Transcripts For CNNW State Of The Union 20120415

"the new york times." and comedian and actor, the outspoken bill cosby on politics and the man who killed trayvon martin. >> doesn't make a difference if he is racist or not racist. >> i'm candy crowley and this is "state of the union". first two break stories we are following, a series of attacks across afghanistan and a deadly tornado outbreak here in the u.s. let's start with those tornados slammed the midwest and the plains overnight. the national weather service says there were 121 reports of possible tornado touchdowns across four states. in the northwestern oklahoma town of woodward, five people were killed two children. in kansas, 100 tornadoes between last night and this morning causing extensive damage there were no reports of any death he is. twisters also caused massive damage in twist iowa in the town of thurman. three out of every four homes were damaged or destroyed. more severe weather expected across the midwest with dangerous conditions affecting wisconsin, minnesota and iowa. we are joined on the phone by alan riffle, from oklahoma. i understand that you did suffer five casualties overnight. what more can you tell us about the state of your town right now. >> door to doors and seeking unaccounted people, we believe everyone has been accounted for at this point. we know that there have been 89 homes destroyed and 13 businesses have been lost. these are not counting those been damaged. not completely destroyed structures. >> looking right now at aerial pictures of your town. clearly doesn't look like there is a lot left there. what do you need now? >> people are grouping as far as identify i identifying the needs of the victims, those seeking shelter and what we can do to assist them. we are also waiting some disaster declaration, both on a state and a national level and expect those on the state level to come today. we have had people from surrounding agencies and communities and at this point, we concluded the door-to-door search. >> so you expect this death toll, which is terrible, five people, including two children, as i understand, to stand now that you have completed the door-to-door search. is that correct? >> i don't have any condition reports on those that have been hospitalized. i don't have any way of assessing the critical nature of those injuries. >> i'm watching pictures of of this town, look at what appears to be in so many tornadoes that it is random in its damage, that there appear to be parts where everything is fine and other parts that look completely destroyedsome that an accurate assess? >> yes, unusual how those things happen, a neighbor next door to one completely demolished and their house is fine. that is the nature of the beast. >> we talked earlier with the governor of kansas, sam brownback and thought in some ways, kansas and elsewhere, there were fewer death he is than you might expect in this kind of strong tornado because there was so much early warning. was there early warning for you? were you all hunkered down for tornadoes. >> we had tornado warnings in -- one system move through about six hours prior to this. and this one very quickly and they took out our transmitter for our public siren and warning notification system before it ever got to town. we not only lost that but lost our manual override to the system as soon as the electricity went up and we were able to sound one siren for about three minutes prior to the testing of the tornado. >> understand. understand. well, certainly, you have our sympathies as you move forward and try to put the city back together. those that were affected. thank you so much for taking time. alan riffle, the city manager of woodward, oklahoma, which appears to have borne the brunt of these 100-plus tornados that have ripped through the plains i in the midwest. it is at a dangerous pursuit but some people actually chase tornadoes. one of them is jeremy carter. he joins us on the phone from oklahoma city. jeremy, which tornadoes did you watch going which direction? >> all righty. i first started on the tornado warning just north of woodward. it was moving northwest. followed it up into kansas. and i popped back up with another cell near cherokee, oklahoma. and it was running toward kansas, actually went north, the town of manchester. right on the kansas -- state line. >> was there periodic damage or widespread damage? >> i did see some damage in some areas. it was just a terrified monster. did you see signs where there were homes that people had indeed known something was coming? >> i think people were pretty aware coming into town. i tried to stay just outside of the damage path, see a lot of the damage but it was a very large tornado by the time it crossed of near kansas. >> what are you hearing about what's coming up. is your area, oklahoma area, tornado free or others bearing down? it is the season, i know. >> i believe we got all-clear for the rest of the day. we have major damage in eastern oklahoma also. >> can you give us a comparative to other tornados you have followed. did this seem like it was on the high end or the low end in terms of strength. >> i would say -- it wasn't as strong as any setup but it was very strong. it was definitely a killer tornado. >> and so what -- as i understand what you're saying to me, it did cross in some unpopulated areas, may at least help explain that and early warnings that we have seen, tragic deaths but not as many as one might believe in tornadoes this strong. >> yeah. i think it was probably -- i bet if they give a rating on it, probably go f-3. >> so, when you decide which way to follow, are you -- you follow the weather service and you take out after these tornadoes. are you ever finding yourself caught up in them? is that your -- your game plan? have you stopped some times and seen something hit? how does that all work? >> get as close as i can to them and possibly safe. i have several coms in my truck. i went into a state of panic for a little while. we had one that was multivortex, just north of cherokee and fear of another vortex coming up behind. >> well, i tell you, just the pictures are frightening. jeremy carter, thanks so much. be careful out there chasing those storms. >> yes, thank you. we want to go on the phone now with me u.s. ambassador to afghanistan ryan crocker. mr. ambassador, thank you for joining us. we had heard earlier you put the embassy on lockdown because of these explosions. is that still the case? >> that is still the case. i'm not sure for how much longer because the afghan national security forces pretty much have the situation under control in kabul now. still some reports of a couple of terrorists out there, but i think this one is clearly winding down. >> and is it your understanding, from what you've heard from afghan authorities that some of the perpetrators have either been killed or captured. >> it can be a little bit confusing out there. what we're hearing from the afghans is that they have been successful in killing and capturing the terrorists who put together these attacks while suffering relatively few casualties of their own. they equipped themselves very well, very professionally and it's all afghan security forces not international forces. >> we know that in some way, shape or form the taliban has claimed responsibility for this saying it's the beginning of a launch, an assault. do you have any reason to believe that is or is not true? >> well, the taliban are really good at issuing statements. less good at actually fighting. my guess, based on previous experience here with a set of network operations out of afghanistan and pakistan tribal areas. frankly, i don't think the taliban is good enough. >> mr. ambassador, one final question and that is you and i have spoken before about the feeling in the u.s. that we need to end this war more quickly than the president currently has in mind. we talked about that in the wake of a number of things that have happened there. i think this will likely add to that with spectre of the u.s. embassy being, you know, locked down so as to avoid the danger in the streets of the capital of afghanistan. what is your response to what i'm certain will be a feeling like here's more proof we need to get out of there. >> candy, i see it in exactly the opposite way. attacks like this demonstrate why we need to be here. again, we've seen a very professional performance by afghan security forces. they are able to deal with events like this on their own. a clear sign of progress. and, you know, that's how we do get out responsibly as they take over. but there's a very dangerous enemy out there with capabilities and safe havens in pakistan. to get out before the afghans have a full grip on security, which is a couple of years out, would be to invite the taliban and haqqanis and al qaeda back in and set the stage for another 9/11 and that, i think, is an unacceptable risk. >> the u.s. ambassador to afghanistan, ryan crocker. thank you so much for your time. stay safe there, sir. >> just would add one thing. you know, we did not suffer any casualties, mercifully throughout this country. but a number of innocent afghans were killed by these terrorists. our hearts go out to their families. they are our allies and partners. we mourn their loss. >> thank you for your assistance, mr. ambassador. americans are always ready to work hard for a better future. since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ [ man announcing ] what we created here. together for your future. what we achieved here. what we learned here. and what we pioneered here. all goes here. the one. the accord. smarter thinking from honda. how math and science kind of makes the world work. in high school, i had a physics teacher by the name of mr. davies. he made physics more than theoretical, he made it real for me. we built a guitar, we did things with electronics and mother boards. that's where the interest in engineering came from. so now, as an engineer, i have a career that speaks to that passion. thank you, mr. davies. for a hot dog cart. my mother said, "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years. mitt romney still has primaries to go and a restless newt gingrich on his right but that's the least of it. he needs to preset for the fall and that means wooing those lukewarm conservatives who don't trust him emphasizing that part of his agenda and candidacy that will appeal to moderate swing voters by not going too far one way or the other, feeding into the rival-fueled rap he is too conservative. joining me now to discuss the presumptive nominee's spring and summer agenda is republican party chairman. i want to start out with something that will happen on the senate floor tomorrow and that is the so-called buffett rule that would have a minimum tax for millionaires. and i want to show you and our view ears gallop poll recently that said, talking about adults nationally, 60% favor the buffett rule, 37% are opposed. forget arguing, it doesn't help with us the debt, it doesn't do this. politically it appears that you're on the wrong side of this. >> i don't think so, candy. i think that people once they see what this is all about, and once they see what this whole strategy of barack obama is all about it's all about dividing and conquering. let's face it. listen, this is and we all know what this is. this is a shiny object that barack obama wants the country to look at which as you know if you added up every dollar of revenue that this little rule would put into place, if you took every dollar over a year, it would add up to paying for 11 hours of the federal government. so i think the bigger question is why is it that the president is using all of this time, 23 public appearances, air force one, bringing it on the floor of the senate when these same democrats haven't proposed or excuse me haven't passed a single budget in over 1100 days. i mean, come on. designee must be doing something right since 60% -- my point is of that politically you all seem to be losing this argument that there's a fairness issue here that people look back and say why shouldn't millionaires pay more in taxes? >> part of the problem here, candy, we're just not talking about millionaires, we're talking about small businesses pass through s corporations. we're talking about a president who promised that he would get the economy back on track. that he would lower unemployment below 8%. we've had 38 straight months of unemployment over 8%. the deficit he said he would cut in half. the point of this is here we are talking about one single, tiny alteration of the tax code which he said he would reform completely that amounts to 11 hours. this is obama's strategy. look over here at this shiny object here. don't look at the big picture. an economy on the brink that i didn't do a thing about and made things worse. that's what this is about. >> let me just point out because democrats are very sensitive to this that the president did not himself say hey listen unemployment will stay under 8% it was his soon to be economic advisors that drew up a report. but i understand your point. >> said 6% by now. to tell truth. >> by now in that projection. >> we're talking about 11 hours of revenue. this is where we've shut down washington, d.c. to talk about 11 hours of revenue while millions of people are out of work. >> let me ask you about your presumptive candidate, mitt romney, who said on friday, listen i'm not going -- i need an extension on my tax returns due is it monday, the 17th of april. i just wonder if that is a good move for your nominee because you know the democrats are going to pound him. why not get this stuff done and put it out there? he's a wealthy man. we all pretty much know how much he's going to pay in taxes and you saw how much he got hammered during the primary for not putting out his taxes. don't you think this is a bad mistake? >> talk about irony coming from the obama administration that won't talk about solyndra,that is going to plead the fifth on the gsa debacle and now let's talk about tax returns for mitt romney. first of all, mitt romney released his 2010 tax returns. he released the estimate to the 2011 tax return. what we're talking about is an extension to file paperwork. but the worse than the irony here is the tactic. the tactic of this president to talk about tax returns and a buffett rule when in reality we have bigger issues to talk about and this election won't come down to the timing of a tax return. this election will come down the state of this economy and how barack obama failed this country. >> given all the things that mitt romney has on his plate it seems to me this is an easy one. put the things out there. >> first of all, he did put out the estimate for the 2011 tax return. when you run for president, just so the viewers understand, you know this, but the type of the rigorous financial disclosure requirements when running for president are so expansive and vast that if you were to look at what john kerry, john mccain, all of these other presidential candidates -- mitt romney will do the same thing. >> let me ask you about the course of the campaign as it moves forward. we got this presumptive nominee, but you also have two other men still in this race, newt gingrich and ron paul. how much of a problem is this given that this season is pretty rushed now. you don't have time to sit around all summer and, you know, wait for the convention to make something official. and yet you do have folks still running against him. >> well, i mean we haven't officially declared a presumptive nominee. out of respect for ron paul and newt gingrich, obviously -- >> you haven't officially declared it but you're out there thinking it. >> sure. mitt romney a great month and he's clearly on a pathway to be presumptive nominee and we'll have a unified party when this is all said and done and the reason we'll have a unified party is no matter where unit in, republican, conservative, independent, this is not candy about the future of the republican party. i can promise you that. i think people around this country know that this election is about the future of america, and we want to be able to tell people that you can work hard, you can play by the rules, and you can still live the american dream but we need to have a republican in the white house. >> republican party chairman, a busy man. come back and see us. >> thank you, candy. gender politics and a sex scandal involving secret service agents up next. or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you. liberty mutual insurance, responsibility -- what's your policy? with odor free aspercreme. powerful medicine relieves pain fast, with no odor. so all you notice is relief. aspercreme. joining me now is republican congresswoman kathy mcmorris rogers of washington state and democratic congresswoman from new york, carolyn maloney. i want to start out with a topic i said at the end of the week enough and that's the whole, you know the mommy war, war on women. let me start with you. do you think that the republicans, we know the republicans in the form of mitt romney, has a 20-point gap between women who support president obama and women who support mitt romney. what do you think is wrong that accounts for that 20-point gap? >> as the republicans are able to rally around our nominee, governor romney, i believe you're going to see that gap close. >> how? >> because the policies that governor romney is promoting. they are policies that will help women succeed in this country. and all people in this country succeed. president obama's policies are the ones that are failing, americans failing women. you saw in 2010 where the republicans won the women's vote. first time since reagan. in some ways you can say that it was american women that stood up and said president obama, we don't like your policies. and whether it's health care and the fact that women make 85% of the health care decisions, the economy, the debt, you have seen where women are really, they are rejecting the policies of president obama. >> congresswoman maloney, it's true the republicans made inroads in 2010 and what we've seen is since january where mitt romney trailed president obama among female voters by 5% it's grown 20%. what do you think accounts for that? >> i believe that women will turn out in droves to vote for president obama in this election. because they realize how much is at stake. >> because women do tend to vote democratic since the early '90s i think. >> for good reason. because of the policies that democrats put forward to protect women, children and families. when president obama took office, this country was jetting 700,000 jobs a month. we're now in the 25th month of job creation and job growth. and when you look at the republican initiatives, not only on the federal level but in the state houses across this country, their attempts to roll back and assault the rights and programs and services of women is absolutely stunning in its scope and appalling in its indifference to women. and to pretend that that does not exist is to double down on that indifference to women. >> let me move you on because there's a couple of subjects in the news that i wanted to get your take on. first of all, we have a new poll out, "the washington post"/abc news poll, this is among republicans and republican leading independents. and the question was do you think the war in afghanistan has been worth fighting or not. 55% of republicans say is not worth the cost. now we know that democrats have turned sour on this war a while back. so now an overwhelming majority it would seem to me of the public is against this war. we're now having these bomb explosions in kabul today. we have the spectre of the embassy hunkered down there. is it time for you all to push an end to the war earlier than the president envisions? >> it's been a tough ten years in afghanistan. i think it's important that we remember the reason that we're in afghanistan. it goes back to 9/11 and the attacks that were made on this country. we've seen certainly some successes when i talk to our military men and women. they can-foot the successes and, you know, think about the opportunities for women right now in afghanistan and i think it's so important we continue to stand for human rights for women all around this world and that's a key to defeating terrorists. i don't think that we can ignore the fact that there are those terrorists, al qaeda that continue to threaten america and threaten freedom around the world. and so i've supported president obama in his approach in winding down and making that smooth transition in afghanistan, but i think everyone is getting tired of the long war. >> if i can get you to answer quickly because i want to move you on to one more subject. but is it time to push for a quicker removal of the troops than the president want? >> i certainly do believe so, but we have to plan for what we're going to leave there. i agree with former secretary of state kissinger to try to get the countries to come around and that this will be a neutral stone and there will be peace in that area. we have to have a plan when we leave of the stability and continuation of stability and anti-terrorism. we have to remember why we went in there in the first place. >> we also have this breaking news about the secret service, they had to pull back 11 members that have been down in colombia with the president doing some of the advance work. they were not his body men, but they went ahead of him. they had to pull them back. the secret service said tis in a statement the nature of the allegations against these 11 coupled with a zero tolerance on personal misconduct resulted in the secret service taking the decisive action to relieve these individuals of their assignment. they brought new ones in. sent those others back home. engaging with prostitutes. nothing illegal as far as we know right now. what do you make of that? i know you're on the oversight committee. >> i think we should look into it, but i think we should always stand up for american values. and one area we've worked together is in combatting sex trafficking. and the leadership that our country has taking in rating countries on how they respond to protecting innocent girls and boys from being abused is admirable. but we have to stand up for our values and the laws of our country. >> how big a problem is this for the administration or is this isolated, we're taking care of it kind of thing? >> it's unfortunate. we never like to see these kinds of situations. we need to hold these people to the highest standards, the highest ethical standards. we need to look into exactly what happened and take the appropriate action. >> i wish we had more time. i hope you'll come back. appreciate your time this morning. >> we thank you for not having to ask the question, where are the women? you are bringing women into your show. >> we try. thanks so much. up nix, the latest on the attacks in afghanistan including some comments from senator john mccain. hi, i just switched jobs, and i want to roll over my old 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[ laughs ] [ car door shuts ] [ male announcer ] visit your local chevy dealer today. now very well qualified lessees can get a 2012 chevy cruze ls for around $159 per month. e.p.a. estimated 36 miles per gallon highway. customer 1: a hot dog with relish and onions please customer 1: what's this? vendor 1: hotdog contract customer 1: what? customer 2: that's your standard two year hotdog contract vendor 1: one hotdog per day limit voiceover: hotdog's don't have contracts customer 1: but what if i want two hot dogs vendor 1: (laughs) vendor 2: hey uh uh very expensive voiceover: getting the internet should be like hotdogs get clear unlimited 4g take it with you internet with no long term contracts and no data limits plans start at $34.99 a month call or go online today clear the way the internet should be i'm candy crowley in washington. now updates on the breaking stories we are following today. the u.s. embassy in afghanistan is on lockdown after a wave of coordinated attacks across the country. earlier on "state of the union" u.s. ambassador crocker said afghan forces have situation in kabul largely under control, but senator john mccain today said the attacks reflect badly on the current u.s. strategy in afghanistan. >> it just shows though that the early withdrawals over the recommendations of the military leadership has caused greater risk. i still think we can succeed in afghanistan but there's no doubt that there has been not sufficient troops to get the entire job done, as recommended by our military leadership. >> a military spokesman says some of the attackers have been captured. a number of afghan civilians have been killed or wounded. no americans were injured. the taliban is claiming responsibility for the attacks. deadly tornadoes hammer the midwest and plains overnight. five people were killed in the northwestern oklahoma town of woodward after a twister touched down there. earlier this hour on "state of the union," woodward's city manager say it had will take a while to assess the full extent of the damage in the town. tornadoes also left extensive damage in kansas and iowa. more severe weather is expected across the region today. and those are your top stories. we are back in a moment with matt bayh you can the "new york times" magazine and dan balz from the "washington post." in mississippi we had more good times... in louisiana we had more fun on the water. last season we broke all kinds of records down here on the gulf. more people more good times. this year we're out to do even better... and now's a great time to start. the sun's out and the beaches are even more relaxing. you can go deep sea fishing or enjoy our world-class restaurants... our hotels and rentals have special deals for the whole family. go golfing, kite boarding, or build the worlds biggest sand sculpture... with the world's best sand. so come on down to mississippi... get yourself down to louisiana... we'll see you in florida... you know you want to come to alabama. the gulf is america's get-a-way... and we're 100 percent ready to see you. come on down and help make 2012 an even better year for the gulf. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. joining me now, the chief political reporter for "new york times" matt bayh, and the chef correspondent for "the washington post," dan balz. two chef correspondents, wow. two guys who know what they are talking about. so as we like to say the battle lines are drawn. what are they? >> it is a classic election that we're coming up against. for obama it will be don't go back, the past is worse than what we've had. you may think it could be worse but it won't be. we're making progress. for governor romney it's clear. it is too much government with too few results. >> i think it's very clear on the republican side it's going to be just a failed presidency is their argument and they will turn to the economy. on the republican side i think, i don't know about you guys i find it interesting -- right now they are trying to tie him to the most extreme in his party. the way republicans went after john kerry, you couldn't paint him out of the political mainstream but the whole windsurfing thing, back and forth, didn't know him. etch-a-sketch is more of a central argument against his leadership qualities. >> interesting. right now, if you look at romney's plate, it is to a, bring in the right and the conservatives that don't trust him, b, move to the middle and bring in the conservatives and c, not look like a flipflopper. can he do that? >> well, it takes time to do all of that. he can't do all of that in the next 15 or 30 days. i think over time the party will come together. i nene you look at the structure of the republican party the people who most dislike president obama are the people who were most resistant to governor romney. in the end faced with that choice they will be with governor romney. how enthusiastically. i don't know. it depends on how governor romney handles himself. the bigger issue is can he get to the middle in a way that's credible. he does have problems with women and hispanics. the obama campaign the president himself are attacking him on those fronts. the obama campaign is taking a page out of the bush 2004 campaign. they are trying to keep the pressure on governor romney at a point when he's got a lot of things to do and try to pin him down and never let him be able to deliver the kind of message he wants to deliver. >> matt, the thing about you all coming on, i was thinking about how generally there's always a guy who is right for the times. you saw ronald reagan come in, big strong, you know, i'm all america everywhere when americans felt weak and embarrassed overseas by jimmy carter. you have bill clinton coming in and taking it away from the first george bush because he seemed he got that people were in economic trouble. i wonder if the resume and the bank account of mitt romney are running counter to the times? >> this is not the way you would have drawn it up? >> you know, i don't think. there's a lot of interpretations. i don't think wealth in and of itself a deal breaker. >> americans like wealth. >> don't know we're at the fiery populace at the moment that the left, you know, lean based in the democratic party thinks we are there's an authenticity issue. to the extent he seems like a guy who is trying to relate and be regular and it underscores the idea we don't know who mitt romney is and he seems to be of a changeling right where the moment calls for it. that would undermine his candidacy. to the extent he can make an principled argument and say yes, i'm successful and i'm here to defend success and it's consistent with where he is down the line as candidate, it's less damaging to him than they think it is. >> candy, when the romney team drew up the playbook for this campaign, i think that they assumed his profile was good for these times, obviously. a person who had been in business, who had helped to turn around things, who had a record of success. not overly ideological. he's lost some of this through this difficult primary fight and what the obama campaign has been able to do. the question is can he get back to that? >> thank you both so much for coming by. >> thank you. >> next, the serious side of bill cosby a conversation with a comedian about politics, race and president obama. americans believe they should be in charge of their own future. how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one. together for your future. ♪ how math and science kind of makes the world work. in high school, i had a physics teacher by the name of mr. davies. he made physics more than theoretical, he made it real for me. we built a guitar, we did things with electronics and mother boards. that's where the interest in engineering came from. so now, as an engineer, i have a career that speaks to that passion. thank you, mr. davies. i get my cancer medications through the mail. now washington, they're looking at shutting down post offices coast to coast. closing plants is not the answer. they want to cut 100,000 jobs. it's gonna cost us more, and the service is gonna be less. we could lose clientele because of increased mailing times. the ripple effect is going to be devastating. congress created the problem. and if our legislators get on the ball, they can make the right decisions. bill cosby isn't just an actor and comedian, he is also an activist with an interest in politicsism caught up with him this week in washington. i wanted to talk to you a little bit about politics before we talk about this amazing theater. you know that there has been some disappointment in the african-american community, some disappointment in the lesbian/gay community, some disappointment for those sort of on the lower end of the economic ladder, that the president hasn't done enough, that he got into office and went too middle of the road. do you find anything that he has done that disappoints you? >> i'm disappointed that people who don't look at the woes and trouble given to this man. people blatantly speaking out against his color, wasting time, starting up new stories about whether or not he was born here. saying things that they can't prove, and i feel sometimes -- not all the time -- that it's like watching -- his job is -- people want to make it as difficult as the one that syssiphis had. then when you see that he made promises and said things, the people who were supposed to be working with him didn't. the people who are supposed to be working even for another party didn't care about the american people. they wanted to get him. when people make statements like i hope he fails, you can't color that any other way except the way it's said. yes, okay, gays, lesbians, blacks, illegal aliens, pardon me, people like that all right. it didn't happen. look at where it didn't happen. it's a man trying to go about doing his job and a ton of other people voting against him and regardless of what he says. >> isn't that kind of, though, the definition of politics and how washington doesn't always work with the parties? >> no, this was worse. this was worse. everybody knows it was worse. and i think that this second term is one where we are really going to see a man who gets it, knows it, and it's going to be better, period. >> so you're confident there will be a second term? >> i am more than confident because he knows now who to say no to. he knows now who to say i don't care what you say, this is going to happen. and i believe he is for the people. >> what do you think of the trayvon martin case? are you -- is there an aspect of it that worries you more than -- >> no, i think it's -- i think it is. i listened to his parents, trayvon's parents, and they seem to be very, very pleased with what is going on. i'm a person who believes that that gun, the gun, all around this united states -- when a person has a gun, sometimes their mind clicks that this thing is -- it will win arguments and straighten people out. in the wrong hands, in the wrong mind, it's death. it's wounding people. people who don't have money to buy a decent meal for themselves. yet, someone will put an illegal gun in their hand. we, in this country, have got to continue to be out there in the streets about the gun. i'm not saying you can't have it in your home to protect yourself. people don't care. they don't think well, and they will kick in your door. so you have to protect yourself in your own home. but i also believe that when you tell me that you're going to protect the neighborhood that i live in, i don't want you to have a gun. i want you to be able to see something, report it, and get out of the way because you happen to be a part of the neighborhood. i don't want you to get hurt. and i don't want you to hurt anyone. >> so you saw more a gun issue than a race issue, is that -- >> how are you going to solve a race issue when it becomes he said/she said or he said/he said? and the other question is what is solved by saying he is a racist, that's why he shot the boy? what solves that? this and what is he doing with it and who taught him and told him how to behave with this because it doesn't make any difference if he's a racist or not racist. if he is scared to death and not a racist, it's still a confrontational provoking of something. i don't know what happened, but i know that this -- i used to have a gun. the policeman who okayed it said to me, mr. cosby, when you pull this trigger, you can't call it back. so i had the gun. the reason why i had it was to protect my family. i also knew that anything that went on outside and it appeared to be something that wasn't on the okay, i went out with my gun. and the thought was if this person is not right or if that doesn't move when i say move, i'm going to show that i have a gun. when you have police -- >> you scared yourself? >> when you have police, you call. and cops even call back-up, and they have a gun. so -- >> you got rid of it, it sounds like? >> oh, listen, i gave it back. yes. i just feel that this thing -- this thing, we need to get rid of it on the streets, and if people have one, they should be checked out so thoroughly, and they should be given all of the answers before they even go to this. and every answer should be don't go for this. every answer should be don't even go where you can -- you see somebody break in, call in, sit tight, call back-up, here they come. >> no lone rangers? >> no. this morning's breaking news prevents us from learning my full conversation including a section on the historic theater. you can see that on our website at cnn.com/sotu. also on our website, find out how cosby hides things from his wife, the secret he shares with

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