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American Morning

Future of Iraq; Turning the Tide; '90-Second Pop'

Aired January 12, 2005 - 07:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It's 7:30 here in New York. Good morning, everybody.
In a moment here, it is not surprising that so many victims from the tsunami are now asking themselves some pretty tough questions right now, tough religious questions, too. One religious leader that has been touring the area is the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. He's in Sri Lanka. We'll talk to him live in a few moments. We'll talk to him about the advice that he is getting from people there and the advice that he's giving, too. So, some tough questions. We'll get to it in a moment.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, Iraq's election is getting closer and close. But now, there is word that parts of the country are just not safe enough to vote. Barbara Starr is going to talk about that and whether the insurgents are then gaining the upper hand there.

But first, another check of the headlines. Kelly Wallace has made it, what, the nine blocks over?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Nine blocks, exactly.

O'BRIEN: Good morning.

WALLACE: You can get here very quickly when you have to.

O'BRIEN: Well, that's good. Good to see you.

WALLACE: Well, hello again, everyone.

"Now in the News."

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is scheduled to get a firsthand look this morning at the devastation caused by that deadly mudslide. Within the last two hours, rescuers pulled a seventh body from the mud and debris in the town of La Conchita. A new look at the mudslide shows the full extent of the damage, and you can see it there. Rescue crews are still searching for 13 people this hour, including three children.

In Florida now, federal investigators are looking into events surrounding a small plane crash. The pilot was apparently trying to make an emergency landing on a golf course after reporting mechanical problems. You see that dramatic video there. As the plane was approaching, it slammed right into that utility pole. Two men were on board. One was killed. The other is reported to be in fair condition.

In health news now, a possible link between diet and cancer. New research shows red meat may raise the risk of colon cancer in some people. Details of the study appear in today's "Journal of the American Medical Association." And Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us next hour. He'll talk about who is most at risk.

And finally, NASA is getting ready to launch a mission today in hopes of unlocking the secrets of comets. The two spacecraft of NASA's deep impact mission are scheduled for liftoff this afternoon. If everything goes as planned, the spacecraft will blast a hole in a comet, showing what it is made of. And this celestial showdown is scheduled for Independence Day. Some cool pictures there.

HEMMER: It's going to blast a hole in the comet?

WALLACE: You heard it there.

HEMMER: Who came up with this idea?

O'BRIEN: Let's hope it works.

HEMMER: Me, too. Better them than us.

WALLACE: Well, the consequences are, exactly.

HEMMER: Thanks, Kelly.

O'BRIEN: All right, Kelly, thanks.

WALLACE: Sure.

O'BRIEN: An American soldier was killed in combat in Iraq today. The fighting took place in the insurgent hotbed of al-Anbar (ph) province, which is west of Baghdad. Iraqi and American officials are saying the January 30 elections will go ahead, but admit the increasing violence cannot be ignored.

Barbara Starr is live for us this morning at the Pentagon.

Hey, Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.

Well, indeed, Interim Iraqi President Ayad Allawi now says that parts of Iraq may be too dangerous for voters to come out on Election Day, but those elections are going to go forward. The stakes could not be higher.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice over): Less than three weeks until the scheduled elections in Iraq, a suicide car bomber targeted a police headquarters in Tikrit, killing six people. Top officials insist the elections will go forward on January 30. But now, a more realistic assessment about whether Iraqis across the country will participate, especially in the violent Sunni triangle.

AYAD ALLAWI, INTERIM IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: Certainly, there are some pockets who will not take part in these elections. But there are not many pockets.

STARR: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is minimizing expectations.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Just having elections in Iraq is an enormous success and a victory.

STARR: U.S. officials still hope troubled Iraqi security forces will take a high-profile role on Election Day. But insurgents are growing more sophisticated, detonating explosives from farther away, making it more difficult to track them. It was 200 pounds of explosives that killed seven soldiers in a Bradley vehicle.

Senior U.S. military officials say even after the elections, they do not expect to see the violence necessarily decrease. And, therefore, it's unlikely there will be a significant drawdown in U.S. forces.

One senior official said the goal remains winning, not just getting out of Iraq. The elements of winning include getting Iraqi security forces to be able to defend the country, electing a representative government, establishing a secure economy.

RUMSFELD: This has been the coalition's goal, an Iraq run by Iraqis and secured by Iraqi security forces.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And, Soledad, military officials say just a few weeks ago, top former officials in Saddam Hussein's regime met inside Syria to plot the future course of the insurgency. Just another indication of the money and muscle behind the violence in Iraq -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Barbara, I want to ask you a question about some reports that say that the biological and chemical and nuclear weapons hunt is now over, ending kind of quietly. Is there something new in this? Or is it sort of an end that many people actually had predicted long ago?

STARR: Well, indeed, a very quiet, predictable ending, Soledad, by all accounts. About two years ago, of course, it was President Bush who sent the country to war in Iraq. One of the majors reasons being the suspicion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. After two years of searching, no indication of weapons, stockpiles or programs.

And that report is now being finished up. It is expected to be issued within the next many, many weeks. And it is expected to say no weapons of mass destruction inside Iraq -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at Pentagon for us. Barbara, thanks -- Bill. HEMMER: It's about 24 minutes now before the hour. Back to Asia now, where the U.N. is reporting some short-term success now in the relief effort there. One official says food is now reaching all of the needy areas of Sri Lanka and much of Indonesia as well. That is certainly good news.

The Catholic Relief Services is handling a wide range of aid in Sri Lanka. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington, is there in Colombo. He joins us now here on AMERICAN MORNING.

And we appreciate your time here. And I want to get your personal thoughts in a moment here. But first, let's focus on religion as it relates to this disaster there. I know you've met with Hindu leaders and Buddhist leaders and Christian leaders. What are they telling their followers about why this has occurred?

CARDINAL THEODORE MCCARRICK, ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON: Well, I think each one of us has our own explanation for some of the oriental religions that fate and destiny play a large part and man is, in a certain sense, going through a period of mystery always and things happen that we cannot always understand.

For us, who are Christians, who have faith in the Lord and in his power of salvation, it's a different story. We must tell the people that even though these terrible events happen, they do not mean that God doesn't love us. They do not mean that God doesn't take care of us. They do not mean that the Lord has not been present to us, even in disaster.

I think we say to people -- and I've been saying to them in Sri Lanka yesterday and today -- that basically what we believe is that life is a mystery. And we go through this mystery not knowing the -- not knowing how it's going to end. But we know this: that God loves us and that God has a plan for us. And that even though we may have suffering and we may have loss and grief, this tremendous grief that they have gone through in Sri Lanka and in these other countries, for some way that we do not always understand, God has is taking care of us. That he brings good out of evil, and in our lives he brings good out of evil, too. I think that's the message you try to give them.

HEMMER: Let me try and take it a step further. In this mystery, it's our understanding based on the reports we read back here in the U.S., that religious leaders in Sri Lanka and religious leaders in Indonesia have told their own followers that they believe, for whatever reason, one reason or another, God is punishing them as a result of this tsunami. Can you explain as to why this would be the teaching for followers in their capacity trying to understand such an enormous disaster?

MCCARRICK: Well, I guess it's the easiest way to try to explain it, and yet it's not the way that we do it. We don't see God as punishing through the things of nature. We see God punishing each one of us, if he has to, through his own way and at his own time. We see a God as a forgiving God, as a God who loves us and who loves to forgive. We see the whole story of the cross, the whole story of Jesus' giving his life for others, as a sign of his willingness to accept our suffering, to carry our burdens, and to bring us to everlasting life. I won't preach at you, but that's what we believe and that's how we explain it.

I think other religions may want to tell the people that they haven't been good or they haven't been faithful. And certainly which us is always good and faithful? But when we look at this, it's very hard for us, as Christians, certainly as Catholics, to say that this is a punishment for your sins, because look at all of the little kids who perished. Look at all of these little children who were washed away. How could it be a punishment for this?

And so, there's a deeper question here. It's God's weaving the tapestry that we don't always see. It's God loving us and carrying us through to happiness, often, sometimes, through sorrow and through difficulty and through pain.

HEMMER: On a personal note, I know you've met with the president of Sri Lanka. Can you relate to our viewers what you have seen there in the past three days?

MCCARRICK: Well, of course, they probably have seen more television coverage than I have. You've seen the terrible disaster. What I'm picking up now is the history of it, the story of the different waves, that first wave which apparently came in around 9:30 in the morning, a wave that was maybe two-feet high. It came in strong. It came in quickly. It destroyed a lot of things as it went, picked up cars. It was that heavy. It knocked people down. But it wasn't an enormously big wave.

And then it left. It was drawn back. And that tremendous force of it being recovering back into the sea caused an awful lot of people to go with it, because it pulled them right off their feet. As it drove them back into the sea, so many people were lost then.

And then, people began to look around. They said, well, the wave is over. Look at the seabed. Look at the lagoon bed. It drove all of the water out of the near area. And people began to walk into where the sea was before, picking things up, looking at things. It seemed so strange. They had never seen this before.

I've heard that the water left maybe even a half a kilometer...

HEMMER: Wow!

MCCARRICK: ... about 40 percent of a mile. And so, people came out to look at it again. And then, about 20 minutes later the major wave came in. And that was, as you'll hear, many 10 to 15 feet high, and it did tremendous damage.

Now, I was in Galle at the Catholic Cathedral, which, thank God, is up on a hill. And the priest was saying -- he had just finished the 8:00 mass, and was saying good-bye to the people when the first wave came in. The people were scared of it, but then after everything died down they went down the hill back to their own areas.

And there was a bus station there, this rather large bus station, and people were getting on, getting their buses. It was a Sunday, a holiday, going to visit their relatives. And as this all is going on, this other wave is coming back.

And there's a huge fort there built probably either by the Portuguese or by the Dutch about 300 years ago. And when the water hit it, it was blocked by the fort, which was built very strongly. So, the water went around both ways, and the people at the bus station could see the water coming from one direction. They began to run in anther direction, and the water came on the other side of the fort...

HEMMER: So many stories.

MCCARRICK: ... and just killed so many of them.

HEMMER: Well, listen, thank you for sharing with us.

MCCARRICK: The stories of...

HEMMER: Yes. And they keep going on and on. My best to you. Travel well. And when you come back stateside, perhaps we can talk some more. Theodore McCarrick, a cardinal out of Washington, the archbishop is there in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Thanks again for that -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Rusty Dornin is now reporting that three small bodies have been pulled from the rubble in La Conchita, California. That, of course, is the coastal town that's been overrun by the mudslide there. That brings the death toll there in that area to 10 since the mudslide that happened Monday.

The wicked weather that's been causing havoc in California is doing the same thing in Utah. Let's listen to this.

In fact, massive flooding across southern Utah has destroyed homes and stranded residents and damaged roads obviously as well. The floods in the St. George area are the worst in 15 years. The region, unfortunately, is bracing for even more rain today.

And then remember this picture from yesterday, that massive 25- foot-tall boulder that rumbled down onto a road in Malibu, California? The only way that work crews could move it was to just blow it up. The boulder fell onto Topanga Canyon Boulevard just about a mile from the Pacific Coast Highway.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: That company behind a popular police tool takes a bit of a hit on Wall Street. Some controversy to talk about. Andy explains that a moment here "Minding Your Business."

O'BRIEN: And a public spat between George Clooney and a famous talk show host. It could pay off, though, for a good cause. "90- Second Pop" is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. Back to Jack now and the "Question of the Day."

Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Bill.

The Iraqi elections are less than three weeks away. Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi acknowledged for the first time yesterday that pockets of that country are simply too dangerous for people to vote. There has been a sharp increase in insurgent attacks over the last month. Iraq's largest mainstream Sunni party has withdrawn from the current interim government. And Sunni leaders now say they'll boycott the upcoming election. The Sunnis constitute 20 percent of that country's population.

Here's the question: Will the results of a January 30 election in Iraq be legitimate?

Robert in Tacoma, Washington, writes: "No way, Jack. Not everyone will vote. And when the voting is over, they will protest it because they didn't get to vote. Iraqi people are confused and scarred from the past. How do you overcome that?"

Steve in Palmerton, Pennsylvania: "Legitimate in whose eyes? If the Sunni Iraqis end up with minority representation, then they, of course, will declare the election bogus and use the election as the launch point for a full-scale civil war. On the other hand, if there's an enormous Shiite turnout that makes Iraq and Islamic theocracy, the neo conservatives in the Bush administration will be the ones to cry foul."

Jerry in Georgia writes: "How can a democracy be established when all the people don't have an equal opportunity to vote? This vote is a travesty and injustice to those Iraqis who desire a democratic society."

And finally this from Dave in Japan: "By removing Saddam Hussein, America effectively fast-forwarded the sectarian struggle between Iraqi Shias backed by Iran and Iraqi Sunnis backed by Saudi Arabia. The conflict between these two groups was inevitable, but the tragedy is that American troops are now expected to referee a meaningless election in the middle of somebody else's civil war."

HEMMER: American troops, a good point there, too. What, a month ago they said 30,000 U.S. soldiers will descend on Baghdad for this vote? Keeping themselves safe is priority No. 1 for them.

CAFFERTY: True.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: It's time to chat with Andy. The makers of tasers are getting a big old shock on Wall Street, plus the day's other market action ahead. Andy is "Minding Your Business".

Hello.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Hello, Soledad.

The sellers continued to hold sway yesterday on Wall Street, sadly enough. The Dow down 64 points. No catalyst to the upside, so the bears are on the prowl. You can see this, the Dow down 2 percent for the year. Not a lot of good news out there so far.

Today may be an exception, though, because after the bell last night Intel said that its revenue was above forecasts. The futures are higher this morning.

Yes, a taser investor has been getting stunned. And that's not a good thing. This once high-flying maker of stun guns stock has fallen more than 50 percent this year. Why? There's a lot of stuff going on. First of all, there's a lot of froth in the stock. Second of all, taint from the embroiling over Bernie Kerik, the board member. Also an SEC investigation. Delay in orders now because police departments are evaluating competitive products.

And now, "USA Today" has a story in its edition this morning talking about stock option payments to police officers who are using these guns and training their departments. Possible conflicts of interest there. So far, the company is saying that none of these officers were involved in procuring the stun guns. But an interesting situation there. A once high-flying stock has really been under pressure.

O'BRIEN: And that falls into the category of the appearance of wrongdoing.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: It's just bad as a wrongdoing. Or it's just as bad for your stock as a wrongdoing itself, right.

SERWER: That's right. Yes, exactly.

O'BRIEN: Andy, thanks.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Well, love is in the air, kind of weirdo strange love that is. What is the deal with TV's newest odd couple? "90-Second Pop" is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: I love this song. My kids love this song. We all dance around the living room. That's another story for another day. Welcome back, everybody. It's time once again for "90-Second Pop." The gang's all here this morning. Andy Borowitz from BorowitzReport.com. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine. And Toure, CNN pop culture correspondent.

Good morning.

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: How you doing? SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: good morning.

O'BRIEN: I'm doing great. But I've got to tell you, you know, sometimes VH1 calls something by a name, like Strangelove. And you say, oh, that's so overrated. That's so hyperbolic. That is just -- no, not this time.

BERNARD: No. It's perfect.

TOURE: It's so right, dead on. It's so strange. It's the relationship between Flavor Flav from Public Enemy and Brigitte Nielsen, blonde goddess, ex-wife of Sylvester Stallone. It's very strange. Flavor is going to Italy to try to win her back from her fiance, who is Italian. He's a young Italian boy. It is strange, and a lot of people are wondering if it's love. It's real love.

O'BRIEN: So back up. It's a spin-off.

TOURE: It's a spin-off from "The Surreal Life".

O'BRIEN: Which is where they kind of met and fell in love, dare I say.

TOURE: Where the met, the weird reality show. Let me tell you what love is. This is love. Flavor Flav says on the show, we have such a connection, we feel what the other feels. When she's uncomfortable, I'm uncomfortable.

O'BRIEN: That's a little weird.

TOURE: That is love!

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: And, you know, throughout the entire show...

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: I do.

BOROWITZ: Throughout the entire show, the audience is uncomfortable, which is really amazing.

BERNARD: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: We, too, are all in love.

BERNARD: I just think it's really funny that everyone is obsessed with whether it's real or not. I mean....

O'BRIEN: I'm obsessed with it. Why not? It's so bizarre.

BOROWITZ: Well, you know...

BERNARD: I think this is just as real as "The Bachelorette." I mean, basically... BOROWITZ: Sarah, keep your eye on the clock around Flavor Flav, because when that starts ringing the relationship is over.

O'BRIEN: They do.

BERNARD: But it's an egg timer?

BOROWITZ: It's like an egg timer, yes.

O'BRIEN: But there is -- I mean, there is something a little just -- outside of just the weird element of it, it's done very well.

TOURE: Yes.

O'BRIEN: I mean, people obviously like to watch sort of the car wreck aspect of it. I mean, it's just a mess.

TOURE: But it's fun. I mean, Flavor Flav is emotionally honest and open. And he was such a weirdo before, and Brigitte was so tough. And she's emotionally open and honest. And they're in the same characters that they were before. It's so much fun to watch. I mean, she's like, you know, trying to tell him, you know, I have to go back to my boyfriend...

BERNARD: Yes.

TOURE: ... and he's so much fun.

BERNARD: Well, I think you've got to hand it to the VH1 guys...

O'BRIEN: Yes.

BERNARD: ... because they knew, like, a couple weeks into it...

O'BRIEN: Kaching (ph).

BERNARD: ... that they were going to have their own show.

O'BRIEN: At the end of the day, those are the real winners there, the people at VH1 who are just, like, we love this stuff.

TOURE: Kaching (ph).

O'BRIEN: It's weird but we love it.

Let's talk about the tsunami aftermath, not just the damage, of course, in Asia, but what's going on here and in Hollywood.

BOROWITZ: Right.

O'BRIEN: The battle between George Clooney and the other guy, Bill O'Reilly.

BOROWITZ: Right. Right. This is strange hate I guess. It's like George Clooney is running this Hollywood tsunami telethon. And, I guess, O'Reilly was charging that not enough of the money was going to go actually to tsunami relief. So George Clooney said, well, instead of being part of the problem, why don't you come and be on the telethon, which he's going to do.

O'BRIEN: And do what?

BOROWITZ: Well, I think...

O'BRIEN: Is he going to act? Sing?

BOROWITZ: I guess he's going to present. I think it's a terrible idea to have Bill O'Reilly anywhere near telethons. I just think it's an awful, awful idea.

BERNARD: But he's got to be happy no matter how much fun George Clooney is making of him that he's finally on to attacking something else.

BOROWITZ: Right.

BERNARD: None of his potential phone sex.

BOROWITZ: Right.

TOURE: I want to be a part of...

O'BRIEN: I like what you just said, the phone sex.

BERNARD: Yes. Can I say phone sex?

O'BRIEN: Why not? Sure.

TOURE: There's going to be a tsunami benefit hosted by Tenacious D, Jeff Black (ph), Eddie Vedder is going to be there. Like, that's the one I want to be a part of.

O'BRIEN: Oh, rival tsunami events.

BERNARD: Oh!

TOURE: That's going to be great. January 17 in L.A. That's going to be awesome.

O'BRIEN: OK. Well, you know what? It's money for a good cause. I hope they raise lots of money. Let's end it there. You guys, as always, thank you very much.

TOURE: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Let's go back to Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. Top stories in a moment here. Also, one woman's remarkable survival story. Returning a phone call may have saved her life. At the top of the hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.

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Aired January 12, 2005 - 07:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It's 7:30 here in New York. Good morning, everybody.
In a moment here, it is not surprising that so many victims from the tsunami are now asking themselves some pretty tough questions right now, tough religious questions, too. One religious leader that has been touring the area is the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. He's in Sri Lanka. We'll talk to him live in a few moments. We'll talk to him about the advice that he is getting from people there and the advice that he's giving, too. So, some tough questions. We'll get to it in a moment.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, Iraq's election is getting closer and close. But now, there is word that parts of the country are just not safe enough to vote. Barbara Starr is going to talk about that and whether the insurgents are then gaining the upper hand there.

But first, another check of the headlines. Kelly Wallace has made it, what, the nine blocks over?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Nine blocks, exactly.

O'BRIEN: Good morning.

WALLACE: You can get here very quickly when you have to.

O'BRIEN: Well, that's good. Good to see you.

WALLACE: Well, hello again, everyone.

"Now in the News."

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is scheduled to get a firsthand look this morning at the devastation caused by that deadly mudslide. Within the last two hours, rescuers pulled a seventh body from the mud and debris in the town of La Conchita. A new look at the mudslide shows the full extent of the damage, and you can see it there. Rescue crews are still searching for 13 people this hour, including three children.

In Florida now, federal investigators are looking into events surrounding a small plane crash. The pilot was apparently trying to make an emergency landing on a golf course after reporting mechanical problems. You see that dramatic video there. As the plane was approaching, it slammed right into that utility pole. Two men were on board. One was killed. The other is reported to be in fair condition.

In health news now, a possible link between diet and cancer. New research shows red meat may raise the risk of colon cancer in some people. Details of the study appear in today's "Journal of the American Medical Association." And Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us next hour. He'll talk about who is most at risk.

And finally, NASA is getting ready to launch a mission today in hopes of unlocking the secrets of comets. The two spacecraft of NASA's deep impact mission are scheduled for liftoff this afternoon. If everything goes as planned, the spacecraft will blast a hole in a comet, showing what it is made of. And this celestial showdown is scheduled for Independence Day. Some cool pictures there.

HEMMER: It's going to blast a hole in the comet?

WALLACE: You heard it there.

HEMMER: Who came up with this idea?

O'BRIEN: Let's hope it works.

HEMMER: Me, too. Better them than us.

WALLACE: Well, the consequences are, exactly.

HEMMER: Thanks, Kelly.

O'BRIEN: All right, Kelly, thanks.

WALLACE: Sure.

O'BRIEN: An American soldier was killed in combat in Iraq today. The fighting took place in the insurgent hotbed of al-Anbar (ph) province, which is west of Baghdad. Iraqi and American officials are saying the January 30 elections will go ahead, but admit the increasing violence cannot be ignored.

Barbara Starr is live for us this morning at the Pentagon.

Hey, Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.

Well, indeed, Interim Iraqi President Ayad Allawi now says that parts of Iraq may be too dangerous for voters to come out on Election Day, but those elections are going to go forward. The stakes could not be higher.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice over): Less than three weeks until the scheduled elections in Iraq, a suicide car bomber targeted a police headquarters in Tikrit, killing six people. Top officials insist the elections will go forward on January 30. But now, a more realistic assessment about whether Iraqis across the country will participate, especially in the violent Sunni triangle.

AYAD ALLAWI, INTERIM IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: Certainly, there are some pockets who will not take part in these elections. But there are not many pockets.

STARR: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is minimizing expectations.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Just having elections in Iraq is an enormous success and a victory.

STARR: U.S. officials still hope troubled Iraqi security forces will take a high-profile role on Election Day. But insurgents are growing more sophisticated, detonating explosives from farther away, making it more difficult to track them. It was 200 pounds of explosives that killed seven soldiers in a Bradley vehicle.

Senior U.S. military officials say even after the elections, they do not expect to see the violence necessarily decrease. And, therefore, it's unlikely there will be a significant drawdown in U.S. forces.

One senior official said the goal remains winning, not just getting out of Iraq. The elements of winning include getting Iraqi security forces to be able to defend the country, electing a representative government, establishing a secure economy.

RUMSFELD: This has been the coalition's goal, an Iraq run by Iraqis and secured by Iraqi security forces.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And, Soledad, military officials say just a few weeks ago, top former officials in Saddam Hussein's regime met inside Syria to plot the future course of the insurgency. Just another indication of the money and muscle behind the violence in Iraq -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Barbara, I want to ask you a question about some reports that say that the biological and chemical and nuclear weapons hunt is now over, ending kind of quietly. Is there something new in this? Or is it sort of an end that many people actually had predicted long ago?

STARR: Well, indeed, a very quiet, predictable ending, Soledad, by all accounts. About two years ago, of course, it was President Bush who sent the country to war in Iraq. One of the majors reasons being the suspicion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. After two years of searching, no indication of weapons, stockpiles or programs.

And that report is now being finished up. It is expected to be issued within the next many, many weeks. And it is expected to say no weapons of mass destruction inside Iraq -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at Pentagon for us. Barbara, thanks -- Bill. HEMMER: It's about 24 minutes now before the hour. Back to Asia now, where the U.N. is reporting some short-term success now in the relief effort there. One official says food is now reaching all of the needy areas of Sri Lanka and much of Indonesia as well. That is certainly good news.

The Catholic Relief Services is handling a wide range of aid in Sri Lanka. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington, is there in Colombo. He joins us now here on AMERICAN MORNING.

And we appreciate your time here. And I want to get your personal thoughts in a moment here. But first, let's focus on religion as it relates to this disaster there. I know you've met with Hindu leaders and Buddhist leaders and Christian leaders. What are they telling their followers about why this has occurred?

CARDINAL THEODORE MCCARRICK, ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON: Well, I think each one of us has our own explanation for some of the oriental religions that fate and destiny play a large part and man is, in a certain sense, going through a period of mystery always and things happen that we cannot always understand.

For us, who are Christians, who have faith in the Lord and in his power of salvation, it's a different story. We must tell the people that even though these terrible events happen, they do not mean that God doesn't love us. They do not mean that God doesn't take care of us. They do not mean that the Lord has not been present to us, even in disaster.

I think we say to people -- and I've been saying to them in Sri Lanka yesterday and today -- that basically what we believe is that life is a mystery. And we go through this mystery not knowing the -- not knowing how it's going to end. But we know this: that God loves us and that God has a plan for us. And that even though we may have suffering and we may have loss and grief, this tremendous grief that they have gone through in Sri Lanka and in these other countries, for some way that we do not always understand, God has is taking care of us. That he brings good out of evil, and in our lives he brings good out of evil, too. I think that's the message you try to give them.

HEMMER: Let me try and take it a step further. In this mystery, it's our understanding based on the reports we read back here in the U.S., that religious leaders in Sri Lanka and religious leaders in Indonesia have told their own followers that they believe, for whatever reason, one reason or another, God is punishing them as a result of this tsunami. Can you explain as to why this would be the teaching for followers in their capacity trying to understand such an enormous disaster?

MCCARRICK: Well, I guess it's the easiest way to try to explain it, and yet it's not the way that we do it. We don't see God as punishing through the things of nature. We see God punishing each one of us, if he has to, through his own way and at his own time. We see a God as a forgiving God, as a God who loves us and who loves to forgive. We see the whole story of the cross, the whole story of Jesus' giving his life for others, as a sign of his willingness to accept our suffering, to carry our burdens, and to bring us to everlasting life. I won't preach at you, but that's what we believe and that's how we explain it.

I think other religions may want to tell the people that they haven't been good or they haven't been faithful. And certainly which us is always good and faithful? But when we look at this, it's very hard for us, as Christians, certainly as Catholics, to say that this is a punishment for your sins, because look at all of the little kids who perished. Look at all of these little children who were washed away. How could it be a punishment for this?

And so, there's a deeper question here. It's God's weaving the tapestry that we don't always see. It's God loving us and carrying us through to happiness, often, sometimes, through sorrow and through difficulty and through pain.

HEMMER: On a personal note, I know you've met with the president of Sri Lanka. Can you relate to our viewers what you have seen there in the past three days?

MCCARRICK: Well, of course, they probably have seen more television coverage than I have. You've seen the terrible disaster. What I'm picking up now is the history of it, the story of the different waves, that first wave which apparently came in around 9:30 in the morning, a wave that was maybe two-feet high. It came in strong. It came in quickly. It destroyed a lot of things as it went, picked up cars. It was that heavy. It knocked people down. But it wasn't an enormously big wave.

And then it left. It was drawn back. And that tremendous force of it being recovering back into the sea caused an awful lot of people to go with it, because it pulled them right off their feet. As it drove them back into the sea, so many people were lost then.

And then, people began to look around. They said, well, the wave is over. Look at the seabed. Look at the lagoon bed. It drove all of the water out of the near area. And people began to walk into where the sea was before, picking things up, looking at things. It seemed so strange. They had never seen this before.

I've heard that the water left maybe even a half a kilometer...

HEMMER: Wow!

MCCARRICK: ... about 40 percent of a mile. And so, people came out to look at it again. And then, about 20 minutes later the major wave came in. And that was, as you'll hear, many 10 to 15 feet high, and it did tremendous damage.

Now, I was in Galle at the Catholic Cathedral, which, thank God, is up on a hill. And the priest was saying -- he had just finished the 8:00 mass, and was saying good-bye to the people when the first wave came in. The people were scared of it, but then after everything died down they went down the hill back to their own areas.

And there was a bus station there, this rather large bus station, and people were getting on, getting their buses. It was a Sunday, a holiday, going to visit their relatives. And as this all is going on, this other wave is coming back.

And there's a huge fort there built probably either by the Portuguese or by the Dutch about 300 years ago. And when the water hit it, it was blocked by the fort, which was built very strongly. So, the water went around both ways, and the people at the bus station could see the water coming from one direction. They began to run in anther direction, and the water came on the other side of the fort...

HEMMER: So many stories.

MCCARRICK: ... and just killed so many of them.

HEMMER: Well, listen, thank you for sharing with us.

MCCARRICK: The stories of...

HEMMER: Yes. And they keep going on and on. My best to you. Travel well. And when you come back stateside, perhaps we can talk some more. Theodore McCarrick, a cardinal out of Washington, the archbishop is there in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Thanks again for that -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Rusty Dornin is now reporting that three small bodies have been pulled from the rubble in La Conchita, California. That, of course, is the coastal town that's been overrun by the mudslide there. That brings the death toll there in that area to 10 since the mudslide that happened Monday.

The wicked weather that's been causing havoc in California is doing the same thing in Utah. Let's listen to this.

In fact, massive flooding across southern Utah has destroyed homes and stranded residents and damaged roads obviously as well. The floods in the St. George area are the worst in 15 years. The region, unfortunately, is bracing for even more rain today.

And then remember this picture from yesterday, that massive 25- foot-tall boulder that rumbled down onto a road in Malibu, California? The only way that work crews could move it was to just blow it up. The boulder fell onto Topanga Canyon Boulevard just about a mile from the Pacific Coast Highway.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: That company behind a popular police tool takes a bit of a hit on Wall Street. Some controversy to talk about. Andy explains that a moment here "Minding Your Business."

O'BRIEN: And a public spat between George Clooney and a famous talk show host. It could pay off, though, for a good cause. "90- Second Pop" is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. Back to Jack now and the "Question of the Day."

Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Bill.

The Iraqi elections are less than three weeks away. Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi acknowledged for the first time yesterday that pockets of that country are simply too dangerous for people to vote. There has been a sharp increase in insurgent attacks over the last month. Iraq's largest mainstream Sunni party has withdrawn from the current interim government. And Sunni leaders now say they'll boycott the upcoming election. The Sunnis constitute 20 percent of that country's population.

Here's the question: Will the results of a January 30 election in Iraq be legitimate?

Robert in Tacoma, Washington, writes: "No way, Jack. Not everyone will vote. And when the voting is over, they will protest it because they didn't get to vote. Iraqi people are confused and scarred from the past. How do you overcome that?"

Steve in Palmerton, Pennsylvania: "Legitimate in whose eyes? If the Sunni Iraqis end up with minority representation, then they, of course, will declare the election bogus and use the election as the launch point for a full-scale civil war. On the other hand, if there's an enormous Shiite turnout that makes Iraq and Islamic theocracy, the neo conservatives in the Bush administration will be the ones to cry foul."

Jerry in Georgia writes: "How can a democracy be established when all the people don't have an equal opportunity to vote? This vote is a travesty and injustice to those Iraqis who desire a democratic society."

And finally this from Dave in Japan: "By removing Saddam Hussein, America effectively fast-forwarded the sectarian struggle between Iraqi Shias backed by Iran and Iraqi Sunnis backed by Saudi Arabia. The conflict between these two groups was inevitable, but the tragedy is that American troops are now expected to referee a meaningless election in the middle of somebody else's civil war."

HEMMER: American troops, a good point there, too. What, a month ago they said 30,000 U.S. soldiers will descend on Baghdad for this vote? Keeping themselves safe is priority No. 1 for them.

CAFFERTY: True.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: It's time to chat with Andy. The makers of tasers are getting a big old shock on Wall Street, plus the day's other market action ahead. Andy is "Minding Your Business".

Hello.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Hello, Soledad.

The sellers continued to hold sway yesterday on Wall Street, sadly enough. The Dow down 64 points. No catalyst to the upside, so the bears are on the prowl. You can see this, the Dow down 2 percent for the year. Not a lot of good news out there so far.

Today may be an exception, though, because after the bell last night Intel said that its revenue was above forecasts. The futures are higher this morning.

Yes, a taser investor has been getting stunned. And that's not a good thing. This once high-flying maker of stun guns stock has fallen more than 50 percent this year. Why? There's a lot of stuff going on. First of all, there's a lot of froth in the stock. Second of all, taint from the embroiling over Bernie Kerik, the board member. Also an SEC investigation. Delay in orders now because police departments are evaluating competitive products.

And now, "USA Today" has a story in its edition this morning talking about stock option payments to police officers who are using these guns and training their departments. Possible conflicts of interest there. So far, the company is saying that none of these officers were involved in procuring the stun guns. But an interesting situation there. A once high-flying stock has really been under pressure.

O'BRIEN: And that falls into the category of the appearance of wrongdoing.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: It's just bad as a wrongdoing. Or it's just as bad for your stock as a wrongdoing itself, right.

SERWER: That's right. Yes, exactly.

O'BRIEN: Andy, thanks.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Well, love is in the air, kind of weirdo strange love that is. What is the deal with TV's newest odd couple? "90-Second Pop" is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: I love this song. My kids love this song. We all dance around the living room. That's another story for another day. Welcome back, everybody. It's time once again for "90-Second Pop." The gang's all here this morning. Andy Borowitz from BorowitzReport.com. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine. And Toure, CNN pop culture correspondent.

Good morning.

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: How you doing? SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: good morning.

O'BRIEN: I'm doing great. But I've got to tell you, you know, sometimes VH1 calls something by a name, like Strangelove. And you say, oh, that's so overrated. That's so hyperbolic. That is just -- no, not this time.

BERNARD: No. It's perfect.

TOURE: It's so right, dead on. It's so strange. It's the relationship between Flavor Flav from Public Enemy and Brigitte Nielsen, blonde goddess, ex-wife of Sylvester Stallone. It's very strange. Flavor is going to Italy to try to win her back from her fiance, who is Italian. He's a young Italian boy. It is strange, and a lot of people are wondering if it's love. It's real love.

O'BRIEN: So back up. It's a spin-off.

TOURE: It's a spin-off from "The Surreal Life".

O'BRIEN: Which is where they kind of met and fell in love, dare I say.

TOURE: Where the met, the weird reality show. Let me tell you what love is. This is love. Flavor Flav says on the show, we have such a connection, we feel what the other feels. When she's uncomfortable, I'm uncomfortable.

O'BRIEN: That's a little weird.

TOURE: That is love!

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: And, you know, throughout the entire show...

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: I do.

BOROWITZ: Throughout the entire show, the audience is uncomfortable, which is really amazing.

BERNARD: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: We, too, are all in love.

BERNARD: I just think it's really funny that everyone is obsessed with whether it's real or not. I mean....

O'BRIEN: I'm obsessed with it. Why not? It's so bizarre.

BOROWITZ: Well, you know...

BERNARD: I think this is just as real as "The Bachelorette." I mean, basically... BOROWITZ: Sarah, keep your eye on the clock around Flavor Flav, because when that starts ringing the relationship is over.

O'BRIEN: They do.

BERNARD: But it's an egg timer?

BOROWITZ: It's like an egg timer, yes.

O'BRIEN: But there is -- I mean, there is something a little just -- outside of just the weird element of it, it's done very well.

TOURE: Yes.

O'BRIEN: I mean, people obviously like to watch sort of the car wreck aspect of it. I mean, it's just a mess.

TOURE: But it's fun. I mean, Flavor Flav is emotionally honest and open. And he was such a weirdo before, and Brigitte was so tough. And she's emotionally open and honest. And they're in the same characters that they were before. It's so much fun to watch. I mean, she's like, you know, trying to tell him, you know, I have to go back to my boyfriend...

BERNARD: Yes.

TOURE: ... and he's so much fun.

BERNARD: Well, I think you've got to hand it to the VH1 guys...

O'BRIEN: Yes.

BERNARD: ... because they knew, like, a couple weeks into it...

O'BRIEN: Kaching (ph).

BERNARD: ... that they were going to have their own show.

O'BRIEN: At the end of the day, those are the real winners there, the people at VH1 who are just, like, we love this stuff.

TOURE: Kaching (ph).

O'BRIEN: It's weird but we love it.

Let's talk about the tsunami aftermath, not just the damage, of course, in Asia, but what's going on here and in Hollywood.

BOROWITZ: Right.

O'BRIEN: The battle between George Clooney and the other guy, Bill O'Reilly.

BOROWITZ: Right. Right. This is strange hate I guess. It's like George Clooney is running this Hollywood tsunami telethon. And, I guess, O'Reilly was charging that not enough of the money was going to go actually to tsunami relief. So George Clooney said, well, instead of being part of the problem, why don't you come and be on the telethon, which he's going to do.

O'BRIEN: And do what?

BOROWITZ: Well, I think...

O'BRIEN: Is he going to act? Sing?

BOROWITZ: I guess he's going to present. I think it's a terrible idea to have Bill O'Reilly anywhere near telethons. I just think it's an awful, awful idea.

BERNARD: But he's got to be happy no matter how much fun George Clooney is making of him that he's finally on to attacking something else.

BOROWITZ: Right.

BERNARD: None of his potential phone sex.

BOROWITZ: Right.

TOURE: I want to be a part of...

O'BRIEN: I like what you just said, the phone sex.

BERNARD: Yes. Can I say phone sex?

O'BRIEN: Why not? Sure.

TOURE: There's going to be a tsunami benefit hosted by Tenacious D, Jeff Black (ph), Eddie Vedder is going to be there. Like, that's the one I want to be a part of.

O'BRIEN: Oh, rival tsunami events.

BERNARD: Oh!

TOURE: That's going to be great. January 17 in L.A. That's going to be awesome.

O'BRIEN: OK. Well, you know what? It's money for a good cause. I hope they raise lots of money. Let's end it there. You guys, as always, thank you very much.

TOURE: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Let's go back to Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. Top stories in a moment here. Also, one woman's remarkable survival story. Returning a phone call may have saved her life. At the top of the hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.

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