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American Morning

Pentagon Now Taking Troop Strength to an All-Time High; Scott Peterson Portrayed in Court as Kind and Caring

Aired December 02, 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.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of U.S. troops scheduled to leave Iraq, but not going home as planned. The Pentagon now taking troop strength to an all time high.
Scott Peterson portrayed in court as kind and caring, even an animal lover. But is the jury buying it?

And a blockbuster report that could shake baseball. Did Jason Giambi admit to using steroids?

And other big stars seeing their names, as well, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

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

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning.

Welcome, everybody.

Bill is off today.

Miles is in instead -- good morning.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to be here.

Good morning to you.

We're going to look at the change of orders in Iraq and also we'll go on terror's trail to Pakistan today. Has the country taken a step back in hunting down al Qaeda? We'll talk to the last journalist to interview Osama bin Laden about that.

S. O'BRIEN: Also, did President Bush get what he was looking for in Canada? Trying to patch up relations this week. We'll take a look at how he did when we do our "Political Jab" a little bit later with Joe Watkins and Karen Finney.

Hello -- Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello.

Coming up in the "Cafferty File," she's being called the bravest actress in New York. She headlines in a play here every night called "Fat Pig" and she's a little on the chubby side. And on a parallel note, we've got a story about a cookbook that may help you actually lose weight. Some of the authors appear in the cookbook naked. And they're not young chicks, either.

And we're all...

S. O'BRIEN: Or men.

CAFFERTY: And the third one we're going to do, and it's because of the -- what?

S. O'BRIEN: Well, they're not young men.

CAFFERTY: Well, there are not -- there are no men in the cookbook.

S. O'BRIEN: Right. But...

CAFFERTY: This is all old naked women.

S. O'BRIEN: ... I noticed a naked -- the women are, you know, whatever.

M. O'BRIEN: It's not your book.

S. O'BRIEN: No, it's not. I hear you.

CAFFERTY: And I've got one more here and then I'll get the hell out of your way.

S. O'BRIEN: Please. Sorry. My fault.

CAFFERTY: We'll show you the difference, this being the Christmas shopping season, between what happens when you send a man to the mall with the instructions, "Go to the Gap and buy a pair of pants" and you send a woman to the mall with the instructions, "Go to the Gap and buy a pair of pants." It's kind of cute. You'll enjoy it.

S. O'BRIEN: You get cheap, ugly pants when you send the man.

CAFFERTY: That's...

S. O'BRIEN: That's my guess.

CAFFERTY: Well...

S. O'BRIEN: And you get something cute when you send the woman.

CAFFERTY: That, too. Yes.

The other thing is you'll see the man in less than seven hours and you may lose the woman forever, never to be seen again.

S. O'BRIEN: And what's wrong with that?

CAFFERTY: Well.

S. O'BRIEN: We'll look at that.

All right, Jack, thanks.

M. O'BRIEN: Oooh.

S. O'BRIEN: Hey, hey, hey.

CAFFERTY: Are you listening, Mr. O'Brien? You're getting slapped around here a little bit.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's Miss. -- headlines now with Heidi Collins -- good morning, Heidi.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

S. O'BRIEN: We're done.

COLLINS: Once again, nice distance. Like it.

CAFFERTY: I want to come sit over there with you.

COLLINS: Come on over, Cafferty.

All right, we do want to get to some of the headlines now in the news this morning.

After publicly denying he used performance enhancing drugs, Yankees slugger Jason Giambi is apparently telling a grand jury a different story now. According to the "San Francisco Chronicle," Giambi admitted to steroid use during testimony in the Balco investigation. The newspaper says Giambi testified he had used steroids in 2003. That's when he hit 41 home runs for the Yankees. Giambi apparently said he had gotten the steroids from Barry Bonds' personal trainer.

A series of mortar attacks in Iraq. Police say at least five rounds struck central Baghdad about four hours ago. At least one person was killed. A dozen others are wounded, including students at one of Baghdad's universities.

Senator Jon Corzine expected to make a big announcement later this afternoon. Democratic Party officials say he will officially announce his intentions to run for governor of New Jersey. A news conference is set to take place at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. A source close to Corzine says he intends to remain in the Senate during his run for governor.

And there's a martini with a new kind of twist. One of New York's historic hotels is offering the martini on the rock. The vodka, vermouth and olives much the same. The twist, though, is in the ice because it's a real diamond. But this drink definitely not on the house. It's $10,000 for any takers. And we hear so far there have been none.

So, this kind of goes in the same category as the world's most expensive omelet that we had on, what was it, a couple of weeks ago?

S. O'BRIEN: What kind of diamond is it?

COLLINS: I don't know.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. I mean like how big is it?

COLLINS: Cut, color and clarity, that's all I remember.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you know what? At the end of the day, that's what it's all about, though.

COLLINS: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: I mean, is it...

M. O'BRIEN: I may know what to do with Sandy in New York now that she's here.

COLLINS: There you go. You can have a drink.

M. O'BRIEN: That should make her happy.

S. O'BRIEN: And now you told her.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Well, jeez.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Heidi, thanks.

COLLINS: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: In an effort to quell the persistent insurgency, the Pentagon has put a plan to bring the highest number -- to bring the troops in Iraq to the highest number to date.

And as senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre tells us, thousands of them now are also being kept longer than planned.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With Iraq's fledgling security forces still a question mark and thousands of U.S. forces still tied down in Falluja, the Pentagon is moving to boost overall American troop levels in Iraq by roughly 12,000, to beef up security for Iraqi elections now set for January 30. Fifteen hundred fresh soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne, known as the 911 Division, have gotten the word they'll be in Iraq by mid-month.

MAJ. JOHN MORGAN, U.S. Army, 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION: Our paratroopers are prepared to assist the people of Iraq who have been fighting terror and intimidation as they prepare for the upcoming elections.

MCINTYRE: And, in addition to the new soldiers, more than 10,000 other troops already in Iraq have been informed they'll be going home in March of next year instead of January.

Among the troops extended for two more months on the ground, 4,400 soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division, 3,500 from the 1st Cavalry Division, 2,300 Marines from the 31st MEU and 160 soldiers from the 116th Transportation Company.

Currently, there are 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. With the extensions and new deployments, that number will swell to 150,000 by mid-January, an all time high, eclipsing the peak of 148,000 American troops in Iraq in May of last year right after the invasion.

For some soldiers, this is the second extension of their tours, first from 10 months to 12, then from 12 to 14. The Pentagon insists they won't be extended again and that they'll be given two extra months at home to make up for it.

(on camera): Despite the obvious strain the Iraq operation is putting on the U.S. military, the Pentagon continues to argue the military is not too small nor suffering a shortage of new recruits.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Joining us this morning from Oakbrook, Illinois is retired brigadier general and CNN military analyst David Grange -- nice to see you.

Thanks for being with us.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Good morning.

S. O'BRIEN: Fifteen hundred additional troops being sent.

What do you think is the significance of this move?

GRANGE: Well, it's a critical time. Everybody's racing for the elections. The insurgents are racing to be in a position of advantage and so are the -- so is the coalition. And so this is the time to weigh this effort with additional troops if you need more security because the numbers of Iraqis are not available. It's a critical time. It must be done.

S. O'BRIEN: What about the numbers of troops to send in not being available? If they're going to extend the stays of 10,000 others, is that a message that there are not more here in the U.S. that could be deployed?

GRANGE: Well, not necessarily. There's more that can be deployed, though they may be turning around quite rapidly. The reason is they're trained, they know the ground, they know the culture, they've been wedded in combat, so they're ready to go. And it's the life of a soldier to be extended.

Truth changes. A date on a wall is just a planning date. It's not locked in concrete, obviously, from this extended tours. S. O'BRIEN: When you look at what the military has said, it seems like they're trying to take advantage of what they're calling a window of opportunity, sort of leverage the gaining of momentum that they've seen. That, I think, is a positive reading of the situation.

Do you agree with it?

GRANGE: I do agree with it. After the Falluja take down -- and, again, there's a lot of unfinished business in Falluja -- as the enemy are pushing out to regain their positional advantage, both physically, in locations, but also morally in the perception of the people that they still have power, so is the coalition. And so it's critical from the successes in Falluja that the coalition takes advantage of that momentum and continues to pressure insurgents throughout Iraq up through the elections.

S. O'BRIEN: Is it fair to say that the incidents are escalating or is it more appropriate to say that the strategy is changing and that's why these 1,500 additional troops are needed?

GRANGE: Well, there's not an increase in the insurgency. There's an increase in the insurgents trying to get a foothold. In other words, in fact, if you look at the targeting, it's more Iraqis than there are coalition forces, because they're easier to get to. And they have to make a presence.

The strategy of the coalition is to establish security so elections can be held. And if that requires more troops to provide that security, it must be done, or extend more troops. It must be done.

S. O'BRIEN: A hundred and thirty-five troops were killed in November, making it one of the most deadly months in all of this combat.

Do you expect that come January, the 30 days leading up to the election, it's going to be significantly worse than that?

GRANGE: I don't know if it will be significantly worse. I think they'll be a good number of casualties just because of the combat going on throughout the country. But Falluja was an urban battle and that is tough on troops. A lot of casualties usually result from an urban fight and that's why those numbers are so high.

S. O'BRIEN: Brigadier General David Grange joining us this morning.

Nice to see you, as always, sir.

Thanks.

GRANGE: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's check the weather. Rob Marciano at the CNN Center with the forecast for us -- good morning, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams taking their ever so famous sibling rivalry to a new level. The grand slam sisters now holding court on a three city tour to benefit a charity they love, if you will, Ronald McDonald Houses. Atlanta is their final stop.

Venus and Serena joining us from the CNN Center before they do battle today.

You're in the place where I stand a lot of days.

How are you guys doing?

VENUS WILLIAMS, PRO TENNIS PLAYER: Good. How are you?

SERENA WILLIAMS, PRO TENNIS PLAYER: We're doing great.

M. O'BRIEN: Good.

Now, I don't know who to go with first, except that, Serena, you're number seven, right?

S. WILLIAMS: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: So I guess, you know, ranking has its privileges. So tell us about how your relationship evolved with Ronald McDonald House, how you got involved and why you're doing all this.

S. WILLIAMS: Well, we've had a strong relationship with them for approximately three years. And so we've been doing a three city tour. We did Chicago and Detroit. Now we're in Atlanta and we're really excited. And we just want to thank the millions who were able to help the Ronald McDonald House Foundation raise all the money that we wanted to do.

And what we're doing tonight is a portion of the money that we earn tonight is going to go toward the Ronald McDonald Houses in Atlanta, because there's two here. And so we're really excited that we're going to be able to help out this city, as well.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, we should tell folks who aren't too familiar with it, Ronald McDonald Houses allow families who have sick children to stay near hospitals when they're experiencing treatment.

S. WILLIAMS: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: Venus, I know you've had a chance to see these places, talk to the families and have a sense of the impact these houses have in their lives.

It really means a lot to people, doesn't it?

V. WILLIAMS: Absolutely. And it's been very motivating for Serena and I because we've had the opportunity to really be a part of something big. We have been able to play tennis to help so many people and this charity is so near and dear to us. Ronald McDonald Houses have made a huge difference. And we really, really feel special about being part of it.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's a good cause.

Serena, I've got to ask you this, though. When you're playing for charity like this, is it different? Are you still out to get your sister, no matter what?

S. WILLIAMS: Oh, absolutely. When we play each other, we really want to really just focus. And it's so fun because Venus won the first two and so I really am intense tonight and I really want to do well. And it's like she hits a winner, I mean I get really upset, if anything so.

M. O'BRIEN: Really? So it doesn't matter what it's -- whether it's charity or a show or practicing somewhere with your dad watching, you still want to beat her, right?

S. WILLIAMS: Definitely, because it's working it in. We have -- we've never played in Atlanta, and so I wanted to come to Atlanta and Chicago and Detroit and do these different cities. And no one here has ever been able to see us play. And so we are really excited and we want to play our best tennis, give the fans their best and go out here and just support it. And it's for a great cause, as well.

M. O'BRIEN: And, you know, I'm thinking what would be good, if you played in those outfits you've got right there. You look great, by the way.

V. WILLIAMS: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, give us a sense, what's the crowd reaction to all this? Have you had good crowd reaction?

V. WILLIAMS: It's been amazing. It's just, you know, when you go to tournaments, there's lots of players there. People come to see various players. But people have come out just to see us and the crowds have been amazing. It's been over 16,000 people so far for just the two cities. So it's been flattering for us, really. And really that people have cared so much to give back to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

M. O'BRIEN: Good tennis, a good cause and some fabulous looking sisters.

V. WILLIAMS: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: You guys look great. Keep it up. Keep up the good work. Keep up the good tennis, OK?

V. WILLIAMS: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you so much.

M. O'BRIEN: Thanks for dropping by.

V. WILLIAMS: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: I love those girls.

M. O'BRIEN: They're great, aren't they?

S. O'BRIEN: Aren't they?

M. O'BRIEN: They're great, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, they're terrific. And really nice role models, I think, for young women, too.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: So good for them.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, researchers thought they found a so-called Viagra for women, but do some serious risks outweigh the benefits? We're "Paging Dr. Gupta" just ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: Also, President Bush tries to patch up things with Canada. But did one big issue show there's still a divide? You bet you.

S. O'BRIEN: And the Pakistanis scaled back part of their search for Osama bin Laden. Where do they think he is hiding? We're going to ask the last reporter to interview bin Laden, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Pakistan insists it is not pulling its troops out of the region where Osama bin Laden may be hiding. We're going on terror's trail this morning to Pakistan, where there are new questions about that country's commitment to hunt down al Qaeda. After reports surfaced last week that Pakistan would scale back operations, a concession to local authorities in Waziristan, the army yesterday denied any change in its effort to fight the terrorists. A bit confusing, isn't it?

The last journalist to interview Osama bin Laden was Hamid Mir.

He is in our Washington bureau this morning.

Mr. Mir, good to have you with us.

HAMID MIR, PAKISTANI JOURNALIST: Yes, good morning.

M. O'BRIEN: What's the bottom line? Is Pakistan really searching for Osama bin Laden in that rugged mountainous area of Pakistan?

MIR: You see, I have visited that area, the South Waziristan and North Waziristan, at least three times in the last 10 months. And I can tell you that President Pervez Musharraf is very serious. He is hunting al Qaeda very seriously. He has deployed more than 70,000 Pakistani troops on Pak-Afghan border tribal area. And out of these 70,000 Pakistani troops, more than 30,000 troops are only searching and hunting al Qaeda in the southern part of Waziristan and northern part of Waziristan. And you can judge the sincerity of President Musharraf and Pakistan Army by going through some figures.

That the Pakistan Army conducted at least 41 major operations against al Qaeda in south Waziristan in the last 10 months and more than 200 soldiers and officers of Pakistan Army lost their lives. And on the other side, more than 250 al Qaeda fighters were killed.

The Pakistan Army...

M. O'BRIEN: Well, Mr. Mir,

MIR: ... has arrested...

M. O'BRIEN: Mr. Mir, let me just ask you this. Do you think it is likely that Osama bin Laden is in this region, when the big name al Qaeda arrests that have occurred heretofore have all been in larger cities of Pakistan?

MIR: Yes. You are right. Pakistan Army arrested more than 550 al Qaeda fighters only from this area. But there is also a reality that 450 hard core al Qaeda militants were arrested from different urban parts of Pakistan. And according to my information and analysis, Osama bin Laden was moving between the eastern part of Afghanistan and these tribal areas of Pakistan.

M. O'BRIEN: So, well, do you think he's in a city, then? Is that more likely?

MIR: No. I can't say with surety that he's in a city. But I am telling you that more than 450 al Qaeda fighters, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah were arrested from some cities.

But the security of Osama bin Laden is very big. So he cannot move in some big cities with a big number of security guards.

M. O'BRIEN: All right...

MIR: But...

M. O'BRIEN: Well...

MIR: ... I can tell you that the Pakistani security agencies have penetrated in al Qaeda and President Musharraf can give you a big surprise any time.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, let me -- let's talk about President Musharraf here, because the nagging issue at the core of all of this is that he has a very difficult domestic problem here in getting tough with the Taliban in particular, because there is a lot of support in Pakistan for that faction.

Are you convinced that President Musharraf is able to walk that tightrope successfully and still go after al Qaeda?

MIR: I think he is going after al Qaeda very successfully. He has full control in Pakistan over Pakistan Army and on the government. And he is not fighting that war just to please America. Actually, he is fighting that war for his own interests, for the interests of Pakistan. And there is no doubt about that, that at least two provinces, the NWFP and Blogistan, they are full with the Pashtun speaking people. And the Taliban are also Pashtun. So they have sympathies with the Taliban and al Qaeda.

But despite all these difficulties, President Musharraf is going after al Qaeda. He is very serious and I think that he is not going to pull out his troops from the tribal areas of Pakistan.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, let's hope he has some success.

Hamid Mir, who was the last journalist to interview Osama bin Laden back in October of 2001.

Thanks for your time.

MIR: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come, one of the biggest churches in America shares a message of tolerance. But some TV networks won't tolerate a commercial for it. We're going to tell you why, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Jack's looking at the Question of the Day.

CAFFERTY: Yes, it has to do with the United Church of Christ. They put together a television ad that highlights inclusion of gays into church life. And the three major networks -- ABC, NBC and CBS -- are refusing to run it.

Here's the ad.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST COMMERCIAL)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Step aside, please.

No way. Not you.

I don't think so.

No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAFFERTY: Well, they -- the three major networks have all these, this policy mishmash about it violates this policy and that policy. But the bottom line is should they run this ad or not? It's for the United Church of Christ. That's the question.

Here's some of the answers.

Nancy from Winchester, Virginia: "With the election over, I'm guessing the TV networks have forgotten all the ads of exclusion that were run. Heaven forbid they run an ad that promotes inclusion. So said, we're back to politics as usual."

Phyllis in Nipono, California: "No, the networks should not run the ads. It's about time someone uses some common sense and draws the line. The general public is sick and tired of having the homosexual lifestyle being shoved in our faces."

Paul in Milwaukee says: "Of course the networks should run this ad. The hey had no problem making millions on the ridiculous and often very controversial ads during the presidential campaign. Why should they suddenly have any qualms about any ad? They're just hiding behind supposed guidelines that they managed to ignore all year."

Paul in Hellertown says: "If I can get up every morning and see Jack's face on the TV while somehow managing to keep my breakfast down, I can certainly stomach a commercial promoting tolerance for the sexual orientation of others."

Paul, I hope you choke on your toast, OK? It's nothing personal but, hey, this -- I'm doing the best I can here. I'm an old man and...

S. O'BRIEN: But, you know...

CAFFERTY: ... time extracts a toll.

M. O'BRIEN: It's a living.

CAFFERTY: Hmm?

S. O'BRIEN: He was saying it with love, I think.

CAFFERTY: No, I don't think so.

S. O'BRIEN: He said I can rise and see Jack's mug.

CAFFERTY: Well...

S. O'BRIEN: He writes a lot, doesn't he? CAFFERTY: I hope you choke on your toast.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Nothing personal.

S. O'BRIEN: President Bush is back from Canada, where he met with leaders to try to build a better relationship with our neighbors to the north.

"The Late Show's" David Letterman had his take on what the president may have taken away from the visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, COURTESY CBS/WORLDWIDE PANTS)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: The last couple of days, President Bush was in Canada. And things are not good between the Canadians and the United States. So President Bush was up there to try and amend the situation between the United States and Canada. It didn't go very well. But on the bright side, he was able to refill all his prescriptions while he was there. That's a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's funny.

M. O'BRIEN: That's good.

All right, still to come on the program, thousands of U.S. troops will stay longer than expected in Iraq and hundreds more on the way. This is only the beginning, perhaps. "Political Jab" coming up.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired December 2, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of U.S. troops scheduled to leave Iraq, but not going home as planned. The Pentagon now taking troop strength to an all time high.
Scott Peterson portrayed in court as kind and caring, even an animal lover. But is the jury buying it?

And a blockbuster report that could shake baseball. Did Jason Giambi admit to using steroids?

And other big stars seeing their names, as well, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

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

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning.

Welcome, everybody.

Bill is off today.

Miles is in instead -- good morning.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to be here.

Good morning to you.

We're going to look at the change of orders in Iraq and also we'll go on terror's trail to Pakistan today. Has the country taken a step back in hunting down al Qaeda? We'll talk to the last journalist to interview Osama bin Laden about that.

S. O'BRIEN: Also, did President Bush get what he was looking for in Canada? Trying to patch up relations this week. We'll take a look at how he did when we do our "Political Jab" a little bit later with Joe Watkins and Karen Finney.

Hello -- Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello.

Coming up in the "Cafferty File," she's being called the bravest actress in New York. She headlines in a play here every night called "Fat Pig" and she's a little on the chubby side. And on a parallel note, we've got a story about a cookbook that may help you actually lose weight. Some of the authors appear in the cookbook naked. And they're not young chicks, either.

And we're all...

S. O'BRIEN: Or men.

CAFFERTY: And the third one we're going to do, and it's because of the -- what?

S. O'BRIEN: Well, they're not young men.

CAFFERTY: Well, there are not -- there are no men in the cookbook.

S. O'BRIEN: Right. But...

CAFFERTY: This is all old naked women.

S. O'BRIEN: ... I noticed a naked -- the women are, you know, whatever.

M. O'BRIEN: It's not your book.

S. O'BRIEN: No, it's not. I hear you.

CAFFERTY: And I've got one more here and then I'll get the hell out of your way.

S. O'BRIEN: Please. Sorry. My fault.

CAFFERTY: We'll show you the difference, this being the Christmas shopping season, between what happens when you send a man to the mall with the instructions, "Go to the Gap and buy a pair of pants" and you send a woman to the mall with the instructions, "Go to the Gap and buy a pair of pants." It's kind of cute. You'll enjoy it.

S. O'BRIEN: You get cheap, ugly pants when you send the man.

CAFFERTY: That's...

S. O'BRIEN: That's my guess.

CAFFERTY: Well...

S. O'BRIEN: And you get something cute when you send the woman.

CAFFERTY: That, too. Yes.

The other thing is you'll see the man in less than seven hours and you may lose the woman forever, never to be seen again.

S. O'BRIEN: And what's wrong with that?

CAFFERTY: Well.

S. O'BRIEN: We'll look at that.

All right, Jack, thanks.

M. O'BRIEN: Oooh.

S. O'BRIEN: Hey, hey, hey.

CAFFERTY: Are you listening, Mr. O'Brien? You're getting slapped around here a little bit.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's Miss. -- headlines now with Heidi Collins -- good morning, Heidi.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

S. O'BRIEN: We're done.

COLLINS: Once again, nice distance. Like it.

CAFFERTY: I want to come sit over there with you.

COLLINS: Come on over, Cafferty.

All right, we do want to get to some of the headlines now in the news this morning.

After publicly denying he used performance enhancing drugs, Yankees slugger Jason Giambi is apparently telling a grand jury a different story now. According to the "San Francisco Chronicle," Giambi admitted to steroid use during testimony in the Balco investigation. The newspaper says Giambi testified he had used steroids in 2003. That's when he hit 41 home runs for the Yankees. Giambi apparently said he had gotten the steroids from Barry Bonds' personal trainer.

A series of mortar attacks in Iraq. Police say at least five rounds struck central Baghdad about four hours ago. At least one person was killed. A dozen others are wounded, including students at one of Baghdad's universities.

Senator Jon Corzine expected to make a big announcement later this afternoon. Democratic Party officials say he will officially announce his intentions to run for governor of New Jersey. A news conference is set to take place at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. A source close to Corzine says he intends to remain in the Senate during his run for governor.

And there's a martini with a new kind of twist. One of New York's historic hotels is offering the martini on the rock. The vodka, vermouth and olives much the same. The twist, though, is in the ice because it's a real diamond. But this drink definitely not on the house. It's $10,000 for any takers. And we hear so far there have been none.

So, this kind of goes in the same category as the world's most expensive omelet that we had on, what was it, a couple of weeks ago?

S. O'BRIEN: What kind of diamond is it?

COLLINS: I don't know.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. I mean like how big is it?

COLLINS: Cut, color and clarity, that's all I remember.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you know what? At the end of the day, that's what it's all about, though.

COLLINS: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: I mean, is it...

M. O'BRIEN: I may know what to do with Sandy in New York now that she's here.

COLLINS: There you go. You can have a drink.

M. O'BRIEN: That should make her happy.

S. O'BRIEN: And now you told her.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Well, jeez.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Heidi, thanks.

COLLINS: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: In an effort to quell the persistent insurgency, the Pentagon has put a plan to bring the highest number -- to bring the troops in Iraq to the highest number to date.

And as senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre tells us, thousands of them now are also being kept longer than planned.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With Iraq's fledgling security forces still a question mark and thousands of U.S. forces still tied down in Falluja, the Pentagon is moving to boost overall American troop levels in Iraq by roughly 12,000, to beef up security for Iraqi elections now set for January 30. Fifteen hundred fresh soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne, known as the 911 Division, have gotten the word they'll be in Iraq by mid-month.

MAJ. JOHN MORGAN, U.S. Army, 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION: Our paratroopers are prepared to assist the people of Iraq who have been fighting terror and intimidation as they prepare for the upcoming elections.

MCINTYRE: And, in addition to the new soldiers, more than 10,000 other troops already in Iraq have been informed they'll be going home in March of next year instead of January.

Among the troops extended for two more months on the ground, 4,400 soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division, 3,500 from the 1st Cavalry Division, 2,300 Marines from the 31st MEU and 160 soldiers from the 116th Transportation Company.

Currently, there are 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. With the extensions and new deployments, that number will swell to 150,000 by mid-January, an all time high, eclipsing the peak of 148,000 American troops in Iraq in May of last year right after the invasion.

For some soldiers, this is the second extension of their tours, first from 10 months to 12, then from 12 to 14. The Pentagon insists they won't be extended again and that they'll be given two extra months at home to make up for it.

(on camera): Despite the obvious strain the Iraq operation is putting on the U.S. military, the Pentagon continues to argue the military is not too small nor suffering a shortage of new recruits.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Joining us this morning from Oakbrook, Illinois is retired brigadier general and CNN military analyst David Grange -- nice to see you.

Thanks for being with us.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Good morning.

S. O'BRIEN: Fifteen hundred additional troops being sent.

What do you think is the significance of this move?

GRANGE: Well, it's a critical time. Everybody's racing for the elections. The insurgents are racing to be in a position of advantage and so are the -- so is the coalition. And so this is the time to weigh this effort with additional troops if you need more security because the numbers of Iraqis are not available. It's a critical time. It must be done.

S. O'BRIEN: What about the numbers of troops to send in not being available? If they're going to extend the stays of 10,000 others, is that a message that there are not more here in the U.S. that could be deployed?

GRANGE: Well, not necessarily. There's more that can be deployed, though they may be turning around quite rapidly. The reason is they're trained, they know the ground, they know the culture, they've been wedded in combat, so they're ready to go. And it's the life of a soldier to be extended.

Truth changes. A date on a wall is just a planning date. It's not locked in concrete, obviously, from this extended tours. S. O'BRIEN: When you look at what the military has said, it seems like they're trying to take advantage of what they're calling a window of opportunity, sort of leverage the gaining of momentum that they've seen. That, I think, is a positive reading of the situation.

Do you agree with it?

GRANGE: I do agree with it. After the Falluja take down -- and, again, there's a lot of unfinished business in Falluja -- as the enemy are pushing out to regain their positional advantage, both physically, in locations, but also morally in the perception of the people that they still have power, so is the coalition. And so it's critical from the successes in Falluja that the coalition takes advantage of that momentum and continues to pressure insurgents throughout Iraq up through the elections.

S. O'BRIEN: Is it fair to say that the incidents are escalating or is it more appropriate to say that the strategy is changing and that's why these 1,500 additional troops are needed?

GRANGE: Well, there's not an increase in the insurgency. There's an increase in the insurgents trying to get a foothold. In other words, in fact, if you look at the targeting, it's more Iraqis than there are coalition forces, because they're easier to get to. And they have to make a presence.

The strategy of the coalition is to establish security so elections can be held. And if that requires more troops to provide that security, it must be done, or extend more troops. It must be done.

S. O'BRIEN: A hundred and thirty-five troops were killed in November, making it one of the most deadly months in all of this combat.

Do you expect that come January, the 30 days leading up to the election, it's going to be significantly worse than that?

GRANGE: I don't know if it will be significantly worse. I think they'll be a good number of casualties just because of the combat going on throughout the country. But Falluja was an urban battle and that is tough on troops. A lot of casualties usually result from an urban fight and that's why those numbers are so high.

S. O'BRIEN: Brigadier General David Grange joining us this morning.

Nice to see you, as always, sir.

Thanks.

GRANGE: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's check the weather. Rob Marciano at the CNN Center with the forecast for us -- good morning, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams taking their ever so famous sibling rivalry to a new level. The grand slam sisters now holding court on a three city tour to benefit a charity they love, if you will, Ronald McDonald Houses. Atlanta is their final stop.

Venus and Serena joining us from the CNN Center before they do battle today.

You're in the place where I stand a lot of days.

How are you guys doing?

VENUS WILLIAMS, PRO TENNIS PLAYER: Good. How are you?

SERENA WILLIAMS, PRO TENNIS PLAYER: We're doing great.

M. O'BRIEN: Good.

Now, I don't know who to go with first, except that, Serena, you're number seven, right?

S. WILLIAMS: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: So I guess, you know, ranking has its privileges. So tell us about how your relationship evolved with Ronald McDonald House, how you got involved and why you're doing all this.

S. WILLIAMS: Well, we've had a strong relationship with them for approximately three years. And so we've been doing a three city tour. We did Chicago and Detroit. Now we're in Atlanta and we're really excited. And we just want to thank the millions who were able to help the Ronald McDonald House Foundation raise all the money that we wanted to do.

And what we're doing tonight is a portion of the money that we earn tonight is going to go toward the Ronald McDonald Houses in Atlanta, because there's two here. And so we're really excited that we're going to be able to help out this city, as well.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, we should tell folks who aren't too familiar with it, Ronald McDonald Houses allow families who have sick children to stay near hospitals when they're experiencing treatment.

S. WILLIAMS: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: Venus, I know you've had a chance to see these places, talk to the families and have a sense of the impact these houses have in their lives.

It really means a lot to people, doesn't it?

V. WILLIAMS: Absolutely. And it's been very motivating for Serena and I because we've had the opportunity to really be a part of something big. We have been able to play tennis to help so many people and this charity is so near and dear to us. Ronald McDonald Houses have made a huge difference. And we really, really feel special about being part of it.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's a good cause.

Serena, I've got to ask you this, though. When you're playing for charity like this, is it different? Are you still out to get your sister, no matter what?

S. WILLIAMS: Oh, absolutely. When we play each other, we really want to really just focus. And it's so fun because Venus won the first two and so I really am intense tonight and I really want to do well. And it's like she hits a winner, I mean I get really upset, if anything so.

M. O'BRIEN: Really? So it doesn't matter what it's -- whether it's charity or a show or practicing somewhere with your dad watching, you still want to beat her, right?

S. WILLIAMS: Definitely, because it's working it in. We have -- we've never played in Atlanta, and so I wanted to come to Atlanta and Chicago and Detroit and do these different cities. And no one here has ever been able to see us play. And so we are really excited and we want to play our best tennis, give the fans their best and go out here and just support it. And it's for a great cause, as well.

M. O'BRIEN: And, you know, I'm thinking what would be good, if you played in those outfits you've got right there. You look great, by the way.

V. WILLIAMS: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, give us a sense, what's the crowd reaction to all this? Have you had good crowd reaction?

V. WILLIAMS: It's been amazing. It's just, you know, when you go to tournaments, there's lots of players there. People come to see various players. But people have come out just to see us and the crowds have been amazing. It's been over 16,000 people so far for just the two cities. So it's been flattering for us, really. And really that people have cared so much to give back to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

M. O'BRIEN: Good tennis, a good cause and some fabulous looking sisters.

V. WILLIAMS: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: You guys look great. Keep it up. Keep up the good work. Keep up the good tennis, OK?

V. WILLIAMS: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you so much.

M. O'BRIEN: Thanks for dropping by.

V. WILLIAMS: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: I love those girls.

M. O'BRIEN: They're great, aren't they?

S. O'BRIEN: Aren't they?

M. O'BRIEN: They're great, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, they're terrific. And really nice role models, I think, for young women, too.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: So good for them.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, researchers thought they found a so-called Viagra for women, but do some serious risks outweigh the benefits? We're "Paging Dr. Gupta" just ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: Also, President Bush tries to patch up things with Canada. But did one big issue show there's still a divide? You bet you.

S. O'BRIEN: And the Pakistanis scaled back part of their search for Osama bin Laden. Where do they think he is hiding? We're going to ask the last reporter to interview bin Laden, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Pakistan insists it is not pulling its troops out of the region where Osama bin Laden may be hiding. We're going on terror's trail this morning to Pakistan, where there are new questions about that country's commitment to hunt down al Qaeda. After reports surfaced last week that Pakistan would scale back operations, a concession to local authorities in Waziristan, the army yesterday denied any change in its effort to fight the terrorists. A bit confusing, isn't it?

The last journalist to interview Osama bin Laden was Hamid Mir.

He is in our Washington bureau this morning.

Mr. Mir, good to have you with us.

HAMID MIR, PAKISTANI JOURNALIST: Yes, good morning.

M. O'BRIEN: What's the bottom line? Is Pakistan really searching for Osama bin Laden in that rugged mountainous area of Pakistan?

MIR: You see, I have visited that area, the South Waziristan and North Waziristan, at least three times in the last 10 months. And I can tell you that President Pervez Musharraf is very serious. He is hunting al Qaeda very seriously. He has deployed more than 70,000 Pakistani troops on Pak-Afghan border tribal area. And out of these 70,000 Pakistani troops, more than 30,000 troops are only searching and hunting al Qaeda in the southern part of Waziristan and northern part of Waziristan. And you can judge the sincerity of President Musharraf and Pakistan Army by going through some figures.

That the Pakistan Army conducted at least 41 major operations against al Qaeda in south Waziristan in the last 10 months and more than 200 soldiers and officers of Pakistan Army lost their lives. And on the other side, more than 250 al Qaeda fighters were killed.

The Pakistan Army...

M. O'BRIEN: Well, Mr. Mir,

MIR: ... has arrested...

M. O'BRIEN: Mr. Mir, let me just ask you this. Do you think it is likely that Osama bin Laden is in this region, when the big name al Qaeda arrests that have occurred heretofore have all been in larger cities of Pakistan?

MIR: Yes. You are right. Pakistan Army arrested more than 550 al Qaeda fighters only from this area. But there is also a reality that 450 hard core al Qaeda militants were arrested from different urban parts of Pakistan. And according to my information and analysis, Osama bin Laden was moving between the eastern part of Afghanistan and these tribal areas of Pakistan.

M. O'BRIEN: So, well, do you think he's in a city, then? Is that more likely?

MIR: No. I can't say with surety that he's in a city. But I am telling you that more than 450 al Qaeda fighters, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah were arrested from some cities.

But the security of Osama bin Laden is very big. So he cannot move in some big cities with a big number of security guards.

M. O'BRIEN: All right...

MIR: But...

M. O'BRIEN: Well...

MIR: ... I can tell you that the Pakistani security agencies have penetrated in al Qaeda and President Musharraf can give you a big surprise any time.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, let me -- let's talk about President Musharraf here, because the nagging issue at the core of all of this is that he has a very difficult domestic problem here in getting tough with the Taliban in particular, because there is a lot of support in Pakistan for that faction.

Are you convinced that President Musharraf is able to walk that tightrope successfully and still go after al Qaeda?

MIR: I think he is going after al Qaeda very successfully. He has full control in Pakistan over Pakistan Army and on the government. And he is not fighting that war just to please America. Actually, he is fighting that war for his own interests, for the interests of Pakistan. And there is no doubt about that, that at least two provinces, the NWFP and Blogistan, they are full with the Pashtun speaking people. And the Taliban are also Pashtun. So they have sympathies with the Taliban and al Qaeda.

But despite all these difficulties, President Musharraf is going after al Qaeda. He is very serious and I think that he is not going to pull out his troops from the tribal areas of Pakistan.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, let's hope he has some success.

Hamid Mir, who was the last journalist to interview Osama bin Laden back in October of 2001.

Thanks for your time.

MIR: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come, one of the biggest churches in America shares a message of tolerance. But some TV networks won't tolerate a commercial for it. We're going to tell you why, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Jack's looking at the Question of the Day.

CAFFERTY: Yes, it has to do with the United Church of Christ. They put together a television ad that highlights inclusion of gays into church life. And the three major networks -- ABC, NBC and CBS -- are refusing to run it.

Here's the ad.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST COMMERCIAL)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Step aside, please.

No way. Not you.

I don't think so.

No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAFFERTY: Well, they -- the three major networks have all these, this policy mishmash about it violates this policy and that policy. But the bottom line is should they run this ad or not? It's for the United Church of Christ. That's the question.

Here's some of the answers.

Nancy from Winchester, Virginia: "With the election over, I'm guessing the TV networks have forgotten all the ads of exclusion that were run. Heaven forbid they run an ad that promotes inclusion. So said, we're back to politics as usual."

Phyllis in Nipono, California: "No, the networks should not run the ads. It's about time someone uses some common sense and draws the line. The general public is sick and tired of having the homosexual lifestyle being shoved in our faces."

Paul in Milwaukee says: "Of course the networks should run this ad. The hey had no problem making millions on the ridiculous and often very controversial ads during the presidential campaign. Why should they suddenly have any qualms about any ad? They're just hiding behind supposed guidelines that they managed to ignore all year."

Paul in Hellertown says: "If I can get up every morning and see Jack's face on the TV while somehow managing to keep my breakfast down, I can certainly stomach a commercial promoting tolerance for the sexual orientation of others."

Paul, I hope you choke on your toast, OK? It's nothing personal but, hey, this -- I'm doing the best I can here. I'm an old man and...

S. O'BRIEN: But, you know...

CAFFERTY: ... time extracts a toll.

M. O'BRIEN: It's a living.

CAFFERTY: Hmm?

S. O'BRIEN: He was saying it with love, I think.

CAFFERTY: No, I don't think so.

S. O'BRIEN: He said I can rise and see Jack's mug.

CAFFERTY: Well...

S. O'BRIEN: He writes a lot, doesn't he? CAFFERTY: I hope you choke on your toast.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Nothing personal.

S. O'BRIEN: President Bush is back from Canada, where he met with leaders to try to build a better relationship with our neighbors to the north.

"The Late Show's" David Letterman had his take on what the president may have taken away from the visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, COURTESY CBS/WORLDWIDE PANTS)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: The last couple of days, President Bush was in Canada. And things are not good between the Canadians and the United States. So President Bush was up there to try and amend the situation between the United States and Canada. It didn't go very well. But on the bright side, he was able to refill all his prescriptions while he was there. That's a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's funny.

M. O'BRIEN: That's good.

All right, still to come on the program, thousands of U.S. troops will stay longer than expected in Iraq and hundreds more on the way. This is only the beginning, perhaps. "Political Jab" coming up.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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