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American Morning

Interview With Dan Bartlett; Search Continues for Three Boys in Camden, N.J.

Aired June 24, 2005 - 07:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Iraq's prime minister is in Washington. Washington is the scene of a big debate over the war in Iraq right now. He has an important meeting with the president today. We're covering all of that for you.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And this morning, we're live at the White House with one of the president' closest advisors. We're talking about Iraq, what some lawmakers are calling a quagmire.

But first, of course, we're going to get to the headlines.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Miles. Good morning, Soledad. Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News."

Hundreds of people near Phoenix, Arizona, are being allowed back home despite a massive wildfire. The fire apparently the result of two lightning-sparked fires. It's said to have moved and is no longer a threat to nearby communities. But so far, 46,000 acres -- the 46,000-acre blaze is only about 5-percent contained. Further east, a state highway running through Morongo Valley, California, is now open. A more than 3,000-acre wildfire there is expected to be fully contained by tomorrow.

The former Ku Klux Klan member known as Preacher Killen is likely to spend the rest of his life in jail. A judge has sentenced Edgar Ray Killen to 60 years in prison for his role in the 1964 deaths of three civil rights workers. The 80-year-old Killen will not become eligible for parole until he's 100 years old. His lawyers say they're planning to ask for a new trial.

In Aruba, the first members of a Texas-based team are expected to join the search this morning for Natalee Holloway. She's been missing three weeks now. The group plans an around-the-clock land and water search for the Alabama teenager. In the meantime, police have arrested the father of a young Dutch teen already in custody. That means a total of five suspects are now being held in connection with Holloway's disappearance. No one has been formally charged.

For the first time the Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for a specific racial group. Regulators OK'ed the drug BiDil for blacks with heart failure. The FDA calls it a step towards personalized medicine. But critics claim there is no biological basis for the move, and the drug should be marketed to all patients.

And remember, you can view more CNN reports online. Just visit cnn.com, click on to "watch" for free video. And you can check out our most popular stories.

M. O'BRIEN: You were on there. Did you see that?

COSTELLO: What?

M. O'BRIEN: There's a shot of you on there. It was you up there.

COSTELLO: You're kidding. I've got to go see.

S. O'BRIEN: In a moment. In a moment.

M. O'BRIEN: Go download yourself.

COSTELLO: I have to go and call my mom.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm on TV. All right, Carol, thanks.

COSTELLO: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: This morning, President Bush meets with Iraq's new prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari; that meeting a day after the president's top military men faced some tough questions on Capitol Hill. During one of the more rancorous sessions, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned it would be a mistake to set a deadline for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq. And Senator Ted Kennedy called for Rumsfeld's resignation.

Joining us this morning to talk about all of that is Dan Bartlett. He's counselor to the president.

Nice to see you, Dan. Thanks for talking with us.

DAN BARTLETT, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: Hi, Soledad. How are you?

S. O'BRIEN: I'm very well, thank you.

The vice president says the insurgency is in its last throes. What we heard yesterday from General Abizaid is this: That the overall strength of the insurgents is the same, and that more foreign fighters are actually moving into the country. So, who's right, the vice president or the general who is in charge of things in Iraq?

BARTLETT: Well, Soledad, this general, General Abizaid, is the person who briefs Vice President Cheney and President Bush about the conduct of the war in Iraq, and Afghanistan for that matter. And I can understand why viewers might think that this is inconsistent, but really they're making two different points. What General Abizaid is talking about is the insurgencies we face on a day-in and day-out basis. They're tough. And we see that. We see that on our television screens. They're fighting fiercely. They are indiscriminately killing innocent people. And Vice President Cheney has recognized as well and has said that we're going to have some tough fighting in the days ahead.

But what Vice President Cheney is pointing to is a broader strategic point. That is they are trying to -- they're enacting this violence to try to disrupt a political process. And what we have seen over the course of the last year is that they have failed. They failed to stop the handing over of sovereignty. They failed to stop the interim government from forming. They failed to stop the elections in January. As you know, 8.5 million Iraqis defied them and went out to the polls and voted in favor of a new future for Iraq.

And what he is saying is that despite this tough fighting, they are not meeting their objectives. And that means that we're going to win. He is not predicting a specific date that we're going to win this. But the strategy is sound. The reaction to or the response to our strategy by the Iraqi people has been positive, despite this violence. And I think that's saying a lot, that despite all of the killings that the Iraqi people are still putting their future with the new government, with the new Iraq. And what they're saying is not inconsistent. It's just two different points talking about the insurgency.

S. O'BRIEN: But it's kind of inconsistent, because you're short of saying that it's in its last throes and not in its last throes. And you sort of agree with both of those things. Can you understand why critics would say the White House is not being straightforward about the situation in Iraq?

BARTLETT: Well, as he did on the CNN program with Wolf Blitzer yesterday, he said, look, there's going to be tough violence. There's going to be bloodshed in the future. This is the nature of the enemy we're facing.

There is no one else in this administration besides the president who is more relied and more realistic about the enemy we face than Dick Cheney. He gets it. He understands it. He's been secretary of defense where he has had to send men and women into harm's way. He gets that. But what he's also saying is that we have to take a strategic perspective of the war as well.

As you know, back in World War II, some of the toughest, fiercest battles that we faced as a nation was just before the war ended, months before the war ended. So, he's taking a strategic look at this. He is not disregarding the violence. He's not disregarding the tough fighting at hand.

S. O'BRIEN: Is he disregarding the polls? Fifty-nine percent of the public says they oppose the war in Iraq. Are you surprised by that number?

BARTLETT: No. Soledad, I think what you're going to find is that when snapshot polls on days, which there have been some tough days where we have lost fine men and women of the United States military, these -- we're a compassionate nation. We mourn every time we see that. And it's unsettling when we see this indiscriminate killing.

But what we are also seeing is that they are not meeting their objectives. And President Bush, based on the advice he's getting from the commanders on the ground, strongly believes we have the right strategy. As you noted at the top of the broadcast, he's meeting with the prime minister of Iraq. He himself is confident of the future. You see, the Iraqis want to take over. They want more control.

S. O'BRIEN: But the prime minister...

BARTLETT: They want to win this war.

S. O'BRIEN: Forgive me, Dan, for interrupting you there. But the prime minister himself actually says the situation is improving, but the boarders are not secure.

BARTLETT: That's right.

S. O'BRIEN: So, regardless of what's happening, there are more foreign fighters that are continuing to stream into the country and support, if not lead, the insurgency.

BARTLETT: Well, I think that's an interesting point. There are foreign terrorists from around the world who are trying to make -- who are making Iraq a central front in the war on terror. And I think we have to recognize that if we don't defeat them there, these are not terrorists who are going to go off and become a shopkeeper and sit idly by. They're going to go elsewhere. They're going to train. They're going to find ways to attack Americans and American interests throughout the world. That's why it's so critical.

Look, we realize that people might not have supported originally President Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from power. But we can all agree now that the terrorists have made this a central front in the war on terror. We have to defeat them there, because if we don't, we will be facing these terrorists elsewhere, and potentially even here in America.

And the generals on the ground recognize that. The president recognizes that. The vice president recognizes that. And that's why we're going to pursue a strategy that will make us victorious in Iraq.

S. O'BRIEN: Dan Bartlett is counselor to the president. Dan, nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us.

BARTLETT: Thanks. Appreciate it, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: At this hour, a full search is under way in Camden, New Hampshire, for three young boys missing for two days now. The friends, aged 5, 6 and 11, were last seen playing outside one of the boy's homes on Wednesday. Officials are turning Camden and surrounding areas inside-out this morning.

Police Lieutenant Mike Lynch joins me now.

Lieutenant, good to have you with us. Where are you looking this morning?

LT. MIKE LYNCH, CAMDEN POLICE DEPARTMENT: Miles, we're resuming a full-blown search again in the Cramer Hill section of our city, the same area that we covered all day yesterday. What we're doing is breaking the area down into geographical sectors, so that we can go through there and literally leave no rock unturned. Our personnel and the resources that are working along with us are searching every swimming pool, every trash can, every vacant property. We are doing everything possible to locate these young missing children.

M. O'BRIEN: As I understand it, you had a bloodhound involved in the search, and it led searchers right to the banks of that river. What do you think about that?

LYNCH: Well, the bloodhound has been a great resource for us, and has tracked multiple scents. The limitation that we find with any canine working in this environment is that there are a lot of contaminary scents that can throw the animal off. The heat of the day, the fact that this area is where these children have played numerous times. So, there could be some scent left from previous, you know, instances, where they were playing. But the dog still remains a great tool to bring our people and our searchers into, you know, a more focused area of the search.

M. O'BRIEN: But when we hear that the dog took them to the banks the river, we shouldn't assume that necessarily is what's going on then is the bottom line there. Let's talk about known sex offenders in the neighborhood. Have you checked out all of those potential -- I wouldn't call them suspects at this point -- but people that would be of interest to you?

LYNCH: Our investigators are literally looking at every possible scenario. They are not discounting anything. We have looked at those records to see locations of various individuals registered here in the city. However, the primary focus of what's been going on has been a search operation. Simultaneously, investigators are conducting an investigation, but the primary focus has been searching for these children.

M. O'BRIEN: Lieutenant, you've handled a lot of cases over the years of missing people, missing children. What's your gut tell you on this? Did they just wander off? Are they lost in some woods somewhere? Or is there foul play here?

LYNCH: Well, it's very difficult to tell, Miles. I mean, you know, the age of these children complicates it. It's a whole other variable. You're talking about a 5-year-old, a 6-year-old and an 11- year-old. You know, when adults become missing, you know, there is always the possibility, did they purposely make themselves missing? In this scenario, you know, it becomes a little bit more complex. As far as, you know, whether there's been foul play or anything like that, we are not, you know, ruling out anything at this point. We have no information to suggest that there's foul play. We have no information that suggests that the individuals purposely left, you know, their home. But we're going to look at every scenario and not rule anything out until we are confident and clear that we can rule it out.

M. O'BRIEN: Lieutenant Mike Lynch, we wish you well finding those boys today. Hope it happens today. Appreciate your time.

LYNCH: Great. Thank you, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: In China, authorities say at least 536 people have been killed in floods and landslides that are plaguing the country over the last two weeks. More than a million people had to evacuate their homes. It's said to be China's deadliest summer rain season in a decade.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Well, you know what? In San Antonio, I don't care how hot it is, they are happy there, because there is lots to celebrate today. The hometown Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons last night. The score was 81-74. It was an exciting game seven of the NBA finals. The Spurs hit clutch shots and played tight defense in the fourth quarter. The Pistons could not break through the final stretch. It is now the Spurs' second NBA title in the last three years. Spurs forward Tim Duncan came away with his third finals MVP award. He is a happy, happy -- he was a happy man there.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: And a happy man today.

M. O'BRIEN: I don't think a lot of people were watching it, though. The ratings were kind of down this year.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. And they have been. I don't know why.

M. O'BRIEN: I don't know. In San Antonio they were watching that's for sure. Enjoy it this morning. Savior it, folks.

Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, the fed's Alan Greenspan urges calm on Capitol Hill over fears of a Chinese business invasion.

S. O'BRIEN: And ahead this morning, the Tom Cruise invasion. He is everywhere, talking with David Letterman last night. And now we're talking about it in "90-Second Pop". That's ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: China looking to buy big U.S. companies. Andy Serwer is here "Minding Your Business." And you're here to talk about Alan Greenspan saying, don't worry so much about this?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: A big issue, and there is anger and growing discomfort over the fact that China's economic power is increasing. It came to a boil on Capitol Hill yesterday, Miles. Treasury Secretary Snow, Alan Greenspan as you mentioned, were there testifying. Some lawmakers are very concerned. We talked yesterday about CNOC, that's China National Oil Company buying -- looking to buy UNOCAL for $18 billion.

The trade gap with China is $162 billion. The copyright infringement by Chinese companies is obviously a huge problem. Chuck Schumer and Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina are proposing legislation that would increase tariffs. Alan Greenspan and Mr. Snow saying that would not work. It would not help. It would only exacerbate matters and make the situation worse.

So, it is an issue that is not going to go away anytime soon.

M. O'BRIEN: And what about the markets today?

SERWER: The markets today look to be a bit flat after yesterday's big sell-off. And we'll be watching that closely.

M. O'BRIEN: There was a big sell-off. And that was oil?

SERWER: Yes, the price hit $60 a barrel yesterday, and that precipitated a big-time sell-off.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, you were rather passionate on that.

SERWER: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: You said $60. Watch it.

SERWER: There are actually sell programs on Wall Street computers that would make people sell stocks when they hit $60. And, in fact, that's what happened.

M. O'BRIEN: So, just the computers went off to the races.

SERWER: That was a part of it.

M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, thank you very much.

SERWER: You're welcome.

M. O'BRIEN: Appreciate it -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a TV classic comes to the big screen. But will audiences be bewitched by "Bewitched?" "90-Second Pop" is up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) S. O'BRIEN: Lenny Kravitz. I love him. It's time for another episode of "90-Second Pop," featuring this morning Sarah Bernard of "New York" magazine. B.J. Sigesmund of "Us Weekly." And Amy Barnett of "Teen People."

Nice to see you guys. Welcome, welcome.

Guess who we're talking about this morning? Tom Cruise. Why not? We haven't talked about Tom Cruise for about 20 seconds now.

SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: That guy, right?

S. O'BRIEN: Tom Cruise was on David Letterman last night, and...

BERNARD: And he...

S. O'BRIEN: Was he good? Was he bad? Was he weird? Did he jump on the furniture?

BERNARD: He did not jump on the furniture. He's toned down in that sense. But he is still the typical Tom Cruise guest, where he just laughs maniacally at everything.

S. O'BRIEN: Because he overdoes it. Because he's happy?

BERNARD: I think that was always Tom. That part was just Tom before the Katie. But the funny part of this was Letterman ribbing him about the very short courtship that the two of them had. You know, he said how long you have been together? And he goes, 10 weeks. You know, that's how you say a baby's age.

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Right.

BERNARD: You count it by weeks. But it's so funny, because Letterman, you know, here's this guy. It took him I think until he was 56 to have a kid. And he's not even married, right? So, this was kind of the perfect person to quiz him on it.

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

SIGESMUND: And Tom really offered nothing. The only sort of new...

S. O'BRIEN: Really? And he was on a lot.

SIGESMUND: He was on for three full segments. And there was very little that he offered about his relationship. But he did say that that widely-reported story about the first date being on a plane, having sushi, circling L.A. was not true actually.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh.

SIGESMUND: They did have sushi, but he said there was no plane involved.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh.

AMY BARNETT, "TEEN PEOPLE": He was just so boring. I feel like, honestly...

SIGESMUND: That's the best thing we can talk about.

BARNETT: You know, I mean, it's just more fun when he's a crazy Tom, you know?

S. O'BRIEN: That's true.

BARNETT: And he was...

S. O'BRIEN: Crazy Tom, but then it's much more interesting to watch crazy Tom.

BARNETT: You would have thought he'd be crazy on Letterman. Letterman got flashed by Courtney Love.

S. O'BRIEN: That's true.

BARNETT: And Tom Cruise is just sitting there. It was a perfect opportunity to be crazy.

SIGESMUND: I mean, I think he's finally paying attention to some of the newspapers that are saying, Tom, chill out.

S. O'BRIEN: And it's like no more crazy Tom.

BARNETT: Yes.

SIGESMUND: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: More Tom Cruise in that his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman, has a movie coming out. See, everything is like six degrees this morning. How is "Bewitched?"

SIGESMUND: "Bewitched" is just all right, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: You know what? I could tell when you started talking, you said (INAUDIBLE), which means...

SIGESMUND: I'm going to be kind. You know, I actually...

S. O'BRIEN: Don't be kind. How is it really? Bad? Terrible?

SIGESMUND: I'm not really recommending it. It's like a silly summer movie. le me just tell you a little bit about the premise. It's not a remake of "Bewitched." It's a re-imaging of "Bewitched." It takes place in Hollywood. Will Ferrell plays this washed-up Hollywood star, who decides to reintegrate his career by remaking the TV series, "Bewitched." And he hires this woman, Nicole Kidman, who he just meets at a bookstore. He likes her because she can do the nose twitch. He knows nothing about her. It turns out she's a real witch in real life. So, of course, they fall in love while making the series. And Shirley MacLaine is in it also. She plays Endora, you know, the mom.

(CROSSTALK)

SIGESMUND: Yes, I know. The timing and the premise, I thought the premise was promising, but it kind of runs out of creative things for these...

S. O'BRIEN: I thought the premise might make people who like "Bewitched" not want to watch it.

BERNARD: I don't think that people want to see Nicole Kidman in a comedy, or maybe that's just me. I mean, I kind of like her in her Virginia Wolf, "The Hours," mode.

SIGESMUND: Yes.

BERNARD: I mean, the last comedy she did was "To Die For," and that was...

SIGESMUND: And that was a black comedy.

BERNARD: Right. So, the black comedy works.

BARNETT: Right.

BERNARD: But that's just how you want to see her. And Will Ferrell has got to be careful. If he makes another not-so-great movie, he's going to fall into the category of, like, ex-Saturday night livers who just have not made smart screen choices.

BARNETT: I wouldn't mind seeing Nicole Kidman lighten up a little bit, though. And I think she's just so talented an actress.

S. O'BRIEN: No, I wouldn't mind it.

SIGESMUND: Yes.

BARNETT: It's just this movie is just bad. The special effects were sub-par, and I think they just had a little more work to do in order to liven it up, and they just didn't do it.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about "American Idol," because we always talk about "American Idol." This time it's celebrity "American Idol." How is this going to work?

BARNETT: Well, apparently they're getting 10 celebrities to compete...

S. O'BRIEN: Like, real celebrities, or people they call celebrities.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: So, it's going to be like C list, you know, former reality show stars. God know. But it's going to be 10 celebrities that are going to do sort of an "American Idol" competition to win $1 million for the charity of their choice.

S. O'BRIEN: The same judges?

BARNETT: Well, they're going to try to get the same judges. They're not actually sure yet. But I just hope it's the same judges, because, honestly, to me, this show is like Fox finally dropping the premise that "American Idol" is about creating stars. Because actually it's just about watching people get humiliated on national TV. And who -- it's great, though. I mean, who is not going to watch this, celebrities getting humiliated on national TV by Simon? It's great.

S. O'BRIEN: You know what? Don't you think that celebrities and their PR flaks are going to say, oh, so no.

BARNETT: No. Oh, they're going to do it. They're going to do it.

SIGESMUND: It's about reality TV stars. What does a reality TV star do once his or her 50 minutes are up? Go on another reality TV show.

BERNARD: I was going to say, I think these will be all right as long as they ban Rachel Hunter from it, because she has been on every reality show, including that ballroom dancing one. It's enough with her.

BARNETT: I just want to watch a celebrity tell Simon off.

S. O'BRIEN: And it is all going to be about who's on it at the end of the day. (INAUDIBLE) less interesting. I think the A listers...

BARNETT: Although "Dancing With the Stars" is pretty good with sort of, you know, random C listers.

S. O'BRIEN: You know what? I love that show. You guys, we're out of time. Thank you very much. Nice to chat with you, as always.

And we'll be right back.

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