Length: 4:21
LARGE (50.4 MB)
-----
SMALL (5.3 MB)
Considering that it wasn't too long ago that Michael was complaining about having to be on the air at 8amET, he seems wide awake and extremely happy to be there at 6, 7, and 8am! But then, this is a very, very special occasion!
During the first panel, he talks about how President-elect Obama is going to deal with the realities of getting the US out of Iraq; the second one is about how other leaders are going to view him; the third is how the average citizen of Iraq (and Australia) is reacting to the news.
JOHN
ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: So what does Obama's victory
mean for the African-American community and how will
President Obama deal with an emboldened Democratic
Congress and as well, problems around the world?
Joined now by our very own Michael Ware who is here
from Baghdad, Jeff Johnson from BET. Jeff, welcome,
good to see you here.
Mark Halperin, of course, from "Time Magazine" and
Patricia Murphy from citizenjanepolitics.com. Let's
start with you, Jeff. Some personal reflections on
the results of last night's election?
JEFF JOHNSON, BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION: Clearly
I've been covering this like so many others for the
last two years and tried to remain neutral as a
journalist until tonight when, after it was called,
clearly there was emotion from me as an
African-American. I don't think the country, really
the world, has seen anything like this since the
release and election of Nelson Mandela.
I mean something that was able to in a real way spark
the interest of a nation but bring the entire world
together in an embrace of a shift and a change in a
nation that for so long had felt one way, but a glass
ceiling, a platinum ceiling in many cases has been
broken with Barack Obama's ascendance to the White
House. So for me it was an intellectual decision for
what can Barack Obama do for the country but then a
very emotional one as well.
ROBERTS: History was going to be made one way or the
other. Either the first African-American
president-elect or the first female vice
president-elect.
Patricia, how do you think the country is changed
now? Or is it changed?
PATRICIA MURPHY, CITIZENJANEPOLITICS.COM: Well, I
think when you think in terms of women candidates
it's been on the one hand a fantastic year to have a
woman who could have been the president and could
have been the vice president. That's certainly never
happened but I think also we've seen that gender
doesn't really trump a whole lot else. We know that
independent women were really turned off by Sarah
Palin and that was a gamble that really didn't pay
off for John McCain so if you're looking to build out
your coalition of women voters -- and you must
because we're the majority of voters in the country
-- you're going to have to do more than just have a
woman on the ticket. You're going to have to get to
the issues that they care about.
ROBERTS: Of course one of the first orders of
business for President Obama after he is inaugurated
is going to be to pull the troops out of Iraq.
Michael Ware, what kind of an effect is that going to
have on the situation on the ground there? I mean,
you've been there since the very beginning.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, six years now,
John. That's going to be the big test, isn't it? How
President-Elect Obama executes this policy that has
been one of the cornerstones of his campaign. Now how
doable is it going to be once he is in the Oval
Office and is getting the briefings and is more aware
of the realities on the ground.
ROBERTS: Yeah, the realities as president are
sometimes very different than they are when you are a
candidate.
WARE: Absolutely. And especially when you're down
there on the front line and especially when it's
140,000-odd American troops that are essentially
holding Iraq together. They are keeping the two sides
apart. You pull those troops out of the Iraqi mix,
and I'm sure that we'll see not only bloodshed but
vast instability throughout the region so that's
something President Obama is going to have to
confront. And the Iraqi government has already said
they are willing to cooperate with him, of course,
but one of the most powerful blocs, one of their
parliamentarians, has said that was a surprise. They
thought it was going to be McCain, that it was rigged
from the beginning and that's the Iraqi view. They're
quite dismayed.
ROBERTS: So Iraq obviously a big issue though in
voters' minds, Mark Halperin, it wasn't as big an
issue as the economy. Somewhere between 12 and 18
percent of voters saying that Iraq was their number
one issue. The economy was into the 50s and the 60s.
So what kind of challenge does Senator, now
President-Elect Obama face on January 20 when he
takes over the reins of power?
MARK HALPERIN, "TIME MAGAZINE": Well, if he views it
that way, if he sees the challenges like he does on
January 20, I think he'll fail. The last two
transitions from one party to the other were
disasters. Bill Clinton of his own making made a lot
of mistakes during his transition including picking
his Cabinet very late, his White House staff very
late, bringing up issues that distracted from his
agenda.
George Bush, from Bill Clinton to George Bush was a
disaster because of the recount. I think Barack Obama
has done a lot more thinking about the transition
than most people realize, I think he has done a lot
more planning. I think he knows who he wants for most
of the key jobs already.
On the economy, I think it's going to be interesting
to watch his relationship with President Bush. We
could have a lame duck Congress start to deal with a
legislative agenda on the economy. I think President
Bush could make a lot of decisions -- he is having
this big meeting, for instance, I think he will
invite Obama to that. I think in some ways, more than
usual, President-Elect Obama in the eyes of the
public and in the eyes of the elites of this country
is going to be seen as a de facto president even
during the transition.
ROBERTS: There are certainly a lot of challenges, a
lot of issues that he has to tackle. Lots to talk
about this morning, folks. Thanks for being with us.
We'll talk more about this in the minutes and the
hours ahead. Thanks -- Kiran?
Length: 4:21
LARGE (50.3 MB)
-----
SMALL (5.3 MB)
JOHN
ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, let's bring in our
political panel now again. Patricia Murphy is with
us, as well as Mark Halperin, Jeff Johnson from BET,
and Michael Ware.
So, let's talk about the international aspect of
this, Michael. We talked last time about Iraq and his
plans to pull troops out of Iraq. But in the greater
international arena, I mean, does he now have to set
up his meetings with Iran's leadership, as well as
Syria, Cuba, North Korea?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I
think that's more of a domestic issue. Whether he
actually meets with these people or not, whether he
starts picking up the cell phone or not, and whether
the supreme leader of Iran will answer that call.
What's really at stake here now is to see whether the
president- elect can start acting like commander in
chief, because the world is already watching him. And
they want to see, this is a guy who talked about
getting out of Iraq. Now, people may have liked that,
but does that weaken people's impressions of America?
Now, for example, there's someone sitting in Tehran,
as you mentioned, General Suleimani, the head of
Iran's Revolutionary Guard's special forces. He's the
one killing American troops in Iraq, according to the
American military. He's going to be looking Obama
straight in the eye and wondering what to make of
him.
So will, say, for example the Taliban; I mean,
General Petraeus, the new Central Commander, has said
Al Qaeda's leadership are hiding in western Pakistan.
He said it just on Monday. American drones keep
bombing western Pakistan. What is Obama going to do
about that?
ROBERTS: Well, you know, Mark, of course, the now
vice president-elect, Senator Joe Biden, kind of
stepped in it when he told that fundraising event
that Senator Obama would be tested in the first six
months -or President Obama would be tested in the
first six months with an international crisis. I
mean, it was taken as a great talking point for John
McCain. But realistically, do you think, because it
happened in 1993, it happened in 2001, that there may
an international incident waiting just down the road?
MARK HALPERIN, AUTHOR, "THE PAGE": I have long
suspected that one of the things that will really be
a challenge for Barack Obama is how much of the job
in the post-9/11 world of this president of the
United States is Homeland Security and thinking about
threats around the world? He didn't have to deal with
that as a candidate. He thought about the economy, he
thought about healthcare, thought about Iraq, but the
Homeland Security pressure will be enormous on him.
And I think there is a good chance that in the change
in government there will be some test around the
world. And it will be closely watched. Joe Biden said
something that may have not been politically the
right thing to say, but might actually have been
accurate.
ROBERTS: You know, Patricia, I got a phone call this
morning from a friend of mine in Beirut, who said
that the whole perception of America has changed now
with the results of this election. From an
Independent voter's standpoint, what do Independent
voters want to see President-elect Obama do now to
restore America's reputation in the world?
PATRICIA MURPHY, EDITOR, CITIZENJANEPOLITICS.COM:
Well, I think that is a good question, because that
was a key reason why we hear a lot of Independents
went for Obama, was because of the promise that he
could restore America's reputation around the world.
He promised to do that in all of his speeches, every
stump speech he said that would be his highest goal.
What they want to see is somebody who is out there
extending a hand of America, kind of not being as
aggressive as the Bush administration has done.
But again, these Independent voters are very
sensitive to security issues and if the Homeland
Security issue did come up that would be something
that would test not only Barack Obama but also the
faith of these voters who put him in office.
ROBERTS: And Jeff, do you think that his background
gives him a different perception around the world? I
mean, the fact that his middle name is Hussein? You
could see him going on a trip to Jordan and they
would really play up that idea? That maybe he has a
greater understanding of the Middle East and
oppressed people's around the world?
JEFF JOHNSON, HOST, BET TV: I think, number one,
people around the world are just glad to see George
Bush gone. I mean, I think that's point number one. I
think that has already been mentioned, but, two, I
mean we're talking about somebody with a 80 percent
approval rating in Europe and somebody that has
traveled and so I think he's got a perspective.
But I think there are people who already have drunk
the Barack Obama Kool-Aid. They like him. And so I
think that is a step in the right direction to give
him some flexibility. But a very short leash, if you
will, to be able to begin making some moves on
domestic policy and reaching out to the right people.
So he's got a little bit of space because he's
likable. But it is still about what are the steps
that he's going to make? And are they in the best
interest of the country, because ultimately he has to
answer to people at home.
ROBERTS: One issue -
HALPERIN: He's more popular in Paris than Mickey
O'Rourke and Jerry Lewis combined.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: Imagine that, because Jerry Lewis is very
popular there.
HALPERIN: So is Mickey O'Rourke.
ROBERTS: A lot of issue ahead. A lot to talk about
folks. Stay with us. We'll be back with you in just a
little while. You're watching continuing coverage of
election 2008 here, on the most news in the morning.
We'll be right back.
Length: 4:52
LARGE (56.3 MB)
-----
SMALL (5.9 MB)
JOHN
ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, along with making history,
Barack Obama repainted the electoral map last night.
Let's turn now to our panel: John Avlon of the
Manhattan Institute; Patricia Murphy of
CitizenJanePolitics.com; as well, Frank Sesno is
joining us this morning.
Welcome, Frank.
And Michael Ware is back with us.
Frank, since you're the new kid on the block here in
terms of our coverage...
FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: I haven't
felt that in a while.
ROBERTS: ... this morning, let me throw this at you.
You know, Ed Henry was just talking about Sarah
Palin, and we're also thinking about, you know, what
were the reasons why John McCain lost last night.
Steve Schmidt, his chief strategist, said, you know,
we were at bad economic times, that was definitely a
drag on the ticket, but he also went on to say, "The
party has been very unpopular. The president's
approval numbers were not helpful in the race, but
the party as a whole is unpopular with the American
people, and that was the big albatross."
SESNO: He's right. It shows that the Straight Talk
Express, at least remnants of it, are still on the
road. There's still a little gas left.
Look, any Republican would have had a monstrous time
with the legacy of George W. Bush and a 25 percent
approval rating, and unemployment and joblessness
going up for eight months in a row. Anybody would
have had that.
You know, they had that hardy embrace in the Rose
Garden when he got the endorsement and said, by the
way, I'll be campaigning with you. They never once
were side by side. Okay?
ROBERTS: Thank you, Mr. President. Now go back
inside.
SESNO: Yes, thank you and goodnight. Goodnight and
good luck.
So, yes, that was the albatross. But it got worse.
You know, when John McCain says the fundamentals of
the economy are strong, when John McCain says, Ladies
and Gentlemen, please meet Sarah Palin. These were
things that in the end were additional difficulties.
ROBERTS: On the point of Sarah Palin, Steve Schmidt
was also asked, "And the pick of Palin for you guys,
are you happy with that?" His response, "You know,
I'm not going to -- there'll be time for all the
postmortems in the race."
What do you make of that?
PATRICIA MURPHY, EDITOR, CITIZENJANEPOLITICS.COM: I
think it was so unfair for the McCain campaign to
pick Sarah Palin, to pluck her out of Alaska, to put
her on the national stage, and then to blame her when
it's all said and done. I talked to delegates to the
Republican convention who were planning a walkout
before Sarah Palin came on the scene. So they are
thrilled with her, and they are very lucky that they
had her, certainly at the convention. They got a big
bounce out of it.
ROBERTS: Well, they didn't quite throw her under the
Straight Talk Express in that exchange, but it
certainly wasn't a ringing endorsement.
JOHN AVLON, MANHATTAN INSTITUTE: They're just like
this. I mean, the reality is, yes, she fired up the
base, but at the expense of uniting the center. She
has proven to be one of the most deeply polarizing
figures in American politics, and that's the worst
thing John McCain could have had by his side.
What we're seeing right now in American politics is a
desire to move past polarization, beyond left/right,
black/white, red state/blue state. That's why young
voters, 40 percent of whom are Independent, are
rising up in such amazing numbers for Barack Obama.
And tonight, you know, taking to the street and
celebrate. I mean, just going bananas, having a great
time.
SESNO: Can I just say one thing? This is not Dan
Quayle. This is not incompetence.
She is who she is. And she was very forceful and
very...
ROBERTS: Very charismatic...
(CROSSTALK)
SESNO: But John, you know you don't take somebody
who's never, literally never, been in the national
media spotlight and expect they're going to step on
that stage and not be pulled apart.
ROBERTS: So, Michael Ware, what are all the folks in
the land of Oz making of all of this?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're going
to bed happy, I think, at the moment. Certainly, I
spoke to some people in Iraq, for example. They can't
believe it.
For many Iraqis, they wanted Obama. But they just
figured the whole system's rigged. And they really
didn't believe that McCain would be defeated.
So, I actually made some calls back home to
Australia, and they said, "Obama won?!" But generally
I think the perception, like around a lot of the
world, will be more than warm to an Obama presidency.
MURPHY: One bright spot for the Republicans here, the
Democrats wanted that 60-vote majority, and they
didn't get it. And they didn't get those seats that
they wanted in Mississippi. They didn't pick off
Mitch McConnell. Michele Bachmann made it through.
So they had some seats that the Republicans were able
to defend. So it's not a complete rout -- it's a
Category 4 and not a Category 5.
AVLON: But two things. It's on the verge of a
realigning election.
Obama has built on Howard Dean's 50-state strategy,
is playing in red states. And the second, to
Michael's point, this is an election that the rest of
the world wakes up and says, you know what? When
Americans say they're a country that's different,
only in America, that's true today around the world,
indisputably.
SESNO: The red light that should be blinking rapidly
in Barack Obama's office and in his head is the
expectations red light.
ROBERTS: Yes, absolutely.
SESNO: For all of this, Okay, the land of Oz is all
excited about it, they can't believe this was going
to happen, there were -- I was talking to my kids at
their colleges last night. They were all in the
streets celebrating.
I've never heard of this before. Ever. So he's a
human being in a political Real World.
MURPHY: It's Obama versus expectations. But the
Republicans said today they're waiting for the
overreach for the Democrats. They're like, just bring
it on, we're ready to come in in 2010.
ROBERTS: Maybe let's make that our next topic.
MURPHY: OK.
ROBERTS: We'll see you back here real soon, folks.
A lot of celebration across the streets -- the
streets across America, particularly right here in
New York City, in Harlem. We'll take you there to
show you the celebration, coming up next on the most
news in the morning.