, building party -- or building campaign apparatus, recruiting donors, that sort of thing, isn't it? DICKERSON: That's right. And proving that they're the true conservative in the race. And in a lot of ways, that can be done by distinguishing yourself from the others on the stage of the...

ROBERTS: So what issues do you expect are going to rise to the surface tonight? Iraq, immigration?

DICKERSON: Iraq, to be certain. There will be a lot of Democrat bashing. There's no better way to excite donors than to whoop up on the Democrats. There will be talk about immigration, to be sure.

John McCain and Mitt Romney have been going at it. They probably will continue that. It will be interesting to watch that, though. Will they mellow out, will they stop their fight, or will they just ramp it up? We'll see -- we'll get some sense of what feedback they're getting from the fight so far.

ROBERTS: Well, let's take a quick look at some of the back and forth on that front from yesterday. John McCain, yesterday in Coral Gables, Florida, didn't mention Mitt Romney by name, but he sure had him in mind.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To want the office so badly that you would intentionally make our country's problems worse might prove you can read a poll or take a cheap shot, but it hardly demonstrates presidential leadership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Now, the Romney campaign, of course, wasn't about to let that go. They came right back and said, "The immigration approach proposed by senators McCain and Kennedy falls short of a workable solution to an important problem." The really important word there is "Kennedy".

An interesting little battle going on here, John.

DICKERSON: Yes. And it's interesting to hear what McCain is saying, because he's not talking just about immigration. He's going to motives, and he's basically saying -- he didn't use Mitt Romney's name, but he's saying Mitt Romney has no principles. He reads polls and that's what tells him what to do.

That's a pretty strong charge.

ROBERTS: Yes. As he said in the last Republican debate, "I don't change my positions on even-numbered years."

DICKERSON: That's right.

ROBERTS: Looking right at Mitt Romney, even though he didn't say him by name. We'll see you a little bit later on this morning, John.

DICKERSON: Thanks, John.

ROBERTS: Thanks very much.

Again, tonight, the Republican candidates debate. CNN's Wolf Blitzer moderates the debate. It begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Pre- game show with Lou Dobbs as well. Post-game show afterwards.

Stay with us all night. Stay with us all day, for that matter.

We've got the most news here on CNN -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, senators will be missing a colleague this morning. Senator Craig Thomas of Wyoming, a Republican, is dead after a battle with leukemia. Thomas won re-election back in November, despite his illness. He was 74 years old.

And they're stepping up the search today for a missing teen in Kansas. There's some surveillance video.

They have surveillance tape showing 18-year-old Kelsey Smith (ph) being forced into her car in a store a parking lot. They are releasing this video of a person of interest as well. There you see it. Investigators say they believe that he may have some information on the case.

The family is offering $10,000 for any information.

And still to come, faith and politics. Hillary Clinton talks candidly about religion and its role in getting over her husband's infidelities.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Cast changes topping your "Quick Hits" now.

Fred Thompson's presidential ambitions could mean a promotion for Sam Waterston. Thompson quit "Law & Order" last week. Insiders are saying Waterston is in place to move up from assistant prosecutor, to take over Thompson's role as the district attorney on the show.

Back by popular demand, the world custard pie-throwing championship. Thirty-two teams dressed in various uniforms and costumes tossed pies at each other this weekend in Kent, England. A direct hit to the face got the most points. It took two hours to finally crown a champion.

Tropical Storm Barry shaved six feet off the top of the world's tallest sand castle which once towered over Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Sun Fun Festival castle is now just over 43 feet tall. Still good enough, though, to be the tallest. Coming up to 41 minutes after the how. Chad Myers is down in the weather center in Atlanta with a look at what's happening across the country, some extreme weather.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHETRY: All right. We're talking about issues of faith and values. And are they solely the domain of Republicans?

Well, the Democratic presidential frontrunners certainly don't think so. And Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, the frontrunners, got personal at a forum on faith and politics last night. It was seen here on CNN.

Let's take a little listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My belief in Christ plays an enormous role in the way I view the world.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We shouldn't be asking whose side God is on, but whether we're on his side.

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: At those moments in time when you're tested, it is absolutely essential that you be grounded in your faith.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well, we're going to talk about this that morning. AMERICAN MORNING'S faith and values correspondent, Delia Gallagher, joins me, as well as CNN contributor Roland Martin. Both of them with us now.

Good to see both of you.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Glad to be here.

CHETRY: You know, and I was just thinking when we were watching and we were talking a little bit, is that you really need to be, Delia, very religious and Christian to get elected to the White House. At least that's what history has shown us.

GALLAGHER: Yes. Essentially, yes.

I mean, we haven't talked about it as much as they're trying to do now, or as we have, say, in the past 20 years, but it certainly seems to be the case that Americans want a president who has a certain moral fiber, who exhibits a kind of religious behavior. And that's kind of the way that the American fabric is. You know, we want that in our leader. CHETRY: And Roland, you know, I asked you about this a little bit before the show. You said that they didn't mention any of this on Sunday, the Democratic candidates, but then on Monday, they come to expound about their faith.

Are you saying that you think there's a little bit of hypocrisy going on?

MARTIN: No. I don't think it's hypocrisy. I think that they are uncomfortable putting those two together. That, frankly, has been one of the problems of Democrats, the ability to be able to go back and forth in terms of taking public policy issues and looking at them through the prism of faith. And so I think they can do a better job of being able to connect the dots in terms of the issue of Head Start, adoption, in terms of taxes, in terms of how we treat the poor, how we deal with poverty in the general conversation versus the niche conversation.

Again, they're people of faith. They look at two different perspectives. Some say faith is a part of who I am. Some say it is the essence of who I am. Democrats have got to be able to reach people at their core, otherwise they'll simply leave it as fertile ground for Republicans.

GALLAGHER: I think there's been a fear, too, hasn't there, Roland, about coming out and sort of saying, my faith informs this decision because of our separation of church and state, because there's such attention to that. I think that candidates can also feel like there's a very fine line. And I saw that they were a little bit nervous.

CHETRY: The Democratic candidates -- it's interesting, because our president has been very forthcoming in how faith does factor in his decisions, but Hillary Clinton did speak to that last night.

So let's listen to what she said, and I'd like both of you to weigh in on it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I take my faith very seriously and very personally. And I come from a tradition that is perhaps a little too suspicious of people who wear their faith on their sleeve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GALLAGHER: That's exactly the thing that I think resonates with a lot of voters, because they -- and a couple of candidates said essentially the same thing, that, you know, they're not quite comfortable with this. And I think you could see that.

CHETRY: And Roland, let me ask you about that, "suspicious of people who wear their faith on their sleeves." What did you make of that comment?

MARTIN: Well, I mean, she's right, you know, in that regard, because it's a matter of saying, well, this is who I am as a person of faith, but am I following that up with actions? Joe Biden talked about that last night when he was on "PAULA ZAHN NOW". "And I follow it up with actions." And so, there is a -- there is a way to do that.

Remember, the Democrats use the morality issue in terms of Jim Crow and segregation, in terms of supporting the efforts of the civil rights movement during the '60s. They are not afraid of that.

President Bush also traveling the country talking about faith- based initiatives. Look, churches were doing that for a number of years. The only difference was they had too abide by civil rights statutes.

And so Democrats have to be able to say, wait a minute, how can we -- how can we really focus on issues of faith and deal with public policy, but not be afraid of it? They should be able to challenge Republicans and not allow them to assume that somehow God is behind the Republican Party and Democrats, frankly, are agnostic.

CHETRY: Well, we're going to have see a change in this.

Let's quickly just show this graphic if we could from 2004. We'll see if this changes in 2008, but among Evangelical Protestants, 78 percent voted for President Bush over John Kerry. And their turnout pretty high, 63 percent.

So, you know, when we ask the question, do, you know, Republicans have a lock? In some cases, it's a big yes.

GALLAGHER: Oh yes. That's the big -- that's the big Evangelical vote. When we talk about Evangelicals voting, that's what we mean, those people that supported Bush.

CHETRY: And for mainline Protestants, it's about 50-50.

GALLAGHER: Yes, but the Evangelicals...

CHETRY: But for traditional Protestants...

GALLAGHER: ... have that core group of people who believe in certain issues, and so they are voting on those issues, and will continue to do so, probably.

MARTIN: Two issues.

GALLAGHER: That's right.

MARTIN: And first of all, Kiran, it's two issues -- abortion and homosexuality.

CHETRY: Yes.

MARTIN: The Democrats must expand that.

But the other problem, real quickly, is very simple. Progressives, mainly Democrats, they have not been able to create an external force, an organization that has been able to pull these forces together across the country. So you have patriot (ph) pastors who are backing Republicans. You do not have a likewise organization, infrastructure on the progressive side.

CHETRY: All right. And we're out of time. We're out of time. But it's a very fascinating discussion.

I want to thank both of you, Delia Gallagher, as well as Roland Martin.

Come by any time. Thanks a lot.

MARTIN: Thank you.

GALLAGHER: Thanks, Kiran.

ROBERTS: Coming up now to 48 minutes after the hour.

Friendly fire for the focus -- founder of Focus on the Family. "Quick Hits" for you now.

A coalition of Evangelical, Protestant and Roman Catholic groups are criticizing James Dobson for applauding the Supreme Court ruling that upholds the ban on partial-birth abortions. They say Dobson should be encouraging a ban on all abortion procedures, and that the ruling actually energized abortion rights groups.

And more problems for Rudy Giuliani with religious conservatives. Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin (ph) of Providence, Rhode Island, says Giuliani's views on abortion are "pathetic, confusing and controversial". Giuliani says while he's personally opposed to abortion, women should be able to decide for themselves whether to terminate a pregnancy. The Giuliani campaign isn't commenting on the bishop's criticism.

And did they unite over tragedy? The mother of Natalee Holloway and the father of JonBenet Ramsey reportedly dating. How they met ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Some "Quick Hits" now.

Pulled over for driving drunk in a golf cart. The suspect was in the middle of a game when he decided to drive over to a friend's wedding. The problem was, the wedding wasn't at the golf course. It was eight miles away. Ironically, he says he was using the golf cart to avoid a DUI.

Paris Hilton's first day in prison went well, according to her attorney, who says the staff at the jail is being polite, and according to TMZ.com, allowing her to keep her hair extensions because they meet the standard of being tightly wound. And that allowed Paris to look like this in her mug shot. A little better than Nick Nolte.

Actor Shemar Moore from the soap "Criminal Minds" is accused of the crime of driving under the influence. Moore was busted by the California Highway Patrol on Friday, paid $5,000 bail, and is due back in court on June 26th.

CHETRY: All right. Thanks so much, John.

Well, they both lost their children and say that they're linked through loss. John Ramsey and Beth Twitty, Natalee Holloway's mom, have a new friendship. And it has a lot of people buzzing about it.

AMERICAN MORNING'S Lola Ogunnaike here with more.

You know, when I first heard our producers just e-mail a blip about this, I said, "This has got to be a joke."

LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You thought it was a random thing, right?

CHETRY: Right.

OGUNNAIKE: But it's actually true. Apparently...

CHETRY: But where did they meet?

OGUNNAIKE: Well, they met at a speaker's engagement last year. They were both on the same speaker's tour -- a Nashville speaker's tour, actually. And their lawyer confirmed that the two enjoy a special friendship. I think you have a quote about that?

CHETRY: Sure. Let's show it real quick and see what -- is this John Ramsey's lawyer, Lin Wood, I believe?

OGUNNAIKE: Lin Wood. They have a mutual lawyer, yes.

CHETRY: Oh.

"They share common interests and concerns related to their children, particularly with respect to the actions of law enforcement and the media in response to those tragic losses."

OK. So Lin Wood is their mutual attorney.

It's interesting that he's coming out with this statement, Lola, because apparently there have been some sightings of them dining together, hugging, and even being seen kissing in public in Alabama.

OGUNNAIKE: Yes, which is where Beth Holloway-Twitty is from, actually. And you know that John lost his wife last year, Patsy, to ovarian cancer. And Beth just divorced her husband in December.

So, they're both available. And as you said before, they both do -- they're linked through this loss and tragedy, and they're kind of only the two people in the world who probably understand what it feels like to have lost a daughter and to have something be such a public spectacle.

CHETRY: Both of the murders remain unsolved as well. OGUNNAIKE: Exactly.

CHETRY: So it's another link.

Lola, thank you.

OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.

CHETRY: We're going to talk about some hurricanes preps now. It tops our "Quick Hits".

The National Guard is staying in New Orleans, at least through the hurricane season. They've been patrolling some of the less populated areas since last June. Mayor Nagin asked for an extension and Governor Blanco agreed to keep the troops there until November.

Also, Spike Lee promising not to forget the victims of Hurricane Katrina. He says the story of New Orleans is not over, and he's going to go back to tell it.

Well, first it was gasoline, now it's milk prices. We're going to tell you where milk prices are headed. And the short answer is up. But just how high?

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: What could have been a tragedy turned into a near miracle in southern California. A twin-engine Piper Seneca lost power and slammed into homes in the town of Upland, just east of Los Angeles. Amazingly, the pilot and two passengers on board walked away with only minor injuries, and no one on the ground was hurt. The cause of the power failure in the aircraft is now being investigated.

CHETRY: Four minutes now to the top of the hour. Carrie Lee is "Minding Your Business".

And we are worried about gas prices, of course. But now milk prices, also.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. They've been on the rise.

In fact, a gallon of milk right now costs more than a gallon of gas. And milk prices have been rising really since the start of the year.

On average, according to the Department of Agriculture, a gallon of 2 percent milk costs $3.30. Whole milk is a little more expensive. And the department anticipating that we could see a 30 to 40-cent increase, pushing prices to around $3.80 per gallon.

A couple of reasons for this. Number one, the spike in demand for corn, which is the main ingredient in ethanol, has made cow feed more expensive. Corn very popular to feed cows.

Also, China and India are consuming more milk than they have in the past. In fact, now a lot of Chinese schools are sponsoring school milk programs for kids to drink. That's a relatively new thing.

And then we also have government surpluses which are no longer available here in the U.S. and Europe. You know, the government used to help farmers pay them to produce milk, and they don't do that anymore. So those big inventories are down.

So, all of these things coming together means we're going to pay more for not just milk, but also for yogurt, cheese, all of the things that contain milk. So be prepared for that, as well perhaps higher gas prices this summer.

CHETRY: Carrie Lee, thanks so much.

LEE: Sure.

CHETRY: Right now we're going to check in with Chad Myers. He's going to give us a look at the weather picture this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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