Aired February 21, 2008 - 17:00 ET
The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
On CNN on hour before the Lou Dobbs Show

BLITZER: Check in with Lou Dobbs to see what's on his mind right now. His show begins in an hour.

Lou, when you take a look at this contest right now, independent voters out there, whether the moderate center on both sides or people who just don't see themselves as Republicans or Democrats, how do you think this is going to break when it comes down to the two person contest?

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, for the two-person contest moving into the general election, you know, I think you've got two candidates who are going to have to move quite a distance to get to the center. Independents in this country live at the center of the country as do most Americans. And these candidates, whether it's Obama, whether it's Clinton, whether it's McCain or even Huckabee, they got a ways to go to get to the center.

BLITZER: Because McCain's reputation out there is really as sort of a maverick and independent. He's gone against the White House on several issues. He's gone against his fellow Republicans on several issues, one of two Republicans to vote against the Bush tax cuts in 2001, as you remember. Only Lincoln Chafee, the former senator from Rhode Island, joined him on the Republican side.

DOBBS: Right.

BLITZER: Does that appeal to the independents out there?

DOBBS: I don't think so. I don't think so at all. I think that maverick thing is - you know I think most Americans and you know all of us can really only speak for ourselves but I truly believe most Americans want reason. They want compassion. And they want people who are concerned about a government that is not representing the majority in this country. They want the national interest represented. Not special interests or ethnocentric interests.

They want the common good represented. And they're desperate for that. I think we all are. The partisanship that is playing out this year, frankly, these candidates, as you know I'm an independent. I'm a populous. I don't have a dog in the hunt as I've said time and time again but I think these are amongst the most disappointing candidates we could have possibly put forward from a nation of 300 million people.

BLITZER: So does that mean a viable third party alternative candidate is not going to necessarily emerge or will emerge?

DOBBS: I happen to believe that a third party candidate will emerge because there is such a void here in leadership and that I think it's almost a certainty.

BLITZER: All right. But it's not going to be Lou Dobbs, right?

DOBBS: Well, as I have said before, you never say never and I might be a candidate last resort but I'm sure as heck not a candidate now. thank you very much.

BLITZER: Lou Dobbs, thanks. We'll see you here on CNN in one hour. Lots of news coming up on his program "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT." Lou, thanks very much.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/ ... om.02.html


I might be a candidate last resort
This shows that Lou Dobbs is giving a run for President serious thought.

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