Legendary Texas Oilman T. Boone Pickens at the DNC

This is a rush transcript from "Your World With Neil Cavuto," August 27, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: In the middle of this Democratic confab, this Republican heavyweight, T. Boone Pickens, a Reagan Republican. He helped pay for those Swift Boat ads against John Kerry. And he came to the Democratic Convention without food-tasters. Is he nuts?

Boone Pickens, what are you doing here?

T. BOONE PICKENS, FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, BP CAPITAL: That was tough there.

Video: Watch Neil's interview with T. Boone Pickens

CAVUTO: What are you doing here?

PICKENS: Listen, I — you know, I — I came, you know, with — with a mission.

And I am going to sell the Pickens plan. I have a plan, an energy plan for America, and I am going to sell it. And...

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CAVUTO: And, so, you will go to the Democrats. Does that mean you are going to support the Democrats?

PICKENS: I have gone to the Republicans, too. No, I...

CAVUTO: Have you ever been to a Democratic Convention?

PICKENS: Yes, today.

CAVUTO: Yes. See?

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: No, no, that's why it's getting — now, this — John Kerry is speaking tonight. Did you meet John Kerry?

PICKENS: Bumped into him on the floor just a minute ago, shook hands.

CAVUTO: And how did that go?

PICKENS: Very pleasant.

CAVUTO: Did he squeeze extra hard?

(LAUGHTER)

PICKENS: It was pleasant.

CAVUTO: Did he mention the Swift Boat thing?

PICKENS: No.

CAVUTO: Really? So, you were gentlemen. Life went on.

PICKENS: Sure.

CAVUTO: All right.

Now, Barack Obama has said a lot nice things about you, Boone. And you have, in turn, said nice some things about him. Who is your candidate?

PICKENS: Oh, Neil, I don't have a candidate.

I have said that my mission is not partisan. And I said, I have to be the lone ranger in this deal. I — I am not into the race. And that's what I told Senator Reid. We talked.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Harry Reid.

PICKENS: Yes. And he said, Boone, are you going to be active in this campaign? I said, I am not. I can't sell the Pickens plan and be active. So, I said, count me out. I am on the sideline.

CAVUTO: All right. But obviously you are going to vote.

PICKENS: Well, we will see.

CAVUTO: Wow. So it is conceivable that Boone Pickens could vote for Barack Obama?

PICKENS: Unlikely.

CAVUTO: OK. Well...

NBC is not going to be running your follow-up energy ad campaign. Why not?

PICKENS: No, they just — they just scratched one ad. That's...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: What did they tell you? Why did they tell you they're doing that?

PICKENS: They said it was controversial. And what the ad was, was that the Iranians are switching their cars, vehicles, over to natural gas, and they are going to sell the oil. And I said, they are doing it, but we are not doing anything about that. And, somehow, that was controversial. So, they scratched the ad.

CAVUTO: So, how was it any more — I know the first ad. How is it any more controversial than the first ad?

PICKENS: I do not know. I have no idea.

CAVUTO: And that's the way it was explained to you?

PICKENS: Yes.

CAVUTO: Besides NBC, has anyone else not decided to run it?

PICKENS: No. Everything else goes.

CAVUTO: OK. So...

PICKENS: Now, NBC said it was all right with CNBC and MSNBC, but...

CAVUTO: CNBC?

PICKENS: Yes, the cable...

CAVUTO: It's a financial thing, right? OK.

PICKENS: ... but not the network.

CAVUTO: All right.

So, the cable entities can run it...

PICKENS: Yes.

CAVUTO: ... but not the news network — I'm sorry — not the main mother ship?

PICKENS: That is right.

CAVUTO: OK. You can't do anything about that, but how you feel about it?

PICKENS: Well, wait until they see how good it looks on the others, and they will start running it.

CAVUTO: OK.

Now, you said you're at this convention. Will you go to the Republican Convention?

PICKENS: Yes, I will be.

CAVUTO: And you will meet with folks there on this whole energy initiative...

PICKENS: Yes, I will.

CAVUTO: ... look for alternatives, wind, and what have you?

PICKENS: I think my visits will be very similar...

CAVUTO: Yes.

PICKENS: ... as they were with Senator McCain and Senator Obama. I have had meetings with both of those privately. And the meetings went very well.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Who was more receptive?

PICKENS: Oh, I think they were — on a one to 10, they were both 10. They could not have been nicer. And they were interested in what I had to say. And it was good, very healthy.

CAVUTO: I have followed you in takeover deals now, what, for the better part of two decades. And I have this theory on you, Boone, that you are this wily kind of Andy Griffith figure. And you — you give the impression, oh, I'm just talking to a few people, but I think, when the doors close, you are trying to make a deal.

PICKENS: I don't find that to be unusual. I am trying to make a deal here.

CAVUTO: OK. But does the deal involve you closing the deal and saying, look, you support me on this, and you push this, I might push your candidate?

PICKENS: No. No, I said I was out. I'm not — there's no deal like that for me.

No, what I have said — what I have said very clearly in meetings is that this is nonpartisan issue. It's about America. And that is what it is. That's what I'm spending my money for. I don't have any help on what I'm doing, other than my wife and a team of people. We know what we are going to do. And we're — we are going to get it accomplished.

CAVUTO: Good for you.

Let me ask you real quickly while you're still here. Gustav, big worry in the Gulf, big threat in the Gulf, oil prices running up? What do you think?

PICKENS: You have got a storm, is what you have.

CAVUTO: But you have said that oil prices are going to run up anyway. This drop-off we had was temporary. Do you still buy that?

PICKENS: Oh, yes. But it could. You could hang around the $110, $120 area for a while.

CAVUTO: Yes.

PICKENS: But it will move on up again. It's what is going to happen.

CAVUTO: OK.

Boone, always a pleasure. Thank you very much.

(CROSSTALK)

PICKENS: Thank you.

CAVUTO: All right.

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