10 Tough Questions For 10 Top Candidates

Katie Couric Asks Presidential Candidates Questions Of Character -- And Gets Surprising Answers

(CBS)  Katie Couric had some key questions for the presidential candidates aimed at showing their core values and who they really are.

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In just 336 days, chances are you will elect one of the top 10 candidates in the Primary Election as president, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric reports.

On the stump, people are saying: “Our president has to be a person of integrity,” “Morals. Strong morals,” “Someone who knows what they’re talking about.”

From what voters have told CBS News in this next election, there are no guarantees.

“It's really ridiculous to assume that because someone is your same complexion, they will agree with you on major issues,” an African-American woman said.

An informal poll indicates that come November, policy positions may not rule the day.

“Character is everything,” one voter said.

Voters say they will be pulling that proverbial lever for the candidate who shares their core values.

“I think integrity's the most thing, which gets down to telling people the truth,” said Presidential Historian Douglas Brinkley.

So Couric sat down with ten presidential candidates, one at a time, and posed 10 questions ranging from: “If you were elected president, what one book - besides the Bible - you would bring with you to the White House?” to one on the subject of fidelity.

“Many people say they don't feel comfortable supporting someone who's not remained faithful to their spouse,” Couric asked.

“The only thing I can say to people is, I'm not perfect,” former New York major Rudy Giuliani responded.

On fear, Couric asked: “Besides your family, what are you most afraid of losing?”

In some cases, the answers were divided along party lines.

“Who is the single most impressive person you've ever met?” Couric asked.

Several candidates answered “Nelson Mandela.” Others answered “Ronald Regan.”

“My father,” said former Sen. John Edwards.

“I guess I’d say my dad,” said Fred Thompson.

Some of the answers were surprising. Couric told Giuliani after he answered one question: “Would you believe Hillary said the same thing?”

Some, not so revealing. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said: “I probably shouldn't tell that story.”

There were moments of humor, such as when Couric asked Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., when was the last time he lost his temper.

“Probably about 10 minutes ago,” he said, laughing.

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Watch a preview video about the series
The candidates tell who was their most influential person.

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And there were moments of humility. When asked what’s the worst piece of advice he’d ever given, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said: “Someone would probably say ‘vote for me.’”

And on more than one occasion, even these seasoned politicians were stumped.

“I'm gonna have to think about this one. Am I allowed to think about these for a second?” Obama asked.

But in every exchange, there were answers that will either reinforce or redefine your opinion of a potential president.

“The single most important thing they're looking for is resilience,” said Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del. “Someone who can take a hit, get back up, and move on.”

Thompson said: “I like to say, this ain't my first rodeo. I've been around politics for a while.”

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said: “I don't surround myself with yes-men. I surround myself with people that tell me if I've done something wrong.”

"That's the great threat," McCain said. "That's the greatest force of evil that we have faced and it's a long hard struggle."

"And if we have a strong president at the helm, we shouldn't ever be afraid to talk to our adversaries," Obama said. "And tell them what we think and where we stand."

And Romney said: “You're fine to go down, if you go down based on the things that you believe. And it's like okay if people reject what I really believe and what I really did, and they don't want that, that's fine.”

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[pbsisbetter]

Couric,

Will you please explain why Ron Paul was not included in this series?

Often, the media uses fundraising to determine the strength of a campaign. Ron Paul is out-fundraising all other Republican candidates. (Source: RonPaulGraphs.com )

Often, the media uses straw polls to determine the strength of a campaign. Ron Paul has beat every Republican candidate in straw polls head to head.
Source: http://www.ronpaul2008.com/straw-poll-results/

Often, the media looks at grassroots support to determine the strength of a campaign. Ron Paul has by far more grassroots support than any other Republican candidate. Source: Meetup.com

Often, the media looks at polls to determine the strength of a candidate. Ron Paul has won every online and text phone poll asking who was the winner of Republican debates on CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and ABC.

Exactly what criteria did you use to exclude Ron Paul from your series?

[ericmichael1]

I think that those of us who grew up with guys like LBJ and Nixon and have ended up with what we see today...

We are the disillusioned generation.

We figured out, Katie, that there are no Captain James T. Kirk''s in real life.

"Beam me up, Scotty. There''s NO integrity down here."

Eric

[prinzowhales]

If the ''which book besides the Bible would you bring to the White House''-question is Couric''s idea of a "tough question" I''d just as soon hear the little airhead on MTV ask them what kind of underwear they sport.

[damon1249595]

Okay, this website says that these questions were happening December 4th at 7pm. Well, it is 7:00 and all I tuned into CBS to find some tabloid television show. Katie was on for 30 minutes at 6:30. ***?

[ellieoops]

Although I definitely believe Ron Paul should have been included. I would really have liked to have seen all the candidates (I believe that''s 16) included. Now that would be democratic. How novel! :-( Sorry, Katie. One more bah humbug.

[musicguy26]

RIDICULOUS! WHERE THE HELL IS DENNIS KUCINICH?!! THE PROBELM WITH AMERICA = THE MEDIA.

[diarstein]

I very much appreciate the forum, however, I too think Ron Paul and all of the other candidates should have been included.

By calling this "10 Tough Questions For 10 Top Candidates"....you insinuate that the excluded candidates are not significant. Please, let the American public make that determination.

We want to hear about ALL of our options, not just those you have decided are significant.

[diarstein]

I very much appreciate the forum, however, I too think Ron Paul and all of the other candidates should have been included.

By calling this "10 Tough Questions For 10 Top Candidates"....you insinuate that the excluded candidates are not significant. Please, let the American public make that determination.

We want to hear about ALL of our options, not just those you have decided are significant.

[diarstein]

I very much appreciate the forum, however, I too think Ron Paul and all of the other candidates should have been included.

By calling this "10 Tough Questions For 10 Top Candidates"....you insinuate that the excluded candidates are not significant. Please, let the American public make that determination.

We want to hear about ALL of our options, not just those you have decided are significant.

[diarstein]

I very much appreciate the forum, however, I too think Ron Paul and all of the other candidates should have been included.

By calling this "10 Tough Questions For 10 Top Candidates"....you insinuate that the excluded candidates are not significant. Please, let the American public make that determination.

We want to hear about ALL of our options, not just those you have decided are significant.

[diarstein]

I very much appreciate the forum, however, I too think Ron Paul and all of the other candidates should have been included.

By calling this "10 Tough Questions For 10 Top Candidates"....you insinuate that the excluded candidates are not significant. Please, let the American public make that determination.

We want to hear about ALL of our options, not just those you have decided are significant.

[mattcbsmatt]

Which presidential candidate can answer this very difficult question? Is illegal immigration, illegal?
And of course the courts do not know and I guess even the Supreme Court
Excuse me I am about to have uncontrollable explosive diarrhea verbally : )

[mablco-2009]

It is incredibly unfair for you to have left out Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich.

[prinzowhales]

I understand, but have not confirmed that the Iowa Republicans left Paul off of a full page add listing their candidates...

Listen up you putrid party leaders who do nothing but try to peck the corn out of the oligarch''s droppings...I hope that no Paulistas will vote Republican unless Ron Paul is the candidate--I know I''ll change my party affiliation back to a THIRD PARTY after the primary season and will vote for one unless by some miracle enough Democrats make it to Oz, get some kind of cognitive skills from the wizard and give Dennis Kucinich or Mike Gravel the party nomination.

[prinzowhales]

Prescott Bush, if memory serves, was the one time president of CBS...little surprise that this network would serve the interests behind Bush and his father, the Carlyle Group, the Oil barons and the banks whose represenatatives not only sit on the boards of the oil corporations but on the boards of CBS and like propagandists....Couric! A pretty face is no substitute for a black heart!

[magnus74]

Its not unfair its blatantly intentional Ironic the tag words integrity honesty yada yada she should add which presidential candidate will establish the NAU faster? I used to kind of think maybe shes just one of the naive CFR members but shes just scored a 0 on honest journalism. And If Ron Paul is not an option i will write him in and never vote again.

[magnus74]

The criteria that the editors of cbs ge inc conglomo have stepped up the thought security. Maybe its a good sign theyve obviously gotta be shaking a little bit. Just think what an honest man in the white house might do when given access to the mountains of crimes this administration has gotten away with.

[gce651]

How about asking the candidates how they are the most similar to their #1 rival in the other party, whoever they think that may be?
It may be that they''re all a lot more alike than different.

[gce651]

How about putting the transcript of the questions up BEFORE the broadcast. Most people are going to watch the broadcast anyway, so how about giving the literate public a chance to gain a little more in-depth information without having to endure edited-for-TV soundbites?

[wgaryjohnson]

So where''s Katie''s question for Ron Paul? He''s raising more money than Huckabee, Thompson or McCain. And he''s about tied with them in the polls. No wonder nobody watches the Evening News anymore.

[goodby_cbs]

With all the important issues facing our great nation Katie Couric wastes airtime asking stupid, immature questions like %u201CWhen was the last time you lost your temper%u2026%u201D How about %u201CHow do you plan to address the illegal immigration problem which has become a huge drain on welfare, schools, and so forth?%u201D I%u2019ve had it with CBS News.

[merlgrey]

well i got my comment kicked earlier because i questioned the integrity of not including all the candidates to the tea party, especially (yes thats right) ron paul in light of his record breaking fundraising, huge grass roots following, straw poll results, vegas odds, etc.. setting him above many of the candidates apparently considered top tier. but it would seem other (spammers?) concerned citizens have noticed this also.

based on the serious and deep questions asked for this piece it would seem katie is almost qualified to join the ladies on "the view".

[merlgrey]

dont be afraid Riteaidbob, walk into the light... ron will be on the other side waiting to deliver you as a born again american with a pocket constitution and a miniature liberty bell. join the force bob.

[ireachable]

After reading candidates response to the questions, readers here may want to check what supporter are saying about their candidate at iReachable opinion poll. Check the vote tag/story line in the results page for last 25 voters opinion

http://www.ireachable.com/vote?op=results

if you have not taken the poll - please visit the polling booth:

http://www.ireachable.com/vote

[heartlight3]

I would like to know the answers to the questions. I''m sure at least some of them must have answered them, but this article doesn''t tell us what the answers were. Some of them are pretty good at saying a lot of words without really saying anything, but it seems like that is what CBS is doing with this article. I watched CBS Evening News tonight because I wanted to see what the candidates had to say, but as you can see in this article,(which is pretty much a transcript) it didn''t show much of what they actually said. There were answers given that I don''t know what the questions were, and questions that I don''t know what the answers were. It was one of the most incohesive newscasts I''ve seen. Was there any answer to "Besides your family what are you most afraid of losing?" It was Senator McCain she was asking; what did he say? What question did Hillary answer the same as Rudy Giuliani? I''m quite disappointed in CBS. How can you advertise something as "The Candidates answer 10 tough questions" and leave your audience wondering both what the questions were and what the answers were?

[jetranger7]

JUST 1 QUESTION : WHY DO YOU ALL HAVE TI LIE SO MUCH AND BE SO CORRUPT ???????????????????????????????????

[fibonacci_]

Thank god that Ron Paul dillweed guy is gone.

[walgreensbob]

RiteAidBob: Democracy is the mother, treating us like her children. Republicans are the fathers, trying to discipline us. The only one that asks you to be an adult is Libertarianism.

If you cant be an adult, then go to your mommy or daddy, little boy :)

[walgreensbob]

Katie Couric did a HORRIBLE job with her Candidate questions...
But if you''ve got legs and @ss like her, you''ve already captured the 43% of the audience NOT listening (and just staring at reporter).

Pathetic.

Can we have someone with a little more brains handle the MOST important subjects?

[gunownerdan]

Dr. Ron Paul is the only candidate with a rock-solid record of protecting the Constitution and supporting peace and liberty. Ron Paul also isn''t a CFR member like the rest of the candidates are.
ronpaul2008.com

[vet_sk]

This article certainly fall short. What ***!

[gkc99]

10 tough questions for the press:

"Why have you been asleep for the last 8 years, persisting in your failure to ask real questions or demand real answers from the Darth Bushit administration?"

[[repeat 9 times]]

[pepperp1]

I have some for the Candidates?

THE AMT will go in as a tax increase on millions of American families this year if not corrected, the tax was not intended for this purpose but poorly written will you demand Congress repeal the Law now this year before these families are hit with a 2,000 average tax federal increase?

What steps have you taken to move Congress or the President to act?

Should Pay go be suspended for this correction in the code?

[bjgriffi]

I am in total agreement with ''heartlight3''! I was also very interested in this series and very disappointed in the way it was handled. It was confusing to say the least!

[pepperp1]

And my question to the Iowas front runner Ohhhhhhhhhhh so you lie too%u2026..? Please epxlain?


In a letter that has never before been made public, one of Dumond''s victims warned: "I feel that if he is released it is only a matter of time before he commits another crime and fear that he will not leave a witness to testify against him the next time." Before Dumond was granted parole at Huckabee''s urging, records show that Huckabee''s office received a copy of this letter from Arkansas'' parole board.

In 1996, as a newly elected governor who had received strong support from the Christian right, Huckabee was under intense pressure from conservative activists to pardon Dumond or commute his sentence. The activists claimed that Dumond''s initial imprisonment and various other travails were due to the fact that Ashley Stevens, the high school cheerleader he had raped, was a distant cousin of Bill Clinton, and the daughter of a major Clinton campaign contributor.
The case for Dumond''s innocence was championed in Arkansas by Jay Cole, a Baptist minister and radio host who was a close friend of the Huckabee family. It also became a cause for New York Post columnist Steve Dunleavy, who repeatedly argued for Dumond''s release, calling his conviction "a travesty of justice." On Sept. 21, 1999, Dunleavy wrote a column headlined "Clinton''s Biggest Crime - Left Innocent Man In Jail For 14 Years":

[prinzowhales]

What would a real reporter ask--"Hey, A**holes, just how many more H1-b and L-1 work visas are you going to spread around the world to displace America''s remaining skilled work force?"

"How long are you going to continue to NOT protect America''s borders?"

"How much longer are you going to keep that freakin'' psychopath run amok in the White House?"

"Why are you continuing to support a war proven beyond a doubt to be based on lies, lies, lies and lies?"

...Kouric should take over as host at the DATING GAME!

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18830.htm

Read Paul Craig Roberts on what is happening in America''s technical workplaces...under a president who says exporting jobs is good...while we import workers.

[omega39-2009]

Good lord, I get so sick of questions about candidates faith or feel good questions like "who do you admire".

It would be nice if someone ask them for a solution to outsourcing, national debt, SS and Medicare and a host of other issues that are destroying this country from the inside out.

[smirk5]

pepperp1,

Yep. It appears that Huckabee is pretty much responsible for the deaths of two women due to his involvement in getting a convicted rapist paroled from a life sentence. Tough on crime my a**.

[omega39-2009]

Posted by Smirk5

Great, so if Huckabee makes it we can have Dukakis redux. Hillary can ride around in her tank while Huckabee lets Willie Horton out the revolving door.

[smirk5]

omega39,

Dukakis redux would have Huckabee with his Willie Horton and Huckabee riding around in a tank. I think Huckabee would look sillier in a tank than Hillary would anyway.

[robertkjjj]

Let there be no mistake: this is a weak group of Democrats, and they are fighting among themselves so much that they will become even weaker. I have correctly predicted the nominees and the winners of the last 10 Presidential elections, and although predicting for 2008 is tough, I''m going to now predict the race for next year. For Republicans, I see Mitt Romney getting the nomination. He''s the best speaker, best debater, and most intelligent of the bunch. Rudy will burn out. Rudy has too many skeletons and a temper. Huckabee has too little name recognition and his last name is killing him; sounds too much like a hillbilly. Thompson is lazy and too slow. Ron Paul: you got to be kidding. For the Democrats, it''s more a process of elimination: Obama? Sorry, but there is simply no way mostly-conservative America will nominate a black man named Barack Obama; not seeing this happen at all. Edwards? Too wimpy and whiny; he looks and talks weak. All the others are not well known and have incredibly small numbers. Clinton looks like the one who will stay on top. For the 11/08 general election, it will be Romney vs. Clinton. Look for a brutal summer and fall next year of Hillary vs. Mitt. Because Hillary is a polarizing figure, and there are over 20 million Americans who have said they will not vote for her no matter what, I see Romney winning a very close one in the general election, with about 5-to-10 more electoral votes than Hillary. The next President will be Mitt Romney.

[omega39-2009]

I see Mitt Romney getting the nomination. He''''s the best speaker, best debater, and most intelligent of the bunch.
Posted by robertkjjj

Since when is that the criteria for being president? last time it was who would you like to have a beer with, and it doesn''t seem like those who would vote Republican have gotten much smarter over the last 8 years.

[watcher269-2009]

I see Mitt Romney getting the nomination. He''''''''s the best speaker, best debater, and most intelligent of the bunch.
Posted by robertkjjj

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Then how the F*** did Bush get to be President with the D Average he had - Oh yeah - Daddy got him a "C" Average and then cheated to win an election for W.


Please don''t put forward the Republican double standards for President.

[fulluvit]

I guess you mean 10 Stupid Questions unrelated to the core issues that affect the lives of Americans. And why would she choose to only ask some of the candidates? We haven''t even had the first primary yet--this is still the time to be finding out the views of EVERY person running for president--not just the select few that CBS wants us to choose from.

[cryonbrian]

THEmagic07,

I am still confused at what your complaint is?

[raritthaler]

Shame on you Katie Couric for excluding Ron Paul.

[raritthaler]

Shame on Katie Couric for excluding Ron Paul.

[raritthaler]

I think Ron Paul has been excluded because too many gravy trains might end if he was elected... But the good news is that we don''t need Katie Couric, her network, and their silly questions to get Ron Paul more support.

[cag5168]

I totally agree, Ron Paul is the most truthfull and productive candidate running. This is the first presidential election I will be able to vote in and I think the way that the media has excluded Ron Paul is a terrible blow to democracy and American tradition. Katie''s exclusion of him form the ten questions piece proves that their is nothing different about her compared to other news broadcasters. I have always watched Katie Couric since she has been the host of the CBS news program, after this happened I don''t believe that I will be able to watch the show and I encourage Ron Paul supporters to Boycot the program as well.

[kp_fisher]

I just have to ask; why would anyone want to sensor Ron Paul??????