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Security Council Expected to Approve New Resolution

Aired June 08, 2004 - 10:30   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan.
Let's take a look at the top stories at this hour.

Mourners are waiting hours to file past the flag-draped casket of Ronald Reagan. The former president is lying in repose at a southern California library. Tomorrow his body will be transported to Washington to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda and then a state funeral on Friday.

Within the last couple of hours, the Italian foreign ministry confirmed that coalition forces freed three of its citizens and a polish contractor. In fact, you saw that announcement made live right here on CNN just in the last few moments. No one was injured in the operation. A fourth Italian abducted with his countrymen back in April was killed after the kidnapping.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft is on Capitol Hill this morning. A live picture there from the Hill. He is there to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Law makers are holding a hearing on the war on terrorism and the Justice Department's role in that. It's Ashcroft's first appearance before the oversight committee in 15 months and Democrats have complained about his long absence.

And Alan Greenspan says the Federal Reserve will do what it has to to keep prices stable. In a speech today, the Fed chairman suggested that interest rate hikes would be gradual. But Greenspan left the door open for more aggressive measures if events warrant.

If you check your calendar, just 22 days before the scheduled handover of power in Iraq and some of the details are likely to be ironed out this evening at the United Nations. The Security Council is expected to approve a new resolution backed by the U.S. and Great Britain.

CNN's senior correspondent Richard Roth has details on that -- Richard, good morning.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

It was the U.S. and Britain who pushed this resolution. What a study in diplomatic contrasts. A year and a half ago, before the invasion of Iraq, the U.S. and the Security Council could not agree on a resolution. Today it's expected the vote will be unanimous on a new resolution setting out a blueprint for the future, at least temporarily, for this interim government of Iraq.

U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Negroponte, after final consultations last evening, was rather optimistic about a vote today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN NEGROPONTE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We've made a major effort to take into account the comments that have been made by various delegations. We think this is an excellent resolution and we would expect to put it to a vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: This afternoon, a vote is expected. Several ambassadors have told CNN the vote will be unanimous. The resolution never really got to the total satisfaction of France and some of the other critics of the early draft because they wanted veto power for the Iraqi authorities on U.S.-led military operations. Right now, they'll be a partnership between the multinational force led by an American commander and Iraqi authorities -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And for John Negroponte, this is his swan song at the U.N. before he goes off to be the U.S. ambassador, the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq?

ROTH: That's right. And Negroponte will be here at the Security Council for the vote and will be speaking on behalf of the United States. And soon he'll be going off to Iraq, presumably to be replaced here by Senator John Danforth.

KAGAN: Who, as I understand it, keeping it all in one cycle, will be leading services as part of Ronald Reagan's funeral service.

Thank you for that.

Richard Roth at the United Nations.

Remembering Ronald Reagan and now a national show of mourning that stretches from coast to coast. Thousands are streaming past Mr. Reagan's coffin at his Presidential Library in California. A live picture there from that site. Tomorrow this scene will shift to Washington.

And that's where we find our congressional correspondent Ed Henry, who joins us now from Capitol Hill with a preview of that -- Ed, good morning.

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

We have some new photos this morning of a practice run for one of the most dramatic portions of the state funeral we're expecting. It's the horse drawn caisson that will take Mr. Reagan's casket about 6:00 p.m. Wednesday evening from near the Washington Monument, down Constitution Avenue to the Capitol. This is the 3rd U.S. Infantry Division Caisson Platoon.

We're also expecting tonight at about 6:00 p.m. 21 military jets will be flying very low near the Capitol to practice for a fly-over that will occur tomorrow night, as well, during this very dramatic procession.

Another major consideration is security. There is a memo circulating to all senators from officials here saying that this has been elevated to a national security special event. That gives it special designation, puts it on a part with the national political conventions this summer. The Secret Service is involved, FBI. There are so many agencies involved trying to make sure that this goes off without a hitch.

CNN spoke to Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer about that coordination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TERRANCE GAINER, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: One of the first things we did when we were notified of the death is we canceled all days off this week so that we would have our full complement of 1,600 officers. The Metropolitan Police Department did the same. They have some 3,800 officers. And we're working very, very closely with the military district of Washington, the United States Secret Service, ATF, homeland security. So there will be a wealth of officers, both in uniform and not, covert and overt, making sure that this entire area is very secure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Daryn, while all of that -- all of those preparations have been going on behind-the-scenes, publicly senators have been delivering tributes to Mr. Reagan on the Senate floor yesterday and this morning. In the House, the House will come into session today to deal with two resolutions, one honoring the former president; the other will formally open up the Rotunda -- just a technicality, obviously -- open up the Rotunda to receive Mr. Reagan's body on Wednesday evening -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed, I'm glad that we have you here live this morning because I had an Ed Henry question as I was getting ready for this newscast. It has to do with the live picture we just saw a few minutes ago, John Ashcroft in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

I thought you had told us yesterday that actually on Capitol Hill business was pretty much going to be scaled back this week.

HENRY: That's right. Right.

KAGAN: So what's with the committee meeting?

HENRY: Right. What we've been saying is that most, if not all, of the business will be shut down. Some committees are trying to move forward on things, such as Mr. Ashcroft. He has not appeared before his oversight committee in many months. Democrats have been complaining that he has not come up to the Hill to talk about some of the things that he is doing in the war on terror and other matters. They want to talk to him. They want to make sure he's here.

But most other business has been scaled back. The House was supposed to deal with the energy bill. That's been pushed aside. The Senate was supposed to deal with the defense bill. That's been pushed aside, as well.

Nobody wants to draw attention away from this funeral -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed Henry on Capitol Hill, thank you for the Ed Henry answer to my question.

Appreciate that.

HENRY: OK.

KAGAN: When the Bush administration wants to communicate with the public, it gets it done. After the break, Dana Bash talks live with White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett.

And, still to come, Stanley's Cup gets a new home. It's not exactly the chilliest place in the world. A warm reception for this championship. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And now we go back to the G8 summit in south Georgia. That is where the official economic agenda shares a spotlight with concerns in Iraq and the Middle East.

For a closer look at that, let's go to Savannah, Georgia and our White House correspondent Dana Bash, who has a special guest with her -- Dana, good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

And we have with us the White House communications director, Dan Bartlett.

Dan, thank you very much for joining us.

DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Thank you for having me.

BASH: We appreciate it.

The first question is the news of the day. It looks like the U.N. is poised to pass, perhaps unanimously, a new resolution on Iraq.

Given the fact that your colleagues at the White House have said that this is not going to probably give more troops in Iraq, not likely going to have some more financial assistance in Iraq, would you concede that it's largely symbolic?

D. BARTLETT: This is a very critical moment for not only the world community coming together, but for the Iraqi people. The fact that the world community, through the U.N. Security Council resolution, can stand together side by side with this new Iraqi government and say we embrace you, this is the way forward for Iraq, is a powerful signal not only of symbolism, but of substance on the ground in Iraq, because the enemy knows what we know, and that is that a free Iraq must be successful if we are to demonstrate to the enemies of freedom that democracy can take root.

The world community will come together. Different countries will participate in different ways. But the critical part of this now is that the Iraqi government will be making decisions. If they want more help, they will be asking for more help. And what they have clearly said from here is that we want Iraqis starting to take control of their own country. And this U.N. Security Council resolution embraces that. And that is a critical step forward.

BASH: But how much of an impact is this going to have on the president's talks here at the summit with a lot of the leaders that he's talking to that didn't support the war in Iraq?

D. BARTLETT: This is a good way to start the summit. He has had close consultations with many of the leaders who are coming here this week and that's why I think you're seeing the swift passage of this U.N. resolution. But it gives them an opportunity to, you know, literally come together and show their solidarity for the Iraqi people.

So it's a great way to start the summit this week. It's a huge success for the U.N. Security Council and it's an even bigger success for the Iraqi people.

BASH: High on your agenda here is the broader Middle East initiative, which is essentially to try to promote freedom and democracy in the Middle East.

D. BARTLETT: Yes.

BASH: Given the fact that there are some leaders there who inherently are opposed to this, or at least afraid of this, and given the fact that the people on the ground there seem to so distrust America, how are you going to achieve what you're trying to achieve?

D. BARTLETT: Well, I think many people in the Middle East clearly understand that the universal values of individual rights, the freedom to express religion are universal. They are not America's attempt to impose its will or its version of government on them.

And this is a unique opportunity for President Bush to clearly state that what we need to do here is we need the world community, who have the experience of democracy, to work with our Arab partners, our Middle Eastern partners who will be in attendance at this summit, to say we are here to help. We are not here to impose.

Different countries will take -- set different timetables. Some countries have already started -- Bahrain, Jordan. They are already developing the habits of freedom. Other countries will take more time. But what this summit provides is an opportunity for all the leaders to come together and to speak with each other, not at each other.

BASH: Security is incredibly tight. Sea Island is a place that is essentially blocked off. We, right now, for example, in Savannah, are 80 miles away from where the site is.

D. BARTLETT: Yes.

BASH: Is this because it's important to keep protesters away or there -- is there an actual intelligence threat against the summit?

D. BARTLETT: Well, we are a nation at war. We are a world that is under threat by terrorists. To have that many world leaders to come together is a unique security threat that we have to take very seriously. And we are, at every level of government, not only here domestically, but with our foreign partners, are doing everything we can to secure the summit.

We are grateful for the people of Georgia for their patience in having us here. But this doesn't have to do with protesters. They will find reasons and ways to voice their concern. But this is for the world leaders to come together in a unique environment, in which they can address the needs of the world community.

BASH: I want to ask you about an issue that has recently been in the news, and that is that Vice President Cheney was interviewed by the FBI about a leaks investigation.

Has the vice president assured President Bush that neither he nor anybody on his staff was responsible for leaking the name of a CIA operative? And has President Bush had any interview actually scheduled?

D. BARTLETT: Well, Dana, we have a longstanding policy since this investigation started to not comment on any specific details. We are referring all those questions to the Justice Department.

But one thing is clear. President Bush has made it his policy to say anybody who knows anything, please come forward, full cooperation. And he demonstrated that even means him, at the very top. He's willing to communicate and discuss with prosecutors if they would like to have a conversation with him, the vice president and others. And I'll have to leave it at that. We will let the Justice Department conduct its investigation and I will allow them to comment on that themselves.

BASH: So the fact that President Bush has a lawyer on standby, does that mean that there's actually an interview that's scheduled, or at least at the ready?

D. BARTLETT: I don't have any information about a scheduled interview. As President Bush said himself, if a lawyer is necessary, he'll have one ready.

BASH: OK.

I want to talk about President Reagan for a minute.

There has been a lot of talk since President Reagan passed away over the weekend that President Bush is -- seems to be more politically like President Reagan than his father. What does President Bush say about those comparisons?

D. BARTLETT: Well, President Bush is going to -- this is a week in which we're here to pay tribute and to remember Ronald Reagan for his leadership in the world, not only as president, but also as a person. And he was a national treasure. And we are so honored to have him as a president of the United States.

And so this week we're focused on paying tribute to him. We will leave it to other people to try to draw contrasts or parallels or similarities. But our goal is to keep the attention not on President Bush's similarities, but precisely on President Reagan himself.

BASH: President Bush is not going to be able to attend the state funeral ceremonies on Wednesday. Vice President Cheney is going to do so instead.

D. BARTLETT: Yes.

BASH: Was that a tough decision for the White House to make?

D. BARTLETT: Well, it's -- we've been in close coordination with the Reagan family to make sure we do everything we can to accommodate their schedule. They are fully recognizing the fact that there is a world summit going on. President Bush feels comfortable with president -- Vice President Cheney representing the government and then President Bush has his opportunity to pay tribute on Friday.

BASH: Dan, thank you very much for joining us.

D. BARTLETT: Thank you for having me.

BASH: We'll see you soon.

D. BARTLETT: OK.

BASH: And, Daryn -- back to you.

KAGAN: Dana Bash in Savannah.

Thank you for that.

We move on to the world of sports. He helped the Boston Celtics dominate the NBA in the 1960s. Find out what basketball legend Bill Russell thinks about the Lakers' chances to capture another championship.

Also, this is what we're working on for next hour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN (voice-over): CNN's complete coverage of today's headline -- mourning the loss of President Reagan. Thousands in California say they're final good-bye. At 11, we're live from Simi Valley.

Then, the G8 summit begins on Sea Island, Georgia. Iraq is front and center, as the U.N. prepares to vote this afternoon.

Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: All right, the NBA Finals are under way. Game two tonight at Los Angeles, the Lakers hosting the Detroit Pistons. With that going on, the History Channel is looking back at the greatest dynasty in the sport, the Boston Celtics from the late '50s to the '60s, and specifically groundbreaking relationships between Rick Auerbach and Bill Russell.

Here from Los Angeles to talk about the NBA hardware classics, the player and the coach, as well as the current NBA Finals, the captain himself, Bill Russell.

Bill, what an honor to have you here with us this morning.

BILL RUSSELL, LED CELTICS TO 11 NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 13 YEARS: Thank you.

KAGAN: You are everywhere. You're in Los Angeles. You also wrote a big piece in the "Wall Street Journal" this morning, which I was telling you during the break, I learned some things from this morning.

So I want to go right to the top of the lesson sheet, if I may.

RUSSELL: OK.

KAGAN: OK? You talk about defense. And you often hear in sports, in football, that defense wins championships. But you make the case in this piece that defense in the NBA is what ultimately wins championships, as well.

RUSSELL: Well, yes. You see, all the players are mostly -- I say most of the players get to the NBA based on their offensive skills. So that everybody can play offense. And so with the coaches, what the game has evolved to is if you can make the other team less efficient, then you should outscore them.

And so the defense will actually win the series. If, say, that a couple of teams that have a lot of -- high profile teams or high scoring teams and you all know their players, but the teams that have defensive, good defensive players, they don't get much variety -- I mean notoriety, because there's not much publicity and there are no times you can say well that is like a dunk or that's like a three point shot.

KAGAN: Well, you know, we even saw that in game one when the Pistons came up and surprised the Lakers and the Lakers coming back and saying OK, game two, we know what we need to do and we were off our game. But Chauncy Billups from the Pistons said hold on a second, give us some credit. We stepped up. We played defense and we put the Lakers off their game.

Do you think that's a legitimate claim on behalf of the Pistons?

RUSSELL: Of course. You know, my whole career was based on defense. And we won quite a few championships and so...

KAGAN: Yes, you did OK, I would say.

RUSSELL: And so...

KAGAN: Any man who has more rings than fingers, I was telling you, I think did OK in the NBA.

RUSSELL: Well, you know, I was asked last week did the Pistons have a chance. And you don't have to have the most high profile players to be the best team. It's when you can make your players a unit. And it's far more difficult to make your team a unit definitively than it is offensively. And so it's a combination of hard work and a good system.

Now, the, for me, what I find more interesting the rest of the way is what kind of adjustments will the coaches make between games? That's the interesting thing to me.

KAGAN: And that'll be interesting to see tonight.

Are you going to game two?

RUSSELL: Oh, yes.

KAGAN: All right.

RUSSELL: I love watching the NBA, especially the Finals --

KAGAN: Yes...

RUSSELL: ... because I have a sense of having been there and knowing what it feels like to play under those conditions. And that's the most fun a professional athlete can have, when you're playing in the final series of your sport. And...

KAGAN: Just real quickly, Bill, because we're running out of time. I just have to ask you real quickly...

RUSSELL: OK.

KAGAN: ... because you wouldn't say in your "Wall Street Journal" piece who you think will ultimately win this year.

Can you do that for us right now in our final seconds?

RUSSELL: I haven't got the slightest idea.

KAGAN: Well, OK. Well, if Bill Russell doesn't have the slightest idea...

RUSSELL: I mean...

KAGAN: ... the rest of us had better tune in to see how it all turns out.

Thank you so much.

We'll see you on the History Channel. We'll see you in the "Wall Street Journal" today. And thanks for stopping by here on CNN.

RUSSELL: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Bill Russell, a true legend.

Thank you so much, sir.

Well, a different type of legend, a legend from the underground, from running with the mob to running from it -- I'll talk with the man behind the hit movie "Goodfellas" about life in the witness protection program.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY is back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired June 8, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan.
Let's take a look at the top stories at this hour.

Mourners are waiting hours to file past the flag-draped casket of Ronald Reagan. The former president is lying in repose at a southern California library. Tomorrow his body will be transported to Washington to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda and then a state funeral on Friday.

Within the last couple of hours, the Italian foreign ministry confirmed that coalition forces freed three of its citizens and a polish contractor. In fact, you saw that announcement made live right here on CNN just in the last few moments. No one was injured in the operation. A fourth Italian abducted with his countrymen back in April was killed after the kidnapping.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft is on Capitol Hill this morning. A live picture there from the Hill. He is there to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Law makers are holding a hearing on the war on terrorism and the Justice Department's role in that. It's Ashcroft's first appearance before the oversight committee in 15 months and Democrats have complained about his long absence.

And Alan Greenspan says the Federal Reserve will do what it has to to keep prices stable. In a speech today, the Fed chairman suggested that interest rate hikes would be gradual. But Greenspan left the door open for more aggressive measures if events warrant.

If you check your calendar, just 22 days before the scheduled handover of power in Iraq and some of the details are likely to be ironed out this evening at the United Nations. The Security Council is expected to approve a new resolution backed by the U.S. and Great Britain.

CNN's senior correspondent Richard Roth has details on that -- Richard, good morning.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

It was the U.S. and Britain who pushed this resolution. What a study in diplomatic contrasts. A year and a half ago, before the invasion of Iraq, the U.S. and the Security Council could not agree on a resolution. Today it's expected the vote will be unanimous on a new resolution setting out a blueprint for the future, at least temporarily, for this interim government of Iraq.

U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Negroponte, after final consultations last evening, was rather optimistic about a vote today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN NEGROPONTE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We've made a major effort to take into account the comments that have been made by various delegations. We think this is an excellent resolution and we would expect to put it to a vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: This afternoon, a vote is expected. Several ambassadors have told CNN the vote will be unanimous. The resolution never really got to the total satisfaction of France and some of the other critics of the early draft because they wanted veto power for the Iraqi authorities on U.S.-led military operations. Right now, they'll be a partnership between the multinational force led by an American commander and Iraqi authorities -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And for John Negroponte, this is his swan song at the U.N. before he goes off to be the U.S. ambassador, the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq?

ROTH: That's right. And Negroponte will be here at the Security Council for the vote and will be speaking on behalf of the United States. And soon he'll be going off to Iraq, presumably to be replaced here by Senator John Danforth.

KAGAN: Who, as I understand it, keeping it all in one cycle, will be leading services as part of Ronald Reagan's funeral service.

Thank you for that.

Richard Roth at the United Nations.

Remembering Ronald Reagan and now a national show of mourning that stretches from coast to coast. Thousands are streaming past Mr. Reagan's coffin at his Presidential Library in California. A live picture there from that site. Tomorrow this scene will shift to Washington.

And that's where we find our congressional correspondent Ed Henry, who joins us now from Capitol Hill with a preview of that -- Ed, good morning.

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

We have some new photos this morning of a practice run for one of the most dramatic portions of the state funeral we're expecting. It's the horse drawn caisson that will take Mr. Reagan's casket about 6:00 p.m. Wednesday evening from near the Washington Monument, down Constitution Avenue to the Capitol. This is the 3rd U.S. Infantry Division Caisson Platoon.

We're also expecting tonight at about 6:00 p.m. 21 military jets will be flying very low near the Capitol to practice for a fly-over that will occur tomorrow night, as well, during this very dramatic procession.

Another major consideration is security. There is a memo circulating to all senators from officials here saying that this has been elevated to a national security special event. That gives it special designation, puts it on a part with the national political conventions this summer. The Secret Service is involved, FBI. There are so many agencies involved trying to make sure that this goes off without a hitch.

CNN spoke to Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer about that coordination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF TERRANCE GAINER, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: One of the first things we did when we were notified of the death is we canceled all days off this week so that we would have our full complement of 1,600 officers. The Metropolitan Police Department did the same. They have some 3,800 officers. And we're working very, very closely with the military district of Washington, the United States Secret Service, ATF, homeland security. So there will be a wealth of officers, both in uniform and not, covert and overt, making sure that this entire area is very secure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Daryn, while all of that -- all of those preparations have been going on behind-the-scenes, publicly senators have been delivering tributes to Mr. Reagan on the Senate floor yesterday and this morning. In the House, the House will come into session today to deal with two resolutions, one honoring the former president; the other will formally open up the Rotunda -- just a technicality, obviously -- open up the Rotunda to receive Mr. Reagan's body on Wednesday evening -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed, I'm glad that we have you here live this morning because I had an Ed Henry question as I was getting ready for this newscast. It has to do with the live picture we just saw a few minutes ago, John Ashcroft in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

I thought you had told us yesterday that actually on Capitol Hill business was pretty much going to be scaled back this week.

HENRY: That's right. Right.

KAGAN: So what's with the committee meeting?

HENRY: Right. What we've been saying is that most, if not all, of the business will be shut down. Some committees are trying to move forward on things, such as Mr. Ashcroft. He has not appeared before his oversight committee in many months. Democrats have been complaining that he has not come up to the Hill to talk about some of the things that he is doing in the war on terror and other matters. They want to talk to him. They want to make sure he's here.

But most other business has been scaled back. The House was supposed to deal with the energy bill. That's been pushed aside. The Senate was supposed to deal with the defense bill. That's been pushed aside, as well.

Nobody wants to draw attention away from this funeral -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed Henry on Capitol Hill, thank you for the Ed Henry answer to my question.

Appreciate that.

HENRY: OK.

KAGAN: When the Bush administration wants to communicate with the public, it gets it done. After the break, Dana Bash talks live with White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett.

And, still to come, Stanley's Cup gets a new home. It's not exactly the chilliest place in the world. A warm reception for this championship. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And now we go back to the G8 summit in south Georgia. That is where the official economic agenda shares a spotlight with concerns in Iraq and the Middle East.

For a closer look at that, let's go to Savannah, Georgia and our White House correspondent Dana Bash, who has a special guest with her -- Dana, good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

And we have with us the White House communications director, Dan Bartlett.

Dan, thank you very much for joining us.

DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Thank you for having me.

BASH: We appreciate it.

The first question is the news of the day. It looks like the U.N. is poised to pass, perhaps unanimously, a new resolution on Iraq.

Given the fact that your colleagues at the White House have said that this is not going to probably give more troops in Iraq, not likely going to have some more financial assistance in Iraq, would you concede that it's largely symbolic?

D. BARTLETT: This is a very critical moment for not only the world community coming together, but for the Iraqi people. The fact that the world community, through the U.N. Security Council resolution, can stand together side by side with this new Iraqi government and say we embrace you, this is the way forward for Iraq, is a powerful signal not only of symbolism, but of substance on the ground in Iraq, because the enemy knows what we know, and that is that a free Iraq must be successful if we are to demonstrate to the enemies of freedom that democracy can take root.

The world community will come together. Different countries will participate in different ways. But the critical part of this now is that the Iraqi government will be making decisions. If they want more help, they will be asking for more help. And what they have clearly said from here is that we want Iraqis starting to take control of their own country. And this U.N. Security Council resolution embraces that. And that is a critical step forward.

BASH: But how much of an impact is this going to have on the president's talks here at the summit with a lot of the leaders that he's talking to that didn't support the war in Iraq?

D. BARTLETT: This is a good way to start the summit. He has had close consultations with many of the leaders who are coming here this week and that's why I think you're seeing the swift passage of this U.N. resolution. But it gives them an opportunity to, you know, literally come together and show their solidarity for the Iraqi people.

So it's a great way to start the summit this week. It's a huge success for the U.N. Security Council and it's an even bigger success for the Iraqi people.

BASH: High on your agenda here is the broader Middle East initiative, which is essentially to try to promote freedom and democracy in the Middle East.

D. BARTLETT: Yes.

BASH: Given the fact that there are some leaders there who inherently are opposed to this, or at least afraid of this, and given the fact that the people on the ground there seem to so distrust America, how are you going to achieve what you're trying to achieve?

D. BARTLETT: Well, I think many people in the Middle East clearly understand that the universal values of individual rights, the freedom to express religion are universal. They are not America's attempt to impose its will or its version of government on them.

And this is a unique opportunity for President Bush to clearly state that what we need to do here is we need the world community, who have the experience of democracy, to work with our Arab partners, our Middle Eastern partners who will be in attendance at this summit, to say we are here to help. We are not here to impose.

Different countries will take -- set different timetables. Some countries have already started -- Bahrain, Jordan. They are already developing the habits of freedom. Other countries will take more time. But what this summit provides is an opportunity for all the leaders to come together and to speak with each other, not at each other.

BASH: Security is incredibly tight. Sea Island is a place that is essentially blocked off. We, right now, for example, in Savannah, are 80 miles away from where the site is.

D. BARTLETT: Yes.

BASH: Is this because it's important to keep protesters away or there -- is there an actual intelligence threat against the summit?

D. BARTLETT: Well, we are a nation at war. We are a world that is under threat by terrorists. To have that many world leaders to come together is a unique security threat that we have to take very seriously. And we are, at every level of government, not only here domestically, but with our foreign partners, are doing everything we can to secure the summit.

We are grateful for the people of Georgia for their patience in having us here. But this doesn't have to do with protesters. They will find reasons and ways to voice their concern. But this is for the world leaders to come together in a unique environment, in which they can address the needs of the world community.

BASH: I want to ask you about an issue that has recently been in the news, and that is that Vice President Cheney was interviewed by the FBI about a leaks investigation.

Has the vice president assured President Bush that neither he nor anybody on his staff was responsible for leaking the name of a CIA operative? And has President Bush had any interview actually scheduled?

D. BARTLETT: Well, Dana, we have a longstanding policy since this investigation started to not comment on any specific details. We are referring all those questions to the Justice Department.

But one thing is clear. President Bush has made it his policy to say anybody who knows anything, please come forward, full cooperation. And he demonstrated that even means him, at the very top. He's willing to communicate and discuss with prosecutors if they would like to have a conversation with him, the vice president and others. And I'll have to leave it at that. We will let the Justice Department conduct its investigation and I will allow them to comment on that themselves.

BASH: So the fact that President Bush has a lawyer on standby, does that mean that there's actually an interview that's scheduled, or at least at the ready?

D. BARTLETT: I don't have any information about a scheduled interview. As President Bush said himself, if a lawyer is necessary, he'll have one ready.

BASH: OK.

I want to talk about President Reagan for a minute.

There has been a lot of talk since President Reagan passed away over the weekend that President Bush is -- seems to be more politically like President Reagan than his father. What does President Bush say about those comparisons?

D. BARTLETT: Well, President Bush is going to -- this is a week in which we're here to pay tribute and to remember Ronald Reagan for his leadership in the world, not only as president, but also as a person. And he was a national treasure. And we are so honored to have him as a president of the United States.

And so this week we're focused on paying tribute to him. We will leave it to other people to try to draw contrasts or parallels or similarities. But our goal is to keep the attention not on President Bush's similarities, but precisely on President Reagan himself.

BASH: President Bush is not going to be able to attend the state funeral ceremonies on Wednesday. Vice President Cheney is going to do so instead.

D. BARTLETT: Yes.

BASH: Was that a tough decision for the White House to make?

D. BARTLETT: Well, it's -- we've been in close coordination with the Reagan family to make sure we do everything we can to accommodate their schedule. They are fully recognizing the fact that there is a world summit going on. President Bush feels comfortable with president -- Vice President Cheney representing the government and then President Bush has his opportunity to pay tribute on Friday.

BASH: Dan, thank you very much for joining us.

D. BARTLETT: Thank you for having me.

BASH: We'll see you soon.

D. BARTLETT: OK.

BASH: And, Daryn -- back to you.

KAGAN: Dana Bash in Savannah.

Thank you for that.

We move on to the world of sports. He helped the Boston Celtics dominate the NBA in the 1960s. Find out what basketball legend Bill Russell thinks about the Lakers' chances to capture another championship.

Also, this is what we're working on for next hour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN (voice-over): CNN's complete coverage of today's headline -- mourning the loss of President Reagan. Thousands in California say they're final good-bye. At 11, we're live from Simi Valley.

Then, the G8 summit begins on Sea Island, Georgia. Iraq is front and center, as the U.N. prepares to vote this afternoon.

Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: All right, the NBA Finals are under way. Game two tonight at Los Angeles, the Lakers hosting the Detroit Pistons. With that going on, the History Channel is looking back at the greatest dynasty in the sport, the Boston Celtics from the late '50s to the '60s, and specifically groundbreaking relationships between Rick Auerbach and Bill Russell.

Here from Los Angeles to talk about the NBA hardware classics, the player and the coach, as well as the current NBA Finals, the captain himself, Bill Russell.

Bill, what an honor to have you here with us this morning.

BILL RUSSELL, LED CELTICS TO 11 NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 13 YEARS: Thank you.

KAGAN: You are everywhere. You're in Los Angeles. You also wrote a big piece in the "Wall Street Journal" this morning, which I was telling you during the break, I learned some things from this morning.

So I want to go right to the top of the lesson sheet, if I may.

RUSSELL: OK.

KAGAN: OK? You talk about defense. And you often hear in sports, in football, that defense wins championships. But you make the case in this piece that defense in the NBA is what ultimately wins championships, as well.

RUSSELL: Well, yes. You see, all the players are mostly -- I say most of the players get to the NBA based on their offensive skills. So that everybody can play offense. And so with the coaches, what the game has evolved to is if you can make the other team less efficient, then you should outscore them.

And so the defense will actually win the series. If, say, that a couple of teams that have a lot of -- high profile teams or high scoring teams and you all know their players, but the teams that have defensive, good defensive players, they don't get much variety -- I mean notoriety, because there's not much publicity and there are no times you can say well that is like a dunk or that's like a three point shot.

KAGAN: Well, you know, we even saw that in game one when the Pistons came up and surprised the Lakers and the Lakers coming back and saying OK, game two, we know what we need to do and we were off our game. But Chauncy Billups from the Pistons said hold on a second, give us some credit. We stepped up. We played defense and we put the Lakers off their game.

Do you think that's a legitimate claim on behalf of the Pistons?

RUSSELL: Of course. You know, my whole career was based on defense. And we won quite a few championships and so...

KAGAN: Yes, you did OK, I would say.

RUSSELL: And so...

KAGAN: Any man who has more rings than fingers, I was telling you, I think did OK in the NBA.

RUSSELL: Well, you know, I was asked last week did the Pistons have a chance. And you don't have to have the most high profile players to be the best team. It's when you can make your players a unit. And it's far more difficult to make your team a unit definitively than it is offensively. And so it's a combination of hard work and a good system.

Now, the, for me, what I find more interesting the rest of the way is what kind of adjustments will the coaches make between games? That's the interesting thing to me.

KAGAN: And that'll be interesting to see tonight.

Are you going to game two?

RUSSELL: Oh, yes.

KAGAN: All right.

RUSSELL: I love watching the NBA, especially the Finals --

KAGAN: Yes...

RUSSELL: ... because I have a sense of having been there and knowing what it feels like to play under those conditions. And that's the most fun a professional athlete can have, when you're playing in the final series of your sport. And...

KAGAN: Just real quickly, Bill, because we're running out of time. I just have to ask you real quickly...

RUSSELL: OK.

KAGAN: ... because you wouldn't say in your "Wall Street Journal" piece who you think will ultimately win this year.

Can you do that for us right now in our final seconds?

RUSSELL: I haven't got the slightest idea.

KAGAN: Well, OK. Well, if Bill Russell doesn't have the slightest idea...

RUSSELL: I mean...

KAGAN: ... the rest of us had better tune in to see how it all turns out.

Thank you so much.

We'll see you on the History Channel. We'll see you in the "Wall Street Journal" today. And thanks for stopping by here on CNN.

RUSSELL: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Bill Russell, a true legend.

Thank you so much, sir.

Well, a different type of legend, a legend from the underground, from running with the mob to running from it -- I'll talk with the man behind the hit movie "Goodfellas" about life in the witness protection program.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY is back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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