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CNN Live Today

St. Louis Showdown; Revive the Draft?; Buzz on the Web; Copycats

Aired October 07, 2004 - 11:00   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: Up first on CNN, the presidential candidates preparing for their showdown in St. Louis. President Bush and Senator John Kerry meet tomorrow night for the second of three debates.
But the main story at the White House right now is the fallout from the release of the Duelfer report on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Today, House Democrats are slamming the president over the report, which says that they prove that Saddam Hussein was not a threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: There was never, ever any growing threat or any growing dangers to our nation. This president and his administration owe the community and nation, members of Congress, the American people and their families of those who lost their lives in Iraq, an apology. This administration should come clean and tell the truth, nothing but the truth, the whole truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano. There's Elaine. A little different way of doing that. Elaine Quijano, at the White House, with us now.

Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

When the president hits the campaign trail today in Wisconsin, it's unclear whether or not he will directly reference that new CIA report on WMDs. Just a short time ago, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that the president's comments today in Wausau, Wisconsin will be similar to the comments that he made yesterday when he was out on the stump in Pennsylvania and in Michigan.

Now, on the CIA's report, which found no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq at the time that the U.S. invaded last year, the administration maintains that the report does document, they believe, that Saddam Hussein was in fact a threat, a threat that the United States needed to take seriously.

Now, White House officials and Vice President Dick Cheney are pointing to excerpts specifically talking about how Saddam Hussein was trying to undermine sanctions. They say that is evidence that Saddam Hussein had the intent and capability to develop weapons of mass destruction.

Now, the president today, for his part, it's unclear whether or not he will actually, specifically reference this report by name. I can tell you, earlier today, at an event there in Miami, Vice President Dick Cheney did in fact reference the report. But again, the administration's position remains, Daryn, that they believe the report shows that Saddam Hussein did in fact pose a threat -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, Elaine, let's talk campaign for a moment. Tomorrow, of course, big debate number two. What does President Bush have on the docket today?

QUIJANO: Well what White House spokesman Scott McClellan says, first of all, is that debate preparations are continuing, that he is talking to senior advisers and looking over the different positions, as he says, of John Kerry.

The president going to Wausau, Wisconsin, though, in the central part of that state. And you'll remember Wisconsin of course very crucial. There are 10 electoral votes up for grabs. This is the eighth time President Bush has visited there this year. And it's a state where they feel they have made some in-roads, the campaigns saying. They believe that they will be able to whittle down whatever edge there was, Democrat edge.

Back in 2000, you remember, Al Gore won that state, but only narrowly, by less than 1 percentage point. This time around, they are hoping that they will be able to get that state in his win column and they will be heading out there later on this afternoon -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Elaine Quijano at the White House, thank you.

As for Senator John Kerry, he gets in another round of rehearsals today. Kerry is at a Colorado resort. He has been practicing for the debate.

Our national correspondent Frank Buckley is traveling with the Kerry campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Senator John Kerry is preparing for this presidential debate the way he did for the first one last week, retiring to a resort, staying off the campaign trail, as he did last time.

In this case, he's staying at the Inverness Hotel and Resort just outside of Denver, where a ballroom has been converted into a town hall style setting. Greg Craig, the former Clinton administration attorney, playing President Bush in mock debates here. Campaign staffers playing the audience members who will ask the questions.

For Kerry advisers, the pre-debate expectations spin is beginning. A Kerry adviser saying that because of the largely positive reviews in the first debate for Senator Kerry, they know that the expectations are higher for Senator Kerry this time. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Kerry is taking this preparation very seriously because you have to. This is an important debate. It's one that's a different format because real Americans are involved, not just reporters. But I think that because it's serious, he's going through his answers, thinking about the best way to sharpen the argument that he wants to make about the wrong choices of the last four years and where America needs to go in the four years ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Senator Kerry left it to his top advisers and to Senator Edwards, his running mate, to answer President Bush's blistering criticism in the speech yesterday in Pennsylvania. Senator Edwards calling it the same old tired rhetoric.

A top adviser saying this was a sign of desperation on the part of the Bush campaign to put the president out there to criticize Senator Kerry in this way a couple of days before the debate. All of it setting the stage, though, for the debate coming up on Friday. Senator Kerry leaving Colorado for St. Louis and the debate later this afternoon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Frank Buckley, thank you.

Stay with CNN for extensive coverage for the second presidential debate live from St. Louis. CNN's coverage begins tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 Pacific.

A loud explosion in central Baghdad today, video showing smoke rising near The Green Zone, that is the area housing U.S. and Iraqi government officials. The U.S. military is investigating. Officials are warning Americans to be cautious. A bomb was found near a Green Zone restaurant popular with Westerners.

A nearly unanimous vote this week in the House of Representatives was meant to end further speculation about reviving the military draft.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more on this election year issue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was one of the enduring symbols of the Vietnam War, protesters burning their draft cards. President Bush wouldn't even use the "D" word in the first presidential debate.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The military will be an all-volunteer Army.

STARR: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is more blunt. DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: But it is absolutely false that anyone in this administration is considering reinstating the draft.

STARR: Experts say a draft makes little economic or military sense in today's world. It's costly and inefficient to keep rotating civilians in and out of the military. Draftees never achieve long- term war-fighting skills. Precision weapons reduce the need for boots on the ground.

Experts also say there is no current enemy with a large standing army that could require the U.S. to field a matching ground force.

The House Tuesday overwhelmingly defeated a measure to reinstate the draft, a political effort to quash the Internet rumors that a draft is in the works.

Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel, who introduced the legislation, says the country shouldn't turn its back on the concept of shared sacrifice.

REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: But if you say it saves money to have poor kids being killed rather than having the general population be involved, I think that's a pretty poor reason to be against the draft.

STARR: Democratic presidential contender, Senator John Kerry, thinks the war in Iraq has opened the door into compulsory service.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've got a back-door draft taking place in America today, people with stop-loss programs where they're told you can't get out of the military, nine out of our 10 active-duty divisions committed to Iraq.

STARR: The Pentagon is convinced it can still recruit enough Americans to military service.

RUMSFELD: We are having no trouble attracting and retaining the people we need.

STARR (on camera): But will the voluntary call to duty last or will there again someday be a need to require America's young people to fight the nation's wars?

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: An exhaustive review of Iraq's prewar capabilities bluntly concludes the country did not have weapons of mass destruction when the U.S. led an invasion last year to topple Saddam Hussein. In fact, the head of the Iraq survey group (ph) tells a Senate panel that Iraq had not had such capabilities in more than a decade.

But Charles Duelfer says that his group found ample evidence of a regime that artfully dodged U.N. sanctions and turned the U.N.'s Oil- for-Food program into an elaborate cash machine. The report confirms earlier assessments by many others, including former chief U.N. weapons inspector David Kay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID KAY, FMR. CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Quite frankly, I think the most meaningful conclusion of the Duelfer report is the failure of our intelligence services and the intelligence services of other Western countries. We need to take that lesson to heart so our next president does not have to go through the same trauma that this one has when you turn out the reasons for going to war to be so different than the actual facts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Kay did acknowledge that short of an invasion, it might have been impossible to know for sure if Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

Coming up, Tom DeLay faces a call for his resignation in the Senate. I'll tell you why.

Also, ready or not, here it comes. The Afghan election is Saturday. And while many are preparing to vote, troops are preparing for trouble. That is next.

Plus the debate over debates rages on the Internet. Regina Lewis joins us with all the Web talk coming up next.

And anonymous no more, a judge makes a ruling that will expose Kobe Bryant's accuser.

CNN LIVE TODAY is coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at news that is happening overseas in this morning's "World Wrap."

Campaigning for Saturday's election in Afghanistan formally ended today. Interim leader Hamid Karzai is favored to win the presidency. The Taliban is threatening to incite violence to disrupt the vote.

One of three sailors injured aboard a Canadian submarine has died. The sub caught fire off the coast of Ireland. Plans are now under way to tow the vessel and the more than 50 remaining crew members into port.

And archaeologists say they have unearthed the site of Genghis Khan's palace in Mongolia. His tomb is believed to be nearby. If the secret mausoleum is found, it is likely to hold the grave of the warrior's grandson, Kublai (ph), as well. The presidential and vice presidential debates only last a couple of hours each, sometimes only 90 minutes, but the online debate about them goes on around the clock. That tops today's "Buzz on the Web."

For more, let's turn to AOL Online adviser Regina Lewis in Virginia, in Dulles, Virginia today, good morning.

REGINA LEWIS, AOL ONLINE ADVISER: Good morning, Daryn.

You're totally right about that, the general consensus is that Bush is really going to need his A-game tomorrow in St. Louis. But people are still talking about the Cheney-Edwards face-off in Cleveland. In particular, when Dick Cheney said that on that stage was the first time he met Senator Edwards. Oh contraire said the Bloggers who very quickly pulled a C-Span clip from 2001.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And distinguished visitors to our country from all over the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEWIS: Here is the still photo. He introduced Edwards there. And as someone posted on one of the Bloggers, look, if you're going to lie, make it a little bit harder to get caught.

He also misspoke about one other thing, and you've got to be real careful here, he pointed people to factcheck.com, which is actually an advertising site, instead of factcheck.org, which is run by the University of Pennsylvania.

Factcheck.com then pointed people to George Soris' (ph) site. He has made, yes, he has made -- he has not been exactly subtle about his taste on Bush, because they figured he could afford all of the traffic. So I bet he wishes he could take that one back.

KAGAN: All right. Well, and as we should point out, there are plenty of conservatives out there who are blogging online and trying to point out problems with some of the points that Senator Edwards was making as well.

Let's look at John Kerry. He's running around with one of these yellow bracelets. He's not the only one. Apparently these are very hot items.

LEWIS: Absolutely. And we have seen this for a while. But I was really struck by the numbers, because sometimes these things are trends. They have sold, Lance Armstrong's Foundation, more than 15 million of these. Despite the fact that there is now a three-to-four week back order on these items, they are still selling them at a rate of 100,000 per day on their site.

That kind of demand always sparks the eBay phenomena. And here you see the listings, rare, rare, rare. They are going for about $10 a pop. You have to be careful here, because in these cases, it's not always -- you know the best seller isn't always going to give the money to charity.

Lance Armstrong's Foundation has 10 million more on order. And I'm thinking they should maybe go green or red for a special edition. They'd probably sell even more.

KAGAN: Red for Valentine's, the possibilities are endless.

A big day for Martha Stewart, she is supposed to be reporting to prison in West Virginia. People talking about that online, too?

LEWIS: Sure. I mean, you can imagine. There's no shortage of parodies. We have got some visuals from that. But even more striking, the Bureau of Prisons official Web site, I mean talk about really bringing the reality home here. If you click on inmate locator and type in her name, they give you the registration number. I mean it's very harsh. Location in transit. So here's the light side of the story, but obviously there's some heft here as well.

KAGAN: All right, Regina Lewis, AOL Online, thank you so much.

LEWIS: Sure.

KAGAN: In the Kobe Bryant civil case, the identity of his accuser has long been an open secret. Now it looks like her name will be made public if the case goes forward. A federal judge has ruled she cannot remain anonymous if she wants to pursue her lawsuit against the NBA star for alleged rape. The judge says that allowing her to stay nameless could appear as favorable treatment in a court where both parties must be seen as equals.

Well you know you're being spawned. We know you are being spawned, so what can you do to stop hearing the political spin and start hearing reality? Anderson Cooper has a few ideas coming up.

But up next, your cat can now have a lot more than just nine lives, thanks to science. Jeanne Moos takes a look at that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Live picture from Fort Myers, Florida. Vice President Dick Cheney on the campaign trail. We saw him live in the last hour in Miami. He is on a tour of Florida, in Gainesville and Jacksonville yesterday, this following the vice presidential debate.

Well, let's head to the West Coast where scientists no longer think the eruption of Mount St. Helens is imminent. So they have lowered the alert level from 3. It's now at 2. Geologists say the earthquake activity dropped off after this week's burst of steam and ash from the volcano. But they warn that an eruption could still occur in the days or weeks ahead.

Or, Orelon, maybe Mount St. Helens was just kind of like some of us, just needed to literally blow off some steam and now she feels a little bit better about things.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know that is the most active volcano in the Cascade Range. But I would be surprised to see a major eruption only 20 years, you know, 20 some odd years after a major eruption.

KAGAN: Yes.

SIDNEY: So probably a little bit of steam blowing off. That happens, typically, with volcanoes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Orelon, thank you for that.

SIDNEY: You're welcome.

KAGAN: On to -- well you know how you love the animal stories, Orelon, so don't go too far.

SIDNEY: Yes. OK.

KAGAN: We're not talking dogs, we're working cats.

SIDNEY: That's good, too.

KAGAN: All right, I know it works for you.

They say that cats have nine lives. Well thanks to some smart science, that old saying may not be too far from the truth.

Here's our Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is a new wrinkle to the upcoming cat show, and we don't mean this Sphinx. Here kitty-kitty, here come the clones.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean how would you feel if you were cloned?

MOOS: Ask her, she's the one whose cells were inserted into empty eggs and implanted in two surrogate mothers. The original and her two clones will be displayed behind Plexiglas at the New York Cat Show, though the cloned cat doesn't get along with the clones.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She thinks of them as interlopers.

MOOS: They are the second and third successful clones produced by a company call Genetic Savings & Clone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tabouli (ph) and this is Baba Ganoush (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Other way around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Tabouli and this is Baba Ganoush.

MOOS: They are named after Middle Eastern foods that are favorites of the CEO's son. The two are almost identical to each other and the original, named Tahini (ph). The idea is to replace a beloved pet.

(on camera): You can't bear for Fluffy to be truly gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then you need to grow up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right, because death is a part of life.

MOOS (voice-over): Nevertheless, five customers are paying $50,000 each to clone cats that have since departed.

(on camera): And their clones are going to be ready by the end of the year.

CAROLINE SCOTT (ph), CAT SHOW PARTICIPANT: Incredible. I don't care what cloning it is the soul cannot be duplicated.

MOOS (voice-over): Company officials say don't expect Fluffy to be resurrected, but do expect physical and even behavioral resemblances. The clones won't be the only stars of the cat show.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is named Colin Powell because he was born on 9/11.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 09/11/02.

MOOS: And since he was 2004's cat of the year, he got to meet his namesake in Washington.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Secretary, this is the other Colin Powell.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Hi, Colin. How are you?

MOOS: Colin's owners, by the way, are Democrats.

(on camera): Did the real Colin Powell tell you where he likes to be rubbed?

(voice-over): Though cloning may rub you the wrong way, researchers are still working on dogs, which are harder to duplicate. But when it comes to making copy cats...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She'll turn herself around.

MOOS: ... sometimes even one is more than enough.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: They are the words that voters and lawmakers in Florida do not want to hear, here we go again. Less than a month to go, Dick Cheney is campaigning in Florida today, and now there are new concerns about a repeat performance of the 2000 election controversy. We'll take a look at that coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired October 7, 2004 - 11:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Up first on CNN, the presidential candidates preparing for their showdown in St. Louis. President Bush and Senator John Kerry meet tomorrow night for the second of three debates.
But the main story at the White House right now is the fallout from the release of the Duelfer report on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Today, House Democrats are slamming the president over the report, which says that they prove that Saddam Hussein was not a threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: There was never, ever any growing threat or any growing dangers to our nation. This president and his administration owe the community and nation, members of Congress, the American people and their families of those who lost their lives in Iraq, an apology. This administration should come clean and tell the truth, nothing but the truth, the whole truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano. There's Elaine. A little different way of doing that. Elaine Quijano, at the White House, with us now.

Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

When the president hits the campaign trail today in Wisconsin, it's unclear whether or not he will directly reference that new CIA report on WMDs. Just a short time ago, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that the president's comments today in Wausau, Wisconsin will be similar to the comments that he made yesterday when he was out on the stump in Pennsylvania and in Michigan.

Now, on the CIA's report, which found no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq at the time that the U.S. invaded last year, the administration maintains that the report does document, they believe, that Saddam Hussein was in fact a threat, a threat that the United States needed to take seriously.

Now, White House officials and Vice President Dick Cheney are pointing to excerpts specifically talking about how Saddam Hussein was trying to undermine sanctions. They say that is evidence that Saddam Hussein had the intent and capability to develop weapons of mass destruction.

Now, the president today, for his part, it's unclear whether or not he will actually, specifically reference this report by name. I can tell you, earlier today, at an event there in Miami, Vice President Dick Cheney did in fact reference the report. But again, the administration's position remains, Daryn, that they believe the report shows that Saddam Hussein did in fact pose a threat -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, Elaine, let's talk campaign for a moment. Tomorrow, of course, big debate number two. What does President Bush have on the docket today?

QUIJANO: Well what White House spokesman Scott McClellan says, first of all, is that debate preparations are continuing, that he is talking to senior advisers and looking over the different positions, as he says, of John Kerry.

The president going to Wausau, Wisconsin, though, in the central part of that state. And you'll remember Wisconsin of course very crucial. There are 10 electoral votes up for grabs. This is the eighth time President Bush has visited there this year. And it's a state where they feel they have made some in-roads, the campaigns saying. They believe that they will be able to whittle down whatever edge there was, Democrat edge.

Back in 2000, you remember, Al Gore won that state, but only narrowly, by less than 1 percentage point. This time around, they are hoping that they will be able to get that state in his win column and they will be heading out there later on this afternoon -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Elaine Quijano at the White House, thank you.

As for Senator John Kerry, he gets in another round of rehearsals today. Kerry is at a Colorado resort. He has been practicing for the debate.

Our national correspondent Frank Buckley is traveling with the Kerry campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Senator John Kerry is preparing for this presidential debate the way he did for the first one last week, retiring to a resort, staying off the campaign trail, as he did last time.

In this case, he's staying at the Inverness Hotel and Resort just outside of Denver, where a ballroom has been converted into a town hall style setting. Greg Craig, the former Clinton administration attorney, playing President Bush in mock debates here. Campaign staffers playing the audience members who will ask the questions.

For Kerry advisers, the pre-debate expectations spin is beginning. A Kerry adviser saying that because of the largely positive reviews in the first debate for Senator Kerry, they know that the expectations are higher for Senator Kerry this time. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Kerry is taking this preparation very seriously because you have to. This is an important debate. It's one that's a different format because real Americans are involved, not just reporters. But I think that because it's serious, he's going through his answers, thinking about the best way to sharpen the argument that he wants to make about the wrong choices of the last four years and where America needs to go in the four years ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Senator Kerry left it to his top advisers and to Senator Edwards, his running mate, to answer President Bush's blistering criticism in the speech yesterday in Pennsylvania. Senator Edwards calling it the same old tired rhetoric.

A top adviser saying this was a sign of desperation on the part of the Bush campaign to put the president out there to criticize Senator Kerry in this way a couple of days before the debate. All of it setting the stage, though, for the debate coming up on Friday. Senator Kerry leaving Colorado for St. Louis and the debate later this afternoon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Frank Buckley, thank you.

Stay with CNN for extensive coverage for the second presidential debate live from St. Louis. CNN's coverage begins tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 Pacific.

A loud explosion in central Baghdad today, video showing smoke rising near The Green Zone, that is the area housing U.S. and Iraqi government officials. The U.S. military is investigating. Officials are warning Americans to be cautious. A bomb was found near a Green Zone restaurant popular with Westerners.

A nearly unanimous vote this week in the House of Representatives was meant to end further speculation about reviving the military draft.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more on this election year issue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was one of the enduring symbols of the Vietnam War, protesters burning their draft cards. President Bush wouldn't even use the "D" word in the first presidential debate.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The military will be an all-volunteer Army.

STARR: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is more blunt. DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: But it is absolutely false that anyone in this administration is considering reinstating the draft.

STARR: Experts say a draft makes little economic or military sense in today's world. It's costly and inefficient to keep rotating civilians in and out of the military. Draftees never achieve long- term war-fighting skills. Precision weapons reduce the need for boots on the ground.

Experts also say there is no current enemy with a large standing army that could require the U.S. to field a matching ground force.

The House Tuesday overwhelmingly defeated a measure to reinstate the draft, a political effort to quash the Internet rumors that a draft is in the works.

Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel, who introduced the legislation, says the country shouldn't turn its back on the concept of shared sacrifice.

REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: But if you say it saves money to have poor kids being killed rather than having the general population be involved, I think that's a pretty poor reason to be against the draft.

STARR: Democratic presidential contender, Senator John Kerry, thinks the war in Iraq has opened the door into compulsory service.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've got a back-door draft taking place in America today, people with stop-loss programs where they're told you can't get out of the military, nine out of our 10 active-duty divisions committed to Iraq.

STARR: The Pentagon is convinced it can still recruit enough Americans to military service.

RUMSFELD: We are having no trouble attracting and retaining the people we need.

STARR (on camera): But will the voluntary call to duty last or will there again someday be a need to require America's young people to fight the nation's wars?

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: An exhaustive review of Iraq's prewar capabilities bluntly concludes the country did not have weapons of mass destruction when the U.S. led an invasion last year to topple Saddam Hussein. In fact, the head of the Iraq survey group (ph) tells a Senate panel that Iraq had not had such capabilities in more than a decade.

But Charles Duelfer says that his group found ample evidence of a regime that artfully dodged U.N. sanctions and turned the U.N.'s Oil- for-Food program into an elaborate cash machine. The report confirms earlier assessments by many others, including former chief U.N. weapons inspector David Kay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID KAY, FMR. CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Quite frankly, I think the most meaningful conclusion of the Duelfer report is the failure of our intelligence services and the intelligence services of other Western countries. We need to take that lesson to heart so our next president does not have to go through the same trauma that this one has when you turn out the reasons for going to war to be so different than the actual facts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Kay did acknowledge that short of an invasion, it might have been impossible to know for sure if Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

Coming up, Tom DeLay faces a call for his resignation in the Senate. I'll tell you why.

Also, ready or not, here it comes. The Afghan election is Saturday. And while many are preparing to vote, troops are preparing for trouble. That is next.

Plus the debate over debates rages on the Internet. Regina Lewis joins us with all the Web talk coming up next.

And anonymous no more, a judge makes a ruling that will expose Kobe Bryant's accuser.

CNN LIVE TODAY is coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at news that is happening overseas in this morning's "World Wrap."

Campaigning for Saturday's election in Afghanistan formally ended today. Interim leader Hamid Karzai is favored to win the presidency. The Taliban is threatening to incite violence to disrupt the vote.

One of three sailors injured aboard a Canadian submarine has died. The sub caught fire off the coast of Ireland. Plans are now under way to tow the vessel and the more than 50 remaining crew members into port.

And archaeologists say they have unearthed the site of Genghis Khan's palace in Mongolia. His tomb is believed to be nearby. If the secret mausoleum is found, it is likely to hold the grave of the warrior's grandson, Kublai (ph), as well. The presidential and vice presidential debates only last a couple of hours each, sometimes only 90 minutes, but the online debate about them goes on around the clock. That tops today's "Buzz on the Web."

For more, let's turn to AOL Online adviser Regina Lewis in Virginia, in Dulles, Virginia today, good morning.

REGINA LEWIS, AOL ONLINE ADVISER: Good morning, Daryn.

You're totally right about that, the general consensus is that Bush is really going to need his A-game tomorrow in St. Louis. But people are still talking about the Cheney-Edwards face-off in Cleveland. In particular, when Dick Cheney said that on that stage was the first time he met Senator Edwards. Oh contraire said the Bloggers who very quickly pulled a C-Span clip from 2001.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And distinguished visitors to our country from all over the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEWIS: Here is the still photo. He introduced Edwards there. And as someone posted on one of the Bloggers, look, if you're going to lie, make it a little bit harder to get caught.

He also misspoke about one other thing, and you've got to be real careful here, he pointed people to factcheck.com, which is actually an advertising site, instead of factcheck.org, which is run by the University of Pennsylvania.

Factcheck.com then pointed people to George Soris' (ph) site. He has made, yes, he has made -- he has not been exactly subtle about his taste on Bush, because they figured he could afford all of the traffic. So I bet he wishes he could take that one back.

KAGAN: All right. Well, and as we should point out, there are plenty of conservatives out there who are blogging online and trying to point out problems with some of the points that Senator Edwards was making as well.

Let's look at John Kerry. He's running around with one of these yellow bracelets. He's not the only one. Apparently these are very hot items.

LEWIS: Absolutely. And we have seen this for a while. But I was really struck by the numbers, because sometimes these things are trends. They have sold, Lance Armstrong's Foundation, more than 15 million of these. Despite the fact that there is now a three-to-four week back order on these items, they are still selling them at a rate of 100,000 per day on their site.

That kind of demand always sparks the eBay phenomena. And here you see the listings, rare, rare, rare. They are going for about $10 a pop. You have to be careful here, because in these cases, it's not always -- you know the best seller isn't always going to give the money to charity.

Lance Armstrong's Foundation has 10 million more on order. And I'm thinking they should maybe go green or red for a special edition. They'd probably sell even more.

KAGAN: Red for Valentine's, the possibilities are endless.

A big day for Martha Stewart, she is supposed to be reporting to prison in West Virginia. People talking about that online, too?

LEWIS: Sure. I mean, you can imagine. There's no shortage of parodies. We have got some visuals from that. But even more striking, the Bureau of Prisons official Web site, I mean talk about really bringing the reality home here. If you click on inmate locator and type in her name, they give you the registration number. I mean it's very harsh. Location in transit. So here's the light side of the story, but obviously there's some heft here as well.

KAGAN: All right, Regina Lewis, AOL Online, thank you so much.

LEWIS: Sure.

KAGAN: In the Kobe Bryant civil case, the identity of his accuser has long been an open secret. Now it looks like her name will be made public if the case goes forward. A federal judge has ruled she cannot remain anonymous if she wants to pursue her lawsuit against the NBA star for alleged rape. The judge says that allowing her to stay nameless could appear as favorable treatment in a court where both parties must be seen as equals.

Well you know you're being spawned. We know you are being spawned, so what can you do to stop hearing the political spin and start hearing reality? Anderson Cooper has a few ideas coming up.

But up next, your cat can now have a lot more than just nine lives, thanks to science. Jeanne Moos takes a look at that.

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KAGAN: Live picture from Fort Myers, Florida. Vice President Dick Cheney on the campaign trail. We saw him live in the last hour in Miami. He is on a tour of Florida, in Gainesville and Jacksonville yesterday, this following the vice presidential debate.

Well, let's head to the West Coast where scientists no longer think the eruption of Mount St. Helens is imminent. So they have lowered the alert level from 3. It's now at 2. Geologists say the earthquake activity dropped off after this week's burst of steam and ash from the volcano. But they warn that an eruption could still occur in the days or weeks ahead.

Or, Orelon, maybe Mount St. Helens was just kind of like some of us, just needed to literally blow off some steam and now she feels a little bit better about things.

ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know that is the most active volcano in the Cascade Range. But I would be surprised to see a major eruption only 20 years, you know, 20 some odd years after a major eruption.

KAGAN: Yes.

SIDNEY: So probably a little bit of steam blowing off. That happens, typically, with volcanoes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Orelon, thank you for that.

SIDNEY: You're welcome.

KAGAN: On to -- well you know how you love the animal stories, Orelon, so don't go too far.

SIDNEY: Yes. OK.

KAGAN: We're not talking dogs, we're working cats.

SIDNEY: That's good, too.

KAGAN: All right, I know it works for you.

They say that cats have nine lives. Well thanks to some smart science, that old saying may not be too far from the truth.

Here's our Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is a new wrinkle to the upcoming cat show, and we don't mean this Sphinx. Here kitty-kitty, here come the clones.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean how would you feel if you were cloned?

MOOS: Ask her, she's the one whose cells were inserted into empty eggs and implanted in two surrogate mothers. The original and her two clones will be displayed behind Plexiglas at the New York Cat Show, though the cloned cat doesn't get along with the clones.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She thinks of them as interlopers.

MOOS: They are the second and third successful clones produced by a company call Genetic Savings & Clone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tabouli (ph) and this is Baba Ganoush (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Other way around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Tabouli and this is Baba Ganoush.

MOOS: They are named after Middle Eastern foods that are favorites of the CEO's son. The two are almost identical to each other and the original, named Tahini (ph). The idea is to replace a beloved pet.

(on camera): You can't bear for Fluffy to be truly gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then you need to grow up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right, because death is a part of life.

MOOS (voice-over): Nevertheless, five customers are paying $50,000 each to clone cats that have since departed.

(on camera): And their clones are going to be ready by the end of the year.

CAROLINE SCOTT (ph), CAT SHOW PARTICIPANT: Incredible. I don't care what cloning it is the soul cannot be duplicated.

MOOS (voice-over): Company officials say don't expect Fluffy to be resurrected, but do expect physical and even behavioral resemblances. The clones won't be the only stars of the cat show.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is named Colin Powell because he was born on 9/11.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 09/11/02.

MOOS: And since he was 2004's cat of the year, he got to meet his namesake in Washington.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Secretary, this is the other Colin Powell.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Hi, Colin. How are you?

MOOS: Colin's owners, by the way, are Democrats.

(on camera): Did the real Colin Powell tell you where he likes to be rubbed?

(voice-over): Though cloning may rub you the wrong way, researchers are still working on dogs, which are harder to duplicate. But when it comes to making copy cats...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She'll turn herself around.

MOOS: ... sometimes even one is more than enough.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: They are the words that voters and lawmakers in Florida do not want to hear, here we go again. Less than a month to go, Dick Cheney is campaigning in Florida today, and now there are new concerns about a repeat performance of the 2000 election controversy. We'll take a look at that coming up next.

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