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American Morning

President Bush Talks to Nation About Iraq Tonight; Another Shark Attack in Florida

Aired June 28, 2005 - 07:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush talks to the nation about Iraq. Public support is at an all-time low, but the president insists he's got a winning strategy. We're live at the White House with a preview of tonight's address.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Miles O'Brien. Shark attack again. A teenager loses his leg after being bitten by a shark just off the Florida coast in waist-high water. We're live as officials decide, is it safe to go back in the water?

S. O'BRIEN: One of the world's richest men and heir to the Wal- Mart fortune dies in a small plane crash. Those stories are straight ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning. Welcome, everybody.

M. O'BRIEN: The president has a big job today.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, he does.

M. O'BRIEN: Only 37 percent of you out there believe he's doing the right thing in Iraq. That's a tough number.

S. O'BRIEN: He says he's got a winning strategy, though. This is coming, of course, as widespread violence marks the first anniversary of the U.S. handover of sovereignty in Iraq. A suicide bomber killed at least three people, injured another 13 outside of a hospital today Musayib, a town which is south of Baghdad.

Just to the north, a prominent Shiite leader and a member of the Iraqi National Assembly killed in a second attack. That attack is likely to inflame ethnic anger.

A police chief targeted in the northern city of Kirkuk. One of his bodyguards and a civilian killed as well when a car filled with explosives slammed into their convoy. Three other people injured in that.

And 1,000 U.S. troops began a new anti-insurgent campaign west of Baghdad in Anbar today. Operation Sword is what it's called. It is the fifth major offensive launched in the past few weeks.

The increased violence in Iraq, is it linked to diminishing support for the war among the American people, is the big question? Well, President Bush is going to speak to the nation tonight.

David Ensor live for us at the White House this morning.

David, good morning to you.

Iraq, we well know now, is the focus of the president's remarks, but what do we expect he's going to say?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The message from the White House, Soledad, is going to be this evening, according to officials, that in this time of testing, what is needed from the United States and from the American public resolve and patience.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR (voice-over): This president has long favored speaking before military audiences, with their high level of respect for the commander in chief. But this speech is aimed at the nation as a whole, at a time when support for the Iraq war, and for the president, are slipping.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: The president recognizes one of his most important responsibilities during a time of war is to keep the American people informed about the situation.

ENSOR: The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll says 53 percent of those questioned now say it was a mistake to go to war in the first place; 51 percent say the U.S. should set a timetable for withdrawal.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: Why would you say to the enemy, you know, here's a timetable? Just go ahead and wait us out. Doesn't make any sense to have a timetable.

ENSOR: As for Mr. Bush himself, his approval rating is down to 45 percent. And only 37 percent think he has a clear plan for Iraq. With the insurgency exacting a high price in blood, it is time, aides concede, for the administration to do some plain speaking on the war.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECY.: Setbacks are inevitable. And important victories are seldom won without risk, sacrifice and patience.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENSOR: White House officials say the only way the insurgents could win Iraq was if they could convince the American public to turn against the war in seriously large numbers. Everyone here remembers Vietnam. No one expects that to happen here, but there is a recognition that the president needs to shore up his support for the war and for himself with the American public, and that's the goal tonight. ' S. O'BRIEN: Goes hand in hand, doesn't it?

David Ensor for us this morning. David, Thanks.

The president's speech will be live on CNN tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Of course that's obviously 5:00 Pacific Time. It begins with coverage with "ANDERSON COOPER 360" at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, and then "PAULA ZAHN NOW" will broadcast the speech and the response, and you want to stay tuned for "LARRY KING LIVE" at 9:00 p.m. Eastern for both analysis and reaction to the president's remarks -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Investigators still don't know what caused the plane crash that killed Wal-Mart heir John Walton. The ultralight plane he was piloting crashed after takeoff from Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming last night. John Walton was the second son of Sam Walton, and estimated to be the world's 11th richest man.

Susan Lisovicz reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flying was John Walton's passion. And on Monday it claimed his life.

The 58-year-old son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, and a member of the company's board, John Walton was an accomplished man in his own right. Walton was a Green Beret in Vietnam, and his heroism under fire earned him a Silver Star. When he returned home, his family wanted him to join Wal-Mart. He did as a company pilot.

He later started his own business as a crop dusting pilot, and then got into the boat-building business. As one of Sam Walton's four children, John Walton was also one of the richest people in the world. He and his siblings all ranked in the top 10 richest Americans in the Forbes 400 last year, with a combined worth of close to $100 billion. And he used that wealth to spearhead Wal-Mart's two charities, allocating hundreds of millions of dollars to a special interest: education reform.

But John Walton studiously avoided the limelight. He chose not live near the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. He made is home instead in Wyoming, which is where his ultralight crashed shortly after takeoff in Grand Teton National Park.

Susan Lisovicz, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Our Andy Serwer is one of the few journalists to sit down with the entire Walton family. He'll be with us in just a few moments to share his recollections and what this will all mean for the Wal-Mart company -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: A Tennessee boy's in critical condition this morning, the second victim of a shark attack off the Florida coast in three days. Sixteen year-old Craig Hutto and his brother were fishing in waist-high water at the time. The attack happened in Cape Sandblast, Florida. It's about 95 miles east of a beach in Miramar, where a 14-year-old girl was killed by a shark on Saturday.

Adaora Udoji is live for us this morning in Cape Sandblast.

Adaora, good morning. What's the latest on this boy's condition?

UDOJI: Good morning, Soledad.

We're actually at that beach where the attack took place yesterday. We understand that his right leg was amputated. He was attacked, as you said, in waist-high water. He and his brother fishing using shrimp as bait. Everyone says no one saw the shark, but they did hear the screaming. Witnesses said they saw a gush of red blood in the water. His brother managed to pull him to shore, and as it would happen, there was actually a doctor here on the beach who was able to quickly administer emergency care before he was taken to the hospital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UDOJI (voice-over): Medics worked quickly on 16-year-old Greg Hutto, the latest shark-attack victim. He was on vacation with his family from Tennessee. He was fishing with his brother at Cape Sandblast Beach, using shrimp as bait. They were about 60 yards from the shore, waist high in the Gulf of Mexico.

KANDY PETERSON, WITNESS: We heard a lot of commotion, and we thought at first that they were playing in the water.

UDOJI: The shark had attacked.

PETERSON: We realized after seeing a spray of red in the water that we were not dealing with any kind of prank.

UDOJI: The shark had taken a vicious bite of Hutto's leg. He was pulled ashore, and a doctor who just happened to be there on the beach immediately began giving emergency care. His parents were there the entire time as their son lay devastatingly injured.

The teenager spent two hours in surgery with what Bay Medical Center spokeswoman described as severe injuries to his leg and hand. Afterwards, he was listed in critical, but stable condition. It's the second attack since Saturday. Authorities say it was a bull shark that fatally attacked 14-year-old Louisiana teen Jamie Daigle 95 miles west of the Hutto scene. That beach was closed for a day. When it reopened, the sheriff's department had doubled the beach officers patrolling and added more air surveillance.

ERICH RITTER, THE SHARK RESEARCH INST.: The question, of course, is why do they come that close? If you have, like, a change of water temperature, a change of currents, that changes how many bait fish you have close to shore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UDOJI: Craig Hutto, we're told will go into surgery, a second surgery this morning. His parents and family members have been with him all day yesterday, and they're there today -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Terrible story. All right Adaora Udoji for us this morning. Adaora, Thanks.

Coming up, we're going to talk to the doctor who operated on the boy, as well as the shark expert who was himself once attacked by a bull shark -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: A cold hearted killer. That's how police in Wichita, Kansas have described the so-called BTK Strangler for years, and Dennis Rader's chilling confession in court yesterday was just that.

Here's CNN's Jonathan Freed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDGE GREG WALLER: Sir, I have been advised it is your desire to enter a plea of guilty in this case, is that correct?

DENNIS RADER, ADMITTED BTK KILLER: Yes, sir.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barely one minute into what was supposed to be the start of his trial, Dennis Rader pleaded guilty to 10 counts of first-degree murder, admitting he's the man many called a monster, the BTK Strangler, who terrorized Wichita for three decades.

RADER: And she screamed and jumped on the bed and strangled her manually.

FREED: Rader told the court he killed seven women, one man and two children between 1974 and 1991, in an effort to satisfy his sexual fantasies.

WALLER: Mr. Rader, as I understand it...

FREED: ... under questioning by the judge...

RADER: Strangulation wasn't working on her, and I used a knife on her.

FREED: ... Rader detailed the murders in a dispassionate manner that sent a chill through the courtroom, explaining how he took the lives of his first victims, four members of the Otero family in 1974.

RADER: I had never strangled anyone before, so I really didn't know how much pressure you had to put on a person or how long it would take.

FREED: And he told the court how he attempted to provide comfort to his victims, even as he killed them, as with Shirley Vian in 1977.

RADER: She got sick, threw up, got her a glass of water, comforted her a little bit, and then went ahead and tied her up and then put a bag over her head and strangled her.

FREED: Rader told the court he called his victims projects, or potential hits, and that he chose them at random.

RADER: If you read much about serial killers, they go through what they call different phases. That's one of the phases they go through is a trolling stage. Basically you're looking for a victim at the time

FREED: Out in the community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just amazing how a person can sit up there and describe sick ghastly things that he had done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be so nonchalant about it and just explain it like it was something that anybody would do any day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today we have some resolution.

FREED: The district attorney said she'll be presenting evidence in each killing at Rader's sentencing hearing in August, trying to ensure he gets the maximum possible term: 175 years to life.

Jonathan Freed, CNN, Wichita, Kansas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Later this hour, we'll talk with the son of Rader's final victim and get his reaction to those admissions in court -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: That was so bizarre and chilling.

M. O'BRIEN: It is just amazing watching that. And the way he talked about it in the third person. I guess it's kind of textbook stuff.

S. O'BRIEN: So cold.

It was like he was a professor talking about a case from 20 years ago. I've never seen anything like it.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. The face of evil right there.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I think that's fair to say.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, fast track to sainthood. The Vatican begins the beatification process for John Paul II. We'll go live to Rome and take a look at the path toward sainthood.

S. O'BRIEN: Also another suspect in the Natalee Holloway case set free. Is time now running out in the search for that missing student?

M. O'BRIEN: And more on the death of one of the world's richest man. Our own Andy Serwer was one of the few reporters to interview the later Wal-Mart heir John Walton. He'll join us in just a few moments on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Billionaire Wal-Mart heir John Walton died Monday in a plane crash. John Walton was one of four children of Wal-Mart's founder, Sam Walton. His share of that fortune, like that of his mother, sisters and brothers, placed him among the richest people in the world.

Our own Andy Serwer is one of the few journalists who actually sat down with the entire family for a cover story for "Fortune" magazine, and he's here to share some remembrances of John Walton.

Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Miles.

The Waltons are a very private family, very close knit, and obviously this is a tremendous tragedy for them. In a way, John Walton was the most public of the family in the sense that he took on school reform as an issue, and from time to time made himself available to talk about that.

I recently spent a day with him in the Mississippi Delta region in Mississippi and Arkansas, checking out some of the schools that he had aided over the years and supported.

But personally, I would describe John as the strong and silent type. He didn't talk a lot, but when he did, people really listened, and I think you'd have to describe him as someone who no one disliked. He was a very cool guy in a way. He was also a renaissance man. Of course, as you've heard, he was a pilot, but he was also a sailor, ran a boat company, and he was also a soldier. We've heard that he served in Vietnam.

Here he is. These are exclusive pictures of him that day I spent with him in Mississippi and Arkansas, one of his charter schools, one of the charter schools he supported.

In Vietnam in the 1960s, he was a green beret and served in the special forces, and was on some incredibly harrowing missions, Miles. He was dropped behind enemy lines and told to engage north Vietnamese soldiers, and in several cases, he was surrounded, him and his men, and they had to shoot their way out and rescued by helicopters and this is a situation that he didn't have to get into, because he probably could have avoided the draft, but he chose to go. He volunteered to serve in Vietnam and won the Silver Star.

M. O'BRIEN: So his role in the company on the fringes all along. He sort of pursued other passions all these years.

SERWER: I think that was right. He was a board member of the company, and as well was very involved in the philanthropy of the company the family was engaged in.

But he did have expertise in the company's operations. And I think he's going to be missed there, especially on a personal level, because of his strength and his integrity. And he was also a very clear thinker. He didn't get muddled. And I know that Walton family will miss him, obviously on a personal level, but certainly on a business level, as well.

M. O'BRIEN: I suppose being dropped behind enemy lines in special forces has a way of clearing the mind and changing your priorities for life. I mean, the fact that he did that service says a lot about him.

SERWER: A very cool customer. And yes, I think that's very accurate.

M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, thanks very much.

SERWER: Welcome.

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

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the second shark attack in three days in the Florida Panhandle. This time, a 16-year-old boy loses his leg. The doctor who operated on him joins us up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Witnesses describe the shark that attacked a 16- year-old boy in Florida on Monday as coming out of nowhere. Craig Hutto and his brother were fishing about 60 yards offshore in Cape San Blas, about 95 miles east of Miramar, where that girl was killed by a shark on Saturday. Well, Hutto now in critical condition this morning. Doctors had to amputate his leg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Dr. Glenn Summers performed surgery on the boy. Nice to see you, Dr. Summers. Thanks for your time. We certainly appreciate it. When Craig Hutto came in to see you, what kind of shape was he in?

DR. GLENN SUMMERS, SURGEON, BAY MEDICAL CENTER: Obviously, critically ill and in shock. Had suffered a major injury with extensive blood loss and requiring a lot of resuscitation at that time.

S. O'BRIEN: So he required resuscitation. His leg, also, was in terrible shape. What played a role in the decision to go ahead and amputate his leg?

SUMMERS: We went to the operating room with the idea that we would do anything we could to salvage the limb. However, it became apparent pretty early on that there were not enough structures there to reconstruct in order to have a viable limb. And the decision was made at that point to amputate.

S. O'BRIEN: How did that surgery go? SUMMERS: That aspect of things went well. He has done well since the surgery. The anesthesia team here did an excellent job resuscitating him and getting him back into a stable condition, where he remains at this time.

S. O'BRIEN: So is he in critical condition or is he in critical but stable condition?

SUMMERS: Critical but stable would be the best way to put it right now.

S. O'BRIEN: And what is his prognosis like?

SUMMERS: Barring anything unforeseen, which is the great mystery in this business, his prognosis is excellent long-term.

S. O'BRIEN: OK. The shark, we're told, bit into the main artery on that leg. There were some doctors nearby who began working on the boy, we were told, before he got to -- into the chopper and then got to your facility. Is that really what saved his life, do you think?

SUMMERS: Absolutely. I think the work that was done in the field was where the true heroism came into play.

S. O'BRIEN: Have you ever treated victims of shark attacks before, doctor?

SUMMERS: No, ma'am.

S. O'BRIEN: What surprised you, if anything? I mean, obviously, you're a surgeon, I'm sure you've seen a lot of really rough things. Anything about this attack, though, that surprised you?

SUMMERS: Number one, it's surprising in and of itself, shark attacks being as rare as they are. Certainly following the media, we've had two attacks in a short period of time, which is concerning. In terms of this, I think the main thing that stood out in my mind was the hero in the field that really saved his life.

S. O'BRIEN: Such a young kid. He's 16 years old. Is he going to be able to, as you can tell at this point, be fitted for a prosthetic leg and sort of live as normal a life as possible, do you think?

SUMMERS: I would certainly hope and think so, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Dr. Glenn Summers, we appreciate your time this morning. I know you're busy, so thanks for giving us a few minutes.

SUMMERS: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a shocking turn of events as the BTK Killer confesses to his crimes in open court. Coming up, we're going to talk with a man whose mother was one of Dennis Rader's victims more than a decade ago. How does he feel about the killer's admission of guilt? Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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