CBS / WFOR - Presidential Debate (post-debate) - 2004-09-30 - 1 of 5

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] I thought Carrie got off to a very good

[0:02] start. As I say, I think the president's

[0:04] best arguments came at the end.

[0:06] >> Pop Chief for our CBS News coverage of

[0:08] tonight's presidential joint appearance

[0:10] continues with Senators John McCain and

[0:12] Joe Biden. So stay here with us.

[0:22] Catch The King of Queens Wednesdays on

[0:25] CBS. It's all here.

[0:30] From the University of Miami, this is a

[0:33] CBS4 News Presidential Debate Update.

[0:37] >> Good evening. I'm Rob Hanraan.

[0:39] >> I'm Maggie Rodriguez. At the University

[0:40] of Miami, an estimated 50 million

[0:42] viewers have had their eyes focused here

[0:44] for the first presidential debate.

[0:46] >> After a formal handshake, the president

[0:48] and Senator John Kerry talked issues for

[0:50] 90 minutes.

[0:51] >> But will their answers have an effect on

[0:53] undecided voters? We'll tell you what

[0:54] our expert panel thinks. Join us for an

[0:56] expanded edition of CBS4 News next at

[0:59] 11.

[1:01] >> I'm Mel Martinez and I approve this

[1:03] message.

[1:04] >> He escaped communism as a young boy and

[1:06] fell in love with America.

[1:08] >> And I was going to live in this country

[1:09] and I wanted to do it the way everybody

[1:11] else did it.

[1:12] >> No special privileges, just hard work. A

[1:15] community leader, little league coach to

[1:17] the president's cabinet.

[1:18] >> I immigrated at age 15 and ended up in

[1:20] the cabin of the president of United

[1:21] States. I never dreamed I'd do something

[1:22] like that. That's Mel Martinez.

[1:25] Character, a leader, our next senator.

[1:30] It's Bears's lowest prices of the year

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[1:46] >> President Bush and our leaders in

[1:48] Congress have a plan.

[1:49] >> Enhance border and port security.

[1:51] Increase homeland security measures.

[1:53] >> Reform and strengthen intelligence

[1:55] services.

[1:56] >> Renew the Patriot Act, giving law

[1:58] enforcement tools against terrorists.

[2:00] >> Create a national counterterrorism

[2:02] center.

[2:02] >> Transform our military.

[2:04] >> Give the military all it needs.

[2:06] >> Find terrorists where they train and

[2:08] hide.

[2:08] >> Learn more

[2:09] >> at agendaforamea.com.

[2:12] >> I'm George W. Bush and I approve this

[2:14] message.

[2:15] >> A dangerous health scare for people

[2:17] taking a popular arthritis drug at 11.

[2:20] Shantel plus John Travolta.

[2:22] >> It's the event of the day

[2:24] >> and Pearl Jam. All new tonight.

[2:27] >> It took a year for cold case detectives

[2:29] to get this suspect to court. I didn't

[2:31] do those murders.

[2:32] >> You don't have an alibi. You got motive

[2:34] and opportunity.

[2:35] >> But now they'll discover they may have

[2:37] the wrong man.

[2:38] >> My client was 6 miles away from the

[2:40] scene when these murders took place.

[2:41] >> And the killer could still be out there.

[2:43] Co season premiere CBS Sunday.

[2:51] CBS News coverage of this presidential

[2:54] debate continues. Here again is Dan

[2:57] Rather. Joining us now is the senior

[3:00] United States Senator from the state of

[3:01] Arizona, Republican John McCain. Senator

[3:04] McCain is among other things a member of

[3:05] the Armed Services Committee and an

[3:07] experienced debater himself. He debated

[3:09] then candidate George W. Bush a few

[3:12] times in campaign 2000 and he has just

[3:14] watched tonight's joint appearance from

[3:17] inside the hall. Senator McCain, thank

[3:19] you for joining us. Senator Kerry said

[3:21] it was quote a colossal mistake for

[3:24] President Bush to invade Iraq at what

[3:27] Senator Kerry sees as at the expense of

[3:31] concentrating Osama bin Laden and

[3:33] al-Qaeda. Valid point or no? I I don't

[3:37] think so because I think that it's uh

[3:40] the United States has been able to

[3:41] handle all of it. Uh and I think that

[3:45] that uh at least my opinion is that

[3:48] Saddam Hussein if he were still in

[3:50] power. I agree with the president would

[3:51] be attempting to acquire and use weapons

[3:54] of mass destruction. Why? Because you

[3:56] judge people by their history. And we

[3:57] know that in his regime he had used

[4:00] weapons of mass destruction against his

[4:02] own people and against the his enemies

[4:04] and he had acquired them and he had them

[4:07] in ' 91. So to say that this then was

[4:10] something that we could have gone back

[4:12] to the United Nation for the 18th or

[4:14] 19th or 20th time and it would have been

[4:16] different is just something that that I

[4:19] don't think the president agreed with

[4:20] nor do I. And I think that the president

[4:22] made this a strong case for the effect

[4:25] of freedom and democracy in Iraq and the

[4:28] impact that it and freedom and democracy

[4:30] in Afghanistan will have throughout the

[4:32] world.

[4:34] >> You think that was the president's

[4:35] strongest argument. What in your

[4:36] judgment was Senator K's strongest

[4:38] argument and or best point in this joint

[4:40] appearance?

[4:41] >> I think that John Kerry uh strongest

[4:44] point was that he uh he was very well

[4:48] understood the issues. I think he came

[4:49] across as somebody who had a very good

[4:52] grasp of the issues. He understands

[4:54] Korea. He understands Iran. He did make

[4:56] a valid point when we these are major

[4:58] threats. I agreed with him particularly

[5:01] on this issue of the threat of nuclear

[5:04] proliferation. So I I think that that

[5:07] where the president gained an advantage

[5:10] was on his continued reference and

[5:14] legitimate one to his steadfastness and

[5:18] his unwavering commitment to winning

[5:20] this war on terror. I think he

[5:22] reinforced that uh in his presentation

[5:25] and his demeanor. Senator, if you agree

[5:27] and if you don't say so that the Bush

[5:30] supporters will think President Bush did

[5:32] a good job, the Kerry supporters will

[5:33] think their man did a good job, that

[5:36] leaves the independent and swing voters,

[5:38] particularly the women who are the

[5:40] largest percentage in that category.

[5:42] What did the president say tonight that

[5:44] you think might swing some of those

[5:46] voters his way?

[5:48] I think statements like that would

[5:50] appeal to independent voters uh like the

[5:54] impact and effect of a free and open

[5:57] society. Uh when he talks about the the

[6:00] the conditions in Iraq before uh under

[6:05] Saddam Hussein and the uh you know

[6:07] things like 10 million people

[6:09] registering to vote in Afghanistan. In

[6:11] other words, this this this opportunity

[6:14] and hope and this conviction that uh

[6:17] what we have done and what we will do is

[6:19] a noble cause. I I was very touched

[6:22] frankly with his conversation with the

[6:24] family member who whose son had died our

[6:27] husband had died in Iraq. Uh you know

[6:30] this this these are these give you an

[6:32] idea of the grave responsibilities of

[6:35] being president of the United States and

[6:36] he shouldered them with with conviction.

[6:39] Senator John McCain, thanks for being

[6:41] with us. In a moment, ladies and

[6:42] gentlemen, a Democrat's perspective on

[6:44] tonight's presidential faceoff. United

[6:45] States Senator Joseph Biden will join

[6:47] us. So, stick in here with us.

[7:03] A funny thing happens when your