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White House hopefuls face off in the aftermath of Iowa

(CNN) — A narrowed field of White House hopefuls sparred about nuclear terrorism, immigration and one another as they faced off in a double-feature debate in New Hampshire on Saturday, just three days before the state holds the first-in-the-nation primaries.

The six Republicans and four Democrats mingled briefly on stage at Saint Anselm College in Manchester — some shaking hands, others hugging and chatting — in between their respective debates as the audience applauded.

Republicans went first in the invitation-only event, with world affairs dominating the first portion of the debate.

Mike Huckabee, fresh from his big win in the Iowa caucuses, defended his statements criticizing President Bush’s foreign policy for reflecting an arrogant bunker mentality.

I was speaking to the fact that there were times when we gave the world the impression that we were going to ignore what they thought or what they felt, and we were going to do whatever it is we wanted to do, Huckabee said.

Mitt Romney — the candidate Huckabee defeated in Iowa and sat next to during the debate — pounced on Huckabee’s remarks.

The president is not arrogant. The president is not subject to a bunker mentality, Romney said. The president has acted out of his desire to keep America safe. And we owe him a debt of gratitude for keeping this country safe over the last six years.

During the spirited discussion on foreign policy, Romney told Huckabee, Don’t try and characterize my positions.

Which one? Huckabee then immediately asked, prompting the hundreds of journalists watching the debate from the Saint Anselm College filing center to burst into laughter.

Romney also sparred with Sen. John McCain on the issue of immigration, calling his plan to provide a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants a form of amnesty. Romney has been airing television ads critical of McCain’s position in New Hampshire.

It’s not amnesty, and for you to describe it as such in your attack ads, my friend — you can spend your whole fortune on these attack ads, but it still won’t be true, McCain shot back.

Is there a way to have this about issues and not personal attacks? I hope so, Romney responded.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said his priority as president would be dealing with illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.

Since you can’t throw out all 12 million people, whether Governor Romney would like to do that or not or anybody else would, you just can’t do it. It’s not physically possible to do.

Meanwhile, Ron Paul decried the country’s economic policies.

[Inflation] comes from deficit financing with this war-mongering foreign policy we have. We run up the deficits. We tax. We borrow. We borrow from the Chinese. We can’t borrow enough, Paul said.

Later, each candidate was asked to compare himself with the campaign of Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama and why he should receive the support of independents.

All the Republicans distanced themselves from Obama’s views — which Fred Thompson called liberal — except for Mike Huckabee, who talked about the enthusiasm of Obama’s supporters and the public’s desire for a president to transcend divisions of political parties.

Saturday night’s debate — sponsored by ABC News, Facebook and WMUR –was the last opportunity for the candidates to duke it out on the same stage before New Hampshire voters have their say.

The Democratic debate — featuring Sen. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Sen. Barack Obama and Bill Richardson — was getting under way.

In order to participate in Saturday evening’s debate, candidates had to either finish in the top four in Iowa or get at least five percent in recent New Hampshire or national polls.

Joe Biden and Chris Dodd dropped out of the Democratic race after disappointing finishes in Iowa.

The campaign for Republican hopeful Dennis Kucinich, who did not make the threshold for the debate, filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission, saying that ABC is violating its obligation to operate in the public interest by not letting him participate.

The debates come after Iowa wins for Huckabee and Obama, but in the Granite State, different leaders could emerge.

Clinton and Obama are tied at the top among Democrats, and McCain is leading the GOP pack, according to results from a new CNN WMUR/New Hampshire presidential primary poll.

The survey was conducted by the University of New Hampshire. Clinton and Obama each grabbed the support of 33 percent of New Hampshire voters who said they plan to vote in the state’s Democratic primary.

Twenty percent said they would vote for Edwards. Four percent chose Richardson, and 2 percent chose Kucinich.

On the Republican side, 33 percent of likely Republican primary-goes in New Hampshire said McCain was their top pick. Coming in second was Mitt Romney with 27 percent.

Giuliani had 14 percent, followed by Huckabee with 11 percent, Paul with 9 percent and Duncan Hunter and Thompson with 1 percent each.

The poll, released just hours before the debate, has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. E-mail to a friend

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Saakashvili heads for poll victory

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — President Mikhail Saakashvili headed for victory in Saturday’s election, according to an exit poll in this former Soviet republic where he is fighting accusations of authoritarian tendencies four years after coming to power as a champion of democracy.

Saakashvili’s supporters waved flags in the capital after the exit poll showed him winning 53.8 percent of the vote. But the poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points — casting doubt on whether the president would hang onto the absolute majority needed to avoid a runoff.

The opposition called for protests Sunday, claiming the vote was rigged and the exit poll falsified. Saakashvili’s leading challenger, Levan Gachechiladze, received 28.3 percent of the vote, according to the exit poll.

The U.S.-educated Saakashvili led mass street protests that ousted a Communist-era veteran from power following fraudulent elections in late 2003. He won a January 2004 election with more than 96 percent of the vote and set out to transform the bankrupt country into a modern European state.

Now the Rose Revolution hero, who was much lauded in the West, is accused by his opponents at home of sidelining his critics and displaying an authoritarian bent.

After casting his ballot in Tbilisi, Saakashvili said he was dedicated to having a free and fair election. We are committed to having Georgia as a beacon of democracy in our part of the world, he said.

The head of an international election monitoring mission said about two hours before the polls were to close that the election appeared fair..

From what we’re seeing now … there does not appear to be anything to suggest there is an election being stolen, said Representative Alcee Hastings, a Florida Democrat heading a mission sent by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Saakashvili’s opponents took to the streets in November, holding peaceful demonstrations for five days before police violently dispersed them. Saakashvili imposed a state of emergency that included banning independent TV news broadcasts.

The violent crackdown angered many Georgians and called into question Saakashvili’s commitment to democracy. Saakashvili defused the crisis by calling an early election, cutting short his own five-year term.

Opposition leaders said the campaign was held under unfair conditions and claimed there were widespread violations during the vote.

Gachechiladze, speaking on television early Sunday, claimed he had won in most precincts and the vote count was being held under conditions of terror. He called for protests Sunday afternoon, urging all of Georgia to come to make sure we don’t lose our country.

A runoff vote could allow the opposition, now split among six candidates, to unite behind Gachechiladze, a businessman and lawmaker.

Gachechiladze, 43, represents an opposition coalition that wants to do away with the presidency. If a parliamentary system is established, as the coalition wants, he would step down.

Casting his ballot in Tbilisi, David Machavariani, 22, said he was voting for Gachechiladze because he wants to abolish the presidency.

I want a strong prime minister and a strong government, said Machavariani.

The opposition has been undermined by a scandal that has discredited one of the leading candidates, billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili. He has been accused of plotting to overthrow the government and has acknowledged offering large sums of money to police if they side with protesters. Georgian authorities say he offered $100 million.

The exit poll showed Patarkatsishvili finishing third with 6.2 percent of the vote.

Saakashvili says the election has put at stake his plan to transform Georgia into a country worthy of membership in NATO and the European Union. Sixty-one percent of the respondents polled said they approved of joining the Western military alliance.

During his four years in office, he has cracked down on organized crime and corruption, modernized the police force and the army, restored steady supplies of electricity and gas, and improved roads. The result has been annual economic growth of about 10 percent and a steady rise in foreign investment.

The economic success has not yet defeated poverty, and after the November protests, Saakashvili made social welfare one of his top priorities.

Niko Jialishvili, a 52-year-old taxi driver, said he voted for Saakashvili.

He has created jobs. He has raised salaries, pensions, said Jialishvili There is light, there is gas, there is everything.
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Storms cause trouble in Nevada, turn deadly in California

MALIBU, California (CNN) — Severe storms that have brought heavy rain, snow and high winds to California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado claimed their first victim and probably triggered a levee break Saturday.

The rupture in western Nevada sent water gushing into the town of Fernley, cutting off as many as 400 homes and forcing dozens of residents to flee to the local high school for shelter, officials said.

More than a dozen people had to be rescued, but there were no reports of injuries, Fernley Mayor Todd Cutler said.

The levee break caused flooding of up to 3 feet in some parts of the Reno area.

Cutler said the water escaped through a 50-foot breach in the levee, affecting 300 to 400 homes in about one square mile in Fernley.

Power was out in parts of the town. See where Fernley and canal are located

A local resident who drove out of his neighborhood said his street was flooded.

Water to the edge of our driveway and rising quickly, Bill Sanchez said. Firemen are in the middle of the street with water up to their knees. See icy floodwaters cover the area

About 100 people, including people with small children and pets, took refuge in a high school, which had been set up as a temporary shelter, Cutler said. Watch how break ruined residents’ morning

Snow and low temperatures were aggravating the situation, Trooper Chuck Allen of the Nevada Department of Public Safety told CNN earlier.

Temperatures are cold, at the freezing mark. We just received a lot of snow overnight, probably about 4 to 6 inches of snow in the Fernley area. You couple that with cold water, I mean, folks have just woken up to a terrible event, he said.

To help ease the flooding, water in the Truckee Canal — which carries water through Fernley from the Truckee River to the Lahontan Reservoir — was now being diverted, said Scott Huntley of the Lyon County fire department. As a result, the water was receding.

Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons said he intended to sign a declaration of emergency for Lyon County.

We’re hopeful that we’ll be be able to get a federal declaration of emergency, get the presidential declaration, which will allow us not just to have FEMA resources, but federal resources to help rebuild this community, he said.

Although it was not immediately clear what caused the break in the levee, the officials noted that a large storm Friday night had pummeled the area with several inches of snow.

Asked about a report that rodents burrowing near the canal contributed to the breach, Gibbons and other officials said it was too early to tell.

A team from the Army Corps of Engineers is at the scene assessing the break.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for parts of Lyon County after the levee break.

Also Saturday, police found a body believed to be that of a woman who was washed away in a pickup truck on a flooded road overnight in rural Chino, California, a police spokesman said.

The body was discovered more than a mile from where the truck had gone underwater overnight Friday.

Her companion survived by clinging to a tree amid the rapid and deep water for at least three hours, Chino Valley Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Gaul said.

Rescuers pulled the man into a boat with a rope. He was taken to a local hospital and is suffering from minor hypothermia, cuts and bruises.

In Orange County, California, about 3,000 residents in four canyons burned by last year’s wildfires were ordered to evacuate Friday night.

There is a high risk of mudslides and debris flows due to heavy rain in the burn areas, said a statement from the Orange County Emergency Operations Center. These mudslides and debris flows occur without notice and can be large enough to completely bury homes, roads and lives [people].

Anyone choosing not to evacuate does so at their own risk, the statement added. Watch how ‘killer slides’ pose danger

In higher elevations of the region, the National Weather Service issued a rare heavy snow warning for the San Bernardino Mountains, predicting 1 to 2 feet of new snow on those peaks.

As it moved eastward, the huge storm sent whipping winds and heavy snow into parts of Utah and Colorado on Saturday as well, prompting authorities to close major highways — including Interstate 80 — as the weather service warned that traveling in the area will put your life at risk.

Do not attempt to travel in the Sierra [region] today, the meteorological agency said in a special weather statement.

CalTrans has also issued high-wind advisories over bridges in the bay area, and motorists are being warned to proceed with caution, she said.

A blizzard warning was discontinued for the area around Truckee, California, northeast of Sacramento, which received large amounts of snow overnight, as well as strong winds.

A gust near Donner Peak was clocked at 163 miles per hour. Watch whipping 40-mph winds

The heavy rains and wind in several parts of California contributed to major power outages, with as many as 1.75 million customers affected at the peak of the blackout.

About 400,000 Pacific Gas and Electric (PGE) customers still had no power Saturday afternoon, spokesman David Eisenhauer told CNN in a phone interview.
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Poll: Clinton, Obama tied in New Hampshire

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) — With three days to go until the New Hampshire primary, it’s dead even in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois are tied, with each grabbing the support of 33 percent of likely Democratic primary voters in the Granite State, according to a new CNN/WMUR New Hampshire presidential primary poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire.

Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina is in third place with 20 percent, according to the poll, which was released Saturday afternoon.

Both Obama and Edwards appear to have benefited from the Iowa caucuses. Each picked up three points in New Hampshire. Clinton lost one point, since our last poll taken before the caucuses, said CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider.

On the Republican side, John McCain has emerged the leader of the GOP pack in New Hampshire.

The new CNN/WMUR survey was conducted Friday and Saturday, after the Iowa caucuses. Obama won the Iowa caucuses on the Democratic side, with Edwards slightly edging Clinton out for second place.

The biggest shift appears to be on electability. Thirty-six percent of likely Democratic New Hampshire primary voters now think Clinton has the best chance of beating the Republican presidential nominee. That’s down nine points from CNN’s last Granite State survey, which was conducted December 27 to 30.

Obama is just behind Clinton when it comes to electability, at 35 percent, a virtual tie. Obama has gained 13 points since CNN’s pre-caucus poll.

Obama got something else out of winning Iowa: a big boost in his perceived electability. A week ago, Clinton led Obama by better than two to one when New Hampshire Democrats were asked which candidate has the best chance of beating the Republican in November. Obama’s victory in an overwhelmingly white state may have resolved some doubts about an African-American candidate’s electability, Schneider said.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is in fourth place with 4 percent. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio is at 2 percent.

The new poll suggests McCain is now the front-runner in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire.

Thirty-three percent of likely GOP Granite State primary voters support the senator from Arizona, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney six points back at 27 percent.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s in third place at 14 percent, with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in fourth place at 11 percent.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas follows with 9 percent, and Rep. Duncan Hunter of California and former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee are tied at 1 percent.

Huckabee won the Republican Iowa caucuses, with Romney coming in second, even though Romney’s campaign vastly outspent Huckabee’s organization in Iowa.

Romney was the front-runner in most New Hampshire polls until last month, when McCain pulled even in many surveys.

It looks like Huckabee’s victory among Iowa Republicans helped John McCain more than Mike Huckabee. Huckabee gained one point among New Hampshire Republicans. McCain gained four. A week ago, McCain and Mitt Romney were tied in New Hampshire. Now McCain now leads Romney by 6 points, said Schneider.

For the CNN/WMUR survey, 359 New Hampshire residents likely to vote in the Democratic primary and 313 Granite State residents likely to vote in the Republican primary were interviewed.

The poll’s sampling error is plus or minus five percentage points.
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Man charged in missing hiker case

BLAIRSVILLE, Georgia (CNN) — Gary Michael Hilton has been charged with kidnapping in the case of missing hiker Meredith Emerson, a spokesman for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Saturday.

He was the last person seen with Emerson in the north Georgia mountains.

Hilton, 61, was detained Friday night after a police officer spotted his van at a convenience store in suburban Atlanta.

Hours earlier, Ella — Emerson’s black Labrador retriever that had been with her as she hiked through the north Georgia mountains — was found when the dog walked into a Kroger grocery store about 50 miles from where she disappeared.

The animal was positively identified through an implanted microchip. Watch how the dog was discovered

Police found items belonging to Emerson in a trash bin near the store where dog turned up and where Hilton was spotted on a surveillance camera, CNN affiliate WSB reported.

Investigators searched the area Saturday looking for more possible clues, the station said.

Emerson was last seen hiking along the Freeman Trail on Blood Mountain on New Year’s Day.

Witnesses saw Hilton and his reddish dog with Emerson on multiple occasions Tuesday before she disappeared, Union County sheriff’s investigator Kimberly Verdone said.

A dog that accompanied Hilton when he was detained Friday night is being kept at a DeKalb County, Georgia, animal shelter.

Emerson was reported missing Wednesday. Her parents flew from Colorado to Georgia the same night, a family spokeswoman said. Watch what police know so far

At one time, they were seen talking and let the dogs run loose; the dogs ran up the mountain, and they followed them afterwards, Verdone said of Hilton and Emerson. Watch Verdone describe scope of Friday’s search

A witness noted the license plate on a 2001 Chevrolet Astro minivan registered to Hilton in DeKalb County, Georgia, Verdone said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a second white 1996 Astro van is registered to Hilton, also in DeKalb County, where Hilton was picked up.

On Thursday, Verdone said police confirmed that a water bottle and a leash found in the area belonged to Emerson. The young woman’s vehicle also was found at the head of the 6-mile Freeman Trail — which is part of the Appalachian Trail — Verdone said Wednesday.

Emerson’s roommate, Julia Karrenbauer, said Thursday that Emerson’s sunglasses and mittens were found in the area, as was a baton. Watch as roommate describes Emerson

Verdone did not confirm those reports. She said Emerson, whom she described as familiar with hiking, had been dressed for the cold weather Tuesday.

Peggy Bailey, a spokeswoman for the Emerson family, described the blond, 5-foot-4, 120-pound woman as athletic, feisty and level-headed.

Meredith Emerson could do anything, she said. I’m praying hard.

Emerson’s parents are devastated and frightened, Bailey said. They’re waiting as we all are.

Verdone urged people with information about Emerson to call (706) 439-6066.
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