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American Morning

Examining the Life and Death of Yasser Arafat; Discussing Healthcare Benefits For Veterans.

Aired November 11, 2004 - 08:00   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: After weeks of poor health, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has died. What's the next step now for Middle East peace?
Also, U.S. troops make significant progress in Falluja, but find a gruesome discovery inside the city.

And another day, another big shakeup in the Scott Peterson case. Why is the jury starting over for a second time, on this AMERICAN MORNING?

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

HEMMER: Good morning, everyone.

Just a tick past 8:00 in the morning here in New York City.

The big story, of course, today, is the death, the passing of Yasser Arafat. Many wondering already today whether this has opened up a new opportunity to find peace in the Middle East. We'll talk to one of the many people who have tried to broker a deal over the decades, former Senator George Mitchell is our guest here in a few moments.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, President Bush's pick to replace outgoing Attorney General John Ashcroft. Mr. Bush yesterday nominating White House legal counsel Alberto Gonzales. Is it possible that he might be too liberal for some Republicans and too conservative for some Democrats? We're going to talk with some political strategists this morning.

HEMMER: All right -- Jack Cafferty, good morning to you, as well.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," Bill, in less than an hour, we have a judge in Romania, a judge caught on tape with her pants down. I love stories like that. Mobisodes are coming soon to your cell phone. We'll tell you what Mobisodes are.

And some gutless TV stations cowering in fear of the FCC.

HEMMER: Ooh, that's a good story, too.

Later tonight. Thank you, Jack.

Heidi Collins back with us again today to the news and the headlines this morning -- Heidi, good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.

And good morning, everybody.

Now in the news, a deadly attack in Baghdad apparently targeting Americans. Iraqi police say a suicide bomb went off, killing at least 19 people. More than a dozen others are wounded. The blast went off more than four hours ago, just missing a U.S. convoy, which had passed by moments earlier.

And U.S. troops chasing down insurgents in Falluja say they have found what they call a hostage slaughterhouse. They've also freed a man held captive by insurgents for some 10 days.

The courts-martial of three American soldiers accused of abusing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib Prison will be moved from Iraq to Texas. The change affects Sergeant Javal Davis and Specialist Charles Graner and Sabrina Harmon. Lawyers asked for the venue change due to safety concerns for possible witnesses that would need to travel to Iraq. Graner's case, the first to be heard, is set for January.

And there's word this morning that Elizabeth Edwards started her treatment to fight breast cancer. Edwards will reportedly undergo 16 weeks of chemotherapy and then have the cancerous lump surgically removed. A family spokesman said yesterday doctors had found no signs the cancer has spread.

And just in time for Veteran's Day, an exhibit called The Price of Freedom: Americans At War opening up in about two hours at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

And we thank all of our veterans for their service and their dedication today.

HEMMER: Yes, we do. It's 11-11.

Thanks, Heidi.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Heidi.

Well, Yasser Arafat's death was not unexpected. He had been in a deep coma for days. Right now, preparations are under way in Egypt and the West Bank for funeral services and interment.

Fionnuala Sweeney is live for us at Percy Military Hospital in Paris, which is where Arafat's body is now being prepared for its flight to Cairo.

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sorry there, Soledad. I didn't realize you had come to me. Forgive us for a second there. Within the last few minutes, there's been a lot of activity at the hospital behind me. A French military helicopter landing within the last 10 minutes. Now, what we think is going to happen in the next couple of hours is that Yasser Arafat's remains will be placed on board that military helicopter and he will be flown to a military base. And at that base there will be a ceremony, not quite a state ceremony, but at least the French government will be represented there, a very senior level delegation led by the French prime minister.

Now, also arriving in Paris as we speak is Nabil Shaath, who's the Palestinian foreign minister. He has come from Ramallah in order to accompany Suha Arafat, that is Yasser's widow, back to Cairo with the body and, indeed, with other Palestinian officials and members of Yasser Arafat's immediate family.

So we expect here in about maybe less than, say, four hours from now that Yasser Arafat's remains will be en route to Cairo for the first of those burial services.

I should just add that French President Jacques Chirac has also been at the hospital this morning. He expressed his support and solidarity with the Palestinian people and said they have lost a man of courage and conviction, saying that he expected that the fight for a Palestinian state would continue after his death -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Fionnuala Sweeney for us in Paris this morning.

Fionnuala, thank you -- Bill.

HEMMER: With Arafat's death now, Soledad, the world wonders what is next for the Middle East peace process.

One man who knows this issue as well as anyone, former U.S. senator George Mitchell, a great deal of experience in the area.

He's my guest now in D.C.

Senator, good morning and welcome back here to AMERICAN MORNING.

I wanted to read to our viewers here the statement that President Clinton put out. You worked so closely with him in the year 2000, working on the Middle East peace process, working on the summit.

President Clinton says: "However others viewed him, the Palestinians saw him as the father of their nation. I regret that in 2000 he missed the opportunity to bring that nation into being and pray for the day when the dreams of the Palestinian people for a state and a better life will be realized in a just and lasting peace."

Did you see him as an obstacle in that process, Senator?

GEORGE MITCHELL, FORMER SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Well, certainly in the last couple of years, when both Israel and the United States refused to deal with him, there could be no progress in the peace process. There was an effort to circumvent him with the appointment of a prime minister, first Mahmoud Abbas, and then Ahmed Qorei. But that really hasn't worked out.

I think now there is a real opportunity. The coincidence of Arafat's death and the completion of the American presidential election gives the president the opportunity for a reinvigoration of the process and I hope that Palestinians, Israelis and the United States government will take advantage of that opportunity.

HEMMER: Let me try and take this a bit deeper with this real opportunity that you are now describing.

With the current Palestinian leadership, Mahmoud Abbas and Ahmed Qorei, how do you see these men fitting into the leadership role now for the Palestinian people?

MITCHELL: Well, that will be up to the Palestinians, of course. They have a legal process which calls for an election within 60 days. There were several positions involved that Arafat held and I think they will be distributed among more than one person. It's going to be very difficult for them. The Palestinians have never known a leader other than Arafat. For 40 years he personally embodied and represented their national aspirations. And he made every effort not to permit an alternative to develop. And so they're going to face a tough task.

But at the same time, they have an opportunity, clearly, to get this process back on track to achieve the state that they so badly want.

HEMMER: There is a state funeral tomorrow in Cairo, Egypt. I'm looking at the list of those who will attend and represent various nations across the world. I see foreign ministers and foreign secretaries and presidents. Under the U.S. category, I see an assistant secretary of state, William Burns.

What does that signal to the Palestinian people?

MITCHELL: Well, it obviously will be disappointing to them. They would have hoped, I think, for a higher level delegation. But I don't think it's going to have any lasting impact. The reality is what will we do now to move this process forward, to try to get the commitment to the road map, which, incidentally, both the Israelis and the Palestinians said they support, although they both had a list of reservations about it.

It's the president's plan and so he should be pursuing it now with a great deal of vigor. And I think that's what they want, a Palestinian state. And the only way they're going to get it is pursuing negotiation and a plan of this type.

HEMMER: I want to get your thoughts on the relationship that Yasser Arafat had with Ariel Sharon. Many people saw these two men competing side-by-side for so many decades in the Middle East.

Does Ariel Sharon now take a different approach now that he is firmly dealing with someone other than Yasser Arafat? MITCHELL: Well, different in some respects, but remember, he has said that his unwillingness to talk is based upon the fact that he didn't feel he had a good partner on the other side. The clear implication of that is if there were a good partner, he would deal with him. That will be the test that he now faces and that the United States will face in trying to get the process moving again.

I don't think the Israelis are going to be able to simply not do anything. I don't think they want to not do anything. The question is can they engage a Palestinian leadership that, first, takes the action to combat terrorism, which they have never done? Our commission called for a 100 percent effort, knowing that they couldn't get 100 percent success, but they had to make the effort. They haven't done that. They've got to do that now.

But they must be assured that if they do that, there will be faithful implementation of the road map, which calls for the ultimate creation of a Palestinian state. So it's kind of a dual effort that's needed. Both sides have to act.

HEMMER: There's an editorial today in the "L.A. Times" suggesting your very point there, that now the Palestinians have a second chance for their own state. We'll all sit back now and watch what progresses from here.

George Mitchell, thank you for your time and your thoughts, as always.

Much appreciate it.

MITCHELL: Thanks for having me, Bill.

HEMMER: All right -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: It's time to take a look at the weather this morning.

Chad Myers is at the CNN Center with the latest forecast for us.

Hey, Chad -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Arab leaders will attend the funeral of Yasser Arafat in Cairo tomorrow, but they are not likely to be at his burial in Ramallah.

HEMMER: Also in a moment here, not many people associate terrorism with the Netherlands. But a series of attacks there, including a high profile assassination, may put that country at the center of international terrorism. We'll explain that in a moment.

O'BRIEN: And American troops are fighting a bloody battle on this Veteran's Day. We're going to ask the secretary of Veterans Affairs about what the agency is doing for vets who need help at home. Those stories are all ahead as we continue here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: On this Veteran's Day, Americans remember and honor those who fought so bravely for our country. And for the families left behind, one of the hardest things to deal with is when a soldier's fate is unknown. A special display at the Pentagon remembers a young soldier missing in Iraq along with all of those who've served in the conflict.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has our report this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been seven months since Specialist Keith Matthew Maupin's convoy came under attack outside Baghdad. Seven months since the world last heard from the 21-year-old Army Reservist.

KEITH MATTHEW MAUPIN: My name is Keith Matthew Maupin.

STARR: The young soldier clearly fearful, unsure what will happen next. Matt Maupin's parents came to the Pentagon just before Veteran's Day for the emotional opening of a display including their son, and the enduring message for all veterans that no one is left behind on the battlefield ever.

GENERAL PETER SCHOOMAKER, ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF: I'd like to especially recognize today the Maupin family.

STARR: Sergeant Major of the Army, Kenneth Preston, has a poster of Maupin just outside his office.

SGT. MAJ. KENNETH PRESTON, U.S. ARMY: You talk to those veterans who have been in captivity before, in the past, the one thing that they always fell back on while they were in captivity is that they knew someone was out there looking for them, that somebody was going to come for them.

STARR: In Maupin's case, the uncertainty now agonizing for his family.

KEITH MAUPIN, FATHER OF CAPTURED SOLDIER: It's tough. I don't know what else to say. You know, you do one day at a time. Just try to get by.

QUESTION: How long are you prepared to wait?

CAROLYN MAUPIN, CAPTURED SOLDIER'S MOTHER: I think myself, right at this moment, for as long as it's going to take, because I'm not going to give up.

STARR: In June, a murky picture appeared to show a man being killed. No one can confirm it is Maupin. Now, DNA tests are done on all human remains when they are found in Iraq. So far, no word on his fate.

(on camera): As thousands of troops continue to serve in Iraq, a reminder here in a Pentagon hallway that one young soldier, Specialist Keith Matthew Maupin, remains listed as captured and his family is still waiting for him to come home.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: That's such a heartbreaking story.

Visitors to the Pentagon are invited to take a look at the display, which opened earlier this week.

HEMMER: Seventeen minutes past the hour.

A break here.

In a moment, live to Israel. Reaction on the death of Yasser Arafat in a moment.

Also, the man nominated to be the next attorney general may face tough questioning about a memo he wrote two years ago. We'll talk about that as we continue, right after this, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: On this Veteran's Day, we honor the selfless sacrifice of American veterans. President Bush will mark the occasion with a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery later this morning.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi is at the White House to talk about this special day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: There has been a study done by Harvard University that found that something like 1.7 million veterans of all wars lack health insurance. And that number is up decent amounts, 13 percent since the year 2000.

What's being done to remedy that situation for these men and women who really have served and laid their lives down on the line so generously?

ANTHONY PRINCIPI, VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY: You're absolutely right, and what we need to do is get those veterans to come to the V.A. to get their healthcare. They may not have health insurance in the private sector, but the vast majority of them are eligible for enrollment in the V.A. healthcare system. And what we need to do is to outreach to them, get them enrolled, get them into the V.A. hospitals and clinics to get the care that they need.

O'BRIEN: Isn't that contradictory, though, to the cuts done in January of 2003, where something like 500,000 veterans were cut from the rolls of the V.A. medical program, specifically I think if they made over $26,000 or if they didn't have service related injuries? How can you compromise those two things?

PRINCIPI: Well, that's not accurate. Since 2001, we've treated one million more veterans than we did before the president came into office. Our budget has gone up from $48 billion to $65 billion. So we're treating a record number of veterans today. Almost five million have been enrolled and are using the V.A. healthcare system.

We did suspend enrollment for the higher income, and that's geographically means tested. The Congress created that eighth category and required the secretary to make an annual enrollment decision and we focused on the disabled, the men and women who are disabled by virtue of their military service and the poor, those who have few, if any, other options for healthcare.

But the actual number has grown from 3.8 million to almost five million users of our healthcare system today, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: What's being done to help the men and women who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, certainly, or other disorders like that that aren't quite so easy to see, like a physical missing an arm, a leg, a battle injury?

PRINCIPI: You know, combat, whether it be in Vietnam or Korea or today, insurgency warfare, there's a certain level of stress. And when young men and women come home, that stress could turn into Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder and could lead to other mental problems and substance abuse. And what we're trying to do is to reach out to them through our 856 outpatient clinics and vet centers, to get them to come in so that we can see if they're at risk, to identify those signals and treat them and provide them with counseling and guidance so that they do not become homeless or they do not resort to drugs to, you know, to alleviate that stress.

O'BRIEN: We heard some big news from John Ashcroft and Don Evans this week.

Will you and I be chatting this time again next year? Or do you have something you want to share with us this morning?

PRINCIPI: Well, no. I certainly do not plan to leave now. I want to talk to the president and, you know, he appointed me and I serve at his pleasure and I enjoy my service and certainly the mission of my department. So it's very possible you will be talking to me on Veteran's Day next year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: The secretary of Veterans Affairs.

In observance of Veteran's Day, banks and post offices will be closed today. But the financial markets are open.

HEMMER: And we take a moment to honor all of them, too. Jack is back here and the Question of the Day.

You got them fired up today?

CAFFERTY: Well, it's just, you know, it's worth contemplating, I think, this Yasser Arafat deal. The current plans call for him to be buried in his compound at Ramallah, which will eventually be turned into some kind of a shrine. Maybe they should put a sign out front for the Palestinian people that reads "Here lies the body of the thief who robbed you blind," because he did.

While the Palestinian people are among the poorest in the world, authorities are busy trying to figure out what Arafat did with billions of dollars that were donated to the Palestinian cause and are now unaccounted for.

The question is how will Yasser Arafat's death affect the Middle East?

Jeff writes: "I'm not sure what the death of a terrorist means to the Palestinians, but to me it's good news. They should strap him into a wheelchair and bury him at sea rather than enshrine him."

Nicole in Woodbridge, Virginia: "Followers of a zealot seem to always allow his many sins. Arafat can rob his people blind, Saddam can torture and kill, live a lavish life on the money of his people. Ayatollah Khomeini, Idi Amin, Adolph Hitler, Genghis Kahn -- what does it matter? They turn our heads with words and promises and we give them everything we have to give and more for an idea, a dream that they plant in our hearts."

John in New Jersey writes: "Arafat's death is a bigger loss for Israel than the Palestinian people. With his passing, Israel lost their Chucky doll, an evil brand marketed and sold to the world for almost four decades."

And Walt writes from Las Vegas, Nevada: "Yasser Arafat was a terrorist dating back to 1957. In 30 years, will the news media hail Osama bin Laden as that great Arabic leader? Good riddance."

HEMMER: Ooh.

CAFFERTY: Am@cnn.com.

HEMMER: A rather pointed question today.

How are they coming down? Do they support your...

CAFFERTY: Well, I mean the suggestion that this guy stole the money that he stole from the Palestinian people suggests to me, anyway, that there was a multi-billion dollar rationale for not making deals and setting up the kind of permanent Palestinian homeland that maybe he had the opportunity to do at some point, because then the gravy train comes to an end. Then you have to really be a responsible leader and start working on building the society. The way this was for all these years, he could just steal the money and put it in his hidden bank accounts around the world and continue to incite violence and tell the Palestinian people, by god, I'm working for you out here. That's my take on Yasser Arafat. But I think it was all about Yasser Arafat and very little about the people who suffered under his leadership.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.

Still to come this morning, two jurors dismissed this week in the Peterson trial. We're going to ask a jury consultant just how much trouble this trial might be in.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: 8:30 in New York.

Good morning, everybody.

Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.

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Aired November 11, 2004 - 08:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: After weeks of poor health, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has died. What's the next step now for Middle East peace?
Also, U.S. troops make significant progress in Falluja, but find a gruesome discovery inside the city.

And another day, another big shakeup in the Scott Peterson case. Why is the jury starting over for a second time, on this AMERICAN MORNING?

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

HEMMER: Good morning, everyone.

Just a tick past 8:00 in the morning here in New York City.

The big story, of course, today, is the death, the passing of Yasser Arafat. Many wondering already today whether this has opened up a new opportunity to find peace in the Middle East. We'll talk to one of the many people who have tried to broker a deal over the decades, former Senator George Mitchell is our guest here in a few moments.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, President Bush's pick to replace outgoing Attorney General John Ashcroft. Mr. Bush yesterday nominating White House legal counsel Alberto Gonzales. Is it possible that he might be too liberal for some Republicans and too conservative for some Democrats? We're going to talk with some political strategists this morning.

HEMMER: All right -- Jack Cafferty, good morning to you, as well.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," Bill, in less than an hour, we have a judge in Romania, a judge caught on tape with her pants down. I love stories like that. Mobisodes are coming soon to your cell phone. We'll tell you what Mobisodes are.

And some gutless TV stations cowering in fear of the FCC.

HEMMER: Ooh, that's a good story, too.

Later tonight. Thank you, Jack.

Heidi Collins back with us again today to the news and the headlines this morning -- Heidi, good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.

And good morning, everybody.

Now in the news, a deadly attack in Baghdad apparently targeting Americans. Iraqi police say a suicide bomb went off, killing at least 19 people. More than a dozen others are wounded. The blast went off more than four hours ago, just missing a U.S. convoy, which had passed by moments earlier.

And U.S. troops chasing down insurgents in Falluja say they have found what they call a hostage slaughterhouse. They've also freed a man held captive by insurgents for some 10 days.

The courts-martial of three American soldiers accused of abusing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib Prison will be moved from Iraq to Texas. The change affects Sergeant Javal Davis and Specialist Charles Graner and Sabrina Harmon. Lawyers asked for the venue change due to safety concerns for possible witnesses that would need to travel to Iraq. Graner's case, the first to be heard, is set for January.

And there's word this morning that Elizabeth Edwards started her treatment to fight breast cancer. Edwards will reportedly undergo 16 weeks of chemotherapy and then have the cancerous lump surgically removed. A family spokesman said yesterday doctors had found no signs the cancer has spread.

And just in time for Veteran's Day, an exhibit called The Price of Freedom: Americans At War opening up in about two hours at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

And we thank all of our veterans for their service and their dedication today.

HEMMER: Yes, we do. It's 11-11.

Thanks, Heidi.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Heidi.

Well, Yasser Arafat's death was not unexpected. He had been in a deep coma for days. Right now, preparations are under way in Egypt and the West Bank for funeral services and interment.

Fionnuala Sweeney is live for us at Percy Military Hospital in Paris, which is where Arafat's body is now being prepared for its flight to Cairo.

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sorry there, Soledad. I didn't realize you had come to me. Forgive us for a second there. Within the last few minutes, there's been a lot of activity at the hospital behind me. A French military helicopter landing within the last 10 minutes. Now, what we think is going to happen in the next couple of hours is that Yasser Arafat's remains will be placed on board that military helicopter and he will be flown to a military base. And at that base there will be a ceremony, not quite a state ceremony, but at least the French government will be represented there, a very senior level delegation led by the French prime minister.

Now, also arriving in Paris as we speak is Nabil Shaath, who's the Palestinian foreign minister. He has come from Ramallah in order to accompany Suha Arafat, that is Yasser's widow, back to Cairo with the body and, indeed, with other Palestinian officials and members of Yasser Arafat's immediate family.

So we expect here in about maybe less than, say, four hours from now that Yasser Arafat's remains will be en route to Cairo for the first of those burial services.

I should just add that French President Jacques Chirac has also been at the hospital this morning. He expressed his support and solidarity with the Palestinian people and said they have lost a man of courage and conviction, saying that he expected that the fight for a Palestinian state would continue after his death -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Fionnuala Sweeney for us in Paris this morning.

Fionnuala, thank you -- Bill.

HEMMER: With Arafat's death now, Soledad, the world wonders what is next for the Middle East peace process.

One man who knows this issue as well as anyone, former U.S. senator George Mitchell, a great deal of experience in the area.

He's my guest now in D.C.

Senator, good morning and welcome back here to AMERICAN MORNING.

I wanted to read to our viewers here the statement that President Clinton put out. You worked so closely with him in the year 2000, working on the Middle East peace process, working on the summit.

President Clinton says: "However others viewed him, the Palestinians saw him as the father of their nation. I regret that in 2000 he missed the opportunity to bring that nation into being and pray for the day when the dreams of the Palestinian people for a state and a better life will be realized in a just and lasting peace."

Did you see him as an obstacle in that process, Senator?

GEORGE MITCHELL, FORMER SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Well, certainly in the last couple of years, when both Israel and the United States refused to deal with him, there could be no progress in the peace process. There was an effort to circumvent him with the appointment of a prime minister, first Mahmoud Abbas, and then Ahmed Qorei. But that really hasn't worked out.

I think now there is a real opportunity. The coincidence of Arafat's death and the completion of the American presidential election gives the president the opportunity for a reinvigoration of the process and I hope that Palestinians, Israelis and the United States government will take advantage of that opportunity.

HEMMER: Let me try and take this a bit deeper with this real opportunity that you are now describing.

With the current Palestinian leadership, Mahmoud Abbas and Ahmed Qorei, how do you see these men fitting into the leadership role now for the Palestinian people?

MITCHELL: Well, that will be up to the Palestinians, of course. They have a legal process which calls for an election within 60 days. There were several positions involved that Arafat held and I think they will be distributed among more than one person. It's going to be very difficult for them. The Palestinians have never known a leader other than Arafat. For 40 years he personally embodied and represented their national aspirations. And he made every effort not to permit an alternative to develop. And so they're going to face a tough task.

But at the same time, they have an opportunity, clearly, to get this process back on track to achieve the state that they so badly want.

HEMMER: There is a state funeral tomorrow in Cairo, Egypt. I'm looking at the list of those who will attend and represent various nations across the world. I see foreign ministers and foreign secretaries and presidents. Under the U.S. category, I see an assistant secretary of state, William Burns.

What does that signal to the Palestinian people?

MITCHELL: Well, it obviously will be disappointing to them. They would have hoped, I think, for a higher level delegation. But I don't think it's going to have any lasting impact. The reality is what will we do now to move this process forward, to try to get the commitment to the road map, which, incidentally, both the Israelis and the Palestinians said they support, although they both had a list of reservations about it.

It's the president's plan and so he should be pursuing it now with a great deal of vigor. And I think that's what they want, a Palestinian state. And the only way they're going to get it is pursuing negotiation and a plan of this type.

HEMMER: I want to get your thoughts on the relationship that Yasser Arafat had with Ariel Sharon. Many people saw these two men competing side-by-side for so many decades in the Middle East.

Does Ariel Sharon now take a different approach now that he is firmly dealing with someone other than Yasser Arafat? MITCHELL: Well, different in some respects, but remember, he has said that his unwillingness to talk is based upon the fact that he didn't feel he had a good partner on the other side. The clear implication of that is if there were a good partner, he would deal with him. That will be the test that he now faces and that the United States will face in trying to get the process moving again.

I don't think the Israelis are going to be able to simply not do anything. I don't think they want to not do anything. The question is can they engage a Palestinian leadership that, first, takes the action to combat terrorism, which they have never done? Our commission called for a 100 percent effort, knowing that they couldn't get 100 percent success, but they had to make the effort. They haven't done that. They've got to do that now.

But they must be assured that if they do that, there will be faithful implementation of the road map, which calls for the ultimate creation of a Palestinian state. So it's kind of a dual effort that's needed. Both sides have to act.

HEMMER: There's an editorial today in the "L.A. Times" suggesting your very point there, that now the Palestinians have a second chance for their own state. We'll all sit back now and watch what progresses from here.

George Mitchell, thank you for your time and your thoughts, as always.

Much appreciate it.

MITCHELL: Thanks for having me, Bill.

HEMMER: All right -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: It's time to take a look at the weather this morning.

Chad Myers is at the CNN Center with the latest forecast for us.

Hey, Chad -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Arab leaders will attend the funeral of Yasser Arafat in Cairo tomorrow, but they are not likely to be at his burial in Ramallah.

HEMMER: Also in a moment here, not many people associate terrorism with the Netherlands. But a series of attacks there, including a high profile assassination, may put that country at the center of international terrorism. We'll explain that in a moment.

O'BRIEN: And American troops are fighting a bloody battle on this Veteran's Day. We're going to ask the secretary of Veterans Affairs about what the agency is doing for vets who need help at home. Those stories are all ahead as we continue here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: On this Veteran's Day, Americans remember and honor those who fought so bravely for our country. And for the families left behind, one of the hardest things to deal with is when a soldier's fate is unknown. A special display at the Pentagon remembers a young soldier missing in Iraq along with all of those who've served in the conflict.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has our report this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been seven months since Specialist Keith Matthew Maupin's convoy came under attack outside Baghdad. Seven months since the world last heard from the 21-year-old Army Reservist.

KEITH MATTHEW MAUPIN: My name is Keith Matthew Maupin.

STARR: The young soldier clearly fearful, unsure what will happen next. Matt Maupin's parents came to the Pentagon just before Veteran's Day for the emotional opening of a display including their son, and the enduring message for all veterans that no one is left behind on the battlefield ever.

GENERAL PETER SCHOOMAKER, ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF: I'd like to especially recognize today the Maupin family.

STARR: Sergeant Major of the Army, Kenneth Preston, has a poster of Maupin just outside his office.

SGT. MAJ. KENNETH PRESTON, U.S. ARMY: You talk to those veterans who have been in captivity before, in the past, the one thing that they always fell back on while they were in captivity is that they knew someone was out there looking for them, that somebody was going to come for them.

STARR: In Maupin's case, the uncertainty now agonizing for his family.

KEITH MAUPIN, FATHER OF CAPTURED SOLDIER: It's tough. I don't know what else to say. You know, you do one day at a time. Just try to get by.

QUESTION: How long are you prepared to wait?

CAROLYN MAUPIN, CAPTURED SOLDIER'S MOTHER: I think myself, right at this moment, for as long as it's going to take, because I'm not going to give up.

STARR: In June, a murky picture appeared to show a man being killed. No one can confirm it is Maupin. Now, DNA tests are done on all human remains when they are found in Iraq. So far, no word on his fate.

(on camera): As thousands of troops continue to serve in Iraq, a reminder here in a Pentagon hallway that one young soldier, Specialist Keith Matthew Maupin, remains listed as captured and his family is still waiting for him to come home.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: That's such a heartbreaking story.

Visitors to the Pentagon are invited to take a look at the display, which opened earlier this week.

HEMMER: Seventeen minutes past the hour.

A break here.

In a moment, live to Israel. Reaction on the death of Yasser Arafat in a moment.

Also, the man nominated to be the next attorney general may face tough questioning about a memo he wrote two years ago. We'll talk about that as we continue, right after this, on AMERICAN MORNING.

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O'BRIEN: On this Veteran's Day, we honor the selfless sacrifice of American veterans. President Bush will mark the occasion with a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery later this morning.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi is at the White House to talk about this special day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: There has been a study done by Harvard University that found that something like 1.7 million veterans of all wars lack health insurance. And that number is up decent amounts, 13 percent since the year 2000.

What's being done to remedy that situation for these men and women who really have served and laid their lives down on the line so generously?

ANTHONY PRINCIPI, VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY: You're absolutely right, and what we need to do is get those veterans to come to the V.A. to get their healthcare. They may not have health insurance in the private sector, but the vast majority of them are eligible for enrollment in the V.A. healthcare system. And what we need to do is to outreach to them, get them enrolled, get them into the V.A. hospitals and clinics to get the care that they need.

O'BRIEN: Isn't that contradictory, though, to the cuts done in January of 2003, where something like 500,000 veterans were cut from the rolls of the V.A. medical program, specifically I think if they made over $26,000 or if they didn't have service related injuries? How can you compromise those two things?

PRINCIPI: Well, that's not accurate. Since 2001, we've treated one million more veterans than we did before the president came into office. Our budget has gone up from $48 billion to $65 billion. So we're treating a record number of veterans today. Almost five million have been enrolled and are using the V.A. healthcare system.

We did suspend enrollment for the higher income, and that's geographically means tested. The Congress created that eighth category and required the secretary to make an annual enrollment decision and we focused on the disabled, the men and women who are disabled by virtue of their military service and the poor, those who have few, if any, other options for healthcare.

But the actual number has grown from 3.8 million to almost five million users of our healthcare system today, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: What's being done to help the men and women who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, certainly, or other disorders like that that aren't quite so easy to see, like a physical missing an arm, a leg, a battle injury?

PRINCIPI: You know, combat, whether it be in Vietnam or Korea or today, insurgency warfare, there's a certain level of stress. And when young men and women come home, that stress could turn into Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder and could lead to other mental problems and substance abuse. And what we're trying to do is to reach out to them through our 856 outpatient clinics and vet centers, to get them to come in so that we can see if they're at risk, to identify those signals and treat them and provide them with counseling and guidance so that they do not become homeless or they do not resort to drugs to, you know, to alleviate that stress.

O'BRIEN: We heard some big news from John Ashcroft and Don Evans this week.

Will you and I be chatting this time again next year? Or do you have something you want to share with us this morning?

PRINCIPI: Well, no. I certainly do not plan to leave now. I want to talk to the president and, you know, he appointed me and I serve at his pleasure and I enjoy my service and certainly the mission of my department. So it's very possible you will be talking to me on Veteran's Day next year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: The secretary of Veterans Affairs.

In observance of Veteran's Day, banks and post offices will be closed today. But the financial markets are open.

HEMMER: And we take a moment to honor all of them, too. Jack is back here and the Question of the Day.

You got them fired up today?

CAFFERTY: Well, it's just, you know, it's worth contemplating, I think, this Yasser Arafat deal. The current plans call for him to be buried in his compound at Ramallah, which will eventually be turned into some kind of a shrine. Maybe they should put a sign out front for the Palestinian people that reads "Here lies the body of the thief who robbed you blind," because he did.

While the Palestinian people are among the poorest in the world, authorities are busy trying to figure out what Arafat did with billions of dollars that were donated to the Palestinian cause and are now unaccounted for.

The question is how will Yasser Arafat's death affect the Middle East?

Jeff writes: "I'm not sure what the death of a terrorist means to the Palestinians, but to me it's good news. They should strap him into a wheelchair and bury him at sea rather than enshrine him."

Nicole in Woodbridge, Virginia: "Followers of a zealot seem to always allow his many sins. Arafat can rob his people blind, Saddam can torture and kill, live a lavish life on the money of his people. Ayatollah Khomeini, Idi Amin, Adolph Hitler, Genghis Kahn -- what does it matter? They turn our heads with words and promises and we give them everything we have to give and more for an idea, a dream that they plant in our hearts."

John in New Jersey writes: "Arafat's death is a bigger loss for Israel than the Palestinian people. With his passing, Israel lost their Chucky doll, an evil brand marketed and sold to the world for almost four decades."

And Walt writes from Las Vegas, Nevada: "Yasser Arafat was a terrorist dating back to 1957. In 30 years, will the news media hail Osama bin Laden as that great Arabic leader? Good riddance."

HEMMER: Ooh.

CAFFERTY: Am@cnn.com.

HEMMER: A rather pointed question today.

How are they coming down? Do they support your...

CAFFERTY: Well, I mean the suggestion that this guy stole the money that he stole from the Palestinian people suggests to me, anyway, that there was a multi-billion dollar rationale for not making deals and setting up the kind of permanent Palestinian homeland that maybe he had the opportunity to do at some point, because then the gravy train comes to an end. Then you have to really be a responsible leader and start working on building the society. The way this was for all these years, he could just steal the money and put it in his hidden bank accounts around the world and continue to incite violence and tell the Palestinian people, by god, I'm working for you out here. That's my take on Yasser Arafat. But I think it was all about Yasser Arafat and very little about the people who suffered under his leadership.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.

Still to come this morning, two jurors dismissed this week in the Peterson trial. We're going to ask a jury consultant just how much trouble this trial might be in.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: 8:30 in New York.

Good morning, everybody.

Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.

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