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Five Days Until New Hampshire; 60 Killed In Attacks In Iraq; Obama Says Stay Strong But Spend Less; Private Sector Hiring Up In December; Police Officers Shot; Arson Suspect's Bail Set At $2.85 Million; Casey Anthony Apparently Resurfaces; Syrian Defector's Revelations; Teen Cleared In Fatal Stabbing; Obama Makes Recess Appointments to NLRB; Evangelicals Reportedly to Meet to Pick GOP Candidate; Santorum Campaign is Mirror Image of Huckabee Campaign
Aired January 05, 2012 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It's 1:00 on the East Coast. A very busy hours of news ahead, so let's get straight to it.
Iowa is just a memory but those nail biter caucuses are paying off for the GOP contender who almost won. Rick Santorum hauled in $1 million in the 24 hours after he came within eight votes of beating Mitt Romney. Today, Santorum, Romney, and Iowa's fourth place finisher, Newt Gingrich, worked the crowds in New Hampshire, who's first in the nation primary is just five days away. Gingrich has some fresh wind in his sales, too, a coveted endorsement from the state's leading newspaper, "The Union Leader." He and the paper take an equally dim view of the frontrunner's claims to conservatism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't believe a Massachusetts moderate is in a very good position to debate Barack Obama. I think it will be very hard for him to win the general election, because I think it just blurs everything. I think a real conservative who stands for solid values, essentially for New Hampshire values --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The former Massachusetts governor holds what looks like an insurmountable lead in New Hampshire, so he is moving on to South Carolina. That state's primary is January 21st.
It has been a deadly day in Iraq. At least 60 people were killed in attacks in Baghdad and other cities across the country. Most of the victims were Shiites raising fears of renewed sectarian violence. The deadly attack was a suicide bombing targeting Shiite pilgrims west of the city of Nasiriyah. At least 36 people were killed, dozens wounded. The Iraqi military blames the attacks on terrorist groups.
President Obama says a fighting force that costs less can still be the best in the world and it will be. In an unusual visit to the Pentagon, the commander in chief unveiled a rewrite of cold war strategy that's driven military decision making for decades, being able to fight two major wars at once. He said deep cuts in spending are a political reality but the military fallout can be managed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's why I called for this comprehensive defense review to clarify our strategic interests in a fast changing world and to guide our defense priorities and spending over the coming decade, because the size and structure of our military and defense budgets have to be driven by a strategy. Not the other way around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: We'll talk much more about all of this in "Face Time" just minutes from now.
After more than a century of capturing smiles, there are reports the Kodak Eastman Company may be getting ready to file bankruptcy. Although the company has not confirmed the news, the report has already spooked markets. Kodak shares have dropped sharply, meanwhile Kodak is continuing to try to sell its assets to raise much need money.
Some stronger than expected job numbers out today. Payroll processing firm ADP says private sector companies ramped up hiring last month adding 325,000 jobs. That's up from 204,000 in November. The ADP report comes out just one day ahead of the government's closely watched jobs' report. Many economists aren't expecting the labor department's numbers to be as large.
A deadly police shooting in Ogden, Utah. Six officers on a narcotics task force were shot. One of them was killed while serving a search warrant. The wounded officers' injuries range from serious to critical. The suspected shooter was also wounded but his injuries are not life threatening. Officer Jared Francom, who died at the hospital, was a seven-year veteran with the Ogden city police force. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.
In Los Angeles, $2.85 million is the bail set for the German national suspected of setting dozens of fires. Harry Burkhart will also have to surrender his German passport if he posts bail to make sure he doesn't leave the country as he waits to be tried. It is believed the 42-year-old started more than 50 fires after his mother's arrest led to his, quote, "rage against Americans."
Casey Anthony out of the news and out of sight for months is apparently speaking out for the first time since she was acquitted of murdering her little daughter, Caylee. In a four-minute video diary on YouTube and Facebook, she makes only a vague reference to o her sensational trial last summer but says nothing about Caylee, her daughter, or her parents, or where she is in hiding.
Anthony's attorney, Cheney Mason, issued a statement saying, quote, "Casey has maintained notes and memoirs for her personal counseling. She did not upload or release this to YouTube. She doesn't know how the video got on YouTube, she did not authorize it and therefore it had to be obtained illegally. Nancy Grace covered the Casey Anthony trial for our sister network, HLN. She'll join us with her reaction to this video coming up in just a moment.
Also ahead, amid an anemic economy and a new era of record budget cuts, President Obama has announced a major shakeup at the Pentagon, a new strategy of the military that involves reduced funding. But is it one that will still keep Americans safe? We're going to talk about that with retired Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Have you seen this video of Casey Anthony? It was uploaded on YouTube. The first we've heard from Casey Anthony since she was acquitted. Nancy Grace covered the trial for our sister network, HLN, and she joins us now. Nancy, I'm sure you've had a look at this video, but I want our viewers to see it. So, before we talk about it, let me play just a little bit of it here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY ANTHONY: I know it's going to be a while since I will be here for many, many months more, even if I'm living here for six months. Even if I get off probation early, I'll still be here at least until February? The end of February? Seven months marks my birthday. It's just either way, you know, whether it is six months or it is a year from now, or year from the middle of August, who knows, this has been such a blessing in so many ways.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Nancy, what do you make of this video diary as it is being called?
NANCY GRACE, HOST, HLN'S "NANCY GRACE": Well, first of all, I don't believe that it's any such thing as a video diary. Her lawyers, her old defense team, has just come out with a statement that this was hacked. I find that very, very difficult to believe. As a matter of fact, the person that posted it who was on our show tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern says he got it by finding it on pay-per-view sites charging $2 and $3 per viewing of it.
So, I find it very difficult to believe it was hacked. I think this is very simply the mom (ph), Casey Anthony, and her lawyer's possibly, way of injecting themselves back into the media because nobody's touching her offer for a pay for interview with a 10-foot pole. So, this is her way of getting back into the limelight, generating interest in herself, her story, as it is. And I think an extension of her own narcissism.
KAYE: What do you think of the fact she does not mention her daughter, Caylee, once in this video?
GRACE: You know what, Randi? I think the same thing I thought throughout her trial, throughout all of her interviews with police, throughout every single time she talked to her parents behind bars and it was captured on video in a Florida jailhouse. Only when Caylee was brought up directly to her face does she deign to mention her child. She talks about adopting a puppy as being her family. Hey, correction, tot mom, you had a family. It was Caylee.
Also, her family now, her mom and dad, no relations with them. So, everything is so disingenuous. And also, you see her presentation of herself with the new hair, the glasses to appear more serious, the low-cut shirt, the flipping of the hair style. Just the whole thing is so contrived.
KAYE: What do you make of, though, her whole demeanor? I mean, at one point, she's saying things are going to get better, they are getting better, overall, what do you take away from this?
GRACE: I take away an extension of what I observed at the trial and all of her tapes with detectives and tapes with her family. That it's all about tot mom. It's about her birthday coming up. It's about her starting a new life. It's about things getting better for her. I'd like to know how could she afford a computer? Who gave her a camera? Who made this possible? So many unanswered questions and again, this amplifies the fact that justice was not obtained in the death of two-year-old Caylee.
KAYE: How does it make you feel watching this having covered the trial?
GRACE: Not surprised, Randi, not surprised at all. It was just a matter of time before tot mom emerged again in some way trying for self-gain and furthering of her own money situation and her own persona. This is just an amplification of that as far as I see. It's the same thing, second verse, same as the first.
KAYE: Nancy Grace, thank you very much. Good to have you on the show. And Nancy will have much more on Casey Anthony's new video tonight on her show on our sister network, HLN. Tune in 8:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN.
President Obama has announced a major shakeup at the Pentagon. A new strategy for the U.S. military that involves reduced funding. But is it one that will work? We're going to talk about that with retired army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt next.
Also coming up, a CNN exclusive that you don't want to miss. A senior Syrian official escapes the brutal crackdown in his country and tells CNN a story of horror, one of torture, underground prisons, even ambulances being used to run down protesters. That story coming up as well, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: As much as presidents have to think about defense, the military, national security, they rarely set foot in the Pentagon. So president Obama's visit there would be worth a mention even if he weren't rolling out a historic overhaul of the U.S. military planning. Facing tight budget pressures and a dynamic threat, the Obama administration's changing a policy that's long been an article of faith. The brass know it 2MTW, two major theater wars. For generations, the Pentagon has tried to be prepared to fight and win two major wars in two parts of the world at the very same time. Mr. Obama says times have changed. He says budgets have to be driven by strategy and cutbacks have to be seen in context.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I think it is important for all Americans to remember, over the past 10 years, since 911, our defense budget grew at an extraordinary pace. Over the next 10 years, the growth in the defense budget will slow, but the fact of the matter is this, it will still grow because we have global responsibilities that demand our leadership. In fact, the defense budget will still be larger than it was toward the end of the Bush administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANCHOR: $450 billion in cuts already are in the works for the decade ahead and half a trillion dollars in new cuts may be unavoidable. They'll be felt across the board from nuclear missiles to navy ships to fighter jets to personnel.
And my next guest will be watching it all. You can count on that. Retired Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt joins me from Washington.
General, you've expressed concerns about a budget driven exercise. Did you hear anything from the president or Secretary Panetta today that eased those concerns?
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, I was glad to hear the president recognize that there will be more challenges, that there will be more instability in this world and that there will be more threats that we face over the years to come. And it is good that we're restructuring the military to adapt to these new threats.
But at the same time that he said we're going to have more challenges and more threats, he said there's going to be less money to do it. So I see a fundamental mismatch between the requirements that are being levied on the military and the resources that are going to be provided to the military to accomplish those missions.
KAYE: If you look at this though, I mean the whole picture here, I mean critics might argue, and they do argue, in fact, that the whole two major war policy was wishful thinking anyway. I mean Iraq and Afghanistan took a huge toll on the U.S. military. So why your argument?
KIMMITT: Well, again, the whole construct of two major theater wars going on simultaneously at one time recognized that we might have to fight North Korea in a major theater war in the Middle East or Europe. It is a dated construct.
We don't think that there's going to be two major theater wars simultaneously. So it's good that the strategy no longer reflects that. But, at the same time, we're still asking the military to fight a major theater war, but also defend against cyber attacks, conduct peacekeeping operations in the Balkans, conduct peace enforcement operations in Libya, conduct humanitarian operations in places such as Pakistan. That is a significant number of missions that will require significant resources and the president is saying you will see fewer resources, not more.
KAYE: I want to share with you and with our viewers a quote from former Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Quoting here. He'd like to say, "when it comes to predicting the nature and location of our next military engagement, since Vietnam our record has been perfect. We have never once gotten it right." Doesn't that speak to the need to rethink this?
KIMMITT: No, that's exactly right. I had the pleasure and the privilege of working for Secretary Gates at the Department of Defense. And he was prescient in much of what he said and he was prescient there. It is the very nature that the threats are unpredictable, asymmetric and will always try to fight us in a way that we're not prepared, which means that we need to have significant capabilities across the board. It needs to be a capabilities-based force. One that recognizes not just today's threats, but tomorrow's threats. And, fundamentally, that's an expensive proposition for the defense of this country. And what the president has said today is, we're not willing to pay that.
KAYE: I want you to look very quickly here. We have some numbers here. The U.S. military spending compared to everybody else's. You see it there. No other country comes close. In the face of gigantic deficits, why shouldn't we make deep cuts?
KIMMITT: Well, I absolutely agree that we need to take a look at the defense budget and structure it for the missions at hand. But the United States, if it wants to retain its position as a super power in this world, it has responsibilities. And those responsibilities are unlike any other country. There's not a country that's standing guard on North Korea, assisting humanitarian relief efforts in Pakistan, conducting combat operations in Afghanistan, putting aircraft carriers through the Straits of Hormuz.
To a great extent, the rest of the world has been somewhat of a free rider on the American defense establishment. It is expensive to maintain the security of this country, as well, to a greater extent, to the security of the free world. That's why we pay more and that's our responsibility. And our responsibilities need to be met with resources.
KAYE: General Mark Kimmitt, thank you very much.
KIMMITT: Oh, thank you.
KAYE: And time now to go globe trekking. Today, we head to Syria. Since protests began there last year, the U.N. says more than 5,000 people have been killed. Activists and human rights groups have been talking about the regime's brutality, but now a senior Syrian official who escaped to Egypt tells CNN about the horrific acts of violence committed by state security forces. Arwa Damon has that exclusive story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the Syrian capital, the defense ministry is the nerve center of the regime's efforts to stamp out unrest.
MOHAMED SULEIMAN AL-HAMAD, SYRIAN DEFECTOR (through translator): My office is on the 12th floor of the ministry of defense.
DAMON: Mohamed Suleiman al-Hamad worked at the ministry for years. His official I.D. describes him as a financial inspector. Not part of the regime's inner circle, but in a position to see the wheels of repression at work.
AL-HAMAD: During protests in Damascus, armed gangs filled the green public transport buses and dispatched from our offices flanked by four-wheel drive vehicles filled with weapons.
DAMON: And those they didn't kill, they brought back.
AL-HAMAD: On a daily basis, I used to see them bringing in blindfolded and handcuffed detainees on buses. They were kept in underground prisons. Some even built under streets.
DAMON: And he makes this chilling allegation.
AL-HAMAD: What is more horrific is the intelligence vans carrying the red crescent insignia labeled Syrian red crescent drive through the protests as ambulances and fire at the protesters.
DAMON: Al-Hamad says he oversaw spending at the defense ministry. He tells CNN that the regime hired hitmen, paying them $100 a day. It spent so much on the security crackdown that the budgets of other ministries had to be cut by a one-third. Al-Hamad says for a while he hoped there would be compromise.
AL-HAMAD: We were hoping the killing would stop and the regime would understand that the revolution will win and maybe find a way to appease the people. There was no hope.
DAMON: As the climate of fear took hold, he decided to get out.
AL-HAMAD: So I traveled to Egypt through the airport, normally, with the excuse of registering my son in college in Egypt. When the rest of my family followed me, I announced my defection in protest of what is happening in Syria.
DAMON: Much of the carnage he blames on the intelligence services and armed gangs, not regular troops.
AL-HAMAD: Bashar al Assad is no longer able to control these human monsters.
DAMON: Two weeks after he fled Syria, al-Hamad has this message for the outside world.
AL-HAMAD: We have reached a phase of genocide and this can't be tolerated under any circumstances.
DAMON: Arwa Damon, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: The Arab League has been on a fact finding mission in Syria. They say they made mistakes during their mission and are now asking the U.N. for help.
A lot of parents tell their kids to fight back when they're bullied at school, to stick up for themselves if someone gives them a hard time. But what happens when a bullied victim takes it to the next level, not just fighting back, but killing? It's happened in Florida and the state says it's OK. Sunny Hostin is standing by for us now. She takes up the case with us coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
I talk a lot about bullying on the show because we need to put a stop to it. I feel very, very strongly about that. But the story I'm about to tell you raises troubling questions about how far is too far when it comes to self-defense against bullies. This is 15-year-old Jorge Saavedra. By all accounts he was bullied, tormented by a group of boys relentlessly. According to court documents, more than a dozen other teens saw Saavedra repeatedly trying to avoid a fight. But he couldn't avoid it. A fight broke out at this Florida bus stop last year. The court says 16-year-old Dylan Nuno, the so-called bully, threw the first punch at Saavedra, but Nuno ended up being stabbed to death by Saavedra.
Here's the most interesting thing about this case. A judge ruled Saavedra acted in self-defense and was justified in killing his classmate under Florida's Stand Your Ground law. So the case was dismissed. No charges filed.
Let's bring in Sunny Hostin from "In-Session" on our sister network truTV to talk about the implications of this case.
Sunny, let me just read part of what the Stand Your Ground law says. Quote, "a person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself."
Now, some might say, Sunny, that this gives victims immunity when it comes to killing someone who's bullying them. How do you see it?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN-SESSION" ON TRUTV: I don't see it that way at all. And these were very specific and special circumstances. Not only, Randi, because Florida does have this Stand Your Ground law, but also because this was a situation, as you mentioned earlier, where a child was bullied for a year. The child tried to avoid the fight. He was told by the bully that today was the day. The child got off at a bus stop earlier than the proposed bus stop. The bully followed him off and then attacked him, punching him in the head.
Given those special sets of -- set of circumstances, this case is sort of unique, I think. And so we shouldn't read into it that now victims of bullying can kill with immunity. That is really not the lesson I think that we can take from this case. One of the lessons certainly that we can take is, we need to stop bullying as it escalates. We need to address these concerns before it gets to this, you know, type of situation. And certainly victims are allowed to defend themselves. Not only in Florida -- again, Florida has this unique law, but all over our country. If you feel that you are in grave danger of extreme bodily harm, you can defend yourself.
KAYE: Here is what -- part of what the judge said, according to our affiliate, WINK. This is part of the eight-page ruling from the judge. He said, "the defendant [Saavedra] was in a place where he had a right to be and was not acting unlawfully. He had more than enough reason to believe he was in danger of death or great bodily harm."
But again, you don't believe that this sends a message or sets a precedent that violence is OK?
HOSTIN: Yes, I hope it doesn't. Certainly, unfortunately, certain people will see this as a victory for victims. But this isn't a victory for anyone because you have two children, one dead, and one who will forever having to live with the fact that he took another's life. So I sure hope that that is not the message that gets sent.
But what I think you said earlier, Randi, is so very important, that bullying is a real issue. We're seeing death -- the death of our young people all over our country and it's an issue that needs to be addressed before we get to this kind of situation.
KAYE: Absolutely. I mean it starts at home. It starts at school. We've got to get this under control. Sunny Hostin, thank you very much.
And I do want to mention that we did call and e-mail Collier County, the school district there, for a response on this story, but they did not get back to us here at CNN.
It is a right all presidents have under the Constitution, but some of President Obama's critics are calling his recess appointment of a new consumer watchdog an abuse of power. So, did the president do the right thing? Our political pundits weigh in next in "Fair Game."
But first, a little New Hampshire quiz for all you political junkies watching today. One former presidential candidate is the undisputed king of the New Hampshire primary. He won it three different times over 12 years. You know who it is? Think fast and tweet the answer to me @randikayecnn. Whoever gets it right first gets a shout-out right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: But first, a little New Hampshire quiz for all of you "Political Junkies" watching today. One former presidential candidate is the undisputed king of the New Hampshire primary. He won it three different times over 12 years. You know who it is? Think fast and tweet the answer to me at randikayeCNN. Whoever gets it right first gets a shout out right after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Before the break I asked you which former presidential hopeful was king of the New Hampshire primary, winning it three times over 12 years? The answer -- Richard Nixon. He won it in 1960, 1968, and again in 1972. A shout out goes to Mike from Michigan. Mike got it right. He was the first one to tweet me the answer. So you know, tomorrow's another day. Come back and play tomorrow.
Time now to check both sides of the political debate where all topics are "Fair Game."
President Obama has opened the New Year with a shot across the bow to Republicans in Congress using what's called a recess appointment to install three new members of the National Labor Relations Board and to make Richard Cordray director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Senate Republicans had blocked Cordray's nomination.
So let's head to D.C. and talk about it with CNN contributor, Roland Martin; and Crystal Wright, editor of conservativeblackchick.com and principal owner of the Baker Wright Group.
Crystal, let me start with you.
If the Senate won't give the president's appointees an up-or-down vote, what's wrong with a recess appointment?
CRYSTAL WRIGHT, EDITOR, CONSERVATIVEBLACKCHICK.COM & PRINCIPAL OWNER, BAKER WRIGHT GROUP: Well, what's wrong is President Obama thinks he's governing under a monarchy rather than a democracy. And he started off the New Year with a bang as an obstructionist. The fact is the Senate was in session. They had a pro forma session. And Barack Obama decides he's not going to be held accountable to the American people, to the U.S. Constitution or Congress, for that matter. And he actually broke the constitutional law and decides he's going to make these recess appointments. So he's really kicking it off with a bang in the New Year.
KAYE: Roland, I want to share with you what house speaker John Boehner had to say and get your reaction to it.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Sure.
KAYE: "This is an extraordinary and entirely unprecedented power grab by President Obama. It would have a devastating effect on the checks and balances that are enshrined in our Constitution."
What do you think? Should the president have done this?
MARTIN: Easy. I'll take my hand, this is what I say to John Boehner, whatever. My other hand to Crystal, whatever. The problem we have here is that you have Republicans and Democrats who do not like the fact when they lose the White House. We saw under President George W. Bush where Democrats will block appointments -- (LAUGHTER)
Excuse me, Crystal, no need to laugh.
Where Democrats block appointees because they wouldn't give an up-or-down vote. What would happen, Randi? Republicans would get all upset. Confirm our nominees. Now you have a Democrat is in the White House, Republicans do the same. It is unconscionable when you have people put forth by a president, waiting 9 months, 12 months, a year --
(CROSSTALK)
WRIGHT: Yes. Roland, Harry Reid did the same thing --
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me.
WRIGHT: Harry Reid did the same thing under George W. Bush
MARTIN: Crystal, Crystal, Crystal, allow me to finish. Allow me to finish.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Crystal, let him finish.
MARTIN: I just said Democrats do it as well! This is the problem, Randi. If you win, you should be able to get your appointees. Vote them up or down. but these are the games and Democrats and Republicans play. The president said, fine, Constitution says I can make a recess appointment. I'm going to make it. That's why we have this problem.
WRIGHT: No. The Senate was in session. So he actually violated the Constitution.
(CROSSTALK)
WRIGHT: Barack Obama needs to understand he lost control of the House in 2010 because the American people said his policies were a failure. So Barack Obama needs to realize he's not governing under a monarchy. We have --
(CROSSTALK)
WRIGHT: -- Senate Republicans had a problem -- you know what their problem was? They didn't have a problem with Cordray. They had a problem with the unchecked powers of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
MARTIN: Nonsense. Nonsense.
WRIGHT: That's the problem.
KAYE: All right --
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: That's just nonsense. But whatever.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Bottom line is they were mad -- they were mad the bureau got passed. That's why they were upset. They want to protect Wall Street. And go right ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: I'm sure we'll have plenty of Washington gridlock clearly is in our future.
But, Roland, I want to ask you now about the GOP race.
MARTIN: Sure.
KAYE; A report coming out that conservative evangelicals are going to be gathering, trying to figure out which candidate they want to get behind.
(LAUGHTER)
Is this a good idea? Bad idea?
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: First of all, anybody can get together if you want to be able to get behind a particular candidate. Look. A lot of them have a problem with Mitt Romney. But what you have here, you have these folks who are freaking out because they're saying, my goodness, we should be able to pick and choose. The elites on the GOP side do not like what is going on here. So the people who can't stand Mitt Romney are trying to say, how can we stop him. This is also why we have primaries, Randi. This is why the American people -- let the leaders decide. But guest what, the people in Iowa chose. Mitt Romney won by eight votes. Let the people in New Hampshire. What bothers me is when the political people really don't want the American folks to have their say. They want to be able to drive the process. And so, hey,
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: -- have your meeting, knock yourselves out.
WRIGHT: I agree with -- I agree with Roland on that.
KAYE: Crystal?
WRIGHT: I agree with Roland on that. The problem is this so- called elite -- I mean, Republicans, like myself and other conservatives, are wondering who this elite group of people are behind the Wizard of Oz curtains, deciding who our nominee --
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: You know who they are.
WRIGHT: You know? I think Roland is actually right. and the primaries serve a reason. They allow the American people to decide who their nominee will be, and that's where we are. If Mitt Romney was able to be so dynamic and charismatic -- he couldn't pull it off in 2008. In Iowa, he couldn't pull it of either. He squeaked by with eight votes --
KAYE: Yes.
WRIGHT: -- which tells you the field is undecided. But I do think, Randi and Roland, we need to coalesce. Conservatives need to coalesce around a candidate. So I think what they're doing in Texas, trying to get us behind a candidate, is the right thing to do because you know, the clock's ticking now.
KAYE: Roland, final word from you.
MARTIN: Hey, Randi, you need 1,445 delegates to get the GOP nomination. There are 50 states in the country. Only one has voted in a caucus. Guess what? Somebody's going to get the 1,445 and that's when you coalesce, when you actually won the race --
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: -- and win the delegates.
WRIGHT: Right. Right.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: That's why you're running.
WRIGHT: Romney is not -- has not been coroneted, you know?
MARTIN: It's only one state.
WRIGHT: The coronation of Romney has not happened. Exactly.
MARTIN: It's one state.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Let people run.
WRIGHT: We have a ways to go. We have a ways to go. I will agree with Roland Martin on that.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Of course, you will.
KAYE: She's agreeing, Roland! Take it. Just take it.
WRIGHT: I know. That it doesn't happen often, right?
KAYE: No, it doesn't.
MARTIN: That means she's wrong a whole lot.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: It is a good thing Roland only has two hands because I don't know who else he would have been swatting out there.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: You know how we do it in Texas.
KAYE: All Crystal Wright, Roland Martin --
WRIGHT: Thank you.
KAYE: -- thank you both very much.
That is "Fair Game" today.
(LAUGHTER)
Woo!
Be sure to keep it right here next Tuesday as New Hampshire voters head to the polls. Join Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett and John King for live coverage of the New Hampshire primary, Tuesday night, 7:00 eastern, right here on CNN.
An Oklahoma woman says she has no regrets about shooting and killing an intruder that broke into her home. Wait until you hear her call to 911 just before she pulled that trigger. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: There's a shot of our very busy newsroom here at CNN. Time now for a look at stories making news at "Street Level."
We start in the state of Washington where the governor is now taking steps to legalize gay marriage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE GREGOIRE, (D), GOVERNOR OF WASHINGTON STATE: I believe in equality and respect of all citizens. And I can't sit here any longer and say it's OK to discriminate. And I tell you what I really can't believe, is we try and tell the children -- the children of loving couples, that somehow their kids are different, that their relationship, their love is somehow different than the love of a heterosexual couple? I don't believe that.
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KAYE: Governor Christine Gregoire, who is in the final year of her second term, says she will back legislation that legalizes same- sex marriages. The bill would give gays the right to get marriage licenses in Washington. If the state legislature passes the bill, Washington would be the seventh state in the nation to recognize same- sex marriage.
From Blanchard, Oklahoma, comes this extraordinary 911 call from an 18-year-old mother as two men try to break into her house.
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SARA MCKINLEY, SHOT INTRUDER: I've got two guns in my hand. Is it OK to shoot him if he comes in this door?
DISPATCHER: Well, you have to do whatever you can do to protect yourself. I can't tell you that you can do that. But you do what you have to do to protect your baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Sara McKinley says she waited 21 agonizing minutes as the men tried to break in. The man she shot and killed was carrying a 12- inch hunting knife.
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MCKINLEY: I did not know them but I know that they were there for something very evil and it wasn't to rob the house.
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KAYE: The second man later turned himself in to police and is awaiting a court appearance.
Next stop, Brownsville, Texas, where police shot and killed a 15- year-old student. Officers say the eighth-grader was carrying what looked to be a handgun through the hallways of his middle school. Police say the teen refused to drop the weapon.
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ORLANDO RODRIGUEZ, CHIEF, BROWNSVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: Turned out to be what is a CO2 .177 caliber pellet pistol.
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KAYE: According to affiliate, KGBT, police are conducting an internal investigation about the shooting. Luckily, no one else was injured.
When Pittsburgh plays the Denver Broncos in a key NFL playoff game, the Steelers' leading tackler won't take to the field. Steeler Safety Ryan Clark has sickle cell trait, a condition that's aggravated when playing at higher elevations. Denver sits one mile above sea level. The last time Clark played there, it almost killed him. He had had to have his gallbladder and spleen removed. Clark says he was prepared to play but accepted his coach's decision that he sit this one out for his own safety.
Talk about a bad parking job. Take a look at this. Police say the driver of this car lost control while speeding in fog, hit some big rocks, went airborne and landed on the roof of an apartment complex in Fresno, California. The driver fled the scene wearing only boxer shorts. He was later caught by police and taken to a hospital for treatment. No word on his condition or if he was charged. Two people in the apartment were not injured. As for the car, it was taken off the roof by a crane.
It is being called the Santorum surge, a wave of conservative support that's boosted Rick Santorum to the top of the Republican presidential pack. But is it sustainable? If 2008 is any indication, maybe not. Up next, I'll speak to the man who ran Mike Huckabee's campaign, a campaign many say is a mirror image of Rick Santorum's.
But first, he may have dropped out of the Republican presidential race, but Herman Cain apparently isn't quite ready to let it go. He's trying to keep his 9-9-9 tax plan alive by launching a bus tour. Cain's Solutions Revolution hits the road some time next week. Herman Cain, don't get us wrong, but we don't get it. You're out of the race. Plus, we thought the whole point of you suspending your campaign was to stay out of the public eye, as you put it, for your family. We're afraid, Mr. Cain, your 15 minutes were up when you dropped out.
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RICK SANTORUM, (R), FORMER PENNSYLVANIA SENATOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you so much, Iowa.
(CHEERING)
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KAYE: Rick Santorum has a lot to be thankful for. Not only did he ride a late surge of support to the number two spot in Iowa, but he's also being called leading conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. But can he ride this wave all the way to the White House? He sure thinks he can. Here's what he told CNN's Piers Morgan as the Iowa votes came rolling in.
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SANTORUM: There's going to be a rematch --
(LAUGHTER)
-- and we're going to go to New Hampshire. And take him on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: If you remember, back in 2008, evangelicals helped former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee win the Iowa caucuses. Many felt he had the staying power, but he fell short of securing the nomination. So what went wrong and can Rick Santorum learn a thing or two from Huckabee's run for the White House?
Joining us now is Huckabee's former campaign manager, Chip Saltsman.
Chip, nice to have you on.
Many are calling Rick Santorum the Huckabee for 2012. Having worked on the Huckabee campaign, do you also see similarities here?
CHIP SALTSMAN, FORMER CAMPAIGN MANAGER FOR MIKE HUCKABEE: Certainly, what he did in Iowa was amazing and he should be commended to it. But Mike Huckabee -- in 2008, we were organized a lot further down the line than I think line than I think Rick Santorum was. We went on to win eight more states and coming in second to John McCain. What Iowa did for Rick Santorum was put him on the game, on the path. The path is long and windy and up-hill but at least he's on the path. He has a shot. It will be tough but it has put him in the game and we'll see what happens in New Hampshire and, more importantly, what happens in South Carolina for Rick Santorum.
KAYE: Let me show you the latest CNN/ORC poll. Mitt Romney in the lead with Rick Santorum coming in fourth, despite doing so well in Iowa. If we look back to 2008, Huckabee lost New Hampshire. What did you learn from this loss and what do you think Rick Santorum can take away from this loss?
SALTSMAN: I think a couple of things. One, he is competing in New Hampshire. He is there and it looks like he'll be there through Tuesday. Maybe we skip New Hampshire and go to South Carolina and play a home game. And then he can win in South Carolina. He's made the decision to fight it through New Hampshire. I think if he comes in fourth, like he is now, it will take a little shine off the penny. And then he will have to go to South Carolina and win it. There are lots of other people in this game. A lot of time between now and then. But he has a lot to do. But I think South Carolina ultimately will be his Alamo, just like Governor Perry's down there, too. He is probably not going to win New Hampshire. We know that. Then he'll have to go to South Carolina and put a "W" on the board.
KAYE: A lot of people are focusing on South Carolina. Rick Perry is already there. Back in 2008 -- I wanted you to look at this. Mike Huckabee, as you know, took second place in South Carolina, losing to John McCain, who won the Republican nomination. If you could do it again, what would you have done differently in South Carolina and what do you think Rick Santorum should be doing there now?
SALTSMAN: Well, I wish we would have raised a lot more money. We went straight to New Hampshire like Rick Santorum. Then we went to Michigan where we thought we could put a knockout blow on Mitt Romney and we took time and resources away from South Carolina. Plus we still had Fred Thompson in the race too took away from some of the conservative vote. Rick Santorum has the same set-up going on, even though he has Newt Gingrich out there banging on Mitt Romney. It will take conservative votes away from him in South Carolina. So perhaps -- and Rick Santorum has a great team. I would take the time and resources and move to it South Carolina. At the end of the day, he has to win South Carolina.
KAYE: I'm glad you mentioned the money. A day after Iowa, Rick Santorum says his campaign raised more than $1 million. Will this all come down to money?
SALTSMAN: Well, it doesn't always come down to money like we saw in Iowa. My guess is that Rick Santorum got out and spent 10, 12, 15:1 and he still did incredibly well. But now he has a short window, a couple of weeks where he is raising good money. He has to harness those resources and use them in a most effective way. That will be on TV and radio. He is probably not going to have any mail in New Hampshire because it's so quick. He can focus those resources in South Carolina. And that's what I would be doing if I was running his campaign right now.
KAYE: Do you think at this point, it is a smart play for Rick Santorum to be going after Mitt Romney?
SALTSMAN: Well, if he wants to get it down to a one-on-one match, that is his only play. He is going to have to say I'm the alternative to Mitt Romney and this is why. That will be his pitch for the next four or five days in South Carolina. If he wants to be the nominee, that is the only way he can do it. Go after Mitt Romney.
KAYE: If you were managing Rick Santorum today, what would you tell him your main point to stop him from fizzling out?
SALTSMAN: Well, the most important thing is for him to be himself and speak from the heart. I think we saw him do that in Iowa so effectively. At the end of the day, a vote for president is so extremely personal. And most people outside of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, never meet the guy running for president or the woman running for president, but it is so personal. If he can connect to these votes at a very real, personal level, he has a chance.
KAYE: Chip Saltsman, thank you very much.
SALTSMAN: Good to be with you, Randi.
KAYE: A new campaign ad makes Kim Kardashian the star. Only it's probably a role she wants. Why she is being made the poster child for wealthy millionaires, coming up next.
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KAYE: If you want attention for your cause, mention the name Kardashian. A group called the Courage Campaign is pushing for higher taxes on California's wealthy as a way to ease the state's budget crunch. The group claimed Kim Kardashian made $12 million last year but only paid one percentage point more in taxes than someone who made $47,000.
Let's get the latest headlines from the CNN "Political Ticker." CNN political editor, Paul Steinhauser, is standing by for us in Manchester, New Hampshire, the center of the storm for the Republican race.
Paul, I hear there's a new poll out on where the Republicans stand in the Granite State? Any surprises?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: There is. I don't know if I can top Kim Kardashian. I'll try, Randi.
(LAUGHTER)
Let's take a look at these numbers. Five days now. We have five days until the primary. Brand new out this morning from Suffolk University. Look who is on top. That same guy that has been there for about two years now in Massachusetts -- in New Hampshire, I mean, Mitt Romney. 41 percent of likely GOP primary voters here in New Hampshire backing Romney according to this poll. At 18 percent, in second place, is the Congressman from Texas, Ron Paul. And everybody else in single digits.
Randi, this poll was conducted Tuesday and Wednesday, which means half was conducted after the results in the Iowa caucuses. Randi, we know why Romney has always been on top. He is from neighboring Massachusetts. He owns a vacation home here. He spends a lot of time here. People know Mitt Romney in this state -- Randi?
KAYE: Speaking of Romney, is he still campaigning with John McCain?
STEINHAUSER: He is this morning, in Salem, New Hampshire, which I know very well -- my in-laws live there. I spend a lot of time in Salem. They were at the Boys and Girls Club this morning. Now, guess what, Romney and McCain are heading south. They'll be joining Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina, in her home state for events later today and tomorrow. Why South Carolina? As you were talking earlier, South Carolina comes third. Their primary, just 11 days after the New Hampshire primary. So that's why you're going to see Romney spend a little bit of time there. And a lot of the other candidates also going to South Carolina as well.
KAYE: Where are the other Republican candidates today?
STEINHAUSER: A bunch of them are here, including Newt Gingrich, who continues to really go after Romney and try to point out the contrast between these two guys. The former House speaker up with a brand new ad in the Granite State. It calls Romney's policies timid. And it says that Romney would not be able to beat President Barack Obama in November. We're seeing a more aggressive Newt Gingrich now. Maybe he learned some lessons from Iowa where he wasn't as aggressive going after Romney and some of his other rivals -- Randi?
KAYE: When you look at those poll numbers, sure, Romney has to feel good about his polling in New Hampshire. But South Carolina could be more of a challenge for him. Don't you think? STEINHAUSER: It sure could. A very different electorate. Remember, polls change. We saw that with Rick Santorum. That surge came very late. And good timing for him. Just because the polls say something today doesn't mean it will be the same way in five days.
As for South Carolina, we really haven't seen any polling in a while that we can really look to. But it is a very different electorate in South Carolina. It's much closer to Iowa. Much more different than here in New Hampshire -- Randi?
KAYE: Paul Steinhauser in New Hampshire. Thank you, Paul.
Be sure to keep it right here next Tuesday as New Hampshire voters head to the polls. Join Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett and John King for live coverage of the New Hampshire primary, Tuesday night, 7:00 eastern, right here on CNN.
Thank you for watching. I would love to hear what you think. You can continue the conversation with me on Facebook or Twitter @randikayeCNN.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Brooke Baldwin -- Brooke?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Randi. Thank you so much.
