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American Morning

Still Waiting for Word on al Qaeda Fight; Boy Survives Gorilla Attack at Dallas Zoo; Bush Defends Iraq War on One-Year Anniversary

Aired March 19, 2004 - 07:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: Aaron brown first learned of this when interviewing president Musharraf telling Aaron at the time forces were pursuing a high target.
Now for the day after. Aaron is with us live from Islamabad. What did you learn today? Good afternoon there.

AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you.

The Pakistani military is briefing reporters across town now and it will be some time before we know what they say. We have some sense of what we think has been going on over the last 12 hours, since we last talked to you all.

They have issued a surrender order to the al Qaeda fighters. I think it's unlikely that will be complied with. And so there's a fight going on, and we will see how it plays out. We'll see what information we will get from the Pakistanis in a half hour or so.

HEMMER: Aaron, watching and listening to the interview yesterday, has Pervez Musharraf spoken since that point?

BROWN: I do not believe that he has publicly spoken. He's had a number of meetings. He's the president of the country. I know the former governor of Oklahoma is in the state today. He's meeting with him. Actually a meeting that just finished a little bit ago.

But he's made no public comments. And actually, they shut down information -- public information pretty good after the interview that we did about 20 hours ago.

HEMMER: Aaron, there's a suggestion back here in the U.S. that earlier in the week certain al Qaeda fighters have been captured in that mountainous region of South Waziristan, which lead the Pakistani paramilitaries to believe that they are on the heels of somebody very significant.

Has that been the talk, too, on the ground there in Islamabad?

BROWN: Well, that's not a suggestion. That's a fact. In the early days of the fighting, both sides lost people. Both sides had people captured. The Pakistanis captured about a dozen al Qaeda fighters.

And in those interrogations, and you can imagine the intensity of that sort of interrogation, they gave out the name of al Zawahiri. Now, does that absolutely mean that Ayman al Zawahiri is in that circle? No, it doesn't. Does it mean it's more likely than not. My guess is yes, it is more likely than not.

But they've had a couple of nights to get out of the area. You're talking about an area that is an inhospitable as you can imagine, if not more so. Medieval is the term the president used in our conversation 20 hours ago.

So it's just going to play out. This is one of those moments where we all, all of us, reporters, viewers, everybody, wants an ending. And what we all need to do to a certain extent is exhale and let it play out on the ground and see what happens over the next day or two or three or five.

HEMMER: Thanks, Aaron -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD, CO-HOST: President Bush is marking today's Iraq war anniversary with a White House speech and a visit to wounded soldiers. In his speech the president is expected to warn American allies, against pulling troops out of Iraq.

He and the first lady plan to visit wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Hospital.

Secretary of State Colin Powell says terrorists do not want to see Iraqi people live in peace. Secretary Powell spoke from Baghdad just a short while ago. He blamed anti-U.S. forces for the recent attacks in Iraq and said now is not the time to run and hide.

Saddam Hussein's regime may have taken billions of collars more than previously thought from a humanitarian program.

The General Accounting Office says Saddam's regime profited $10.2 billion in illegal revenues from the U.N.'s Oil for Food program. That's up from the original GAO estimates, around $6.6 billion.

Officials say most of that money has been hidden around the world.

The first NATO reinforcement troops are arriving in Kosovo in the former Yugoslavia. Forces there are fighting to regain control of the province amid the worst violence since the end of the war in 1999.

Two days of clashes between ethnic Albanians and Serbs have left more than 30 people dead, some 500 wounded.

Finally, here in the U.S., as cable TV installer had to be rescued near Chicago as he dangled in mid-air from wires near Chicago.

The man was hanging from his neck by his neck after his harness slipped when he was installing cable over the Salt Creek in Brookfield, Illinois. Emergency workers extended a ladder to pull him up to safety. He was not, fortunately, seriously hurt.

HEMMER: Job well done, too, by the workers. O'BRIEN: Wow, that's got to be scary.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: The border area where Ayman al Zawahiri is said to be surrounded by Pakistani troops is familiar territory to Larry Goodson. He's a professor at the U.S. Army War College, also a member of General John Abizaid's Centcom staff.

A little bit earlier I spoke with Professor Goodson about the region and the current situation going on right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY GOODSON, PROFESSOR, U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE: I believe that, when they captured some other al Qaeda people a few days ago, they got some intelligence, the Pakistanis, to lead them to believe that in this area, this collection of al Qaeda fighters would also include some senior al Qaeda people. And then the resistance has been fierce, according to the reports.

This is a very remote are where divide and Taliban fighters have been fairly well entrenched now for a long time. So they have a lot of heavy weapons. It's very rugged. They're dug in. So it could be that as well.

O'BRIEN: In addition to Pakistan taking the lead with some 7,000 troops, the number that we've read, what kind of support can and is the United States offering?

GOODSON: Well, General Barnow in Afghanistan, the senior military commander on the ground out there, had said recently that there was going to be a sort of a hammer and anvil approach, that we were going to get greater cooperation from the Pakistanis on their side of the border.

And hopefully that might -- with Pakistanis wielding the hammer, that might drive some of these folks into Afghanistan, where the Americans could deal with them.

And so I suspect that a lot of the cooperation is shaping up in that area, although I've read reports, as I'm sure you have, that our intelligence support and, you know, some of the assets that we have, that the Pakistanis, perhaps, do not have is probably also being shared with them.

O'BRIEN: Why is Musharraf so committed right now? Is it the two assassination attempts on his life, or is it more than just that?

GOODSON: I suspect it probably began with the two assassination attempts. Prior to that, although the Pakistanis were doing quite a lot, especially given that these tribal areas are essentially off limits, or have been historically.

They've been not only remote, but constitutionally sort of governed separately from the government of Pakistan. And so it's always been very difficult for the army to go in there. So a lot was being done. But in some respects, it was a lot of sound and fury, but it didn't really result in very much.

I think the attempts on his life coupled with the revelations about the nuclear proliferation that had been going on in Pakistan, and then the American willingness to not press very hard on that issue.

Plus, frankly, I think there have been a number of high level American visits out there in recent weeks and what I've been able to discern is that -- a fairly serious message of we're going very hard after these guys this spring.

And that may have sent the message that the time for not really cooperating fully, your window of opportunity is closing.

So I think all of those factors together may have led him to get more fully on board.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: That was professor Larry Goodson at the U.S. Army War College, joining us a little bit earlier this morning.

U.S. officials say they are providing reconnaissance information and other help to Pakistani forces, but they stress that the current standoff with al Qaeda forces is a Pakistani operation.

HEMMER: Back in this country now, a story you've got to see to believe.

A Michigan trooper, Keith Carlson, approaching a stranded drive Tuesday night when an out of control car hit him, tossed him 20 feet in the air. The whole thing caught on the board the dashboard camera.

Appearances to the contrary, Carlson suffered only bumps and bruises, believe it or not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH CARLSON, MICHIGAN STATE TROOPER: ... accident where I was struck really hard by this vehicle. And some bruising, some strained muscles, real, you know, sore on my left side where I took the brunt of the impact. But overall, I feel pretty good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Good and lucky. Police did not identify the 18-year-old driver, but said she will probably face charges. That story is from Michigan.

O'BRIEN: Well, the word was that she was going way too fast. And it looks like there's a fair amount of snow there. So she's lucky, as well, to be 18 and to hit somebody that hard and not kill them.

HEMMER: Bumps and bruises.

O'BRIEN: She got absolutely a second chance at that, as well.

Still to come this morning. Howard Dean opposed the war in Iraq. We're going to ask him what he thinks today, one year after the start of that conflict. That's coming up in our next hour.

HEMMER: Also, a 3-year-old injured after being attacked by a gorilla at a major American zoo. We'll talk to the boy's mother about what happened, in a few moments.

And NASA's Mars rover prepares for a new mission, their last. We'll explain.

AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: A panicked scene at the Dallas Zoo yesterday, a 300 pound gorilla escaping from his cage and going on a 40-minute rampage.

Jabari, a 13-year-old Western Lowland gorilla, attacked several people, we're told. The gorilla eventually shot and killed by a police SWAT team at the Zoo.

Keisha Heard and her is her 3-year-old son, Rivers (ph), among those attacked. And she is one of our guests today, from the children's hospital in Dallas, where her son is being treated, as well.

And that's Dr. Todd Maxson, the head of trauma services, as well. Not there, but there, next to Keisha.

Good morning to both of you, and we appreciate your time today.

How are you feeling, Keisha, and how is your son?

KEISHA HEARD, ATTACKED BY GORILLA: I'm feel a little bit better, and he's doing better now.

HEMMER: Yes, what kind of injuries does he have?

HEARD: He -- the gorilla actually bit his head and on his side, so I think his lung is punctured, and he has bite wounds in his side and around his face and around his eye area really bad.

HEMMER: Well, we're pulling for him. How are you doing with that? It looks like your arm in a bandage, possibly a cast. What's happening there?

HEARD: I think the gorilla stepped on my hand when -- that's what happens there. And then he bit my leg. He actually hit me across my head and flung me.

HEMMER: How much of this do you remember, Keisha from yesterday? HEARD: I can pretty remember most of it in bits and pieces. So I can pretty much remember. I pretty much remember everything. It's just some of it, after he actually bit my leg, is a little bit blurred.

I just can remember him grabbing my son for the second time and us getting out.

HEMMER: Wow. The director of the zoo is saying that this gorilla must have scaled the wall of the cage. What are they telling you about how he got loose?

HEARD: I've heard that story and I've also heard that he knocked down some doors in his area. And that's -- I've heard both of those stories. I don't really know how true, because I haven't heard anything from the Dallas Zoo at this time.

HEMMER: I'd like to, if I could, talk to the doctor for a second here. And if you could, I don't know if you've seen her son in addition to Keisha. What's their prognosis at this point, doctor?

DR. TODD MAXSON, HEAD OF TRAUMA SERVICES, CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER, DALLAS: Well, I'm the boy's surgeon. And he's -- I've seen him last night and again this morning.

And he's doing very well, really. He's in good spirits. He slept well. His pain is under control. And his wounds seem to be healing nicely. The tube that we had to insert into the chest is functioning well. And I really expect him to have a full recovery.

HEMMER: Wow. Is there trauma involved here, doctor, for such an experience?

MAXSON: Oh, sure, and we have a team put together here at the trauma center that deals with that, that will visit with him today, that will visit with his family and that are there for him on a long- term basis.

HEMMER: Good luck to you and thanks for sharing. Dr. Todd Maxson there in Dallas.

MAXSON: Thank you.

HEMMER: And Keisha Heard. Our best to you, Keisha, and your son, too, OK?

HEARD: OK.

HEMMER: Get better.

HEARD: Thank you.

HEMMER: Thanks -- Soledad.

HEMMER: News now from Mars. The rovers are hitting the road. NASA's robot geologists achieved their primary goal of finding signs of water on the red planet. Now they're going to roll until their batteries just run out.

Spirit is going to complete its study of Bonneville crater. Then it's going to turn southeast toward a range of low hills that might hold some further clues about the planet's geological composition.

Spirit spent most of yesterday using its microscopic imager to analyze a drift they're calling serpent.

HEMMER: Energizer bunny up there. Keep going and going.

We get a break here in a moment. President Bush defending his decision for war in Iraq a year ago today. What happens there next? Making that one-year anniversary.

Back here in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: One year after the war in Iraq began, President Bush is defending his actions there.

Here's CNN John king.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He labels himself a war president, and one year later vigorously defends his decision to target Iraq.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because America and our allies acted, one of the most evil, brutal regimes in history is gone forever.

KING: The United States is four months away from handing sovereignty back to Iraqis, Mr. Bush just shy of eight months from an election that is in large part a referendum on his conduct as commander in chief.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: The Spanish-American War is Mr. McKinley's war, World War I, Mr. Wilson's war. Clearly, the war in Iraq is Mr. Bush's war.

KING: This ground breaking for a 9/11 memorial last week was a reminder Mr. Bush wants people to remember, now and when they vote in November, just how he became a war president in the first place.

MATTHEW DOWD, BUSH-CHENEY CAMPAIGN STRATEGIST: Well, I think the threshold question is who is up to that job, who has the policies to deal with that on a global scale.

KING: The Taliban is gone from Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein from Iraq. Decisive military successes, but still lingering questions for the commander in chief.

No chemical or biological weapons stockpiles in Iraq, at least not yet, contrary to Mr. Bush's prewar certainty. SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We were misled about weapons of mass destruction.

KING: No definitive word on the whereabouts of Osama bin laden.

SAMUEL R. BERGER, FORMER CLINTON NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: We're going to be fighting terrorists for as long as the eye can see. We've busted the beehive, but we have not killed the bees.

KING: And no consensus now on Mr. Bush's characterization a year ago that war in Iraq was the critical next step in the global war on terror.

BRINKLEY: We did not have to go to war. It was something we chose to do for security, and I think that's going to be interesting, to see how the toll that Iraq will take on this president.

KING: Rallying public support is a challenge for any war president and a constant focus for this one. By Mr. Bush's definition, America has been at war for 30 of the 38 months he has been president.

John King, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: The president will visit wounded soldiers today at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Also, he'll be speaking at 11 Eastern Time at the White House. CNN will carry that live.

HEMMER: Donald Trump has put his name on such major real estate. Now he wants to trademark the two-word phrase that is sweeping the nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL: This is a tough one. You're fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The Donald filed applications to trademark those words, from the reality TV show "The Apprentice." Hugely popular show, too, on NBC.

He wants to put it on the clothing and the games and so-called casino services, and protect the phrase. Other tyrannical bosses -- tyrannical? -- will not have to worry. If the application wins approval, a trademark would only protect those specific uses.

So the Donald exercising some control and hugely popular two more seasons.

O'BRIEN: "People" (ph) magazine had a big event yesterday, a luncheon. Omarosa came in, super star. People...

HEMMER: It's amazing how it works.

O'BRIEN: This is a group of very famous people in that room. She was a star. It's a crazy world, isn't it, Jack?

JACK CAFFERTY, CO-ANCHOR: Indeed, it is.

Americans want things the way they want them, especially when it comes to food. "USA Today" recently reported that we're becoming a nation of over selective eaters.

Some examples: Starbucks has 19,000 ways to serve a cup of coffee. That includes five different kinds of milk.

Tropicana has two kinds of orange juice a decade ago. Now they have 24.

Dreyer's brand ice cream offered 34 flavors in 1977. Now there 250.

And Frito Lay, which began with two kinds of chips, now offers 60.

So our question is this: Why are we, as Americans, so picky?

And it's Friday, and you can e-mail us with anything on your mind. We'll be happy to entertain your thoughts on whatever subject may tickle your fancy.

O'BRIEN: I've got to tell you, the pulp versus the no pulp. I like pulp. Brad doesn't like pulp. We have so many different cartons.

HEMMER: But there's medium pulp, too, you know. You can go that route, if you want.

O'BRIEN: Some pulp. You don't want any pulp. We actually have several cartons of orange juice in our fridge. I like pulp.

HEMMER: You look disgusted.

CAFFERTY: No. No, no.

HEMMER: This is your question.

O'BRIEN: I like pulp. Proving the question to you.

CAFFERTY: On a much more serious topic, this weekend on "IN THE MONEY," as we've been reporting all morning, it's been one year since the war in Iraq started. What's happened to the thousands of G.I.'s who were wounded in that conflict over the last 12 months?

We're going to talk to the head of an organization called the Wounded Warrior Project, a group that's helping injured soldiers adjust to their lives back at home.

"IN THE MONEY" airs Saturday at 1, Sundays at 3. Hope you'll join us for that.

HEMMER: We will, for certain.

O'BRIEN: Yes, that will be good.

HEMMER: Baghdad basketball tournaments going. There's a basketball tournament? March Madness, we'll be there.

O'BRIEN: This is much more important. I think it's very hard for those soldiers to come in and adjust. Because to some degree, once you go...

CAFFERTY: The paradox on this particularly version of the Gulf War is that they're wearing better body armor than any soldier in history has ever worn.

O'BRIEN: So they survive.

CAFFERTY: The good news is they survive. The bad news a lot of times it's without arms or legs, or you know -- Tough stuff. And we'll take a look at what's going on.

O'BRIEN: Psychologically, of course, too, is a whole other element.

CAFFERTY: Sure. Sure.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jack. Thanks.

Still to come this morning, fierce fighting in the mountains of Pakistan. Al Qaeda fighters may be defending one of their most important leaders. A look at that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: In a moment Howard Dean is out of the race for the White House, but he says he's got a plan to change the face of American politics. You will hear that plan in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: A battle raging in Pakistan. Could it bring down al Qaeda's No. 2 man and become a turning point in the war on terror?

One year after the war with Iraq began, Secretary of State Colin Powell makes a surprise trip to Baghdad. He says civilized nations cannot run and hide from terrorists.

And one day before elections in Taiwan, the president and vice president shot while campaigning.

A look at those stories all ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

HEMMER: Welcome. It's 8 a.m. here in New York. Great to have you with us. A busy Friday morning here.

In a moment we'll talk to the former presidential candidate. Howard Dean is our guest here. He's got a new political organization. We'll talk to him about what he hopes to accomplish with that. And also, what he thinks right now about John Kerry's campaign. So stay tuned for the governor, in a moment here live.

O'BRIEN: Also, we've been talking this morning about the hunt in Pakistan. Who is this man who's called the brains behind al Qaeda? We'll talk this morning with the managing editor of the "Washington Post" about al-Zawahiri and what it means for the war on terror if, indeed, he is captured.

HEMMER: That's right. A big story, again, and we will not leave it.

Jack Cafferty again. Good morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Gorilla Attack at Dallas Zoo; Bush Defends Iraq War on One-Year Anniversary>


Aired March 19, 2004 - 07:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: Aaron brown first learned of this when interviewing president Musharraf telling Aaron at the time forces were pursuing a high target.
Now for the day after. Aaron is with us live from Islamabad. What did you learn today? Good afternoon there.

AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you.

The Pakistani military is briefing reporters across town now and it will be some time before we know what they say. We have some sense of what we think has been going on over the last 12 hours, since we last talked to you all.

They have issued a surrender order to the al Qaeda fighters. I think it's unlikely that will be complied with. And so there's a fight going on, and we will see how it plays out. We'll see what information we will get from the Pakistanis in a half hour or so.

HEMMER: Aaron, watching and listening to the interview yesterday, has Pervez Musharraf spoken since that point?

BROWN: I do not believe that he has publicly spoken. He's had a number of meetings. He's the president of the country. I know the former governor of Oklahoma is in the state today. He's meeting with him. Actually a meeting that just finished a little bit ago.

But he's made no public comments. And actually, they shut down information -- public information pretty good after the interview that we did about 20 hours ago.

HEMMER: Aaron, there's a suggestion back here in the U.S. that earlier in the week certain al Qaeda fighters have been captured in that mountainous region of South Waziristan, which lead the Pakistani paramilitaries to believe that they are on the heels of somebody very significant.

Has that been the talk, too, on the ground there in Islamabad?

BROWN: Well, that's not a suggestion. That's a fact. In the early days of the fighting, both sides lost people. Both sides had people captured. The Pakistanis captured about a dozen al Qaeda fighters.

And in those interrogations, and you can imagine the intensity of that sort of interrogation, they gave out the name of al Zawahiri. Now, does that absolutely mean that Ayman al Zawahiri is in that circle? No, it doesn't. Does it mean it's more likely than not. My guess is yes, it is more likely than not.

But they've had a couple of nights to get out of the area. You're talking about an area that is an inhospitable as you can imagine, if not more so. Medieval is the term the president used in our conversation 20 hours ago.

So it's just going to play out. This is one of those moments where we all, all of us, reporters, viewers, everybody, wants an ending. And what we all need to do to a certain extent is exhale and let it play out on the ground and see what happens over the next day or two or three or five.

HEMMER: Thanks, Aaron -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD, CO-HOST: President Bush is marking today's Iraq war anniversary with a White House speech and a visit to wounded soldiers. In his speech the president is expected to warn American allies, against pulling troops out of Iraq.

He and the first lady plan to visit wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Hospital.

Secretary of State Colin Powell says terrorists do not want to see Iraqi people live in peace. Secretary Powell spoke from Baghdad just a short while ago. He blamed anti-U.S. forces for the recent attacks in Iraq and said now is not the time to run and hide.

Saddam Hussein's regime may have taken billions of collars more than previously thought from a humanitarian program.

The General Accounting Office says Saddam's regime profited $10.2 billion in illegal revenues from the U.N.'s Oil for Food program. That's up from the original GAO estimates, around $6.6 billion.

Officials say most of that money has been hidden around the world.

The first NATO reinforcement troops are arriving in Kosovo in the former Yugoslavia. Forces there are fighting to regain control of the province amid the worst violence since the end of the war in 1999.

Two days of clashes between ethnic Albanians and Serbs have left more than 30 people dead, some 500 wounded.

Finally, here in the U.S., as cable TV installer had to be rescued near Chicago as he dangled in mid-air from wires near Chicago.

The man was hanging from his neck by his neck after his harness slipped when he was installing cable over the Salt Creek in Brookfield, Illinois. Emergency workers extended a ladder to pull him up to safety. He was not, fortunately, seriously hurt.

HEMMER: Job well done, too, by the workers. O'BRIEN: Wow, that's got to be scary.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: The border area where Ayman al Zawahiri is said to be surrounded by Pakistani troops is familiar territory to Larry Goodson. He's a professor at the U.S. Army War College, also a member of General John Abizaid's Centcom staff.

A little bit earlier I spoke with Professor Goodson about the region and the current situation going on right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY GOODSON, PROFESSOR, U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE: I believe that, when they captured some other al Qaeda people a few days ago, they got some intelligence, the Pakistanis, to lead them to believe that in this area, this collection of al Qaeda fighters would also include some senior al Qaeda people. And then the resistance has been fierce, according to the reports.

This is a very remote are where divide and Taliban fighters have been fairly well entrenched now for a long time. So they have a lot of heavy weapons. It's very rugged. They're dug in. So it could be that as well.

O'BRIEN: In addition to Pakistan taking the lead with some 7,000 troops, the number that we've read, what kind of support can and is the United States offering?

GOODSON: Well, General Barnow in Afghanistan, the senior military commander on the ground out there, had said recently that there was going to be a sort of a hammer and anvil approach, that we were going to get greater cooperation from the Pakistanis on their side of the border.

And hopefully that might -- with Pakistanis wielding the hammer, that might drive some of these folks into Afghanistan, where the Americans could deal with them.

And so I suspect that a lot of the cooperation is shaping up in that area, although I've read reports, as I'm sure you have, that our intelligence support and, you know, some of the assets that we have, that the Pakistanis, perhaps, do not have is probably also being shared with them.

O'BRIEN: Why is Musharraf so committed right now? Is it the two assassination attempts on his life, or is it more than just that?

GOODSON: I suspect it probably began with the two assassination attempts. Prior to that, although the Pakistanis were doing quite a lot, especially given that these tribal areas are essentially off limits, or have been historically.

They've been not only remote, but constitutionally sort of governed separately from the government of Pakistan. And so it's always been very difficult for the army to go in there. So a lot was being done. But in some respects, it was a lot of sound and fury, but it didn't really result in very much.

I think the attempts on his life coupled with the revelations about the nuclear proliferation that had been going on in Pakistan, and then the American willingness to not press very hard on that issue.

Plus, frankly, I think there have been a number of high level American visits out there in recent weeks and what I've been able to discern is that -- a fairly serious message of we're going very hard after these guys this spring.

And that may have sent the message that the time for not really cooperating fully, your window of opportunity is closing.

So I think all of those factors together may have led him to get more fully on board.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: That was professor Larry Goodson at the U.S. Army War College, joining us a little bit earlier this morning.

U.S. officials say they are providing reconnaissance information and other help to Pakistani forces, but they stress that the current standoff with al Qaeda forces is a Pakistani operation.

HEMMER: Back in this country now, a story you've got to see to believe.

A Michigan trooper, Keith Carlson, approaching a stranded drive Tuesday night when an out of control car hit him, tossed him 20 feet in the air. The whole thing caught on the board the dashboard camera.

Appearances to the contrary, Carlson suffered only bumps and bruises, believe it or not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH CARLSON, MICHIGAN STATE TROOPER: ... accident where I was struck really hard by this vehicle. And some bruising, some strained muscles, real, you know, sore on my left side where I took the brunt of the impact. But overall, I feel pretty good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Good and lucky. Police did not identify the 18-year-old driver, but said she will probably face charges. That story is from Michigan.

O'BRIEN: Well, the word was that she was going way too fast. And it looks like there's a fair amount of snow there. So she's lucky, as well, to be 18 and to hit somebody that hard and not kill them.

HEMMER: Bumps and bruises.

O'BRIEN: She got absolutely a second chance at that, as well.

Still to come this morning. Howard Dean opposed the war in Iraq. We're going to ask him what he thinks today, one year after the start of that conflict. That's coming up in our next hour.

HEMMER: Also, a 3-year-old injured after being attacked by a gorilla at a major American zoo. We'll talk to the boy's mother about what happened, in a few moments.

And NASA's Mars rover prepares for a new mission, their last. We'll explain.

AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: A panicked scene at the Dallas Zoo yesterday, a 300 pound gorilla escaping from his cage and going on a 40-minute rampage.

Jabari, a 13-year-old Western Lowland gorilla, attacked several people, we're told. The gorilla eventually shot and killed by a police SWAT team at the Zoo.

Keisha Heard and her is her 3-year-old son, Rivers (ph), among those attacked. And she is one of our guests today, from the children's hospital in Dallas, where her son is being treated, as well.

And that's Dr. Todd Maxson, the head of trauma services, as well. Not there, but there, next to Keisha.

Good morning to both of you, and we appreciate your time today.

How are you feeling, Keisha, and how is your son?

KEISHA HEARD, ATTACKED BY GORILLA: I'm feel a little bit better, and he's doing better now.

HEMMER: Yes, what kind of injuries does he have?

HEARD: He -- the gorilla actually bit his head and on his side, so I think his lung is punctured, and he has bite wounds in his side and around his face and around his eye area really bad.

HEMMER: Well, we're pulling for him. How are you doing with that? It looks like your arm in a bandage, possibly a cast. What's happening there?

HEARD: I think the gorilla stepped on my hand when -- that's what happens there. And then he bit my leg. He actually hit me across my head and flung me.

HEMMER: How much of this do you remember, Keisha from yesterday? HEARD: I can pretty remember most of it in bits and pieces. So I can pretty much remember. I pretty much remember everything. It's just some of it, after he actually bit my leg, is a little bit blurred.

I just can remember him grabbing my son for the second time and us getting out.

HEMMER: Wow. The director of the zoo is saying that this gorilla must have scaled the wall of the cage. What are they telling you about how he got loose?

HEARD: I've heard that story and I've also heard that he knocked down some doors in his area. And that's -- I've heard both of those stories. I don't really know how true, because I haven't heard anything from the Dallas Zoo at this time.

HEMMER: I'd like to, if I could, talk to the doctor for a second here. And if you could, I don't know if you've seen her son in addition to Keisha. What's their prognosis at this point, doctor?

DR. TODD MAXSON, HEAD OF TRAUMA SERVICES, CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER, DALLAS: Well, I'm the boy's surgeon. And he's -- I've seen him last night and again this morning.

And he's doing very well, really. He's in good spirits. He slept well. His pain is under control. And his wounds seem to be healing nicely. The tube that we had to insert into the chest is functioning well. And I really expect him to have a full recovery.

HEMMER: Wow. Is there trauma involved here, doctor, for such an experience?

MAXSON: Oh, sure, and we have a team put together here at the trauma center that deals with that, that will visit with him today, that will visit with his family and that are there for him on a long- term basis.

HEMMER: Good luck to you and thanks for sharing. Dr. Todd Maxson there in Dallas.

MAXSON: Thank you.

HEMMER: And Keisha Heard. Our best to you, Keisha, and your son, too, OK?

HEARD: OK.

HEMMER: Get better.

HEARD: Thank you.

HEMMER: Thanks -- Soledad.

HEMMER: News now from Mars. The rovers are hitting the road. NASA's robot geologists achieved their primary goal of finding signs of water on the red planet. Now they're going to roll until their batteries just run out.

Spirit is going to complete its study of Bonneville crater. Then it's going to turn southeast toward a range of low hills that might hold some further clues about the planet's geological composition.

Spirit spent most of yesterday using its microscopic imager to analyze a drift they're calling serpent.

HEMMER: Energizer bunny up there. Keep going and going.

We get a break here in a moment. President Bush defending his decision for war in Iraq a year ago today. What happens there next? Making that one-year anniversary.

Back here in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: One year after the war in Iraq began, President Bush is defending his actions there.

Here's CNN John king.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He labels himself a war president, and one year later vigorously defends his decision to target Iraq.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because America and our allies acted, one of the most evil, brutal regimes in history is gone forever.

KING: The United States is four months away from handing sovereignty back to Iraqis, Mr. Bush just shy of eight months from an election that is in large part a referendum on his conduct as commander in chief.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: The Spanish-American War is Mr. McKinley's war, World War I, Mr. Wilson's war. Clearly, the war in Iraq is Mr. Bush's war.

KING: This ground breaking for a 9/11 memorial last week was a reminder Mr. Bush wants people to remember, now and when they vote in November, just how he became a war president in the first place.

MATTHEW DOWD, BUSH-CHENEY CAMPAIGN STRATEGIST: Well, I think the threshold question is who is up to that job, who has the policies to deal with that on a global scale.

KING: The Taliban is gone from Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein from Iraq. Decisive military successes, but still lingering questions for the commander in chief.

No chemical or biological weapons stockpiles in Iraq, at least not yet, contrary to Mr. Bush's prewar certainty. SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We were misled about weapons of mass destruction.

KING: No definitive word on the whereabouts of Osama bin laden.

SAMUEL R. BERGER, FORMER CLINTON NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: We're going to be fighting terrorists for as long as the eye can see. We've busted the beehive, but we have not killed the bees.

KING: And no consensus now on Mr. Bush's characterization a year ago that war in Iraq was the critical next step in the global war on terror.

BRINKLEY: We did not have to go to war. It was something we chose to do for security, and I think that's going to be interesting, to see how the toll that Iraq will take on this president.

KING: Rallying public support is a challenge for any war president and a constant focus for this one. By Mr. Bush's definition, America has been at war for 30 of the 38 months he has been president.

John King, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: The president will visit wounded soldiers today at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Also, he'll be speaking at 11 Eastern Time at the White House. CNN will carry that live.

HEMMER: Donald Trump has put his name on such major real estate. Now he wants to trademark the two-word phrase that is sweeping the nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL: This is a tough one. You're fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The Donald filed applications to trademark those words, from the reality TV show "The Apprentice." Hugely popular show, too, on NBC.

He wants to put it on the clothing and the games and so-called casino services, and protect the phrase. Other tyrannical bosses -- tyrannical? -- will not have to worry. If the application wins approval, a trademark would only protect those specific uses.

So the Donald exercising some control and hugely popular two more seasons.

O'BRIEN: "People" (ph) magazine had a big event yesterday, a luncheon. Omarosa came in, super star. People...

HEMMER: It's amazing how it works.

O'BRIEN: This is a group of very famous people in that room. She was a star. It's a crazy world, isn't it, Jack?

JACK CAFFERTY, CO-ANCHOR: Indeed, it is.

Americans want things the way they want them, especially when it comes to food. "USA Today" recently reported that we're becoming a nation of over selective eaters.

Some examples: Starbucks has 19,000 ways to serve a cup of coffee. That includes five different kinds of milk.

Tropicana has two kinds of orange juice a decade ago. Now they have 24.

Dreyer's brand ice cream offered 34 flavors in 1977. Now there 250.

And Frito Lay, which began with two kinds of chips, now offers 60.

So our question is this: Why are we, as Americans, so picky?

And it's Friday, and you can e-mail us with anything on your mind. We'll be happy to entertain your thoughts on whatever subject may tickle your fancy.

O'BRIEN: I've got to tell you, the pulp versus the no pulp. I like pulp. Brad doesn't like pulp. We have so many different cartons.

HEMMER: But there's medium pulp, too, you know. You can go that route, if you want.

O'BRIEN: Some pulp. You don't want any pulp. We actually have several cartons of orange juice in our fridge. I like pulp.

HEMMER: You look disgusted.

CAFFERTY: No. No, no.

HEMMER: This is your question.

O'BRIEN: I like pulp. Proving the question to you.

CAFFERTY: On a much more serious topic, this weekend on "IN THE MONEY," as we've been reporting all morning, it's been one year since the war in Iraq started. What's happened to the thousands of G.I.'s who were wounded in that conflict over the last 12 months?

We're going to talk to the head of an organization called the Wounded Warrior Project, a group that's helping injured soldiers adjust to their lives back at home.

"IN THE MONEY" airs Saturday at 1, Sundays at 3. Hope you'll join us for that.

HEMMER: We will, for certain.

O'BRIEN: Yes, that will be good.

HEMMER: Baghdad basketball tournaments going. There's a basketball tournament? March Madness, we'll be there.

O'BRIEN: This is much more important. I think it's very hard for those soldiers to come in and adjust. Because to some degree, once you go...

CAFFERTY: The paradox on this particularly version of the Gulf War is that they're wearing better body armor than any soldier in history has ever worn.

O'BRIEN: So they survive.

CAFFERTY: The good news is they survive. The bad news a lot of times it's without arms or legs, or you know -- Tough stuff. And we'll take a look at what's going on.

O'BRIEN: Psychologically, of course, too, is a whole other element.

CAFFERTY: Sure. Sure.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jack. Thanks.

Still to come this morning, fierce fighting in the mountains of Pakistan. Al Qaeda fighters may be defending one of their most important leaders. A look at that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: In a moment Howard Dean is out of the race for the White House, but he says he's got a plan to change the face of American politics. You will hear that plan in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: A battle raging in Pakistan. Could it bring down al Qaeda's No. 2 man and become a turning point in the war on terror?

One year after the war with Iraq began, Secretary of State Colin Powell makes a surprise trip to Baghdad. He says civilized nations cannot run and hide from terrorists.

And one day before elections in Taiwan, the president and vice president shot while campaigning.

A look at those stories all ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

HEMMER: Welcome. It's 8 a.m. here in New York. Great to have you with us. A busy Friday morning here.

In a moment we'll talk to the former presidential candidate. Howard Dean is our guest here. He's got a new political organization. We'll talk to him about what he hopes to accomplish with that. And also, what he thinks right now about John Kerry's campaign. So stay tuned for the governor, in a moment here live.

O'BRIEN: Also, we've been talking this morning about the hunt in Pakistan. Who is this man who's called the brains behind al Qaeda? We'll talk this morning with the managing editor of the "Washington Post" about al-Zawahiri and what it means for the war on terror if, indeed, he is captured.

HEMMER: That's right. A big story, again, and we will not leave it.

Jack Cafferty again. Good morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Gorilla Attack at Dallas Zoo; Bush Defends Iraq War on One-Year Anniversary>