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CNN Sunday Morning
Will Kerry Send Team to Iraq?; Interview With Chuck Smith, Rick Horrow
Aired March 07, 2004 - 09:30 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.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: The current star of the Democratic race is in Mississippi, where he'll attend church in Jackson and speak at a historically black college. Mississippi is one of four states holding a primary on Tuesday.
The political plot thickens with today's word that Senator Kerry might send his own team to Iraq to assess of situation there. Kerry spoke about it in an issue of "Time" magazine which comes out tomorrow. Perry Bacon is a reporter with "Time," and he joins us live from Washington with more details.
Good morning.
PERRY BACON, REPORTER, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good morning, good to be here.
ARENA: So what have you heard? What does this team hope to accomplish in Iraq?
BACON: We asked the senator in an interview, what he would do in Iraq, what his exit strategy was. And he told us that he didn't have a lot of details right now. He wants to make sure Iraq is viable and stable and democratic. But he couldn't spell out what he would do yet. And what he said was he would send a group of people, his own delegation, to see the situation there and assess it on the ground, and to see what they should do next. He mentioned Senator Joe Biden, a good friend of his, as someone in the Senate who might go over there. He mentioned people on his campaign staff as well he might send over there.
ARENA: Well, Perry, obviously, at this point, there were still some security issues. As you know, I talk to the FBI a great deal in my work, and even they, their team has to stay within the green zone, and can't really go out and do the work they want to do. Are we talking in a week, a few weeks, months?
BACON: We're talking several months, probably. He didn't have a lot of details of this. He was sort of almost talking out his idea. He wants to be sure he can make a good assessment. He didn't sort of know how security would work or any sort of detail on that level. He was just talking about the need to sort of personally have some people go over there to see just so he could make his own. He wants to make sure he has as detailed a plan about Iraq as the president does, because this is an important issue in the election. And that's what he was sort of suggesting. ARENA: Well, let's talk about how Iraq, as we move forward, will continue to shape this campaign. What are the expectations?
BACON: I think it's going to be such an important issue because it is what President Bush has done, as much as anything else, it's his decision that was one of the most important in the presidency, and I think Senator Kerry is going to talk about it a lot. Senator Kerry's view on it is the president made a mistake by angering our allies by not spending enough time on the U.N. process. He's going to mention that every day, essentially. He's going to talk about that a lot, how President Bush has run a, the words he uses are reckless, inept, and ideological foreign policy. Senator Kerry's going to talk about criticizing President Bush a lot about that.
ARENA: Perry, you spent a lot of time, obviously, on the plane with John Kerry. Tell us, what are your impressions?
BACON: He's very well versed. We interviewed him for 45 minutes on foreign policy. He's pretty well versed on the issues. He definitely is very interested in foreign policy issues. One of the advisers I talked to this week compared him in some ways to the first President Bush, someone who on some level probably talks and knows a little bit more, has more of a passion in foreign affairs even than domestic policy. That's something he is definitely interested in talking about, and very interested in arguing that President Bush hasn't done it correctly.
The general impression of him is that he is a pretty friendly guy on the plane. He has a good rapport with the reporters, very comfortable with himself, able to be friendly with the reporters and staff following him.
ARENA: All right. Perry Bacon joining us. Thank you.
BACON: Thank you very much.
ARENA: From "Time" magazine.
Well, coming up at the top of the hour, it's "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY". Kerry campaign press secretary, Stephanie Cutter, and Bush/Cheney campaign press secretary, Terry Holt, face off for the first time. That's ahead at 10:00 eastern.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: While we're talking about political theater, the award for the political plot twist of the year could go to Howard Dean. The Democrat who quickly grabbed the spotlight was first forced into an understudy role and then exited stage left, as he dropped out of the race having met none of his winning predictions. Now, a special edition of "CNN PRESENTS" looks at the many days of Dean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE TRIPPI, FORMER DEAN CAMPAIGN MANAGER: It's the people, stupid, that is the subject line. It is the subject line. Do not change the subject line. I just said it. It's the people, stupid. HOWARD DEAN, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 1992, Bill Clinton said, it's the economy, stupid. This time, it's the people, stupid. Washington's going to change, and we're going to change it. Thank you very much.
TRIPPI: He said Clinton said in '92 -- yes. People don't go with that, they're out of their minds. That's what the campaign's about.
It's the people, stupid. Has anybody used it? He's been saying it the last two stops. That's the message. Don't we deserve, at least, get our message out.
Here is the attack, what's your response. Here is the attack, what's your response. Here is the attack, what's your response. And when you get through all that, you have no message.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seems like the other candidates are closing in.
TRIPPI: We'll see on Monday. We don't see that. We're going to win.
How's the blog handling all this? You know, the polls saying it's a dead heat, all that kind of stuff. How are they reacting?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some are getting the sky falling, some are saying it's not about the sky is not falling. You have to be positive. The people -- there is definitely a freaking out attitude.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The real story is John Kerry, he is 25- points...
TRIPPI: Kerry, 25, us, 19, Gephardt, 19. You know what I think, if we get into a back and forth with Gephardt who benefits from that? Not either one of us, not this late.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Edwards.
TRIPPI: Kerry or Edwards.
I don't know, can you get me -- Now.
FELIX SCHEIN, REPORTER, NBC NEWS: There are too many glitches at this stage in the game, here. Went down to five days before the Iowa caucus, the campaign seems to be lacking in structure.
TRIPPI: Does anybody why headquarters isn't answering the phone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know, but neither is the hotline. The hotline's not answering, either.
SCHEIN: There's not a good understanding of how to deal with the press.
The governor himself hasn't been on lately, tinkering with his message and style.
TRIPPI: Next time, when you pick him up, turn to the cameras and pick him up.
Thank you very much, you are wonderful. Thank you.
Vote for Dean.
SCHEIN: Governor Dean complained that the Joe Trippi was getting more press than Dean was getting.
Trippi may even be bigger than Governor Dean in some circles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: And you can catch that special, "CNN PRESENTS" tonight. "True believers, life inside the Dean campaign" airs at 8:00 p.m. eastern, 5:00 pacific, right here on CNN.
One other program note for you, former presidential candidate Wesley Clark will be a guest on CNN's "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER," today. That's beginning at noon eastern.
Suspended coach Gary Barnett is feeling the heat about issues with his football program and recruiting. But is the issue bigger than just one team and one school? We look closer when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ARENA: A new curfew, and no more strip clubs. Those are just a couple of the new rules for recruits visiting the University of Colorado. The guidelines come on the heels of sex scandal that has lead to the suspension of head coach Gary Barnett.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA (voice-over): School officials took actions they hope will help cleanse the university's tarnished reputation. Key points of the new rules include required supervision of recruits by parents or coach, curfew for overnight stays moved up two hours to 11:00 p.m. from 1:00 a.m. Also, no more player hosts. The scandal erupted when some players were accused of taking recruits to strip clubs. Players will still meet with recruits, but won't take them out for a night on the town.
RICHARD BYYNY, CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: Any recruit who violates recruitment standards will not be admitted to the university. Violations by current student athletes or coaches will result in disciplinary action appropriate to the level of severity of the violation. Any violation of the student code of conduct by current student athletes will be referred to the campus office of judicial affairs for prompt investigation and adjudication.
ARENA: More new rules has visits limited to one night, instead of the usual two. Recruits are prohibited from attending private parties, bars, or strip clubs, or engaging in activities that violate team rules, campus policies, or the law. All activities attended by recruits will be planned, approved, and supervised by a coach, and each recruit will undergo a mandatory exit interview with school or athletic officials.
Also last week, a special panel convened by the Colorado Board of Regents met for the first time. The purpose? To determine if reports that sex and alcohol were used to entice standout football players are true. At the same time, the state's attorney general is acting as special prosecutor to determine if there has been any criminal activities.
Suspended University of Colorado football coach Gary Barnett acknowledged publicly for the first time that the sex scandal could cost him his job. Wednesday, Barnett told a local TV audience he was sure his embattled football program would be exonerated, but that saving his job was another question. Barnett steadfastly denies any knowledge of the use of sex to lure recruits.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: Of course, the University of Colorado is not alone in having problems with college athletes. Joining us this morning to talk about the issues are former NFL all pro and University of Tennessee player, Chuck Smith. He is the radio co-host of Atlanta's V-103 Frank Ski morning show. Also with us is CNNfn sports business analyst, Rick Horrow, who joins us from Boynton Beach, Florida.
Thank you both for joining us.
Chuck, let's start with you. If you had heard about those new rules that Colorado just instituted, would that have affected your decision about going to play there?
CHUCK SMITH, FORMER NFL PLAYER: No, I don't think it would have affected my decision. The realism of it is, it's a small percentage of people that will change their minds. Most athletes realize where they want to go before they hit the campus. When they get there, that's just icing on the cake. I don't think so. The only thing I think will be tough is not having the interaction with the other players. You are going to be working and doing things with the athletes on campus. The policing, I think, is fine, but the interaction with the players will be a tough one.
ARENA: Rick, is this issue truly bigger than one team at one school?
RICK HORROW, VISITING PROFESSOR, HARVARD LAW SCHOOL: It's bigger than almost all of college athletics. You've got to remember, it's a $5 billion business, and it's based on four principles: money, money, money, and more money. You know, ABC had a $930 million dollar contract with the bowl championship series. You have $3 billion in corporate merchandizing and revenue. Corporate America, $200 million in sponsorship for the bowls alone. And attendance last year, 41 million people attended college football games. So as the stakes become higher, the risk of a bad football program becomes larger, and the pressures to recruit become larger, as well, obviously.
ARENA: All right. Well, Chuck, any way to get around those economic pressures?
SMITH: Well, yes, I think there is. The first thing they need to do, there can't be so much pressure on winning. You've got guys like out in Nebraska, Frank Solich, has a successful winning season, gets canned, loses his job. But the pressure is like six degrees of separation. It's all connected, the big bowls, the players, recruiting, the big stadiums, the facilities, you've got to figure out a way so there is not so much pressure on these coaches, you know, where things like this can happen.
I am on the University of Tennessee athletic board, and we're being proactive. You try to figure out ways to make it work for the university as well as the players. The universities are also catching a lot of flack out of this, too, so are the victims out in Colorado. There has to be away way to come together to work well for the system.
ARENA: Rick, what are you seeing on a national level, in terms of change and ways of dealing with the real pressures?
HORROW: With all due respect to Chuck, I absolutely agree with him, but it is fairly naive to assume that all of a sudden a 2.2 million coach like Bob Stoops will put less pressure on himself and not think about winning as a top priority. I agree, it's just hard to do. Vanderbilt, for example restructured its athletic program. They now have an office of student athletics, recreation, and wellness to take more control. You have the Maurice Claret situation, where kids may turn pro after two years, which means you can't brand the superstar as much as before, which means there's a lot more pressure to recruit the right kids. Then you've got this student and athlete bill of rights which is percolating through the California legislature, where we talk about paying athletes even more. So there's a lot more pressure to focus on this issue, in the context of a lot of other college football issues that are being debated and discussed righted now.
ARENA: So then, gentlemen, I ask you, where do we go from here? What does the future of college ball look like? Chuck?
SMITH: I think the future is bright. I think the future is beautiful. What I like about what the NCAA is doing now, they're hitting it right in the head. They're not sitting back, they're saying, you know what, this has been a small, dirty little secret that's been going on in college football for a long time. Everybody is being proactive. Nobody is sitting back saying it didn't happen. They're accepting the fact that it happened. They're trying to go and evaluate. Like at my school, University of Tennessee, right now all the coaches are going to convene at he SCC basketball championships here in Atlanta. So they're going to all get together, here, all the athletic directors. Everybody's attacking this thing head on. I don't think...
ARENA: Chuck, did it happen to you? SMITH: Well, no, I was - the thing about me, I am a good example. I was a host, and I recruited guys. I was a player that came in. No, things like this, it's a small percentage. But just like anything, a small percentage of bad apples make it bad for the entire sport. But reform is needed, but, of course, you know, it has to be done the right way. But I think what has to happen, the NCAA has to make it level playing field. It can't just be Colorado, it has to be everybody.
ARENA: All right, I'm going to give Rick a shot. Last answer, Rick, go ahead.
HORROW: As Chuck said, it's bright, it's beautiful, but we've got to be a little realistic. 40 percent of the division one college football programs are making money, and largely because of football. Ohio State, $75 million, revenues a couple years ago, they turned a $20 million loss into a $17 million profit, because of football. They get it for title 1, title 9 and other programs as well.
But it's not all bad. When kids get to college, the '96 graduating class, by the way, six years, 62 percent. It is an all- time high for college athletes. So as bad as certain things are, college athletics are not all bad. And things seem to be turning around, at least in some areas.
ARENA: All right, Rick Horrow, Chuck Smith, I want to thank you both for joining us. Have a good day.
SAN MIGUEL: Well, sports scandals at U.S. colleges are nothing new, but most recently, University of Georgia's former assistant basketball coach, Jim Harrick, Jr. is accused of giving unearned grades to some of the players. This morning we have a sample of one of the tests that was given to those students. Now remember, these are college basketball players taking this test. Here's one of the questions.
"How many goals are on a basketball court?" And there are your choices, one, two, three, or four.
ARENA: How about this one? "How many players are allowed to play at one time on any one team in a regulation game."
SAN MIGUEL: There are your choices, there.
"How many halves are in a college basketball game?" One, two, three, or four.
ARENA: Hello.
"How many points does a three-point field goal account for in a basketball game?"
SAN MIGUEL: That's one of those, who's buried in Grant's tomb questions. And finally, "What is the name of the exam which all high school seniors in the State of Georgia must pass?" A, eye exam, b, how do the grits taste exam, c, bug control exam, d, Georgia exit exam.
We won't insult your intelligence by giving you the answers. I don't think you're going to need cheat sheets or Cliff notes.
ARENA: You know, that's sad, though.
SAN MIGUEL: That is kind of sad. We thought we'd end with just a little bit of levity for that.
ARENA: We update the morning's top stories coming up. Including the latest from Baltimore on the harbor accident.
SAN MIGUEL: And good morning, Seattle. We will have your complete weather forecast in a few minutes. There is the shot from Seattle. CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues after time out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAN MIGUEL: We are going to check one more time with Rob Marciano on the weather. March came in like a lion last week, what are we looking at for today?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Some spots are going to be looking at nice, almost spring-like weather, others spots will be dealing with some winter weather. A little storm across the northern Great Lakes, actually moving through Chicago right now, mostly with just some wind north and east of Chicago, and west, some snow. North of Detroit to see snow. Across the Ohio River valley, some rainfall. It will be cooler, warmer in Florida. Spring training action, good weather for all events, and great skiing weather out here, getting several inches, in some cases feet of snow in the past week.
Warm weather expected for most California. Breaking down the forecast for you, Boston and D.C., it will be dry, breezy and cooler than yesterday. The rain and snow mix moves in. New York city could see a slushy accumulation. Most of the temps stay above freezing. Everything cools down in the southeast, including Atlanta and Miami. Cool tomorrow, with a high of 75. Chicago, also breezy, windy in Detroit. Windy in St. Louis as well. Cooler air more everybody, temperatures in the Great Lakes, in the upper 30s tomorrow. Denver, less in the way of wind today. And Phoenix, in the lower to mid 80s. Off shore winds for southern California as well. And rain in Seattle. We are seeing that now. The emerald city, a live shot. You can barely see the space needle there. Drier weather, somewhat drier weather, tomorrow.
SAN MIGUEL: Rain in Seattle, what a shock.
MARCIANO: This time of year, that is for sure.
ARENA: Thanks, Rob.
SAN MIGUEL: We're going to check on our top stories, now, one more time.
In Baltimore, the Coast Guard, cadaver dogs, and helicopters are being used this morning in a search for three people missing in a water taxi accident. The boat flipped over yesterday in Baltimore Harbor. One person is confirmed dead, 21 survived.
A Justice Department team is heading to Iraq this weekend to begin organizing evidence to build a case against Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi leader and members of his regime are expected to face war crimes.
ARENA: Your thoughts on the latest campaign ad controversy, when CNN SUNDAY MORNING wraps up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ARENA: The use of September 11 images by the Bush campaign has hit some raw nerves in America, especially among some victim's families. A short time ago, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani defended those political ads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK: What the president has done in the ad is perfectly appropriate, and, I think, about the only way you can raise it. He raised it as one of the challenges that he faced. Not the only one, but one of the challenges that he faced. He used images that are within the bounds of propriety. The people who have attacked him, have often attacked him in language that's way over the top. So, you know, I think we're going to continue to see this as part of the campaign. And it's appropriate. We should be debating September 11, 2001. It should be at the forefront of what we think about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: This has been one of the big campaign issues of this past week, and all morning long, we've been asking you your thoughts on whether or not the images from September 11, 2001, should be used in political ad campaigns. Let's hear some of your responses right now.
ARENA: Well, we heard from Paul in Melbourne, Florida, who says, "I know first-hand about the pain of September 11, my father was one of the many killed at the Pentagon and his remains were never recovered. I believe the images should be used more often than they are, people should be reminded what happened that day and the fact that George Bush led us through it. That gives him the right to use footage of 9/11 tastefully."
Paul, we're sorry about your father.
SAN MIGUEL: Exactly.
Will from Connecticut has a different view on this topic. "Bush would not allow photos of our service men in flag-draped coffins coming back from Baghdad, tell me the difference between that and 9/11." We should also note, it is not just family members, but also some of the families of the firefighters who lost their lives at the World Trade Center that day.
ARENA: Certainly an issue that provokes great emotional response.
SAN MIGUEL: Exactly. It's going to be around for a while here.
ARENA: We've got plenty still ahead on CNN today. At the top of the hour, Kelly Wallace hosts "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY." She's joined by Terry Holt, campaign press secretary for President Bush, and Stephanie Cutter, Senator Kerry's press secretary. They'll detail their plans in the race for the White House.
At 11:00, it's CNN LIVE SUNDAY. We'll head back to Baltimore for an update on that harbor accident. Kathleen Koch is there with an update.
And at 11:30, it's "RELIABLE SOURCES." Why are some journalists reacting with glee to Martha Stewart's conviction? And why did the case capture so much attention? Howard Kurtz and his panel discuss coverage of the case, plus, how reporters handled the first week of the general election campaign.
SAN MIGUEL: That does it for us. "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY" is coming up next.
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Rick Horrow>
Aired March 7, 2004 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: The current star of the Democratic race is in Mississippi, where he'll attend church in Jackson and speak at a historically black college. Mississippi is one of four states holding a primary on Tuesday.
The political plot thickens with today's word that Senator Kerry might send his own team to Iraq to assess of situation there. Kerry spoke about it in an issue of "Time" magazine which comes out tomorrow. Perry Bacon is a reporter with "Time," and he joins us live from Washington with more details.
Good morning.
PERRY BACON, REPORTER, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good morning, good to be here.
ARENA: So what have you heard? What does this team hope to accomplish in Iraq?
BACON: We asked the senator in an interview, what he would do in Iraq, what his exit strategy was. And he told us that he didn't have a lot of details right now. He wants to make sure Iraq is viable and stable and democratic. But he couldn't spell out what he would do yet. And what he said was he would send a group of people, his own delegation, to see the situation there and assess it on the ground, and to see what they should do next. He mentioned Senator Joe Biden, a good friend of his, as someone in the Senate who might go over there. He mentioned people on his campaign staff as well he might send over there.
ARENA: Well, Perry, obviously, at this point, there were still some security issues. As you know, I talk to the FBI a great deal in my work, and even they, their team has to stay within the green zone, and can't really go out and do the work they want to do. Are we talking in a week, a few weeks, months?
BACON: We're talking several months, probably. He didn't have a lot of details of this. He was sort of almost talking out his idea. He wants to be sure he can make a good assessment. He didn't sort of know how security would work or any sort of detail on that level. He was just talking about the need to sort of personally have some people go over there to see just so he could make his own. He wants to make sure he has as detailed a plan about Iraq as the president does, because this is an important issue in the election. And that's what he was sort of suggesting. ARENA: Well, let's talk about how Iraq, as we move forward, will continue to shape this campaign. What are the expectations?
BACON: I think it's going to be such an important issue because it is what President Bush has done, as much as anything else, it's his decision that was one of the most important in the presidency, and I think Senator Kerry is going to talk about it a lot. Senator Kerry's view on it is the president made a mistake by angering our allies by not spending enough time on the U.N. process. He's going to mention that every day, essentially. He's going to talk about that a lot, how President Bush has run a, the words he uses are reckless, inept, and ideological foreign policy. Senator Kerry's going to talk about criticizing President Bush a lot about that.
ARENA: Perry, you spent a lot of time, obviously, on the plane with John Kerry. Tell us, what are your impressions?
BACON: He's very well versed. We interviewed him for 45 minutes on foreign policy. He's pretty well versed on the issues. He definitely is very interested in foreign policy issues. One of the advisers I talked to this week compared him in some ways to the first President Bush, someone who on some level probably talks and knows a little bit more, has more of a passion in foreign affairs even than domestic policy. That's something he is definitely interested in talking about, and very interested in arguing that President Bush hasn't done it correctly.
The general impression of him is that he is a pretty friendly guy on the plane. He has a good rapport with the reporters, very comfortable with himself, able to be friendly with the reporters and staff following him.
ARENA: All right. Perry Bacon joining us. Thank you.
BACON: Thank you very much.
ARENA: From "Time" magazine.
Well, coming up at the top of the hour, it's "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY". Kerry campaign press secretary, Stephanie Cutter, and Bush/Cheney campaign press secretary, Terry Holt, face off for the first time. That's ahead at 10:00 eastern.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: While we're talking about political theater, the award for the political plot twist of the year could go to Howard Dean. The Democrat who quickly grabbed the spotlight was first forced into an understudy role and then exited stage left, as he dropped out of the race having met none of his winning predictions. Now, a special edition of "CNN PRESENTS" looks at the many days of Dean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE TRIPPI, FORMER DEAN CAMPAIGN MANAGER: It's the people, stupid, that is the subject line. It is the subject line. Do not change the subject line. I just said it. It's the people, stupid. HOWARD DEAN, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: 1992, Bill Clinton said, it's the economy, stupid. This time, it's the people, stupid. Washington's going to change, and we're going to change it. Thank you very much.
TRIPPI: He said Clinton said in '92 -- yes. People don't go with that, they're out of their minds. That's what the campaign's about.
It's the people, stupid. Has anybody used it? He's been saying it the last two stops. That's the message. Don't we deserve, at least, get our message out.
Here is the attack, what's your response. Here is the attack, what's your response. Here is the attack, what's your response. And when you get through all that, you have no message.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seems like the other candidates are closing in.
TRIPPI: We'll see on Monday. We don't see that. We're going to win.
How's the blog handling all this? You know, the polls saying it's a dead heat, all that kind of stuff. How are they reacting?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some are getting the sky falling, some are saying it's not about the sky is not falling. You have to be positive. The people -- there is definitely a freaking out attitude.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The real story is John Kerry, he is 25- points...
TRIPPI: Kerry, 25, us, 19, Gephardt, 19. You know what I think, if we get into a back and forth with Gephardt who benefits from that? Not either one of us, not this late.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Edwards.
TRIPPI: Kerry or Edwards.
I don't know, can you get me -- Now.
FELIX SCHEIN, REPORTER, NBC NEWS: There are too many glitches at this stage in the game, here. Went down to five days before the Iowa caucus, the campaign seems to be lacking in structure.
TRIPPI: Does anybody why headquarters isn't answering the phone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know, but neither is the hotline. The hotline's not answering, either.
SCHEIN: There's not a good understanding of how to deal with the press.
The governor himself hasn't been on lately, tinkering with his message and style.
TRIPPI: Next time, when you pick him up, turn to the cameras and pick him up.
Thank you very much, you are wonderful. Thank you.
Vote for Dean.
SCHEIN: Governor Dean complained that the Joe Trippi was getting more press than Dean was getting.
Trippi may even be bigger than Governor Dean in some circles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: And you can catch that special, "CNN PRESENTS" tonight. "True believers, life inside the Dean campaign" airs at 8:00 p.m. eastern, 5:00 pacific, right here on CNN.
One other program note for you, former presidential candidate Wesley Clark will be a guest on CNN's "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER," today. That's beginning at noon eastern.
Suspended coach Gary Barnett is feeling the heat about issues with his football program and recruiting. But is the issue bigger than just one team and one school? We look closer when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ARENA: A new curfew, and no more strip clubs. Those are just a couple of the new rules for recruits visiting the University of Colorado. The guidelines come on the heels of sex scandal that has lead to the suspension of head coach Gary Barnett.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA (voice-over): School officials took actions they hope will help cleanse the university's tarnished reputation. Key points of the new rules include required supervision of recruits by parents or coach, curfew for overnight stays moved up two hours to 11:00 p.m. from 1:00 a.m. Also, no more player hosts. The scandal erupted when some players were accused of taking recruits to strip clubs. Players will still meet with recruits, but won't take them out for a night on the town.
RICHARD BYYNY, CHANCELLOR, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: Any recruit who violates recruitment standards will not be admitted to the university. Violations by current student athletes or coaches will result in disciplinary action appropriate to the level of severity of the violation. Any violation of the student code of conduct by current student athletes will be referred to the campus office of judicial affairs for prompt investigation and adjudication.
ARENA: More new rules has visits limited to one night, instead of the usual two. Recruits are prohibited from attending private parties, bars, or strip clubs, or engaging in activities that violate team rules, campus policies, or the law. All activities attended by recruits will be planned, approved, and supervised by a coach, and each recruit will undergo a mandatory exit interview with school or athletic officials.
Also last week, a special panel convened by the Colorado Board of Regents met for the first time. The purpose? To determine if reports that sex and alcohol were used to entice standout football players are true. At the same time, the state's attorney general is acting as special prosecutor to determine if there has been any criminal activities.
Suspended University of Colorado football coach Gary Barnett acknowledged publicly for the first time that the sex scandal could cost him his job. Wednesday, Barnett told a local TV audience he was sure his embattled football program would be exonerated, but that saving his job was another question. Barnett steadfastly denies any knowledge of the use of sex to lure recruits.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: Of course, the University of Colorado is not alone in having problems with college athletes. Joining us this morning to talk about the issues are former NFL all pro and University of Tennessee player, Chuck Smith. He is the radio co-host of Atlanta's V-103 Frank Ski morning show. Also with us is CNNfn sports business analyst, Rick Horrow, who joins us from Boynton Beach, Florida.
Thank you both for joining us.
Chuck, let's start with you. If you had heard about those new rules that Colorado just instituted, would that have affected your decision about going to play there?
CHUCK SMITH, FORMER NFL PLAYER: No, I don't think it would have affected my decision. The realism of it is, it's a small percentage of people that will change their minds. Most athletes realize where they want to go before they hit the campus. When they get there, that's just icing on the cake. I don't think so. The only thing I think will be tough is not having the interaction with the other players. You are going to be working and doing things with the athletes on campus. The policing, I think, is fine, but the interaction with the players will be a tough one.
ARENA: Rick, is this issue truly bigger than one team at one school?
RICK HORROW, VISITING PROFESSOR, HARVARD LAW SCHOOL: It's bigger than almost all of college athletics. You've got to remember, it's a $5 billion business, and it's based on four principles: money, money, money, and more money. You know, ABC had a $930 million dollar contract with the bowl championship series. You have $3 billion in corporate merchandizing and revenue. Corporate America, $200 million in sponsorship for the bowls alone. And attendance last year, 41 million people attended college football games. So as the stakes become higher, the risk of a bad football program becomes larger, and the pressures to recruit become larger, as well, obviously.
ARENA: All right. Well, Chuck, any way to get around those economic pressures?
SMITH: Well, yes, I think there is. The first thing they need to do, there can't be so much pressure on winning. You've got guys like out in Nebraska, Frank Solich, has a successful winning season, gets canned, loses his job. But the pressure is like six degrees of separation. It's all connected, the big bowls, the players, recruiting, the big stadiums, the facilities, you've got to figure out a way so there is not so much pressure on these coaches, you know, where things like this can happen.
I am on the University of Tennessee athletic board, and we're being proactive. You try to figure out ways to make it work for the university as well as the players. The universities are also catching a lot of flack out of this, too, so are the victims out in Colorado. There has to be away way to come together to work well for the system.
ARENA: Rick, what are you seeing on a national level, in terms of change and ways of dealing with the real pressures?
HORROW: With all due respect to Chuck, I absolutely agree with him, but it is fairly naive to assume that all of a sudden a 2.2 million coach like Bob Stoops will put less pressure on himself and not think about winning as a top priority. I agree, it's just hard to do. Vanderbilt, for example restructured its athletic program. They now have an office of student athletics, recreation, and wellness to take more control. You have the Maurice Claret situation, where kids may turn pro after two years, which means you can't brand the superstar as much as before, which means there's a lot more pressure to recruit the right kids. Then you've got this student and athlete bill of rights which is percolating through the California legislature, where we talk about paying athletes even more. So there's a lot more pressure to focus on this issue, in the context of a lot of other college football issues that are being debated and discussed righted now.
ARENA: So then, gentlemen, I ask you, where do we go from here? What does the future of college ball look like? Chuck?
SMITH: I think the future is bright. I think the future is beautiful. What I like about what the NCAA is doing now, they're hitting it right in the head. They're not sitting back, they're saying, you know what, this has been a small, dirty little secret that's been going on in college football for a long time. Everybody is being proactive. Nobody is sitting back saying it didn't happen. They're accepting the fact that it happened. They're trying to go and evaluate. Like at my school, University of Tennessee, right now all the coaches are going to convene at he SCC basketball championships here in Atlanta. So they're going to all get together, here, all the athletic directors. Everybody's attacking this thing head on. I don't think...
ARENA: Chuck, did it happen to you? SMITH: Well, no, I was - the thing about me, I am a good example. I was a host, and I recruited guys. I was a player that came in. No, things like this, it's a small percentage. But just like anything, a small percentage of bad apples make it bad for the entire sport. But reform is needed, but, of course, you know, it has to be done the right way. But I think what has to happen, the NCAA has to make it level playing field. It can't just be Colorado, it has to be everybody.
ARENA: All right, I'm going to give Rick a shot. Last answer, Rick, go ahead.
HORROW: As Chuck said, it's bright, it's beautiful, but we've got to be a little realistic. 40 percent of the division one college football programs are making money, and largely because of football. Ohio State, $75 million, revenues a couple years ago, they turned a $20 million loss into a $17 million profit, because of football. They get it for title 1, title 9 and other programs as well.
But it's not all bad. When kids get to college, the '96 graduating class, by the way, six years, 62 percent. It is an all- time high for college athletes. So as bad as certain things are, college athletics are not all bad. And things seem to be turning around, at least in some areas.
ARENA: All right, Rick Horrow, Chuck Smith, I want to thank you both for joining us. Have a good day.
SAN MIGUEL: Well, sports scandals at U.S. colleges are nothing new, but most recently, University of Georgia's former assistant basketball coach, Jim Harrick, Jr. is accused of giving unearned grades to some of the players. This morning we have a sample of one of the tests that was given to those students. Now remember, these are college basketball players taking this test. Here's one of the questions.
"How many goals are on a basketball court?" And there are your choices, one, two, three, or four.
ARENA: How about this one? "How many players are allowed to play at one time on any one team in a regulation game."
SAN MIGUEL: There are your choices, there.
"How many halves are in a college basketball game?" One, two, three, or four.
ARENA: Hello.
"How many points does a three-point field goal account for in a basketball game?"
SAN MIGUEL: That's one of those, who's buried in Grant's tomb questions. And finally, "What is the name of the exam which all high school seniors in the State of Georgia must pass?" A, eye exam, b, how do the grits taste exam, c, bug control exam, d, Georgia exit exam.
We won't insult your intelligence by giving you the answers. I don't think you're going to need cheat sheets or Cliff notes.
ARENA: You know, that's sad, though.
SAN MIGUEL: That is kind of sad. We thought we'd end with just a little bit of levity for that.
ARENA: We update the morning's top stories coming up. Including the latest from Baltimore on the harbor accident.
SAN MIGUEL: And good morning, Seattle. We will have your complete weather forecast in a few minutes. There is the shot from Seattle. CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues after time out.
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SAN MIGUEL: We are going to check one more time with Rob Marciano on the weather. March came in like a lion last week, what are we looking at for today?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Some spots are going to be looking at nice, almost spring-like weather, others spots will be dealing with some winter weather. A little storm across the northern Great Lakes, actually moving through Chicago right now, mostly with just some wind north and east of Chicago, and west, some snow. North of Detroit to see snow. Across the Ohio River valley, some rainfall. It will be cooler, warmer in Florida. Spring training action, good weather for all events, and great skiing weather out here, getting several inches, in some cases feet of snow in the past week.
Warm weather expected for most California. Breaking down the forecast for you, Boston and D.C., it will be dry, breezy and cooler than yesterday. The rain and snow mix moves in. New York city could see a slushy accumulation. Most of the temps stay above freezing. Everything cools down in the southeast, including Atlanta and Miami. Cool tomorrow, with a high of 75. Chicago, also breezy, windy in Detroit. Windy in St. Louis as well. Cooler air more everybody, temperatures in the Great Lakes, in the upper 30s tomorrow. Denver, less in the way of wind today. And Phoenix, in the lower to mid 80s. Off shore winds for southern California as well. And rain in Seattle. We are seeing that now. The emerald city, a live shot. You can barely see the space needle there. Drier weather, somewhat drier weather, tomorrow.
SAN MIGUEL: Rain in Seattle, what a shock.
MARCIANO: This time of year, that is for sure.
ARENA: Thanks, Rob.
SAN MIGUEL: We're going to check on our top stories, now, one more time.
In Baltimore, the Coast Guard, cadaver dogs, and helicopters are being used this morning in a search for three people missing in a water taxi accident. The boat flipped over yesterday in Baltimore Harbor. One person is confirmed dead, 21 survived.
A Justice Department team is heading to Iraq this weekend to begin organizing evidence to build a case against Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi leader and members of his regime are expected to face war crimes.
ARENA: Your thoughts on the latest campaign ad controversy, when CNN SUNDAY MORNING wraps up.
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ARENA: The use of September 11 images by the Bush campaign has hit some raw nerves in America, especially among some victim's families. A short time ago, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani defended those political ads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK: What the president has done in the ad is perfectly appropriate, and, I think, about the only way you can raise it. He raised it as one of the challenges that he faced. Not the only one, but one of the challenges that he faced. He used images that are within the bounds of propriety. The people who have attacked him, have often attacked him in language that's way over the top. So, you know, I think we're going to continue to see this as part of the campaign. And it's appropriate. We should be debating September 11, 2001. It should be at the forefront of what we think about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAN MIGUEL: This has been one of the big campaign issues of this past week, and all morning long, we've been asking you your thoughts on whether or not the images from September 11, 2001, should be used in political ad campaigns. Let's hear some of your responses right now.
ARENA: Well, we heard from Paul in Melbourne, Florida, who says, "I know first-hand about the pain of September 11, my father was one of the many killed at the Pentagon and his remains were never recovered. I believe the images should be used more often than they are, people should be reminded what happened that day and the fact that George Bush led us through it. That gives him the right to use footage of 9/11 tastefully."
Paul, we're sorry about your father.
SAN MIGUEL: Exactly.
Will from Connecticut has a different view on this topic. "Bush would not allow photos of our service men in flag-draped coffins coming back from Baghdad, tell me the difference between that and 9/11." We should also note, it is not just family members, but also some of the families of the firefighters who lost their lives at the World Trade Center that day.
ARENA: Certainly an issue that provokes great emotional response.
SAN MIGUEL: Exactly. It's going to be around for a while here.
ARENA: We've got plenty still ahead on CNN today. At the top of the hour, Kelly Wallace hosts "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY." She's joined by Terry Holt, campaign press secretary for President Bush, and Stephanie Cutter, Senator Kerry's press secretary. They'll detail their plans in the race for the White House.
At 11:00, it's CNN LIVE SUNDAY. We'll head back to Baltimore for an update on that harbor accident. Kathleen Koch is there with an update.
And at 11:30, it's "RELIABLE SOURCES." Why are some journalists reacting with glee to Martha Stewart's conviction? And why did the case capture so much attention? Howard Kurtz and his panel discuss coverage of the case, plus, how reporters handled the first week of the general election campaign.
SAN MIGUEL: That does it for us. "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY" is coming up next.
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