ABC Nightline 1216 - Shifting Tides: Al Gore & Trent Lott

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TV Channel 8 Mon Dec 16 23:35:26 2002
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>>> i decided i will not be a candidate for president in 2004.

>> A front-runner drops out.

>> I'm at peace with that decision.

>> A top dog hangs on.

>> I'm not about to resign for an accusation that i'm something i'm not. I think that it's more important for me to stay in the job i've been elected to and show i can make a difference.

>> All around, democrats and republicans jockey for position from out to in --

>> what was until yesterday, only a possibility, an abstraction, this morning becomes a reality.

>> From down to up.

>> What it's done is given us a pretty big wake-up call.

>> I simply meant that things would have been better if thurman were president because he would have kept white ppleoe and black people separate.

[ Laughter ] i just hate it when liberals take me out of context like that.

>> Continue, career moves, leaving two parties in turmoil.

>>> The man who played trent lott in that wickedly funny skit on "saturday night live," did pretty well for an amateur. But al gore's kmomic performance on top of his book tour, seemed like part of a classic comeback campaign. In deed the betting here in washington, was that the former vice president was warming up for a rematch of the 2000 race. That is, of course, until his surprise announcement last night whp what al gore and trent lott now have in common, aside from the skit, is all the commotion they're causing in their respective parties. We'll have more on the gore decision later. First, trent lott's fight for political survival suffered several setbacks today. His fellow senate republicans called for a caucus to consider his fuch person the white house stepped up its criticism. And in a new poll out tonight, shows a majority of americans, 51%, believes lott should step down as republican leader. The senator, meanwhile, continues to apologize for the remarks that got him into such hot water. His latest came a few hours ago, in this interview on black entertainment television.

>> The important thing is to recognize the hurt that i caused and ask for forgiveness and try to turn this into a positive thing and make amends for what i have said and for what others have said and done over the years. I'm looking for this to be an opportunity for redemption and also to do something about it. I rreegt it but i'm trying to find a way to deal with the understandable hurt that i have caused. You can say it was innocent. But it was insensitive, at the very least.

>> So, you tell us, so we don't have to to con jekt on what you meant -- what did you mean when you said "those problems."

>> I was talking about the defense, communism, and budgets. A government that sometimes didn't do the job. Again, i understand that was interpreted by many the way it was. I should have been sensitive to that. You know i, obviously, i made a mistake. And i'm going to do everything i can to admit that and deal with it and correct it.

>> Joining me now from capitol hill, abc news correspondent linda douglass. All these apologies from senator lott do not appear to have stopped the bleeding, even among his fellow republicans. Where do things stand right now tonight?

>> There was quite an extraordinary development today. That was that the republican leaders have given in to all of the calls for senators to get together and try to figure out what to do about trent lott. And they called a special and fairly extraordinary meeting, closed meeting, of all republican senators to take place on january 6th, the day before the congress convenes. This doesn't necessarily mean there's going to be a new election far new leader. But this was clearly the result of very strong and increasingly public pressure senators who say that senate lott has become a liability for the party and for all of them and they have to do something.

>> Does this give senator lott time to mount a more vigorous defense?

>> Reporter: Absolutely. The republican leaders, the ones who set this date, are aware that this is the one way and the one thing they could do to help senator lott. What his supporters are hoping is that in the three weeks that passes, the controversylill fade away, be replaced by other news and also that lott will have time to make his case, and reach out to the eight freshman senators who are coming into the senate and offer them interesting committee chairmanships, put his arm around them. Those are votes senator lott's going to need. Now, he has time to collect them.

>> In the last couple of days, there's been a lot of leaking going on, even among republicans. Looks like they're starting to play pretty rough up there.

>> Reporter: One of the interesting dynamics is that congress is not in session. If you had all the senators in a single place at a single time, this probably would have been reresolved. But you have 51 senators around the country, on the phone, talking to each other. Part of this is a senator trying to take his cue from another senator because they really don't know what to think. That's why you're hearing so much leaking, saying different things.

>> There has been an implicit threat, not by lott himself, but by others, if he is asked to step down from as leader, he could resign. And that would put the seat in democratic hands.

>> Reporter: This is a possibility that worries even lott's strongest critics, more than the potential damage from his remarks. Mitch mcconnell from kentucky has made it clear to senators that he thinks senator lott might resign his seat because leaders who give up their leadership posts often do that. Newt gingrich did it. Jim wright. Bob livingston, temporarily the speaking of the house and he left and left his job. So, senator mcconnell has warned that senator lott could do this. Then a democratic governor of mississippi, would appoint a democratic senator to replace lott. And that means a 50/50 senate. Vice president cheney would break the tie. But if any republican would want to split parties, they would be in trouble, they would lose majority.

>>> I'm joined by two veteran political observers, david gergen, who has served presidents nixon, ford, reagan and clinton. He joins us from boston. And john poe december ta, who has worked on capitol hill and at the white house to president clinton. And david gergen, watching this tonight up in boston, did lott's appearance -- senator lott's appearance establish anything that the previous four apologies have not?

>> For the first time, chris, i think he helped himself. He appeared genuinely wounded, apologetic and eager to attain a redemption. Americans believe in redemption. They believe in people making mistakes and overcoming them. While i think he will not find favor with many, many black americans, i think he made an appeal tonight that if they saw it, moderate white americans may get behind him. He may have staunched the flow of blood.

>> Your previous boss knows something about redemption and polices in trouble are always being urged to apologize. Tonight, trent lott did ask for forgiveness. Is that going to be enough to satisfy most americans?

>> I think this was his most folsom apology. But i think his record interferesith his ability to make the sale on this. For the first time, we found out he was for affirmative action. He found out he thinks he may have made a mistake on the martin luther king jr. Birthday holiday. I think americans are forgiving people. But if you look at the length of his career, it's hard to make this sale.

>> On the critical question of what trent lott really meant when he said that the united states would be better off, had strom thurman been elected, did he give a satisfactory answer on that critical question.

>> I don't think tha was altogether convincing as to that. He made the argument that what he was really talking about was defense. The confrontation with communism that thurman stood squarely for. But i don't -- i did not think that was his most convincing moment. I rather thought that both the gravity with which he faced this the genuine sense of being wounded, and much more importantly, to go to john's point, which i think he's right about the record, is a major problem for him. I think he began to move toward talking about what the future record would be. What kind of policies he would support in the future. I think if he's going to save himself, it's going to be if he now develops that argument.

>> As former chief of staff in the white house, you know something about sending signals. What should we read from the white house. On the one hand, they are refusing to ask for his resignation. On the other hand, the rhetoric against his rarx comes across strongly.

>> Yeah, i think all the background quotes seem like the president is sending a pretty strong signal that if senator lott were to go, there would be no big tears shed in the white house. You saw one of the key alies, senator frist, beginning to distance himself.

>> You've been reading tea leighs for a long time. What are you reading from the white house? Is lott hanging by one fingernail or two?

>> By one half. I don't think they wanted to shove him out. But they did they this is his last chance. Where the issue is where the republican party stands on the race. On one hand, the president deserves credit for putting powell and rice in positionsf authority. On the other hand, this is a party that has too often shown it is in favor of affirmative action for big corporations and it opposes affirmative action for african-americans. It has to deal with that issue. Fundamentally, to go forward.

>> We need to take a break. I'll be back with david gergen and john later in the broadcast. First, al gore's surprise decision and the wide-open race for a democratic presidential candidate in 2004. That, when we come back.

>>> It looked like the start of another presidential run. But as "nightline's" john donvan reports, the former vice president was always of two minds about whether to try again.

>> Reporter: It was an al gore weekend on tv. Saturday night, nbc, "snl."

>> Al gore!

>> Reporter: Sunday night, cbs, "60 minutes."

>> Well, i've decided not to run.

>> You've decided not to run?

>> I've decided i will not be a candidate for president in 2004.

>> Reporter: And now, it's monday. He was in raleigh, north carolina, this evening, signing copies of the book he wrote with his wife, tipper. But earlier, he had a news conference and explained what it feels like to depart the arena that has been his life.

>> It was a slow dawning of whey felt was the right thing to do.

>> Reporter: Until last night, gore had been sending mixed signals. On the one hand, he's recently been so, out there, publicizing his book around the country. Criticizing the president, as never before.

>> Would you mind if i?

>> Sure, be my guest.

>> Reporter: And doing skits on "saturday night live." He mocked himself with a visit to a fake oval office. Visiting the set of "the west thing." And some said he was so funny because he made up his mind to drop out because the pressure was off. But there were earlier signs that he was at least ambivalent about trying again.

>> One of the most interesting was simply a lack of contact with people who wow yould think somebody getting ready to run again for republican would be in contact with.

>> Reporter: The white house, no comment, sort of.

>> This is an internal matter for the democratic party. Somebody will emerge from the democratic field who will ultimately seek to raise taxes on the american people.

>> Reporter: If you were george bush, is this good news or bad news?

>> I don't think it's particularly good news for bush. I think they would have preferred to have a rerun of the 2000 campaign.

>> It is an awesome opportunity, one to be taken with the greatest seriousness.

>> Reporter: On the democratic side, now that the presumed front-runner is gone, his former running mate, senator joe lieberman is no longer bound by his promise not to run if gore ran. John kerry made it clear he is running.

>> I'm on the same schedule i was on. Whatever al gore or did or did not decide to do was not going to affect my personal decision. And i made that clear several weeks ago.

>> Reporter: And potentially, a host of others, who now have a different sort of fight ahead of them.

>> I think the biggest change for most of the candidates is they've probably been thinking how do i run to become the alternative to al gore. Now, they think how do i run to be the nominee.

>> Reporter: An awesome opportunity, perhaps. But what does the democratic party lose with al gore gone?

>> For the time being, it leaves the democrats without a national figure in this race. And it will take time for any of the candidates to try to begin to build that national recognition but credibility. At this point, the field lacks that kind of credibility.

>> Reporter: Eight years in the house, eight years in the senate eight years as vice president. There just are not many working liticians with that kind of resume. But al gore seems to have calculated that it would all be overshadowed by what happened last time. And he says he wants to look forward. Two years ago this week, after suffering one of the most painful electoral defeats of my presidential candidate in u.S. History, gore said this when he conceded that race.

>> It's time for me to go. Thank you and good night and good bless america. That probably means that i will never again have an opportunity to run for president. And i'm at peace with that.

>> Reporter: Now, he has said it again. Only this time, it seems more likely to be for good. I'm john donvan, for "nightline" in washington.

>>> How will this week's events impact the next race for the white house? That conversation when we come ckba.

>>> I'm back again with presidential advisers david gergen and john podesta. As we heard in john donvan's report, john al gore seemed to be making all the right moves. The book tour, the media blitz, the leno and letterman and "saturday night live." It seemed like a classic comeback campaign. What do you think brought it so a halt?

>> I think he thought it over. He talked to his family. He did what he said he was going to do. And i think he decided -- i take him at his word that he thought this campaign would have been about the past if he would have been in it. He thought it was better to focus on the future. He exited the 2000 race in a classy manner. And he exited last night in a classy manner, as well.

>> The oldest cliche in presidential politics is fire in the belly. There's a degree of truth within it. Do you think gore lacked that fire?

>> I do. I think he lacked the fire on the decide. But he also lacked follows on the outside. The follows that helped to mobilize a campaign. He has been making a lot of right moves here, recently, chris. It seems to me there comes a time when you realize you are playing with matches. Nothing seems to strike or ignite.

>> Do you think it comes as relief to many leaders in the democratic party. There was no secret in the ambivalence of al gore running again.

>> I think the party activists, they did see a rerun in the best interests of the democratic party. I think now everybody is intent on moving forward, really challenging the president especially on his economic program and domestic policy and in international relations, as well. L al a gore says he intends to rema a strong critic of the bush administration, especially on the economy. Is anybody going to listen to him now that she's dropped out of the race?

>> Don't count al gore out of politics at all. I think he will have a significant voice. I think he will be out on the campaign trail if 2004, raising money for democratic candidates. Did he want to go down in defeat twice in a row? Or did he wanted to take the road of nixon. He ran in '60, lost to john kennedy and sat out. Everyone thought he was finished. And he came back four years later and won. Remember this -- 2008, al gore's going to be 60 years old. That's a young age today to run for president. He can still make it by 2008. A lot can change by then.

>> I guess for political junkies john, that race is the tand lizing ro prospect of a primary fight between al gore and hillary clinton in 2008.

>> You know, i think we can all -- the one thing that's certain is they will sell a lot of tickets for that.

>> Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. We have election coming up in 2004. David, who benefits first? And who benefits most from gore's decision?

>> Clearly, the person who benefits first is joe lieberman. He is liberated to run. The person who is probably, given the clearest opening now, is john kerry. Kerry, in a number of sur vase, has been running second to gore, even in new hampshire. A recent survey found him running about three points behind gore a week ago. There will be an interesting primary in the state of new hampshire. And john kerry will probably be favore idn tt.Ha if we can pick up one of the early stakes, he's going to be hard to beat. I think he has a slight, outfront position right now.But it is igslht. And others could approach him.

>> We have more than a year, now until the first primary, do you se any clear leader of this emerging pack?

>> This thing is totally wide open. I think if you look candidate by candidate, you can find ways in which all of them are helped. Tom daschle is now the undisputed voice of president bush on domestic affairs. Dick gephardt will get voice. John kerry and john edwards were already on the phone today making calls to gore's financial supporters. You can see in different ways, each of them being helped. But there's one other factor, which is, i think, almost all the other people were viewing -- running against the vice president, as a way to show they were the strongest person to take on president bush in the fall. They will have to recalibrate that a little bit.

>> I suppose the great unknown hovering over all of this is whether or not there's a war.

>> Two things. This is a pivotal year whether he can prosecute a war in iraq and bring the economy back around. Two huge challenges. Either one would be daunting. Together, this makes it a crital year. That may determine if the democrats retake the white house more than anything else.

>> It's been a pleasure. Thank you.

>>> I'll be back in a moment with address about tonight's "up close." <