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CNN Live At Daybreak
Fight For Iraq; President's Position; Cheney in China; South Korea Support
Aired April 14, 2004 - 05:30 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: No regrets and no apologies, the president versus the press corp. Tough questions as the nation looks ahead today, Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From CNN's Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
We will have much more on the president's address last night, but first, the latest headlines for you.
Today the 9/11 Commission looks at ways to prevent terror attacks in the United States. One controversial possibility, establishing a domestic intelligence agency.
We're getting word today that four U.S. Marines have died in Iraq's Anbar province, which includes Fallujah. Two combat deaths occurred yesterday, two more on Monday.
In California, a 5-year-old girl is found uninjured 10 days after the car she was in plunged down an embankment. The crash killed her mother.
Los Angeles police are investigating a new allegation of child abuse against Michael Jackson from the 1980s. A lawyer for Jackson predicts the new claim will be proven false.
To Chad now and the forecast.
Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
COSTELLO: A grim identification process now under way in Iraq. Four bodies have been found there and they could be those Americans taken hostage, but we just don't know for sure.
Let's head live to Baghdad for the latest and Karl Penhaul.
What's taking them so long to identify these bodies -- Karl?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Well, very little concrete detail coming out about the recovery of those four bodies. We do have a statement issued by the -- one of the main U.S. contractors, Halliburton, and its subsidiary here, KBR. What they have said is that yes, four bodies have been recovered. They are not confirming that these four bodies are the bodies of four of the seven U.S. contractors that were missing since an ambush on a convoy late last week. What they are also saying, though, is that they will not release any further details about the incident at this time.
In addition to that, in the statement they do, obviously, praise their contractors for carrying out what has proved to be a very difficult job here in Iraq. And also they do talk about the "political derision" -- in their words -- that many of these contractors have been subjected to back in the United States.
Many of them in fact in the past, and we see even in President Bush's press conference yesterday, some reporters asking questions about the numbers of contractors in Iraq. And also, in some cases, calling them hired guns, from what I understand, Carol. So certainly a little bit of ill feeling there on the part of KBR and the way their contractors are being described, but no confirmation yet.
Now that, though, is having a ripple effect across the international community here in Iraq. And this morning we hear from the Russian Jasha DaFair (ph) here in Iraq that they will be laying on planes for the evacuation of all Russian personnel from Iraq, together with personnel from former Soviet republics. We understand that up to 800 Russians and former Soviets could be evacuated from Iraq in the coming days -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Karl Penhaul live in Baghdad.
Want to talk a little bit more about the president's speech, how it related to Iraq and how it related to the rest of the world.
Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us now.
And the president said he is going to stay the course. He didn't really outline a plan...
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... for the turnover of power, except to say that it would indeed happen on June 30.
CLINCH: Right. And the reaction to it around the world has fallen more or less along predictable lines. The non-coalition countries, particularly in Europe, France and Russia, I mean, first of all, we have seen them laying out plans to evacuate their civilians. The hostage taking and other things of great concern to them. There is still that sort of aura of we told you so from countries like that.
On the coalition side, there's a little bit more complicated with the main coalition countries, Britain, Italy, you've got the predictable agreement of staying the course. Obviously no suggestion of turning back now or pulling troops.
But on -- around the edges of that coalition, there are what could be called minor cracks. You've got smaller countries, like Bulgaria, which has a very small amount of troops there at this stage now where they are actually allowing their troops, if they want to come home, they send a letter to their commander asking permission to come home and they will be allowed to come home. Now we haven't actually seen that happen yet, but they are being told they can do that.
The Philippines, again, a very small contingent. But they are saying they are seriously considering pulling their troops out. You, of course, have Spain already committed to pulling their troops out if they don't get this new U.N. resolution. And that's really where this sort of complicating factor on the coalition side comes.
Tony Blair, as we were talking about last week, is coming to the United States. He will meet with Kofi Annan, I think, on Thursday, and then with President Bush on Friday. There will be some considerable interest in Blair, obviously, you know in public and with Bush talking absolutely about staying the course and no suggestion of pulling British troops. But there is a great deal of interest in what Blair and other European leaders are asking for in terms of a greater U.N. involvement.
And on the ground in Iraq, we've got some interesting specific developments on that expected today. Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. Envoy, is there helping out already with the United States, talking to these Iraq officials on the ground, trying to sort out exactly what kind of an Iraqi entity there will be to hand over to.
COSTELLO: Well I was just going to ask you that. So he is the guy who is supposedly going to decide who is best to lead Iraq on that June 30 date?
CLINCH: Well I -- it would certainly be more -- I think probably more accurate to say that he is trying to get an agreement amongst the Iraqi -- various Iraqi factions and groups about what form that entity should take. It will then of course be up to the U.S. to agree to hand over to that entity, whatever that is. But we will hear from Brahimi today. That should be interesting.
COSTELLO: Should be. David Clinch, many thanks.
CLINCH: OK.
COSTELLO: President Bush rejected one reporter's comparison between Iraq and Vietnam and said such an analogy sends the wrong message to the troops and the enemy.
More reaction now to the president's news conference, joining us on the phone, Jimmy Barrett from WRVA Radio in Richmond, Virginia.
Good morning -- Jimmy.
JIMMY BARRETT, 1140 WRVA RADIO MORNING SHOW: Good morning, Carol. How are you today?
COSTELLO: I know you were sleeping and you didn't see much of the president's speech, but you did catch some of it.
BARRETT: I did, and I -- and I got some reaction from people I happen to respect their opinion of very much. Larry Sabato is one of those. Very well known University of Virginia political consultant. And quite frankly, he was pretty impressed by the president last night. The president hasn't always had a great reputation for extemporaneous speaking, but last night he seemed to impress quite a few people with the forceful way he got his message across.
COSTELLO: Yes, not according to Dave (ph), one of our viewers. He said the way the president stuttered he seemed ill prepared for everything.
BARRETT: Have you ever -- have you ever seen him not stutter a little bit in answering a question. That's what -- that's what I mean. I mean we have to take the context of what he said last night. I, for one, think he was right on track as far as getting the message across about what...
COSTELLO: He didn't really say much new, though -- Jimmy.
BARRETT: Well he -- what he said was is that -- he answered some very direct questions, Carol Costello. And in fact, he was answered very much to sort of take on the Senator John Kerry line about whether or not this is another Vietnam. And that is...
COSTELLO: Well he said it wasn't, but he said that before.
BARRETT: Well, and he was -- he's probably been asked the question before. He answered the question, right? You get asked the question you answer the question.
COSTELLO: Yes, the question. All right. This is from another viewer. Harold (ph) says at times I felt I was watching "The Caine Mutiny." So he does agree with you, in part, that the reporters' questions at times were pointed and not very nice.
BARRETT: Well,...
COSTELLO: But I would submit they were doing their job last night.
BARRETT: I would submit that I don't know very many nice reporters. How about you? That's what I would say.
COSTELLO: All right, let's talk about the 9/11 Commission and what came out of that, because before we get into it, I want to play a sound bite from the hearings yesterday between Thomas Pickard, the acting FBI director, and John Ashcroft.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES THOMPSON, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: Director -- acting director Pickard testified this afternoon that he briefed you twice on al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. And when he sought to do so again, you told him you didn't need to hear from him again. Can you comment on that, please?
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Acting director Pickard and I had more than two meetings. We had regular meetings. Secondly, I did never speak to him saying that I did not want to hear about terrorism. I care greatly about the safety and security of the American people and was very interested in terrorism and specifically interrogated him about threats to the American people and domestic threats in particular.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, Jimmy Barrett, fair to John Ashcroft or not fair?
BARRETT: Well, yes, here's the thing. The more I hear about what happened with the FBI, the more I realize how many problems we have with our own intelligence communities. I mean I heard a lot of fingers being pointed. I heard the attorney general yesterday pointing the finger back at Janet Reno and the Clinton administration. I heard some people try to blame John Ashcroft for not taking things seriously enough.
I heard the FBI tell us yesterday numerous times we didn't have enough money, we didn't have enough funding. We didn't and we did not have, especially, by the way, during the Janet Reno administration, we did -- our hands were tied. I heard that over and over yesterday. We couldn't -- we couldn't do the kind of necessary surveillance on individuals that we wanted to because we didn't have the ability to do it. And that's what the Patriot Act was supposedly all about.
COSTELLO: So in the end, do you think that the finger will be pointed squarely at the FBI? And if it is, do you think there needs to be the creation of some new agency?
BARRETT: Well here's the thing about -- well let's tackle the idea of a new agency here first. We know that -- we have known, we have always known, we have known since September the 11th, 2001 that we have a real communications problem between intelligence agencies. Now we're also learning, I think, as part of the testimony yesterday, that there is a tremendous amount of problems in the FBI itself communicating from department to department. The attorney general yesterday saying hey, the antiquated computer system alone when we first came in to office prevented the FBI from communicating from department to department.
So we know there is going to have to be change, but I don't think the answer is to create yet another layer of bureaucracy. Right? We -- they are still trying to change the culture between the FBI and the CIA that allows them to share information with one another. You're going to add another level of bureaucracy, a separate agency on to that, I don't think that's a good option.
COSTELLO: Well we'll see what's going to happen, because I think the president said something about the creation possibly of a new agency, but who knows? Today, of course, the CIA will be in the hot seat, everyone will be watching.
And our thanks again to Jimmy Barrett from WRVA, Richmond, Virginia.
Give us your gut reaction to President Bush's comments last night. Send your e-mails to DAYBREAK@CNN.com. We will read more of them on the air. We're getting plenty, and we love it. DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
We're back in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:45 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.
It will be another big day at the 9/11 Commission hearings. The nation's intelligence chiefs will testify today.
And we're getting word this morning that four more U.S. Marines have died in or around Fallujah.
In money news this morning, a security warning from Microsoft. The company says critical flaws in its Windows system and other programs could allow hackers to sneak into your computer and snoop around in there.
In sports, how sweet it is. Barry Bonds at bat and it's out of here. The San Francisco Giant hit his 661st home run. That gives him sole possession of third place on baseball's All-Time Career Home Run List.
In culture, country music superstar Dolly Parton gets the Living Legend Award today from the Library of Congress.
MYERS: And in weather, Carol, a little cool across parts of the South, 40 in Atlanta, almost 60 in Boston right now. Warm air still headed up the East Coast. Sixty-eight Orlando this afternoon, 75 in Miami. Flying you through and up into the northeast, 63 in D.C., 61 New York City, although more showers are coming in. And the farther you go west, the warmer it gets.
You asked the question earlier what happened to spring? It's out there.
COSTELLO: It's on vacation out west.
MYERS: Eighty-one in Vegas and 90 in Phoenix today.
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
Just a few hours ago, Vice President Dick Cheney finished up several high-level meetings in China. The leaders discussed the situation in Iraq, as well as the future of North Korea and Taiwan. For more on those meetings, let's head live to Beijing and CNN's Jaime FlorCruz.
Hello -- Jaime.
JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Vice President Dick Cheney just wrapped up his talks with Beijing officials. His talks, of course, involved the discussions on the deteriorating situation in Iraq. But his main agenda focused on two things, Taiwan and North Korea.
On Taiwan, the Chinese pressed Cheney to reaffirm the so-called one-China policy. That is to say that the U.S. abides by this policy that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of it and that the U.S. does not support a Taiwan independent.
On North Korea, Cheney is supposed to have told the Chinese that time is not necessarily on our side when -- with respect to the North Korea nuclear program. This is based on the new information gleaned from A.Q. Khan, also known as the godfather of Pakistan's nuclear program. Khan was supposed to have said that he believes North Korea already possessed some nuclear weapons. And Cheney is using this information to prod the Chinese to lean harder on the North Koreans so that they would give up its nuclear program. The U.S. wants North Korea to give up its nuclear program, completely, verifiably and irreversibly -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jaime FlorCruz live from Beijing this morning.
Vice President Dick Cheney will head to South Korea on Friday. A day before his arrival, voters head to the polls for parliamentary elections there. And it's South Korea's support of the coalition in Iraq that has become the election's hot button issue.
For more on this, let's head live to Seoul, South Korea, and Sohn Jie-Ae.
Good morning.
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
South Korea is on the eve of a very heated national assembly election. And as you mentioned, the sending of troops to Iraq has become one of the campaign issues. One of the small opposition party leaders has said that they will start a nationwide campaign to call for the government to revise their plans of sending additional 3,000 South Korean troops to Iraq.
Now one of the reasons that this has become such a heated emotional issue in South Korea is that just recently seven South Korean missionaries were abducted by Iraqi militants. They were released a few hours later. They return home today. And the -- this issue and the -- and the deteriorating situation in Iraq has raised concerns here in South Korea about the safety of South Koreans, South Korean civilians, as well as the soldiers. So this has become a very tough issue in South Korea, and this is what Vice President Dick Cheney will face as he heads into Seoul tomorrow -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Sohn Jie-Ae reporting live from South Korea this morning.
A lot of talk on the president's speech last night. Just ahead, we will read more of your e-mails to find out what you think on what President Bush had to say about Iraq and 9/11.
And in the next hour, it seems you need to beef up your consumption of fish. But before you do, find out if you are at risk by eating raw fish. That story in the next hour of DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We're talking about -- we're talking about 'Stories from the States' right now. We want to get right to them.
This is from "The News & Observer" out of Raleigh, North Carolina. As you can see, not good news when it comes to air pollution in that area.
MYERS: No, the air quality is going down there. And obviously now the air quality standards are going up, which means you have to have cleaner air. And Raleigh has been one of the cities, one of the bigger cities to be driving a long way. People there drive an average of 30 miles a day just to get to work.
COSTELLO: Wow!
MYERS: Because you got Raleigh and you got Durham and you have got them separated. And their air standards are going to be in trouble this summer, if they don't clean up their acts.
COSTELLO: Stop driving so much out there.
MYERS: A little carpooling I'm afraid.
COSTELLO: Of course on the front page of the "San Francisco Chronicle" who else but...
MYERS: Of course.
COSTELLO: ... Mr. Bonds.
MYERS: Six-sixty-one now.
COSTELLO: Yes, he is amazing.
MYERS: Yes, he is.
COSTELLO: And what, he is hugging Willie Mays, his godfather.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: Of course he broke his record for the third most home runs on the list. MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Did I get that right?
MYERS: You did.
COSTELLO: Good for Barry Bonds. Keep them coming. We like that.
Dolphin dilemma, this is from the Daytona Beach "News-Journal." And apparently dolphins are dying in disturbing numbers.
MYERS: Yes, especially across the Panhandle of Florida. Obviously there's just an awful lot of water pollution and things going in, getting washed into these oceans and washed into the food chain of these dolphins. They don't know where all these things are coming from, but there are lesions, there are stomach inflations, you know.
COSTELLO: Yes. In March, 108 dolphins were found dead in the Panhandle alone.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: So they are trying to figure that out.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: We want to get to your e-mails now, because we're getting so many and they are quite good. We were getting your reaction on the president's speech last night.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: I'm going to read one from Bruce (ph). He says, if the team were sitting around a locker room before the game and Bush was the coach, then you would know that the team was not going to win the game. The instructions would be to run the same play every time the whole game long. And when disaster happened, then you could always blame the scouting.
MYERS: From Laura (ph) in Alvin, Texas. From the hearings, the speech yesterday, man, it was just scary. The terrorists are more organized, more articulate and better informed and they outnumber us now, what we hear, five to one.
COSTELLO: This is from LouAnn (ph) from Sunnyvale, California. She says, boy, Bush is so perfect, didn't make any mistake at all. I wonder what we're doing in Iraq. And now we're stuck with it for good. Also seemed like that anybody who doesn't agree with him lately is considered a terrorist. I wonder why? Who is doing what to whom and what next?
MYERS: Can't figure out if that's positive or negative.
COSTELLO: I think that's negative, because the president was asked...
MYERS: I was just being sarcastic.
COSTELLO: ... if he made any mistake.
MYERS: Right. Right. Right. I know.
COSTELLO: And he said he couldn't think of one right off the top of his head.
MYERS: I know.
I got one from Jack (ph) in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He is the bravest, strongest and most determined president we have ever had. I am sick of all this Bush bashing in this campaign.
COSTELLO: And in fairness to us, before all of you write in to say we're only reading negative e-mails...
MYERS: That was a positive one.
COSTELLO: That was a positive one, yes, but by in large we did get negative ones.
MYERS: They've been -- yes.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: I have been looking for the positive ones and they are hard to find.
COSTELLO: And we have gotten more than 200 e-mails.
A last one, this is from Louis (ph) from Los Angeles. He says, once again I was so disappointed to see our president avoid questions just like everyone in this administration. I really didn't learn anything new from watching his press conference yesterday. His inability to communicate clearly really stands out when he gets tough questions live on television.
MYERS: And here is one from Wayne (ph). This is probably the most positive one we could find. This is -- that was the strongest, most sincere and honest news conference I have ever heard a president make. It's a shame that in the middle of a war he has to work just as hard at winning the hearts and minds of the people here as he does in Iraq.
COSTELLO: All right. We thank you for your e-mails. Keep them coming, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
The president's prime time presser, as we have been telling you, is stirring mixed reaction. Just ahead in the next hour, if you missed it, what President Bush had to say about more troops in Iraq and the 9/11 Commission. We'll have more of your e-mails with your opinions on what the president had to say.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: New pictures just in to us out of Fallujah. We're going to explain what you are looking at in just a moment.
It is Wednesday, April 14.
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 14, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: No regrets and no apologies, the president versus the press corp. Tough questions as the nation looks ahead today, Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From CNN's Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
We will have much more on the president's address last night, but first, the latest headlines for you.
Today the 9/11 Commission looks at ways to prevent terror attacks in the United States. One controversial possibility, establishing a domestic intelligence agency.
We're getting word today that four U.S. Marines have died in Iraq's Anbar province, which includes Fallujah. Two combat deaths occurred yesterday, two more on Monday.
In California, a 5-year-old girl is found uninjured 10 days after the car she was in plunged down an embankment. The crash killed her mother.
Los Angeles police are investigating a new allegation of child abuse against Michael Jackson from the 1980s. A lawyer for Jackson predicts the new claim will be proven false.
To Chad now and the forecast.
Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
COSTELLO: A grim identification process now under way in Iraq. Four bodies have been found there and they could be those Americans taken hostage, but we just don't know for sure.
Let's head live to Baghdad for the latest and Karl Penhaul.
What's taking them so long to identify these bodies -- Karl?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Well, very little concrete detail coming out about the recovery of those four bodies. We do have a statement issued by the -- one of the main U.S. contractors, Halliburton, and its subsidiary here, KBR. What they have said is that yes, four bodies have been recovered. They are not confirming that these four bodies are the bodies of four of the seven U.S. contractors that were missing since an ambush on a convoy late last week. What they are also saying, though, is that they will not release any further details about the incident at this time.
In addition to that, in the statement they do, obviously, praise their contractors for carrying out what has proved to be a very difficult job here in Iraq. And also they do talk about the "political derision" -- in their words -- that many of these contractors have been subjected to back in the United States.
Many of them in fact in the past, and we see even in President Bush's press conference yesterday, some reporters asking questions about the numbers of contractors in Iraq. And also, in some cases, calling them hired guns, from what I understand, Carol. So certainly a little bit of ill feeling there on the part of KBR and the way their contractors are being described, but no confirmation yet.
Now that, though, is having a ripple effect across the international community here in Iraq. And this morning we hear from the Russian Jasha DaFair (ph) here in Iraq that they will be laying on planes for the evacuation of all Russian personnel from Iraq, together with personnel from former Soviet republics. We understand that up to 800 Russians and former Soviets could be evacuated from Iraq in the coming days -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Karl Penhaul live in Baghdad.
Want to talk a little bit more about the president's speech, how it related to Iraq and how it related to the rest of the world.
Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us now.
And the president said he is going to stay the course. He didn't really outline a plan...
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... for the turnover of power, except to say that it would indeed happen on June 30.
CLINCH: Right. And the reaction to it around the world has fallen more or less along predictable lines. The non-coalition countries, particularly in Europe, France and Russia, I mean, first of all, we have seen them laying out plans to evacuate their civilians. The hostage taking and other things of great concern to them. There is still that sort of aura of we told you so from countries like that.
On the coalition side, there's a little bit more complicated with the main coalition countries, Britain, Italy, you've got the predictable agreement of staying the course. Obviously no suggestion of turning back now or pulling troops.
But on -- around the edges of that coalition, there are what could be called minor cracks. You've got smaller countries, like Bulgaria, which has a very small amount of troops there at this stage now where they are actually allowing their troops, if they want to come home, they send a letter to their commander asking permission to come home and they will be allowed to come home. Now we haven't actually seen that happen yet, but they are being told they can do that.
The Philippines, again, a very small contingent. But they are saying they are seriously considering pulling their troops out. You, of course, have Spain already committed to pulling their troops out if they don't get this new U.N. resolution. And that's really where this sort of complicating factor on the coalition side comes.
Tony Blair, as we were talking about last week, is coming to the United States. He will meet with Kofi Annan, I think, on Thursday, and then with President Bush on Friday. There will be some considerable interest in Blair, obviously, you know in public and with Bush talking absolutely about staying the course and no suggestion of pulling British troops. But there is a great deal of interest in what Blair and other European leaders are asking for in terms of a greater U.N. involvement.
And on the ground in Iraq, we've got some interesting specific developments on that expected today. Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. Envoy, is there helping out already with the United States, talking to these Iraq officials on the ground, trying to sort out exactly what kind of an Iraqi entity there will be to hand over to.
COSTELLO: Well I was just going to ask you that. So he is the guy who is supposedly going to decide who is best to lead Iraq on that June 30 date?
CLINCH: Well I -- it would certainly be more -- I think probably more accurate to say that he is trying to get an agreement amongst the Iraqi -- various Iraqi factions and groups about what form that entity should take. It will then of course be up to the U.S. to agree to hand over to that entity, whatever that is. But we will hear from Brahimi today. That should be interesting.
COSTELLO: Should be. David Clinch, many thanks.
CLINCH: OK.
COSTELLO: President Bush rejected one reporter's comparison between Iraq and Vietnam and said such an analogy sends the wrong message to the troops and the enemy.
More reaction now to the president's news conference, joining us on the phone, Jimmy Barrett from WRVA Radio in Richmond, Virginia.
Good morning -- Jimmy.
JIMMY BARRETT, 1140 WRVA RADIO MORNING SHOW: Good morning, Carol. How are you today?
COSTELLO: I know you were sleeping and you didn't see much of the president's speech, but you did catch some of it.
BARRETT: I did, and I -- and I got some reaction from people I happen to respect their opinion of very much. Larry Sabato is one of those. Very well known University of Virginia political consultant. And quite frankly, he was pretty impressed by the president last night. The president hasn't always had a great reputation for extemporaneous speaking, but last night he seemed to impress quite a few people with the forceful way he got his message across.
COSTELLO: Yes, not according to Dave (ph), one of our viewers. He said the way the president stuttered he seemed ill prepared for everything.
BARRETT: Have you ever -- have you ever seen him not stutter a little bit in answering a question. That's what -- that's what I mean. I mean we have to take the context of what he said last night. I, for one, think he was right on track as far as getting the message across about what...
COSTELLO: He didn't really say much new, though -- Jimmy.
BARRETT: Well he -- what he said was is that -- he answered some very direct questions, Carol Costello. And in fact, he was answered very much to sort of take on the Senator John Kerry line about whether or not this is another Vietnam. And that is...
COSTELLO: Well he said it wasn't, but he said that before.
BARRETT: Well, and he was -- he's probably been asked the question before. He answered the question, right? You get asked the question you answer the question.
COSTELLO: Yes, the question. All right. This is from another viewer. Harold (ph) says at times I felt I was watching "The Caine Mutiny." So he does agree with you, in part, that the reporters' questions at times were pointed and not very nice.
BARRETT: Well,...
COSTELLO: But I would submit they were doing their job last night.
BARRETT: I would submit that I don't know very many nice reporters. How about you? That's what I would say.
COSTELLO: All right, let's talk about the 9/11 Commission and what came out of that, because before we get into it, I want to play a sound bite from the hearings yesterday between Thomas Pickard, the acting FBI director, and John Ashcroft.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES THOMPSON, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: Director -- acting director Pickard testified this afternoon that he briefed you twice on al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. And when he sought to do so again, you told him you didn't need to hear from him again. Can you comment on that, please?
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Acting director Pickard and I had more than two meetings. We had regular meetings. Secondly, I did never speak to him saying that I did not want to hear about terrorism. I care greatly about the safety and security of the American people and was very interested in terrorism and specifically interrogated him about threats to the American people and domestic threats in particular.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, Jimmy Barrett, fair to John Ashcroft or not fair?
BARRETT: Well, yes, here's the thing. The more I hear about what happened with the FBI, the more I realize how many problems we have with our own intelligence communities. I mean I heard a lot of fingers being pointed. I heard the attorney general yesterday pointing the finger back at Janet Reno and the Clinton administration. I heard some people try to blame John Ashcroft for not taking things seriously enough.
I heard the FBI tell us yesterday numerous times we didn't have enough money, we didn't have enough funding. We didn't and we did not have, especially, by the way, during the Janet Reno administration, we did -- our hands were tied. I heard that over and over yesterday. We couldn't -- we couldn't do the kind of necessary surveillance on individuals that we wanted to because we didn't have the ability to do it. And that's what the Patriot Act was supposedly all about.
COSTELLO: So in the end, do you think that the finger will be pointed squarely at the FBI? And if it is, do you think there needs to be the creation of some new agency?
BARRETT: Well here's the thing about -- well let's tackle the idea of a new agency here first. We know that -- we have known, we have always known, we have known since September the 11th, 2001 that we have a real communications problem between intelligence agencies. Now we're also learning, I think, as part of the testimony yesterday, that there is a tremendous amount of problems in the FBI itself communicating from department to department. The attorney general yesterday saying hey, the antiquated computer system alone when we first came in to office prevented the FBI from communicating from department to department.
So we know there is going to have to be change, but I don't think the answer is to create yet another layer of bureaucracy. Right? We -- they are still trying to change the culture between the FBI and the CIA that allows them to share information with one another. You're going to add another level of bureaucracy, a separate agency on to that, I don't think that's a good option.
COSTELLO: Well we'll see what's going to happen, because I think the president said something about the creation possibly of a new agency, but who knows? Today, of course, the CIA will be in the hot seat, everyone will be watching.
And our thanks again to Jimmy Barrett from WRVA, Richmond, Virginia.
Give us your gut reaction to President Bush's comments last night. Send your e-mails to DAYBREAK@CNN.com. We will read more of them on the air. We're getting plenty, and we love it. DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
We're back in a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:45 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.
It will be another big day at the 9/11 Commission hearings. The nation's intelligence chiefs will testify today.
And we're getting word this morning that four more U.S. Marines have died in or around Fallujah.
In money news this morning, a security warning from Microsoft. The company says critical flaws in its Windows system and other programs could allow hackers to sneak into your computer and snoop around in there.
In sports, how sweet it is. Barry Bonds at bat and it's out of here. The San Francisco Giant hit his 661st home run. That gives him sole possession of third place on baseball's All-Time Career Home Run List.
In culture, country music superstar Dolly Parton gets the Living Legend Award today from the Library of Congress.
MYERS: And in weather, Carol, a little cool across parts of the South, 40 in Atlanta, almost 60 in Boston right now. Warm air still headed up the East Coast. Sixty-eight Orlando this afternoon, 75 in Miami. Flying you through and up into the northeast, 63 in D.C., 61 New York City, although more showers are coming in. And the farther you go west, the warmer it gets.
You asked the question earlier what happened to spring? It's out there.
COSTELLO: It's on vacation out west.
MYERS: Eighty-one in Vegas and 90 in Phoenix today.
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
Just a few hours ago, Vice President Dick Cheney finished up several high-level meetings in China. The leaders discussed the situation in Iraq, as well as the future of North Korea and Taiwan. For more on those meetings, let's head live to Beijing and CNN's Jaime FlorCruz.
Hello -- Jaime.
JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Vice President Dick Cheney just wrapped up his talks with Beijing officials. His talks, of course, involved the discussions on the deteriorating situation in Iraq. But his main agenda focused on two things, Taiwan and North Korea.
On Taiwan, the Chinese pressed Cheney to reaffirm the so-called one-China policy. That is to say that the U.S. abides by this policy that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of it and that the U.S. does not support a Taiwan independent.
On North Korea, Cheney is supposed to have told the Chinese that time is not necessarily on our side when -- with respect to the North Korea nuclear program. This is based on the new information gleaned from A.Q. Khan, also known as the godfather of Pakistan's nuclear program. Khan was supposed to have said that he believes North Korea already possessed some nuclear weapons. And Cheney is using this information to prod the Chinese to lean harder on the North Koreans so that they would give up its nuclear program. The U.S. wants North Korea to give up its nuclear program, completely, verifiably and irreversibly -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jaime FlorCruz live from Beijing this morning.
Vice President Dick Cheney will head to South Korea on Friday. A day before his arrival, voters head to the polls for parliamentary elections there. And it's South Korea's support of the coalition in Iraq that has become the election's hot button issue.
For more on this, let's head live to Seoul, South Korea, and Sohn Jie-Ae.
Good morning.
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
South Korea is on the eve of a very heated national assembly election. And as you mentioned, the sending of troops to Iraq has become one of the campaign issues. One of the small opposition party leaders has said that they will start a nationwide campaign to call for the government to revise their plans of sending additional 3,000 South Korean troops to Iraq.
Now one of the reasons that this has become such a heated emotional issue in South Korea is that just recently seven South Korean missionaries were abducted by Iraqi militants. They were released a few hours later. They return home today. And the -- this issue and the -- and the deteriorating situation in Iraq has raised concerns here in South Korea about the safety of South Koreans, South Korean civilians, as well as the soldiers. So this has become a very tough issue in South Korea, and this is what Vice President Dick Cheney will face as he heads into Seoul tomorrow -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Sohn Jie-Ae reporting live from South Korea this morning.
A lot of talk on the president's speech last night. Just ahead, we will read more of your e-mails to find out what you think on what President Bush had to say about Iraq and 9/11.
And in the next hour, it seems you need to beef up your consumption of fish. But before you do, find out if you are at risk by eating raw fish. That story in the next hour of DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We're talking about -- we're talking about 'Stories from the States' right now. We want to get right to them.
This is from "The News & Observer" out of Raleigh, North Carolina. As you can see, not good news when it comes to air pollution in that area.
MYERS: No, the air quality is going down there. And obviously now the air quality standards are going up, which means you have to have cleaner air. And Raleigh has been one of the cities, one of the bigger cities to be driving a long way. People there drive an average of 30 miles a day just to get to work.
COSTELLO: Wow!
MYERS: Because you got Raleigh and you got Durham and you have got them separated. And their air standards are going to be in trouble this summer, if they don't clean up their acts.
COSTELLO: Stop driving so much out there.
MYERS: A little carpooling I'm afraid.
COSTELLO: Of course on the front page of the "San Francisco Chronicle" who else but...
MYERS: Of course.
COSTELLO: ... Mr. Bonds.
MYERS: Six-sixty-one now.
COSTELLO: Yes, he is amazing.
MYERS: Yes, he is.
COSTELLO: And what, he is hugging Willie Mays, his godfather.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: Of course he broke his record for the third most home runs on the list. MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Did I get that right?
MYERS: You did.
COSTELLO: Good for Barry Bonds. Keep them coming. We like that.
Dolphin dilemma, this is from the Daytona Beach "News-Journal." And apparently dolphins are dying in disturbing numbers.
MYERS: Yes, especially across the Panhandle of Florida. Obviously there's just an awful lot of water pollution and things going in, getting washed into these oceans and washed into the food chain of these dolphins. They don't know where all these things are coming from, but there are lesions, there are stomach inflations, you know.
COSTELLO: Yes. In March, 108 dolphins were found dead in the Panhandle alone.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: So they are trying to figure that out.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: We want to get to your e-mails now, because we're getting so many and they are quite good. We were getting your reaction on the president's speech last night.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: I'm going to read one from Bruce (ph). He says, if the team were sitting around a locker room before the game and Bush was the coach, then you would know that the team was not going to win the game. The instructions would be to run the same play every time the whole game long. And when disaster happened, then you could always blame the scouting.
MYERS: From Laura (ph) in Alvin, Texas. From the hearings, the speech yesterday, man, it was just scary. The terrorists are more organized, more articulate and better informed and they outnumber us now, what we hear, five to one.
COSTELLO: This is from LouAnn (ph) from Sunnyvale, California. She says, boy, Bush is so perfect, didn't make any mistake at all. I wonder what we're doing in Iraq. And now we're stuck with it for good. Also seemed like that anybody who doesn't agree with him lately is considered a terrorist. I wonder why? Who is doing what to whom and what next?
MYERS: Can't figure out if that's positive or negative.
COSTELLO: I think that's negative, because the president was asked...
MYERS: I was just being sarcastic.
COSTELLO: ... if he made any mistake.
MYERS: Right. Right. Right. I know.
COSTELLO: And he said he couldn't think of one right off the top of his head.
MYERS: I know.
I got one from Jack (ph) in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He is the bravest, strongest and most determined president we have ever had. I am sick of all this Bush bashing in this campaign.
COSTELLO: And in fairness to us, before all of you write in to say we're only reading negative e-mails...
MYERS: That was a positive one.
COSTELLO: That was a positive one, yes, but by in large we did get negative ones.
MYERS: They've been -- yes.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: I have been looking for the positive ones and they are hard to find.
COSTELLO: And we have gotten more than 200 e-mails.
A last one, this is from Louis (ph) from Los Angeles. He says, once again I was so disappointed to see our president avoid questions just like everyone in this administration. I really didn't learn anything new from watching his press conference yesterday. His inability to communicate clearly really stands out when he gets tough questions live on television.
MYERS: And here is one from Wayne (ph). This is probably the most positive one we could find. This is -- that was the strongest, most sincere and honest news conference I have ever heard a president make. It's a shame that in the middle of a war he has to work just as hard at winning the hearts and minds of the people here as he does in Iraq.
COSTELLO: All right. We thank you for your e-mails. Keep them coming, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
The president's prime time presser, as we have been telling you, is stirring mixed reaction. Just ahead in the next hour, if you missed it, what President Bush had to say about more troops in Iraq and the 9/11 Commission. We'll have more of your e-mails with your opinions on what the president had to say.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: New pictures just in to us out of Fallujah. We're going to explain what you are looking at in just a moment.
It is Wednesday, April 14.
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