1. Bush Wrong on Stem Cells, Not Kerry's False Claims on Cambodia
FNC's Special Report with Brit Hume on Monday night picked up on how John O'Neill and Jerome Corsi assert in their new book, Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry, that contrary to John Kerry's claims that he was in Cambodia in 1968 when President Nixon insisted no U.S. armed forces were in that nation, an allegation he raised in railing in 1986 against President Reagan's efforts to help the Nicaraguan freedom fighters, he was not in Cambodia. The other networks, however, ignored that. The ABC and NBC evening newscasts instead focused their campaign stories on Kerry's agenda, an attack on the Bush stem cell research policy. ABC anchor Elizabeth Vargas portrayed a broad range of potential cures being blocked by Bush: "Many believe such research could hold a cure for diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's." Reporter John Cochran re-played again a May clip of Nancy Reagan advocating federal funding for embryonic stem cell research followed by a soundbite from Ron Reagan at the Democratic convention before Cochran brought up John McCain's name.
2. ABC: Democratic "Mistake" of Not Playing Up War Service Has Hurt
On Sunday night, ABC's World News Tonight, which has yet to utter a syllable about the charges from the members of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, having ignored both their May 4 press conference and TV ad released last week, made time for a 30th anniversary look back at President Richard Nixon's resignation from the point of view of George McGovern who, ABC's Bob Jamieson relayed, "believes history vindicates him" on the Vietnam war. Jamieson painted Democratic reluctance to show off the war service of their candidates, not their left-wing, weak defense policies, as what has hurt the party's image on national security. Jamieson insisted, over video of Michael Dukakis in the tank: "Democrats have paid a price for that mistake ever since" McGovern failed to play up his World War II service.
3. Al Hunt Rages: John O'Neill, "a Liar" and "Pawn of Chuck Colson"
Al Hunt went apoplectic on Saturday night's Capital Gang on CNN, launching personal insults against John O'Neill, the Chairman of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and author of Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry. Hunt, Executive Washington Editor of the Wall Street Journal, declared of the group's TV ad: "I think this is some of the sleaziest lies I've ever seen in politics. John O'Neill, one of the principal authors, has been a Republican functionary for over 30 years" who is "a liar" and "was a pawn of Chuck Colson."
4. Hume: Kerry Admits "Unable to Think" for 40 Minutes on 9/11
John Kerry's 40 minutes of inability to think versus George W. Bush's seven minutes of sitting still. Noting how "Senator John Kerry sharply criticized President Bush this week for remaining in a Florida classroom for about seven minutes on 9/11" after being informed of how a plane flew into the World Trade Center, on Fox News Sunday, Brit Hume pointed out how in an interview with Larry King last month Kerry recalled how he "sat at a table in the Capitol quote, 'unable to think,' unquote, from the time the second plane hit the World Trade Center and another plane hit the Pentagon. Total 'unable to think' time? 40 minutes."
Bush Wrong on Stem Cells, Not Kerry's
False Claims on Cambodia
FNC's Special Report with Brit Hume on Monday night picked up on how John O'Neill and Jerome Corsi assert in their new book, Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry, that contrary to John Kerry's claims that he was in Cambodia in 1968 when President Nixon insisted no U.S. armed forces were in that nation, an allegation he raised in railing in 1986 against President Reagan's efforts to help the Nicaraguan freedom fighters, he was not in Cambodia. The other networks, however, ignored the latest revelations from the book officially released on Tuesday with the ABC and NBC evening newscasts instead focused their campaign stories on Kerry's agenda, an attack on the Bush stem cell research policy.
"The debate over stem cell research took center stage on the campaign trail today," ABC anchor Elizabeth Vargas announced on World News Tonight, insisting on a broad range of potential cures being blocked by Bush: "Many believe such research could hold a cure for diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. It was exactly three years ago today that President Bush restricted research using embryonic cells. The Democrats are hitting him hard on that all this week." Reporter John Cochran re-played again a May clip of Nancy Reagan advocating federal funding for embryonic stem cell research followed by a soundbite from Ron Reagan at the Democratic convention before Cochran made it a trifecta of proof of how out of step Bush is by bringing up John McCain's name: "Another difficulty for the President, many in his own party, including John McCain, believe stem cell research is valuable."
Over on the NBC Nightly News, anchor Tom Brokaw highlighted how "an editorial in this week's New England Journal of Medicine is harshly critical" of Bush's policy and "it was a major topic on the campaign trail today as well." At least Brokaw and David Gregory managed to refrain from suggesting stem cells holds a cure to Alzheimer's, when that is a disease least likely to benefit, and from bringing up Nancy Reagan, Ron Reagan or John McCain.
Later, however, ABC devoted Monday's Nightline, delayed by a half hour in the EDT and CDT zones by a pre-season NFL exhibition game, to why Vietnam still resonates as an issue. Jake Tapper didn't mention the Cambodia allegation as he put together a piece summarizing the claims of the swift boat veterans and showing a part of their TV ad. He allowed anti-Kerry participant Van O'Dell to elaborate before providing a retort from pro-Kerry veterans. Tapper tried to undermine the anti-Kerry vets by recalling: "Running against Bush four years ago, Republican Senator John McCain, also a decorated Vietnam veteran, saw his war record also besmirched by Bush allies, though not by the Bush campaign itself." Tapper went on how show how most of the group's funds were donated by past Bush campaign donors.
Tapper, however, also pointed out the media's imbalanced news judgment. Over video of an anti-Bush ad from Moveon.org showing an empty locker with a "George W. Bush" nameplate and someone stamping "Failure to Appear" on a form, Tapper noted: "Liberal third party groups have attacked President Bush, with tough ads that challenge his military service in the Texas Air National Guard. The Bush campaign wonders why this anti-Bush ad has not received the scrutiny the anti-Kerry ad has -- which seems a fair question."
Now, a full rundown of the FNC, ABC and NBC stories aired Monday night, August 9:
-- FNC's Special Report with Brit Hume. Hume led his broadcast: "First, a TV ad and now a new book challenging Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's war record. Now more questions are being raised about whether he has been truthful, not only about his war medals but about where he was during a controversial period in the Vietnam conflict. Fox News chief political correspondent Carl Cameron is standing by at the Grand Canyon where Kerry was today with details. Carl."
Carl Cameron, at the Grand Canyon: "Hi there, Brit. Well, this was supposed to be a fairly low-key day with just a fabulous backdrop for what was intended to be essentially a photo op, but now Senator Kerry, again finds himself confronted with controversy going back to his Vietnam service days. A new book suggests that on Christmas Eve 1968, when Senator Kerry has been quoted as saying in the past that he was in Cambodia, says that that assertion by Senator Kerry is false.
"Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry took his cross-country barn-storming trek to the Grand Canyon. While the Senator soaked in the natural wonder, a book called Unfit for Command, shipped to stores for sale Tuesday. It's written by a Vietnam veteran named John O'Neill, the Chairman of a group that calls itself Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The book challenges much of Kerry's Vietnam service record, the bed rock of his biography. Among the latest criticisms: Kerry's claim, years ago, to have been in Cambodia on Christmas Eve, 1968, at a time when the U.S. government was insisting there was no U.S. military presence in Cambodia. But on March 27th, 1986, the U.S. Senate record quotes Kerry as saying quote [text on screen]: 'I remember Christmas of 1968 sitting on a gunboat in Cambodia. I remember what it was like to be shot at by Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge and Cambodians' and 'have the President of the United States telling the American people that I was not there; the troops were not in Cambodia.'
"In addition, in 1979 Kerry wrote, in a letter to the editor to the Boston Herald, quote [text from October 14, 1979 on screen]: 'I remember spending Christmas Eve of 1968 five miles across the Cambodia border being shot at by our South Vietnamese allies who were drunk and celebrating Christmas...The absurdity of almost being killed by our own allies in a country in which President Nixon claimed there were no American troops was very real.'
"The Kerry campaign today first asserted that John Kerry never said he was in Cambodia, only he was near the country. But when presented a copy of the Congressional Record and asked about Kerry's own writing in the Boston Herald, the campaign said it would come up with an explanation. After repeated phone calls, there was still no clarification by news time. And in the book Unfit for Command some of Mr. Kerry's commanding officers in Vietnam say, in fact, he was not in Cambodia on Christmas Eve 1968 but more than 58 miles away. In the meantime, as it stands now, the Kerry campaign asserts that Senator Kerry was near but not in Cambodia and has been unable to reconcile the current state of their assertion that he was near Cambodia with Senator Kerry's remarks entered into the senate record in 1986 as well as the article that he wrote for the Boston Herald."
The Herald quote came from a review Kerry wrote of the movie Apocalypse Now.
Amazon.com's page for Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi: www.amazon.com
Monday's USA Today featured a story on the charges from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth: "Anti-Kerry vets say 'lies' drove them to act; Ad, book attack the candidate, but others quick to defend service in Vietnam War." See: www.usatoday.com
-- ABC World News Tonight cared only about Bush's awful stem cell research policy. Anchor Elizabeth Vargas asserted: "Turning now to presidential politics in this country, the debate over stem cell research took center stage on the campaign trail today. Many believe such research could hold a cure for diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. It was exactly three years ago today that President Bush restricted research using embryonic cells. The Democrats are hitting him hard on that all this week. Here's ABC's John Cochran."
Cochran began, as taken down by MRC analyst Brad Wilmouth: "Today, it was clear the Democrats believe stem cell research on diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and juvenile diabetes, could be a hot button issue."
John Kerry at the Grand Canyon: "I think we can save millions of lives by doing research on something that may be destroyed anyway, that the balance is important."
John Edwards elsewhere: "We have a plan to have that research done with strict ethical guidelines in place, and the President's blocking that research from being done."
Cochran: "The President has opposed permitting federal funds to be used on research from stem cells created after August of 2001. He felt that giving blanket approval would encourage creation of embryos purely for research. Realizing this could be a dangerous issue, today the Bush campaign sent Laura Bush out. She called her husband's critics ridiculous and said they could raise hopes too high."
Laura Bush, in Pennsylvania: "The implication that cures for Alzheimer's are around the corner is just not right, and it's really not fair to the people who are watching a loved one suffer with this disease."
Cochran: "President Reagan's family watched him suffer for a decade after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Mrs. Reagan supports President Bush's re-election, but opposes him on stem cell research."
Nancy Reagan, on May 8: "We've lost so much time already, and I just really can't bear to lose anymore."
Cochran: "Her son Ron spoke against the Bush position at the Democratic convention."
Ron Reagan, at Democratic convention: "Please, cast a vote for embryonic stem cell research."
Cochran: "Democrats are encouraged by a new poll today [Annenberg Election Survey] showing 64 percent of Americans favor federal funding of research with stem cells from human embryos; 28 percent were against it. Another difficulty for the President, many in his own party, including John McCain, believe stem cell research is valuable. But again today, the White House said Mr. Bush will not change his policy. John Cochran, ABC News, the White House."
Vargas added and endorsement of the Kerry/Edwards campaign's priorities: "An important issue in this year's presidential election."
-- NBC Nightly News. Tom Brokaw announced: "Now to national politics and a hot-button issue in the world of medical research: Stem cells. Three years ago, in an address to the nation, President Bush offered what he considered to be a compromise between science and morality on the sensitive topic of stem cell research. The decision limited the use of federal funds for embryonic stem cell research to cell lines already in existence. An editorial in this week's New England Journal of Medicine is harshly critical of the policy. And it was a major topic on the campaign trail today as well. Here's NBC's David Gregory."
Gregory began: "The First Lady on the campaign trail today defending her husband's stand on stem cell research, saying his critics overstate the research's promise."
Laura Bush: "And the implication that cures for Alzheimer's are around the corner is just not right, and it's really not fair to the people who are watching a loved one suffer with this disease."
Gregory: "What the President opposed three years ago and still opposes now is the use of human embryos to make stem cell lines."
George W. Bush, August 9, 2001: "As your President, I have an important obligation to foster and encourage respect for life in America and throughout the world."
Gregory: "Three years later, the stem cell debate is back with a political vengeance. Promising to expand federal funding for the research, Senator Kerry accuses the President of putting ideology before science. It's science many believe holds the hope of cures for diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes."
John Kerry at Democratic convention: "What if we have a President who believes in science so we can unleash the wonders of discovery like stem cell research."
David Gregory: "Experts complain that under the Bush policy, only 21 cell lines are available for research. Additional lines are out there but off limits to scientists who receive federal funds."
Peter van Etten, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation: "Three years later, a hundred new lines have been available, much more is known, and to use these old lines which lack the attributes that many of the new lines have is going to set this field back significantly."
Gregory: "A new poll from the National Annenberg Election Survey finds overwhelming public support for the research, with 64 percent, including a majority of Republicans [53 to 38 percent], favoring it. Democrats hope the issue will help Senator Kerry attract Republicans who otherwise support Bush."
Peter Hart, Democratic pollster: "For the first time, Democrats can talk to constituencies they usually lose on social issues, such as abortion or gay marriage, because they care about stem cell research."
Gregory concluded: "But today the White House said the President will not change the policy, still believing he struck a balance three years ago, and it's the right one. David Gregory, NBC News, the White House."
ABC: Democratic "Mistake" of Not Playing
Up War Service Has Hurt
On Sunday night, ABC's World News Tonight, which has yet to utter a syllable about the charges from the members of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, having ignored both their May 4 press conference and TV ad released last week, made time for a 30th anniversary look back at President Richard Nixon's resignation from the point of view of George McGovern who, ABC's Bob Jamieson relayed, "believes history vindicates him" on the Vietnam war.
Recalling how McGovern admitted that he made a mistake in not playing up in his 1972 campaign his World War II service, Jamieson featured historian Michael Beschloss who claimed public knowledge of "that would have helped to innoculate him and the Democrats that year against charges that he and the Democrats weren't serious about defending his country." To which Jamieson insisted, over video of Michael Dukakis in the tank: "Democrats have paid a price for that mistake ever since." As if the image of Democrats as soft on defense has been inaccurate.
Anchor Don Dahler set up the August 8 story: "Thirty years ago today, Richard Nixon became the first and only President to resign his office in disgrace. Two years earlier, Nixon had defeated George McGovern in a landslide, with a campaign that focused largely on the Vietnam War. That defeat changed presidential politics forever. As ABC's Bob Jamieson reports, Democrats are still learning lessons from McGovern's mistakes."
Jamieson began, over video of McGovern at a book signing: "George McGovern is 82, but undaunted by age. His new book is a ringing defense of the liberal ideas that have always driven his political beliefs. In 1972, that meant strident opposition to the war in Vietnam, the core of his campaign against Richard Nixon."
McGovern, at the 1972 Democratic convention: "I believe that never again will we send the precious young blood of this country to die trying to prop up a corrupt military dictatorship abroad."
Jamieson: "The war had divided the Democratic Party, but Republicans were unified. Nixon won every state but one, and McGovern was ridiculed. Today, he believes history vindicates him."
McGovern: "It was a tragic mistake. And that's the view I think of almost every American today who has studied that war."
Jamieson: "But today, McGovern admits he made mistakes, too."
John Kerry saluting at the Democratic convention: "I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty!"
Jamieson: "Unlike John Kerry, whose decorated service in Vietnam is a constant theme of his campaign, McGovern seldom mentioned his service in World War II. [vintage WW II film] For nearly two years, McGovern piloted a bomber on hazardous daylight missions over Nazi Germany. 20,000 airmen in his unit died on those raids. McGovern was highly decorated for his 35 missions, for bringing home a crippled bomber. Yet few voters knew it."
McGovern: "But I think many Americans thought I was a pacifist. I should have talked more about it. I should have had more pamphlets and literature out on it."
Michael Beschloss, presidential historian: "That would have helped to innoculate him and the Democrats that year against charges that he and te Democrats weren't serious about defending his country."
Jamieson, over video of Dukakis in the tank: "Democrats have paid a price for that mistake ever since."
Beschloss: "From 1972 on, fairly or unfairly, a lot of Americans saw Democrats as a party that was too weak on national security."
Jamieson: "Can John Kerry change that?"
McGovern: "He was working for me in '72 and he saw what happened to me. And that's the reason he's working so hard to make sure that every voting American knows that he participated in the Vietnam War."
Jamieson: "McGovern was not allowed in his reluctance to talk about his war. Why? 'I guess,' he says of World War II vets, 'we thought that the real heroes never came back.' Bob Jamieson, ABC News, New York."
As if your personal heroism or military service somehow overrides the weak policies you would enact.
Al Hunt Rages: John O'Neill, "a Liar"
and "Pawn of Chuck Colson"
Al Hunt went apoplectic on Saturday night's Capital Gang on CNN, launching personal insults against John O'Neill, the Chairman of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and author of Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry. Hunt, Executive Washington Editor of the Wall Street Journal, declared of the group's TV ad: "I think this is some of the sleaziest lies I've ever seen in politics. John O'Neill, one of the principal authors, has been a Republican functionary for over 30 years" who is "a liar" and "was a pawn of Chuck Colson."
Hunt, who served as moderator for the August 7 show, set up the segment with a clip from the ad followed by Kerry taking a shot at Bush over the seven minutes. Hunt went first to National Review's Kate O'Beirne:
"It can't be a good sign, though, when John Kerry's adopting lines of attack from Michael Moore. So I think that's a point against him, feeling as though he has a strong hand. Look, these swift boat veterans, many of whom served in the same command as John Kerry, have not just sprung on the scene. They have been around for months. And the media chooses to ignore them. There are some band of brothers who the media fawns over, takes every word they say as gospel, and there are over 200 members of the band of brothers that the media wants no part of. The fact is, a majority of the naval officer who served with John Kerry in coastal division 11 think he's unfit to command. Now, why they're not being given a fair hearing -- they're not anonymous. They're putting their names and reputations behind their reservations about John Kerry, beginning with him coming home and explaining Vietnam was a filthy, obscene memory and war crimes were widespread and now using that service politically to so promote himself. They ought to be heard."
Hunt: "Margaret Carlson, tell me what you think."
Carlson: "Well, the lead person in that commercial has said he made a terrible mistake signing the affidavit accusing John Kerry of not serving his country. And another one of the people said that -- actually praised Senator Kerry in 1996. Listen, this is supported by a group of partisan Republicans with a lot of money, most of them from Texas, one of whose husband ran for lieutenant governor with George Bush in 1994. It's completely partisan. These people have been gathered together. Much of what they say won't stand the test of time, as we're finding out with Mr. Elliott. And it brought John McCain out against George Bush, saying that he should specifically condemn this dishonest ad. Of course, the Bush administration has refused to do so."
Hunt: "Bob Novak?"
Novak: "First place, there, of two, these are 200 colleagues and fellow warriors of John Kerry who signed this letter in May. There's a new book out called Unfit for Command about his record. I've read it all. It's coming out, it'll be published soon. It is a shocking presentation of Senator Kerry's record. I just couldn't believe some of the things in there -- very carefully documented. Margaret, these are not partisan Republicans. They're not Republicans at all. They're Naval personnel. They're not interested in George Bush. One of the authors of the book told me he would have voted for John Edwards if he were nominated. Not particular Bush fans, but they just are appalled by John Kerry.
"Now, I have some question whether 30 years later you should be inspecting the minutiae, the record of John Kerry, which is a very questionable record -- how he got his decorations, his very short term of duty, four months of combat, one third of the time -- but the fact of the matter is, he brought it on himself by concentrating at the convention and in the campaign on not his Senate record but his war record to try to bring about support from the middle and the center of the road."
Following comments from former Democratic Congressman Tony Coelho, Hunt jumped in: "I'd like to be able to say something here because I think this is some of the sleaziest lies I've ever seen in politics. John O'Neill, one of the principal authors, has been a Republican functionary for over 30 years-"
Novak: "That's not true! That's a lie!"
Hunt: "Could I please finish?"
Novak: "That is a lie!"
Hunt: "That's not a lie."
Novak: "That's not true!"
Hunt: "He's a liar. He started with -- he started with Chuck Colson. He was a pawn of Chuck Colson."
Novak: "That's not true!"
Hunt: "If I could finish? I didn't interrupt you."
Novak: "All right."
Hunt: "So I think he's a liar, to begin with. Secondly, if you look at Commander Hoffman -- ask Bob Kerrey about Mr. Hoffman. He was Bob Kerrey's commanding officer. Ask him about Hoffman's character and veracity. George Elliott, as Margaret said earlier, which is one of the charges against -- that he lied about his Silver Star -- has retracted it. He said, I made a terrible mistake. Who pressured him to make that mistake? They got a guy named Van O'Dell, who says Kerry lied about his Bronze Star. Got his Bronze Star for saving Jim Rassmann's life. Jim Rassmann says, he saved my life. The people on the boat said he saved -- he saved his life. Now, where was this guy O'Dell? Was he with binoculars somewhere, peering at-"
O'Beirne: "You want somebody to answer these?"
Hunt: "And finally -- wait. Wait just a second. Let me finish. John McCain, I think, has more credibility-"
Novak: "He doesn't know anything about it!"
Hunt: "Just a second! Than all of us put together on this issue."
O'Beirne: "He wasn't there, Al."
Hunt: "Wait a second! These guys weren't there-"
O'Beirne: "They were right there!"
Hunt: "Where were they when he saved Jim Rassmann? Where were they?"
O'Beirne: "They were right there!"
Hunt: "Where?"
O'Beirne: "They were 20 yards away! Read the affidavits!"
Hunt: "So Jim Rassmann's lying about saving his life? Come on, Kate!"
Novak: "No, wait a minute!"
Hunt: "This is a propaganda-"
O'Beirne: "Do you want an answer?"
Hunt: "-effort financed-"
O'Beirne: "Do you want an answer?"
Hunt: "-by right-wing Republicans!"
O'Beirne: "Do you want an answer? He was pulled out of the water, and others 20 yards away said there was no enemy fire coming from the shore. Look, John O'Neill is a Naval Academy grad who voted for, for Hubert Humphrey in 1968, Al. So much for being a Republican Party operative."
Hunt: "That's before Chuck Colson got to him."
I never knew Al Hunt was so afraid of Chuck Colson.
Hume: Kerry Admits "Unable to Think"
for 40 Minutes on 9/11
John Kerry's 40 minutes of inability to think versus George W. Bush's seven minutes of sitting still. Noting how "Senator John Kerry sharply criticized President Bush this week for remaining in a Florida classroom for about seven minutes on 9/11" after being informed of how a plane flew into the World Trade Center, on Fox News Sunday, Brit Hume pointed out how in an interview with Larry King last month Kerry recalled how he "sat at a table in the Capitol quote, 'unable to think,' unquote, from the time the second plane hit the World Trade Center and another plane hit the Pentagon. Total 'unable to think' time? 40 minutes."
Last Thursday, at the UNITY: Journalists of Color conference, a questioner picked up on a scene on Michael Moore's far-left Fahrenheit 9/11 movie showing Bush staying in the classroom for seven minutes after Andy Card informed him of the attack, and asked Kerry how he would have reacted to the news. Kerry responded: "I would have told those kids very politely and nicely that the President of the United States had something that he needed to attend to [loud applause from the journalists]. And I would have attended to it."
In the "stories you won't find on any other Sunday show" segment on Fox News Sunday, fill-in anchor Brit Hume informed viewers, as tracked down by the MRC's Megan McCormack:
"Senator John Kerry sharply criticized President Bush this week for remaining in a Florida classroom for about seven minutes on 9/11 after White House chief of staff Andrew Card told him a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Well, in a July CNN interview Senator Kerry described his actions on 9/11, according to the account, he and several other Democrats sat at a table in the Capitol quote, 'unable to think,' unquote from the time the second plane hit the World Trade Center and another plane hit the Pentagon. Total unable to think time? 40 minutes."
I believe on Friday Rush Limbaugh had quoted those Kerry remarks from the July 8 Larry King Live on CNN. The discussion, as quoted on the CNN transcripts page:
King: "Where were you" on 9/11?
John Kerry: "I was in the Capitol. We'd just had a meeting -- we'd just come into a leadership meeting in Tom Daschle's office, looking out at the Capitol. And as I came in, Barbara Boxer and Harry Reid were standing there, and we watched the second plane come in to the building. And we shortly thereafter sat down at the table and then we just realized nobody could think, and then boom, right behind us, we saw the cloud of explosion at the Pentagon. And then word came from the White House, they were evacuating, and we were to evacuate, and so we immediately began the evacuation."
Teresa Heinz Kerry: "You walked out with John McCain, didn't you?"
Kerry: "Yes."
King: "You and what?"
Heinz Kerry: "He and John walked out together."
King: "He and John McCain walked out -- what did you think?" Did you think-"
Kerry: "I knew instantaneously-"
King: "Clinton said he though bin Laden."
Kerry: "I knew instantaneously with the first. I'm a pilot, and I looked at the weather, and it's what we call in pilot lingo CAVU, ceiling and visibility unlimited. And I knew that that plane did not fly into that building accidentally, as people were speculating. It just doesn't happen, could not, under those circumstances. So I knew it was deliberate, whether it was suicide, whether it was something -- I couldn't tell. When the second plane hit, it was obvious to the world. And as we went out of the building, my immediately feeling was, we're at war. I mean, that was the sense, that we are under attack. People are attacking the United States of America and we needed to respond."
King: "Were you scared?"
Kerry: "No, I wasn't scared, I was angry. I was very angry."
That transcript is online at: www.cnn.com
# Bill Clinton on Monday's Daily Show with Jon Stewart, in which both groused about the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ad, will re-air tonight, Tuesday, on Comedy Central at 7pm EDT/PDT, 6pm CDT.
-- Brent Baker
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