[Velshi:] This just in to CNN, and it is a good news story: Mardi Gras will go on in 2006. We are just getting in from New Orleans at a live conference that Mardi Gras will take place over eight days in 2006. It will take place on February the 18th and the 19th. That's a Saturday and a Sunday. It will restart again on February the 23rd and then run until February the 28th, which is, of course, the end of Mardi Gras, the end of Lent. Mardi Gras will take place in 2006, an eight-day Mardi Gras. The parades, which are a centerpiece of Mardi Gras, will take place. This has been something that business leaders and New Orleans citizens have been hoping would happen almost as a marking point for the regeneration of New Orleans. That announcement coming out of New Orleans now, just in to
[Cnn:] Mardi Gras will take place in 2006. Now, if a major party were to nominate a woman as its presidential candidate, it would be huge. And if both parties did it, it would be a mega-moment in political history. Now, many supporters of Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton are hoping that such a thing is a possibility, and that may include none other than Oprah Winfrey. Now, to make sense of this all, here's our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider. What a story, Bill.
[Bill Schneider, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] It is indeed. Well, Ali, to paraphrase something David Letterman once said when he hosted the Academy Awards, Oprah, Hillary, Hillary, Oprah.
[Schneider:] Senator Hillary Clinton and TV host Oprah Winfrey. According to the Gallup poll, they are the two most admired women in America. They had a very interesting and possibly politically significant encounter at the International Emmy Award ceremony Monday evening.
[Oprah Winfrey, Talk Show:] Thank you. I hope you do us a privilege and run for office. Thank you...
[Schneider:] Was that an endorsement? Not clear, but Oprah Winfrey has a huge following, particularly among women. The question is whether it could translate into votes. Right now, Senator Clinton is leading in the polls for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president. The leader among Republicans at this early point, Senator John McCain. What would a Hillary Clinton-John McCain race look like? The CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll pitted the two frontrunners against each other among registered voters nationwide. The result: McCain leads Clinton by 10 points. Why? Men. Men give McCain a huge lead over Clinton. Women are divided. Maybe an endorsement from Oprah Winfrey could make a difference. If she were to rally women to support Hillary Clinton, the race could become a lot closer. Some Republicans are trying to get Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to run for president. Rice is the fourth most admired woman in the country after Laura Bush. What would a Rice versus Clinton race look like? Clinton, by nine points. Why? Women. In a race between the two women contenders, women voters prefer the Democrat by 16 points. And men, they just can't make up their minds. Maybe Oprah could help them. When Oprah endorses a book, it instantly becomes a best-seller. It would be interesting to see what would happen if she endorsed a politician Ali?
[Velshi:] This will be a good one to watch. Bill, thank you so much for being with us. Bill Schneider joining us now from Washington. Now, the current president's ratings are on our "Political Radar." A new poll shows that just 36 percent of Americans approve of the way that Mr. Bush is doing his job; 58 percent disapprove. Now, that is unchanged from the American Research Group poll last month. It's also in line with several other surveys. The president's brother is faring somewhat better in the polls. More than half of Florida residents give Governor Jeb Bush a great or good approval rating for his seven years in office. The Quinnipiac polls shows that slightly fewer than half say he's done a so-so or bad job. Senator John Kerry took on a new leadership position this week. He's a jury foreman. The panel he served on found the city of Boston negligent in a car crash involving a city worker but refused to order damages for the plaintiffs. Several of the jurors praised Kerry's handling of the deliberations. They say he went out of his way to make sure that everyone's opinions were heard. Well, coming up next, Congressman Jack Murtha was vocal and visible in his call for a quick troop pullout from Iraq. But is he shying away from his stand on his website? We'll check the situation online. And we're keeping tabs on the holiday traffic at the airports and on the roads before you head out for Thanksgiving. Stay tuned. We'll have it all covered here in THE SITUATION ROOM.