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CNN Live At Daybreak
Making the Case; Fight for Iraq
Aired June 29, 2005 - 5:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is Wednesday, June 29. President Bush says U.S. troops will not leave Iraq until the job is done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will stay in Iraq as long as we are needed, and not a day longer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The president stands firm on Iraq, but is he on shaky ground with the American people? Also, his words hit close to home for American military families. We'll find out what they have to say.
And hundreds of searchers, multiple searches, but no results. Now Aruba wants more help to find Natalee Holloway.
ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.
COSTELLO: And good morning to you. We'll have more on the president's speech in just a minute.
Also ahead, her husband has been arrested for suspected ties to al Qaeda. Our one-one-one exclusive talk with the wife of Tarik Shah.
And later, President Bush and Tony Blair have allies in the fight for Iraq, but no mention of Blair last night. We'll take you live to London for the European reaction to the president's address.
But first, "Now in the News."
A U.S. military helicopter with 17 service members onboard has gone down in Afghanistan rugged Hindu Kush Mountains. The Taliban claims to have shot it down. The troops were on a mission against suspected al Qaeda fighters. No word yet on casualties.
The White House is accepting most of the recommendations in a special report of weapons of mass destruction. The panel that made the report had criticized prewar intelligence on Iraq. It also suggested more than 70 ways to improve intelligence gathering.
You're looking at the revised design for the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site, unveiled just under an hour ago. Police security concerns prompted a makeover. The new tower is more slender and set back more from the street. And Tropical Storm Brett is taking aim at the Mexican coast. It's churning in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico and could gain strength before hitting land. But why am I talking about this? Let's head to Chad in the forecast center.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I have no idea.
COSTELLO: Tell us more, Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Public support is on the decline, insurgent violence is on the rise, and President Bush is on the defense, trying to shore up sinking support for the war in Iraq. The president spoke to the American people last night from North Carolina's Fort Bragg.
CNN White House Correspondent Dana Bash was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The commander in chief asked for patience, promised his plan will work and told Americans he feels their pain.
BUSH: As I see the images of violence and bloodshed, every picture is horrifying, and the suffering is real. Amid all this violence, I know Americans ask the question, is the sacrifice worth it? It is worth it.
BASH: In his direct appeal to Americans to revive flagging support for the Iraq mission, the president stood before a sea of 750 soldiers and said he wants to start bringing troops home, but a deadline would backfire.
BUSH: Setting an artificial timetable would send the wrong message to the Iraqis, who need to know that America will not leave before the job is done.
BASH: Mr. Bush conceded, despite more than a year of intense training, Iraqi security forces need more help and suggested getting them more ready to defend themselves is the ticket home for U.S. troops.
BUSH: Our strategy can be summed up this way: as the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.
BASH: He also raised and dismissed calls to add U.S. forces to finish the job faster, saying his commanders call that a bad idea.
BUSH: Sending more Americans would undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead in this fight. And sending more Americans would suggest that we intend to stay forever.
BASH: In the latest CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll, 47 percent of Americans see Iraq as part of the war on terrorism. Half see it as a separate military action.
Throughout the speech, the president tried to enhance the support for Iraq by recasting it as part of the global war on terror, talking of foreign fighters crossing the border, referencing the 9/11 attacks six times in his 30-minute address, and taking on critics who call this a false connection.
BUSH: Some wonder whether Iraq is a central front in the war on terror. Among the terrorists, there is no debate. Hear the words of Osama bin Laden: "This third world war is raging in Iraq. The whole world is watching this war."
BASH (on camera): For that reason, the president said he intends to stay the course, not change it, and offered no new policy ideas or initiatives. This was about buying time, the same goal of a strikingly similar address he gave a year ago when support for his stewardship of Iraq was as low as it is now.
Dana Bash, CNN, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: So what do you think? Did the president make a convincing case? A CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll was taken right after his speech. Of those who watched, 46 percent had a very positive overall reaction, 28 percent felt somewhat positive, 24 percent had a negative reaction. And by the way, most of the people who watched the president's speech are Republican.
Even so, the president did not strike as much a positive note last night as he did in a May 2000 speech, when he declared an end to major combat in Iraq. Back then, 67 percent of Americans surveyed had a very positive reaction. And as you might remember, the president spoke on a warship in front of that famous, or should I say infamous, banner that read "Mission Accomplished."
The reaction from the public may be mixed, but soldiers at Fort Bragg said they have a different take on the war in Iraq. We spoke to some of them after the president's speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was never unclear, not really unclear. I mean, it was -- you know, I mean, every day we were told what we're fighting for. You know? So, I mean, it's -- it's probably more clear to civilians than soldiers. Soldiers know what they're doing every day, like what they're fighting for.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The military was never mixed on the messages. You know, a lot of that is what you see on TV. But at our level, it doesn't really affect us. We have our job to do, and we do it, and the plan that he laid out, we'll carry out the mission. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So after hearing all of that, that brings us to our e- mail "Question of the Morning."
MYERS: What did you think? That's our "Question of the Day." What did you really think of the speech?
Anything new? Anything you didn't expect? What's you reaction to the president's speech?
Go to DAYBREAK@CNN.com and e-mail us your answers, please.
COSTELLO: We had so many e-mail yesterday.
MYERS: We really did.
COSTELLO: We were asking people yesterday what they wanted to hear from President Bush. So we were wondering this morning, did you hear what you wanted to from President Bush?
MYERS: Of all the answers I read yesterday, not very many people got what they wanted yesterday. So let's see if we got something new that you liked instead. You know?
If you can't get mashed potatoes, maybe sweet corn will do or something. I don't know.
COSTELLO: I don't know.
MYERS: Did you get something different? Let me know.
COSTELLO: DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
As we wait for your e-mails, we want to play another comment the president made last night about U.S. troops. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The principal task of our military is to find and defeat the terrorists. And that is why we are on the offense. And as we pursue the terrorists, our military is helping to train Iraqi security forces so that they can defend their people and fight the enemy on their own.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So that is the mission in Iraq, as said by the president.
Our Jane Arraf is embedded with the Marines in Falluja. Jane joins us by phone.
Jane, what do the Marines see as their role there?
JANE ARRAF, CNN SR. BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: Carol, they see their role as probably a lot broader than that. There's an indication right now -- I'm walking down the street in Falluja, with Iraqi soldiers being trained by the American Army and American Marines. And essentially, when you get down to it, what they try to do is make their little part of Iraq a better place.
In some places, it's way more difficult than other places. We've just come from western Al Anbar, where there is none of this touchy- feely let's talk to the locals stuff. It is basically hunting down insurgents and foreign fighters and killing them. But here in Falluja, it's really quite moving talking to Marines.
They see progress in parts of this country. They see progress in their little corners of the city. They don't necessarily believe they're fighting that grand battle anymore. But they are fighting a lot of little battles -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I understand that. I guess from the perspective, you know, the United States first went into Iraq because supposedly Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and supposedly he had ties to al Qaeda, which did not prove true. So the military people over there have to be aware that the -- that the goal of the war has changed. And how has that affected them?
ARRAF: It's really quite amazing, the extent to which that doesn't matter here on the ground. We talk to Marines and soldiers about this constantly, and there is some soul-searching on the part of some of them. Some of them, so much soul-searching, they're getting out of the service or not rejoining.
But for the most part, they really firmly believe -- this is not just something they talk to the cameras and say to the cameras -- they firmly believe that they have a job to do, and they're carrying out their orders. And they don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about those weapons of mass destruction or the war on terror. That's something for the people in Washington to talk about and think about, they say.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf, reporting live from Falluja, Iraq, this morning.
In news "Across America" now, a funeral service will be held tonight for three boys who died while trapped in the trunk of a car in Camden, New Jersey. An autopsy showed they suffocated and ruled that the deaths were accidental. Medical experts also say it's likely the boys died before police joined the search.
Police in El Monte, California, confiscated nearly a ton of illegal fireworks from behind a barbershop. El Monte is one of the many communities around Los Angeles that does not allow fireworks that explode or shoot into the air. Illegal fireworks are blamed for an 800-acre wildfire just a few miles north of the city.
Former President Bush -- former presidents Bush and Clinton teed off on one another, only this time it was on a golf course. They're spending time together at the Bushes' summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. No word on what they shot, although President Clinton said that if he lost he would end their recent friendship.
Bethany Hamilton, remember her? She is among the best amateur surfers competing in the national championships this week in Huntington Beach, California. Hamilton lost her left arm in a shark attack less than two years ago. The 15-year-old won a different national surfing title during a competition earlier this month.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, you will not believe what trouble a new terrorism rule is causing at the nation's airports. We'll tell you what's sparking the problem. I guess you can guess right now.
Also ahead, we'll take you live to London for European reaction to President Bush's speech on Iraq.
And a new dolphin joins the tanks at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The international markets all looking brighter this morning. You know we're always happy here, especially our camera person, Doug, that the Nikkei is up. It's up by nearly 64 points this morning. It has made his day.
The London FTSE up 11. The German DAX higher by 18 points.
You've got to have fun. It's, what, 5:15 in the morning.
It's time for your news, money, weather and sports. Here's what's all new this morning.
The fate of 17 U.S. servicemen still isn't known after their Chinook helicopter crashed in Afghanistan. The Taliban claims responsibility for shooting down the helicopter near the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Canada has become the third country to officially legalize gay marriage. The House of Commons approved the measure, which had already been adopted by many of the country's territorial governments. Conservative opponents say they will revisit the issue if they win the national election.
In money news, a jury in Birmingham, Alabama, has acquitted former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy. He had been accused of overseeing a nearly $3 billion accounting fraud. Scrushy was the first executive tried under a new law put into place in the wake of the Enron scandals.
In culture, pop star Avril Lavigne is getting married. She's 20. For goodness sakes, she's 20.
She's Canadian. She got engaged to the lead singer of the rock group Sum 41. No wedding date has been set. Oh, Avril. Wait. You have time.
In sports, as expected, Andrew Bogut was the first overall choice of the NBA draft. The Milwaukee Bucks selected the seven-foot Australian center, Marvin Williams, from the champion North Carolina Tar Heels, with the second overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks.
Chad, do you have any advice for Avril Lavigne?
MYERS: No.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: I didn't do it right the first time anyway, so, you know, I don't know. I got -- I got nothing. Don't be asking me about marriage. That's what Dr. Phil is for.
COSTELLO: You got it right the second time.
MYERS: That's what Dr. Phil is for. Yes, well, that's yet to be determined.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Still to come this morning on DAYBREAK, some endangered little ones and the rather unusual mother. The story just ahead in our "Eye Openers."
And later, some show-stopping performances as BET honors this year's best.
You are watching DAYBREAK for June 29.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MYERS: And here we go, Carol.
I want to know your reaction to the president's speech yesterday. Yesterday we asked you, what did you expect? Today, I'd like to know, did you get what you expected, or maybe a little something different?
Go to DAYBREAK@CNN.com. E-mail us your answers there -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, you know, Chad, of course the late night comedians took their jabs at the president's speech last night.
MYERS: Really?
COSTELLO: It's shocking, isn't it?
MYERS: You know, finally they don't have to worry about Michael Jackson anymore. They've got something else. COSTELLO: They do. Here's David Letterman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, "THE LATE SHOW": How many of you folks earlier tonight right here saw President Bush's address on television? Did you see it?
(APPLAUSE)
LETTERMAN: Yes. I was surprised. Apparently the war in Iraq is going quite well.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: He -- Bush highlighted his successes. The Iraqi election is a highlight. The homeland -- improving homeland security, that's a big moment, capturing Russell Crowe.
(APPLAUSE)
LETTERMAN: And -- but the president did admit that there are problems. The war is dragging on, of course. The economy is down. The gas prices are going up. And the he left on his two-month vacation.
(APPLAUSE)
LETTERMAN: He did. But Bush is doing anything he can now to boost his popularity. As a matter of fact, tomorrow -- tomorrow he will be jumping up and down on Oprah's couch.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MYERS: Doesn't he -- doesn't he tape before the speech?
COSTELLO: You know, our floor manager Jay said the very same thing. He tapes his stuff at 5:00. How did he know?
MYERS: He didn't, because he talked about the gas prices going up, and President Bush didn't talk about that. He made it up.
COSTELLO: You go. You go, Chad.
Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener." Are you ready?
Meet the swan mom. Oh lordy.
This Washington woman is helping raise five little baby swans. That's why she's called the swan mom. These five-day-old trumpeter swan babies will soon be off to Iowa, where a pair of real swan surrogates are waiting to...
MYERS: Stuck in a puddle. (LAUGHTER)
MYERS: What happened to the real mom?
COSTELLO: I thought that swans were ugly ducklings and then they grew into beautiful swans. Remember that story?
Oh my goodness! She's using a fake adult swan.
MYERS: Yes. What part of the story were you missing?
COSTELLO: I was missing the -- I was...
MYERS: Move on.
COSTELLO: All right.
It was a startling sight on Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York. Take a look at this. A dead six-foot blue shark with a fish hook in its mouth washed ashore on part of the beach that had been closed. Experts say blue sharks normally stay in deep ocean water.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: But don't worry, the circle of life does continue. Thirty-three-year-old Nani, the bottle-nosed dolphin, gave birth to a calf at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
MYERS: Oh, awesome.
COSTELLO: Mother and baby -- isn't that cute? You can't have too many animal stories, can you?
MYERS: So there he is.
COSTELLO: Oh. The three-foot-long, 30-pound baby dolphin has not been named yet, but that may be because they haven't figured out if it's a boy or a girl.
MYERS: Right. It's a little hard to tell right now.
COSTELLO: It's hard to catch that little thing.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.
COSTELLO: And good morning to you. Thank you for waking up with us.
Coming up in the next 30 minutes, what would you do if your spouse was arrested as an alleged supporter of al Qaeda? We'll hear from the wife of Tarik Shah. And later, what did military families think of President Bush's address last night? We talked to one California family whose son is heading back to Iraq.
But first, "Now in the News."
Rescuers have surrounded the crash of a U.S. military Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan, but the fate of the 17 servicemen onboard is still not known. The military says the crash may have been caused by hostile fire. The Taliban has claimed responsibility.
Help for disabled veterans is expected to pass the Senate today. The bill would provide about $1.5 billion in emergency funding for veterans' healthcare programs. The House is expected to vote on the bill early next month.
More help may be on the way in the search for Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway. Aruba's prime minister has asked for a new contingent of Dutch Marines to join the search. Three suspects remain in custody.
And residents along the eastern coast of Mexico are bracing for Tropical Storm Brett.
Take it away, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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