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CNN Live Today
Iraqi Police Find Bodies at Syrian Border; Bill Clinton to Have More Surgery;
Aired March 09, 2005 - 10:00 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a lot of news happening over the next couple of hours.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We most certainly do. In fact, here's what's happening in the news right now.
The northeast is recovering from a wicked, late season snowstorm. The storm, or I should say the snow part of the storm is over. However, frigid temperatures and biting winds are making people truly miserable up there. The wind-chill index in Wooster, Massachusetts alone, 21 below zero.
Boston Logan Airport reopened this morning after being closed for some time but only one runway is operating according to preliminary reports. So you can expect some delays and some cancellations throughout the day there.
Pope John Paul II made a surprise appearance at his Rome hospital window today. The pope waved and made a sign of the cross to the crowd below. It was the third glimpse of the faithful had of the Holy Father since he re-entered the hospital for a tracheotomy.
Michael Chertoff returns for his second congressional hearing since being sworn in as Homeland Security secretary. Chertoff is back on Capitol Hill right now to discuss the upcoming budget for his agency. Last week, Chertoff told lawmakers the department was undergoing a massive review. That assessment is intended to determine whether money is being wisely used on threat assessments.
And the Los Angeles mayor's race is headed for a run-off. City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa leads the field of 12 candidates with 33 percent of the vote. His apparent run-off opponent is going to be incumbent James Hahn, who got 24 percent. Hahn holds a slim lead over the third place candidate with absentee ballots still to be counted. We will let you know.
And we welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: Good morning, I'm Daryn Kagan.
News out of Iraq, more suicide bombs and dozens of bodies from separate mass killings are found elsewhere.
And the fight for Iraq is taking a gruesome turn this morning. Iraqi police reporting the discovery of at least 26 bodies near the Syrian border, while near Ramadi and in Baghdad, a pair of vehicle bombs erupt near U.S. and Western targets.
Let's go now to the capitol and CNN's Aneesh Raman -- Aneesh.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning to you. The first bomb taking place this morning at 6:30 a.m. local. A suicide bomber using a garbage truck detonated in the courtyard outside the Ministry of Agriculture. It came as he was driving through. The guards opened fire on the vehicle. Two guards were killed; at least 22 others were wounded. A massive scene of destruction followed that explosion. The intended target, according to ministry officials, was a hotel adjacent to the ministry in a hotel that houses a large number of Westerners.
Also today, Daryn, another suicide car bomb taking place in Ramadi at a military checkpoint there. No word yet though on casualties or the extent of the damage -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And Aneesh, tell us more about this gruesome discovery of bodies found along the Syrian border.
RAMAN: Yes. It takes place in the town of Qaim, west of Baghdad near the border, as you say. Twenty-six bodies found, all were shot, all wearing civilian clothes, at least one of them a female.
It is not known what the motive was but given the context, the geographical area this took place where there is known to be insurgents, where the U.S. Marines have been operating since late February, it is likely or perhaps it is a possibility that the insurgents were involved.
Another incident came about yesterday when 15 beheaded bodies were found south of the capitol. All of this plays into the very violent back drop that exists as this country tries to push forward its political structure -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Aneesh Raman live from Baghdad, thank you.
SANCHEZ: Still on the topic of Iraq, Silvio Berlusconi is to appear before Italian lawmakers later this hour. He's going to address the anti-U.S. anger over last week's deadly shooting of an Italian secret agent and the newly freed hostage that he was protecting.
Journalist Sgrena was wounded. Italian negotiator Nicola Calipari was killed. The Italian driver disputes U.S. claims that he sped towards the checkpoint and ignored warnings to slow down. There is an investigation under way.
KAGAN: Well, let's talk about checkpoints. Military checkpoints in Iraq are intended to improve safety but instead can become deadly.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Baghdad. He's going to take us through the checkpoints and potential flash points.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Firing low?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Firing low. Yes.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a U.S. checkpoint a year ago, I saw the aftermath of an Iraqi shot when he failed to stop. At the time, the soldiers feared he might have been an insurgent and had tried to disable his car to save their lives. Later that year, and 65 miles away, Miqdad Abdull a former Iraqi general says a similar thing happened to him. He points to the wind child of his car where he says he was shot at by U.S. soldiers at a checkpoint.
MIQDAD ABDULL, FORMER IRAQI GENERAL (through translator): The first shot was a killer shot. And this I know from my experience. I ducked and the shooting lasted for about another 15 seconds.
ROBERTSON: He shows photographs of the many bullet holes through the windshield of his car and of his own injuries. Lays out police maps and a note apparently written by a U.S. Army officer. It reads, "This vehicle failed to stop for a coalition traffic point. The vehicle was engaged, and hit by small arms fire."
He claims not to have seen the warning for him to stop.
ABDULL (through translator): in my personal opinion, people fear these checkpoints more than they fear other attacks and explosions.
ROBERTSON: This day, at a checkpoint on the highway to Baghdad International Airport, the most dangerous road in Iraq, two Iraqi drivers get confused about how to proceed.
(on camera): This is exactly where Iraqi drivers worry the most they say. They coming into a checkpoint here, and what they say they fear is they may be mistaken for a suicide bomber. And that's why this area they say, is the most dangerous because they should be shot at.
(voice-over): Noone has an accurate account of how many Iraqis and others have been injured in this way. But commanders say they are committed to avoiding casualties.
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM WEBSTER, U.S. ARMY: We've trained our soldiers and continue to retrain them on techniques of causing a vehicle to slow down and stop far enough away, where it does not present the threat of an explosive device.
ROBERTSON: And In Iraq, explosive devices like that go off 40 to 60 times every day. The threat that worries the soldiers the most is the suicide car bomber. So every time a car comes closer, then they told me, it is a critical moment where self-preservation forces a fast decision.
WILLIAMS: If the vehicle looks like a threat of lethal force to the soldier guarding the position, then we may fire warning shots into the ground next to the vehicle. And then we instruct our soldiers to engage the engine block if they possibly can to disable the vehicle and try not to kill anyone. ROBERTSON: On Iraq's roads, on both sides of the checkpoint, caution remains the watchword.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton returns to a New York hospital tomorrow, nearly six months after his heart bypass surgery. Doctors are going to remove a build-up of scar tissue and fluid from his chest. The condition was discovered during a recent x- ray.
Mr. Clinton passed a full physical before going to Asia for a tour of the tsunami-hit region. Doctors say his present condition was not a cause nor made worse by that trip. George H. W. Bush, who also traveled to Asia, says that he was amazed by President Clinton during that trip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: You should have seen him going town-to-town, country-to-country, Energizer Bunny here; he killed me. So this thing, whatever he has got, if it knocks you out it hasn't gotten to him yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Interesting enough, he will continue. The two former presidents, Mr. Clinton and Mr. Bush are going to be at a tsunami relief golf tournament in Hope Sound, Florida today. And you're going to hear from them later this hour when we join their news conference to talk about that and other things.
KAGAN: I think they're keeping their fingers crossed from Florida, the weather not cooperating with that golf tournament happening today.
SANCHEZ: Is that right? Mm-Hmm.
KAGAN: Yes.
Crude oil, energy policies, strong demand, you can place the blame anywhere, but it does not ease the pain at the pump. Have you seen those prices? Coming up, gas prices are soaring but we have tips to keep you from paying the maximum.
SANCHEZ: And in case you have forgotten, it's still winter. The proof? Well, just look at the East Coast. In fact, we're going to take you there. Also this from Mount St. Helens.
KATHERINE BARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Katherine Barrett at the Cascade Valley Observatory. We will give you the latest on just how far the mountain flung its latest blast of ash.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: We have a breaking news story out of Tennessee out of the Great Smoky Mountains. Apparently a rescue is under way trying to rescue four young hikers that are stuck in the snow.
On the phone with us right now, Nancy Gray, a spokeswoman for the park.
Nancy, what is the situation? Nancy...
(CROSSTALK)
KAGAN: Can you tell us what's happening with the rescue operation please?
NANCY GRAY, GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN NAT'L. PARK: Yes, we don't know what the condition of the four stranded hikers are at this point. We received a report from a second group of hikers who encountered these individuals yesterday afternoon around noon, actually.
And two of the second party hiked out to report to us that the four individuals, along the Appalachian Trail at one of the shelters along the Appalachian Trail, were cold, wet and ill prepared for the weather conditions. There's some snow conditions and cooler -- cold temperatures. One was reported to have some signs of hypothermia, and that's what we are concerned about.
As I said, the last time the two hikers had seen them was at noon yesterday afternoon. So it's been 24 hours since any report of the condition of these four hikers. We sent out a park medic this morning on the trail at 7:00 a.m. to respond to this incident. And expect that this first group will meet up with them and get to them sometime here soon. We are looking at about another hour or so, to assess the situation.
In the meantime, we have assembled a litter team in the event that they need to be carried out. We are not sure about the number that would need to be carried out or what condition this one individual was with the hypothermia. We also secured a helicopter from the Tennessee Air National Guard from our local airport too, with hoisting capabilities in the event there's a level of emergency that the individual needs to be airlifted as soon as possible.
But as I said, we will know a little bit more about those conditions when our rangers reach these individuals here in the next hour or so. What we understand are there are four young men from North Carolina who entered the park at an area -- North Carolina section of the park who had plans, from the itinerary they listed, to hike the full Appalachian Trail, which is 71 miles through the park.
They made it as far as this one shelter, which is called Derek Knob; it's almost at 5,000 feet elevation. And they hiked in from Sunday about 22 miles to Derek Knob, when Monday they were in poor conditions, came across this bad weather that moved in. Sunday when they hiked in, it was warm and sunny. And like in March, in this part of the country, weather is very changeable in March. And Monday, the rain came with snow and colder temperatures. And this evidently caught them off guard.
KAGAN: Sounds like you will also know more in about an hour. We will check back. And we wish you well with that rescue effort.
Nancy Gray from the Smoky Mountain National Park, thank you.
SANCHEZ: We also we want to tell but another developing story. This one taking place in Hobe Sound, Florida at a real nice country club. You know what nice country clubs look like? Well, they look like that. And that is where we're going to see two former presidents in just a little bit. Former Presidents Bush and Clinton are going to be coming out.
This is part of a charity event that's being put together by the man you just saw in the corner of your screen there. That's Greg Norman. It's called Three Friends, One Goal. The friends presumably are Greg Norman, a friend of the Clintons and Bushes for quite some time, and the two presidents, of course.
And what they are doing is they're putting a benefit golf tournament together, organized by pro-golfer Greg Norman there in Hobe Sound, to try and raise money for the tsunami relief effort. We see that Mr. Norman has entered the room. Is that one of the former presidents, it's hard to tell on my screen? The one combing his hair?
SANCHEZ: Well, it's not every day you see a former president combing his hair and...
KAGAN: No, that's Greg Norman.
SANCHEZ: ... and getting ready to come on. But that's exactly what he was doing. And there we have them now: Greg Norman and Presidents Clinton and Bush. And they're going to be talking, among other things, about tsunami aid, the golf tournament and perhaps Mr. Clinton's condition. Here they are.
GREG NORMAN, ORGANIZER; THREE FRIENDS ONE GOAL: First of all, a day like today does not happen without the two gentlemen sitting to my right and to my left. The name on the day, Three Friends One Goal is really synonymous to what this is about.
When I think of what President Bush 43 did in putting these two gentlemen together to arrange the funds for a very, very necessary and worthy cause, was really touched my heart. And not only my heart but my wife's heart. We sat back and thought about what can we do to raise as much money as we can for these two gentlemen and for the tsunami relief.
And lo and behold, just out of a conversation, the two of us and a phone conversation by calling up and calling President Bush and President Clinton, and offering my services, here we are today. And the day does not happen without these two.
From my perspective, it's very easy. I mean all I did was call up my dear friends, members of Medalist Golf Club and other nonmembers associated in business around the world, and they have turned up open armed.
I have said that a couple times this morning, this country is the most philanthropic country I have ever seen in the world. From the private sector, it is just phenomenal. And I'm not going to say too many words here. But just want to personally thank both President Bush and President Clinton for taking time out of their busy schedule. We all know what President Clinton is going to go through tomorrow morning to make this day -- the day before that, I want to make sure it's a fun and enjoyable day for him.
They love golf. Golf is a common denominator here. Golf is what's brought us together. And the day right now, we have committed funds in the north of $1.8 million. And hopefully will have more coming in.
So we will hand it over to a question and answer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Clinton, first of all, sir, how are you feeling? And secondarily, are you going try to use your condition to get some extra shots from President Bush?
(LAUGHTER)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you know, let me say first of all, this is my second attempt to play this course. And the first time I went to a hospital because I fell off Greg's step and tore my quadriceps. So, as far as I'm concerned, I'm way ahead. At least I get to play before I go to the hospital this time.
And I want to thank Greg for coming -- he basically -- he was way too modest. It was his idea to organize this tournament and to ask people to help. And I want to thank all the business people here who contributed. I also want to thank a friend of Greg's, another pro golfer, Scott McCarran who is here with us, who also made a generous contribution is going to play with us today.
This is a wonderful thing. President Bush and I just got back from the tsunami-affected countries. A lot has been done. The money is being spent well. Especially the American charities and the international organizations that are there, I think are doing a very good job. But there's a lot more to do. In some of these countries you are looking at a three to five-year rebuilding.
So the fact that this long after that December 26 tragedy, these business leaders here are willing to give this kind of money because they know we have the long-term obligation, is deeply moving. And I'm really grateful. I'm glad to be here.
And I'll be fine tomorrow. And like I said, I'm way ahead this time. I goat to play golf before I go to the hospital. I also stepped off that step three times now. So I'm three for four.
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: And I may go over and step off of it a few more times before I leave just to get my percentage up. I don't want any strokes, except from Norman. President Bush gets the advantage of the front tee. He should be giving me the strokes. He's the one jumping out of airplane.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Bush, can you comment and then maybe President Clinton too, on the uniqueness of golf among all of the sports to do this for charity? I mean nobody stages charity football games. BUSH: You have to remember that the tour does -- it got real good at making a lot of money. That the tour gives us a lot of money. Give a lot of money every single week that they're on. And these are generous people.
And I certainly want to identify with what President Clinton said about Greg Norman. He's always been helping other people. He's a wonderful person. And so this thing wouldn't obviously -- wouldn't have happened here and to this degree without him. And so when it was suggested, why -- Bill Clinton and I just readily accepted.
But golf -- the point I want to make is that golf and golf lovers are generally what I call bright points of light. They want to help others. And Greg is certainly stepped up here and done it in a wonderful way. And I'm proud to be a part of it. So long as he abides by the no laughing rule, which is in effect every time I swing. He was good about that when he visited me in Maine. He told me it would be OK.
CLINTON: You know, I would like to say one thing about -- you asked a question about golf. I think there is something unique about golf. First of all, people that really love it tend to be pretty honorable people. It's the only game in the world where you are supposed to enforce the rules on yourself. And if you vary from the rules, you are supposed to agree in advance about what the variance is, even in a friendly game.
Secondly, it's the only sport I can think of where dramatically different abilities can have a competitive match because of a handicap system. I'm about to go to my stepfather's 90-birthday party. And he played actively to 87 or 88. If I gave him his handicap, he'd beat me half the time. And that's the wonderful thing about this. This is a sport everybody can play, everybody can enjoy. I think it makes you appreciate other people.
And you have time when you are playing. You know, you play other sports that are real fast; it's hard to get to know people unless you are off the field. Golf is the only sport where you get to know people while you're on the field of play. And I think it makes you naturally more kind of connected to other people.
I'm a fanatic so I believe in it. But I do think there's unique characteristics in this game that produce the people that are here today and made Greg Norman think about doing what he's doing, which is an amazing thing. Think about the money they raised today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The generosity is wonderful. But how do you -- the three of you respond to people who say $30,000 per person for golf is an elitist way to go about raising money? What about all the folks that would like to meet you and just can't afford to meet you? NORMAN: I would like to answer that question. The dollar value was set because of the number of golfers that are capable of coming here and playing. Because there's 18 holes, we have two presidents playing, one nine each and there's only four groups. There's 36 players, 36 players time 36, that's 72. So the number was set because of the ability of getting the players on the golf course.
Boy, we would love to open this up and have 500 to 1,000 people. Believe me, we would do. But the golf course and the infrastructure just could not handle it. So, when you do, you sit down and do your demographics and understand OK, what would we like to achieve here? I don't like to think of golf as an elitist sport. Golf is very much an open sport.
It's played by all walks of life, all genders, all races. And it gives the ability to -- for anybody to go out and play from a public golf course, to the first (UNINTELLIGIBLE) program to being a professional golfer. Golf is an open-armed sport. And the reason why there was a limited number here is because there was a specific reason, 72 and 72.
CLINTON: I also think -- let me point out something. We raised -- not President Bush and I, since we started several hundred million dollars has been raised. But since this tsunami occurred, the American people have pledged or given nearly a billion dollars. But about one- third of American households have given. And over half of them have given over the Internet. So you have got millions of people giving 25, 30 bucks.
We both have stories from Houston, from Arkansas, from Harlem. A guy off the street in Harlem, a resident of Harlem came into my office after President Bush and I were on television and handed us a check for 150 bucks. And school children are helping. And all these other people are helping. We certainly have tried to be in touch with them and have not tried to wall ourselves off from them.
So this is one of a number of events that will happen. I think this is something America did together. And I don't think there's any resentment of our doing this to raise some more.
NORMAN: And even here, we have players, people who have donated money who are not playing. We have had, for example, one corporation went out to all their employees and raised in excess of $30,000 through their employees. And yet they are not -- they're not here to play. But they heard about it and thought it was just such a worthy cause. So it's not -- I truly am defensive about golf, people thinking it is an elitist sport because it is not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Bush, President Clinton mentioned the last time he was here, you also have some ties to the area. When is the last time you were in Martin County here? And do you have any tips on how to play this course?
BUSH: Well, the last question first, no. The first question -- first part of your question, my mother and father lived right across the waterway here for many years. And I used to come visit. But I don't believe I have been here for the last three, four years. I did come when Greg Norman generously put on a political event for our son, who was then up for re-election.
SANCHEZ: Well, there you go. Some the information that we were really seeking, we didn't get. We were hoping to get more details on the former president's condition. So, just let me share with you some of the information that we've been able to garnished here at CNN.
He is scheduled for surgery Thursday at New York Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center. And as far as how he feels thus far, he said a couple of things. In one place he was quoted as saying, "It's no big deal." Another place he says, "I'll be just fine." He says, "It's a routine sort of deal. It's going to knock me out of commission for a week or two, then I'll be back to normal."
By the way, as far as the golf tournament is concerned, $1.8 million is going to be raised.
Daryn, back to you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired March 9, 2005 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a lot of news happening over the next couple of hours.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We most certainly do. In fact, here's what's happening in the news right now.
The northeast is recovering from a wicked, late season snowstorm. The storm, or I should say the snow part of the storm is over. However, frigid temperatures and biting winds are making people truly miserable up there. The wind-chill index in Wooster, Massachusetts alone, 21 below zero.
Boston Logan Airport reopened this morning after being closed for some time but only one runway is operating according to preliminary reports. So you can expect some delays and some cancellations throughout the day there.
Pope John Paul II made a surprise appearance at his Rome hospital window today. The pope waved and made a sign of the cross to the crowd below. It was the third glimpse of the faithful had of the Holy Father since he re-entered the hospital for a tracheotomy.
Michael Chertoff returns for his second congressional hearing since being sworn in as Homeland Security secretary. Chertoff is back on Capitol Hill right now to discuss the upcoming budget for his agency. Last week, Chertoff told lawmakers the department was undergoing a massive review. That assessment is intended to determine whether money is being wisely used on threat assessments.
And the Los Angeles mayor's race is headed for a run-off. City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa leads the field of 12 candidates with 33 percent of the vote. His apparent run-off opponent is going to be incumbent James Hahn, who got 24 percent. Hahn holds a slim lead over the third place candidate with absentee ballots still to be counted. We will let you know.
And we welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: Good morning, I'm Daryn Kagan.
News out of Iraq, more suicide bombs and dozens of bodies from separate mass killings are found elsewhere.
And the fight for Iraq is taking a gruesome turn this morning. Iraqi police reporting the discovery of at least 26 bodies near the Syrian border, while near Ramadi and in Baghdad, a pair of vehicle bombs erupt near U.S. and Western targets.
Let's go now to the capitol and CNN's Aneesh Raman -- Aneesh.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning to you. The first bomb taking place this morning at 6:30 a.m. local. A suicide bomber using a garbage truck detonated in the courtyard outside the Ministry of Agriculture. It came as he was driving through. The guards opened fire on the vehicle. Two guards were killed; at least 22 others were wounded. A massive scene of destruction followed that explosion. The intended target, according to ministry officials, was a hotel adjacent to the ministry in a hotel that houses a large number of Westerners.
Also today, Daryn, another suicide car bomb taking place in Ramadi at a military checkpoint there. No word yet though on casualties or the extent of the damage -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And Aneesh, tell us more about this gruesome discovery of bodies found along the Syrian border.
RAMAN: Yes. It takes place in the town of Qaim, west of Baghdad near the border, as you say. Twenty-six bodies found, all were shot, all wearing civilian clothes, at least one of them a female.
It is not known what the motive was but given the context, the geographical area this took place where there is known to be insurgents, where the U.S. Marines have been operating since late February, it is likely or perhaps it is a possibility that the insurgents were involved.
Another incident came about yesterday when 15 beheaded bodies were found south of the capitol. All of this plays into the very violent back drop that exists as this country tries to push forward its political structure -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Aneesh Raman live from Baghdad, thank you.
SANCHEZ: Still on the topic of Iraq, Silvio Berlusconi is to appear before Italian lawmakers later this hour. He's going to address the anti-U.S. anger over last week's deadly shooting of an Italian secret agent and the newly freed hostage that he was protecting.
Journalist Sgrena was wounded. Italian negotiator Nicola Calipari was killed. The Italian driver disputes U.S. claims that he sped towards the checkpoint and ignored warnings to slow down. There is an investigation under way.
KAGAN: Well, let's talk about checkpoints. Military checkpoints in Iraq are intended to improve safety but instead can become deadly.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Baghdad. He's going to take us through the checkpoints and potential flash points.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Firing low?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Firing low. Yes.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a U.S. checkpoint a year ago, I saw the aftermath of an Iraqi shot when he failed to stop. At the time, the soldiers feared he might have been an insurgent and had tried to disable his car to save their lives. Later that year, and 65 miles away, Miqdad Abdull a former Iraqi general says a similar thing happened to him. He points to the wind child of his car where he says he was shot at by U.S. soldiers at a checkpoint.
MIQDAD ABDULL, FORMER IRAQI GENERAL (through translator): The first shot was a killer shot. And this I know from my experience. I ducked and the shooting lasted for about another 15 seconds.
ROBERTSON: He shows photographs of the many bullet holes through the windshield of his car and of his own injuries. Lays out police maps and a note apparently written by a U.S. Army officer. It reads, "This vehicle failed to stop for a coalition traffic point. The vehicle was engaged, and hit by small arms fire."
He claims not to have seen the warning for him to stop.
ABDULL (through translator): in my personal opinion, people fear these checkpoints more than they fear other attacks and explosions.
ROBERTSON: This day, at a checkpoint on the highway to Baghdad International Airport, the most dangerous road in Iraq, two Iraqi drivers get confused about how to proceed.
(on camera): This is exactly where Iraqi drivers worry the most they say. They coming into a checkpoint here, and what they say they fear is they may be mistaken for a suicide bomber. And that's why this area they say, is the most dangerous because they should be shot at.
(voice-over): Noone has an accurate account of how many Iraqis and others have been injured in this way. But commanders say they are committed to avoiding casualties.
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM WEBSTER, U.S. ARMY: We've trained our soldiers and continue to retrain them on techniques of causing a vehicle to slow down and stop far enough away, where it does not present the threat of an explosive device.
ROBERTSON: And In Iraq, explosive devices like that go off 40 to 60 times every day. The threat that worries the soldiers the most is the suicide car bomber. So every time a car comes closer, then they told me, it is a critical moment where self-preservation forces a fast decision.
WILLIAMS: If the vehicle looks like a threat of lethal force to the soldier guarding the position, then we may fire warning shots into the ground next to the vehicle. And then we instruct our soldiers to engage the engine block if they possibly can to disable the vehicle and try not to kill anyone. ROBERTSON: On Iraq's roads, on both sides of the checkpoint, caution remains the watchword.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton returns to a New York hospital tomorrow, nearly six months after his heart bypass surgery. Doctors are going to remove a build-up of scar tissue and fluid from his chest. The condition was discovered during a recent x- ray.
Mr. Clinton passed a full physical before going to Asia for a tour of the tsunami-hit region. Doctors say his present condition was not a cause nor made worse by that trip. George H. W. Bush, who also traveled to Asia, says that he was amazed by President Clinton during that trip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: You should have seen him going town-to-town, country-to-country, Energizer Bunny here; he killed me. So this thing, whatever he has got, if it knocks you out it hasn't gotten to him yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Interesting enough, he will continue. The two former presidents, Mr. Clinton and Mr. Bush are going to be at a tsunami relief golf tournament in Hope Sound, Florida today. And you're going to hear from them later this hour when we join their news conference to talk about that and other things.
KAGAN: I think they're keeping their fingers crossed from Florida, the weather not cooperating with that golf tournament happening today.
SANCHEZ: Is that right? Mm-Hmm.
KAGAN: Yes.
Crude oil, energy policies, strong demand, you can place the blame anywhere, but it does not ease the pain at the pump. Have you seen those prices? Coming up, gas prices are soaring but we have tips to keep you from paying the maximum.
SANCHEZ: And in case you have forgotten, it's still winter. The proof? Well, just look at the East Coast. In fact, we're going to take you there. Also this from Mount St. Helens.
KATHERINE BARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Katherine Barrett at the Cascade Valley Observatory. We will give you the latest on just how far the mountain flung its latest blast of ash.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: We have a breaking news story out of Tennessee out of the Great Smoky Mountains. Apparently a rescue is under way trying to rescue four young hikers that are stuck in the snow.
On the phone with us right now, Nancy Gray, a spokeswoman for the park.
Nancy, what is the situation? Nancy...
(CROSSTALK)
KAGAN: Can you tell us what's happening with the rescue operation please?
NANCY GRAY, GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN NAT'L. PARK: Yes, we don't know what the condition of the four stranded hikers are at this point. We received a report from a second group of hikers who encountered these individuals yesterday afternoon around noon, actually.
And two of the second party hiked out to report to us that the four individuals, along the Appalachian Trail at one of the shelters along the Appalachian Trail, were cold, wet and ill prepared for the weather conditions. There's some snow conditions and cooler -- cold temperatures. One was reported to have some signs of hypothermia, and that's what we are concerned about.
As I said, the last time the two hikers had seen them was at noon yesterday afternoon. So it's been 24 hours since any report of the condition of these four hikers. We sent out a park medic this morning on the trail at 7:00 a.m. to respond to this incident. And expect that this first group will meet up with them and get to them sometime here soon. We are looking at about another hour or so, to assess the situation.
In the meantime, we have assembled a litter team in the event that they need to be carried out. We are not sure about the number that would need to be carried out or what condition this one individual was with the hypothermia. We also secured a helicopter from the Tennessee Air National Guard from our local airport too, with hoisting capabilities in the event there's a level of emergency that the individual needs to be airlifted as soon as possible.
But as I said, we will know a little bit more about those conditions when our rangers reach these individuals here in the next hour or so. What we understand are there are four young men from North Carolina who entered the park at an area -- North Carolina section of the park who had plans, from the itinerary they listed, to hike the full Appalachian Trail, which is 71 miles through the park.
They made it as far as this one shelter, which is called Derek Knob; it's almost at 5,000 feet elevation. And they hiked in from Sunday about 22 miles to Derek Knob, when Monday they were in poor conditions, came across this bad weather that moved in. Sunday when they hiked in, it was warm and sunny. And like in March, in this part of the country, weather is very changeable in March. And Monday, the rain came with snow and colder temperatures. And this evidently caught them off guard.
KAGAN: Sounds like you will also know more in about an hour. We will check back. And we wish you well with that rescue effort.
Nancy Gray from the Smoky Mountain National Park, thank you.
SANCHEZ: We also we want to tell but another developing story. This one taking place in Hobe Sound, Florida at a real nice country club. You know what nice country clubs look like? Well, they look like that. And that is where we're going to see two former presidents in just a little bit. Former Presidents Bush and Clinton are going to be coming out.
This is part of a charity event that's being put together by the man you just saw in the corner of your screen there. That's Greg Norman. It's called Three Friends, One Goal. The friends presumably are Greg Norman, a friend of the Clintons and Bushes for quite some time, and the two presidents, of course.
And what they are doing is they're putting a benefit golf tournament together, organized by pro-golfer Greg Norman there in Hobe Sound, to try and raise money for the tsunami relief effort. We see that Mr. Norman has entered the room. Is that one of the former presidents, it's hard to tell on my screen? The one combing his hair?
SANCHEZ: Well, it's not every day you see a former president combing his hair and...
KAGAN: No, that's Greg Norman.
SANCHEZ: ... and getting ready to come on. But that's exactly what he was doing. And there we have them now: Greg Norman and Presidents Clinton and Bush. And they're going to be talking, among other things, about tsunami aid, the golf tournament and perhaps Mr. Clinton's condition. Here they are.
GREG NORMAN, ORGANIZER; THREE FRIENDS ONE GOAL: First of all, a day like today does not happen without the two gentlemen sitting to my right and to my left. The name on the day, Three Friends One Goal is really synonymous to what this is about.
When I think of what President Bush 43 did in putting these two gentlemen together to arrange the funds for a very, very necessary and worthy cause, was really touched my heart. And not only my heart but my wife's heart. We sat back and thought about what can we do to raise as much money as we can for these two gentlemen and for the tsunami relief.
And lo and behold, just out of a conversation, the two of us and a phone conversation by calling up and calling President Bush and President Clinton, and offering my services, here we are today. And the day does not happen without these two.
From my perspective, it's very easy. I mean all I did was call up my dear friends, members of Medalist Golf Club and other nonmembers associated in business around the world, and they have turned up open armed.
I have said that a couple times this morning, this country is the most philanthropic country I have ever seen in the world. From the private sector, it is just phenomenal. And I'm not going to say too many words here. But just want to personally thank both President Bush and President Clinton for taking time out of their busy schedule. We all know what President Clinton is going to go through tomorrow morning to make this day -- the day before that, I want to make sure it's a fun and enjoyable day for him.
They love golf. Golf is a common denominator here. Golf is what's brought us together. And the day right now, we have committed funds in the north of $1.8 million. And hopefully will have more coming in.
So we will hand it over to a question and answer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Clinton, first of all, sir, how are you feeling? And secondarily, are you going try to use your condition to get some extra shots from President Bush?
(LAUGHTER)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you know, let me say first of all, this is my second attempt to play this course. And the first time I went to a hospital because I fell off Greg's step and tore my quadriceps. So, as far as I'm concerned, I'm way ahead. At least I get to play before I go to the hospital this time.
And I want to thank Greg for coming -- he basically -- he was way too modest. It was his idea to organize this tournament and to ask people to help. And I want to thank all the business people here who contributed. I also want to thank a friend of Greg's, another pro golfer, Scott McCarran who is here with us, who also made a generous contribution is going to play with us today.
This is a wonderful thing. President Bush and I just got back from the tsunami-affected countries. A lot has been done. The money is being spent well. Especially the American charities and the international organizations that are there, I think are doing a very good job. But there's a lot more to do. In some of these countries you are looking at a three to five-year rebuilding.
So the fact that this long after that December 26 tragedy, these business leaders here are willing to give this kind of money because they know we have the long-term obligation, is deeply moving. And I'm really grateful. I'm glad to be here.
And I'll be fine tomorrow. And like I said, I'm way ahead this time. I goat to play golf before I go to the hospital. I also stepped off that step three times now. So I'm three for four.
(LAUGHTER)
CLINTON: And I may go over and step off of it a few more times before I leave just to get my percentage up. I don't want any strokes, except from Norman. President Bush gets the advantage of the front tee. He should be giving me the strokes. He's the one jumping out of airplane.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Bush, can you comment and then maybe President Clinton too, on the uniqueness of golf among all of the sports to do this for charity? I mean nobody stages charity football games. BUSH: You have to remember that the tour does -- it got real good at making a lot of money. That the tour gives us a lot of money. Give a lot of money every single week that they're on. And these are generous people.
And I certainly want to identify with what President Clinton said about Greg Norman. He's always been helping other people. He's a wonderful person. And so this thing wouldn't obviously -- wouldn't have happened here and to this degree without him. And so when it was suggested, why -- Bill Clinton and I just readily accepted.
But golf -- the point I want to make is that golf and golf lovers are generally what I call bright points of light. They want to help others. And Greg is certainly stepped up here and done it in a wonderful way. And I'm proud to be a part of it. So long as he abides by the no laughing rule, which is in effect every time I swing. He was good about that when he visited me in Maine. He told me it would be OK.
CLINTON: You know, I would like to say one thing about -- you asked a question about golf. I think there is something unique about golf. First of all, people that really love it tend to be pretty honorable people. It's the only game in the world where you are supposed to enforce the rules on yourself. And if you vary from the rules, you are supposed to agree in advance about what the variance is, even in a friendly game.
Secondly, it's the only sport I can think of where dramatically different abilities can have a competitive match because of a handicap system. I'm about to go to my stepfather's 90-birthday party. And he played actively to 87 or 88. If I gave him his handicap, he'd beat me half the time. And that's the wonderful thing about this. This is a sport everybody can play, everybody can enjoy. I think it makes you appreciate other people.
And you have time when you are playing. You know, you play other sports that are real fast; it's hard to get to know people unless you are off the field. Golf is the only sport where you get to know people while you're on the field of play. And I think it makes you naturally more kind of connected to other people.
I'm a fanatic so I believe in it. But I do think there's unique characteristics in this game that produce the people that are here today and made Greg Norman think about doing what he's doing, which is an amazing thing. Think about the money they raised today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The generosity is wonderful. But how do you -- the three of you respond to people who say $30,000 per person for golf is an elitist way to go about raising money? What about all the folks that would like to meet you and just can't afford to meet you? NORMAN: I would like to answer that question. The dollar value was set because of the number of golfers that are capable of coming here and playing. Because there's 18 holes, we have two presidents playing, one nine each and there's only four groups. There's 36 players, 36 players time 36, that's 72. So the number was set because of the ability of getting the players on the golf course.
Boy, we would love to open this up and have 500 to 1,000 people. Believe me, we would do. But the golf course and the infrastructure just could not handle it. So, when you do, you sit down and do your demographics and understand OK, what would we like to achieve here? I don't like to think of golf as an elitist sport. Golf is very much an open sport.
It's played by all walks of life, all genders, all races. And it gives the ability to -- for anybody to go out and play from a public golf course, to the first (UNINTELLIGIBLE) program to being a professional golfer. Golf is an open-armed sport. And the reason why there was a limited number here is because there was a specific reason, 72 and 72.
CLINTON: I also think -- let me point out something. We raised -- not President Bush and I, since we started several hundred million dollars has been raised. But since this tsunami occurred, the American people have pledged or given nearly a billion dollars. But about one- third of American households have given. And over half of them have given over the Internet. So you have got millions of people giving 25, 30 bucks.
We both have stories from Houston, from Arkansas, from Harlem. A guy off the street in Harlem, a resident of Harlem came into my office after President Bush and I were on television and handed us a check for 150 bucks. And school children are helping. And all these other people are helping. We certainly have tried to be in touch with them and have not tried to wall ourselves off from them.
So this is one of a number of events that will happen. I think this is something America did together. And I don't think there's any resentment of our doing this to raise some more.
NORMAN: And even here, we have players, people who have donated money who are not playing. We have had, for example, one corporation went out to all their employees and raised in excess of $30,000 through their employees. And yet they are not -- they're not here to play. But they heard about it and thought it was just such a worthy cause. So it's not -- I truly am defensive about golf, people thinking it is an elitist sport because it is not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Bush, President Clinton mentioned the last time he was here, you also have some ties to the area. When is the last time you were in Martin County here? And do you have any tips on how to play this course?
BUSH: Well, the last question first, no. The first question -- first part of your question, my mother and father lived right across the waterway here for many years. And I used to come visit. But I don't believe I have been here for the last three, four years. I did come when Greg Norman generously put on a political event for our son, who was then up for re-election.
SANCHEZ: Well, there you go. Some the information that we were really seeking, we didn't get. We were hoping to get more details on the former president's condition. So, just let me share with you some of the information that we've been able to garnished here at CNN.
He is scheduled for surgery Thursday at New York Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center. And as far as how he feels thus far, he said a couple of things. In one place he was quoted as saying, "It's no big deal." Another place he says, "I'll be just fine." He says, "It's a routine sort of deal. It's going to knock me out of commission for a week or two, then I'll be back to normal."
By the way, as far as the golf tournament is concerned, $1.8 million is going to be raised.
Daryn, back to you.
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