Transcripts For CNN The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer 20100209

travel nightmare. that's worth the top spot on the list you don't want to be on. the list of people watching the saints as they get ready for a big pa read, guess who's going to show it to you, my friend in washington, in "the situation room," mr. wolf blitzer. take it away, sir? >> thanks very much, don. president obama tries to get the last word on the ground rules for bipartisanship. this hour, the inside story on his talks with congressional leaders. republicans didn't get what they want. reporters, though, did, at least on this day. the president's spokesman slaps sarah palin's hand, a very public jab at the former alaska governor and her speech crib notes. this is the place to watch the in accordance super celebrate. we'll bring you the parade honoring. we'll have play by play by some of the city's famous natives and fans. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> we haven't seen president obama like this in months. some reporters ease jaws dropped when he walked into the briefing room unannounced. the president had just wrapped up talk with his democratic and republican congressional leaders, and apparently wanted to send a message, the push for bipartisanship has limits. >> i won't hesitate to embrace a good idea for my friends in the minority party, but i also won't hesitate to condemn what i consider to be obstinacy that's rooted not in substantive disagreements but in expedience. >> and comments about how they work together heading into the televised bipartisan meeting. let's bring in dan lothian. he's been watching all of this unfold. how much give is there in this give-and-take between the president and the republican leadership? >> reporter: the president sake there will be give-and-take, but says he doesn't want to start this entire process all over again, because he doesn't believe the american people want another year of wrangling or months and months of digitsal hearings. while up on capitol hill the republicans have been critical of the house and senate bills, the president believes that they do have some key components that he does not want to let go of, such as bringing down health care costs for families, businesses, and dealing with insurance abuses. the president says he's willing and ready to listen to good ideas, and at this february 25th summit, he's hoping it will be a real bipartisan effort. let's take a listen. >> bipartisanship cannot mean simply that democrats give up everything that they believe in. find the handful of things that republicans have been advocating for and we do those things and then we have bipartisanship. you know, that's not how it works, you know, in any other realm of life. that's certainly not how it works in my marriage with michelle, though i usually do give in most of the time. >> so the president there using his relationship with the first lady and a bit of comedy to drive home that bipartisan message. looking ahead to the summit, the president saying he hopes it will not turn into political theater, it will be a real attempt on both sides to get health care reform moving forward. >> that's coming up february 25th. the snow is coming up right now behind dan. we'll have more on that story as well. if the americans had to choose one thing for politicians to work together on, it probably would be jobs. the senate majority leader harry reid says negotiators are right now close to a bipartisan agreement on a jobs package that could be unveiled perhaps as early as tonight. the top senate republican sounding open to that. >> we discussed the senate package that's been percolating, if you will, kind of a work in progress, but we are certainly open to it, and there's a chance we could move this forward on a bipartisan basis. we hope it's not just a stimulus bill, but hopefully a true job generator. >> let's bring in our dwana bash. he sounded pretty open, at least in public, but you're learning the tone in the meeting at the white house was a little different. >> reporter: at least one particular incident we're told but by sources who are family with this meeting this morning. that is that the president directly confronted the gop leader mitch mcconnell about the issue of him voting against a debt commission a couple weeks ago even though he had supported it previously. the president has been talking about this, using this as exhibit a of how republicans are so intent on blocking his agenda, they're even voting against their own ideas mcconnell said he hadn't heard about it in a year and apparently shot back at the president, saying he supported the idea of a commission before the president went on a, quote, spending spree, so today's meeting might have been the first attempt since they have the new math to, but at least if this incident is any indication, it sounds like it was a no holds barred meeting, and maybe this health care meeting upcoming could in fact be must-see tv if any of this does spill out into public. >> we'll anticipate every step of the way. dana, thank you. another example that bipartisanship has its limits at the white house, especially when it comes to sarah palin. robert gibbs poked some fun today at the former alaska governor, and the talks points she had written on her hand during a weekend speech. watch this. >> they're going to bring their ideas to the table, right? they're going to bring the ideas that -- look, there's some in their party that want to do away with, as you saw in the campaign, the entire -- i wrote a few things down -- i wrote "eggs, milk and bread" i crossed out "bread," and then hope and change in case i forgot that. >> and no response from the sarah palin camp, threat not yet. his son ethan will probably get those pancakes, because, as you can see, it's snowing here in washington, d.c. a lot of people having fun with sarah palin. forecasters say we could get another 10 inches or more in the nation's capital on top of the massive snowfall. snow is in the forecast for a big chunk of the northeast and mid-atlantic, includes new york city. hundreds of flights across those regions have been canceled as far west as chicago. brian todd is with some snow fighters in northern virginia outside of washington. tell us what's going on right now, brian. people are preparing for at least five inches, maybe an additional ten inches. >> reporter: it is a lot here in washington, wolf. you know that. this hear does not handle snow very well. just a couple inches can close the government, can close schools. we just got hit with almost three feet of snow over the weekend. this second wave, right in the middle of rush hour, you see people scrambling out of town trying to get ahead of it. because of the previous snowstorm you have large drifts of snow, mean no play for shovel it. they have to scramble to find a place to put it. many of the side roads not completely plowed. you have ice and no packed. it's no snowplow teams absolutely scrambling. they call it hard pack, covering long stretches of neighborhood streets. one of the several challenges these teams place, scrambling to dig the d.c. area out of with us snowfall, as another follows. i ride along with dave rothchild from the virginia department of transportation, a 12-year veteran who's never seen a one-two punch like this. a lot of the snow is still here. what is your biggest worry right now? >> the equipment. the equipment needs to be serviced, it needs to be taken care of. when we're running 24 hours a day 7 days a week, it's hard to get a chance to fix anything or keep equipment running the way it should. >> rothschild and although driver have to work in tandem. the d.c. area historically doesn't handle snow very well. a few inches is enough to close school schools and the federal government. it's reeling from a blizzard that dumped three feet and another storm is hitting. these guys have a few neighborhoods to clear out ahead of the next storm. these streets have barely been plowed when we get there. most residents are happy to see us, but the steep inclines with big snow are hearded hard. >> here we go. >> reporter: the snow drifts are already in place after the first snow, in addition to the several inches, but again, these roads not completely plowed, and the guy i'm riding with, dave, spun out a bit. he's had to get his colleague here to help pull him out. they hook up with chains. rothschild truck is free, he has several hours left on his shift. here's what some of the cars will be facing right now. several feet on this, there shall many cars like it. they're scrambling for more. the crews are worried about fatigue, and they don't have enough trucks to cover the neighborhoods. >> brian todd is now in georgetown in the district of columbia. lots of snow on the ground, more heading our way. brian, don't go too far. we heard the white house take a shot at sarah palin, now we're asking michelle obama for her take. stand by to get the first clip from the first lady's exclusive interview with cnn's larry king. you'll hear it and see it here in "the situation room" first. and an urgent plea for secretary of state hillary clinton on behalf the the americans charged with child kidnapping in haiti. reliable, high-quality vehicles has been our first priority. ♪ in recent days, our company hasn't been living up to the standards that you've come to expect from us or that we expect from ourselves. that's why 172,000 toyota and dealership employees are dedicated to making things right we have a fix for our recalls. we stopped production so we could focus on our customers' cars first. and technicians are making repairs. we're working around the clock to ensure we build vehicles of the highest quality... to restore your faith... in our company. for more information visit toyota.com. the first lady is calling on america to get moving. michelle obama kicked off the national effort at the white house today to try to reverse what is a growing and shameful epidemic. the numbers are staggering. one third of american kids are overweight or obese. one study shows the number of overweight children between the ages of 6 and 19 has tripled since 1970. these kids are at higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, as well as other disease that is come along later in their lives. the first lady's initiative is called the "let's move" campaign, and is focused on what families, communities and the public and private sectors can do to reduce childhood obesity within a generation. she wants everyone to get involved, from parents, teachers, doctors, coaches and of course the kids themselves. her plan covers covers everything from making healthier choices, more exercise, and providing healthier and more affordable foods to the inner cities. the administration is focusing on several steps the government and private companies can make, including making package labels easier to read. the administration wants more school lunches healthier and make school food suppliers will have to decrease sugar, fat and salt while increasing whole grains, fruits and vegetables within their meals. here's the question then -- why have we allowed this to happen? one third of our kids to be overweight or obese? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile, post a comment on my blog. >> good question. good thing the first lady is raising this issue. it is a horrible situation. jack, you'll be interested in this. the first lady will be a guest on cnn, discussing this later tonight. michelle obama is on "larry king live" at 9:00 p.m. eastern. they've just finished taping that interview. in a few moments, you'll get the first excerpt of that interview. the first lady and larry king right here in "the situation room." right now president obama's essentially saying he won't sit back and let iran thumb its nose at the rest of the world. to get to a level that could allow iran to set off a nuclear reaction. iran says it's all for medical purposes. the united states and the other nations say iran wants a nuclear bomb. today president obama talked tough about looming sanctions against iran and was asked how far along are they? >> they have made their choice so far, and what they are working on over the weeks is developing a significant regime of sanctions that will -- >> says that is not acceptable. let's bring in david gergen. the deadline was supposed to be december 31st. now it's february and the sanctioning still haven't been put into place. >> the sanctioning haven't been put into place, but they may be coming. you this now taking a dangerous turn, as the president recognized, iran in effect has rejected the deal that the international community put on the table today started ramping up, try to go make a pure uranium, which would be used for a nuclear weapon. i think what's now clear, wolf, is president obama's early evers joined with north nations have come to an end, at least for this round. secretary gates have said that he wants to get them done within weeks, not months. >> but for the sanctioning to be effective, you really need everyone on board. listen to what the president said about china. listen to this. >> we are confident right now that the international community is unified around iran's misbehavior in this area. you know, how china operates at the security council, as we pursue sanctions, is something we'll have to see. >> all right. something we're going to have to see. it's a problem for the u.s. and the europeans if china is not on board. >> huge problem. the administration is pleased that russia has come along and has always hoped the russians would persuade the chinese, but the chinese in recent days, wolf, have made it very plain. they're not prepared to go yet with sanctions. they're very heavily dependent upon iran for energy, 11% of their energy comes from iran. that may not sound like much, but someone raised the point today, you know, with the united states putting sanctions on saudi arabia? we're only 8% dependent on saudi arabia. china is even more dependent on iran. so you can see the chinese side of the argument, but for the administration, trying to get sanctioning past the u.n., china has a veto there, of course. there are other nations that are dragging their feet, too. brazil, which is more and more allied with china, nigeria, and turkey, all opposing this at the security council level. so the administration has its work cut out for it, wolf, but there's one other element, which is also causing a lot of uncertainty in washington tonight, and that is, as you know, this is thursday of this week, we'll have the 31st, first anniversary of the revolution in iran, and that is going to bring millions of people onto the streets in demonstration against the regime. some estimates as many as 3 million. some believe this could lead to violent conflict. one, reza aslan, a frequent contributor here on cnn, argues that they're enriching uranium to try to switch the subject from the demonstrations, but iran is certainly growing as a story and as a major threat to international order. >> it's a huge issue, and the stakes are enormous eyeball to eyeball, the president of the united states versus ahmadinejad. thanks very much for that, david gergen. it's an unimaginable nightmare now being called a miracle. a man apparently survives being trapped for 28 days. how hard will his recovery be? our dr. sanjay gupta is standing by to join us live with an update. and when the saints go marching in, the party's just starting in new orleans, it's holding a massive celebration for the super bowl champs. you'll see it live. that's coming up, right here in "the situation room." 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(announcer) starts working on contact and at the nerve level. to block pain for hours. new capzasin, takes the pain out of arthritis. lisa sylvester is monitoring some other top stories. lisa, what's going on? >> a u.s. lawyer for 1 of 10 americans charged with kidnapping is urging secretary of state hillary clinton to personally intervene on their behalf. however, the state department seg it would be highly unusual for clinton to get involved in the judicial process of another country. the death of olympic skater nanny kerrigan's father has been ruled a homicide. the kerrigan family immediately released a statement saying the medical examiner's finding is premature and inaccurate. the family says it did not blame anyone for his death, noting he had a preexisting heart condition. nancy kerrigan's brother mark was arraigned last month on assault charges. daniel kerrigan died after an alleged altercation with his son. debt-lading dubai is -- the qe ii is reportedly one of the assets they're planning to sell. it bought the qe ii back in 2007 for an estimated $100 million. the firm also has a 20% stake in the cirque de soleil, recently it sold off the w hotel in new york. i've actually stayed in that hotel. for $2 million, that seems to be a bit of a bargain. >> if you work really hard someday, you could bike it for $2 million -- >> that might be a built of a reach. >> maybe you could go into the hotel business. the new york governor meanwhile, is shooting down what he calls sleazy rumors about him. david patterson is telling reporters there's basically only one way he will -- we're going to find out how he's doing right now, our anderson cooper and dr. sanjay gupta are on top of the story, they're on top of what's happens with the recovery in haiti. to our viewers, you're in "the situation room." happening now, it's not even mardi gras yet, but new orleans is set for one big celebration. the super bowl champs, the new orleans saints are getting ready for their victory parade. wool take you to the parade live when it starts. a white house spokesman possession fun at sarah palin, and the first lady weighs in. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." in a city that's seen so many hurdles, hurt and a massive hurricane, it's a hurray that everyone can virtual by be proud of. the saints, there's a massive celebration after their super bowl win, and this is one party that's just getting started. let's go to new orleans, cnn's ed laugh dera is standing by live. they're getting crazy over there, i take it, a bit, ed? >> reporter: they're getting excited, wolf. this is a city that knows how to do parades, but they have been waiting for this kind of parade for 46 years. we just talked to one gentleman, i asked him -- i said, are you tired of waiting? what did you tell me? >> i said we waited 43 years for the super bowl, hey, i would wait hours in the snow to say thank you. >> reporter: that pretty much says it all. what i love the most about a new orleans parade is they know how to do it. look at these kids across the way. you can tell they're used to it. those are seats set up on tops of ladders. >> just walk us through a bit. we'll have live coverage. it will start and end where? >> reporter: we are toward the beginning of the parade. the super dome is just blocks away. that's where the parade is starting. the players and coaches, and a bunch of other people, high school bands, the tulane band, and other groups will be coming down this way. it will wind its way through the business district here in downtown new orleans, downcanal street and wind up later tonight at the convention center. but it's that stretch along st. charles avenue, which perhaps will be the most poignant part of the parade, where the players and coaches will have a chance to speak to the tens and thousands of fans. >> and then the party gets going after the parade is formally done. the french quarter will be a pretty exciting place. >> reporter: well, you know, everybody has kind of descended on downtown new orleans here tonight. i would be shocked if bourbon street is not a bit crazy tonight. >> ed lavandera will be our man on the scene. he'll be joining us throughout these next several hours. one quick question, ed, before i let you go, and i want you to get ready for this parade. as we watch the players themselves, they are the heroes, they won the super bowl. give us some context, because there's no do you can't that few would have expected the new orleans saints, given the record over the past 43 years, maybe ever to reach the super bowl, let alone win it. >> reporter: no. you know, they never expected this. that's what made it so special. we talked to people over and over again, who say these are not just players that play on a team. they all feel like they're part of one family here. >> ed lavandera is on the scene for us. ed, thanks very much. we're going to go to haiti very soon our sanjay gupta is standing by, and anderson cooper in fact, they're both standing by. i think they're ready to talk to us right now. guys, thanks very much for coming in and helping us better appreciate what's going on. both of you spent a lot of time in new orleans after katrina, so you can appreciate the excitement that the city and the residents are going through right now, because you covered that story brilliantly, as you're covering this one. anderson, let's start with what's happening today in haiti. like you and sanjay, i don't want our viewers to neglect what's going on, to pay attention to the enormity of this challenge, and it is an enormous challenge right now. it's not going away anytime soon. >> it certainly is an enormous challenge. we were out with unicef today as they and many other aid groups, save the children, international red cross are trying to figure out how many kids have been orphaned, and what's going to happen to this is kids. it's a very complex task, but the clock is ticking. with more people moving to the countryside to get out of the city, as the government has asked them to, that means families are even more spread apart, and kids who may be lost or separated from their loved ones, it's going to be that much harder to find them. we were out with a team today, several teams from unicef, basically going through these tent cities, up to half a million people living in port-au-prince and just trying to get their hands around just how many kids there are out there who may be orphaned or extended family that could take care of them in the weeks and months and years ahead. >> sanjay, update us on that amazing recovery, that rescue yesterday, a young man, 27 days we believe he was in some sort of rubble, and he's alive. >> reporter: no question about it. we got an update today. sometimes the second day can even be more challenging. you have to replace fluids, make sure he doesn't develop kidney failure or somethingresuscitati to the doctors, he's still a little confused by all that's happening, but starting to eat food as well. he was asking for chocolate for some reason, so the nurses were giving him chocolate. he was able to keep that down. so it sounds like things will be constantly improving for him. exactly what happened to him, all the details are still a bit murky, because he's confused, and as we've talked about with some of these other survival stories, we may never know the details. one of the things he said that was haunting for me is he heard bulldozers coming in around him excavating lots, and he thought that maybe his lot was going to be next. just one of those haunting things to hear, but we are in a search and recovery mode, not a search and rescue motor, as you know. >> i know you've only been back for a day or two. have you had a chance to get an i didn't want date on some of those personality stories you reported on the first two weeks, how some of those people -- sanjay, you performed surgery on some of them, as all of our viewers will recall. >> no, i have. like anderson, i couldn't stop thinking about some of this, even when we went home for a few days. there was a 12-year-old girl who i performed surgery on. i was worried about her for some time, certainly before the operation. the operation went well, but, you know, it's one of these silt ways we hear over and over again, was she an orphan? where would she go after she recovered? but interestingly enough -- i don't even know if i told you, but viewers were watching from canada, and one of the viewers turned out to be her aunt, and they actually are back in touch. the aunt was able to get ahold of kimberly's father, and hopefully they'll be reunited this week. so that was a good story, and hopefully a positive outcome for her. >> wolf, we're hoping to get in touch with moanly, the little boy rescued, according to his uncle, eight days. he's in a camp. we know where we believe he is. we're going to go there tomorrow, and bea, the 13-year-old girl we saw rescued the morning after the earthquake. she had been concerned, she broke her leg, she didn't break her leg, we saw her about a week or so after the earthquake, and she was doing well. she had lost ten members of her family, so obviously there's emotionally a lot going on, but we hope to get back in touch with her. but there's so many people here who you come across, recognize from being out on the street. there's a guy living in the park behind us for all this time. i see him every couple days, we talk and check up on how he's doing. as you know, it is all around, half a million people or so home his. >> i know you'll have more at 10:00 p.m. eastern later tonight. we'll be watching. thanks not only for your reporting, but for what you're doing in haiti right now. other news organizations may be losing interest for what's happening, but cnn is not. thanks to anderson and sanjay. turning now to another important story, president obama's job approval, our cnn polls center has a fresh poll of polls, average of some of these major polls. look at this. approval now at 47%. when you look at the weekly averages for the president over the last month, you'll notice his approval rating has slightly gone up and down over the past several weeks, all within the margins of error. the first lady michelle obama was here at cnn, the washington bureau just a little while ago for an interview with our own larry king. we've give you a preview of what she had to say, including her answer to a specific question about sarah palin. oh sure, we have plenty of employees that... you can label as "different." like janice. uh-huh. yeah. fashion deficient. and tom... copy incapable. it's open kimono time. looking good, dan. oh, we want to make sure all our ducks in a row. yeah. volume control syndrome. but we focus on the talent and skill that each person... brings to the team. i mean, no one's really concerned about labels. not even mine. labels get in the way. disabilities rarely do. visit thinkbeyondthelabel.com to evolve your work force. as jack cafferty mentioned, the first lady launching a new crusade. she kicked off a national effort to try to reverse the growing epidemic. first lady talked about that and a lot more with cnn's larry king. she also is discussing the criticisms of her husband, especially period of time recent slams over the past weekend. from one republican in particular. >> what's your read on the former governor of alaska? >> you know, i -- i don't have a read. i mean, i try not to make or set opinions about people that i haven't will any substantive interaction with. i know what you see on tv -- >> does it irk you when she criticizes the president? >> you know, democracy is about critique, and the president is not immune to criticism. i think he's doing a phenomenal job. you know, we have to think of where we were when he took office. we were on the brink of a depression, worse than anyone really ever imagined, and i don't think the country ever really knew how bad things were. >> all right. there she is, the first lady with larry king. let's bring in our correspondent candy crowley, anchor of "state of the union" and gloria borger. she's good, michelle obama. >> good at dodging that question. >> i think she's got a future in politics someday, maybe following in the footsteps of another first lady. >> i think she would rather her husband had eight years and figure out her life. but she dodged the question, did it very nicely. i'm sure he has more of an opinion privately than she was willing to tell us, but, you know, very smart of her to say that i haven't met her. later on in the interview, she goes on to say i like women with strong voices, so it's good. it's just that i don't know her personally and we can all by caricatured on television. >> i think she could take over for hillary clinton and be a diplomat. it was nice and she dodged the question, except for not really. she said, well, i try not to form pins of people i don't actually know, say sarah palin did about my husband, and then sort of moves on nicely. it's a great answer. there's no percentage in the first lady getting involved with sarah palin. >> you know, the first lady that is a popularity of 68% according to our poll. there is nothing she is doing, her fight against childhood obesity or anything, to lower that. she's going to stay in that stratosphere, and the way she's going to do that is by doing the way she did, by not getting in the mud and muck with sarah palin, defending her husband, but stopping short -- >> her approval rating is higher than her husband. >> and that is generally true of first ladies, particularly first ladies that stay out of the policy part. that was not always true of hillary clinton, but they're kind of seen by the country as sort of over politics or to the side of politics. >> the interview, the full interview will air later tonight, account p.m. eastern, "larry king live." >> we'll be snowed in and watching. >> with the first lady of the united states. the new york governor says he's not resigning despite rumors that he calls sleazy and outrageous. you'll hear him defend himself and lash out at reporters. big deal, persuade him. is it wise to allow a perishable item to spoil? he asked, why leave a room empty? the additional revenue easily covers operating costs. 65 dollars is better than no dollars. okay. $65 for tonight. you can't argue with a big deal. reliable, high-quality vehicles has been our first priority. ♪ in recent days, our company hasn't been living up to the standards that you've come to expect from us or that we expect from ourselves. that's why 172,000 toyota and dealership employees are dedicated to making things right we have a fix for our recalls. we stopped production so we could focus on our customers' cars first. and technicians are making repairs. we're working around the clock to ensure we build vehicles of the highest quality... to restore your faith... in our company. for more information visit toyota.com. right now 1.2 million people are on sprint mobile broadband. 31 are streaming a sales conference from the road. 154 are tracking shipments on a train. 33 are iming on a ferry. and 1300 are secretly checking email on vacation. that's happening now. america's most dependable 3g network. bringing you the first and only wireless 4g network. right now get a free 3g/4g device for your laptop. sprint. the now network. deaf, hard-of-hearing and people with speech disabilitie. new york government ore david pat erson firing back at reporters and questions about his character. mary snow is covering the story for us. a lot of our viewers haven't been following this. >> reporter: wolf, it was really an extraordinary news conference. it was supposed to be about a snow emergency, but governor paterson said he's not resigning. he's responding to intense rulers, automatic stemming from a bombshell article supposedly being written by "new york times," but it's important to note that no such arm has been published. patterson said he was not asked about any rumors about his personal life, but in recent days, local media even began reporting about a potential resignation. in fact, it got to the point where his spokesperson came out with a statement denying the governor was resigning. take a listen. >> i've never seen a situation such as sunday night, where three separate sources contact media outlets simultaneously right at the beginning of the super bowl to say the governor was resigning. i'm never seen anything like that. it seems somewhat orchestrated, and it is really a shame that this much energy has to be devoted to false allegations, unsubstantiated rumors, and in some cases straight-out lies. >> reporter: paterson said the rumors started as he began making calls for support to run for governor. he took the office in 2008 when eliot spitzer resigned over a prostitution scandal. i've been talking to people who have been in new york politics for a long time and they're saying they have never seen anything quite like this. >> you'll stay on top of it for us, thanks very much, mary. a former democratic governor, a different one, is urging the president to fire the party chaim and top white house advisers. has the president put personal loyalty ahead of politics. donna brazile and alex castellanos is standing by. and our live coverage of the super celebration in new orleans, the parade only minutes away from starting. the gmc sierra hybrid. the most fuel-efficient full-size pickup on the road. may the best truck win. we go to great lengths to exceed your expp4tations. the 5-year, 100,000 mile transferable powertrain warranty, from gmc. with roadside assistance and courtesy transportation, it's the best coverage in america. over to jack for the cafferty file. jack? >> the question this is hour is why have we allowed one-third of our children to become overweight or obese? paul says easy answers, two working parents with lez time who are less inclined to monitor and instill discipline. cheap, convenient fast food that is accessible anywhere and society that focuses on sedentary entertainment, videos and cell phone, and you put them together, and the kids have to motivate themselves to solve the problem and it shoundn't be that way. frankie says that we are the american consumer. financers and others do very well and those who claim that the economy is strong, the more we consumers manage to consume. it doesn't matter if it is unhealthy food or overpriced medicine or goods produced overseas, just as long as we can consume. otherwise everything else is socialism. gary from oklahoma city, have you seen mom and dad lately? there is the answer. and this one, perhaps you spend too much time on tv than watching it. it is easier to sell things loaded with fat and sugar and so the ads are deluged with fat and unhealthy food. in the way that money buys political corruption, it buys obesity, diabetes and death. brian says, it is the grand scheme of thing, hasn't gluttony and slothfulness been the downfall of every society? why bother buying fresh food when i can just pop a filler-loaded prepackaged "meal" on the table. and eric says, there is flo concept to teach your children what is not obese. children are used to becoming what they are looking at. paul says fat kids are easier to find. if you would like to read more go to my blog cnn.com/caffertyfile. standby and we will bring you the saints' parade. you will want to see this. and the chairman of the republican party believes that the critics may be playing the race card. what is going on? [ playing "mary had a little lamb" off-key ] he sure is working up an appetite up there. bet you guys are, too. how about some hamburger helper? cheeseburger mac... how 'bout some after the show? hamburger helper. one pound. one pan. one tasty meal. let's get to the strategy session. joining us is the cn political contributions, democratic strategist donna brazile, and republican strategist alex castellanos and we are going to celebrate the saints shortly, but let's talk about politics. you know doug wilder, former governor of virginia and he says that the president has to start firing some people including the dnc chairman tim kaine and some other advisers. he says that obama's west wing is filled with people who are in the jobs because of the chicago connections or because they signed on early with obama in the presidential campaign. one problem is that they don't have sufficient experience at governing at the executive branch level, and the deeper problem is that they are not listen toing the people. and this is from a former democratic governor of virginia and early supporter. >> well, what governor wilder is stating and other people across the country have been whispering about is that the obama team won and been on the field and scored, but it is time to bring in new blood and new energy. that is why one of the reasons that david pluck, the former campaign manager is going over to the national democratic committee to bring in people so they have a full compliment of people on the field. so i understand what the governor is saying, and i have to second his request. >> nothing wrong with having a bench, and going to the bench for help if you need it. >> nothing wrong with that and you cannot fire the own over yoe losing team, so you fire the coaches and players, by that has happened in other administrations, but there is a difference in politicking and governing. and by definition, people in the administration thinks politics first. that is where they come from and i would not be surprised to see that change. they have a problem in organizing for mek or obama for america is separate from the dnc. they have two competing political organizations and it makes politics bigger and government smaller. >> i read this article in the "wash tonian" chairman about michael steele, and this line jumped out. listen to this carefully, because you read it as well, donna. i don't see internal operations about the dnc as this operation, why? because michael steele is the chairman or because a black man is chairman? >> no, you know, when ron brown was chairman of the democratic national committee, he had to go out there and win and lead the party and be a cheerleader and helped to bring about the victory in 1992. michael steele is doing a great job to raise money for the party, and alex knows more about the party, but he is not an establishment chairman for the republican national party, and that is his party. >> that is the party. on occasion i offered a vice and on occasion, it is listened to. the chairman is listening to it, but he is like peyton manning, because he is wonderful quarterback, but at the worst time he throws a interception. this has nothing to do with race. it is an excuse. he brought a lot of change to the rnc and threw out the cronyism, and a lot of the cronies don't like it and put it in the merits and don't hide it on race. the saints won the super bowl and president obama is the president. anything can happen. >> the president had fun in the news conference today. let's listen. >> today i had a meeting with the republican and congressional meetings, and in fact, it went well and i understand that mcconnell and reid are out doing snow angels in the south lawn together. can you picture that, chuck? not really. he was in good spirits, but he has a huge meeting coming over the next couple of weeks, this february 25th, this bipartisan health care summit, if you will, and the tv cameras inside. >> and those snowballs are deadly. >> don't go too far, because we have a lot of parade politics. >> i am ready for that. >> and for the viewers, in "the situation room," happening now, new orleans is only partying like it can, celebrating the saints' first ever super bowl championship and a new chapter for a city almost destroyed four years ago, and all of america is celebrating along as an underdog team and battered city rise again. you will see the super celebration coming up live this hour. i'm wolf blitzer, and we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. world. you are in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com for years, stories of new orleans have centered on disaster and struggle, but tonight, it is about victory and celebration. right now, massive crowds are lining the streets of the city waiting for the parade to honor the super bowl champions the new orleans saints. we will go to cnn's ed lavendara who is watching what is going on. ed, we see the police officers getting ready. i don't know if you can hear me, ed, but we are watching you and getting ready for you to talk. >> reporter: well, wolf, if you can hear me, we are in the midst of the very beginning of the parade. obviously, what will take part here, and this is the new orleans police department, and i know that i can't even hear myself talk to be quite honest with you here. but a great deal of this parade will also include the rescue teams and the search-and-rescue teams not only from new orleans parish but from the surrounding parishes who were so involved in the post hurricane katrina, so it is a poignant moments that is part of the parade here. >> ed, i am interrupting you, because i want you to get that microphone right up to your ear. right up to your mouth there. get that microphone right up to your mouth. >> okay. sorry. we are a few blocks away. how about this? we are a few blocks away from the new orleans superdome which is the beginning of the parade. they are locked down in place here, and we are starting to see the other floats and officers and i don't know if you can make out what i said earlier, wolf, but i was saying that a lot of what this parade will include is the various first responders from not only new orleans parish but from plaquemines parish and other areas that were so intricately involved after hurricane katrina, and obviously the saints want to put those people on full display for all of the hard work they have done here in the last four or five year, and they will be a special part of the parade as well. obviously, this parade will also include the players, obviously the coaches, and everyone surrounded with the team, and the players and coaches will come down riding on the floats traditionally used for the mardi gras floats, so a blend of the mardi gras culture in new orleans along with the new orleans saints' football team, so that many of the parade krewes have loaned their floats for parade and you will see in the first float tom benson and his family, the owners of the new orleans' saints. they will be riding in the first float and then second float is drew brees, the quarterback, and the head coach sean payton and they will ride some of the more exclusive floats that are part of the mardi gras season. also included in this are bands from the high schools and colleges in the surrounding area. so it is a long parade making its way through several miles of downtown new orleans. we are at the corner of boydrus and loyolloyola. then they come this way to st. charles avenue and wraps that way. that will be a special moment there as they travel down the historic st. charles avenue where they will get a chance to speak to the fan, and the tens of thousands of fans who have showed up here, wolf. >> thank you, ed. we will get back to you with james carville and mary matalin who are our cnn contributors and new orleans' residents are joining us right now. first of all, james, where are you sitting as opposed to the big shots of the parade? >> well, right now, we are in lafayette park which is across the street from the big shots. after they finish this, we will move over with the big shots and watch the parade and maybe interview a few of them tonight. >> because you belong with the big shots and especially mary matalin, right, mary? >> no, these are the big shots. i think that the saints will all tell you that they would not be where they are today without all of these fan s pushing them evey inch of the way. this is the whole team. >> what is this parade, this celebration that we are about to see mean for people of new orleans and indeed for the entire louisiana gulf coast, james? >> well, it is hard to imagine, you know, phoenix rose from the ashes, and we are rising from the mud down here. and the mood here is just unbelievable. people the dats we call them, the who dat crowd is everywhere and signals something significant in the reconstruction of the city. it is hard to overestimate what this means to our people and our city. >> it is something as we have been saying transcends football and sports, because when you think of what happened in august of 2005 in louisiana, in new orleans specifically, and you think about how different it is today, it is pretty amazing. we are going to be joined also right now by donna brazile, also from louisiana. you grew up there and you brought some parafe nail nalia, show us what you brought? >> well, i brought my cup and my umbrella and clearly if i were home, i got the beads and the red shrimp and the everything i am ready. t the saints have come to symbolize the resurgence and the hope and lift ourd spired our s bring us together. now we will have a rebirth, a renaissance if you will, not only for new orlenians, but for all the country. >> well, mary, this is different from a traditional mardi gras parade, although the floats are the same ones they bring out every year. >> well, the very, very special floats will be a little taste of mardi gras, which already had everybody in a festive mood, but to add on to the previous comments and donna will agree, this comes on top of an amazing, unprecedented mayoral race over the weekend. a couple of grammy victories of first hall of famer, and this rebirth is going to make us better than we ever were. >> james, as you think back to what happened then as opposed to now, it is hard to believe how impressive this rebuilding of new orleans has been. >> well, wolf, it was less than 4 1/2 years ago, and a lot of really impressive things have happened here. we have got, still, you know, considerable work left to do, but this is really helms us in a lot of ways, and the mayor's race and a lot of things have happened down here that are positive recently, and i know that back in september of 2005, we could have never imagined that we would have a night like this. >> yeah, and it is only beginning. we are going to have full coverage of the parade. we won't go away from other news, but full coverage of all of the news of the day, but this is a celebration for the people of new orleans, how far they have come from august of 2005, when the city almost, almost disappeared. we will continue our coverage of the super bowl celebration, the victory parade in new orleans and a lot more right after this. gecko: quite impressive, yeah. boss: come a long way, that's for sure. and so have you since you started working here way back when. gecko: ah, i still have nightmares. anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. ♪ i was feeling at home ressed 'cause of all of the stress ♪ ♪ had a poor credit score ♪ and the number would haunt me wherever i'd go ♪ ♪ thought i'd move to a place where my credit could stink ♪ ♪ and nobody would care ♪ i just wish that somebody had told me ♪ ♪ that place was a renaissance fair! ♪ ♪ free credit report dot com! tell your friends, ♪ ♪ tell your dad,tell your mom! ♪ never mind, they've been singing our songs ♪ ♪ since we first showed up with our pirate hats on! ♪ ♪ if you're not into fake sword fights ♪ ♪ pointy slippers and green wool tights ♪ ♪ take a tip from a knight who knows ♪ ♪ free credit report dot com, let's go! ♪ legal vo: offer applies with enrollment in triple advantage ♪ ♪ we are crushing up the ♪ competition and ready ♪ for more drew brees will >> that is aaron neville and they wrote this song about new orleans and the new orleans sabts. let's listen for a few more seconds. ♪ move on the saints started ♪ in last and the office in the ♪ ♪ land to put them above what ♪ is too good crush them up ♪ crush them up >> we will speak with aaron neville coming up. that is just the initial formalities coming up, and we will have complete coverage. but let's check in with jack cafferty, and he has the cafferty file. a lot of excitement there in new orleans. >> 4 1/2 years after hurricane katrina devastated that city, new orleans has something to celebrate with the super bowl victory. some people say that the saints' first championship win in the team's xlii-year history is the greatest thing that could have happened. and the city's spirits have been lifted and it promises to be the mardi gras season like they have never seen before, although they have had some good ones. it is longview time coming and a long time coming since that horrible day when katrina tore to shore and tore the life out of one of the special cities in the country. katrina killed 1500 people and drove thousands from their homes and the city never to return. it destroyed the economy, but it didn't kill the big easy spirit. today, renewal is breaking out everywhere. they elected a new mayor, the first white mayor in 30 years. he is promising to bridge the racial divide that widened under ray nagin. he had a huge win in a city that is more than 60% african-american. landro has his work cut out for him, rebuilding the schools and the ongoing recovery from katrina and the housing and infrastructure, and et cetera, but today, today, new orleans is a very happy place, and the rest of us are very happy for them. here is the question, how important is the saints' super bowl victory for the city of new orleans? go to cnn.c pnt krom kaf.com kau can post a comment on my blog. >> hugely important. we are so proud of new orleans and the saints and what they have done for that community. we will continue our coverage of the parade. it is only beginning. you can see some of the folks are getting ready for it. you will be interested in this and watch it and get some of the jazz and the excitement and much more of the coverage coming up. two of the most prominent sites of hurricane katrina disaster in 2005 are the start and the finish of points of today's parade for the new orleans saints. cnn's tom foreman is over at the magic wall to show us the parade route. tom, the parade route, i should say, and where the people lining the streets? i take it 3.7 miles the entire route? >> well, the path could not be more better or more symbolic. lock at this, this was new orleans after the storm hit in 2005. you can see the water all through here, and all of the many places in mid city here and all of the places so badly affected. then put it to today, and all eyes are going to be on the parade route as we move into it near the superdome. we remember what the superdome began on that day, and here is the superdome at that time and remember it was packed with people trying to get away from the storm, and the roof was destroyed. this is for those of us who have lived in new orleans and loved new orleans an it is heart breaking to see what people went through there and the symbol of the city and the suffering, and this is the rebirth of what 1 happ -- what is happening here. now as i play the parade rult as the saints' helmet goes here. and this is down to howard and lee's circle and st. charles runs up here to lafayette square and where james and mary are now, and this is where they salute the people in the great mardi gras tradition when the parades come down here. and many of the important parades come right through this area and st. charles' avenue was also an old natural levee, so symbolic there. as we move on, wolf, they will head up to canal street, another important mardi gras route, and another place to look at what is happening, as they go down canal, this is the french quarter here, right over here, and this is the french quarter right after the storm hit. this is the heart of the old city of new orleans, and it is a living breathing community and this was the french quarter a few days ago. huge celebration there with so many of us, as i said, wolf, who waited so many decades for this to happen and not believing it did happen. they will continue on from this area, and i will hit play again over here and watch as the helmets move down canal street and then they will come down here to the waterfront. this is a revitalized front near the world's fair in the 1980s and hoped to make it happen there, but this is also the place right here in the convention center where we had so much trouble in the storm where we had pictures of people dying in the streets as hurricane katrina passed in the streets. terrible, terrible times, but beyond this, wolf, what is important to realize is that this area is cutting through some of the most remarkable revitalization of any american city, wolf. that is what makes this parade so important to so many people. >> such a powerful and symbolic moment for the rebuilding of new orleans. all right. the bands have started to come down the streets. ed lavendara is on the scene for us. ed, tell us where you are and what you are seeing. >> reporter: hey, wolf, this is a great moment. this is the st. augustine band, and this is a premier marching bands of the high schools here. this is the first african-american high school band that ever performed in the mardi gras days. this is a great band to kick it off. >> let's listen to the purple knights and the st. augustine high school. >> reporter: right. yeah. they call themselves the marching 100. they have a long, long history here in the city. i don't know if you can hear me earlier when i was saying they were the first african-american high school band to perform on the rec parade. it is a big deal. >> ed, i want to interrupt, because the budweiser clydesdales are coming through and i hope i have the picture there, which is a feature in new orleans at these mardi gras parades. let's see if we can get the budweiser clydesdales, and we saw them briefly after the st. augustine high school marching band. but i want that picture up there if we can show it, but obviously, a little problem showing the budweiser clydesdales. donna brazile, this must bring back memories for you, because you were a little girl who grew up there. >> yes, my parents would take us downtown to see the parades. the purple knights is one of the best bands in the country. and this tradition began, wolf, perhaps in the latter part of the 16th century when there was a point in new orleans where they said, this is the mardi gras and it weaves through mobile, alabama, but for the new orleanian, mardi gras is a national holiday and we didn't know it was not a national holiday until we grew up and went to high school and found out that only us in the gulf region celebrate mardi gras every year. >> yeah, i don't know if james carville and mary matalin are with us, but we want to bring them back into the conversation. ed lavendara, what are you seeing? >> reporter: well, wolf, the first float near the superdome is two blocks from where we are, so this is the first glimpse of tom benson and the owners of the new orleans saints. we have talked about it in recent days of how much of a -- he is almost a polarizing figure here, tom benson in the city of new orleans. remember in the months after hurricane katrina, he had been flirting with the idea of moving the saints out of new orleans. he was not sure that there would be enough business climate here in new orleans in the wake of hurricane katrina to bring this football team back to new orleans, and that pretty sent off a angry stream from the folks who live here in new orleans. they could not imagine their city without the new orleans saints. many people here considered it a slap in the face that he would even consider moving the team away from the beloved city in the city's darkest hour. so it will be interesting to see the people's reaction the tom benson as he comes along, but as we have walked around town people either love him or hate him. they say that even though he did that four years ago and flirted with that idea of moving the saints out of town, the saints are now super bowl champions, so you run into people who say he is a hero and a lot of people who still consider him a villain. but regardless, he is someone who has enjoyed having this football team here in new orleans and revels in these kinds of moments. he is very well known for dancing his way off of the football field when the new orleans saints win football games. so we will see him here shortly. >> you probably can't see it, ed, but we are looking at the new orleans saints and number 9 is drew brees who led the new orleans saints to victory. he is throwing -- what, donna? beads? >> he is throwing out beads. >> and some celebratory stuff, but he is the hero of this game. he was mvp of the game, and you see him and some of the friends from the new orleans saints getting ready to party. this is only just beginning, but there he is atop the float, drew brees. donna, that means a lot to the people of new orleans. >> well, you know, right after the storm hit us, and of course, we had another storm which was not just hurricane katrina that destroyed much of my beloved d hometown, but her nasty twin sister rita destroyed more for fellow citizens. but drew brees came as we needed a quarterback to help move the team back into the superdome. the team came back on september 25th, 2006, and i have to tell you that there is a special bond between the new orleanians and the team. we love drew. drew has been the spirit behind the comeback of the new orleans saints, and despite the years of losing, we have had a wonderful attendance at the superdome, and thank god for drew brees and the entire offensive line, and my favorite number 5, mr. hartley and that is my favorite. i took a picture of him. wolf, you would be embarrassed to see me kissing that man, but i love him, too. >> and he kicked a great field goal garrett hartley who did an amazing job for new orleans saints throughout the season and helped them to get to the super bowl. you see drew brees with a good arm throwing out some of the stuff. tom foreman, you lived in new orleans a few years and you know the city and know it well. you can certainly appreciate what the people of new orleans are going through right now. >> oh, my gosh, wolf. drew is riding is on one of the baccus floats. there is no bigger honor in town which rolls sunday night before mardi gras and huge, huge important parade, and frankly, nothing in new orleans that shows how important this event is more than, you talk about what donna said earlier about this bizs onf what mardi gras means to you. when you change the mardi gras schedule and connect to the city, you connect to the heart of the city. your see tom benson in the black hat there dancing around. >> yes, the owner of the team. and ed lavendara said he has been controversial, but he is a huge hero in his own right. let's take a break and continue the coverage when we come back. this parade is only beginning here in "the situation room." ah. would you like a pony ? yeah ! 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[ female announcer ] the new office. see it. live it. share it. on the human network. cisco. ♪ people playing just like ♪ they should and they are ♪ too damn good ♪ crush them up >> that is aaron neville and his brother charles neville which is coming up as we watch the parade go on. the folks are getting excited in new orleans and celebrating not only the super bowl champions the new orleans saints, but they are celebrating new orleans' recovery after hurricane katrina in august of mmv. what a recovery it has been. the entire nation, indeed the entire world has watched over these years, and it has been one amazing sight. we are going to be back to the parade momentarily, but i want to check in with lisa sylvester who is monitoring some of the other top stories in "the situation room." what is going on, lao eis a? >> well, more evidence that the top taliban leader is dead. pakistan's state run tv said that mehsud had died in a drone attack, however a taliban spokesman insist hd ewas alive and in hiding. iranian officials say they have started to make much higher grade uranium fuel under supervision. this brings them closer to having nuclear weapons. iran insists that the sbejs ints are peaceful. they are making a big jump in purity, but they say it is to fuel a medical research reactor. the u.n. has passed three rounds of sanctions against iran for failing to halt enrichment. and one of the biggest offenses of the war in afghanistan is preparing. that they will battle helmand province, and the generals have been stressing to the troops to distinguish the taliban from the residents. and somalia will release some people they have been holding since a ransom has been paid. we will check back with you, lisa. i know you are working the latest toyota developments as well. we will get a complete update on that. lisa sylvester, thank you. joining us is cyrille neville who is joining us by telephone. you see drew brees and other new orleans saints on the float. it is heading as the parade is beginning and cyrille, tell us what you are thinking? >> well, i wish i was there. it has been a long time coming and a lot of people prayed and waited, and finally, it is here. it was very well needed and the city needed it. >> at lot of us remember cyril that you were angry and maybe you would not return to new orleans and remind of us then and now. >> well, wolf, i am angry, but since i have been touring, i have been back in louisiana. and i have to say, too, that i didn't write it, but i performed it. my wife wrote it. >> she wrote the song. >> yes. >> that we have been playing. >> yes. but i am on my way back home, and i was angry then and i'm angry now about some of the things that still need to be fixed, but right now it is time to celebrate these guys and celebrate the beautiful city that we come from. >> and charles, let me bring you in, as you are part of the neville brothers. what is going through your mind as you see drew brees and other new orleans saints going forward on this float? >> again, like cyril, wishing i was here and i am on the boat with art and neville as well. >> so the four of you are together? >> yes. >> the neville brothers, and donna, how huge of a fan of the neville brothers are you over the years? >> i have all of the records. when i turned 40 aaron neville sang "happy birthday" to me. they are up with of the greatest artists to have come out of new orleans and we have louie arm stropg and harry connick, jr., and so many that hail from crescent city, but the neville brothers are the new orleanians at their core. >> that was not some guy wearing number 9, but that was drew brees atop the float. there, tom, you were saying there is the shot of drew brees on top of the float and it is a magical float, right? >> yes, it is from the bacchus parades. you know, the neville brothers used to shop at the same grocery store as me, and i point out for drew, the two backup quarterbacks there, there are a lot of members of the offensive lines there, so that the saints are showing the teamwork on the float. the quarterback is lined up front to protect them. >> because if you don't have a good offensive line, you could be the greatest quarterback in the world, but you need an offensive line to protect you and allow you to have the time to throw those touchdowns. charles and cyril, this is what i want to do. i want to play a little bit of the song and you wrote about new orleans and performed it. cyril, i want you the enjoy this song for a little bit. ♪ the saints are too damn good ♪ we are crushing up the competition and ready for more ♪ ♪ drew brees going to throw the ♪ ♪ winning touchdown and the ♪ saints are fired up ♪ and ready to go ♪ it is getting close ♪ to play with the new orleans ♪ saints are built to last ♪ and the offense and the defense ♪ ♪ playing just like they should ♪ ♪ and one thing about the saints ♪ ♪ they are too damn good ♪ crush them up ♪ crush them up >> cyril, tell us about the song. why so special for this >> well, my wife wrote the lyrics, and she came up with the melody and my nephew norman and i performed it, but we all are a huge saints' fans, and we were was kind of exiled in texas for a while, and one of the things that brought us together and telling about the ones that are still in augusw austin, texas, would gather at somebody's house in austin and watch the games. it was like, a piece of home. you know, so we have been routing for them and finally, they brought home the gold. >> so this is a celebration, and special song about the new orleans saints. cyril and aaron of the neville brothers stand by. james carville and mary matalin, you are with the vips is that right, james? >> yeah, we have a vip with us. mary, you want to introduce the vip? >> well, not only the senator, but the sister of the new mayor and the oldest of the nine landrieu children here in the president's box, and this is not just for the city, but the whole region. mary, these are all of the parish presidents, because this celebration not just for new orleans, and not just for the region or the gulf coast, but the whole nation and maybe the world. mary, we have been getting messages from the world, and the ambassador of the netherlands call meed me, and you know, the underdog won and the city is coming back and you and james have been phenomenal, just phenomenal. >> what do you think about the mayor's race? >> well, he is great. you all, and you know, people said he would win by a lot, and i thought he'd win, but this is truly a mandate. 66%. he carried every precinct in almost every neighborhood this the city. i am so proud of the city, because they have passed a vote for unity. they passed a vote for the future and i think that washington could learn a little bit about this feel-good, get-along with the people. >> what are you looking for the nite, senator? >> well, i want the men on the team to know how much the city is so grateful for their leadership. i will tell you that drew brees makes everybody here so proud the way he articulate wlas s wh have been through and what it is worth fighting for. it is not just for us, but it is for the country, the wetlands we are trying to preserve and building the port and securing the protection of the city, and these men have articulated this for us, and rita benson, and what can we say about the benson family? >> yes. the benson family, as you know, have been instrumental and that was a big turning point. the other emotional moment for the saints is when the team came back, and that was a big point for you, james, my husband. >> well, we have everybody here democrats and republicans and everybody from the state here. >> all of the parish presidents, and it is happening here. >> it is very important to remember that there are 1.2 million people in the metropolitan area, and half of those or more are out here. >> and we have legislators from shreveport and monroe who drove down and this is a celebration for the whole state and the who dat nation. >> well, they are who dating. >> who dat sclim. >> donna, you have to who dat! >> who dat! >> all right, guys. i want everybody to standby. james carville and mary matalin are our cnn political contributors and a democrat and republican, and they don't agree on politics, but they agree on politics and mitch landrieu, the newly elected mayor of new orleans and trying to speak to a lot more and we are trying to get bobby jindal the governor of louisiana and on this day, donna brazile is with me, but everybody can agree on one thing, new orleans has come back. we will take a quick break and continue our coverage right after this. [ female announcer ] introducing carefree® ultra protection™ liners. it feels like a liner, but protects like a pad. because it absorbs 10 times more. there's nothing quite like it. carefree® ultra protection™. feels like a liner, protects like a pad™. for a number of years, the fantastic linebacker, brett adelman -- >> some of the folks are being introduced right now, but we have a special guest who is joining us, chef paul prud'homme, and he is on the phone. he is so well known and so beloved that when it comes to new orleans, and food, especially little cajun food. talk to us a little bit, chef, about what this means to you? >> well, it is one of the great days for the city of new orleans and the people of new orleans. i think it is even more to the people than it is to the city, and in so many ways, because we are in love with the saints, and we have been for a long time. here they are loving us back. you can't find better than that, man. >> as we watch the floats go by, chef, how has new orleans changed since katrina, until this very day, the super bowl celebration? because for those of us who have been there for the past few years, it is remarkable what has happened. >> well, what happened is that since the storm, is that, you know, we have had a big struggle. that so many things that took place that you wouldn't believe that it would, and, you know, there were people that came and helped us, and did so much for the city. and in the same time, we didn't get our conventions back yet, and so, it has been a struggle all of the way, but we are tough. we are new orleanians, and we are we ain't giving up for nothing. >> we are looking at the players for the new orleans saints and they are signing autographs and celebrating and thrilled earlier. we saw drew brees, the mvp from the super bowl, and donna brazile is here, and she wants to ask you a question. donna, this is someone who is legendary in new orleans. >> well, chef, as you know, i know the holy trinity and know how to make the red beans and rice for next week, but is there any special recipe we should look forward to based on the victory of the new orleans saints? >> well, i think that they have just good food which is what the saints, but i will tell you, there are so many things that chicken an dewandoille and smok sausage and corn and -- corn soup is one of the things that we love. jalapeno pie, and i mean, that is a big thing here in new orleans. the bourbon streets pecan pies and cookies and the buffalo wings we do our way here in new orleans and i can go on and on and on. >> chef paul prud'homme, the great chef of new orleans. if drew brees and a few other players walked into your kitchen and you were going to give them a little meal tonight, what would you serve them? >> well, i have to tell you that if you would get to talk to him, drew will tell you that he has been to the restaurant many times with his family and that he looks at it as a winning weekend in new orleans that he has to come to the restaurant. k-paul's louisiana kitchen. so it is wonderful that they participated with the restaurant, and we participate with them in what they do, and it is just a great good thing going. >> tom foreman, you have eaten with this chef and eat ten with the food, and you can talk with him. >> well, i have eaten your food, chef. and the rex float which is the king of the carnival, and drou brees wi -- you know, drew brees will tell you that the receivers are the kings out there. and do you think there was a secret to their quickness this year? >> well, the herbs are that you don't make it too hot. new orleans is one of the places that uses herbs and spices and when i started the restaurant 30 years ago, you know, it was very little spices used around, and so, now everybody on o -- understands that herbs and spices if you balance them, anything you put in your job will make people happy and that is our job, making people happy. >> well, you are looking at a lot of happy people in new orleans and a lot of people watching the coverage with big smiles. chef paul prud'homme of new orleans, thanks for celebrating with us. i am hungry speaking with you. i know that paul and donna brazile and tom foreman are as well. stand by, everyone. everyone, stand by, because we are continuing the coverage of the celebration in new orleans right after this. 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(announcer) starts working on contact and at the nerve level. to block pain for hours. new capzasin, takes the pain out of arthritis. this is the celebration. this is one of the great floats down in brazil. these are not just guys hanging out wearing jerseys of the new orleans saints, these are the new orleans saints themselves, and they are celebrating, as they should. let's put this into some sort of context and perspective. it may be a joyous occasion right now, but it was very, very different back in august of 2005. listen to this report that came into the situation room on that date from cnn's jean reserve. she was one of the first correspondents to tell the world about the mass devastation unleashed by katrina. listen closely. some of the audio is difficult to hear. >> jean reserve is in new orleans. she's joining us on the phone right now. jean, where are you? >> we are traveling on i-10 and then the road just goes und underwater. the flooding here is awful. i can't tell you what we've seen driving through this city. it appears to be up to its rooftops in water. we spoke to a city councilman who has been actively trying to rescue people. there are people in these houses clearly -- we saw it after betsy, people got up there, there was nowhere to exit. the councilman whom we spoke with, very concerned that people in their houses, some of them in places where the water is lower, might think it was only four feet deep, but if they stepped outside their houses, they would drown. there have been bodies seen here. i haven't personally seen one, but i know others have seen at least one, and it is just unbelievable. the person i spoke to earlier today, i didn't think this was turning out to be armageddon. i was wrong. wolf, this is horrifying to see. >> donna, you remember those days as well. i mean, it really helps explain why this celebration today is so meaningful, not just to the folks of new orleans but to the world what that city has gone through. >> sure. nothing is going to erase those memories of katrina, nothing should erase those images, but it's wonderful to have a counterpoint, to see the city coming together, to see the joy, to see the happiness. there is one vinette that i don't think i ever talked about on the air is that really has stuck with me. when i went to the superdome the day after the storm, there was squallor squallor, there was discontent, but there was a group of 18-year-olds on the field pretending they were these guys. they were having the time of their lives. their world had been totally displaced, butd they were down there pretending they were the new orleans saints. and they were having a fantastic afternoon, and to have this sort of bookend that sprexperience i pretty wonderful, pretty special. >> that's a powerful story, thinking of those kids celebrating the new orleans saints as hurricane katrina devastated the city. how they must be feeling now. you got a lot of family that struggled in those days. >> absolutely. 80% of the city has returned. there are still so many new orleans people that are displaced. i know today their hearts are really full because they're really anxious to get back home. but it was personal. it was more than just a tragedy on tv. it was your family, your friends, the people you grew up with, waiting to hear from them, waiting to see if anybody would go and pull them out of the waurl water. as you remember, wolf, i came on air to get one of my siblings. we had to really fight to get people airlifted out, and i want to thank the 82nd airborne, the u.s. coast guard, so many people displaced, people in the hospital, my sister who was there rescuing people, still at the hospital, getting people out of harm's way. this was a great tragedy, but the american people reached out. they helped us, they took in many of our families, ourie evacue evacuees, and gave them a place to sleep, a place to call home. the texans took in many louisia louisianans, and i tell you, they're cooking gumbo in texas, too. >> some context, as i was hearing both of you speak, i can only hope and all of us can only pray that four, five years from now there will be a celebration in haiti and all of us will remember the devastation but will remember what has been achieved over these years as well. we can only hope and pray that that happens. we'll go back to the festivit s festivities, the celebration in new orleans, right after this. ♪ in recent days, our company hasn't been living up to the standards that you've come to expect from us or that we expect from ourselves. that's why 172,000 toyota and dealership employees are dedicated to making things right we have a fix for our recalls. we stopped production so we could focus on our customers' cars first. and technicians are making repairs. we're working around the clock to ensure we build vehicles of the highest quality... to restore your faith... in our company. for more information visit toyota.com. a little show for us, the police in new orleans right now. they're celebrating as well. thanks to the police officers of new orleans for what they are doing. let's check in with jack cafferty right now for the cafferty file. jack. >> the question this hour is how important is the saints super bowl victory for the city of new orleans? it's huge. mike in new orleans writes -- this is a new new orleans, and the saints victory makes it official. george in noew york writes -- w, too, can rise above history and succeed. our roots grow deeper with the pride of a winning team. we feel we're part of the victo victory, like we helped. mike from quebec writes -- paul writes from new orleans -- brad writes -- it is improves the local psyche, and most of all, it demonstrates new orleans is not gone but more vibrant that ever. and willow writes from iowa -- if you want to read more about this, and you should, because there is some truly inspirational e-mail i've been getting on this question, you can go to my blog at cnn.com/caffertyfile. it will make you feel better. wolf? >> jack cafferty, thanks so much for doing that. i just want to reset for our viewers joining us here at the top of the hour, we're watching history unfold in new orleans right now. these are various metropolitan area police and fire vehicles. it's the formal start of this massive super bowl celebration, this parade in new orleans celebrating the win of the new orleans saints in the super bowl. this city has come back, oh, so dramatically, over these past 4.5 years. there they are, the new orleans police police officers. they're on their motorcycles, and get ready, this parade is going to be exciting. we're on the scene. and i count 46 separate floats and units who will be participating in this parade. >> it's a long line, and we're still early here, wolf. in fact, the parade just stalled out a little while ago in front of the directs float and it was full of new orleans wide receivers. everyone here is having fun. that float you see there in the background is the zulu float. that's about to turn the corner here onto loyola street as well. talk to some of the folks here. how excited are you for this day? >> we're just so excited! we're very excited! >> what does this mean to you? >> it just means we have grown a lot and we're just ready to roll. >> how about you? >> oh, awesome. i can't believe it's finally happened. >> what does it feel like to be here tonight? >> amazing. i don't know anything better that's happened. >> we'll just work down the line here. >> loving t loving it. >> what does this mean to the city? >> unbelievable. the whole state, unbelievable. >> a while ago, i was talking to one man who said, this is mardi gras. this is actually better than fat tuesday. if you know anything about mardi gras, everything points to fat tuesday. the excitement, the passion, the emotion is just written all over everyone's face here and they're having a spectacular time. >> there's james carville and mar marlee matalin. you have a vip over there, don't you, mary? >> they're about to play the star spangled banner, and we're very proud of them. >> thank you. the new orleans jazz gets a grammy, the saints win the super bowl and we're going to celebrate all the way through mardi gras. >> so when you see the star spangled banner -- >> this is a great time we're marking here in new orleans. i think you've been saying all along, this is the turn of a page, a renaissance rebirth. america's city, new orleans. >> you were there from the very beginning, opening a jazz club on bourbon, rejoouvenating that city. >> this is a great day for new orleans. >> there you go. we love you. he's got to get in position to play, to open, if we're going to get this party started. >> we're going to get it started. i'm going to make my way on over. >> all right. james carville and mary matalin, our intrepid reporters on the scene creating this day in new orleans history. we're watching this as well, donna and me. you're choking back tears, aren't you? >> i do. they're calling it lombardi gragra gras, in honor of next tuesday. that's when we come out and celebrate one of the most festive days in new orleans history, but tonight is a celebration for the new orleans saints. they have been a unifying source in the region, and as you can tell from the people, it's like a bacas night in terms of the number of people celebrating. we're waiting for those mardi gras beads, and thanks to our special team. >> we got a little music going on. our top foreman used to live in new orleans, so he knows what's going on. it's similar to the mardi gras parade, isn't it? >> it really is. you have some mardi grass that is really, really great, some that aren't. this is one of the really great mardi gras, and i was talking to some of the young business people back there who have come back, and they really made a very strong case for saying one of the reasons -- this was the night after the saints won the nfc championship. and they said, one of the reasons this is so important is because they really feel like they've created some genuine momentum there since after the storm, one of them said for every older professional who either retired or didn't come back, the city has gained two younger professionals who are eager to have their businesses there and have them grow there. and they're saying right now new orleans feels very much like seattle did when it went through its big boom period and other cities had their big boom periods, and they're very excited. they're saying the saints are truly symbolic of what this city is doing. it's not just a feel-good show, there are real nuts and bolts behind the progress of the city. it won't get a big trophy like the saints will, but it's all important to the rebirth, and it all fits together like a hand in glove, like some people need tonight because it's kind of breezy, but this is a great mardi gras where at the end of it you say this is a unique and special city that's bouncing back in a big way. >> the marching bands, let's listen to this. ♪ >> a littles bit of the marching band. i love this kind of celebration, this kind of music. the nfl hall of famer coach. coach, talk about what this means for new orleans. at one point in time, you coached the new orleans saints. >> well, it's the greatest thing in the world. you're talking about perseverance, people that have stuck around 40 years. they hung around, they supported those players, they supported this organization. this is really a great fan base, and the one thing i took from being there when i was there was that you really feel bad when you let the fans down because their whole life revolves around the saints, let's face it. >> yeah. it's true. it's almost like my home town in buffalo. they love the bills, they love the bears, and you spend a lot of time there. you remind us, put your espn panelist pat on right now. as this season began, who thought new orleans would win the super bowl? >> nobody. nobody. it really is amazing, and i think you see teams develop, and i think what coach hayden did down there, he built a very solid football team offensively. then he started bringing in the defensive components to make it work, then he brought in the defensive coordinator to make it work. he wanted to be a much more effective defense getting the ball away from the other team. and they became that. you can't just win with offense or defense, you have to have everything. >> how did they put that team together? for years it was the new orleans ain'ts, not the saints. now did they do it? >> they had a great draft pick with reg gee bugie bush, but tht it. they had a great defense team and a great offense team. trapper probably is the biggest name. but they got a bunch of guys that really complement each other, and that's what you're really looking for. you don't need a bunch of players, but you do need to treasure man, and they got drew brees. they put a guy in receiver position, he had a mind like a coach, he understood how to attack defenses, and each kid shows you, hey, you give them a chance, they'll catch the football. >> we're looking at some of the live pictures of these players on the floats. they are happy, they're celebrating. drew brees, he wasn't necessarily only a few years ago did he s destined to be mvp. when is he? >> this guy is this, this guy is that sport. you got to love guys in life when people say it, they go ahead and do it, you know. most people say they can't do it, they just watch other people do it. >> in all the football games you've watched, and i daresay you've watched every single one these decades, how much of an upset was this one? >> it wasn't for me, but i'm sure it was for everyone else, because the colts are the best team in the nfl and this and that and the other, but i picked them because they were the best all-around football team. best defense, best offense and special team. >> they could have almost gone undefeated this year. they were moving in that direction, weren't they? >> they ran into a little problem, they didn't stop the runs very well. the thing about that is it's one thing to lose, but it's so important to be able to refocus, and they did refocus. >> you know what it's like to win a super bowl as both a player and a coach. mike ditka is the great one. we appreciate you spending a few moments with us. thank you very much. >> thank you very much. god bless you. >> god bless you as well. god bless all of our viewers, indeed, everyone out there right now as we celebrate the new orleans saints super bowl win. we'll go back to new orleans live right after this. it doesn't take much; an everyday moment can turn romantic at a moment's notice. and when it does, men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis. with two clinically proven dosing options, you can choose the moment that's right for you and your partner. 36-hour cialis and 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are right now? >> hey, wolf, this is an unbelievable time. the float is just stopping along loyola. some of the players are autographing fans' helmets, hats, whatever they want. >> what do you think of this? >> great for the city. it's unbelievable to see this many people turn out. everybody here deserves it. it's fun to be a part of it. >> did you imagine a party like this? >> new orleans knows how to flow a party, no doubt about it. >> guys, have fun. you can see the look in their eyes. it's really amazing just how many people have turned out. they were grabbing me beforehand and they were like, this is amazing. i didn't expect this. they were completely in awe of what's going on here in new orleans. >> this parade route is almost four miles. do we have any estimates of how many people have actually gathered? have local police put out a number? >> i haven't heard any. i know we're expecting probably 50,000 people, 60,000 people, perhaps. who knows if that's accurate at this point, but what i can tell you is that the entire city, the entire region, we have talked to people over and over again who have been coming into new orleans just to be a part of this, driven in from four or five or six hours away, if not flown into new orleans to be a part of this. >> where are you from? >> teague, louisiana. right down the road. >> you know a lot of people who have been driving in for this? >> several, yeah. >> i went to texas, so i won't make it personal. how do you like to be a part of this? >> i just moved to birmingham, alabama from springfield. it's amazing. go, saints! whoo, baby. >> do you have a sense of what it's like around here? >> it took a long time, but i'm loving it. >> this is a song we'll hear for quite a while, huh? i'll let you enjoy this. >> let's bring in james carville and mary matalin. go ahead, james, tell me what you're seeing, what's going on where you are. >> there is a lot of noise here, people are as excited as they can be. we're sitting here with all the politicians, and the crowd is just -- i can't imagine what the estimate of the crowd tonight is going to be, but it's unbelievable all over the city. >> it's one big political family here tonight, but one thing the city does is party hardy. they really have a hospitality industry that is equal to none, and they take great pride in getting this party started and making this party happen. there are no bad parties here, and all the politicians here are getting down, baby, getting down. why don't you get down? the entire delegation is up here, and they are all partying. >> these floats are amazing, too. >> i'm ready to go. >> hey, tom foreman, you saw that float over there? what is that float? >> this one is from the krewe of caesar, which is not the biggest float out there. but you'll see the krewes of the different groups that organize these parades. when you talk about the crowd size here, many schools around here let out early today. there were reports in some cases of back-ups on highways and the ferry that lasted for hours of people trying to get in. one of the station ths that we k to very often is estimating the crowd for this may actually be bigger than the crowds they see for parades in denning, which is a massive, massive parade out there. and many of the people will ride in parades next week, so it's really just the beginning of a rolling party for a week until ash wednesday gets here. >> it looks like the u.s. marine corps marching band rolling along right now. they are celebrating as everyone else. he knows new orleans. we'll take a quick break and continue our coverage right after this. if you're taking 8 extra-strength tylenol... a day on the days that you have arthritis pain, you could end up taking 4 times the number... of pills compared to aleve. choose aleve and you could start taking fewer pills. just 2 aleve have the strength... to relieve arthritis pain all day. he sure is working up an appetite up there. bet you guys are, too. how about some hamburger helper? cheeseburger mac... how 'bout some after the show? hamburger helper. one pound. one pan. one tasty meal. come on, now, the saints have won the super bowl! [ applause ] >> i don't want anybody in the house to be laid back tonight. this is 43 years in the making. if you didn't come here to have fun, something is wrong with you. i don't care whether you like the person next to you or whether you love the person next to you. tonight we put all that aside. this is one city, one team, one super bowl. this is about us, y'all. the city of new orleans, the region, the entire state of louisiana. you all with it? i said, are you all with it? [ applause ] >> that was just a few moments ago, the mayor of new orleans. the outgoing mayor, roadway nay speaking to the folks, tens of thousands of all counts. they are celebrating the new orleans saints super bowl win, but more importantly, they're celebrating new orleans, and it's an amazing recovery. we're going back to the parade in just a moment. but lisa sylvester is monitoring some of the other top stories in the situation room right now. a lawyer as one of the ten americans charged with kidnapping in haiti has urged t former president clinton to intervene on their behalf. the death of olympic skater nancy kerrigan's father ruled a homicide. they're saying the ruling is premature and inaccurate. the family says they don't blame anybody for daniel kerrigan's death, noting he did have a preexisting heart condition. her brother was arraigned last month on assault charges. do yubai is planning to sel one of its ships. it bought the qe 2 back in 2007 for an estimated $1.8 million. they have a stake in the soleil. it was sold in new york for just $2 million. and louis gosset, jr. has revealed he has prostate cancer. he is going public to try to urge americans to seek early exams and treatment for the disease, and he says he's begun an extensive treatment program. a fresh poll about president obama. take a look at this. this shows the president's approval rating at 47% with a 45% disapproval. when you look at the weekly charges for the president last month, you'll notice his approval rating has slightly gone up and down over the past several weeks. wolf? >> all right. thanks very much, lisa. we're going to get back to you. we're also going to get back to the parade and watch what's going on. our coverage will continue right after this. woman down from nasal allergy attack. but we've got the ammunition she needs: omnaris. 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"the boys are back in town." they certainly are back in town, the new orleans saints. they're celebrating right now with 10,000 others in the big easy, as they like to call it. there are no people happier right now than james carville and mary matalin. they live in new orleans, they're celebrating. guys, you have a special guest with you, don't you? >> we sure do, wolf, but we have a very important first vietnamese to serve in congress with me. we have our chief justice and supreme court, so we're very proud of this. congressman joseph chau, how does the community in vietnam embrace this football team? >> it's like any other city, we have loved the saints for the past 35 years, we have rooted for them for the past 35 years, and we have suffered with them the past 35 years. so they are the heart of the city and we are part of this great city. >> you know, wolf, i can't help but think as a vietnam vet what wonderful contributions vietnam has made to new orleans. it's just a wonderful, moving night. the parade was set off by the marine corps marching band. it was a wonderful night all the way around and wonderful to have congressman chau here. >> you have your little girls here, beautiful, and your wife. how is your whole family dealing with this? >> my two daughters, they are the saints' biggest fans. when we were watching the game, they were howling and yelling and jumping up and down every time we scored. so our family, we are diehard saints fans, we cannot stand it when they lose and we cheer when they win. >> how do you say who dat in vietnamese? >> i wouldn't know. who dat? >> hey, james, do me a favor. i know he can't hear me, congressman gau, he was the only republican that voted with president obama on health care reform, i believe. but he watched the saints win the super bowl over at the white house with the president. ask him what it was like? >> wolf wants to know what it was like watching the game with the president at the white house on sunday. >> we tried to get into d.c. but all of the airports were closed, so we couldn't get in. >> he was unable to get there. the snow kept everybody in and out. >> the real fans like you and mary were actually in miami for that win. thank the congressman for us, james and mary. we're going to get back to you. is that the vince lombardi trophy we're seeing right there? yes, that's the vince lombardi trophy right there. there's the head coach, shawn payton. he's very, very proud of that trophy, as he should be, the vince lombardi trophy. jack cafferty is joining us right now. jack, an amazing picture when you think about what the folks in new orleans have gone through over these years. >> indeed. the question this hour is how important is the saints super bowl victory to the city of new orleans? check the spelling on this first e-mail. denise writes -- a healing that is so hard to explain for all louisia louisianans has occurred. what a good day. lee from illinois writes -- i'm here in springfield, illinois watching the news with tears this my eyes. we know how to celebrate, and i'm glad that my daughters have had a chance to witness such a rich culture. hello down in brazil. my family knows your family. i'm happy, happy, happy. ray from louisiana -- the soul of this particular saints team embodies the spirit and aspiration of rebuilding for a better future. john from baltimore writes -- and celebrating what we had in common. i believe the saints' victory is doing the same for the big easy. and i think it's wonderful. all i can say is, who dat? and joseph from new orleans -- you don't know what that means unless you're here. if you want to read more of this stuff, and you will be touched and inspired by it, go to my blog at cnn.com/caffertyfiles. this is exceptional, and you will enjoy it. >> donna has already written it down. she's going to spend a couple hours reading those e-mails later tonight. this is the st. augustine high school marching band. as we go to break, let's enjoy.  those are some of the super bowl saints. they're the winners of the super bowl, and they're celebrating as they should on one of these floats moving around new orleans. all right, ed levin is our man on the scene there. ed, you're there with some folks that are very, very happy. >> happy is like the understatement of the night. we'll make our way down here. we've been talking to these folks a little while ago. how happy are you guys right now? >> whooooooo! loving it, loving it! >> only in louisiana, baby, only in louisiana. >> you've been in new orleans a long time. what does this mean to this city? >> everything, buddy. it means life in this city. bringing life back. >> very good. look at this young lady. you're not the youngest saints fan ever, are you? >> no, he's the youngest. >> oh, he's the youngest. some of the cutest. how happy are you? you enjoying this? >> yeah. i love the saints. >> what's it like to be able to bring your kids out here? >> it's awesome, man. i love it, you know. >> you guys have a good time. this family here drove down from baton rouge to be here. >> yes, we did. we are having a great time, a great time. >> you guys have been around here, seen a lot of what's happened in this city. >> i came down over the weekend, and the energy was unbelievable. we had so much fun, i did not want to go home. >> you having fun? >> yeah. >> have you gotten any beads? >> uh-huh. >> we've been funneling a lot of beads to him. check this one out here, wolf. i think we're nearing -- toward the end of the parade here, but we're going to go out with a bang here eventually. it's been an exciting evening, and you can really tell that people have just been ecstatic to be able to be a part of this. like that first gentleman said, it means everything to these people here and everything means a lot of different things to the people who have lived here in new orleans and have gone through so much. wolf? >> stand by, tom foreman is here. that's the owner of the new orleans saints, isn't it? >> that's tom benson. he lives on the north side of new orleans. the degree to which the new orleans saints have taken it to heart. it's about taking care of this community. so much so that i will note, peyton manning, the colts quarterback, who is also a new orleans native, made note before the game how impressed he was of the community outreach of the saints players. not just the big celebrity appearances, but the things they were actually doing to promote youth programs, job programs, community rebuilding programs. that's why the city loves these people so much. and there, of course, is shawn payton, the payton that matters to us. >> yeah, the head coach with the lomba lomba lombardi trophy. he's pretty proud of that and celebrating with the fans as he goes through that throat. he's a remarkable head coach, tom. >> he's got lands like reggie bush, he's not dropping that. >> we continue to watch this parade. we get some of the music when we come back. stay with us. a lot more for a lot less. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 that's why, at schwab, every online equity trade tdd# 1-800-345-2550 is now $8.95. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no matter your account balance, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 how often you trade or how many shares... tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you pay what they pay what everyone pays: $8.95. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and you still get all the help and support tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you expect from schwab. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 millions of investors. one price. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab investors rule. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 are you ready to rule? 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>> mr. benson? we have a couple other things. we have some flowers for your wife, and for miss rita. we also have an award for you. we want to give you the crystal flute award to you, mr. benson, for your contribution. >> can you give mr. benson the microphone, please, so we can all hear him? >> we also have for you and your family the keys to the city of new orleans. thank you for everything and god bless you. ♪ >> hey, ben, mike, beau. >>. ♪ oh when the saints come marching? ♪ >> i hate how long we waited, 43 years for new orleans to make it to the super bowl and then to go ahead and actually win a super bowl, how exciting is that for all the people there, and so much more exciting, donna brazil, because it comes only 4.5 years after katrina. >> we've come a long way, wolf, since the horrors of hurricane katrina. i have to admit hurricane rita also put a lot of people out of their homes, not only in new orleans but also in the western part of the state. this is a joyous occasion, of course, but we've done a great deal over the last four years. many of the schools are back, businesses are back, 80% of the residents are back, but there are still so many people who are displaced skpand want to come b, continue to rebuild. mayor mitch landrieu is trying to rebuild. he will have to work with the governor in continued efforts to rebuild new orleans. >> show us that umbrella as we go to break. donna brazil, she's celebrating here in the situation room, celebrating the new orleans saints. she's celebrating new orleans. >> show me something, mister. show me something, mister. >> donna brazil and new orleans. we'll be right back. so start your business, protect your family, launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. ♪ [ male announcer ] every business day, bank of america lends nearly $3 billion dollars to individuals, institutions, schools, organizations and businesses in every corner of the economy. america. ♪ growing stronger. every day. the faces of the new orleans saints fans who have gathered on the streets of new orleans to celebrate the super bowl win. what a win it was and what a comeback this has been for new orleans and indeed the entire louisiana gulf coast. tom, you remember 4.5 years ago. you see what's going on with the marching bands and everything else. wow, what a difference a few years makes. hold your thought for just a second because mary matalin and james carville are on the scene. what's going through your heads, folks? mary, are you there? >> i can hear you but the governor can't stay forever. >> mary, it's wolf in washington. can you hear me? >> you're cutting in and out, but we got you. >> i see governor jindle is with you and james. ask him what he thinks about this. >> obviously, she can't hear me but she can hear somebody else talking to her. mary, if you can hear me, go ahead and talk to governor jindle. >> governor, how does it feel to be the governor of state super bowl champions? >> we've been waiting 43 years. there must be pigs flying somewhere. louisiana has waited so long for this. having a world super bowl champion has really been good for the city. i'm so proud of these guys on and off the field. they've been involved in rebuilding new orleans. what a great message to the entire world. new orleans is back, louisiana is back better than we were pre-katrina. >> that's wonderful to hear. also the regional support and statewide support is unbelievable. >> you got mayors from all over the state, you got shreveport, east and west louisiana, you got gulf coast. if you weren't from louisiana and you weren't rooting for the saints, something was wrong with you. >> we got a lot of who dats in baton rouge? >> a lot of who dats. everything is shut down, people partying everywhere. the flags are flying up and down the governmental building. it's a great time for baton rouge and the state. >> wolf, i want to make one point. the three largest cities, baton rouge, shreveport and new orleans are governed by you. you did a good job if you can get elected here. >> with all three of those mares, one had the saints come through their parade. it's about louisiana first. >> i'm about to ask a serious question. did either of you think you would ever see mr. benson dancing? >> he's better than me. he's found more rhythm than me, so i'm going back to practice. >> i want to thank the bensons for their commitment. they're helping to reinvent part of downtown new orleans. it's not just about a football team, it's about rebuilding new orleans. they made a commitment to come back and rebuild the dome better than it was before. >> massive corridors. >> $2 billion hospital, state of the art. this will be the best hospital in all the world here in new orleans. i'm telling you, new orleans is coming back better than we were pre-katrina. the saints are just a better example of that. more jobs, one of the best economies in the country. the saints show that we're coming back. >> so i guess the question is, why are you all there? you need to be here, right? >> we want everybody out there to come visit, come do business here. this is the best city in the whole world. >> make sure you experience the spirit of the people. you can't do it by tv. come on down to new orleans, check our great state out. you'll be a winner. >> you want to say something about lsu while you're here? >> lsu is great, the tigers will be back there again. all over this state, what a great time, and the music out of mr. benson's feet, that's the spirit in our hearts. go, saints! >> all right, guys. good work. thank the governor, thank the mayor. let's take another quick break, but before we do, let's listen in so some of the celebration. >> who dat? who dat? who dat? ♪ french fries, and our national passion for them, are legendary. classic. iconic. but times change. and people want better foods. so cargill helped a restaurant chain create a zero-trans fat cooking oil for their french fries. using select canola plants and inovative processing techniques while preserving their famous taste. because no one wants to give up a classic. this is how cargill works with customers. ...it's easy to feel like you're fading into the background. that's because bipolar depression doesn't just affect you. it can consume you. one option proven effective to treat bipolar depression... is seroquel xr. for many, it's one pill, once a day. here is some important safety information you should be aware of. call your doctor if you have unusual changes in mood, behavior... ...or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children... ...teens and young adults. elderly dementia patients taking seroquel xr have an increased risk of death. call your doctor if you develop fever... ...stiff muscles, and confusion as these may be signs of a life-threatening reaction... ...or if you have uncontrollable muscle movements as these could become permanent. high blood sugar has been reported with seroquel xr and medicines like it... ...and in extreme cases can lead to coma or death. tell your doctor if you have a history of low white blood cell count... ...or seizures. your doctor should check for cataracts. other risks include increased cholesterol and triglycerides, weight gain... ...dizziness on standing, drowsiness, impaired judgment, and trouble swallowing. use caution before driving or operating machinery. learn more about bipolar depression and questions to ask your doctor at seroquelxr.com bipolar depression... ...doesn't have to consume you. take the step today and ask your doctor... ...whether seroquel xr is... ...right for you. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. the new orleans saint super bowl win was sweet for the city, sweet for the team, sweet for so much of the world. but it was quarterback drew brees' unusual and special moment with his son that has everyone talking. here's cnn's jeanne moos. >> it was one of the most memorable plays of the game, the winning quarterback playing catch the confetti with his son. sort of made those e-trade baby commercials forgettable. he cradled his son instead of a football, tearing. his mascara didn't even run. you could see him mouth the words, i love you, little man. just told him, little boy, you just don't even know what you're experiencing right now. little brees drove the ladies gaga. >> there you are and your son on the cover of sports illustrated. >> baby was watching with mom in the green room as david passed to dad. biff henderson hit the floor. biff had to go to the hospital and is now recuperating at home. sandra bullock, on the other hand, managed to stay on her feet. damon pretty much stays on all fours. damon was born a little over a year ago, born on his father's 30th birthday. and already he shot a commercial with dad. >> if you want to play at this level, you need a hi high-performance diaper. >> brees proves that hitting a diaper sure beats changing one. >> that's one tough diaper? >> and this was a tough quarterback in a tender moment, and what made that head-to-head moment even more adorable was the set of giant headphones. as one admirer posted, kids should really come standard issue with a set of those head phones. sure, it's nice to see the players rub the super bowl trophy, but having a kid is nicer. talking to the trophy. talking to the kid is nicer, and raising the trophy and kissing it can't compare with raising the kid ask kissing him. brees connected with two face kisses and two handoffs, kissing

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