California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Signs into Law a Bill to Move State's Presidential Primary Election to February 5th
COOPER: Some breaking news to report. The pictures tell the story, KCRA is the affiliate bringing them to us. A 300-foot stretch of an elevated railroad trestle in Sacramento, California, is on fire. That is what you're looking at. You can see the railroad trestle there sending the dramatic wall, a thick black smoke is going up. Thousands feet into the air. The fire can be seen from some 50 miles away, we're told. The trestle supports a key rail artery that leads into the state capital. Amtrak and freight trains that were scheduled to travel through that section of track are being stopped right now. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. But take a look at those pictures. Just remarkable. The fire clearly, at this point, burning out of control. We don't have word on how many emergency vehicles are at the scene. It looks like trestles are collapsing there under those intense flames. But clearly a relatively large stretch there of this trestle is simply ablaze, trying to find out more information about it. These pictures coming to us out of Sacramento, California. We'll continue to follow this fire over the next few hours, as the camera just pans there. You kind of see the length of it. Looks to be at least a couple city blocks long. But it is hard to get a sense of the actual scale of it from this angle. Clearly in these pictures you're not seeing any emergency vehicles on the scene. But the fact there's a helicopter there on the scene, I assume, there's probably some emergency vehicles. Again, we'll try to track down more information about this fire. We'll bring it to you throughout this hour. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into a law today a bill to move his state's presidential primary election to February 5th. Other big states are expected to follow. And that makes the date essentially a national primary. New Hampshire people are asking, are the days of politicians glad handing and kissing babies over, in New Hampshire at least? CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider takes a look at the implications.</s>BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): California has moved.</s>GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, (R) CA: Talking about moving the primary, the presidential primary from June to February has elevated California's status for the 2008 presidential campaign.</s>SCHNEIDER: New Hampshire feels like it being invaded by the evil empire. How can New Hampshire defend itself? By saying, we're small.</s>MAYOR GRANK GUINTA, (R) MANCHESTER, NH: The only way to have a conversation with a regular, average person is in a state where retail politics is the norm and it's demanded and it's taken seriously.</s>SCHNEIDER: We're cheap. And our voters are fully engaged.</s>GUINTA: People in New Hampshire do take it seriously here. It's a badge of honor. It is a state sport.</s>KATHY SULLIVAN, NH DEM. PARTY CHAIR: Skiing's actually the state sport but politics is certainly a major hobby.</s>GUINTA: With California moving up, we will have in effect a national primary on February 5th. And the law of unintended consequences will go into effect. Mark Warner, Evan Bayh and Tom Vilsack have already dropped out of the race.</s>SULLIVAN: The candidates are looking out and saying realistically they can't raise the money are already dropping out.</s>SCHNEIDER: California's move could make a candidate's move in New Hampshire more important, not less.</s>SULLIVAN: If you have a candidate who looks like, because of the poor performance early on, can't win the presidency, I don't think Democrats vote for them in the February 5th events. Democrats want to win. This is big.</s>SCHNEIDER: And how's this for an unintended consequence? The nominating contest could end before California.</s>SULLIVAN: I think realistically, this is over at the end of January. So everything the DNC was trying to do has stood on its head.</s>SCHNEIDER: So instead of being first in the nation, New Hampshire can end up with a role it doesn't want.</s>SULLIVAN: New Hampshire's never said we wanted to be last in the nation.</s>SCHNEIDER (on camera): Everything depends on how California voters respond to what happens in New Hampshire. Suppose a candidate falters in New Hampshire and then California voters bring that candidate back to life? New Hampshire will look irrelevant. But if victory in New Hampshire propels a candidate to victory in California, New Hampshire will look more important than ever. Bill Schneider, CNN, Manchester, New Hampshire.</s>COOPER: Someone who could benefit from an early primary, Democratic frontrunner Senator Hillary Clinton. Clinton now says she keeps some U.S. troops in Iraq if elected president. She's outlined her plan in a "New York Times" interview, some political observers say it's likely to come with repercussions as liberals have been, say, critical, to say the least on her stance on Iraq. With that, CNN's Mary Snow.</s>MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out on the campaign trail, Senator Hillary Clinton has been calling to put a stop to the war in Iraq.</s>SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) NY: We should end this escalation now.</s>SNOW: But in a "New York Times" interview, the Democratic presidential hopeful said, if she's elected, she sees a remaining military as well as political mission in Iraq. Trying to contain extremists, but avoiding sectarian violence. Clinton aides say it's consistent with a broader plan by congressional Democrats to redeploy troops. Some political observers say Clinton's blueprint could touch a nerve with the Democratic left.</s>LARRY SABATO, UVA, THE CENTER FOR POLITICS: They're not really sure that she's with them on Iraq and other issues. And so they're suspicious and that suspicion shows itself in what they say about her.</s>SNOW: Why the suspicions? It stems back to her 2002 vote authorizing the war, a vote she refuses to call a mistake. She's been repeatedly grilled about it on the campaign trail.</s>CLINTON: I have said and I will repeat it, that knowing what I know now, I would never have voted for it.</s>SNOW: Of her Democratic rivals, former Senator John Edwards has said his vote to authorize the war was a mistake. Senator Barack Obama wasn't in the Senate at the time but he's openly opposed the war all along. On leaving some troops in Iraq, Obama said Wednesday ...</s>SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A withdrawal would be gradual and keep some U.S. troops in the region to prevent a wider war and go after al Qaeda and other terrorists.</s>SNOW: It appears similar to Clinton's plan but observers say it resonates differently with antiwar activists.</s>SABATO: They are not inclined to cut her very much slack. They are inclined to cut Barack Obama quite a bit of slack and John Edwards some slack as well.</s>SNOW (on camera): Liberal bloggers are expressing suspicion about Senator Clinton because she hasn't denounced her vote on the Iraq War. And because she has moved to the middle on some issues like her husband, they question whether she'll do it again if she becomes president and maybe continue U.S. involvement in the war. Mary Snow, CNN, New York.</s>COOPER: Still to come -- struggling with addiction. Glenn Beck of Headline News back in the days when he was hooked on booze and drugs. His remarkable story of recovery from addiction. Plus a navy petty officer killed in Iraq. Her family say she's would have wanted the U.S. military to help them financially. But she says her wishes aren't being followed. We talk to the navy for answers. We're keeping them honest. And we'll keep watching breaking news in Sacramento, California, a railroad bridge on fire, the pictures live right there. When 360 continues.