Man Goes On Shooting Spree In California Denny's
BLITZER: There's been a shooting out at a Denny's restaurant out in California. Let's go to Zain at the CNN Center who is following this story.</s>VERJEE: Wolf, we're learning that this has happened in Pismo Beach, that's a city north of Los Angeles and in the California central coast area. Apparently a gunman opened fire inside a Denny's restaurant killing three people. Those three people died straight away at the restaurant. Two people have been injured. We're hearing reports that one of dead may be the gunman himself. We don't have more details than that. Of the two people that were injured, they were taken to a nearby hospital. We're going to bring you more information when we get it. This story developing out of Pismo Beach in California. Three people dead at a Denny's restaurant. One may be the gunman.</s>BLITZER: Zain Verjee reporting. Today in our "Strategy Session," one Republican senator says he has concerns about the White House team and others are suggesting new blood might be needed in the president's staff. Will new faces help put the White House back on track? Joining us now are CNN political analysts, Democratic strategist James Carville and Bay Buchanan, president of American Cause. New poll out today. The Pew poll, 33 percent job approval number. That's pitifully low.</s>BAY BUCHANAN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN CAUSE: It's low, there's no question about it. The answer is not to throw out the guys who are committed and loyal and very experienced in the White House. I, though, would suggest, one, that the problem is mostly the Iraq war. That's the greatest concern. Putting somebody in the White House wouldn't change that. But it would not be a bad idea to bring in somebody new. Not fire anyone.</s>BLITZER: Should he get rid of Rumsfeld?</s>BUCHANAN: No, I would not get rid of Rumsfeld. The president makes the decisions on the war.</s>BLITZER: You don't think he needs new blood in the Iraq war, which is the big shadow hanging over?</s>BUCHANAN: There's no question, I think we need new ideas and the ambassador over there has been speaking and giving some ideas out there and I think we should be listening to him.</s>BLITZER: Here's what a Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota said. He said, I have some concerns about the team that's around the president. All of the sudden we're hearing the phrase tin ear. That's a phrase you shouldn't hear. The fact that you're hearing it says that the kind of political sensitivity, the ear to the ground that you need in the White House, isn't there at the level that it needs to be. What do you think?</s>JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Jeff Greenfield did a good piece showing how to do this and way more often than not it doesn't work out. If you think there's something wrong with the personnel, then switch personnel. If you think there's something wrong with the policy, that's quite another thing. Who is more experienced than Dick Cheney or Karl Rove? Andy Card has been there for five years, he's a former Transportation Secretary, he's probably the most experienced hand in Washington. Everybody goes through this and I think Senator Coleman is just popping off. They're not going to have a strong chief of staff to come in there as long as Vice President Cheney or Karl Rove is in there. There not going to accept that. It's not the way this White House works. I think the president needs to acknowledge to people that the Iraq war is not going as well as we hoped and I think there would be some benefit in replacing Rumsfeld. It would send a signal to people that we will change some things over there.</s>BUCHANAN: I do think it would help to add somebody. That tin ear is out there. There not responsive to what's going on in America. They have been in the White House too long so they've lost touch with the citizenry. I think to bring somebody in, also someone who has the trust of Congress. Because right now the Republican Congress is taking a different path.</s>BLITZER: You don't think that the rumors out there that Andy Card should be moved and become the Secretary of Treasury, replacing John Snow, and then bring in a new chief of staff? You don't think that will be a good idea?</s>BUCHANAN: I think the president won't do it unless Andy Card agrees to it immediately. I think the president likes those people around him. I think he should bring in new blood. If one of those guys will move out and become secretary of something, I think it would work.</s>BLITZER: Here's what Ed Rollins, who worked in the Reagan administration, what he said the other day. "By the time you get to year six there's never a break. You get tired. There's always a crisis. It wears you down. This has been a White House that hasn't really had much change at all. There is a fatigue factor that builds up. You sometimes don't see the crisis approaching. You're not as on guard as you once were." He's a wise guy.</s>CARVILLE: Sure. But the point is that you have a very strong vice president, the strongest ever in Vice President Cheney. You have Karl Rove who is the strategic center of the White House. Who will come in as a chief of staff or person in that environment? They will be neutered as soon as they come in. They have the White House that they got. Yes, they can do some cosmetic things and they can do the Washington parlor game, fine. Let's play it. Who's going to come in? Is a strong person going to come in and say, the only way I come in is I run the place? That's not going to happen.</s>BUCHANAN: I'll tell you who you have to -- you have to bring in a former governor, some big name, somebody who's accustomed to things, somebody's who's not intimidated by Rove or Cheney or anybody else. Somebody who knows they're equal...</s>BLITZER: Well, you were in the Reagan administration when Howard Baker came in.</s>BUCHANAN: I certainly was.</s>BLITZER: Did he do a good job?</s>BUCHANAN: Howard Baker, I think that -- I, of course, preferred others in that position. But Howard Baker did the job I think that the president wanted at the time. I did not like his decisions, but I -- you know, he was a fine...</s>BLITZER: You were close to Bill Clinton when he jumped Mack McClarty and put in Leon Panetta.</s>CARVILLE: Well, things change. I mean, there's an evolving change. But the problem is that here, you have the vice president and you have Mr. Rove. Mr. Rove, there was nobody in the Clinton administration, in the White House, that exercised the kind of power that Mr. Rove does. Vice President Gore didn't run an entire war, as Vice President Cheney is doing. My point is, Wolf, they're not going to get a governor to come in that's going to just be part of a -- to listen to what Rove or Cheney tell him. He's going to come in and say, "I'll run the show, or I don't," and that's not going to be acceptable in this White House.</s>BUCHANAN: But it's key that they bring somebody in who understands what's going across this country today. And they don't have that. They've been in Washington, isolated from the heartbeat of this country for too long. And that's clear from the port deal.</s>BLITZER: Well, one thing -- we're going to leave it here, but one thing you've got to take into consideration, both Cheney and Karl Rove both have been wounded in recent months for different reasons. And they may not be as powerful as you seem to think they are, James.</s>CARVILLE: Maybe. But seeing is believing, and seeing (ph) is going to come in and say, "You know what? We're going to give up what we have and be subservient to governor so-and-so who's coming in." It could happen. I don't see that happening.</s>BLITZER: And when all is said and done, it's up to the president to make that decision.</s>BUCHANAN: He will not fire anybody. He will not fire anyone in that senior staff, nor should he.</s>BLITZER: I suspect something will happen in the next few days.</s>CARVILLE: Something will happen. This will not continue, I promise you.</s>BLITZER: James Carville, Bay Buchanan, thanks very much. Coming up, gas prices are soaring again. So do you think there's an energy crisis? We're going to take a closer look at some disturbing new poll numbers when we return. And later, the political battle over immigration. Our Bill Schneider checked out the situation on the border. He's standing by. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.