for good and ill, how would history be different today if tv images had not made michael dukakis the object of ridicule and if chase had not lamb popped ford as a klutz. and teddy, truics watched him, gradually got to know him. his fears and his real concerns for others. what i discovered about the inner world of the last kennedy. i'm chris matthews. welcome. >> michele norris hosts "all things considered. bill plant from the "cbs news." and andrea mitchell covers foreign affairs for abc and howard fineman is with us. television now nonstop is a vehicle that gives us the news of the day and in many ways, it is what makes leaders and demolishes and defines the losers. television has changed history because turning points have been played and replayed and now on the internet. let's look at how things have changed in the last 60 years. communism was at one time the number one fear. tv fed that fear but also destroyed the fear amongerer. it brought live hearings into the living room. here's what the lucky few that had tv, joseph mccarthy painting someone as a communist and the response f

it would have to be somebody like mike dukakis, talked about a lot. certain historic justice from a democratic state to have a former democratic standard bearer take that job and mike dukakis policy is up on the issues, would be perfect for the job. that's the kind of person that would have to say i'm not in it to run in five months. >> other than ben smith who was considered to be the place holder until ted kennedy got old enough to run for the seat in 1960, that's been a kennedy seat since 1952. any indication anybody in that family wants it or would pursue it and are they getting out of the way ever the heavier hitters among massachusetts democrats? >> well, here everybody's now being silent. everybody's willing to talk about this intertrim caretaker thing we were just discussing. no up there that i talked to today wants to talk about the unmentionable, which is who is going to run? ted kennedy not been buried yet. nobody wants to talk about it. i've been told this off the record. basically joe kennedy ii would have first dibs if he wanted to try i

>> mike dukakis is one of the brightest men in massachusetts, still.e no doubt that he would be a very effective united states senator. i know enough about massachusetts politics from my old days with jfk not to try to intervene as an outsider in that family feud. >> do you think they might approve it, they might aqueueess to the senator's dying wish? >> i think they should arrange for a senator to fill that spot soon and not threat go vacant. that would be a disservice to massachusetts and a disservice to everybody ted kennedy fought for. >> be back with more in a moment. >>> we have an exclusive for you wednesday night, r & b singer chris brown breaks his silence on assaulting rihanna. we'll talk about what he did, why did he it and how the law is making him pay. chris brown, his mother and attorney mark geragos here for the hour, wednesday night, september 2nd. back after this. (announcer) time brings new wisdom new aches and pains, ...and new questions about which pain reliever is right for your body. tylenol 8 hour works with your body, with one l

but -- [ laughter ] we did a little work for dukakis, even, when i was in high school. 1992 i volunteered for paul tsongas. [ laughter ] didn't win. and gore. and -- and kerry. hmm. [ laughter ] so -- basically my support has the opposite effect. so it seems the best thing i can do for the democratic party here is to stand here tonight and announce my endorsement of senator john mccain. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] he's actually here tonight. he's a great guy. i can't wait to tell him the good news. i'm sure he'll be thrilled. we have a great show tonight. david cook is here. [ cheers and applause ] stick around. we'll be right back! [ cheers and applause ] >> announcer: opening jars. every time it's the same old story. the twisting and turning. the aching and spraining. the scalding and burning. the swinging and striking. the panicking. and the dragging. the digging and burying. the lying and stalling. the resisting and tasing. the convicting and sentencing. the shackling and imprisoning. the studying and appealing. the plotting and scheming. the barking and th

and then there was michael dukakis. but greek americans know how much that meant to greek americans? today we asked somebody who should know. >> there was something that trumps the partisanship. i knew a lot of republican greeks who were supporting a democrat for first time because he was one of them. >> then of course the biggest jackie robinson moment of them all. election night 2008. some african-american students watching the returns and then it happened. and though it came 62 years after that break into the major leagues, this moment also says something about america. >> so help you god. >> so help me god. >> that he could not have made it without millions of white americans voting for him. justice kennedy couldn't without the votes of non-catholics and just as sotomayor today wouldn't have been confirmed but for the decision of the senate chamber filled with mostly older, caucasian men. it was a latino moment, but yes, an american one too. i'm john donvan for "nightline" in washington. >> congratulations to her. o

mentioned is this possible temporary senator is the former governor and presidential candidate michael dukakisand george reports a more permanent replacement could be kennedy's nephew, joe. he is the eldest son of robert kennedy and a former congressman who still has money left over from his last campaign. >> a senate replacement could help democrats fight for health care reform on capitol hill. some hope the issue kennedy called the cause of his life will get a boost from his passing. but as jonathan karl reports, the opposition has not let up. >> reporter: could senator kennedy's death inspire new-found unity on health care reform? >> no compromises, senator. nuke it now. >> reporter: the answer seems to be no. but many prominent democrats are hoping to turn an outpouring of goodwill into political magic. >> ask themselves what would teddy do. health secretary kathleen made the pitch. >> the best possible legacy is to pass health reform this year. >> reporter: the most senior senator, robert byrd, said my heart and soul weeps at the loss of senator kennedy and called for name being the healt

election is coming forward now and that name appears to be former massachusetts governor michael dukakis. as you know, he was a 1984 democratic national candidate for president. >> all right, we'll watch it closely. tom fitzgerald live in the newsroom g. to www.myfoxdc.com for complete coverage of the funeral arrangements and check out worldwide reaction. a photo gallery of senator kennedy's life and the memorial in his honor. >>> thage in edge tracking trouble. --age in edge tracking -- news edge tracking trouble. boxes and boxes of things lik computer -- computer, hardway and tools. the second time in a month the the police have raided the pawnshop. as beth parker shows us, this time they were not alone. this has been a problem. >> reporter: and now it might be a problem for -- in blazensberg. the tools made by dewalt. >> these are husbands of items brand-new. this is what brought us here. the items are obviously sold. >> they expensive item when is you buy in retail. they sold to pawnshops on the dollar. >> reporter: police had help. the retailers safeway sent employers and trucks. it

mentioned is this possible temporary senator is the former gogovernor a presidential candidate, michael dukakis. >> george adds that kennedy's nephew, joe, is being considered r a replacement for kennedy. he has plenty of money left over from his last campaign. >>> among those with fd memories of teddy kenny, are massachusetts families devastated by the 9/11 attacks. here's a abc's sharyn alfonsi. >> reporter: a day after the 9/11 attacks, cindy mcginty thought she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. her husband, mike, had been killed inside the trade center. she was home in massachusetts, with the couple's boys, ages 7 and 8. >> my phone rang. and there was this big, booming voice on it. >> reporter: it was senator kennedy, calling to express his condolences. >> given his own history, he had lost his own brothers to very tragic events. he lost many members of his own family. i just thought, it must ve brought back memories for him. >> reporter: it was a difficult call kennedy would make 176 more times. calling to offer his help to each of the massachusetts families. >> and i needed his he

being mentioned as a temporary senator is the former governor and presidential candidate, michael dukakis. >> that would be the interim senator, if indeed this law were passed. how about speculation to who might run in the election five, six months from now? >> reporter: vicki kennedy has taken herself out, but joe kennedy, bobby's eldest son, a former congressman is still looking at the race. he has some money left over in his campaign chest. and there's a host of other members of congress and other sta statewide officials. there's a lot of pent up ambition in massachusetts. there hasn't been an open senate seat since john kerry first ran in 1984, 25 years ago. >> all right, george stephanopoulos reporting, thanks. >>> even though he was away from the senate for much of the last year, until just days ago, the senator was actively involved in the health care reform debate, on the phone with colleagues. some of his allies in congress harbor hopes that his death might generate a change of heart among opponents. if that is to be the case, there are few signs of it yet. here's jon karl. >> re

interim replacements two names are teddy's widow victoria and democratic presidential mom knee michael dukakis. t.j. winick, abc 2 news, washington. >>> it has been a cooler than normal day across the region. right now from the storm center weather net, at fort meade, how y'all doing down there? 72 degrees. wind from the north at 8 miles an hour. again, live data only available here on abc 2. here is your forecast for the next couple of hours. temperatures hanging in the low 70s with partly cloudy skies, mild temperatures. the cool air continues. for how long? we'll have the answer coming up in a couple minutes. >>> devastation. had the boat for 20 years, and it's just tough to see it resting on its side in the middle of the pavement. >> people in new york state are still trying to untangle their boats after a 50-wide-yard tornado with winds of 90 miles an hour ripped through that area. people at the yacht club say some of them can't be saved, and other boats will take up to a year to fix. the storm also caused a mess on land, tearing through homes and uprooting trees. >>> tonight police in ge

mondale in 1984, dukakis in 1988. then, when clinton took the nomination in 1992, he really took it away from the left, because he was more moderate, and then when he ran for reelection in 1996, we worked overtime keeping kennedy off of the platform during prime time. bill: because you did not want clinton to be seen as a liberal? >> exactly. he's so much admired john kennedy, but i think on the political level, he was afraid of him -- he's so much admired john kennedy. he thought that clinton wasted this opportunity to move to the left -- he so much admired john kennedy. i think that when senator kennedy endorsed obama over hillary, that, i think, was just the culmination, really, of 30 years of heading opposite wings of the democratic party, and, by the way, those wings may come back to was in the future. bill: all right, directly ahead, geraldo knows the kennedy family, and he is on martha's vineyard at the moment. we also have an ( conversation ) garth, you're up. hold on, i'm at capitalone.com picking a photo...

dukakis was good in the last cole of weeks and that happens all the time.ppened here he sd i will be myself. bu he still got nailed a lot. he was considered by carter's pearl and most pele would call him a bad loser. normally first we tught he would get ou after illinois after a zero chance then he stayed in throughout the end and then he would not quit and he took his fight to the coention on the idea that he would get a boat through bella all of delegates who were pledge to other candidates to be freeo vote for him. it was absurd and it fced jimmy carter to spend a tremendous amount of time a money heat on him that he could have devoted to ronald reagan. >> also in the seconhalf of the campaign it improved. it was not just as you p it people are out the best when they'reosing but by that time ronald reagan had pretty much broug up the republic 10 denominations idea how this charismatic figure who is running on theotal destruction of these programs in the '60s that were associated wh ted but also his brothers and played into that sense of family obligation

you're going to find someone who won't want to have the long-rm seat like former governor michael dukakisbunch of people looking at the long-term seat including perhaps former congressman joe kennedy, the eldest son of bobby kennedy. >> i have to say one minute after the funeral was over yesterday i got something in my in box about health care from the dnc, the democrats. how much do you think the death of senator kennedy will now impact the health care reform debate? >> well, there is an immediate impact in that the democrats will have one fewer -- one less senator right now. harder to get to 60. that's number one. they can't get there on their own. so that's number one. number two, i don't think -- i think it might change the tone of the debate a little bit. might lower the temperature a little bit but i don't think it changes the fundamental dynamic of what's going on here. the president's plans, democrats' plans facing significant obstacles. doesn't rule out the possibility of a compromise down the road, but it's probably going to take a significant adjustment for the democrats to get

but avenues liberal and proud to be a liberal and going back to the '88 campaign, thought dukakis couldave done a better job fending off the attacks for being a liberal. he knew how to stay relevant in each presidency. >> especially the work at the end of the obama campaign, ted kennedy took on a tony bennett role of the mtv generation, all of a sudden, he was hip again. i remember traveling with senator kennedy about two months before his diagnosis in new mexico and l.a. doing some events for obama and i was struck by how young the crowds were. and part of it is obviously the obama appeal but the other thing was he was really sort of looked to as not so much an icon bus that sort of implies, you know, almost i recall advance, but someone who was cool, someone who had had given their man, barack obama, an impri achmatuo and he got a kick out of it too. >> thank you, gentlemen, we will look for more from you the days we are on. >>> senator kennedy holds a special spot in the history of "meet the press" for sure, the guest whose appearances on the program covered the longest span of time.

michael dukakis was actually quite good in the last couple of weeks. and that kind of happens here.said o i'm going to be myself, but he still got nailed a lot throughout, and he was considered by carter's people and i think most people would say look at, a bad loser. normally, once you -- they first thought he was going to get out after illinois when he had a near zero chance of doing it. then he stayed in throughout the end of the campaign and then he wouldn't quit and he took his fight to the conventional on an idea that he would get a rules vote through thatould allow all of the delegates who have been pledged to other candidates to be free to vote for him. it was absolutely absurd from the beginning and it forced jimmy carter to spend a tremendous amount of time and pony on him that he could have devoted to ronald reagan. >> i think that also, we could say that in the second half of the complain, when he had proved, it wasn't just, you know, do you -- as you so eloquently put it, people are at their beds with they're lose, i think about that time, rald reagan had pretty much se

in '88 they began moving away with dukakis.'92 they finally elected a different democrat. >> you know, ed mccormick was right in 1962. his candidacy was a joke except for the fact ahis brother was president of the united states and it was very important and for the first 15, maybe 20 years, i think what he did in the senate was not something that will be his legacy. it is the things he did outside of the senate that people remember. but it was liberating to lose that nomination fight to jimmy carter, get that monkey off his back and the next few years particularly when he married vicki, i think the whole body of ted kennedy's work has to be judged and in judging the whole body i think i agree. >> e.j., ted kennedy put it in context, i don't know how many saw it at arlington national cemetery, cardinal mccarrick read the letter, parts of the letter that ted kennedy wrote to the pope earlier this summer and he talked about how he wasn't a perfect person. but he also seemed to use his catholic faith and say that his public career

michael dukakis. he is one of those senior statesman who could be counted on to keep the seat warm until the party could get its act together and have a proper election in january. there are a lot of names out there even if you look on the republican side. massachusetts is not a very republican state. there is talk about mitt romney. he once came closer than most to defeating senator kennedy in a senate race and that state. who knows? there is a lot of political intrigue, but you are not allowed to talk about it if you are one of the people who wants the secret trace: i think i heard about a former white house's chief of staff. on the other side, you talk about barney frank's name being talked around. he said, i do not want it. he took his name out of consideration. even though the white house says that president obama -- he might not be thinking about this at all, but other certainly are. there is jockeying going on about the laws and what the next move is with health care. do we start putting the le

the name of michael dukakis, the former governor here, has certainly been mentioned.wait and see. >> when the election does roll around to fill the seat, do you think we will see another kennedy in there? is that possible? >> well, there's a lot of speculation. senator kennedy's widow vicki reggie kennedy comes from a large political family. she's obviously somebody who's up to speed on the issues. during this period she understandably has said nothing about the race. there's no indication that she will run. that hasn't stopped people from speculating. and also the senator's nephew joe kennedy, a former congressman, has sometimes been mentioned. it remains to be seen, but there might be a kennedy running. >> what about the next generation of kennedys? i know that bobby kennedy has two grandsons who are not old enough to run for the seat, but who we could see in the future? >> they're both in public spirited professions. matthew and joe kennedy iv. they're 28 years old. matthew works in the obama administration. and joe has graduated from law school and is going to be

and should that happen, one name that's being talked about is michael dukakis, former massachusetts governorate. natalie? >> kelly o'donnell in boston, thank you so much, kelly. >>> two u.s. soldiers died today after a roadside bombing in baghdad. at least 4,337 american troops have been killed in iraq since the war began more than six years ago. >>> law enforcement officials in south carolina are investigating a police beating caught on tape. the video shows a police officer hitting a teenage suspect with a flashlight after teens on an all-terrain vehicle refused to pull over. the officer was later fired. >>> and call them discerning females. three gorillas at london zoo were given a large photo of a male suter, so to speak, soon to join them, but it appears they weren't too impressed with them, because the female gorilla snatched the picture, ripped it up and then ate it. 8:05 right now. funny story. back outside now to matt and ann and a huge crowd. >> all right, thanks a lot, natalie. >> so, we want to ask our crowd members when the concert starts to put their umbrellas down no >> corpor

people talk about michael dukakis, people who clearly do not want the position for the future but senior> chairman -- >> something that gets to the position and reality of it, we just want somebody in the seat. >> until we hold the election. >> jonathan, thanks for the reporting particularly on that one. contessa, what else is going on prfr breaking news from south carolina. the governor is inviting reporters to have a chat with him in about an hour. we're told mark sanford will address ethics investigation into air travel. he's under fire for flying business class when state law requires flying the most economical way. they released travel records from 1984. they show one governor using supersonic jet to use friends. other officials fly first class. house speaker pro tem spoke out on "morning meeting." >> we have record unemployment in south carolina. we have some of the worst unemployment in the country, and it's affecting our ability to talk about that. so therefore, i think he should resign. >> south carolina's lieutenant governor is also calling on sanford to resign, which would all

. >> does governor dukakis have any interest?ave read that speculation and i think it is too soon to talk about any particular individual. i have enormous respect for governor dukakis. i do not want to imply anything other than it is too soon to get into individuals. >> are you reconsidering going to the doctor tomorrow? >> yes, but i have worked my way through all that. i am due there at 6:00 in the morning. then there is the preparation and they do the deed and i hope it goes smoothly and i know they do, too. there'll be time in the recovery room in the afternoon tomorrow and, if everything goes as planned, i will be admitted into a room later in the day and i will spend a couple of days there learning how to put my shoe on and get out of bed and walk upstairs. >> [inaudible] >> certainly a day, maybe 12. >2. >> did senator kennedy's letter includes you? >> i don't need this headache. by that i mean the purely political business of saying yes to someone and no to a lot of other people. like i said, the senator's interest and my

a fair and balanced look now with the former head of the dukakis head of the campaign, susan estridges joining me and president george w. bush, and he's here. great to see you both. >> thank you. >> jamie: brad, susan, good so see you as well. it's not a report card and it's not a-- just a correction, they're taking a look at what's going on. what is it? why are they getting together and the president isn't there, it's the vice-president. what do we expect? >> well, that's the real trouble there, you have joe biden running the show and the president at camp davidment and having said that, look, you know, things are not well in this white house and they're not going as planned and obviously, they're circling of wagon to try and get things back on track and they passed the stimulus bill and they promised that unemployment with a not rai raise-- would not raise over 8.5% and creeping up to 10 in urban areas, 14%, legislators are reading, they're not reading bills and billions are being spent. cap and trade, another disaster for them, and health care, the president thought he'd have the h

michael dukakis was pretty good the last couple of weeks and that happens the time. [laughter] and i think that happened here. he said i'm going to be myself but he still got nailed a lot and he was considered by congress people and most people if they loo at a bad loser. normally the first thought he was going to get down illinois then he stayed through the end of the campaign than he wouldn't quit and he took his fight to the convention on a diaphanous idea he would get eight roel vote through that would allow all of the delegates who had been pledged to other candidates to be free to vote for him. it was observed from the beginning and it forced jimmy carter to spend a tremendous amount of time andoney on him that he couldave devoted to ronald reagan. >> i think also we could say in the second half of the campaign when he proved it wasn't just as you eloquently put it people are at their best when they are losing. i also think by that time ronald reagan pretty much suck up the republan nominatinn so you had this charismatic republican figure running on the total d

. >> and you voted for bush over dukakis. >> yes. >> but then in the end you voted for gore. >> but i wasn't too sure. >> why do you want us to know that? >> it's a secret ballot, and you don't have to do that. it's kind of like painting a portrait of yourself. it's like looking at -- you're painting your own portrait. it kind of tells you something about somebody. but i also then, you know -- i also said that i find -- the line i like that i wrote, i kind of like the line more than anything else in the book that i don't hold in disdain the people i disagree with. i just disagree with them. and i like to play both sides of the street. that happened at one of those ronald reagan library lunches, sitting there with nancy in that california crowd, justin dart, that california republican -- and somebody said to me, you did the first nixon-kennedy debate. was that important in getting jack kennedy elected? i said, it wasn't as important as his father buying him cook county. now, i've got a table with me, they love me. i'm figuring, i don't want to be with you guys, i've got to get back on

perhaps the former governor, mike dukakis. gretchen: really? dave: and how convenient. this is about health care because duvall patrick is a friend, supporter of barack obama. brian: he's democrat. dave. the exact lawmakers who changed it only five years ago want to flip-flop it back. needless to say they need the vote, but this is not why our system has these rules. gretchen: it is political hypocrisy at its best, quite frankly. brian: and talking about joe kennedy jr. taking the seat if you get by the fact that he cut a deal with chavez. dave: he wants this person to say in writing that they will not run in any special election. is that going to be allowed by law? a lot of legal hoops to jump through before we get to that point. gretchen: so this soanters around the health care -- centers around the health care reform debate. may it be too costly? one congressman, john adler is concerned. congressman adler joins us now from philadelphia. good morning to you. >> good morning, gretchen. gretchen: so you're a democrat. but you are not in favor of the public option. the v

michael dukakis announced his selection of his running mate back in 1988 at faneuil hall. it is in the center of the city, a thriving marketplace, a hotel district. it is steps from the north end, steps from the financial district, steps from the government offices in boston. it is literally dead center city, a place where tourists come but also a place where longtime residents of the city know they can go and take a great walk and see the historic sites, whether it be the old north church a few steps away, the freedom trail running right through the faneuil hall marketplace area where so many critical events in the birth of the united states of america took place. of course, the kennedy family, because of its rich political history and, again, rose kennedy's dad was the mayor of boston at one point, he wanted very much to go right into the heart of the city that for so many re-elections in his 47 years as a senator from this state were the central parts of the city, the highest democratic turnout right here in the center of the city of boston. >> and we're seeing the live