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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Interviews with James P. Hoffa, Jerry Brown, Bob Graham and Norm Coleman

Aired July 27, 2004 - 17:00   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.


WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now, the plane bringing John Edwards to this campaign, to this stop here in Boston has just landed. You're looking at a live picture of John Edwards' plane at Logan Airport in Boston.
Also happening now. Gearing up for tonight's big headliner at the Democratic National Convention. Teresa Heinz Kerry usually speaks off the cuff. So why is tonight different?

Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Firing up the faithful. Democrats bring out a pair of war horses.

A rising star and a Reagan. But all eyes and ears will be on the would-be first lady.

TERESA HEINZ KERRY, WIFE OF SEN. JOHN KERRY: I speak from my heart, from my head and from my soul.

BLITZER: Costume drama. The GOP slings mud at Kerry's clean room suit as Democrats dig through Bush's closet.

Florida...

AL GORE, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Take it from me, every vote counts.

BLITZER: Could it happen again? I'll ask Senator Bob Graham.

Ransom. Did Egypt buy the freedom of a kidnapped diplomat?

ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Excitement is building here at the Fleet Center in Boston with some very high powered speakers waiting to rock this house. But will they stick to the job of uniting Democrats or will they come off as polarizing figures? Right now, we're watching Senator John Edwards' arrival here in Boston. This plane has just come to a stop on the tarmac at Logan International Airport. He's getting ready to walk off this plane. He's nursing a sore throat, but he's certainly ready to be nominated as vice president of the United States.

Technically he's not going to be showing up here at the convention at least until tomorrow night. But veteran campaigner and liberal lightning rod Edward Kennedy has been warming up here. He's getting ready to warm up the crowd tonight.

You are looking at live pictures here. They are rocking and rolling as a break in this convention begins. They are listening to music and they're dancing. In fact, let's listen to some of that music right now.

Standing by on the convention floor CNN's Joe Johns standing by on the convention floor where Kennedy and former candidate Howard Dean are likely to light a fire under these delegates tonight. Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is at our podium position where Teresa Heinz Kerry may make a more personal approach.

Candy, let's talk about Teresa Heinz Kerry first. She's a woman as you well know to speak her mind. We saw an example of that on Sunday. What can we expect to hear from her tonight?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, she said in that clip she was going to speak from her heart, her soul, and her mind. But she is also going to speak from her script. They figure about 15 minutes. What I am told by people around her is that it will be not one of those pounding the podium types because she's not one of those people. But rather this will be a conversation.

They want Teresa Heinz Kerry to talk about her background and she will talk about growing up in Mozambique as the daughter of Portuguese parents and under a dictatorship and now being at the Democratic convention. Also, of course, Wolf, she is going to be talking about her husband. We're told she will be talking about what he stands for and what he believes is worth fighting for. So a very much on script Teresa Heinz Kerry, at least so far as they planned it right now.

BLITZER: All right. Candy Crowley on the podium. We'll be getting back to you later this hour. And to remind our viewers what you're seeing on the screen. That's the plane that has just brought John Edwards to Logan Airport here in Boston. He'll be getting off this plane momentarily. He'll be walking down these steps, getting ready to come to the convention. Supposedly he's not going to be coming over until tomorrow. We'll see if he pops in perhaps surprises these delegates earlier. That's something we can't necessarily rule out. We'll catch this plane, we'll watch John Edwards as he walks down the stairs.

Meanwhile the liberal symbol of the Democratic party and a firebrand who captivated the very early days of the primary season are two other key speakers tonight. With that part of the story CNN's Joe Johns -- Joe. JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Howard Dean obviously is one of those people you are talking about, Wolf. He is expected to speak tonight. He's going to give a message about encouraging Democrats to realize and be who they are. He has not given out a lot of details about exactly what he will say in that speech. But we do expect him to focus on party unity among other things.

Now the senior senator from Massachusetts right here in Boston of course, that is Edward Kennedy. He, too, is expected to speak this evening. It's not expected to be an extraordinarily long speech. However this will be the eighth time he has addressed a Democratic National Convention. He's going to have a large contingent of his family in this room. Possibly as many as 90 people including Maria Shriver, notably her husband the Republican governor of California won't be there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Johns watching that part of the story. Joe, we'll stand by for you. We'll be getting back to you obviously throughout the night. Once again, that door of that plane has just landed here in Washington. It is bringing John Edwards -- excuse me, in Boston bringing John Edwards here to the Democratic National Convention. We'll watch that door as it opens and John Edwards will walk down getting ready to participate in this convention.

Meanwhile, the nominee to be, John Kerry is also slowly making his way here to Boston, campaigning at each stop. He'll be speaking in Philadelphia during the next hour after stressing his combat experience in the Navy town of Norfolk. That's what he did earlier today.

Meanwhile, let's take a look to see if John Edwards walks off this plane right away or if he's going to wait. We see people beginning to walk down the plane. John Edwards getting ready to come here. We are told he's got a little bit of a sore throat that he's been nursing. Spent part of the day today earlier in North Carolina in his home state of North Carolina. Had an emotional visit to the cemetery there, his son Wade passed away in a car accident several years ago. Went there to pay his respects to his 17-year-old son Wade who died in a car crash only a few years ago. That was a defining moment in the life clearly of this family.

We see people going up there. Let's bring in our guest James Hoffa, the president of the Teamsters. You're here in Boston already. You are a super delegate, what would you call a super delegate. There's no doubt, though, that some of the union issues, you feel a lot better about John Edwards than you do about John Kerry?

JAMES P. HOFFA, TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT: Well, I think they are a team. What one does the other does. They are not going to do separate programs. They've talked about the fact that both of them have like 98 percent records with regard to labor issues. I think those are the issues we want to talk about. We want to talk of making this a better America, getting jobs in America. A lot of the talk about Iraq has been overshadowed, the real issue of the domestic problems in this country. The fact is we don't have jobs. We are having so many jobs outsourced out of this country. We've got 9 million people out of work. We've got to change all that and I think that's what this program is going to do.

BLITZER: It's fair to say though that John Edwards supports you more on these issues of trade than John Kerry ever did.

HOFFA: Well, I think...

BLITZER: He's a free trader, John Kerry, in other words.

HOFFA: I think...

BLITZER: By the way here he comes. You see him walking off the stairs with his two young kids. Mrs. Edwards and his older daughter who just graduated from Princeton, she is now getting involved in this campaign as well. You look at that picture. That's a pretty photogenic picture as they arrive in Boston.

HOFFA: Very nice family.

BLITZER: I would say that picture has been carefully planned out for this arrival here at Logan in Boston. It doesn't get much better than that, does it?

HOFFA: Very nice.

BLITZER: All right. Let's talk about John Edwards. You like his position because he says he would have voted, for example, against NAFTA had he been in the Senate at that time. John Kerry certainly voted for the North America Free Trade Agreement.

HOFFA: That's true. Of course John Edwards wasn't in the Senate but also John Edwards said that he would have -- he voted for the China Trade Agreement and he said if he had to do it over again he wouldn't do it.

I think the campaigning that's gone on has changed the attitudes of these different people. You can't go out and campaign and see literally thousands of people come up to you with tears in their eyes saying, "I lost my job. Where do I go from here?" without that affecting your views.

I do think John Kerry is a changed man. I think he's more sensitive to the great toll that these trade agreements have done to the United States and the fact that we've ripped the heart out of America. We've got to put the heart back. I think that's what is going to happen. I do think that John Edwards is more sensitive to these issues but I think the combination of the campaigning and the fact that John Edwards believes as I do that we have to have jobs in this country, is going to affect the total policy and I think we're going to be pleased with the Kerry/Edwards program.

BLITZER: We'll see if they can both get their act together. I assume they will now that they are a ticket. James Hoffa of the Teamsters. Thanks very much for joining us.

HOFFA: I think they will, Wolf. Don't worry about it.

BLITZER: I don't think you're worried about it. Thanks very much.

Republicans are waiting for their turn, of course. The president maintaining a low profile at his Texas ranch. The vice president, on the other hand, is keeping up his appearances including a visit today with U.S. Marines. Let's go live to our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. She's in Crawford, Texas -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, both sides are using the 9/11 report to their advantage. We're told the president continues to look at this, mull over those recommendations. He has yet to make any decisions. But a White House spokesperson actually sidestepped that recommendation from Kerry today that he extend the mandate of the 9/11 commission some 18 months to hold the administration accountable to actually making those intelligence reforms, making those changes. That spokesperson saying that the president, of course, is focused on the commission's recommendations.

At the same time, Vice President Dick Cheney is on the campaign trail. He has been making his way crisscrossing across the west. Today he's in California. That is where he spoke to troops again stating that the 9/11 report -- praising the work for the commission and also saying that the administration would do better.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America will never go back to the false comforts of the world before 9/11. Terrorists attacks are not caused by the use of strength. They are invited by the perception of weakness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And, Wolf, an interesting sidebar story here in Crawford, Texas. It's expected that filmmaker and Bush critic Michael Moore may be here tomorrow to actually highlight his film "Fahrenheit 9/11." He was invite bid a local group called Peace House. And it is expected that he'll attend. There are a lot of people who are gathered. He understand he even invited the president but a spokesperson saying don't expect him to attend -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I don't think he will. Thanks very much. Suzanne Malveaux reporting from Crawford, Texas.

Political photo wars. We'll show you how both parties are getting down and sometimes dirty. Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON REAGAN, SON OF LATE PRESIDENT REAGAN: This could be the biggest revolution in medicine -- well, ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: The son of the late President Ronald Reagan brings the controversial issue of stem cell research to this convention, a Democratic convention tonight. Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERESA HEINZ KERRY, WIFE OF SEN. JOHN KERRY: It's an attraction that's different because, you know, I was still wounded...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The softer side of Teresa Heinz Kerry. An inside look at why she fell for the senator from Massachusetts.

And Obama's impact. Why this father from Chicago's south side is now being called a rising star.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to the floor of the Democratic National Convention here at the Fleet Center in Boston. There's going to be an unlikely speaker at tonight's convention in primetime. That unlikely speaker Ron Reagan. The son of the late President Ronald Reagan. He'll talk about the importance of stem cell research. He's at odds with President Bush over the issue, one of many given the young Reagan's political leanings. Let's get some background now. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining us from the CNN center with an explanation of what is at stake here -- Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, in the center of this controversy over stem cells are embryos and potential cures for deadly diseases.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

RON REAGAN: This could be the biggest revolution in medicine ever, bigger than antibiotics. Bigger than anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Embryonic stem cell research -- you'll excuse that technical difficulty there -- involves taking embryos that are in fertility clinics all around the country and using them to create these embryonic stem cells and so people who are on the political right of the conservatives and President Bush are against this. They say that those are actual embryos and that they are potential life and they shouldn't be destroyed but people on the other side of the issue say they are just cells. For example, the young Ron Reagan said on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" earlier, he said, "look they are just cells, they're not fingers, they're not toes, there's no hair, there's no face." They should be used to potentially make cures or treatments for deadly diseases.

Now some of the diseases, for example, diabetes is a promising one. Another one is Parkinson's Disease. That's another one that's possibly going to be helped by the embryonic stem cell research. However it is really unknown if those cures or those treatments will ever really work out. So far all that's happened is that they have helped paralyzed mice or rats move more easily. They have helped animals in the rodent stage. They haven't actually helped human beings yet. That remains to be seen whether or not that's actually possible. And so it remains to be seen, but there is still so much excitement around embryonic stem cell research and you'll see that tonight when the young Ron Reagan makes his speech.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks very much for that explanation. A sensitive issue here not only in Boston but around the United States. We'll get to more explanation throughout our coverage tonight.

Let's bring in now a special guest. I'm in the California delegation on the floor at the Democratic convention. Joining us now the mayor of Oakland, the former governor of California, former presidential candidate himself Jerry Brown. Thanks very much for joining us.

Is the fact that a Reagan, Ron Reagan, to be specific, going to be speaking here tonight, how big of a political deal is that for the Democrats?

MAYOR JERRY BROWN (D), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: I think it's a big deal. The name Reagan is iconic. We just went through the funeral and to have the son there it's powerful. There's always a connection between father and son as I well know with the connection to my own father who was governor and was defeated by Reagan. And the fact that the son would come back and be here in the Democratic context, I think is powerful.

BLITZER: The stem cell debate, of course, he's involved in the whole debate over abortion rights for women. The Democratic candidate John Kerry is taking a position he believes life begins at conception but he supports a woman's right to have an abortion. Do you see a contradiction there?

BROWN: No, I don't. It certainly is something alive. The question is what should a response be to the embryo, to the zygote, and that's a matter of personal choice. It's a matter of a philosophy, or religion, or however you want to look at it.

So the fact that you use the term life doesn't foreclose his embracing the political doctrine of choice for each woman in America.

BLITZER: Will abortion rights be a big issue in this campaign?

BROWN: It's always a big issue in California because the Republicans always want to take away women's right to control their own reproductive health. In some states it could be an issue. By and large I think Bush is going to shy away from that. Much like Reagan, they talk about before the campaign about these hot button social issues. But then they tend to pull back.

BLITZER: What is going to be the biggest issue, the economy or Iraq? BROWN: I was just noticing James Hoffa talking about the economy. And I agree with him for a lot of Americans. Just standing back and looking at the big question, Iraq is overwhelming. And those who feel that we have been well served by this war and its execution and its -- the aftermath, they are going to tend to go for the president. So I think that Kerry has to define a difference on the Middle East, on that part of the world otherwise...

BLITZER: California -- California -- California delegation right now, these are Californians are excited, as you are. Do you think Bush has a shot in California given the fact that have you a Republican governor named Arnold Schwarzenegger who will be a prime time speaker at the Republican Convention?

BROWN: Well, I tell you something, Schwarzenegger got in not because of the Republicans, he got in through a recall where people of all parties could vote for him. So that I don't think it will translate over to the president, because he's an independent. And his biggest charm and attractiveness is that he is so independent and somewhat of a maverick.

BLITZER: All right, governor -- mayor, presidential candidate, we call you a lot of things, Jerry Brown, thanks for joining us.

BROWN: Thank you very much, wolf.

BLITZER: We're going to take a quick break.

When we come back, the dangerousness of dealing with terrorists. Did the Egyptian Government pay a ransom for this diplomat's freedom?

We'll have a live report from Baghdad.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Teresa coming out from under.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: From the widow of a senator to the wife of a presidential candidate, a close personal look at Teresa Heinz Kerry.

A tight race in the sunshine state. Are election officials better prepared this time or will the hanging chad be back? I'll speak with Democratic Senator Bob Graham.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live from the Fleet Center in Boston, once again, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back. She's outspoken, off the cuff and ready to take center stage in just a few hours. A personal look at potential first lady Teresa Heinz Kerry. We'll get to that. First, though, a quick check of stories now in the news.

Sources tell CNN the Egyptian government paid a large ransom, hundreds of thousands of dollars for the release after diplomat kidnapped in Iraq. But Egyptian officials are categoricly denying any money was paid. A State Department official says it may never be cleared how the diplomats release came about.

Attorney General John Ashcroft announcing charges against a major Muslim charity in the United States. A grand jury accuses The Holy Land Foundation and seven of its officials of giving more than $12 million to the Palestinian Group Hamas. The organization's assets have been frozen since 2001. The U.S. government considers Hamas a terrorist organization.

Going over grounds in the search for a missing pregnant woman in Utah. Police looking for Lori Hacking searched the Landfill with cadaver sniffing dogs for the second time but came up empty handed. They say the new search wasn't prompted by any new clues, just better weather conditions.

And amazing images from Hawaii. Look at this from this volcano continuing an eruption that started in 1983. An average of 2,000 visitor a day are witnessing the show. The Hawaii National Park on the big island which has added 500 acres as the lava pours into the sea. Keeping you informed. CNN, the most trusted name in news.

The nominee to be John Kerry is slowly making his way here to Boston campaigning at each stop. He'll be speaking in Philadelphia next hour. After stressing his combat experience earlier in the day in the navy town of Norfolk, Virginia.

Our national correspondent Frank Buckley has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Senator John Kerry here in Norfolk, Virginia, as he continues his travels on the way to Boston Massachusetts.

He was here in Norfolk, Virginia, to pay tribute to the U.S. military, but also to remind voters of his own wartime credentials. He was introduced by Skip Barker, a fellow commander officer of a swift boat during Vietnam. Senator Kerry also used the opportunity to urge quick action on the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

KERRY: When the commission released their report, I called for immediate action, not talk, not vague promises, not excuses. Backpedaling and going slow is something that America can't afford.

Meanwhile, here in Virginia, the Kerry campaign believes it has a shot of winning voters here, despite the fact that this is technically one of those 16 or 17 battleground states. This state went to Bush in 2000 by more than eight points. The Kerry campaign has spent money and time here. It believes there is a potential vulnerability here for President Bush and the Democrats have a chance of winning Virginia voters. But certainly the burden is on them. This state hasn't gone for a Democrat in presidential politics since Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1964.

Frank Buckley, CNN, Norfolk, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Battling it out on the sidelines. Democrats and Republicans fight to make the other side look foolish. The latest skirmishes in the photo war.

Also this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE SEN. BARACK OMABA (D), ILLINOIS: What I would like to do is focus on making sure that I get -- give a voice to the stories I'm hearing across Illinois.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

One of the Democrats rising stars giving a speech tonight. You'll meet Barack Omaba.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to the Democratic National Convention.

For better or worse, Teresa Heinz Kerry had been grabbing headlines with her sometimes blunt and outspoken style. Still, many people know little about the woman who could be the next first lady of the United States.

Our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, has been spending some time with Teresa Heinz Kerry. She's joining us now live to take a look -- Candy.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, people may know very little about Teresa Heinz Kerry, but it's not because she won't talk about it. In fact, she is quite happy to talk about her past.

She had Portuguese parents. She was raised in a colonial dictatorship in Mozambique. Her father was a doctor there. She went to South Africa for her education. She ended up in Geneva and that's where she found what she calls the love of her life. His name was John Heinz. He of course would go on to become a senator. He was her first love. She married him and then, at the age of 32, became an American citizen.

Their life was a happy one. They had three sons. And then, in the middle of the marriage, a tragedy struck.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CROWLEY (voice-over): After almost 25 years of marriage, at 52, Teresa Heinz was a widow. The loss of her husband, Pennsylvania Senator John Heinz sunk Teresa into depression.

TERESA HEINZ KERRY, WIFE OF SENATOR JOHN KERRY: Missing him, missing him as my mate, it was also hard because it was at a time when all of the kids left home. So all of a sudden I went from having a house with people to nobody. It was a lot of tough pains.

DIANA WALKER, FRIEND: Nobody wanted to let go of Teresa and the boys. They were just terribly important to all of us.

CROWLEY: She retreated from public life.

Years earlier, her late husband has introduced Teresa to Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts at an Earth Day rally in Washington. A year after John Heinz's death, Teresa ran in John Kerry at a 1992 Earth Day Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

J.D. HEYMAN, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: She was quite impressed with this man. And like John Heinz, they had much in common and they began to see one other. CROWLEY: Senator Kerry had been a bachelor for more than 10 years. His first marriage ended in divorce. Over time, Teresa and John's relationship grew.

HEINZ KERRY: It's an attraction that's different because, you know, I was still wounded. And you are lonely still, also, you know. So at that age, I think, what you look for is some comfort, some friendship, some understanding.

WALKER: I'll never forget it. Teresa was in the kitchen and she was whistling. Now this is new. This was Teresa coming out from under and it was John Kerry.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's a full woman, fascinating, unbelievably engaging, loves fun, loves dance, loves music, loves the arts, loves the world, loves the environment, loves people, loves life. And she's full of it -- life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: They have been married for nine years now. They have been through -- this is their third campaign. Ask Teresa Heinz Kerry and she will tell you she knows John Kerry but not well enough -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Candy Crowley, an excellent profile that you have done on Teresa Heinz Kerry. Thanks very much.

You may not know his name yet, but tonight's keynote speaker here at the Democratic Convention is a rising star in the Democratic Party. A state senator from the south side of Chicago, Barack Obama seems likely to win a seat in the U.S. Senate this November.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: People in this country, black white, Latino, Asian, all have a common set of dreams.

BLITZER (voice-over): Barack Obama's message of rising above racial politics is propelling this 42-year-old father of two into the national spotlight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a Republican and I'm voting for you.

OBAMA: My father was from Kenya. He was a foreign student who grew up in a tiny village in Kenya. My mother was a white American who grew up in a small town in Kansas. They met in the University of Hawaii.

BLITZER: Obama's parents separated when he was 2. His childhood and teenage years were spent in Hawaii and Indonesia with his mother and Indonesian stepfather. Obama on to graduate from Columbia University and then Harvard Law School, becoming the first African- American president of the Harvard Law Review.

With an entire world of possibility before him, Obama made what might be considered a surprising decision, forgoing corporate law or a judge clerkship for civil rights activism.

OBAMA: I moved to the South Side of Chicago, where I started as a community organizer, worked as a civil rights attorney.

BLITZER: Obama has never left, serving as state senator, law school professor, and for now he's running unopposed for the U.S. Senate after his Republican opponent dropped out.

(on camera): One quick question. You want to be president of the United States?

OBAMA: I want to be the best U.S. senator for the state of Illinois that I can be.

BLITZER: You know there's people talking about that.

OBAMA: Well, that's the way -- talk to my wife. She will tell me I need to learn just to put my socks in the hamper.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And there are plenty of people talking about it not far from where I am right here very close to the Illinois delegation. He is going to be giving the keynote speech later tonight.

Hanging chad, missing ballots, memories of the 2000 election still remain very much on the minds of a lot of people here. Will Florida be ready this time around? The Democratic Senator Bob Graham, he will join me live.

Images from the past. Find out why Democrats have released these photos of President Bush all dressed up.

Plus, it's the everyday people who fill the floor of this convention. Meet the delegates. We'll get to all of that. First, though, a quick look at some other headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): The death toll in monsoon flooding across South Asia has topped 1,000. Bangladesh, India and Nepal all have suffered large numbers of drownings, diseases and snake bites.

Staying on. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has withdrawn his resignation following a meeting with President Yasser Arafat. Officials say Arafat agreed to give Qureia more control over security forces and accept other reforms.

Terror tips. A new booklet advising what to do in case of a terror attack or other emergency is going to all 25 million households in Britain. Britain's Home Office says it's not a response to any new terror threat, just an attempt to compile the best advise and make it more available.

And that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to our coverage from the Democratic National Convention. We're here right now in the Florida delegation. All the polls right now show that the race between John Kerry and George W. Bush in Florida neck and neck. And that's causing a lot of people to worry about this possibility. Could there be another disputed election in Florida this time around?

Here's a look back at what happened four years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM DALEY, GORE CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: But this race is simply too close to call. And until the results -- the recount is concluded and the results of Florida become official, our campaign continues.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

DON EVANS, BUSH CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: Governor Bush and Secretary Cheney asked me to thank you for all your terrific support and hard work. We hope and believe we have elected the next president of the United States.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

KATHERINE HARRIS, FLORIDA SECRETARY OF STATE: I would also like to acknowledge the overwhelming support that we have received as we work to fulfill or statutory responsibilities in ensuring a consistent, accurate and independent process.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: And joining us now here in the Florida delegation, the senator from Florida, Democratic Senator Bob Graham, former governor as well.

Do you have your act together in Florida this time, no more hanging chads or these punch card ballots?

SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), FLORIDA: There won't be any of that this time, Wolf, but there may be something else.

We have gone to a system of electronic voting machines. About half the voters in Florida will use them this year. We do not have any verifiable backup in case one of those machines malfunctions or there's a challenge to the accuracy of the machines. I think it's a very serious PRESS: .

BLITZER: Well, how is that possible in this day and age you don't have a backup?

GRAHAM: Yes, because I'll say Governor Bush and his administration has stonewalled the efforts to get a paper trail behind these electronic machines.

BLITZER: Is it because it's too expensive to have a paper trail?

GRAHAM: No, it's not that expensive. It costs maybe $500 per machine to install the retrofit to get a paper trail. I think that is a small price to pay to give voters the confidence that they will have fair elections.

BLITZER: Well, what are you going to do if there's no paper trail?

GRAHAM: Well, if there's a challenge, there won't be any way of verifying whether the challenge is accurate or not.

BLITZER: We asked our viewers to send us some comments yesterday to this question. We asked the question, what does Senator Kerry have to do on the issue of Iraq to win the presidential election?

Jim e-mailed us this. We got hundreds, if not thousands of comments: "John Kerry needs to reestablish the U.S. as a world leader, not a world bully. Through diplomatic leadership, Kerry must convey the reasons why the invasion of Iraq has been a distraction to homeland security and outline a plan of transition from our efforts in Iraq to protecting America from terrorism."

I think you agree with Jim. But how difficult of a challenge will it be for John Kerry to convince the American public that he's stronger on national security than the president? Because the polls show the opposite right now.

GRAHAM: Well, let's look at what this president has done. We had Osama bin Laden on the run, surrounded, were ready to crush al Qaeda in the spring of 2002, exactly the time that President Bush said, oh, no, we're going to back off Osama bin Laden and go to war against Saddam Hussein.

And he told us the reason we're going to go to war was because Saddam Hussein represented a greater threat because of its weapons of mass destruction. What happened? There are no weapons of mass destruction. We were deceived. We have allowed terrorism to embed itself, become stronger and more violent with the new al Qaeda, while we are in a quagmire in Iraq. Is that a record that you would like to run on as your national security credentials?

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: I know you opposed the war in Iraq precisely for that reason, because you thought it would hurt the overall war on terror. We'll continue this conversation, Senator Graham, on another occasion. Thanks very much for joining us.

GRAHAM: Good. Thanks, Wolf.

(CROSSTALK)

GRAHAM: We got some great delegates here from Florida, from New Mexico and all around America.

BLITZER: All right, thanks, Senator Graham.

GRAHAM: Great.

BLITZER: Appreciate it very much.

So what Senator John Kerry have to do on the issue of national security to win? You can submit your thoughts right now, suggestions. Go to our Web site, CNN.com/Wolf. Click on to the link that says tell us what you think.

Photo wars, both political parties getting down and dirty. Republicans say, earth to Kerry, while Democrats release their own nonflattering photos of President Bush. Reaction to the latest mudslinging and more. We'll speak with Republican Senator Norm Coleman. He's here in Boston representing the Republicans.

Much more coverage when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It may be all lofty speeches and high ideals at party conventions, but, on the sidelines, a photo war has broken out, with each side trying to outdo the other.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): It started with John Kerry's visit to Cape Canaveral yesterday. At one point, he was required to put on what is called a clean suit, not so bad on video, but, as a still photo, worth 1,000 words, well, two at least in "The Boston Herald," no friend of Kerry, which dubbed him "Bubble Boy." And for anyone who missed it, the Bush campaign mass e-mailed the photo to journalists and political activists under the headline, "Earth to Kerry," along with this infamous photo of 1998 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, whose campaign took a blow from this photo-op.

A group called Bloggers for Bush, not affiliated with the campaign, took the Kerry picture a step further, adding rabbit ears. Not to be outdone, the Kerry campaign dug up these old photos, one of the president as a young cheerleader and another more event picture of him in an ethnic costume at an international summit. It's a tradition. All the leaders were wearing them.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: It's less risky for George Bush to be seen in an unflattering picture because he's already the president. So, once in a while, he can look foolish. But John Kerry is not president. People have to imagine him as president. And when he looks foolish, that's harder to do.

BLITZER: And then there were these pictures of President Bush landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln under the banner "Mission Accomplished." The Republicans wanted to use the image, but it turned out to be political ammunition for the Democrats, who want to embarrass the president.

Should public figures know better?

SCHNEIDER: Candidates should not put on an Indian headdress. They should not wear a costume and they should be very careful when holding a small child. Those are the rules.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Excellent advise from our own Bill Schneider.

Republicans, of course, are keeping a very watchful eye on the Democratic Convention.

Joining us now here in Boston, the Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota.

Are you impressed so far by this Democratic Party show?

SEN. NORM COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA: First, I have to say, Wolf, I do not do gun tanks and I do not get lifted on elephants. So we all have our rules of things that you don't do.

I thought last night, Clinton gave a Clinton speech. He's really very, very good at that. I love, by the way, his phrase strength and wisdom, strength and wisdom, not opposing concepts. So the question that the Kerry campaign has to answer is, how does that apply to John Kerry? It wasn't wise -- Joe Biden told John Kerry it wasn't wise to vote against the $87 billion to support body armor and funding for the troops.

I don't think it was wise to vote against the first Iraq war in '91. And it's not wise to have seven positions on why you voted against the $87 billion in this war. So it's a good concept. But you have got to get beyond the words and get to what they really mean, Wolf.

BLITZER: Was it wise, though, to suggest that this war might not have -- could have been avoided if the U.S. had created the kind of international coalition this time around that the first President Bush created going in to liberate Kuwait?

COLEMAN: Wolf, I don't think it's wise to denigrate the contributions and the sacrifice of the 30 nations that are side by side with us right now in Iraq. We have El Salvadorans. I was with their ambassador not so long ago. They have lost lives in Iraq. We have got Bulgarian and Poles and others through and through.

And I have to tell you, Jimmy Carter gave an interesting speech. And I have great respect for him as a man. But you got to reflect back. He talks about peace and cooperation. At the end of his presidency, when hostages were being held for over a year, America wasn't received greatly in the international community. We didn't demonstrate the strength and commitment.

And so, in the end, this president has built a coalition. And John Kerry's efforts to denigrate that I don't think makes friends around the world.

BLITZER: You think the photo war that is going on, silly pictures of both of these candidates, is what the American public wants to see?

COLEMAN: No, it's too bad, Wolf. I think the American public wants to see by the way what you're doing now. I think they should see these conventions from beginning to end. They should listen to what is being said. And then we should have the opportunity, as we're doing, to lay out the facts.

When John Kerry he is concerned about intelligence and intelligence gathering, we're going to say, well, in 1994, you proposed a $6 million cut in the intelligence budget; 75 senators opposed you on that. In 1996, you wanted to cut $300 million a year for five years from the intelligence budget. That's the record. So let folks lay it out. Let's get away from silly pictures and comments that spouses or kids make.

BLITZER: The Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota here in the lion's den, the Democratic National Convention in Boston. I assume there will be a few Democrats at Madison Square Garden in New York as well.

COLEMAN: I assume. It's the nature of the process. Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks, Senator, very much.

The heart and soul of the Democratic Party and political process. We'll catch up with a delegate from Arizona. That's coming up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: AS CNN's coverage of the Democratic National Convention continues, our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield, has been introducing us to some of the delegates. Today, we're going to meet a member of the Arizona delegation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST (voice-over): High noon in Phoenix, Arizona.

ROSIE LOPEZ, ARIZONA DELEGATE: And that's 37th Avenue. We're going to turn left.

GREENFIELD: It's 110 degrees.

We're used to the heat.

GREENFIELD: But despite the heat, 65-year-old Rosie Lopez is on the move.

Hi. I'm Rosie Lopez, your neighbor. I'm bugging you again.

Hi, is your mommy or daddy home?

I think they are not home. I don't hear any activity.

We're here doing some voter registration.

GREENFIELD: On this day, she is hoping to register as many voters as possible for the fall election.

LOPEZ: Are you registered to vote?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I cannot vote.

LOPEZ: The problem in our area is that sometimes they are not citizens.

GREENFIELD: She has been doing this for nearly 40 years.

LOPEZ: When I walk door to door, something happens to me. It's the most beautiful thing. It's rewarding. It really is, even though it's a lot of work. I'm not denying it's work. But I also question myself and say, where do you get that energy? Why are you so motivated?

GREENFIELD: Her father, a Mexican immigrant, a busboy all his life, encouraged Rosie to go to college. And while at Arizona State, she met someone who would change her life.

LOPEZ: Cesar Chavez, when he came to town, I didn't realize that I was being discriminated against. He taught us that we had to stand up and fight. And he didn't want us to fight physically. He wanted us to fight peacefully, like he did. He taught us the political process, I'm telling you, from day one.

GREENFIELD: And Rosie Lopez has put that education to good use.

LOPEZ: Let me say just this, that, since I came to town, I have been involved in every two years in every election conceivable, city council, the gubernatorial and the presidential.

GREENFIELD: Back in 1987, concerned that Latinos were becoming too complacent, she founded the Arizona Hispanic Community Forum.

LOPEZ: I said to myself, I have to form an organization because there are no organizations at this point now who can fight for us. Somebody has to scream loud enough.

I'm making some green chili con carne.

GREENFIELD: On this July evening, four generations of politically active Lopezes got together for a home-cooked meal. Rosie Lopez's 93-year-old mother did voter registration. Daughter Debbie is executive director of the Latino Vote Project. Granddaughter Maritza (ph) is special events director for the state party. Rosie, a Howard Dean delegate, is more than ready to support the nominee.

LOPEZ: I have no qualms about working for Kerry. He'll be a good president. I strongly believe that he is going to be elected because that's what we need. We have to elect him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GREENFIELD: And we are here with Rosie Lopez.

Rosie, the Republicans think they can make inroads into the Latino vote on cultural issues, cultural conservatives issues. What is your response to that notion?

LOPEZ: For the most part, the Republicans have never done much for us. They don't believe that they should help us with social issues. They don't like to fund us, our folks for -- in social services.

They minimize education. And we have had to beg for dollars even to get the full-day kindergarten. It was a big hassle this near, thanks to Governor Napolitano.

GREENFIELD: So it's the economy, stupid, is the

(CROSSTALK)

LOPEZ: It's the economy, stupid.

(LAUGHTER)

GREENFIELD: And, very quickly, obviously, you are not here to pick a candidate. What are you most looking forward to here in the next couple of days? LOPEZ: Oh, I think this is a very energizing atmosphere. I really believe strongly that this will help Latinos to get out the vote, to get energized and say, we need to get Kerry elected as president.

GREENFIELD: Rosie Lopez, thanks for being with us -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jeff.

Thanks very much, Rosie. We appreciate it very much.

And please stay with CNN and WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for live coverage of the Democratic National Convention. Tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern, my guest will include the Republican William Bennett, the Governor Bill Richardson, and Ralph Reed.

I'll be back tonight, two hours, for the start of our prime-time coverage. Among the speakers tonight, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy, Ron Reagan.

Until then, thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Boston.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired July 27, 2004 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now, the plane bringing John Edwards to this campaign, to this stop here in Boston has just landed. You're looking at a live picture of John Edwards' plane at Logan Airport in Boston.
Also happening now. Gearing up for tonight's big headliner at the Democratic National Convention. Teresa Heinz Kerry usually speaks off the cuff. So why is tonight different?

Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Firing up the faithful. Democrats bring out a pair of war horses.

A rising star and a Reagan. But all eyes and ears will be on the would-be first lady.

TERESA HEINZ KERRY, WIFE OF SEN. JOHN KERRY: I speak from my heart, from my head and from my soul.

BLITZER: Costume drama. The GOP slings mud at Kerry's clean room suit as Democrats dig through Bush's closet.

Florida...

AL GORE, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Take it from me, every vote counts.

BLITZER: Could it happen again? I'll ask Senator Bob Graham.

Ransom. Did Egypt buy the freedom of a kidnapped diplomat?

ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Excitement is building here at the Fleet Center in Boston with some very high powered speakers waiting to rock this house. But will they stick to the job of uniting Democrats or will they come off as polarizing figures? Right now, we're watching Senator John Edwards' arrival here in Boston. This plane has just come to a stop on the tarmac at Logan International Airport. He's getting ready to walk off this plane. He's nursing a sore throat, but he's certainly ready to be nominated as vice president of the United States.

Technically he's not going to be showing up here at the convention at least until tomorrow night. But veteran campaigner and liberal lightning rod Edward Kennedy has been warming up here. He's getting ready to warm up the crowd tonight.

You are looking at live pictures here. They are rocking and rolling as a break in this convention begins. They are listening to music and they're dancing. In fact, let's listen to some of that music right now.

Standing by on the convention floor CNN's Joe Johns standing by on the convention floor where Kennedy and former candidate Howard Dean are likely to light a fire under these delegates tonight. Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is at our podium position where Teresa Heinz Kerry may make a more personal approach.

Candy, let's talk about Teresa Heinz Kerry first. She's a woman as you well know to speak her mind. We saw an example of that on Sunday. What can we expect to hear from her tonight?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, she said in that clip she was going to speak from her heart, her soul, and her mind. But she is also going to speak from her script. They figure about 15 minutes. What I am told by people around her is that it will be not one of those pounding the podium types because she's not one of those people. But rather this will be a conversation.

They want Teresa Heinz Kerry to talk about her background and she will talk about growing up in Mozambique as the daughter of Portuguese parents and under a dictatorship and now being at the Democratic convention. Also, of course, Wolf, she is going to be talking about her husband. We're told she will be talking about what he stands for and what he believes is worth fighting for. So a very much on script Teresa Heinz Kerry, at least so far as they planned it right now.

BLITZER: All right. Candy Crowley on the podium. We'll be getting back to you later this hour. And to remind our viewers what you're seeing on the screen. That's the plane that has just brought John Edwards to Logan Airport here in Boston. He'll be getting off this plane momentarily. He'll be walking down these steps, getting ready to come to the convention. Supposedly he's not going to be coming over until tomorrow. We'll see if he pops in perhaps surprises these delegates earlier. That's something we can't necessarily rule out. We'll catch this plane, we'll watch John Edwards as he walks down the stairs.

Meanwhile the liberal symbol of the Democratic party and a firebrand who captivated the very early days of the primary season are two other key speakers tonight. With that part of the story CNN's Joe Johns -- Joe. JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Howard Dean obviously is one of those people you are talking about, Wolf. He is expected to speak tonight. He's going to give a message about encouraging Democrats to realize and be who they are. He has not given out a lot of details about exactly what he will say in that speech. But we do expect him to focus on party unity among other things.

Now the senior senator from Massachusetts right here in Boston of course, that is Edward Kennedy. He, too, is expected to speak this evening. It's not expected to be an extraordinarily long speech. However this will be the eighth time he has addressed a Democratic National Convention. He's going to have a large contingent of his family in this room. Possibly as many as 90 people including Maria Shriver, notably her husband the Republican governor of California won't be there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Johns watching that part of the story. Joe, we'll stand by for you. We'll be getting back to you obviously throughout the night. Once again, that door of that plane has just landed here in Washington. It is bringing John Edwards -- excuse me, in Boston bringing John Edwards here to the Democratic National Convention. We'll watch that door as it opens and John Edwards will walk down getting ready to participate in this convention.

Meanwhile, the nominee to be, John Kerry is also slowly making his way here to Boston, campaigning at each stop. He'll be speaking in Philadelphia during the next hour after stressing his combat experience in the Navy town of Norfolk. That's what he did earlier today.

Meanwhile, let's take a look to see if John Edwards walks off this plane right away or if he's going to wait. We see people beginning to walk down the plane. John Edwards getting ready to come here. We are told he's got a little bit of a sore throat that he's been nursing. Spent part of the day today earlier in North Carolina in his home state of North Carolina. Had an emotional visit to the cemetery there, his son Wade passed away in a car accident several years ago. Went there to pay his respects to his 17-year-old son Wade who died in a car crash only a few years ago. That was a defining moment in the life clearly of this family.

We see people going up there. Let's bring in our guest James Hoffa, the president of the Teamsters. You're here in Boston already. You are a super delegate, what would you call a super delegate. There's no doubt, though, that some of the union issues, you feel a lot better about John Edwards than you do about John Kerry?

JAMES P. HOFFA, TEAMSTERS PRESIDENT: Well, I think they are a team. What one does the other does. They are not going to do separate programs. They've talked about the fact that both of them have like 98 percent records with regard to labor issues. I think those are the issues we want to talk about. We want to talk of making this a better America, getting jobs in America. A lot of the talk about Iraq has been overshadowed, the real issue of the domestic problems in this country. The fact is we don't have jobs. We are having so many jobs outsourced out of this country. We've got 9 million people out of work. We've got to change all that and I think that's what this program is going to do.

BLITZER: It's fair to say though that John Edwards supports you more on these issues of trade than John Kerry ever did.

HOFFA: Well, I think...

BLITZER: He's a free trader, John Kerry, in other words.

HOFFA: I think...

BLITZER: By the way here he comes. You see him walking off the stairs with his two young kids. Mrs. Edwards and his older daughter who just graduated from Princeton, she is now getting involved in this campaign as well. You look at that picture. That's a pretty photogenic picture as they arrive in Boston.

HOFFA: Very nice family.

BLITZER: I would say that picture has been carefully planned out for this arrival here at Logan in Boston. It doesn't get much better than that, does it?

HOFFA: Very nice.

BLITZER: All right. Let's talk about John Edwards. You like his position because he says he would have voted, for example, against NAFTA had he been in the Senate at that time. John Kerry certainly voted for the North America Free Trade Agreement.

HOFFA: That's true. Of course John Edwards wasn't in the Senate but also John Edwards said that he would have -- he voted for the China Trade Agreement and he said if he had to do it over again he wouldn't do it.

I think the campaigning that's gone on has changed the attitudes of these different people. You can't go out and campaign and see literally thousands of people come up to you with tears in their eyes saying, "I lost my job. Where do I go from here?" without that affecting your views.

I do think John Kerry is a changed man. I think he's more sensitive to the great toll that these trade agreements have done to the United States and the fact that we've ripped the heart out of America. We've got to put the heart back. I think that's what is going to happen. I do think that John Edwards is more sensitive to these issues but I think the combination of the campaigning and the fact that John Edwards believes as I do that we have to have jobs in this country, is going to affect the total policy and I think we're going to be pleased with the Kerry/Edwards program.

BLITZER: We'll see if they can both get their act together. I assume they will now that they are a ticket. James Hoffa of the Teamsters. Thanks very much for joining us.

HOFFA: I think they will, Wolf. Don't worry about it.

BLITZER: I don't think you're worried about it. Thanks very much.

Republicans are waiting for their turn, of course. The president maintaining a low profile at his Texas ranch. The vice president, on the other hand, is keeping up his appearances including a visit today with U.S. Marines. Let's go live to our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. She's in Crawford, Texas -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, both sides are using the 9/11 report to their advantage. We're told the president continues to look at this, mull over those recommendations. He has yet to make any decisions. But a White House spokesperson actually sidestepped that recommendation from Kerry today that he extend the mandate of the 9/11 commission some 18 months to hold the administration accountable to actually making those intelligence reforms, making those changes. That spokesperson saying that the president, of course, is focused on the commission's recommendations.

At the same time, Vice President Dick Cheney is on the campaign trail. He has been making his way crisscrossing across the west. Today he's in California. That is where he spoke to troops again stating that the 9/11 report -- praising the work for the commission and also saying that the administration would do better.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America will never go back to the false comforts of the world before 9/11. Terrorists attacks are not caused by the use of strength. They are invited by the perception of weakness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And, Wolf, an interesting sidebar story here in Crawford, Texas. It's expected that filmmaker and Bush critic Michael Moore may be here tomorrow to actually highlight his film "Fahrenheit 9/11." He was invite bid a local group called Peace House. And it is expected that he'll attend. There are a lot of people who are gathered. He understand he even invited the president but a spokesperson saying don't expect him to attend -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I don't think he will. Thanks very much. Suzanne Malveaux reporting from Crawford, Texas.

Political photo wars. We'll show you how both parties are getting down and sometimes dirty. Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON REAGAN, SON OF LATE PRESIDENT REAGAN: This could be the biggest revolution in medicine -- well, ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: The son of the late President Ronald Reagan brings the controversial issue of stem cell research to this convention, a Democratic convention tonight. Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERESA HEINZ KERRY, WIFE OF SEN. JOHN KERRY: It's an attraction that's different because, you know, I was still wounded...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The softer side of Teresa Heinz Kerry. An inside look at why she fell for the senator from Massachusetts.

And Obama's impact. Why this father from Chicago's south side is now being called a rising star.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to the floor of the Democratic National Convention here at the Fleet Center in Boston. There's going to be an unlikely speaker at tonight's convention in primetime. That unlikely speaker Ron Reagan. The son of the late President Ronald Reagan. He'll talk about the importance of stem cell research. He's at odds with President Bush over the issue, one of many given the young Reagan's political leanings. Let's get some background now. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining us from the CNN center with an explanation of what is at stake here -- Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, in the center of this controversy over stem cells are embryos and potential cures for deadly diseases.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

RON REAGAN: This could be the biggest revolution in medicine ever, bigger than antibiotics. Bigger than anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Embryonic stem cell research -- you'll excuse that technical difficulty there -- involves taking embryos that are in fertility clinics all around the country and using them to create these embryonic stem cells and so people who are on the political right of the conservatives and President Bush are against this. They say that those are actual embryos and that they are potential life and they shouldn't be destroyed but people on the other side of the issue say they are just cells. For example, the young Ron Reagan said on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" earlier, he said, "look they are just cells, they're not fingers, they're not toes, there's no hair, there's no face." They should be used to potentially make cures or treatments for deadly diseases.

Now some of the diseases, for example, diabetes is a promising one. Another one is Parkinson's Disease. That's another one that's possibly going to be helped by the embryonic stem cell research. However it is really unknown if those cures or those treatments will ever really work out. So far all that's happened is that they have helped paralyzed mice or rats move more easily. They have helped animals in the rodent stage. They haven't actually helped human beings yet. That remains to be seen whether or not that's actually possible. And so it remains to be seen, but there is still so much excitement around embryonic stem cell research and you'll see that tonight when the young Ron Reagan makes his speech.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks very much for that explanation. A sensitive issue here not only in Boston but around the United States. We'll get to more explanation throughout our coverage tonight.

Let's bring in now a special guest. I'm in the California delegation on the floor at the Democratic convention. Joining us now the mayor of Oakland, the former governor of California, former presidential candidate himself Jerry Brown. Thanks very much for joining us.

Is the fact that a Reagan, Ron Reagan, to be specific, going to be speaking here tonight, how big of a political deal is that for the Democrats?

MAYOR JERRY BROWN (D), OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: I think it's a big deal. The name Reagan is iconic. We just went through the funeral and to have the son there it's powerful. There's always a connection between father and son as I well know with the connection to my own father who was governor and was defeated by Reagan. And the fact that the son would come back and be here in the Democratic context, I think is powerful.

BLITZER: The stem cell debate, of course, he's involved in the whole debate over abortion rights for women. The Democratic candidate John Kerry is taking a position he believes life begins at conception but he supports a woman's right to have an abortion. Do you see a contradiction there?

BROWN: No, I don't. It certainly is something alive. The question is what should a response be to the embryo, to the zygote, and that's a matter of personal choice. It's a matter of a philosophy, or religion, or however you want to look at it.

So the fact that you use the term life doesn't foreclose his embracing the political doctrine of choice for each woman in America.

BLITZER: Will abortion rights be a big issue in this campaign?

BROWN: It's always a big issue in California because the Republicans always want to take away women's right to control their own reproductive health. In some states it could be an issue. By and large I think Bush is going to shy away from that. Much like Reagan, they talk about before the campaign about these hot button social issues. But then they tend to pull back.

BLITZER: What is going to be the biggest issue, the economy or Iraq? BROWN: I was just noticing James Hoffa talking about the economy. And I agree with him for a lot of Americans. Just standing back and looking at the big question, Iraq is overwhelming. And those who feel that we have been well served by this war and its execution and its -- the aftermath, they are going to tend to go for the president. So I think that Kerry has to define a difference on the Middle East, on that part of the world otherwise...

BLITZER: California -- California -- California delegation right now, these are Californians are excited, as you are. Do you think Bush has a shot in California given the fact that have you a Republican governor named Arnold Schwarzenegger who will be a prime time speaker at the Republican Convention?

BROWN: Well, I tell you something, Schwarzenegger got in not because of the Republicans, he got in through a recall where people of all parties could vote for him. So that I don't think it will translate over to the president, because he's an independent. And his biggest charm and attractiveness is that he is so independent and somewhat of a maverick.

BLITZER: All right, governor -- mayor, presidential candidate, we call you a lot of things, Jerry Brown, thanks for joining us.

BROWN: Thank you very much, wolf.

BLITZER: We're going to take a quick break.

When we come back, the dangerousness of dealing with terrorists. Did the Egyptian Government pay a ransom for this diplomat's freedom?

We'll have a live report from Baghdad.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Teresa coming out from under.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: From the widow of a senator to the wife of a presidential candidate, a close personal look at Teresa Heinz Kerry.

A tight race in the sunshine state. Are election officials better prepared this time or will the hanging chad be back? I'll speak with Democratic Senator Bob Graham.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live from the Fleet Center in Boston, once again, Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back. She's outspoken, off the cuff and ready to take center stage in just a few hours. A personal look at potential first lady Teresa Heinz Kerry. We'll get to that. First, though, a quick check of stories now in the news.

Sources tell CNN the Egyptian government paid a large ransom, hundreds of thousands of dollars for the release after diplomat kidnapped in Iraq. But Egyptian officials are categoricly denying any money was paid. A State Department official says it may never be cleared how the diplomats release came about.

Attorney General John Ashcroft announcing charges against a major Muslim charity in the United States. A grand jury accuses The Holy Land Foundation and seven of its officials of giving more than $12 million to the Palestinian Group Hamas. The organization's assets have been frozen since 2001. The U.S. government considers Hamas a terrorist organization.

Going over grounds in the search for a missing pregnant woman in Utah. Police looking for Lori Hacking searched the Landfill with cadaver sniffing dogs for the second time but came up empty handed. They say the new search wasn't prompted by any new clues, just better weather conditions.

And amazing images from Hawaii. Look at this from this volcano continuing an eruption that started in 1983. An average of 2,000 visitor a day are witnessing the show. The Hawaii National Park on the big island which has added 500 acres as the lava pours into the sea. Keeping you informed. CNN, the most trusted name in news.

The nominee to be John Kerry is slowly making his way here to Boston campaigning at each stop. He'll be speaking in Philadelphia next hour. After stressing his combat experience earlier in the day in the navy town of Norfolk, Virginia.

Our national correspondent Frank Buckley has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Senator John Kerry here in Norfolk, Virginia, as he continues his travels on the way to Boston Massachusetts.

He was here in Norfolk, Virginia, to pay tribute to the U.S. military, but also to remind voters of his own wartime credentials. He was introduced by Skip Barker, a fellow commander officer of a swift boat during Vietnam. Senator Kerry also used the opportunity to urge quick action on the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

KERRY: When the commission released their report, I called for immediate action, not talk, not vague promises, not excuses. Backpedaling and going slow is something that America can't afford.

Meanwhile, here in Virginia, the Kerry campaign believes it has a shot of winning voters here, despite the fact that this is technically one of those 16 or 17 battleground states. This state went to Bush in 2000 by more than eight points. The Kerry campaign has spent money and time here. It believes there is a potential vulnerability here for President Bush and the Democrats have a chance of winning Virginia voters. But certainly the burden is on them. This state hasn't gone for a Democrat in presidential politics since Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1964.

Frank Buckley, CNN, Norfolk, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Battling it out on the sidelines. Democrats and Republicans fight to make the other side look foolish. The latest skirmishes in the photo war.

Also this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE SEN. BARACK OMABA (D), ILLINOIS: What I would like to do is focus on making sure that I get -- give a voice to the stories I'm hearing across Illinois.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

One of the Democrats rising stars giving a speech tonight. You'll meet Barack Omaba.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to the Democratic National Convention.

For better or worse, Teresa Heinz Kerry had been grabbing headlines with her sometimes blunt and outspoken style. Still, many people know little about the woman who could be the next first lady of the United States.

Our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, has been spending some time with Teresa Heinz Kerry. She's joining us now live to take a look -- Candy.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, people may know very little about Teresa Heinz Kerry, but it's not because she won't talk about it. In fact, she is quite happy to talk about her past.

She had Portuguese parents. She was raised in a colonial dictatorship in Mozambique. Her father was a doctor there. She went to South Africa for her education. She ended up in Geneva and that's where she found what she calls the love of her life. His name was John Heinz. He of course would go on to become a senator. He was her first love. She married him and then, at the age of 32, became an American citizen.

Their life was a happy one. They had three sons. And then, in the middle of the marriage, a tragedy struck.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CROWLEY (voice-over): After almost 25 years of marriage, at 52, Teresa Heinz was a widow. The loss of her husband, Pennsylvania Senator John Heinz sunk Teresa into depression.

TERESA HEINZ KERRY, WIFE OF SENATOR JOHN KERRY: Missing him, missing him as my mate, it was also hard because it was at a time when all of the kids left home. So all of a sudden I went from having a house with people to nobody. It was a lot of tough pains.

DIANA WALKER, FRIEND: Nobody wanted to let go of Teresa and the boys. They were just terribly important to all of us.

CROWLEY: She retreated from public life.

Years earlier, her late husband has introduced Teresa to Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts at an Earth Day rally in Washington. A year after John Heinz's death, Teresa ran in John Kerry at a 1992 Earth Day Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

J.D. HEYMAN, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: She was quite impressed with this man. And like John Heinz, they had much in common and they began to see one other. CROWLEY: Senator Kerry had been a bachelor for more than 10 years. His first marriage ended in divorce. Over time, Teresa and John's relationship grew.

HEINZ KERRY: It's an attraction that's different because, you know, I was still wounded. And you are lonely still, also, you know. So at that age, I think, what you look for is some comfort, some friendship, some understanding.

WALKER: I'll never forget it. Teresa was in the kitchen and she was whistling. Now this is new. This was Teresa coming out from under and it was John Kerry.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's a full woman, fascinating, unbelievably engaging, loves fun, loves dance, loves music, loves the arts, loves the world, loves the environment, loves people, loves life. And she's full of it -- life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: They have been married for nine years now. They have been through -- this is their third campaign. Ask Teresa Heinz Kerry and she will tell you she knows John Kerry but not well enough -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Candy Crowley, an excellent profile that you have done on Teresa Heinz Kerry. Thanks very much.

You may not know his name yet, but tonight's keynote speaker here at the Democratic Convention is a rising star in the Democratic Party. A state senator from the south side of Chicago, Barack Obama seems likely to win a seat in the U.S. Senate this November.

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BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: People in this country, black white, Latino, Asian, all have a common set of dreams.

BLITZER (voice-over): Barack Obama's message of rising above racial politics is propelling this 42-year-old father of two into the national spotlight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a Republican and I'm voting for you.

OBAMA: My father was from Kenya. He was a foreign student who grew up in a tiny village in Kenya. My mother was a white American who grew up in a small town in Kansas. They met in the University of Hawaii.

BLITZER: Obama's parents separated when he was 2. His childhood and teenage years were spent in Hawaii and Indonesia with his mother and Indonesian stepfather. Obama on to graduate from Columbia University and then Harvard Law School, becoming the first African- American president of the Harvard Law Review.

With an entire world of possibility before him, Obama made what might be considered a surprising decision, forgoing corporate law or a judge clerkship for civil rights activism.

OBAMA: I moved to the South Side of Chicago, where I started as a community organizer, worked as a civil rights attorney.

BLITZER: Obama has never left, serving as state senator, law school professor, and for now he's running unopposed for the U.S. Senate after his Republican opponent dropped out.

(on camera): One quick question. You want to be president of the United States?

OBAMA: I want to be the best U.S. senator for the state of Illinois that I can be.

BLITZER: You know there's people talking about that.

OBAMA: Well, that's the way -- talk to my wife. She will tell me I need to learn just to put my socks in the hamper.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And there are plenty of people talking about it not far from where I am right here very close to the Illinois delegation. He is going to be giving the keynote speech later tonight.

Hanging chad, missing ballots, memories of the 2000 election still remain very much on the minds of a lot of people here. Will Florida be ready this time around? The Democratic Senator Bob Graham, he will join me live.

Images from the past. Find out why Democrats have released these photos of President Bush all dressed up.

Plus, it's the everyday people who fill the floor of this convention. Meet the delegates. We'll get to all of that. First, though, a quick look at some other headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): The death toll in monsoon flooding across South Asia has topped 1,000. Bangladesh, India and Nepal all have suffered large numbers of drownings, diseases and snake bites.

Staying on. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has withdrawn his resignation following a meeting with President Yasser Arafat. Officials say Arafat agreed to give Qureia more control over security forces and accept other reforms.

Terror tips. A new booklet advising what to do in case of a terror attack or other emergency is going to all 25 million households in Britain. Britain's Home Office says it's not a response to any new terror threat, just an attempt to compile the best advise and make it more available.

And that's our look around the world.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to our coverage from the Democratic National Convention. We're here right now in the Florida delegation. All the polls right now show that the race between John Kerry and George W. Bush in Florida neck and neck. And that's causing a lot of people to worry about this possibility. Could there be another disputed election in Florida this time around?

Here's a look back at what happened four years ago.

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WILLIAM DALEY, GORE CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: But this race is simply too close to call. And until the results -- the recount is concluded and the results of Florida become official, our campaign continues.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

DON EVANS, BUSH CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: Governor Bush and Secretary Cheney asked me to thank you for all your terrific support and hard work. We hope and believe we have elected the next president of the United States.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

KATHERINE HARRIS, FLORIDA SECRETARY OF STATE: I would also like to acknowledge the overwhelming support that we have received as we work to fulfill or statutory responsibilities in ensuring a consistent, accurate and independent process.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: And joining us now here in the Florida delegation, the senator from Florida, Democratic Senator Bob Graham, former governor as well.

Do you have your act together in Florida this time, no more hanging chads or these punch card ballots?

SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), FLORIDA: There won't be any of that this time, Wolf, but there may be something else.

We have gone to a system of electronic voting machines. About half the voters in Florida will use them this year. We do not have any verifiable backup in case one of those machines malfunctions or there's a challenge to the accuracy of the machines. I think it's a very serious PRESS: .

BLITZER: Well, how is that possible in this day and age you don't have a backup?

GRAHAM: Yes, because I'll say Governor Bush and his administration has stonewalled the efforts to get a paper trail behind these electronic machines.

BLITZER: Is it because it's too expensive to have a paper trail?

GRAHAM: No, it's not that expensive. It costs maybe $500 per machine to install the retrofit to get a paper trail. I think that is a small price to pay to give voters the confidence that they will have fair elections.

BLITZER: Well, what are you going to do if there's no paper trail?

GRAHAM: Well, if there's a challenge, there won't be any way of verifying whether the challenge is accurate or not.

BLITZER: We asked our viewers to send us some comments yesterday to this question. We asked the question, what does Senator Kerry have to do on the issue of Iraq to win the presidential election?

Jim e-mailed us this. We got hundreds, if not thousands of comments: "John Kerry needs to reestablish the U.S. as a world leader, not a world bully. Through diplomatic leadership, Kerry must convey the reasons why the invasion of Iraq has been a distraction to homeland security and outline a plan of transition from our efforts in Iraq to protecting America from terrorism."

I think you agree with Jim. But how difficult of a challenge will it be for John Kerry to convince the American public that he's stronger on national security than the president? Because the polls show the opposite right now.

GRAHAM: Well, let's look at what this president has done. We had Osama bin Laden on the run, surrounded, were ready to crush al Qaeda in the spring of 2002, exactly the time that President Bush said, oh, no, we're going to back off Osama bin Laden and go to war against Saddam Hussein.

And he told us the reason we're going to go to war was because Saddam Hussein represented a greater threat because of its weapons of mass destruction. What happened? There are no weapons of mass destruction. We were deceived. We have allowed terrorism to embed itself, become stronger and more violent with the new al Qaeda, while we are in a quagmire in Iraq. Is that a record that you would like to run on as your national security credentials?

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: I know you opposed the war in Iraq precisely for that reason, because you thought it would hurt the overall war on terror. We'll continue this conversation, Senator Graham, on another occasion. Thanks very much for joining us.

GRAHAM: Good. Thanks, Wolf.

(CROSSTALK)

GRAHAM: We got some great delegates here from Florida, from New Mexico and all around America.

BLITZER: All right, thanks, Senator Graham.

GRAHAM: Great.

BLITZER: Appreciate it very much.

So what Senator John Kerry have to do on the issue of national security to win? You can submit your thoughts right now, suggestions. Go to our Web site, CNN.com/Wolf. Click on to the link that says tell us what you think.

Photo wars, both political parties getting down and dirty. Republicans say, earth to Kerry, while Democrats release their own nonflattering photos of President Bush. Reaction to the latest mudslinging and more. We'll speak with Republican Senator Norm Coleman. He's here in Boston representing the Republicans.

Much more coverage when we come back.

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BLITZER: It may be all lofty speeches and high ideals at party conventions, but, on the sidelines, a photo war has broken out, with each side trying to outdo the other.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): It started with John Kerry's visit to Cape Canaveral yesterday. At one point, he was required to put on what is called a clean suit, not so bad on video, but, as a still photo, worth 1,000 words, well, two at least in "The Boston Herald," no friend of Kerry, which dubbed him "Bubble Boy." And for anyone who missed it, the Bush campaign mass e-mailed the photo to journalists and political activists under the headline, "Earth to Kerry," along with this infamous photo of 1998 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, whose campaign took a blow from this photo-op.

A group called Bloggers for Bush, not affiliated with the campaign, took the Kerry picture a step further, adding rabbit ears. Not to be outdone, the Kerry campaign dug up these old photos, one of the president as a young cheerleader and another more event picture of him in an ethnic costume at an international summit. It's a tradition. All the leaders were wearing them.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: It's less risky for George Bush to be seen in an unflattering picture because he's already the president. So, once in a while, he can look foolish. But John Kerry is not president. People have to imagine him as president. And when he looks foolish, that's harder to do.

BLITZER: And then there were these pictures of President Bush landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln under the banner "Mission Accomplished." The Republicans wanted to use the image, but it turned out to be political ammunition for the Democrats, who want to embarrass the president.

Should public figures know better?

SCHNEIDER: Candidates should not put on an Indian headdress. They should not wear a costume and they should be very careful when holding a small child. Those are the rules.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Excellent advise from our own Bill Schneider.

Republicans, of course, are keeping a very watchful eye on the Democratic Convention.

Joining us now here in Boston, the Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota.

Are you impressed so far by this Democratic Party show?

SEN. NORM COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA: First, I have to say, Wolf, I do not do gun tanks and I do not get lifted on elephants. So we all have our rules of things that you don't do.

I thought last night, Clinton gave a Clinton speech. He's really very, very good at that. I love, by the way, his phrase strength and wisdom, strength and wisdom, not opposing concepts. So the question that the Kerry campaign has to answer is, how does that apply to John Kerry? It wasn't wise -- Joe Biden told John Kerry it wasn't wise to vote against the $87 billion to support body armor and funding for the troops.

I don't think it was wise to vote against the first Iraq war in '91. And it's not wise to have seven positions on why you voted against the $87 billion in this war. So it's a good concept. But you have got to get beyond the words and get to what they really mean, Wolf.

BLITZER: Was it wise, though, to suggest that this war might not have -- could have been avoided if the U.S. had created the kind of international coalition this time around that the first President Bush created going in to liberate Kuwait?

COLEMAN: Wolf, I don't think it's wise to denigrate the contributions and the sacrifice of the 30 nations that are side by side with us right now in Iraq. We have El Salvadorans. I was with their ambassador not so long ago. They have lost lives in Iraq. We have got Bulgarian and Poles and others through and through.

And I have to tell you, Jimmy Carter gave an interesting speech. And I have great respect for him as a man. But you got to reflect back. He talks about peace and cooperation. At the end of his presidency, when hostages were being held for over a year, America wasn't received greatly in the international community. We didn't demonstrate the strength and commitment.

And so, in the end, this president has built a coalition. And John Kerry's efforts to denigrate that I don't think makes friends around the world.

BLITZER: You think the photo war that is going on, silly pictures of both of these candidates, is what the American public wants to see?

COLEMAN: No, it's too bad, Wolf. I think the American public wants to see by the way what you're doing now. I think they should see these conventions from beginning to end. They should listen to what is being said. And then we should have the opportunity, as we're doing, to lay out the facts.

When John Kerry he is concerned about intelligence and intelligence gathering, we're going to say, well, in 1994, you proposed a $6 million cut in the intelligence budget; 75 senators opposed you on that. In 1996, you wanted to cut $300 million a year for five years from the intelligence budget. That's the record. So let folks lay it out. Let's get away from silly pictures and comments that spouses or kids make.

BLITZER: The Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota here in the lion's den, the Democratic National Convention in Boston. I assume there will be a few Democrats at Madison Square Garden in New York as well.

COLEMAN: I assume. It's the nature of the process. Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks, Senator, very much.

The heart and soul of the Democratic Party and political process. We'll catch up with a delegate from Arizona. That's coming up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: AS CNN's coverage of the Democratic National Convention continues, our senior analyst, Jeff Greenfield, has been introducing us to some of the delegates. Today, we're going to meet a member of the Arizona delegation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST (voice-over): High noon in Phoenix, Arizona.

ROSIE LOPEZ, ARIZONA DELEGATE: And that's 37th Avenue. We're going to turn left.

GREENFIELD: It's 110 degrees.

We're used to the heat.

GREENFIELD: But despite the heat, 65-year-old Rosie Lopez is on the move.

Hi. I'm Rosie Lopez, your neighbor. I'm bugging you again.

Hi, is your mommy or daddy home?

I think they are not home. I don't hear any activity.

We're here doing some voter registration.

GREENFIELD: On this day, she is hoping to register as many voters as possible for the fall election.

LOPEZ: Are you registered to vote?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I cannot vote.

LOPEZ: The problem in our area is that sometimes they are not citizens.

GREENFIELD: She has been doing this for nearly 40 years.

LOPEZ: When I walk door to door, something happens to me. It's the most beautiful thing. It's rewarding. It really is, even though it's a lot of work. I'm not denying it's work. But I also question myself and say, where do you get that energy? Why are you so motivated?

GREENFIELD: Her father, a Mexican immigrant, a busboy all his life, encouraged Rosie to go to college. And while at Arizona State, she met someone who would change her life.

LOPEZ: Cesar Chavez, when he came to town, I didn't realize that I was being discriminated against. He taught us that we had to stand up and fight. And he didn't want us to fight physically. He wanted us to fight peacefully, like he did. He taught us the political process, I'm telling you, from day one.

GREENFIELD: And Rosie Lopez has put that education to good use.

LOPEZ: Let me say just this, that, since I came to town, I have been involved in every two years in every election conceivable, city council, the gubernatorial and the presidential.

GREENFIELD: Back in 1987, concerned that Latinos were becoming too complacent, she founded the Arizona Hispanic Community Forum.

LOPEZ: I said to myself, I have to form an organization because there are no organizations at this point now who can fight for us. Somebody has to scream loud enough.

I'm making some green chili con carne.

GREENFIELD: On this July evening, four generations of politically active Lopezes got together for a home-cooked meal. Rosie Lopez's 93-year-old mother did voter registration. Daughter Debbie is executive director of the Latino Vote Project. Granddaughter Maritza (ph) is special events director for the state party. Rosie, a Howard Dean delegate, is more than ready to support the nominee.

LOPEZ: I have no qualms about working for Kerry. He'll be a good president. I strongly believe that he is going to be elected because that's what we need. We have to elect him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GREENFIELD: And we are here with Rosie Lopez.

Rosie, the Republicans think they can make inroads into the Latino vote on cultural issues, cultural conservatives issues. What is your response to that notion?

LOPEZ: For the most part, the Republicans have never done much for us. They don't believe that they should help us with social issues. They don't like to fund us, our folks for -- in social services.

They minimize education. And we have had to beg for dollars even to get the full-day kindergarten. It was a big hassle this near, thanks to Governor Napolitano.

GREENFIELD: So it's the economy, stupid, is the

(CROSSTALK)

LOPEZ: It's the economy, stupid.

(LAUGHTER)

GREENFIELD: And, very quickly, obviously, you are not here to pick a candidate. What are you most looking forward to here in the next couple of days? LOPEZ: Oh, I think this is a very energizing atmosphere. I really believe strongly that this will help Latinos to get out the vote, to get energized and say, we need to get Kerry elected as president.

GREENFIELD: Rosie Lopez, thanks for being with us -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jeff.

Thanks very much, Rosie. We appreciate it very much.

And please stay with CNN and WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for live coverage of the Democratic National Convention. Tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern, my guest will include the Republican William Bennett, the Governor Bill Richardson, and Ralph Reed.

I'll be back tonight, two hours, for the start of our prime-time coverage. Among the speakers tonight, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy, Ron Reagan.

Until then, thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Boston.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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