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American Morning

Insurgency Strong A Year After Saddam's Capture; Bernard Kerik's Name Withdrawn as Homeland Security Chief; A View of Tokyo

Aired December 13, 2004 - 09:00   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, CO-HOST: Iraq one year after the capture of Saddam Hussein. The country's still a powder keg, with more deadly attacks on Iraqis and Americans.
Fallout from the failed Bernard Kerik nomination on homeland security. Will the White House have a new name today?

And Japan's military taking on a bold new role in the world. And we are here to see it on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien in New York and, from Tokyo, Japan, Bill Hemmer.

HEMMER: Hello, everybody, and welcome back. We're live in Tokyo here as AMERICAN MORNING comes to you from both sides of the world today. And a good crowd out here. We are in prime time, seen here throughout the country of Japan. So, it's no small wonder that we've had a decent turnout to come out and see our program tonight.

Your day's just beginning back there in the U.S. Here in Tokyo, though, it is almost midnight, a bit past 11 p.m. in the evening, 14 hours ahead of the East Coast, 17 hours ahead of the West Coast. And we will be on the road now, starting today and going to about midweek here, taking a number of different looks at this amazing and rich country.

And we've come to an important time, too, for U.S. and Japan, as the security arrangements between the two countries continues to change. Here is where we find the current state in Japan.

Prime Minister Koizumi, a strong U.S. ally in the war on terror, recently offering new support in Iraq, pledging to keep Japanese troops there for another year until December of 2005.

On Friday, Japan announced new defense guidelines that will be very important for the entire region, studying potential threats from North Korea, and threats from China.

Japan's economy is growing. Slowly it is growing. The yen relatively strong, about 106 to the dollar here. And interest rates are low. And we have seen those rates low for many years.

Of course, any time you talk about Japan's place in the world, you have to acknowledge its leading role as an innovator in technology, especially cameras and phones. And Soledad, the cameras right now, combined with the phones, are the rage in this country. You can literally walk down the street and see sometimes just about everyone clicking away as they go throughout their day.

I'll continue here in Tokyo. But also Soledad, my partner, is back in New York City. Good morning to you back there.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Hey, Bill. Good morning to you.

Some of the other stories that we're following this morning. Sanjay Gupta coming up with important medical study for folks who suffer from migraine headaches. Could there be a link to strokes? And if so, how could the people who get migraines lower their risk? We're going to talk about that.

Mr. Cafferty is back.

JACK CAFFERTY, CO-HOST: Ms. O'Brien I am, indeed. Should National Guard troops who are sent to Iraq be put on the front lines? AM@CNN.com.

An analysis of Pentagon figures indicates that a greater percentage of National Guard troops are being killed by hostile fire in Iraq than the regular full-time military. So let us know your thoughts on that. We'll read some of the e-mails a bit later.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jack. Thanks.

Headlines now with Kelly Wallace. Good morning again.

KELLY WALLACE, ANCHOR: Thanks, Soledad. Good morning again, everyone.

Now in the news a deadly car bombing in Iraq this morning. At least six people were killed, and more than a dozen others wounded.

It happened just outside Baghdad's Green Zone, where Iraq's interim government and foreign embassies are located. That suicide bombing coming just a day after seven American Marines were killed in separate attacks in Iraq's al Anbar province just west of Baghdad. A live report coming up ahead in just a few minutes.

In Redwood City, California, the jury in the Scott Peterson case returns in just about two hours to continue considering his fate. Jurors had the weekend off after two days of deliberations. They're deciding whether Peterson should be sentenced to death or get life in prison.

It took the same jury just over seven hours last month to find Peterson guilty of killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son.

And from Beverly Hills, the Golden Globe nominations announced just about 15 minutes ago. The movie "Sideways" leads the pack with seven nominations. "The Aviator," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese, among the nominees. Also mentioned, the female boxing film "Million Dollar Baby."

The awards are seen as a prelude to the Oscars. Soledad and the "90 Second Poppers" will weigh in on the Golden Globe nominations, including what was the biggest surprise. That's coming up just ahead.

And Jamie Foxx did get...

O'BRIEN: Your guy.

WALLACE: So no moral outrage this morning for me.

O'BRIEN: Calm down. It's all going to be OK. Now he's got to win.

WALLACE: Yes. Now he's...

O'BRIEN: That's -- you know, that's the crux.

WALLACE: I'll leave that to the judges.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks, Kelly. Appreciate it.

It was one year ago today that U.S. forces captured Saddam Hussein. But since then the insurgency in Iraq has grown stronger and increasingly sophisticated in its attacks, the latest just today.

CNN's Chris Lawrence joins us from Baghdad with much more.

Chris, good morning again.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Today's car bombing is just the latest attack that has happened destroy so much of the hope that was here this time last year. And now most people agree that since that time, if anything has changed, it's been for the worse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And heard noises...

LAWRENCE (voice-over): When Saddam Hussein was dragged out of a hole in the ground, many expected the insurgency would soon be buried. The skies over Baghdad Monday prove it's anything but.

A suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint near Baghdad's Green Zone, detonating a car bomb as people were going to work. The blast shook buildings across Baghdad, killing at least half a dozen people and wounding more.

And in two separate incidents Sunday, seven United States Marines were killed in action west of the capital while working to secure that area. It's all a far cry from where U.S. officials expected to be this time last year.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A dark and painful era is over. A hopeful day has arrived.

LAWRENCE: President Bush hailed Saddam's capture as a breakthrough and military officials said it dealt a huge blow to insurgents, depriving them of a figurehead and financial backer.

BUSH: All Iraqis can now come together and reject violence and build a new Iraq.

LAWRENCE: But one year on, Iraqis are more divided than ever. Insurgents have become stronger and smarter and a rebuilt Iraq is still years away. It's left many people here discouraged.

KHALID AL-AJIZ, BAGHDAD (through translator): we expected a lot of changes, especially when they captured Saddam, but nothing has happened.

LAWRENCE: A year has made all the difference, but not in the ways Iraqis and Americans would have liked.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Today Saddam Hussein remains in a Baghdad prison, isolated from other inmates. He receives hot meals, but he's in a small cell. But he also gets to go outside and get some fresh air. Very different conditions than Iraqi prisoners received when Saddam ran the country -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Chris Lawrence for us this morning in Baghdad. Chris, thanks.

The other top story this morning we've been talking about is the withdrawal of Bernard Kerik's name from the position as homeland security director.

Andy Kirtzman is familiar with Kerik from his days as New York's top cop. He's the political reporter for WCBS-TV. He's also the author of "Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City."

Nice to see you. Thanks for coming back to talk to us.

ANDY KIRTZMAN, AUTHOR, "RUDY GIULIANI: EMPEROR OF THE CITY": Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Not too long ago we were discussing the nomination, and are you surprised that it's ended as it's ended?

KIRTZMAN: Well, I think everyone's a little surprised that it ended this way. But you know, the choice of Kerik was always kind of a long shot choice.

He was basically just a municipal official without much Washington experience. And he had a very colorful past. It was kind of part of the Bernie Kerik legend that he came up from such, I guess, poor circumstances.

O'BRIEN: But none of these things are the reason why this has sort of imploded.

KIRTZMAN: That's right.

O'BRIEN: I mean, we were talking about does he have the chops to make it in the shark-infested waters of Washington, D.C.?

KIRTZMAN: Right. Right.

O'BRIEN: This was much more than just about a nanny, wasn't it?

KIRTZMAN: Sure. It's about a lot of things. I mean, one of the questions you have to have this morning, beyond what went wrong with the White House' vetting process, is how Giuliani and Kerik thought they could get away with this.

I mean, Kerik was testifying just last week in a case in which someone claimed he was showing favoritism to a woman he allegedly had an affair with on his payroll.

And he -- the quality that Giuliani and Kerik and his -- that whole kind of gang have is that they -- they are prosecutors, and they're lawmen. And they have often seen through the years as though the rules apply to everyone except for them.

And the most, of course, famous example is Giuliani's very public affair with a woman while Giuliani was still married. And it is just kind of the sense -- and I don't want to overstate it, because Giuliani was also an extraordinarily effective leader but his -- I guess, the down side of the Giuliani reign was he often felt as though the rules applied to everyone except him.

O'BRIEN: Here's what Rudy Giuliani said about this whole debacle, I think it's fair to call it. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: That's a mistake that you can't deal with in a process like this, where he's going to run the immigration service, and he had this oversight in terms of the immigration status and tax situation of this woman who was working for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Bernard Kerik said he withdrew his nomination after he discovered that a person who'd been employed as a nanny had a sort of questionable -- I mean, it was a little bit strangely worded withdrawal, I thought. How much of an impact do you think this has on Rudy Giuliani?

KIRTZMAN: I think this has a significant impact on him.

O'BRIEN: Really?

KIRTZMAN: For one thing, of course, I'm sure he's in the doghouse in the White House today.

But also if Giuliani decides to run for president, people are going to necessarily take a second look at him. And one of the things they're going to ask themselves is what kind of people does Giuliani surround himself with? And it turns out that Giuliani values -- and this is something we in New York have known for a long time -- values loyalty over, I guess, sheer credentials. And now this casts doubt, I guess, on what kind of leader Giuliani would be.

Now again, I don't want to overstate it. This is kind of one aspect of Giuliani's performance. And I was with Giuliani and Kerik on 9/11. And I testified then, and I would say it again, they performed extraordinarily.

And I think a million sins were kind of forgiven on that day, because he did so well, and rose to the occasion. And perhaps that's the way it should be. Because he did so well, and really led America, the city, and you know, one could argue America, through one of its most trying times.

But as Giuliani gets closer and closer to coming back to public life, people are going to start looking back at his record. And some of those sins are going to kind of come to light again. And I think we've seen a little glimpse of that today in the Bernie Kerik fiasco.

O'BRIEN: They're going to look very, very closely at everybody. Andrew Kirtzman, nice to have you back as always. Thanks. Appreciate it.

KIRTZMAN: Sure. Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Let's head right back to Bill Hemmer in Tokyo.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

A massive city here in Tokyo and people literally everywhere. You think the traffic's bad back in New York City? Well, there's a pretty good rival over here halfway around the world.

Quickly, thought we'd give you an idea about where we're hanging out for the next couple of days here in Japan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER (voice-over): Tokyo, population 10 million. The heart, soul and capital city of this great Asian country.

You might recognize a few stops along the road. We're in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's economic hubs. This is where they shot the opening scene in the film "Lost in Translation." A jet lagged Bill Murray waking up in Japan's neon skyline. We felt the same way after our own 14-hour our flight here.

Later in the movie and a bit further down the road, Scarlett Johansson takes a lonely walk in a sea of people and a few electronic elephants. That's the screen up there, more than 10 stories tall.

And this is perhaps Tokyo's most popular intersection. This is shown as Sheboya (ph), perhaps Japan's version of Times Square. Twenty minutes east of here is where we have set up home base for the week, Roppongi Hills.

Roppongi Hills is a lively city within a city that just opened up 18 months ago. And like so much of Tokyo, this place can draw a crowd. In its first year more than 25 million came here to see the holiday lights and shop in its world-class stores.

There is so much in Tokyo, and we're just getting started.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: And I'm afraid, I'm afraid a week is not going to be enough time. But it will give us a taste, anyway, as we come out here in the plaza with a pretty decent crowd gathering here to watch our program today.

And Roppongi Hills really is becoming a place here where the Japanese have flocked over the past year.

Very popular not only among the Japanese, but also among the expats, the Americans who have come along today. Got a number of people yelling out where they're from back in the states throughout the program here. So we will visit with them as we go throughout the week.

Soledad, back to you now again in New York City.

HEMMER: All right, Bill, thank you very much.

Let's take a moment to check in on the weather. Rob Marciano is at the CNN Center for us.

Hey, Rob, good morning again.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right, Rob, thanks.

Still to come this morning the Golden Globes get desperate. Lots of "Desperate Housewives" nominated this morning. We're going to ask our "90 Second Pop" crew how they'd divide up all that gold.

And the news about fingerprints that came out over the weekend look bad for Michael Jackson. Jeff Toobin says, though, don't jump to conclusions. We'll explain.

And news that Japan's military is taking steps not seen since World War II. Bill is in Japan with the commander of U.S. forces there to talk about the global effect of Japan's decision, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back to Tokyo, everyone.

There's been a significant U.S. military presence in this country ever since Japan's defeat in the Second World War. Today nearly 58,000 American troops are stationed across Japan. But a planned reduction in U.S. military bases overseas may affect the Pacific forces.

And a bit earlier today, I talked with Lieutenant General Thomas Waskow about that topic. He commands U.S. forces here in Japan. And also about the impact of the possible reduction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LT. GEN. THOMAS WASKOW: The Japanese have recognized that the future is a very unstable environment. And so what we have to do is we have to create a situation where the Japanese are now looking to the future.

And the future is three major threats to them: No. 1, North Korea; No. 2, the emergence of China as a regional actor; No. 3, the global war on terrorism.

HEMMER: How does that affect now the presence of the U.S. military here, 58,000 strong?

WASKOW: In fact the secretary of defense has directed us to look at the -- the future of our presence here in Japan, and because the fact that combat power has changed over the years, we're conducting a very in-depth study with the government of Japan to look at our future force structure.

HEMMER: Take that step further. Now, how would that change, based on the U.S. layout here in Japan?

WASKOW: Well, there are a number of proposals that are being discussed between the Sec. Def. and the government of Japan, and we can't really talk about the specifics.

But the good news is because of the combat capability we have, we're here to provide the defense of Japan, and I think we're going to be able to do that.

HEMMER: How likely then, General, is it for a reduction of American forces?

WASKOW: It's possible. And, in fact, we're looking at reducing the burden in Okinawa in particular. So as soon as the secretary decides which of the proposals he's going to accept, and we'll present those to the Japanese government, then we'll take a look what the future might look like.

HEMMER: For the new strategy on the Japanese side, that was announced, as I mentioned, over the weekend...

WASKOW: Right.

HEMMER: ... how much should the U.S. consult the Japanese government on that?

WASKOW: Well, we've consulted the Japanese quite a bit. And of course, their decision is purely a decision that's good for the government of Japan themselves.

And we have come to the table with our military capabilities are very well known because we have a very mature exercise program with the Japanese. And so I think that the -- the decisions that they've made for their future are based on the knowledge that the U.S./Japan security relationship is as solid as ever and will just get better in the future.

HEMMER: Yes, and also with regard to the war on terror, we have seen this prime minister in this country be a strong U.S. ally when it comes to the issue of Iraq.

WASKOW: True.

HEMMER: And other matters dating back to September 11. Have you seen any cracks in that alliance?

WASKOW: Absolutely not. In fact, the support by the Japanese government the day after 9/11 was incredible, with ground self-defense force, air self-defense force, maritime self-defense and the Japanese national police guarding our bases. So it's just been incredible support we've got.

HEMMER: What explains, then, why that relationship, if it is, indeed, as tight as you describe here, why is that the case?

WASKOW: Well, it's over 50 years of experience with our Japanese counterpart. Their self-defense force was born in 1954 and every year since then our exercise and our relationship with them has gotten nothing but better.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: He adds that more than 50,000 American family members, also stationed here in Japan, and support the 58,000 military personal. General Waskow, commander of U.S. forces here in Japan.

Again, a hot topic every day as we go throughout the week here, and you can see it on the front pages of newspapers every time we pick one up.

Back to New York again and Soledad with more there.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

Coming up in just a few moments we're going to take you back to Baghdad. A deadly car bombing in a critical area to tell you about.

Also this morning, more than 28 million Americans may be at twice the risk of having a stroke. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to tell us why as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Jack is back with the question of the day.

CAFFERTY: Indeed. Thanks, Soledad.

Army National Guard members are about 35 percent more likely to be killed in Iraq than full-time active duty soldiers, according to a piece in "USA Today" this morning.

Reports from the field suggest National Guardsmen often have worse equipment and training than the full-time active duty troops. Yet, some are being assigned to the most dangerous missions in Iraq. These are soldiers who generally drill one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer when there's no war.

The question is this, should part-time soldiers be put on the front lines when they get to Iraq?

Lori in Oklahoma City writes, "There's no such thing as a part- time soldier. We are an Army of one. All soldiers are required to receive the same training. The only difference between regular Army soldiers and the reserve guard soldiers is the insulation support and 365 days of training versus 42."

I think that's sort of the point of the piece, Lori.

Brad in Lawton, Oklahoma: "I commanded an active duty field artillery battery for one year in Iraq, and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt, a National Guard unit out of Miami-Dade county in Florida was the best-trained unit with the most well maintained equipment that I saw during the entire year."

This is from Dave in Albany, New York: "The National Guard's not held to the physical and mental standards that the active duty soldier is held to. They're given the officers from the bottom of the barrel; their NCOs are generally old and unfit to fight. Being active duty, I have seen the difference, and the enemy also sees it."

And Brenda in Mantachee, Mississippi: "The people who don't think the National Guard trains hard if not harder than the regular Army need to sign up for a year or two. If National Guard troops are 35 percent more likely to get killed it's because of inadequate equipment, not a lack of training."

AM@CNN.com if you have a view on this. And we'll read one more batch of these in about a half an hour.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thank you.

Coming up this morning we're going to put our "90 Second Pop" crew to the test.

Golden Globe nominations just out. The stories of an actress, a singer, and a writer had the most buzz. Can any of them generate the kind of heat it takes to get an Oscar?

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired December 13, 2004 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST: Iraq one year after the capture of Saddam Hussein. The country's still a powder keg, with more deadly attacks on Iraqis and Americans.
Fallout from the failed Bernard Kerik nomination on homeland security. Will the White House have a new name today?

And Japan's military taking on a bold new role in the world. And we are here to see it on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien in New York and, from Tokyo, Japan, Bill Hemmer.

HEMMER: Hello, everybody, and welcome back. We're live in Tokyo here as AMERICAN MORNING comes to you from both sides of the world today. And a good crowd out here. We are in prime time, seen here throughout the country of Japan. So, it's no small wonder that we've had a decent turnout to come out and see our program tonight.

Your day's just beginning back there in the U.S. Here in Tokyo, though, it is almost midnight, a bit past 11 p.m. in the evening, 14 hours ahead of the East Coast, 17 hours ahead of the West Coast. And we will be on the road now, starting today and going to about midweek here, taking a number of different looks at this amazing and rich country.

And we've come to an important time, too, for U.S. and Japan, as the security arrangements between the two countries continues to change. Here is where we find the current state in Japan.

Prime Minister Koizumi, a strong U.S. ally in the war on terror, recently offering new support in Iraq, pledging to keep Japanese troops there for another year until December of 2005.

On Friday, Japan announced new defense guidelines that will be very important for the entire region, studying potential threats from North Korea, and threats from China.

Japan's economy is growing. Slowly it is growing. The yen relatively strong, about 106 to the dollar here. And interest rates are low. And we have seen those rates low for many years.

Of course, any time you talk about Japan's place in the world, you have to acknowledge its leading role as an innovator in technology, especially cameras and phones. And Soledad, the cameras right now, combined with the phones, are the rage in this country. You can literally walk down the street and see sometimes just about everyone clicking away as they go throughout their day.

I'll continue here in Tokyo. But also Soledad, my partner, is back in New York City. Good morning to you back there.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Hey, Bill. Good morning to you.

Some of the other stories that we're following this morning. Sanjay Gupta coming up with important medical study for folks who suffer from migraine headaches. Could there be a link to strokes? And if so, how could the people who get migraines lower their risk? We're going to talk about that.

Mr. Cafferty is back.

JACK CAFFERTY, CO-HOST: Ms. O'Brien I am, indeed. Should National Guard troops who are sent to Iraq be put on the front lines? AM@CNN.com.

An analysis of Pentagon figures indicates that a greater percentage of National Guard troops are being killed by hostile fire in Iraq than the regular full-time military. So let us know your thoughts on that. We'll read some of the e-mails a bit later.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jack. Thanks.

Headlines now with Kelly Wallace. Good morning again.

KELLY WALLACE, ANCHOR: Thanks, Soledad. Good morning again, everyone.

Now in the news a deadly car bombing in Iraq this morning. At least six people were killed, and more than a dozen others wounded.

It happened just outside Baghdad's Green Zone, where Iraq's interim government and foreign embassies are located. That suicide bombing coming just a day after seven American Marines were killed in separate attacks in Iraq's al Anbar province just west of Baghdad. A live report coming up ahead in just a few minutes.

In Redwood City, California, the jury in the Scott Peterson case returns in just about two hours to continue considering his fate. Jurors had the weekend off after two days of deliberations. They're deciding whether Peterson should be sentenced to death or get life in prison.

It took the same jury just over seven hours last month to find Peterson guilty of killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son.

And from Beverly Hills, the Golden Globe nominations announced just about 15 minutes ago. The movie "Sideways" leads the pack with seven nominations. "The Aviator," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese, among the nominees. Also mentioned, the female boxing film "Million Dollar Baby."

The awards are seen as a prelude to the Oscars. Soledad and the "90 Second Poppers" will weigh in on the Golden Globe nominations, including what was the biggest surprise. That's coming up just ahead.

And Jamie Foxx did get...

O'BRIEN: Your guy.

WALLACE: So no moral outrage this morning for me.

O'BRIEN: Calm down. It's all going to be OK. Now he's got to win.

WALLACE: Yes. Now he's...

O'BRIEN: That's -- you know, that's the crux.

WALLACE: I'll leave that to the judges.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks, Kelly. Appreciate it.

It was one year ago today that U.S. forces captured Saddam Hussein. But since then the insurgency in Iraq has grown stronger and increasingly sophisticated in its attacks, the latest just today.

CNN's Chris Lawrence joins us from Baghdad with much more.

Chris, good morning again.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Today's car bombing is just the latest attack that has happened destroy so much of the hope that was here this time last year. And now most people agree that since that time, if anything has changed, it's been for the worse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And heard noises...

LAWRENCE (voice-over): When Saddam Hussein was dragged out of a hole in the ground, many expected the insurgency would soon be buried. The skies over Baghdad Monday prove it's anything but.

A suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint near Baghdad's Green Zone, detonating a car bomb as people were going to work. The blast shook buildings across Baghdad, killing at least half a dozen people and wounding more.

And in two separate incidents Sunday, seven United States Marines were killed in action west of the capital while working to secure that area. It's all a far cry from where U.S. officials expected to be this time last year.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A dark and painful era is over. A hopeful day has arrived.

LAWRENCE: President Bush hailed Saddam's capture as a breakthrough and military officials said it dealt a huge blow to insurgents, depriving them of a figurehead and financial backer.

BUSH: All Iraqis can now come together and reject violence and build a new Iraq.

LAWRENCE: But one year on, Iraqis are more divided than ever. Insurgents have become stronger and smarter and a rebuilt Iraq is still years away. It's left many people here discouraged.

KHALID AL-AJIZ, BAGHDAD (through translator): we expected a lot of changes, especially when they captured Saddam, but nothing has happened.

LAWRENCE: A year has made all the difference, but not in the ways Iraqis and Americans would have liked.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Today Saddam Hussein remains in a Baghdad prison, isolated from other inmates. He receives hot meals, but he's in a small cell. But he also gets to go outside and get some fresh air. Very different conditions than Iraqi prisoners received when Saddam ran the country -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Chris Lawrence for us this morning in Baghdad. Chris, thanks.

The other top story this morning we've been talking about is the withdrawal of Bernard Kerik's name from the position as homeland security director.

Andy Kirtzman is familiar with Kerik from his days as New York's top cop. He's the political reporter for WCBS-TV. He's also the author of "Rudy Giuliani: Emperor of the City."

Nice to see you. Thanks for coming back to talk to us.

ANDY KIRTZMAN, AUTHOR, "RUDY GIULIANI: EMPEROR OF THE CITY": Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Not too long ago we were discussing the nomination, and are you surprised that it's ended as it's ended?

KIRTZMAN: Well, I think everyone's a little surprised that it ended this way. But you know, the choice of Kerik was always kind of a long shot choice.

He was basically just a municipal official without much Washington experience. And he had a very colorful past. It was kind of part of the Bernie Kerik legend that he came up from such, I guess, poor circumstances.

O'BRIEN: But none of these things are the reason why this has sort of imploded.

KIRTZMAN: That's right.

O'BRIEN: I mean, we were talking about does he have the chops to make it in the shark-infested waters of Washington, D.C.?

KIRTZMAN: Right. Right.

O'BRIEN: This was much more than just about a nanny, wasn't it?

KIRTZMAN: Sure. It's about a lot of things. I mean, one of the questions you have to have this morning, beyond what went wrong with the White House' vetting process, is how Giuliani and Kerik thought they could get away with this.

I mean, Kerik was testifying just last week in a case in which someone claimed he was showing favoritism to a woman he allegedly had an affair with on his payroll.

And he -- the quality that Giuliani and Kerik and his -- that whole kind of gang have is that they -- they are prosecutors, and they're lawmen. And they have often seen through the years as though the rules apply to everyone except for them.

And the most, of course, famous example is Giuliani's very public affair with a woman while Giuliani was still married. And it is just kind of the sense -- and I don't want to overstate it, because Giuliani was also an extraordinarily effective leader but his -- I guess, the down side of the Giuliani reign was he often felt as though the rules applied to everyone except him.

O'BRIEN: Here's what Rudy Giuliani said about this whole debacle, I think it's fair to call it. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: That's a mistake that you can't deal with in a process like this, where he's going to run the immigration service, and he had this oversight in terms of the immigration status and tax situation of this woman who was working for him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Bernard Kerik said he withdrew his nomination after he discovered that a person who'd been employed as a nanny had a sort of questionable -- I mean, it was a little bit strangely worded withdrawal, I thought. How much of an impact do you think this has on Rudy Giuliani?

KIRTZMAN: I think this has a significant impact on him.

O'BRIEN: Really?

KIRTZMAN: For one thing, of course, I'm sure he's in the doghouse in the White House today.

But also if Giuliani decides to run for president, people are going to necessarily take a second look at him. And one of the things they're going to ask themselves is what kind of people does Giuliani surround himself with? And it turns out that Giuliani values -- and this is something we in New York have known for a long time -- values loyalty over, I guess, sheer credentials. And now this casts doubt, I guess, on what kind of leader Giuliani would be.

Now again, I don't want to overstate it. This is kind of one aspect of Giuliani's performance. And I was with Giuliani and Kerik on 9/11. And I testified then, and I would say it again, they performed extraordinarily.

And I think a million sins were kind of forgiven on that day, because he did so well, and rose to the occasion. And perhaps that's the way it should be. Because he did so well, and really led America, the city, and you know, one could argue America, through one of its most trying times.

But as Giuliani gets closer and closer to coming back to public life, people are going to start looking back at his record. And some of those sins are going to kind of come to light again. And I think we've seen a little glimpse of that today in the Bernie Kerik fiasco.

O'BRIEN: They're going to look very, very closely at everybody. Andrew Kirtzman, nice to have you back as always. Thanks. Appreciate it.

KIRTZMAN: Sure. Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Let's head right back to Bill Hemmer in Tokyo.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad.

A massive city here in Tokyo and people literally everywhere. You think the traffic's bad back in New York City? Well, there's a pretty good rival over here halfway around the world.

Quickly, thought we'd give you an idea about where we're hanging out for the next couple of days here in Japan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER (voice-over): Tokyo, population 10 million. The heart, soul and capital city of this great Asian country.

You might recognize a few stops along the road. We're in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's economic hubs. This is where they shot the opening scene in the film "Lost in Translation." A jet lagged Bill Murray waking up in Japan's neon skyline. We felt the same way after our own 14-hour our flight here.

Later in the movie and a bit further down the road, Scarlett Johansson takes a lonely walk in a sea of people and a few electronic elephants. That's the screen up there, more than 10 stories tall.

And this is perhaps Tokyo's most popular intersection. This is shown as Sheboya (ph), perhaps Japan's version of Times Square. Twenty minutes east of here is where we have set up home base for the week, Roppongi Hills.

Roppongi Hills is a lively city within a city that just opened up 18 months ago. And like so much of Tokyo, this place can draw a crowd. In its first year more than 25 million came here to see the holiday lights and shop in its world-class stores.

There is so much in Tokyo, and we're just getting started.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: And I'm afraid, I'm afraid a week is not going to be enough time. But it will give us a taste, anyway, as we come out here in the plaza with a pretty decent crowd gathering here to watch our program today.

And Roppongi Hills really is becoming a place here where the Japanese have flocked over the past year.

Very popular not only among the Japanese, but also among the expats, the Americans who have come along today. Got a number of people yelling out where they're from back in the states throughout the program here. So we will visit with them as we go throughout the week.

Soledad, back to you now again in New York City.

HEMMER: All right, Bill, thank you very much.

Let's take a moment to check in on the weather. Rob Marciano is at the CNN Center for us.

Hey, Rob, good morning again.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right, Rob, thanks.

Still to come this morning the Golden Globes get desperate. Lots of "Desperate Housewives" nominated this morning. We're going to ask our "90 Second Pop" crew how they'd divide up all that gold.

And the news about fingerprints that came out over the weekend look bad for Michael Jackson. Jeff Toobin says, though, don't jump to conclusions. We'll explain.

And news that Japan's military is taking steps not seen since World War II. Bill is in Japan with the commander of U.S. forces there to talk about the global effect of Japan's decision, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back to Tokyo, everyone.

There's been a significant U.S. military presence in this country ever since Japan's defeat in the Second World War. Today nearly 58,000 American troops are stationed across Japan. But a planned reduction in U.S. military bases overseas may affect the Pacific forces.

And a bit earlier today, I talked with Lieutenant General Thomas Waskow about that topic. He commands U.S. forces here in Japan. And also about the impact of the possible reduction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LT. GEN. THOMAS WASKOW: The Japanese have recognized that the future is a very unstable environment. And so what we have to do is we have to create a situation where the Japanese are now looking to the future.

And the future is three major threats to them: No. 1, North Korea; No. 2, the emergence of China as a regional actor; No. 3, the global war on terrorism.

HEMMER: How does that affect now the presence of the U.S. military here, 58,000 strong?

WASKOW: In fact the secretary of defense has directed us to look at the -- the future of our presence here in Japan, and because the fact that combat power has changed over the years, we're conducting a very in-depth study with the government of Japan to look at our future force structure.

HEMMER: Take that step further. Now, how would that change, based on the U.S. layout here in Japan?

WASKOW: Well, there are a number of proposals that are being discussed between the Sec. Def. and the government of Japan, and we can't really talk about the specifics.

But the good news is because of the combat capability we have, we're here to provide the defense of Japan, and I think we're going to be able to do that.

HEMMER: How likely then, General, is it for a reduction of American forces?

WASKOW: It's possible. And, in fact, we're looking at reducing the burden in Okinawa in particular. So as soon as the secretary decides which of the proposals he's going to accept, and we'll present those to the Japanese government, then we'll take a look what the future might look like.

HEMMER: For the new strategy on the Japanese side, that was announced, as I mentioned, over the weekend...

WASKOW: Right.

HEMMER: ... how much should the U.S. consult the Japanese government on that?

WASKOW: Well, we've consulted the Japanese quite a bit. And of course, their decision is purely a decision that's good for the government of Japan themselves.

And we have come to the table with our military capabilities are very well known because we have a very mature exercise program with the Japanese. And so I think that the -- the decisions that they've made for their future are based on the knowledge that the U.S./Japan security relationship is as solid as ever and will just get better in the future.

HEMMER: Yes, and also with regard to the war on terror, we have seen this prime minister in this country be a strong U.S. ally when it comes to the issue of Iraq.

WASKOW: True.

HEMMER: And other matters dating back to September 11. Have you seen any cracks in that alliance?

WASKOW: Absolutely not. In fact, the support by the Japanese government the day after 9/11 was incredible, with ground self-defense force, air self-defense force, maritime self-defense and the Japanese national police guarding our bases. So it's just been incredible support we've got.

HEMMER: What explains, then, why that relationship, if it is, indeed, as tight as you describe here, why is that the case?

WASKOW: Well, it's over 50 years of experience with our Japanese counterpart. Their self-defense force was born in 1954 and every year since then our exercise and our relationship with them has gotten nothing but better.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: He adds that more than 50,000 American family members, also stationed here in Japan, and support the 58,000 military personal. General Waskow, commander of U.S. forces here in Japan.

Again, a hot topic every day as we go throughout the week here, and you can see it on the front pages of newspapers every time we pick one up.

Back to New York again and Soledad with more there.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

Coming up in just a few moments we're going to take you back to Baghdad. A deadly car bombing in a critical area to tell you about.

Also this morning, more than 28 million Americans may be at twice the risk of having a stroke. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to tell us why as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Jack is back with the question of the day.

CAFFERTY: Indeed. Thanks, Soledad.

Army National Guard members are about 35 percent more likely to be killed in Iraq than full-time active duty soldiers, according to a piece in "USA Today" this morning.

Reports from the field suggest National Guardsmen often have worse equipment and training than the full-time active duty troops. Yet, some are being assigned to the most dangerous missions in Iraq. These are soldiers who generally drill one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer when there's no war.

The question is this, should part-time soldiers be put on the front lines when they get to Iraq?

Lori in Oklahoma City writes, "There's no such thing as a part- time soldier. We are an Army of one. All soldiers are required to receive the same training. The only difference between regular Army soldiers and the reserve guard soldiers is the insulation support and 365 days of training versus 42."

I think that's sort of the point of the piece, Lori.

Brad in Lawton, Oklahoma: "I commanded an active duty field artillery battery for one year in Iraq, and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt, a National Guard unit out of Miami-Dade county in Florida was the best-trained unit with the most well maintained equipment that I saw during the entire year."

This is from Dave in Albany, New York: "The National Guard's not held to the physical and mental standards that the active duty soldier is held to. They're given the officers from the bottom of the barrel; their NCOs are generally old and unfit to fight. Being active duty, I have seen the difference, and the enemy also sees it."

And Brenda in Mantachee, Mississippi: "The people who don't think the National Guard trains hard if not harder than the regular Army need to sign up for a year or two. If National Guard troops are 35 percent more likely to get killed it's because of inadequate equipment, not a lack of training."

AM@CNN.com if you have a view on this. And we'll read one more batch of these in about a half an hour.

O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thank you.

Coming up this morning we're going to put our "90 Second Pop" crew to the test.

Golden Globe nominations just out. The stories of an actress, a singer, and a writer had the most buzz. Can any of them generate the kind of heat it takes to get an Oscar?

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

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