This is a rush transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," April 23, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON CAMPAIGN CHAIR TERRY MCAULIFFE SPEAKING TO FOX NEWS ON APRIL 22: Hillary has won all the states we have to win in the general election. Absolutely critical. I just got word that literally thousands of people are going to HillaryClinton.com, signed up. They like her fight. And they like what she is saying. And they are ready to take this thing on. And let me congratulate FOX because you were the first ones to call it for Hillary Clinton. Fair and balanced FOX. You beat them all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLMES: All right. That was guess who? Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe celebrating her victory last night and paying FOX News a compliment for reporting it first, as we did. And we now look ahead to Indiana and North Carolina.
And has the tide turned Hillary's way?
Joining us now is the author of "What A Party!" former DNC chair, Terry McAuliffe.
• Click here to watch our interview with Terry McAuliffe
Terry, very nice to hear you say some nice things about our fine news organization.
MCAULIFFE: Well, thank you, Alan. And you did you call it 20 minutes before anyone else did. So, you know, I've got to recognize sharp insight when I see it.
COLMES: It is a — it's a tough road still for Hillary Clinton and, you know, what bothers me is you got people already building this case that should she win and convince the superdelegates that she should be the nominee, it would have been a stolen nomination. — You hear that argument.
MCAULIFFE: Sure, you hear that argument. I mean, let's be honest. We've not hit — about 29 million people have voted in the Democratic primaries and caucuses. If you count everybody who went in and pulled a lever for Hillary Clinton, she's actually up 122,000 votes in the popular vote. I think we are going to build upon that. West Virginia, Kentucky, we've got Indiana, Puerto Rico, over a million people will vote.
And listen, in the pledged delegates right now, there have been 3300 that have been chosen. The difference is 130 today. We still have close to 700 yet to be chosen. This is a very tight race. Nobody should be telling any candidate where to go. We have millions of people [left] to vote.
COLMES: Yes.
MCAULIFFE: And almost as I say almost 800 delegates yet to be chosen.
COLMES: The New York Times today went after her a bit for going negative.
MCAULIFFE: Yes.
COLMES: Do you see it that way? And what was your reaction to the lead Times editorial?
MCAULIFFE: You know, sometimes, you know, you wonder where these editorial writers come from. I will tell, first of all, in 14 months I don't see it that way. They have been — the Obama campaign has been tough on Hillary. They have been tough on her character. They have been tough on her policies.
In Ohio they put out misleading leaflets. And I don't know — you know, they must have been in that little bunker with Dick Cheney, the editorial writers, because if had you been in Pennsylvania for the last six weeks and turned on your television set and had seen the negative ads against Hillary Clinton, as well as the mailings, you would not say what they said today.
HANNITY: Hey, Terry.
MCAULIFFE: ...and The Washington Post today said they're — the Obama campaign is going to ratchet up their negative attacks against Hillary.
SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: So much for the agent of change when it comes to politics. He says he's going to bring up the old Clinton scandals is what he was talking about, Terry.
Now, look, Terry, I — you're the first to know because you and I have had some pretty big battles over the years.
MCAULIFFE: We have.
HANNITY: I'm not the biggest Hillary Clinton-Bill Clinton fan and supporter over the years.
MCAULIFFE: What?!
COLMES: No?
HANNITY: That's not a shock to everybody. But here's what I want to — I think Bill and Hillary have made a legitimate claim that Barack Obama for the better part of a year has had almost zero scrutiny. I mean — and then when issues involving Reverend Wright, his "friendly" relationship with a guy that blew up the Pentagon and, et cetera, he's complaining, he is whining. I got to be honest. I think your campaign has a real, legitimate, you know, beef with the media.
MCAULIFFE: Well, listen, there's no question. But you know they ran — all these independent groups have come out and said it has been totally biased against Hillary. This is what I love about Hillary. She is not sitting around complaining. She gets out there and she fights every day. Why did we win Pennsylvania? Senator Obama was the leader.
HANNITY: Yes.
MCAULIFFE: He was the frontrunner by everybody. We got outspent 3 to 1. She went in, she won that state by 10 points. And most importantly we won the suburbs of Philadelphia. Why did 60,000 people go to HillaryClinton.com to give us $10 million today?
HANNITY: That's a lot.
MCAULIFFE: They like her fight. They like that she's fighting.
HANNITY: No, it's clear everybody wants this to go on. I — because I have less than two minutes. I want to go issue by issue.
The Reverend Wright issue, in your opinion, is a legitimate issue, correct?
MCAULIFFE: I agree with Speaker Gingrich. Anything that's been out in the public is fair game.
HANNITY: All right.
MCAULIFFE: Are you kidding me? Wait until the general election, Sean.
HANNITY: Wait until — yes, well, the Bill Ayers issue which we were on — just like the Wright issue.
MCAULIFFE: Yes.
HANNITY: ...we were on way ahead of anybody. You think that's a legitimate issue?
MCAULIFFE: I think everything is a legitimate issue. Hillary Clinton nothing's ever been taken off the table for her.
HANNITY: You think the comments in San Francisco that he made are legitimate.
MCAULIFFE: Of course.
HANNITY: You think the comments of his wife Michelle that America in 2008 is downright mean country, that's a legitimate issue?
MCAULIFFE: Listen, Sean, everything you do and say, people associated with your campaign, that is all part of the political discourse.
HANNITY: Yes. How about.
MCAULIFFE: Hillary Clinton has had it her whole life, Sean.
HANNITY: That's true. People like — listen, I have scrutinized Hillary more than anybody.
MCAULIFFE: Sure.
HANNITY: Do you think it's legitimate that Barack Obama went to the Million Man March?
MCAULIFFE: Listen, Senator Obama has a right to do whatever he wants to do. We have two great candidates running. We will all be together at the end.
HANNITY: All right.
MCAULIFFE: But you know what? Hillary Clinton people like what they see. She won last night in Pennsylvania. She won Michigan, Florida, Ohio.
HANNITY: We.
MCAULIFFE: We have to win though, Sean, and the general election, the Democrats have to win them, and she won.
HANNITY: Absolutely. Well, read Steve Young's column on "Jewish World Review." He actually gives me credit for your victory last night. I'm going to get killed by my conservative friends!
COLMES: The way he's sounding, Terry, he's going to vote for Hillary. And he's going to...
HANNITY: Terry, thank for being with us.
MCAULIFFE: You'd better go to HillaryClinton.com and max out tonight, Sean.
HANNITY: No! All right, and thanks, Terry.
MCAULIFFE: All right.
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