Good evening, Anderson, Erica, other contributors and all bloggers!

To Anderson,

Since the damage is really severe, are you planning to visit those states affected by the disaster along Mississippi River: Iowa, for example?

hello everyone and anderson

Hey Anderson and all…let’s get this show on the road! LOL

Is this flooding ever going to stop!? I feel SO bad for these people!

Cindy…Ga.

Good evening Anderson. Hope we all have a great night in this new city I hereby name Bloggsville, USA. It is most painful to see all the damage being done in the flooded Midwest. I hope the waters begin to drop soon. It is so awful.

That flooding is so tragic. I saw pictures of pigs on a roof looking really confused

Sounds like an interesting program tonite, Anderson.

Those poor people in the midwest. My heart goes out to them.

Too much sad news this year.

I saw some pictures on CNN earlier and I thought it was a lake until I saw barns in the water. This is so horribly tragic for those in the effected areas

Could the flooding affect towns all the way down to New Orleans?

Feel bad for those folks

RE: Levees.

As I a Civil Engineer I’m reminded of an old saying, there are two types of levees

Those that have failed and those that will fail.

The water is heading fast downstream. I walked down to the riverfront today in St. Louis and it is amazing how swift the river is flowing. Also, tons of debris flowing downstream. They are saying it will be 10 feet below the 93 flood here in St. Louis. What a total mess for those upstream.

I wonder if they’ve considered deliberately breaking levees in rural areas to relieve pressure on the levees in cities and towns.

Help is on the way??? This has been going on for days.

Hello everyone and Anderson.

They showed those pigs earlier..poor thing…makes you wonder what happened to the rest of the livestock. I know most of these farms are crops like wheat and corn, but I’m sure some of them have animals like chickens, pigs, cows, horses.

Good evening everyone! Gary and Dan have been doing some excellent reporting from the flood zone. The flooding is terrible, but the clean up is going to be worse.

Gary Tuchman and Dan Simon’s reports have been excellent. What a nightmare for the victims of these floods. So much damage.

Yes Lou, I saw those pigs on the roof too and I felt so bad I just wanted to be out there to rescue them.

Those pictures are incredible…. the water is so high. It is amazing that there have not been more deaths related to this. But maybe they won’t know until the water goes down

i haven’t heard anyone say what kind of levees these breached ones are. like how tall they are. if they’re just little piles of dirt then yeah they’re gonna bust. it’s hard to tell with the river so high.
and i really feel bad for those guys. all those sandbags and they might not even work.

Jeffrey if what you say is true - that is really scary

i have never been in a flood– will those sand bags actually help any?

The pictures are really incredible, but even with them it’s hard to imagine what it’s truly like there. My heart goes out to everyone affected!

Wow, they are actually smiling while they’re building the wall of sandbags, amazing strength and spirit.

These floods are so horrible. I’m glad my grandmother moved away from Iowa. She used to live in Burlington. Otherwise, who knows what would’ve happened to her.

I can’t take credit for this question as someone in the local news had asked this. Towards the end of the flood in 1993 someone had invented a machine that could fill sandbags much quicker. What happened to this?

oh my goodness that is the last thing Mel needed. That is terrible

That story was so sad! Gary handled it great as always!

Cindy..Ga.

I hope CNN covers the clean-up and recovery from the Iowa floods. The news never covers the recovery and that is when the victims need the most attention and help

Mike; It seems like it depends on where you live if the broken levees would be beneficial or not. One person’s heartache maybe another person’s relief. Not an easy decision to make.

Good to hear that the program is going to highlight heart disease. Other than a mention that he had this, no one in the media has focused on this in a positive way… to try and educate and help people. Tim would be proud of AC360.

It is no surprise that the muslim ladies were not allowed to sit behind Obama. My sister in law attended one of his events and they only allowed white people to sit in view of the camera’s. Its called bringing us all together.

Being from New Orleans this flooding and the tragic personal losses brings back all the painful memories. May God comfort them all in through this difficult time.

god bless those people in the flood ravage areas..

Tim Russert’s son Luke is just amazing. I can’t find the words to describe that young man. That entire memorial service today was moving. It was like a goodbye to a head of state. I don’t remember watching anything like that since Reagan’s funeral.

my heart go out too everyone in Iowa . hope everyone get the help and support of your gov .

No one can replace Tim, however, I sure someone as decent as him, that shares his same values, steps up and becomes the voice we all so desperately need.

That was a very sad report by Gary. He is always so sensitive to the victims of disasters. I think they feel comfortable with him.

Jo Ann, I know it’s a hard decision, but it’s better to flood corn fields than cities. Recovery is much faster.

All the flood footage is heartbreaking to watch. I thought the flood in my basement that destroyed my elementary school certificates was bad, but these people have lost everything. I wish I could do something to help.

WOW Anderson, I hope FEMA does a better job providing for all those people than it did for the people of Katrina.

I thought Michelle Obama did a good job on the View today.

I live just out of Hannibal MO and many many fields of soy beans and corn are under water near Quincy, Ilinois which is just across the river. Many farms are going under water wiping these area farmers out. Some people in this area are seeing everything they have worked for most of their life washing away before their eyes.

I don’t think Obama thought Bill Clinton was “off limits” - isn’t he a spouse?

I agree Pamina. Michelle is an intelligent, smart and funny.

I was kind of surprised Cindy McCain attacked Michelle Obama on the “for the first time proud of my country comment”.

If any family member gets out and stumps then they are fair game!

Cindy..Ga.

good evening everyone… thanks for joining us

I hope we don’t have a battle of spouses. I’m still waiting for those town hall meetings. Let’s hope each candidate will soon be able to start answering pointed questions.

Evening Anderson! Fist bump at ya!

I agree with Pamina. Michelle is an intelligent, smart and funny woman

I do think Michelle Obama is very classy. Also love the hair.

From the clips of the View I saw today I think Michelle Obama did a great job

I guess it makes sense for Michelle Obama to remake herself. Her husband’s campaign is about “change.

–Sandbags do work. The thing is that after the flood they are contaminated and they themselves become a HAZMAT you have to carefully dispose.

All these attacks against Michelle Obama are terrible. There are plenty of things that could be said about Cindy McCain.

Excuse me…but when was she not proud? Earlier she said “for the first time in my life I’m proud”…now she says she is proud. If so, when wasn’t she proud? This doesn’t work.

Hello Anderson.. We’re glad you’re back.

I think Michelle Obama is a much better role model than Cindy McCain who is artificial. Interesting too that Cindy had on a pair of pearls almost identical to the ones people are criticizing Michelle for wearing. People need to separate the important from the nonimportant.

It is also interesting that so many women seem to be criticizing her strength; some of these are the ones who supported Hillary Clinton.

Michlle is a very classy lady. Cindy McCain is as well, for a stepford wife

I really hope Michelle and Cindy don’t start battling it out. It’s beneath them both. They are both strong women that don’t need to belittle the other.

I don’t think she has remade herself. I think she is being seen in a different setting - where people are having a conversation with her.

Actually, she said “really proud.” As in she is more proud now than she was.

Fist bump! Gotta love it.

Michelle Obama is a strong, intelligent woman and that is the kind of woman I want to see as First Lady.

not sure where my little photo has gone to

i agree jennifer. we don’t need to hear them battling. we need to hear what their husbands stand for on several topics– not just the war

We haven’t really progressed much if an intelligent, strong woman like Michelle Obama’s image has to be “softened” for public consumption.

I think Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain each have their pluses, so I don’t think we need to bad mouth either one.

Can you imagine if Eleanor Roosevelt were judged according to the standards we are using for Michelle Obama and Cindy McCaine? FDR never would have been elected and the world never would have had the benefit of her wisdom conveyed to the President. Maybe we should rethink our standards?

Gary you’re missing a very important word in Mrs. Obama statement and that is REALLY. She said ‘really proud’, which means she has always been proud.

seems like every time Anderson does not blog for a couple days his pic disappears……very strange

Good evening Anderson. Hope you got some rest…With respect to Michelle Obama, it is sad that the world is afraid of a strong, black woman. The fact that Michelle is an intelligent, educated black woman scares people. She’s a great lady and I can’t wait for her to make history being the first black first lady!

Yeah, I was wondering that too Anderson, maybe it got lost on the way back home?

FDR would never have been elected!!! I don’t think this country would have elected a paraplegic if they had known about it.

Well I’m “really’ tired of all this focus on the spouses when we should be hearing about the positions of the candidates.

Dee, I didn’t miss the word, I’m confused as to what she was talking about in the first case. Did she use the word “really” because she was not genuine in the first case?

Evening, everyone

In the end, the spouses are not running the country. I have no problems with Michelle or Cindy. I care more about what their husbands will or won’t do.

Michelle Obama is intelligent and witty smart also. She will make a great first lady. Cindy McCain is also sweet and likable. I dont think they should start attacking each other. Ladies dont behave like that.

Very true MaryBeth! We have progressed a lot as a nation, but not in every way. Too often we focus on things that don’t matter. Focusing on the surface and not the depth of an issue or a person.

This only goes to show you how carefully packaged these campaigns are.

If they made those women move because of them being Muslim then that is SO wrong!!

Cindy..Ga.

Hello Erica, welcome to the blog!

I can only believe that it was an over zealous volunteer that said this to those women. Obama has many other times had the muslim headscarves in the crowd behind him.

Gary, I think she was just emphasizing how proud she was of the present state of politics.
This was her explanation on The View today.

It is like if you are apologizing to someone, to emphasize how sorry you are you would say ‘REALLY sorry’ instead of just ’sorry’

I don’t believe for a second that it was a volunteer that told the Moslems they couldn’t be there. Volunteers don’t make decisions like that. These things are very carefully staged by the campaigns.

Yes, cindy that is wrong, but if they had been sitting there people would be saying “see, he is muslim”.

Regarding the women with the headscarves. Some staffers have really got to think before they act. This is not what Obama needs to deal with right now.

Yes, Shannon I have seen television shots were muslims were in them

Although it was probably not the best decision for Obama’s team to prevent the Muslim women from being pictured near him, it’s understandable why there might be some hesitancy on their part considering that so many are quick to put a negative spin on everything he does.

Tim was the best! I was so touched by Maria Shriver’s tribute this afternoon. It really broke my heart.

This muslim story is just crazy. The candidate has been called a muslim, now campaign workers dont want muslims behind him? Is this really a story?

Mike, I believe it was an overzealous person. It was certainly not a campaign decision, because he has many other times when they were behind him and he took pictures of them. A campaign this size is bound to have rouge people making random decisions.

As a nurse I can say that ususally the first sign of heart disease is death. It is a matter of being able to manage your risk factors and that is hard to do.

I’m glad you’re doing a segment on Tim Russert & heart health Anderson!

Shannon: as I said earlier, the people viewed on camera are purposely positioned there. My sister in law was one of them at an Obama event in Houston. Of course it is the staff, but the candidate knows about it.

Anderson,
Hi! It seems the Muslim issue is more about image than about substance. I’d hope people can get beyond that in the campaign,
though that is a part of politics in general.

I think the spouces should be off limits in this campaign, at the end of the day it’s only the issues that really matter. I think America will just have to warm up to Michelle Obama, as an African American woman we tend to have a little edge; but edge is good

Mike, I did attend a rally that had over 15,000 and I’m sure this particular one was not staged. So, maybe some are but this one was not.

yes everything is very staged at these events. remember at one of the events in PA i think they wanted more white people behind michelle obama. they know exactly what they are doing they only apoligize when they are questioned aabout something

That is a tough position to be in: cannot appear to be pro-muslim and cannot discriminate…….and I do not think the staffers were really thinking…..

Were the television shots and pictures of Obama with Muslims really necessary? I think a personal apology to the women would have been good enough. The volunteers on the other hand should have known better, even if someone in the campaign told them to do so.

I agree with Candy. For two separate people to do the same thing it had to come from higher up.

Cindy…Ga.

I have seen several pictures with muslims in the picture with him….someone was just not thinking

Everyone knows that volunteers don’t make those types of decisions. I worked on a political campaign. We did what we were told. It was no mistake!

If you were Barrack Obama and had been accused of being a muslim would you want them in pictures…. I think not. However, I don’t know what is wrong with being a Muslim, as long as your not a radical one.

Shannon, As Candy just said, two different women in different parts of the stage were told the same thing by 2 different ‘volunteers’. Amazing coincidence? It was directed by the campaign, count on it.

Anderson is right, it already seems like it has been two years……..

OMG!!! What an awesome rainbow!!! I don’t think I’ve seen one that perfectly formed before.

Heart disease is so unpredictable, but it is good to know the warning signs and how to try to prevent it. From what I understand, Tim’s situation was something that wouldn’t have even been detected on a stress test.

I wonder if it could have been provoked by his Red Eye flight the night before.

That rainbow after the memorial service - amazing. That was indeed Tim Russert saying hello and sending his thanks to everyone for honoring him in such a beautiful way. With the song over the rainbow playing when the service ended - I don’t think it was a coincidence.

It’s unfortunate that it took Tim Russert’s untimely death to bring attention back to heart disease. However, I hope we can see some good out of this tragedy and continue to raise awareness.

That rainbow outside of Tim Russert’s funeral when people were leaving sent shivers down my spine… It was like he was there.

I actually think they are making a mountain out of a molehill. He apologized to the women and I saw a story where the people said that they still planned on voting for him

Luke russel did great job too day it was great too watch . your dad would love the show

That rainbow was amazing, I saw it earlier today, but didn’t have my camera with me… I ALWAYS have my camera, but no today.

That was amazing that the rainbow was over the place were Tim’s funeral was.

Cindy…Ga.

Luke Russert is just wonderful. He just seems to be doing as well as he can.

That is scary to not have any symptoms or believe you do not have any and then just die………..

The flooding in the Midwest is tragic. Watching something so horrific, puts life into perspective. Those of us who complain about traffic or something just has trivial should be happy we have a house to live in. My heart goes out to all those effected by this terrible event.
Barbara
NW Ohio

Good point Anderson, what if one of your parents died at an ealry age. Good points regarding what people can do.

Anderson, thank you for having Dr. Isom on.

My 41 year old husband passed away last year after a heart attack. People need to know the symptoms of a heart attack and what they can do to prevent it.

My heart goes out to Tim Russert’s family.

I believe the rainbow was Tim saying hello and goodbye and thanks to us all. Wasn’t it amazing there were two rainbows? Now what are the chances of two rainbows appearing at the same time?

I have always heard that stress and even depression can contribute to a heart attack.

this is really great information……thanks for having the doctor on the show to talk about it

the rainbow was pretty amazing
as for luke russert, i am in awe of his composure - i wouldnt have held up like that. wow.

Wow an amazing Rainbow.

Seeing the double rainbow over the captiol building was a great sign of hope–It was bit like having heaven open it’s gates just long enough to let Tim give everyone a final farewell and say how much he loved our country.

wow it is amazing how something as simple as a rainbow can bring such comfort. Like you know Tim is in a better place now

Wow! The rainbow is really miracle as if it is for Mr. Russert…

I really liked Tim and I still cant get over his death. God bless him for being him.

That is a beautiful rainbow.

This is definitely very important information! Having various risk factors myself it’s vital to know what you can do to protect yourself!

I agree with the panel that basically not seating the two muslim women behind Barack Obama is a mistake and his campaign will not make that mistake again. But it’s a good subject for a report, something for the campaigns and the public to think about.

Oh my God, that rainbow! I think it means Mr. Russert’s spirit was with them! How awesome was that! It sent chills down my spine!

My dad’s GP always says if you have a chest pain for more than 5 minutes, call 911. And when my dad had his heart attack, he remembered that.

Erica; Tim was always there for his family and friends during difficult times so I like to think that the rainbow was his way of trying to comfort everyone.

Hi Erica, luke russert is sure an amazing young man. His father obviously raised him well.

Luke reminded me a lot of his father - his smile and what he said. I was impressed with his composure too - I know I couldn’t have been that composed.

I have so much respect for Luke Russert. When my dad when I was 21 I was barely able to register who was at his funeral let alone talk.

I have changed my driving habits a lot……..

Wonderful program tonight. Have a good night, Anderson, Erica, contributors and all bloggers!

Such a cute beat 360 photo! I agree, it’s not the cutest, but it’s adorable none the less!

Does Joan Rivers ever think before she speaks? I’m not surprised at all.

Goodnite all, Anderson great show as always, see you tomorrow Erica and stay bless all.

Good night Anderson, Erica, Gary, and everyone! See all of you tomorrow.

Night Anderson….great show! C- Ya later…

Cindy…Ga.

So Joan Rivers got the boot…I guess that a bleep, is a bleep, only if it works..Good Wednesday evening all..

Evening everyone……stay safe

I drive 20 miles one way to work and I have slowed down by 10mph to save gas and don’t go anywhere I don’t have to.

I’m not crazy about Joan Rivers, but I can’t say I disagree with her about Russell Crowe–a fine actor, but he’s not so nice.

Bounce a quarter off her face? Believe it or not…

Joan Rivers has always at a dirty mouth so whats new? It doesn’t surprise me that she got kicked off the show. But what does Russell think about all this? Let’s find out!!!

Erica, you’re too funny!

Good night Erica, Anderson, and all…

Hmm, leaving the show on a high note here… Joan Rivers, uh huh. Feel free to mock AC.

Night everyone!

Good night all