CNN/ORC Poll: Terror Is Key Issue With Registered Voters; Candidates Talk Terror Ahead Of Obama's Address
WHITFIELD: Tonight President Obama will give a rare address from the oval office on terrorism. This comes in the wake of the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, that killed 14 people. Investigators have evidence those attacks may have been inspired by ISIS. Obama is expected to provide an update on the FBI investigation there, discuss the threat of terrorism in the U.S., and reiterate his pledge that ISIS will be defeated. Tonight's speech will be only the third time in his entire presidency that he has addressed the nation from the oval office. And you can watch it right here live on CNN at 8:00 Eastern Time. Our coverage is beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Terror has become the number-one issue with registered voters according to a new CNN/ORC poll. Ahead of the president's address to the nation tonight, candidates went on the Sunday talk shows giving their opinions on fighting ISIS and terror in the wake of the California attack.</s>HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are definitely in conflict with ISIS, and I think we need a new update of military authorization. The AUMF, which was passed after the attack on 9/11, should be brought up to --</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not declare war?</s>CLINTON: Well, declare war is a very legal term, as you know so well. I think what we want to do is make sure we have every tool at our disposal to, number one, destroy their would-be caliphate in Syria and in Iraq. Number two, do everything we can to dismantle this very effective, virtual jihadist network that they are using on the internet.</s>SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've got a growing crisis on our hands in the Middle East with ISIS. So I think it's important that the president begin to outline how they're going to be defeated. Air strikes alone aren't going to do it, certainly not the limited air strikes that are happening now. Apart from air strikes there must be a ground force put together to continue front them and it must be made up primarily of Sunni Arabs from the region, including Iraqis and Syrians but also a contribution of troops from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt. The UAE has expressed some willingness to provide ground troops to such an effort.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, joining me from Virginia, Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. All right, so Larry, you heard two of the candidates, Clinton saying updating a military authorization is one route. You heard from Marco Rubio talking about the president and a need to outline a strategy that involves both air and ground forces. Do you expect that the president will be that specific about military operations tonight from the oval office?</s>SABATO: Fred, I doubt it. It's so much easier to be a candidate for president than to be president. A president's responsible for all of the consequences that come from every action, whereas candidates of course can propose anything and bear no responsibility for the consequences. That's one of the advantages of being a candidate.</s>WHITFIELD: OK. And underscoring that, let's talk about Donald Trump and his point of view here, because a new CNN poll showing that among Republicans Donald Trump is far away considered the best to handle ISIS at 46 percent. And this morning Trump has some advice for President Obama on fighting ISIS. Here it is.</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, we are having a tremendous problem with radical Islamic terrorism. I mean, you can say it or you don't have to say it, and we have a president that won't issue the term. He won't talk about it. So we're having this tremendous radical Islamic terrorism, okay. A lot of people don't even want to say it. Not a lot of people. We have one person I really know of called President Obama. Until he admits this is a problem we're never going to solve the problem.</s>WHITFIELD: Larry, your point of view on that, is it about semantics, language?</s>SABATO: There is a kind of semantical fetish in the Obama administration about using the term, Islamic terrorist. Trump's great advantage is not just being a candidate, not responsible, it's also that by his very nature he comes across as extremely tough. And in the wake of Paris and San Bernardino, that's actually what post people want. And the president may have learned a little from this. He may show that tonight. Let me tell you something, Fred, you know this, from all the speeches given before by empting presidents, whatever President Obama says the Republicans won't like it. It will not go far enough. They will have another approach, and that's, again, the advantage of being the out of power party.</s>WHITFIELD: And I wonder in answer to that kind of criticism coming, you know, from that candidate and maybe other candidates on the GOP, the president needing to sound more firm, more authoritative on it and with specificity?</s>SABATO: That's absolutely the case. The president has got to go far beyond the comments that he's made so far, really ever since Paris. He's focused more on gun control than he has on terrorism. And right now people want to hear about terrorism and what he's going to do about it, both the international version and the domestic version.</s>WHITFIELD: And what about as it pertains to the candidates? Do you see that now the campaign trail will be dominated by discussions about terror, foreign affairs, et cetera?</s>SABATO: For the time being it's going to be, particularly on the Republican side. Now there is 11 months to go until the general election, we know how the agenda can change pretty rapidly. For the time being and for the initial caucuses and primaries on the Republican side, I think you're going to see a lot more discussion about national security and foreign policy than you will about domestic policy.</s>WHITFIELD: Larry Sabato, thank you so much. Appreciate it, from Charlottesville, Virginia. Straight ahead, Americans on the U.S. terror watch list cannot fly, but apparently can buy a gun. Senator Chuck Schumer wants to change that by closing the terror gap on background checks. What that means next.