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American Morning

Coalition Forces Battling Sunni, Shiite Insurgents; 9/11 Investigation, Families' Concerns

Aired April 08, 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, CNN ANCHOR: A live picture from Washington D.C. and the White House, where Condoleezza Rice and that testimony is expected to get under way in about 90 minutes from now. And that is the reason we are here today in Washington.
It's about half past the hour, 7:30 here in D.C. We are waiting for that testimony later today, and we will continue to sort through what some of the families of 9/11 want to hear today. What do they expect will happen in that room today? And what questions do they want answered? We'll get to two of them in a moment here in Washington.

Heidi is with us back in New York working for Soledad yet again today. Good morning there -- Heidi. How are you?

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Bill.

Of course, the other big story this morning is Iraq. Retired General Don Sheppard is with us again this morning. We're going to talk about some of the scenarios military planners are most concerned about -- Shiites fighting against one another or perhaps Shiites fighting with Sunnis against the coalition. We'll talk more about that.

For now, back to Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Heidi, thanks.

Speaking of Iraq, right now let's get right to the fighting there -- battles on several fronts yet again today. Coalition forces are doing battle in a number of cities against Sunni and Shiite Muslim insurgents.

Meanwhile, there is word now that the U.S. troops may be staying there longer than originally scheduled. There is a troop rotation that was on the schedule that now may be delayed.

Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon now, and not many clear answers yesterday during that Pentagon briefing.

Do we understand any more of those answers today -- Barbara? Good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

Well, about 20,000 troops were scheduled to come home this spring as part of the Pentagon's promise, the Bush administration's promise, to the troops that they would only stay one year. Now, as of yesterday, that is an open question. Because of the violence in Iraq, because of the continued fighting, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is saying they may need to keep them longer.

Clearly, what is on the table is the notion that the most experienced troops are going to be needed for this ongoing fighting -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara, we're having a little problem hearing you, but if you can stick with me for a second here. What are the concerns about the upcoming holy days there?

STARR: Well, you know, over the next several days, it is some of the holiest days for those of the Shia faith. And now, U.S. troops are making it very clear that they are not going to be in some of those holy cities because of the religious sensitivities, the religious concerns.

General Sanchez at his briefing earlier today making it very clear that the U.S. troops will hold back, but warning the pilgrims that are expected -- hundreds of thousands of people -- that the holy cities may be a place of violence and unrest, and that they should be careful. Right now, General Sanchez says, the U.S. military, the coalition is not in control of the holy city of Najaf or the city of Al Kut.

This, of course, is going to start raising some questions in the next couple of days about where the Iraqi security forces are, because they are supposed to be in those holy cities. And if violence does break out, they are supposed to be on the front line to try and contain it and only call upon the U.S. troops if they are really needed -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon. Barbara, thanks for that. Back to you a bit later this morning.

Now to Heidi again in New York.

COLLINS: To the news now this morning. The CIA is now saying that a newly-released audiotape is probably that of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi. In the tape, a voice believed to be that of Zarqawi claims responsibility for a number of attacks in Iraq, including the bombing of the U.N. compound. An intelligence official says references in the tape suggest it was recorded fairly recently. The audiotape appeared on an Arabic-language Web site.

An emergency contraceptive known as Plan B is coming under fire. The distributor of the drug and government officials are reportedly discussing ways to restrict proposed over-the-counter sales of the drug. An FDA advisory panel voted in December to make the so-called "morning after pill" available over the counter, but critics say making it easily available will increase teenage promiscuity. The FDA has until next month to decide.

Police in Las Vegas have issued an Amber Alert for a missing 5- year-old boy. Detectives believe Donovan Bingaman may be with his father, Craig. Authorities say the father is wanted in connection with the murder of his wife, the boy's mother.

And imagine being able to travel into space on a private rocket. Well, your dream may become a reality within the next 10 years or so. The FAA has issued a launch license to a California company, which would operate the first privately-built manned rocket called Spaceship 1. Aviation maverick Burt Ruten (ph) built it, and Ruten (ph) is best known for designing the Voyager airplane, which made the first nonstop un-refueled flight around the world back in 1986. It sounds pretty good.

(WEATHER BREAK)

HEMMER: In this election year, the subject of Iraq is being debated and the future for U.S. involvement in that country. And lately, the subject has raised a partisan tone that calls on a chapter of American history that is certain to raise strong opinions.

Joe Johns from Washington has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the escalating violence, John Kerry in a radio interview compared the president's handling of Iraq to Vietnam.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Since I fought in Vietnam, I have not seen an arrogance in our foreign policy like this.

JOHNS: But Republican John McCain, also a Vietnam veteran and a Kerry friend, said making such comparisons is flat wrong.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I happen to know something about Vietnam, and I know we don't face another Vietnam.

JOHNS: John Kerry's closest ally in Congress, Ted Kennedy, first called Iraq "Bush's Vietnam" on Monday, and Wednesday the Senate's leading critic of the war, Robert Byrd, kept up the drum beat. Byrd reciting Tennison's (ph) the poem about the doomed charge of the light brigade.

SEN. ROBERT BYRD (D), WEST VIRGINIA: There's but to do and die into the valley of death rode the 600.

JOHNS: Then invoking the "V" word.

BYRD: Surely, I am not the only one who hears echoes of Vietnam in this development.

JOHNS: Republicans are furious. Senator Saxby Chambliss saying American lives could be endangered by the statements of politicians.

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: Statements that tend to incite the opposition and to put our men and women in greater harm's way. JOHNS: Democratic leader Tom Daschle accused Republicans of trying to stifle debate.

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MINORITY LEADER: I think in an open democracy, people ought to have a right to express themselves without fear of character assassination.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even in a time of war?

DASCHLE: Absolutely. Especially in a time of war.

JOHNS (on camera): Daschle and many Democrats say more troops may be needed because of the worsening situation in Iraq, a view that may be picking up support among some moderate Republicans. Senate majority leader Bill Frist says that Congress will give the Pentagon whatever it says it needs.

Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: One other note on that story. Polls show a decided Republican-Democratic split regarding the war. Ninety percent of Republicans polled by Gallup say they support what's happening in Iraq. Three quarters of Democrats say they are opposed to it -- Heidi.

COLLINS: More fierce fighting today between American troops and Iraqi insurgents. The hot spots are inside the Sunni triangle. There are reports of intense resistance from Fallujah. But U.S. commanders say they are making good progress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN SENOR, COALITION AUTHORITY SENIOR ADVISOR: The general trend is positive. And as we get closer and closer to June 30, as we hand over sovereignty here, there are going to be these bumps in the road, where mobs of -- violent mobs and two-bit thugs are going to try to throw this process off course.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Retired Air Force General Major Don Sheppard, a CNN military analyst, is joining us from Sedona, Arizona, this morning to talk about all of this.

General, I want to first ask you, you know, there is so much fighting happening in different places throughout this country, and so many people fighting it. The numbers are growing. We're hearing about troops and their tour of duty possibly being extended. When I ask you how the coalition plans to handle all of this, what is the plan?

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, well, Heidi, first of all, you've got to understand what's happening in the fighting. There are two separate types of fighting going on. One is in the Sunni triangle by former regime loyalists, and that's what we hear about in Fallujah and al-Ramadi, the southern part of the Sunni triangle, if you will.

That is different than the fighting going on against the al-Sadr factions in southern Iraq, in Najaf and Al Kut. That is a Shia-on- Shia struggle, a power play within the Shia movement, if you will, between al-Sadr's forces and Sistani's forces. Al-Sadr is trying to become the primary force.

Now, to deal with this, the United States has decided that they will slow down the rotation of some of the troops that were supposed to come home. They'll move other forces from within Iraq to scenes of violence and scenes of conflict, if you will. And then eventually they may send other troops, although right now it appears to me that that probably is not going to happen.

COLLINS: All right. So, just to name a few, that being said, there is Fallujah, Baghdad and Ramadi. What is the biggest danger? Where is the focus in this theater, if you will?

SHEPPERD: Yes. Well, there are several dangers. First of all, you've got to clear out the Sunni triangle, and you've got to give the Sunnis a stake in the new Iraq. So, you've got to handle that Sunni triangle over there.

Then in the al-Sadr movement, basically what the al-Sadr movement wants to do is he wants to take over, become the predominant force in the Shia movement and establish an Iranian-style theocracy in Iraq. We can simply not let that happen.

The long-term dangers are several. One, a Shia-on-Shia civil war, if you will, or the Shia uniting and rising up against the coalition forces. And then, of course, the long-term, again, if you establish an Iranian-style theocracy or if there is chaos after the United States leaves and you have another home for terrorists where they can work just like they did in Afghanistan, that's the long-term nightmare, if you will, Heidi.

COLLINS: You mentioned the possible combination -- or coordination, I should say, between the Sunnis and the Shiites rising up against the coalition together. Do you think that could happen?

SHEPPERD: I don't think it can happen. There may be attempts by al-Sadr to join up and say let's fight the Americans everywhere we can and rise up. That's the type of rhetoric that flows across Iraq all the time. But these simply are not communities of interest. The Shia and Sunnis are opposition forces, if you will. The Shia being the majority, about 60 percent of the population,14 million of them of the 25 million in Iraq. I don't see that happening.

And the al-Sadr movement is a small movement within the Shia community. It does not have a lot of support. He's trying to get it. He's trying to have his thugs take over the mayor's offices, the police and gain control of these cities. Now, that's what this about within the Shia community, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Major General Don Shepperd coming to us from Arizona this morning. Thanks so much, General.

SHEPPERD: Pleasure.

COLLINS: Bill -- back over to you.

HEMMER: All right, Heidi. Still to come here, that testimony from Condoleezza Rice about the attack, anxiously awaited by victims' family members. We'll talk to two of them in a moment and what might we all learn from her testimony about that day in September.

Back in a moment, live in Washington on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: From Capitol Hill, about an hour and 15 minutes away in the Hart Senate Office Building, room 216, two and a half hours of testimony today from Condoleezza Rice. That is the reason we are here today in Washington. And the families of the victims in the attacks pressed for this day for some time. A public accounting from Condoleezza Rice about the White House's anti-terror efforts and what was happening in the days, weeks and even months before the events of 9/11.

Carie Lemack lost her mother at the World Trade Center, and Stephen Push's wife was killed on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. They are our guests this morning here in Washington.

Nice to see you both.

STEPHEN PUSH, WIFE KILLED ON 9/11: Good to see you, Bill.

CARIE LEMACK, MOTHER KILLED ON 9/11: Good to see you.

HEMMER: How does it feel about this day today? What are you thinking? What's going on inside?

PUSH: Oh, I'm feeling very gratified. We've worked for two and a half years to get an accounting from the government as to what happened on September 11 and what can be done to prevent another tragedy like this. And that work is finally coming to fruition.

HEMMER: Carrie, what do you want to hear today?

LEMACK: I think that we're glad that they're taking the right step in letting Dr. Rice testify publicly under oath. It's been a long time coming, as Steve said. And we as families of September 11, a group of victims' families, as well as other families, have been fighting for this for so long.

We want the truth. We want to make sure that security is not made into a partisan issue and that Americans are going to be made safer by finding out what did our government know, where were the failures and the gaps, and what are we going to do to fix it?

HEMMER: There's been a lot made of Richard Clarke's public apology two weeks ago. Do you want an apology today? PUSH: I appreciated the apology, and I wish we would get an apology from the government. Clearly, they failed the American people on September 11. I'm not saying that it was anything deliberate or malicious, but 9/11 exposed serious problems in our law enforcement and intelligence communities that allowed us to become very vulnerable.

And it's -- I think what Richard Clarke did -- I know a lot of people look at it as being something cynical -- but I think it was a decent thing for him to do to admit that mistakes were made and what are we going to do now to look back now and correct those mistakes so this doesn't happen again.

HEMMER: You've listened to so much testimony and I know yet again today you will both be in the room today. Is there evidence that you can seen yet that tells you emphatically and without question that these attacks could have been prevented?

LEMACK: I think there's no doubt that these attacks could have been prevented. I think that we've seen that. We've known that our government knew in 1995 that terrorists were planning to hijack planes and fly them into buildings, specifically the World Trade Center. Now, whether or not they chose to make the changes in the intelligence and safety industries that they needed to is another story. But I think that the most important thing today is to find out what did they know, where were the gaps and the failures, and what are we going to do to make Americans safer, so that no one else has to sit in this seat again?

PUSH: I think too much emphasis has been put on whether the attacks could have been prevented. We may not ever be able to know to everyone's satisfaction whether they could have been prevented. The important thing is: What can we learn from the attacks that can help prevent future attacks?

HEMMER: Is there a part of both of you that says this will be a better day when this day is over, having pushed for it for so long?

PUSH: A better day?

HEMMER: A sense of putting it behind you, getting more answers?

PUSH: This is bittersweet for us. I mean, it's very gratifying that we've been able to accomplish this, to get the commission when everyone said we couldn't do it, to have this get so much media attention that we believe that the recommendations will be implemented because it's gotten so much attention. On the other hand, nothing is going to bring our loved ones back. And to go to these hearings and to relive the tragedy of September 11 is also very difficult for us.

HEMMER: I can imagine.

The commission's work, in summary, are you pleased with what they've done?

PUSH: I'm very pleased with what the commission is doing so far, and I'm highly confident that they will do an excellent report -- probably the most important commission report that this country has ever seen.

HEMMER: You believe that?

PUSH: Yes.

HEMMER: That's a heck of a statement, yes.

LEMACK: I'm looking forward to seeing the final report on July 26 when it comes out. I think it's very important. There is going to be a lot of good facts, a lot of recommendations to make Americans safer. And I'm hopeful that we're going to get to see that soon.

HEMMER: Great to see you, Carie.

LEMACK: Thank you.

HEMMER: Carie Lemack, Stephen Push, good to see you in person down here in Washington.

PUSH: Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: A bit later today, another reminder about our coverage here live in Washington. That testimony begins at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time with Condoleezza Rice expected to go for two and a half hours in length. There is said to be a little bit of flexibility, too, on the back side of that. So maybe a little longer. Whatever the case, we'll be here live when it happens at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

To New York yet again and Heidi.

COLLINS: We're going to shift gears a little bit. Golf's premier event begins this morning. Tiger Woods is returning to form just in time. Wait until you see what he did yesterday. Stay with us right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

COLLINS: We want to check in with Jack now and the question of the day.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Heidi.

A grim picture this morning on several fronts in Iraq. U.S. troops facing a broad-based Shiite uprising now. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the U.S. may delay the return home of 25,000 troops who have been in the midst of all of this for a year in some cases.

The Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, vowed yesterday to turn Iraq into -- quote -- "another Vietnam for America. And U.S. troops just suffered their bloodiest week since before the fall of Baghdad. Forty of our kids killed in the last seven days.

The question is: What's the best way to end the escalating violence in Iraq? Here's some of what you've written this morning. Paul in the United Kingdom: "To end the violence, stop the rush toward the Bush politically-motivated June 30 deadline, have an international commission set up, U.N.-guided, to handle the transfer of sovereignty back to the Iraqi people rather than the current U.S. interest-based group."

Caroline in New York writes: "Saddam is no longer running Iraq. Turn the country over to the Iraqis, announce that our goal has been achieved and get out. There are so many countries that suffer from the same problems that exist in Iraq, we can't possibly fix them all. Get out. Terrorism will continue whether we stay there or not."

Charlie in Virginia says: "Our troops have to keep pressing on until they get to the bottom of the resistors. I just hope it's not an abyss. We will prevail in the end."

And Katherine in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania: "I suggest that Saddam Hussein be released and returned to power. Let the Iraqis resume their former lives before the Americans went in to help them. Let them deal with each other instead of killing and maiming our troops and other innocent people."

AM@CNN.com.

This weekend on "IN THE MONEY" -- if I could have just a second -- Alan Dershowitz (ph) will be our guest. We're going to talk about some of these high-profile celebrity trials, none of which seems to be going very well. "IN THE MONEY" airs Saturdays at 1:00, Sundays at 3:00. We invite you to join us. It's a fine program.

COLLINS: It is a fine program. We'll all be watching. Thanks so much, Jack.

Ready for some golf? The 68th annual Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, will be in full swing this afternoon. Golf favorite Tiger Woods tees off at 1:30 Eastern.

Now, yesterday, the three-time Masters champ competed in the annual par 3 competition and had a hole in one. Nice.

Canadian Mike Weir (ph), who won the Masters last year, also hit a hole in one. Didn't mean to ruin it for you. Here it comes. Weir (ph) will try to defend his title and hold on to his green jacket. Nice. Golf great...

CAFFERTY: They make is look so easy.

COLLINS: I know, don't they? Golf Great Arnold Palmer, though, will be getting lots of attention as well. He plays his 50th and final Masters tournament. People will be missing him, I am sure.

Bill -- back to you in Washington.

HEMMER: What do you do when you see that? Do you just like just pack up the car and turn around go home before the thing starts?

COLLINS: I would.

HEMMER: Oh, my god! It's going to be a great weekend in Augusta. Hopefully the weather will hold for that tournament.

COLLINS: Yes, I hope so.

HEMMER: Heidi, in a moment here, Slade Gordon of the 9/11 Commission is our guest at the top of the hour, among those questioning Condoleezza Rice today. What are his questions? Back in a moment here live in Washington and in New York as AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this.

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


Aired April 8, 2004 - 07:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A live picture from Washington D.C. and the White House, where Condoleezza Rice and that testimony is expected to get under way in about 90 minutes from now. And that is the reason we are here today in Washington.
It's about half past the hour, 7:30 here in D.C. We are waiting for that testimony later today, and we will continue to sort through what some of the families of 9/11 want to hear today. What do they expect will happen in that room today? And what questions do they want answered? We'll get to two of them in a moment here in Washington.

Heidi is with us back in New York working for Soledad yet again today. Good morning there -- Heidi. How are you?

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Bill.

Of course, the other big story this morning is Iraq. Retired General Don Sheppard is with us again this morning. We're going to talk about some of the scenarios military planners are most concerned about -- Shiites fighting against one another or perhaps Shiites fighting with Sunnis against the coalition. We'll talk more about that.

For now, back to Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Heidi, thanks.

Speaking of Iraq, right now let's get right to the fighting there -- battles on several fronts yet again today. Coalition forces are doing battle in a number of cities against Sunni and Shiite Muslim insurgents.

Meanwhile, there is word now that the U.S. troops may be staying there longer than originally scheduled. There is a troop rotation that was on the schedule that now may be delayed.

Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon now, and not many clear answers yesterday during that Pentagon briefing.

Do we understand any more of those answers today -- Barbara? Good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

Well, about 20,000 troops were scheduled to come home this spring as part of the Pentagon's promise, the Bush administration's promise, to the troops that they would only stay one year. Now, as of yesterday, that is an open question. Because of the violence in Iraq, because of the continued fighting, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is saying they may need to keep them longer.

Clearly, what is on the table is the notion that the most experienced troops are going to be needed for this ongoing fighting -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara, we're having a little problem hearing you, but if you can stick with me for a second here. What are the concerns about the upcoming holy days there?

STARR: Well, you know, over the next several days, it is some of the holiest days for those of the Shia faith. And now, U.S. troops are making it very clear that they are not going to be in some of those holy cities because of the religious sensitivities, the religious concerns.

General Sanchez at his briefing earlier today making it very clear that the U.S. troops will hold back, but warning the pilgrims that are expected -- hundreds of thousands of people -- that the holy cities may be a place of violence and unrest, and that they should be careful. Right now, General Sanchez says, the U.S. military, the coalition is not in control of the holy city of Najaf or the city of Al Kut.

This, of course, is going to start raising some questions in the next couple of days about where the Iraqi security forces are, because they are supposed to be in those holy cities. And if violence does break out, they are supposed to be on the front line to try and contain it and only call upon the U.S. troops if they are really needed -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon. Barbara, thanks for that. Back to you a bit later this morning.

Now to Heidi again in New York.

COLLINS: To the news now this morning. The CIA is now saying that a newly-released audiotape is probably that of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi. In the tape, a voice believed to be that of Zarqawi claims responsibility for a number of attacks in Iraq, including the bombing of the U.N. compound. An intelligence official says references in the tape suggest it was recorded fairly recently. The audiotape appeared on an Arabic-language Web site.

An emergency contraceptive known as Plan B is coming under fire. The distributor of the drug and government officials are reportedly discussing ways to restrict proposed over-the-counter sales of the drug. An FDA advisory panel voted in December to make the so-called "morning after pill" available over the counter, but critics say making it easily available will increase teenage promiscuity. The FDA has until next month to decide.

Police in Las Vegas have issued an Amber Alert for a missing 5- year-old boy. Detectives believe Donovan Bingaman may be with his father, Craig. Authorities say the father is wanted in connection with the murder of his wife, the boy's mother.

And imagine being able to travel into space on a private rocket. Well, your dream may become a reality within the next 10 years or so. The FAA has issued a launch license to a California company, which would operate the first privately-built manned rocket called Spaceship 1. Aviation maverick Burt Ruten (ph) built it, and Ruten (ph) is best known for designing the Voyager airplane, which made the first nonstop un-refueled flight around the world back in 1986. It sounds pretty good.

(WEATHER BREAK)

HEMMER: In this election year, the subject of Iraq is being debated and the future for U.S. involvement in that country. And lately, the subject has raised a partisan tone that calls on a chapter of American history that is certain to raise strong opinions.

Joe Johns from Washington has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the escalating violence, John Kerry in a radio interview compared the president's handling of Iraq to Vietnam.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Since I fought in Vietnam, I have not seen an arrogance in our foreign policy like this.

JOHNS: But Republican John McCain, also a Vietnam veteran and a Kerry friend, said making such comparisons is flat wrong.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I happen to know something about Vietnam, and I know we don't face another Vietnam.

JOHNS: John Kerry's closest ally in Congress, Ted Kennedy, first called Iraq "Bush's Vietnam" on Monday, and Wednesday the Senate's leading critic of the war, Robert Byrd, kept up the drum beat. Byrd reciting Tennison's (ph) the poem about the doomed charge of the light brigade.

SEN. ROBERT BYRD (D), WEST VIRGINIA: There's but to do and die into the valley of death rode the 600.

JOHNS: Then invoking the "V" word.

BYRD: Surely, I am not the only one who hears echoes of Vietnam in this development.

JOHNS: Republicans are furious. Senator Saxby Chambliss saying American lives could be endangered by the statements of politicians.

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: Statements that tend to incite the opposition and to put our men and women in greater harm's way. JOHNS: Democratic leader Tom Daschle accused Republicans of trying to stifle debate.

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MINORITY LEADER: I think in an open democracy, people ought to have a right to express themselves without fear of character assassination.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even in a time of war?

DASCHLE: Absolutely. Especially in a time of war.

JOHNS (on camera): Daschle and many Democrats say more troops may be needed because of the worsening situation in Iraq, a view that may be picking up support among some moderate Republicans. Senate majority leader Bill Frist says that Congress will give the Pentagon whatever it says it needs.

Joe Johns, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: One other note on that story. Polls show a decided Republican-Democratic split regarding the war. Ninety percent of Republicans polled by Gallup say they support what's happening in Iraq. Three quarters of Democrats say they are opposed to it -- Heidi.

COLLINS: More fierce fighting today between American troops and Iraqi insurgents. The hot spots are inside the Sunni triangle. There are reports of intense resistance from Fallujah. But U.S. commanders say they are making good progress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN SENOR, COALITION AUTHORITY SENIOR ADVISOR: The general trend is positive. And as we get closer and closer to June 30, as we hand over sovereignty here, there are going to be these bumps in the road, where mobs of -- violent mobs and two-bit thugs are going to try to throw this process off course.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Retired Air Force General Major Don Sheppard, a CNN military analyst, is joining us from Sedona, Arizona, this morning to talk about all of this.

General, I want to first ask you, you know, there is so much fighting happening in different places throughout this country, and so many people fighting it. The numbers are growing. We're hearing about troops and their tour of duty possibly being extended. When I ask you how the coalition plans to handle all of this, what is the plan?

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, well, Heidi, first of all, you've got to understand what's happening in the fighting. There are two separate types of fighting going on. One is in the Sunni triangle by former regime loyalists, and that's what we hear about in Fallujah and al-Ramadi, the southern part of the Sunni triangle, if you will.

That is different than the fighting going on against the al-Sadr factions in southern Iraq, in Najaf and Al Kut. That is a Shia-on- Shia struggle, a power play within the Shia movement, if you will, between al-Sadr's forces and Sistani's forces. Al-Sadr is trying to become the primary force.

Now, to deal with this, the United States has decided that they will slow down the rotation of some of the troops that were supposed to come home. They'll move other forces from within Iraq to scenes of violence and scenes of conflict, if you will. And then eventually they may send other troops, although right now it appears to me that that probably is not going to happen.

COLLINS: All right. So, just to name a few, that being said, there is Fallujah, Baghdad and Ramadi. What is the biggest danger? Where is the focus in this theater, if you will?

SHEPPERD: Yes. Well, there are several dangers. First of all, you've got to clear out the Sunni triangle, and you've got to give the Sunnis a stake in the new Iraq. So, you've got to handle that Sunni triangle over there.

Then in the al-Sadr movement, basically what the al-Sadr movement wants to do is he wants to take over, become the predominant force in the Shia movement and establish an Iranian-style theocracy in Iraq. We can simply not let that happen.

The long-term dangers are several. One, a Shia-on-Shia civil war, if you will, or the Shia uniting and rising up against the coalition forces. And then, of course, the long-term, again, if you establish an Iranian-style theocracy or if there is chaos after the United States leaves and you have another home for terrorists where they can work just like they did in Afghanistan, that's the long-term nightmare, if you will, Heidi.

COLLINS: You mentioned the possible combination -- or coordination, I should say, between the Sunnis and the Shiites rising up against the coalition together. Do you think that could happen?

SHEPPERD: I don't think it can happen. There may be attempts by al-Sadr to join up and say let's fight the Americans everywhere we can and rise up. That's the type of rhetoric that flows across Iraq all the time. But these simply are not communities of interest. The Shia and Sunnis are opposition forces, if you will. The Shia being the majority, about 60 percent of the population,14 million of them of the 25 million in Iraq. I don't see that happening.

And the al-Sadr movement is a small movement within the Shia community. It does not have a lot of support. He's trying to get it. He's trying to have his thugs take over the mayor's offices, the police and gain control of these cities. Now, that's what this about within the Shia community, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Major General Don Shepperd coming to us from Arizona this morning. Thanks so much, General.

SHEPPERD: Pleasure.

COLLINS: Bill -- back over to you.

HEMMER: All right, Heidi. Still to come here, that testimony from Condoleezza Rice about the attack, anxiously awaited by victims' family members. We'll talk to two of them in a moment and what might we all learn from her testimony about that day in September.

Back in a moment, live in Washington on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: From Capitol Hill, about an hour and 15 minutes away in the Hart Senate Office Building, room 216, two and a half hours of testimony today from Condoleezza Rice. That is the reason we are here today in Washington. And the families of the victims in the attacks pressed for this day for some time. A public accounting from Condoleezza Rice about the White House's anti-terror efforts and what was happening in the days, weeks and even months before the events of 9/11.

Carie Lemack lost her mother at the World Trade Center, and Stephen Push's wife was killed on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. They are our guests this morning here in Washington.

Nice to see you both.

STEPHEN PUSH, WIFE KILLED ON 9/11: Good to see you, Bill.

CARIE LEMACK, MOTHER KILLED ON 9/11: Good to see you.

HEMMER: How does it feel about this day today? What are you thinking? What's going on inside?

PUSH: Oh, I'm feeling very gratified. We've worked for two and a half years to get an accounting from the government as to what happened on September 11 and what can be done to prevent another tragedy like this. And that work is finally coming to fruition.

HEMMER: Carrie, what do you want to hear today?

LEMACK: I think that we're glad that they're taking the right step in letting Dr. Rice testify publicly under oath. It's been a long time coming, as Steve said. And we as families of September 11, a group of victims' families, as well as other families, have been fighting for this for so long.

We want the truth. We want to make sure that security is not made into a partisan issue and that Americans are going to be made safer by finding out what did our government know, where were the failures and the gaps, and what are we going to do to fix it?

HEMMER: There's been a lot made of Richard Clarke's public apology two weeks ago. Do you want an apology today? PUSH: I appreciated the apology, and I wish we would get an apology from the government. Clearly, they failed the American people on September 11. I'm not saying that it was anything deliberate or malicious, but 9/11 exposed serious problems in our law enforcement and intelligence communities that allowed us to become very vulnerable.

And it's -- I think what Richard Clarke did -- I know a lot of people look at it as being something cynical -- but I think it was a decent thing for him to do to admit that mistakes were made and what are we going to do now to look back now and correct those mistakes so this doesn't happen again.

HEMMER: You've listened to so much testimony and I know yet again today you will both be in the room today. Is there evidence that you can seen yet that tells you emphatically and without question that these attacks could have been prevented?

LEMACK: I think there's no doubt that these attacks could have been prevented. I think that we've seen that. We've known that our government knew in 1995 that terrorists were planning to hijack planes and fly them into buildings, specifically the World Trade Center. Now, whether or not they chose to make the changes in the intelligence and safety industries that they needed to is another story. But I think that the most important thing today is to find out what did they know, where were the gaps and the failures, and what are we going to do to make Americans safer, so that no one else has to sit in this seat again?

PUSH: I think too much emphasis has been put on whether the attacks could have been prevented. We may not ever be able to know to everyone's satisfaction whether they could have been prevented. The important thing is: What can we learn from the attacks that can help prevent future attacks?

HEMMER: Is there a part of both of you that says this will be a better day when this day is over, having pushed for it for so long?

PUSH: A better day?

HEMMER: A sense of putting it behind you, getting more answers?

PUSH: This is bittersweet for us. I mean, it's very gratifying that we've been able to accomplish this, to get the commission when everyone said we couldn't do it, to have this get so much media attention that we believe that the recommendations will be implemented because it's gotten so much attention. On the other hand, nothing is going to bring our loved ones back. And to go to these hearings and to relive the tragedy of September 11 is also very difficult for us.

HEMMER: I can imagine.

The commission's work, in summary, are you pleased with what they've done?

PUSH: I'm very pleased with what the commission is doing so far, and I'm highly confident that they will do an excellent report -- probably the most important commission report that this country has ever seen.

HEMMER: You believe that?

PUSH: Yes.

HEMMER: That's a heck of a statement, yes.

LEMACK: I'm looking forward to seeing the final report on July 26 when it comes out. I think it's very important. There is going to be a lot of good facts, a lot of recommendations to make Americans safer. And I'm hopeful that we're going to get to see that soon.

HEMMER: Great to see you, Carie.

LEMACK: Thank you.

HEMMER: Carie Lemack, Stephen Push, good to see you in person down here in Washington.

PUSH: Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: A bit later today, another reminder about our coverage here live in Washington. That testimony begins at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time with Condoleezza Rice expected to go for two and a half hours in length. There is said to be a little bit of flexibility, too, on the back side of that. So maybe a little longer. Whatever the case, we'll be here live when it happens at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

To New York yet again and Heidi.

COLLINS: We're going to shift gears a little bit. Golf's premier event begins this morning. Tiger Woods is returning to form just in time. Wait until you see what he did yesterday. Stay with us right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

COLLINS: We want to check in with Jack now and the question of the day.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Heidi.

A grim picture this morning on several fronts in Iraq. U.S. troops facing a broad-based Shiite uprising now. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the U.S. may delay the return home of 25,000 troops who have been in the midst of all of this for a year in some cases.

The Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, vowed yesterday to turn Iraq into -- quote -- "another Vietnam for America. And U.S. troops just suffered their bloodiest week since before the fall of Baghdad. Forty of our kids killed in the last seven days.

The question is: What's the best way to end the escalating violence in Iraq? Here's some of what you've written this morning. Paul in the United Kingdom: "To end the violence, stop the rush toward the Bush politically-motivated June 30 deadline, have an international commission set up, U.N.-guided, to handle the transfer of sovereignty back to the Iraqi people rather than the current U.S. interest-based group."

Caroline in New York writes: "Saddam is no longer running Iraq. Turn the country over to the Iraqis, announce that our goal has been achieved and get out. There are so many countries that suffer from the same problems that exist in Iraq, we can't possibly fix them all. Get out. Terrorism will continue whether we stay there or not."

Charlie in Virginia says: "Our troops have to keep pressing on until they get to the bottom of the resistors. I just hope it's not an abyss. We will prevail in the end."

And Katherine in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania: "I suggest that Saddam Hussein be released and returned to power. Let the Iraqis resume their former lives before the Americans went in to help them. Let them deal with each other instead of killing and maiming our troops and other innocent people."

AM@CNN.com.

This weekend on "IN THE MONEY" -- if I could have just a second -- Alan Dershowitz (ph) will be our guest. We're going to talk about some of these high-profile celebrity trials, none of which seems to be going very well. "IN THE MONEY" airs Saturdays at 1:00, Sundays at 3:00. We invite you to join us. It's a fine program.

COLLINS: It is a fine program. We'll all be watching. Thanks so much, Jack.

Ready for some golf? The 68th annual Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, will be in full swing this afternoon. Golf favorite Tiger Woods tees off at 1:30 Eastern.

Now, yesterday, the three-time Masters champ competed in the annual par 3 competition and had a hole in one. Nice.

Canadian Mike Weir (ph), who won the Masters last year, also hit a hole in one. Didn't mean to ruin it for you. Here it comes. Weir (ph) will try to defend his title and hold on to his green jacket. Nice. Golf great...

CAFFERTY: They make is look so easy.

COLLINS: I know, don't they? Golf Great Arnold Palmer, though, will be getting lots of attention as well. He plays his 50th and final Masters tournament. People will be missing him, I am sure.

Bill -- back to you in Washington.

HEMMER: What do you do when you see that? Do you just like just pack up the car and turn around go home before the thing starts?

COLLINS: I would.

HEMMER: Oh, my god! It's going to be a great weekend in Augusta. Hopefully the weather will hold for that tournament.

COLLINS: Yes, I hope so.

HEMMER: Heidi, in a moment here, Slade Gordon of the 9/11 Commission is our guest at the top of the hour, among those questioning Condoleezza Rice today. What are his questions? Back in a moment here live in Washington and in New York as AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this.

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