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American Morning
Confirmation Hearing for Condoleezza Rice; Elections Scheduled for Iraq Next Week
Aired January 19, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Senators pressing Condoleezza Rice for answers on Iraq. Day two of her confirmation hearing states in one hour.
President Bush at a half way point in his presidency and on the eve of his inauguration, the party is now in full swing.
And, they're back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will stabilize Iraq in my second term. And I will amend the constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The Jib Jab guys have a brand new cartoon just in time for the inauguration. They'll share it with us on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Still cold in New York. Thirteen degrees outside our studios here at 51st and Sixth Avenue.
Good morning, everyone.
Excitement building down the road in Washington this morning, just a day away from the president's second inauguration. In a few moments today, we'll get a unique view of the president from the man who guides and advises him on spiritual matters. The Reverend Kirby Jon Caldwell is our guest. How much does religion influence the actions of the president? Our guest in a few minutes here.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, a historic moment approaching for Iraq, as well. In just a few minutes, we're going to talk to an American who was born and raised in Iraq who's been waiting a long time to see this election. She's been teaching women in her home country about democracy. We're going to ask her a little bit more about whether they're ready or not.
HEMMER: Eleven days and counting.
Jack Cafferty, what's in the file?
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wednesday, time for "Things People Say," Bill.
A star of "Friends" compares one of the joys of fatherhood to a pit stop at Daytona. A North Korean television series aimed at getting men into the barber shop. And one of the greatest exit lines ever from one of the really good guys.
HEMMER: Excellent. Three for three.
CAFFERTY: We'll see.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Here's Heidi Collins now with the headlines -- Heidi, good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, you guys.
And good morning to you, everyone, once again.
Now in the news this morning, insurgents in Iraq stepping up their offensive ahead of the January 30th elections. At least 25 people have been killed in a wave of attacks today. One of the targets? The Australian embassy in Baghdad. U.S. troops also found and detonated another bomb on the road leading to Baghdad's airport.
In Saudi Arabia, some two million Muslims from around the world are covering on Mount Arafat during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Standing on Mount Arafat, also known as the Mount of Mercy, before sunset today is the high point of the Hajj. Saudi authorities have deployed some 50,000 security forces to try and keep order.
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell set to give his farewell speech. In about three hours, Powell will deliver his final address to State Department employees. More on the confirmation hearings for his successor, Condoleezza Rice, coming up in just a moment.
Back over to you now.
HEMMER: We're waiting for day two, you're right.
Heidi, thanks for that.
A full plate at the White House today. Condoleezza Rice, as I mentioned, 60 minutes away from her second round of questioning at a confirmation hearing for secretary of state. And George Bush just a day away from taking the oath of office to begin his second term as president of the United States.
Here's Dana Bash at the White House -- good morning there.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. And on the eve of that second term, the president will start, of course, tomorrow, what we're seeing with the Condoleezza Rice hearings is essentially his first term foreign policy, particularly the controversy on Iraq, under the microscope. Now, much of the questioning has been quite cordial, but there were some heated exchanges, like that with Barbara Boxer, the Democrat from California. She went back and threw some of Condoleezza Rice's prewar warnings on Iraq back at her, particularly what she said about weapons of mass destruction that were never found. Again, that resulted in some quite heated back and forth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D-CF), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: I also will not shrink from questioning a war that was not built on the truth.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I would hope that we can have this conversation and discuss what happened before and what went on before and what I said without impugning my credibility of my integrity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, in the end, Dr. Rice gave no new ground that Democrats seemed to be looking for on perhaps admitting some errors in the way the administration handled Iraq, except to say that there were ups and down in the policy and the strategy. And she also couldn't answer, she said, another critical question for this White House, Bill, that is, when U.S. troops are going to start to come home. But she said in these hearings and will continue, of course, today to say she believes the time for diplomacy is now.
One senior Democrat said that time is overdue. Jim Biden, that Democrat, on CNN this morning, saying that he was not very impressed.
Aside from all of that, Democrats and Republicans alike saying that she will be confirmed, likely, by the committee later today; by the full Senate probably tomorrow.
HEMMER: As a backdrop on all this, the inauguration starts tomorrow. Events are already underway. They started last night, right, Dana?
BASH: They started last night. The president had a two hour event. It was a tribute to the military where he talked about the inauguration being a testament to the power of democracy. The spread of democracy and liberty, of course, we know, is a major theme of his inaugural address tomorrow. Today, they have a jam packed schedule, the president and Mrs. Bush. This morning, they are going to go to the National Archives, where they're going to be tourists of sorts, looking at things like the Declaration of Independence, George Washington's first inaugural address. Later, there's a celebration of freedom on the Ellipse right next to the White House, a very cold White House, where they will also see some fireworks. And later, there will be candlelight dinners, Bill. That is where the president is going to thank some of the high rollers, the donors for this inauguration, some who have given $100,000, $250,000. Those three dinners are closed to the press, but finally there will be the first inaugural ball tonight, the Texas Society Black Tie and Boots Ball -- Bill.
HEMMER: Cold is the operative word.
Thanks, Dana at the White House -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right, thanks.
Let's get right to weather, in fact, because cold is the operative word.
Chad Myers at the CNN Center for us -- Chad, how is it looking for inauguration day?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, if you want it to be warm, you'd just better schedule it in July. It's winter, 30 degrees tomorrow. I mean that's not bad. That's where probably we should be this time of year.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Four separate car bombs killed at least 25 Iraqis today and the escalating campaign of violence with Iraq's elections now 11 day way. But for some, the January 30th date is a long awaited beacon of hope.
Zanaib al-Suwaij is executive director of the American Islamic Congress.
She is just back from Basra, in southern Iraq, and she's our guest now in Boston, Massachusetts.
Good morning and welcome here.
ZAINAB AL-SUWAIJ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN ISLAMIC CONGRESS: Good morning.
HEMMER: This daily drumbeat of violence, how will that play out for these elections in less than two weeks?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, people are aware of that, I think, at this time and you see it everywhere. The southern part of Iraq is relatively much more quiet than the north or Baghdad. But people are getting ready for the election, looking forward to it, hoping that after the election, some stability will come.
HEMMER: Is there any way to know what turnout will be on the 30th of January?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, everyone is hoping that the election will go smoothly. But there is the fear always of some terrorist attacks or acts on the poll centers and what's around it, targeting people, targeting people who are going to vote. HEMMER: Well, theoretically speaking, if 80 percent of the Shiites vote and only 15 percent of the Sunnis vote, will that be considered a success?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, any kind of number that we get right now in Iraq during this poll, I think, is going to be a success. This is the first experience for Iraqis and I think it's going to matter a lot and it's going to change tremendously the image of the Iraqi people, how they are looking toward the future.
HEMMER: You know in the U.S., you're familiar with our elections here.
AL-SUWAIJ: Yes.
HEMMER: There are platforms and there are campaigns and there are promises.
What are politicians promising the Iraqi people if elected?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, they are promising them that their voice is going to be heard and they are going to help to get better life, better water and having electricity and stuff like that. Security, also, has come very, like a very focused point at this time because, for obvious reasons that you see it everywhere, with not that much of...
HEMMER: But back to the original point with all the violence. One thing I'm immensely curious about, how do you campaign in this environment? And how many people are?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, there are so many people who are running, actually, for the election. And they are going to schools. They are going to universities, places that they can work, working places, ministries. They are looking for, you know, campaigning as much as they can in safe environments. There are a lot of women running and, men and women, actually, are the same. But they are really looking forward to this experience.
HEMMER: And you talked mostly to women.
How involved are they at this point?
AL-SUWAIJ: They are very involved. They are looking forward to it. This is their first time, first experience. So for them, it's really something new coming and they are looking forward to it, putting all of their energy in it and they are very excited to have this right after so long.
HEMMER: Right. And I am certain, and we will all see how it plays out at the end of this month. Absentee balloting is, well, it's a loose expression that's used for expats, Iraqis living in the U.S.
AL-SUWAIJ: That's right.
HEMMER: You can vote in a number of cities here. Will you do that, in the U.S.?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, you know, election is, I think voting is part of what people have been looking for for so long. So we are looking forward to it.
HEMMER: So you will vote here, is what you're saying?
AL-SUWAIJ: I hope so.
HEMMER: OK.
All right, Zanaib al-Suwaij, thanks for your time from Boston, Massachusetts.
AL-SUWAIJ: Thank you.
HEMMER: Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Here's a question for you. What role does god play in the president's decisions? Mr. Bush acknowledges his strong religious faith. This morning we'll talk with a man with some insight on that, his spiritual adviser.
HEMMER: Also, a bit later, remember the Jib Jab guys? They are at it again. Cartoons taking no prisoners during the election. Now they're back just before the inauguration. We'll talk to them a bit later this hour; also show you the latest videotape they've produced.
Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: We are back with Jack and the Question of the Day this morning -- hello.
CAFFERTY: Hello.
Senator Barbara Boxer of California at the center of an ugly exchange during confirmation hearings in the Senate yesterday. She accused National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice of lying. She said, "Your loyalty to the mission overwhelmed your respect for the truth." In her 12 minute attack on Rice, Boxer didn't ask a single question. Nada. Instead, she used her time to lecture Rice in a condescending moral tone.
The question we're asking, and I've gotten 800 letters in the first hour of this program this morning, was Barbara Boxer out of line, accusing Condoleezza Rice of lying?
Tom in Boise writes: "Senator Boxer is a bitter woman who hates everything except the sound of her own voice. She is genetically predisposed to ignoring the task at hand, in this case assassinating the character of a nominee rather than asking a question. She apparently sees her role as the official whiner of the Democrats."
Some of them are worse than that.
Dwina in Crowley, Texas: "Senator Boxer had every right to confront Ms. Rice we her own quotes and ask that she explain the discrepancies. This is a hearing meant for questioning Ms. Rice in order to determine her fitness for an even higher position, right?"
J.W. in Tampa: "Don't you love seeing guilty white liberals being forced to criticize a successful black woman like Dr. Rice? Senator Boxer looked like she was slashing her wrists."
And Shirley in Dunden, Florida writes: "The only difference between Barbara Boxer and my neighbor's pit-bull is the lipstick."
HEMMER: Ooh.
O'BRIEN: Lots of personal attacks on the senator, huh?
CAFFERTY: Hey, that's what we do here.
HEMMER: You know, the other thing...
O'BRIEN: But that's from the readers, writers, viewers.
HEMMER: But on a serious note, the other thing you've got here is this discrepancy, you know, Condoleezza Rice said there were 120,000 trained Iraqi forces. Senator Biden came back and said there were 4,000. So you've got this huge disparity between these numbers and we're trying to get to the bottom of it.
To the Pentagon now.
Here's Barbara Starr looking at that -- Barbara, what have you found out?
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, everybody does have their own set of numbers, but the real reason, of course, this is so critically important is that the U.S. military is trying to really get a good handle on how many Iraqi security forces are fully trained and equipped, because with that election coming up in the next several days, the policy is to try and turn security over to the Iraqis, get them to fight for their country and pave the way, of course, down the road for an eventual U.S. military draw down of forces in Iraq. And, of course, the military can only do that if they know how many Iraqis they can count on.
So what is the discrepancy?
Senator Biden yesterday spoke about 4,000 security forces trained. We looked up the numbers this morning. There are about 4,000 trained Army forces, Iraqi Army soldiers now on duty. But that is only a slight part of the overall picture. Four thousand Iraqi Army trained, a requirement for 24,000 Army. And the overall picture? Well, all Iraqi security forces -- and that includes, of course, police, border guards, special forces, Army, all of it -- there are about 127,000 Iraqi security forces trained. That squares with Condoleezza Rice's number, essentially, but a requirement for 271,000 Iraqi security forces.
But still, in terms of what the U.S. military thinking is, they still want to have a much better handle, they say, on how many of these forces are really fully trained, fully equipped, confident and ready to fight for their country -- Bill.
HEMMER: One second, Barbara, there.
I want to play you a little bit of sound here with Jim Biden.
Listen here and then I've got another issue with you in a second here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D-DW), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: I think you should probably, you guys have a lot of sources in the military. I would go to your correspondents in the field you have there. And you ask them, any of them, whether they think there's 120,000 Iraqi forces trained. The 4,000 number came from the military last time I was in Iraq. There are probably 120,000 forces that have been given a uniform. There are nowhere near 120,000 Iraqis showing up in the military or the police forces every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: All right, to our viewers, that was Senator Biden on our program just about an hour ago.
There's this other argument, Barbara, as to whether or not the U.S. is allowing as much help to train these forces as possible. We know the training is being conducted in various parts of Iraq. We know the training continues in Jordan.
What about places like Egypt? Could they be conducted there, as well, or have they?
STARR: Well, they certainly could be conducted in other places, but behind-the-scenes, Bill, what senior officers are telling us at the U.S. Central Command in the region, here at the Pentagon, across the board, the most senior officers in the U.S. military, their concern is what they call the intangibles, the quality of the force. It's very interesting what Senator Biden said, handing them a uniform, handing them a weapon. That is one standard, officials tell us.
But what they're concerned about is maybe they've put too much focus on, as one officer said, turning out the Iraqis on the so-called factory line, turning out the numbers, turning out the statistics. But the quality of that Iraqi force, the intangibles, do the Iraqis have the confidence, the leadership, the sense of unit cohesion, of fighting for their country once the U.S. forces draw down or leave in the months and years ahead?
And that's why General Gary Luck is now in Iraq at the request of the United States government, looking at those Iraqi security forces, trying to see what else can be done. And, very quickly, Bill, one of the solutions on the table now is to put more U.S. military advisers, more trainers right inside those Iraqi military units and try and beef up their confidence and training and make them more of a quality force across-the-board.
It remains to be seen, of course, if it all works.
HEMMER: Yes, that's right.
And as you pointed out, the biggest test is January 30th, when those Iraqi forces will be called upon to keep polling stations safe.
Thank you, Barbara.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It is one of the biggest scandals in corporate history, but if greed doesn't grab you, lawyers are throwing a little sex into the mix. Andy is "Minding Your Business" up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: President Bush often invokes the role of god in the shaping of his presidency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are guided by a power larger than ourselves, who creates us equal in his image.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Joining us from Washington, the president's friend and spiritual adviser, also, the author of "Entrepreneurial Faith," the Reverend Kirby Jon Caldwell.
Rev. Caldwell will be giving the benediction at the inauguration tomorrow.
Nice to see you, sir.
Thanks for being with us.
REV. KIRBY JON CALDWELL, BUSH SPIRITUAL ADVISER: Good morning.
It's great to be here.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
Give me a sense of the role that religion plays in the president's political life.
CALDWELL: Well, surely. Well, as you know, the president is a man of great faith and he's a real believer. And he's just a normal Christian, if you will. Oftentimes folks try to make him out to be some religious geek or kook of some sort. But he's just a solid person who chooses to Aceh Province Jesus Christ as his lord.
O'BRIEN: But a man of strong faith, as you say. A very big job, obviously, at war time.
CALDWELL: Right.
O'BRIEN: Where is he conflicted most when he talks to you about the issues that he's having?
CALDWELL: Oh, I don't know if he's conflicted. I don't really -- and if I did know, I wouldn't -- of course, I wouldn't discuss that on national TV. But he is very grounded. His internal compass is extraordinarily clear. And he believes, like most Christians, most believers, that prayer makes a difference. And he really appreciates the prayers of the American people.
O'BRIEN: As a man of the cloth, isn't your advice back to him supposed to be something along the lines of war is bad, you shouldn't go to war, that kind of thing? That's what I would imagine. Is that not right?
CALDWELL: Well, it depends on your interpretation. I think, first and foremost, we must always remember that the president's primary responsibility is to protect the American people. And needless to say, the bible is a very fascinating book that has an awesome array of stories in it. And he is led by faith and he must fulfill his responsibility as president.
O'BRIEN: To what degree is he led by faith when it comes to some issues, for example, like stem cell research or his position, political position on abortion?
CALDWELL: Now, that's a question you'll have to ask the president.
O'BRIEN: What are you going to do as part of the benediction, obviously, tomorrow? What sorts of issues will you be raising and talking about?
CALDWELL: Oh, well, first of all, of course, I'll be talking to god and hopefully some people will eavesdrop and listen in. And I'll simply speak god's blessings upon god's people and I expect god's will to be performed.
O'BRIEN: I know that you don't want to reveal, obviously, what kinds of questions the president talks to you about and what he asks you and I'm certain that I wouldn't even necessarily want to ask that.
But what generally kinds of advice do you give him about starting his second term as he heads into a whole new, frankly, personal and professional era?
CALDWELL: Well, first of all, I don't want to give the impression that we talk on a regular basis. But he's, you know, we hold normal conversations just like you would with a colleague or a friend of yours. And, you know, he has not sought my advice regarding his second term, but he expects to be the president for a full second term. He has a full agenda. He's excited about the second term and he is not going to be a kick up your boots and chill, as the young folks say, kind of president in the next four years.
He's going to fulfill his responsibilities.
O'BRIEN: He's got a lot of work ahead.
Rev. Kirby Jon Caldwell, who will be saying the benediction at the inauguration tomorrow.
Nice to see you, sir.
Thank you for joining us.
CALDWELL: Thank you very much.
O'BRIEN: Even if you demurred on some of our questions.
We appreciate it.
CALDWELL: Well, you know, that's the way it goes.
O'BRIEN: You know, I hear you.
CALDWELL: Thank you very much.
O'BRIEN: You can watch our special coverage of the inauguration. It begins at 3:30 Eastern with "George W. Bush: The Road Ahead." Bill and I will be in Washington, D.C. tomorrow with special coverage of the events leading up to the swearing in of the president. AMERICAN MORNING comes to you live from Washington, D.C. at 7:00 a.m. Eastern time -- Bill.
HEMMER: Dress warmly.
Thank you, Soledad.
A preview of the markets and a rather unusual decision in the WorldCom trial.
Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" and has the rundown on the financial docket and more -- good morning to you.
A market preview first?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Indeed.
Let's talk about stocks first of all. Yesterday an up day for the market. The Dow up 70 points. We are in the middle of earnings season, people. Companies are reporting the numbers for the fourth quarter of 2004. G.M., Pfizer and J.P. Morgan all reporting. Futures look a little weak this morning, kind of a mixed picture.
Business lesson of the day. If you are going to commit accounting fraud, don't cheat on your spouse. That's what Scott Sullivan, the former CFO of WorldCom, learned yesterday. A judge in the trial of Bernie Ebbers ruled that Ebbers' attorneys could question Sullivan about his alleged marital affairs. That's because Sullivan is going to be testifying against Ebbers. So Ebbers' attorneys will look to undermine his credibility.
HEMMER: Oh, what goes around comes around.
SERWER: Yes, it's pretty spicy. The word is alleged.
HEMMER: Oh, right. That's right.
SERWER: Alleged marital infidelity.
HEMMER: Hey, you went -- you did some shopping in the past hour, right?
SERWER: Yes.
HEMMER: Well, if the viewers weren't with us last hour, explain what happened here.
SERWER: Well, we were talking about the Krispy Kreme CEO, Scott Livengood, who was removed from his job yesterday. And I pointed out that I had a couple of his business cards on the back of which it entitles the bearer to a dozen free Krispy Kreme donuts. I went over to a Krispy Kreme shop this morning to find out if they would still accept the card. And guess what? Good news for Bill and Soledad.
HEMMER: Yes?
SERWER: They still accept it. Here we go. Grudgingly. They looked askance at the card. And I said so you're still taking the card even though you threw the guy out? And they kind of smiled.
HEMMER: Yes, they recognized...
SERWER: So they knew what was going on.
HEMMER: They knew his name, though?
SERWER: Yes, yes. I think they really knew what was going on.
But, anyway, we get the donuts.
HEMMER: Thanks for breakfast.
SERWER: You're welcome.
HEMMER: See you, Drew.
SERWER: All right.
HEMMER: President Bush and the late Richard Nixon, the two presidents now share a unique distinction in the polls. Kamber and May tell us what that is all about ahead here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired January 19, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Senators pressing Condoleezza Rice for answers on Iraq. Day two of her confirmation hearing states in one hour.
President Bush at a half way point in his presidency and on the eve of his inauguration, the party is now in full swing.
And, they're back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will stabilize Iraq in my second term. And I will amend the constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The Jib Jab guys have a brand new cartoon just in time for the inauguration. They'll share it with us on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Still cold in New York. Thirteen degrees outside our studios here at 51st and Sixth Avenue.
Good morning, everyone.
Excitement building down the road in Washington this morning, just a day away from the president's second inauguration. In a few moments today, we'll get a unique view of the president from the man who guides and advises him on spiritual matters. The Reverend Kirby Jon Caldwell is our guest. How much does religion influence the actions of the president? Our guest in a few minutes here.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, a historic moment approaching for Iraq, as well. In just a few minutes, we're going to talk to an American who was born and raised in Iraq who's been waiting a long time to see this election. She's been teaching women in her home country about democracy. We're going to ask her a little bit more about whether they're ready or not.
HEMMER: Eleven days and counting.
Jack Cafferty, what's in the file?
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wednesday, time for "Things People Say," Bill.
A star of "Friends" compares one of the joys of fatherhood to a pit stop at Daytona. A North Korean television series aimed at getting men into the barber shop. And one of the greatest exit lines ever from one of the really good guys.
HEMMER: Excellent. Three for three.
CAFFERTY: We'll see.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Here's Heidi Collins now with the headlines -- Heidi, good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, you guys.
And good morning to you, everyone, once again.
Now in the news this morning, insurgents in Iraq stepping up their offensive ahead of the January 30th elections. At least 25 people have been killed in a wave of attacks today. One of the targets? The Australian embassy in Baghdad. U.S. troops also found and detonated another bomb on the road leading to Baghdad's airport.
In Saudi Arabia, some two million Muslims from around the world are covering on Mount Arafat during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Standing on Mount Arafat, also known as the Mount of Mercy, before sunset today is the high point of the Hajj. Saudi authorities have deployed some 50,000 security forces to try and keep order.
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell set to give his farewell speech. In about three hours, Powell will deliver his final address to State Department employees. More on the confirmation hearings for his successor, Condoleezza Rice, coming up in just a moment.
Back over to you now.
HEMMER: We're waiting for day two, you're right.
Heidi, thanks for that.
A full plate at the White House today. Condoleezza Rice, as I mentioned, 60 minutes away from her second round of questioning at a confirmation hearing for secretary of state. And George Bush just a day away from taking the oath of office to begin his second term as president of the United States.
Here's Dana Bash at the White House -- good morning there.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. And on the eve of that second term, the president will start, of course, tomorrow, what we're seeing with the Condoleezza Rice hearings is essentially his first term foreign policy, particularly the controversy on Iraq, under the microscope. Now, much of the questioning has been quite cordial, but there were some heated exchanges, like that with Barbara Boxer, the Democrat from California. She went back and threw some of Condoleezza Rice's prewar warnings on Iraq back at her, particularly what she said about weapons of mass destruction that were never found. Again, that resulted in some quite heated back and forth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D-CF), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: I also will not shrink from questioning a war that was not built on the truth.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I would hope that we can have this conversation and discuss what happened before and what went on before and what I said without impugning my credibility of my integrity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, in the end, Dr. Rice gave no new ground that Democrats seemed to be looking for on perhaps admitting some errors in the way the administration handled Iraq, except to say that there were ups and down in the policy and the strategy. And she also couldn't answer, she said, another critical question for this White House, Bill, that is, when U.S. troops are going to start to come home. But she said in these hearings and will continue, of course, today to say she believes the time for diplomacy is now.
One senior Democrat said that time is overdue. Jim Biden, that Democrat, on CNN this morning, saying that he was not very impressed.
Aside from all of that, Democrats and Republicans alike saying that she will be confirmed, likely, by the committee later today; by the full Senate probably tomorrow.
HEMMER: As a backdrop on all this, the inauguration starts tomorrow. Events are already underway. They started last night, right, Dana?
BASH: They started last night. The president had a two hour event. It was a tribute to the military where he talked about the inauguration being a testament to the power of democracy. The spread of democracy and liberty, of course, we know, is a major theme of his inaugural address tomorrow. Today, they have a jam packed schedule, the president and Mrs. Bush. This morning, they are going to go to the National Archives, where they're going to be tourists of sorts, looking at things like the Declaration of Independence, George Washington's first inaugural address. Later, there's a celebration of freedom on the Ellipse right next to the White House, a very cold White House, where they will also see some fireworks. And later, there will be candlelight dinners, Bill. That is where the president is going to thank some of the high rollers, the donors for this inauguration, some who have given $100,000, $250,000. Those three dinners are closed to the press, but finally there will be the first inaugural ball tonight, the Texas Society Black Tie and Boots Ball -- Bill.
HEMMER: Cold is the operative word.
Thanks, Dana at the White House -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right, thanks.
Let's get right to weather, in fact, because cold is the operative word.
Chad Myers at the CNN Center for us -- Chad, how is it looking for inauguration day?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, if you want it to be warm, you'd just better schedule it in July. It's winter, 30 degrees tomorrow. I mean that's not bad. That's where probably we should be this time of year.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Four separate car bombs killed at least 25 Iraqis today and the escalating campaign of violence with Iraq's elections now 11 day way. But for some, the January 30th date is a long awaited beacon of hope.
Zanaib al-Suwaij is executive director of the American Islamic Congress.
She is just back from Basra, in southern Iraq, and she's our guest now in Boston, Massachusetts.
Good morning and welcome here.
ZAINAB AL-SUWAIJ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN ISLAMIC CONGRESS: Good morning.
HEMMER: This daily drumbeat of violence, how will that play out for these elections in less than two weeks?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, people are aware of that, I think, at this time and you see it everywhere. The southern part of Iraq is relatively much more quiet than the north or Baghdad. But people are getting ready for the election, looking forward to it, hoping that after the election, some stability will come.
HEMMER: Is there any way to know what turnout will be on the 30th of January?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, everyone is hoping that the election will go smoothly. But there is the fear always of some terrorist attacks or acts on the poll centers and what's around it, targeting people, targeting people who are going to vote. HEMMER: Well, theoretically speaking, if 80 percent of the Shiites vote and only 15 percent of the Sunnis vote, will that be considered a success?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, any kind of number that we get right now in Iraq during this poll, I think, is going to be a success. This is the first experience for Iraqis and I think it's going to matter a lot and it's going to change tremendously the image of the Iraqi people, how they are looking toward the future.
HEMMER: You know in the U.S., you're familiar with our elections here.
AL-SUWAIJ: Yes.
HEMMER: There are platforms and there are campaigns and there are promises.
What are politicians promising the Iraqi people if elected?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, they are promising them that their voice is going to be heard and they are going to help to get better life, better water and having electricity and stuff like that. Security, also, has come very, like a very focused point at this time because, for obvious reasons that you see it everywhere, with not that much of...
HEMMER: But back to the original point with all the violence. One thing I'm immensely curious about, how do you campaign in this environment? And how many people are?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, there are so many people who are running, actually, for the election. And they are going to schools. They are going to universities, places that they can work, working places, ministries. They are looking for, you know, campaigning as much as they can in safe environments. There are a lot of women running and, men and women, actually, are the same. But they are really looking forward to this experience.
HEMMER: And you talked mostly to women.
How involved are they at this point?
AL-SUWAIJ: They are very involved. They are looking forward to it. This is their first time, first experience. So for them, it's really something new coming and they are looking forward to it, putting all of their energy in it and they are very excited to have this right after so long.
HEMMER: Right. And I am certain, and we will all see how it plays out at the end of this month. Absentee balloting is, well, it's a loose expression that's used for expats, Iraqis living in the U.S.
AL-SUWAIJ: That's right.
HEMMER: You can vote in a number of cities here. Will you do that, in the U.S.?
AL-SUWAIJ: Well, you know, election is, I think voting is part of what people have been looking for for so long. So we are looking forward to it.
HEMMER: So you will vote here, is what you're saying?
AL-SUWAIJ: I hope so.
HEMMER: OK.
All right, Zanaib al-Suwaij, thanks for your time from Boston, Massachusetts.
AL-SUWAIJ: Thank you.
HEMMER: Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Here's a question for you. What role does god play in the president's decisions? Mr. Bush acknowledges his strong religious faith. This morning we'll talk with a man with some insight on that, his spiritual adviser.
HEMMER: Also, a bit later, remember the Jib Jab guys? They are at it again. Cartoons taking no prisoners during the election. Now they're back just before the inauguration. We'll talk to them a bit later this hour; also show you the latest videotape they've produced.
Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: We are back with Jack and the Question of the Day this morning -- hello.
CAFFERTY: Hello.
Senator Barbara Boxer of California at the center of an ugly exchange during confirmation hearings in the Senate yesterday. She accused National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice of lying. She said, "Your loyalty to the mission overwhelmed your respect for the truth." In her 12 minute attack on Rice, Boxer didn't ask a single question. Nada. Instead, she used her time to lecture Rice in a condescending moral tone.
The question we're asking, and I've gotten 800 letters in the first hour of this program this morning, was Barbara Boxer out of line, accusing Condoleezza Rice of lying?
Tom in Boise writes: "Senator Boxer is a bitter woman who hates everything except the sound of her own voice. She is genetically predisposed to ignoring the task at hand, in this case assassinating the character of a nominee rather than asking a question. She apparently sees her role as the official whiner of the Democrats."
Some of them are worse than that.
Dwina in Crowley, Texas: "Senator Boxer had every right to confront Ms. Rice we her own quotes and ask that she explain the discrepancies. This is a hearing meant for questioning Ms. Rice in order to determine her fitness for an even higher position, right?"
J.W. in Tampa: "Don't you love seeing guilty white liberals being forced to criticize a successful black woman like Dr. Rice? Senator Boxer looked like she was slashing her wrists."
And Shirley in Dunden, Florida writes: "The only difference between Barbara Boxer and my neighbor's pit-bull is the lipstick."
HEMMER: Ooh.
O'BRIEN: Lots of personal attacks on the senator, huh?
CAFFERTY: Hey, that's what we do here.
HEMMER: You know, the other thing...
O'BRIEN: But that's from the readers, writers, viewers.
HEMMER: But on a serious note, the other thing you've got here is this discrepancy, you know, Condoleezza Rice said there were 120,000 trained Iraqi forces. Senator Biden came back and said there were 4,000. So you've got this huge disparity between these numbers and we're trying to get to the bottom of it.
To the Pentagon now.
Here's Barbara Starr looking at that -- Barbara, what have you found out?
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, everybody does have their own set of numbers, but the real reason, of course, this is so critically important is that the U.S. military is trying to really get a good handle on how many Iraqi security forces are fully trained and equipped, because with that election coming up in the next several days, the policy is to try and turn security over to the Iraqis, get them to fight for their country and pave the way, of course, down the road for an eventual U.S. military draw down of forces in Iraq. And, of course, the military can only do that if they know how many Iraqis they can count on.
So what is the discrepancy?
Senator Biden yesterday spoke about 4,000 security forces trained. We looked up the numbers this morning. There are about 4,000 trained Army forces, Iraqi Army soldiers now on duty. But that is only a slight part of the overall picture. Four thousand Iraqi Army trained, a requirement for 24,000 Army. And the overall picture? Well, all Iraqi security forces -- and that includes, of course, police, border guards, special forces, Army, all of it -- there are about 127,000 Iraqi security forces trained. That squares with Condoleezza Rice's number, essentially, but a requirement for 271,000 Iraqi security forces.
But still, in terms of what the U.S. military thinking is, they still want to have a much better handle, they say, on how many of these forces are really fully trained, fully equipped, confident and ready to fight for their country -- Bill.
HEMMER: One second, Barbara, there.
I want to play you a little bit of sound here with Jim Biden.
Listen here and then I've got another issue with you in a second here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D-DW), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: I think you should probably, you guys have a lot of sources in the military. I would go to your correspondents in the field you have there. And you ask them, any of them, whether they think there's 120,000 Iraqi forces trained. The 4,000 number came from the military last time I was in Iraq. There are probably 120,000 forces that have been given a uniform. There are nowhere near 120,000 Iraqis showing up in the military or the police forces every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: All right, to our viewers, that was Senator Biden on our program just about an hour ago.
There's this other argument, Barbara, as to whether or not the U.S. is allowing as much help to train these forces as possible. We know the training is being conducted in various parts of Iraq. We know the training continues in Jordan.
What about places like Egypt? Could they be conducted there, as well, or have they?
STARR: Well, they certainly could be conducted in other places, but behind-the-scenes, Bill, what senior officers are telling us at the U.S. Central Command in the region, here at the Pentagon, across the board, the most senior officers in the U.S. military, their concern is what they call the intangibles, the quality of the force. It's very interesting what Senator Biden said, handing them a uniform, handing them a weapon. That is one standard, officials tell us.
But what they're concerned about is maybe they've put too much focus on, as one officer said, turning out the Iraqis on the so-called factory line, turning out the numbers, turning out the statistics. But the quality of that Iraqi force, the intangibles, do the Iraqis have the confidence, the leadership, the sense of unit cohesion, of fighting for their country once the U.S. forces draw down or leave in the months and years ahead?
And that's why General Gary Luck is now in Iraq at the request of the United States government, looking at those Iraqi security forces, trying to see what else can be done. And, very quickly, Bill, one of the solutions on the table now is to put more U.S. military advisers, more trainers right inside those Iraqi military units and try and beef up their confidence and training and make them more of a quality force across-the-board.
It remains to be seen, of course, if it all works.
HEMMER: Yes, that's right.
And as you pointed out, the biggest test is January 30th, when those Iraqi forces will be called upon to keep polling stations safe.
Thank you, Barbara.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It is one of the biggest scandals in corporate history, but if greed doesn't grab you, lawyers are throwing a little sex into the mix. Andy is "Minding Your Business" up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: President Bush often invokes the role of god in the shaping of his presidency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are guided by a power larger than ourselves, who creates us equal in his image.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Joining us from Washington, the president's friend and spiritual adviser, also, the author of "Entrepreneurial Faith," the Reverend Kirby Jon Caldwell.
Rev. Caldwell will be giving the benediction at the inauguration tomorrow.
Nice to see you, sir.
Thanks for being with us.
REV. KIRBY JON CALDWELL, BUSH SPIRITUAL ADVISER: Good morning.
It's great to be here.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
Give me a sense of the role that religion plays in the president's political life.
CALDWELL: Well, surely. Well, as you know, the president is a man of great faith and he's a real believer. And he's just a normal Christian, if you will. Oftentimes folks try to make him out to be some religious geek or kook of some sort. But he's just a solid person who chooses to Aceh Province Jesus Christ as his lord.
O'BRIEN: But a man of strong faith, as you say. A very big job, obviously, at war time.
CALDWELL: Right.
O'BRIEN: Where is he conflicted most when he talks to you about the issues that he's having?
CALDWELL: Oh, I don't know if he's conflicted. I don't really -- and if I did know, I wouldn't -- of course, I wouldn't discuss that on national TV. But he is very grounded. His internal compass is extraordinarily clear. And he believes, like most Christians, most believers, that prayer makes a difference. And he really appreciates the prayers of the American people.
O'BRIEN: As a man of the cloth, isn't your advice back to him supposed to be something along the lines of war is bad, you shouldn't go to war, that kind of thing? That's what I would imagine. Is that not right?
CALDWELL: Well, it depends on your interpretation. I think, first and foremost, we must always remember that the president's primary responsibility is to protect the American people. And needless to say, the bible is a very fascinating book that has an awesome array of stories in it. And he is led by faith and he must fulfill his responsibility as president.
O'BRIEN: To what degree is he led by faith when it comes to some issues, for example, like stem cell research or his position, political position on abortion?
CALDWELL: Now, that's a question you'll have to ask the president.
O'BRIEN: What are you going to do as part of the benediction, obviously, tomorrow? What sorts of issues will you be raising and talking about?
CALDWELL: Oh, well, first of all, of course, I'll be talking to god and hopefully some people will eavesdrop and listen in. And I'll simply speak god's blessings upon god's people and I expect god's will to be performed.
O'BRIEN: I know that you don't want to reveal, obviously, what kinds of questions the president talks to you about and what he asks you and I'm certain that I wouldn't even necessarily want to ask that.
But what generally kinds of advice do you give him about starting his second term as he heads into a whole new, frankly, personal and professional era?
CALDWELL: Well, first of all, I don't want to give the impression that we talk on a regular basis. But he's, you know, we hold normal conversations just like you would with a colleague or a friend of yours. And, you know, he has not sought my advice regarding his second term, but he expects to be the president for a full second term. He has a full agenda. He's excited about the second term and he is not going to be a kick up your boots and chill, as the young folks say, kind of president in the next four years.
He's going to fulfill his responsibilities.
O'BRIEN: He's got a lot of work ahead.
Rev. Kirby Jon Caldwell, who will be saying the benediction at the inauguration tomorrow.
Nice to see you, sir.
Thank you for joining us.
CALDWELL: Thank you very much.
O'BRIEN: Even if you demurred on some of our questions.
We appreciate it.
CALDWELL: Well, you know, that's the way it goes.
O'BRIEN: You know, I hear you.
CALDWELL: Thank you very much.
O'BRIEN: You can watch our special coverage of the inauguration. It begins at 3:30 Eastern with "George W. Bush: The Road Ahead." Bill and I will be in Washington, D.C. tomorrow with special coverage of the events leading up to the swearing in of the president. AMERICAN MORNING comes to you live from Washington, D.C. at 7:00 a.m. Eastern time -- Bill.
HEMMER: Dress warmly.
Thank you, Soledad.
A preview of the markets and a rather unusual decision in the WorldCom trial.
Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" and has the rundown on the financial docket and more -- good morning to you.
A market preview first?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Indeed.
Let's talk about stocks first of all. Yesterday an up day for the market. The Dow up 70 points. We are in the middle of earnings season, people. Companies are reporting the numbers for the fourth quarter of 2004. G.M., Pfizer and J.P. Morgan all reporting. Futures look a little weak this morning, kind of a mixed picture.
Business lesson of the day. If you are going to commit accounting fraud, don't cheat on your spouse. That's what Scott Sullivan, the former CFO of WorldCom, learned yesterday. A judge in the trial of Bernie Ebbers ruled that Ebbers' attorneys could question Sullivan about his alleged marital affairs. That's because Sullivan is going to be testifying against Ebbers. So Ebbers' attorneys will look to undermine his credibility.
HEMMER: Oh, what goes around comes around.
SERWER: Yes, it's pretty spicy. The word is alleged.
HEMMER: Oh, right. That's right.
SERWER: Alleged marital infidelity.
HEMMER: Hey, you went -- you did some shopping in the past hour, right?
SERWER: Yes.
HEMMER: Well, if the viewers weren't with us last hour, explain what happened here.
SERWER: Well, we were talking about the Krispy Kreme CEO, Scott Livengood, who was removed from his job yesterday. And I pointed out that I had a couple of his business cards on the back of which it entitles the bearer to a dozen free Krispy Kreme donuts. I went over to a Krispy Kreme shop this morning to find out if they would still accept the card. And guess what? Good news for Bill and Soledad.
HEMMER: Yes?
SERWER: They still accept it. Here we go. Grudgingly. They looked askance at the card. And I said so you're still taking the card even though you threw the guy out? And they kind of smiled.
HEMMER: Yes, they recognized...
SERWER: So they knew what was going on.
HEMMER: They knew his name, though?
SERWER: Yes, yes. I think they really knew what was going on.
But, anyway, we get the donuts.
HEMMER: Thanks for breakfast.
SERWER: You're welcome.
HEMMER: See you, Drew.
SERWER: All right.
HEMMER: President Bush and the late Richard Nixon, the two presidents now share a unique distinction in the polls. Kamber and May tell us what that is all about ahead here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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