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U.S. Marines Fighting Alongside Iraqi Troops in Western Frontier; President Bush Vowing He Won't Back Away From Mission in Iraq

Aired August 05, 2005 - 08:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A developing story in Iraq. U.S. Marines fighting alongside Iraqi troops in the western frontier, fighting insurgents in the same area where 20 Marines were killed this week. We're live from Iraq with the latest.
President Bush vowing he won't back away from the mission in Iraq. But have the American people lost their confidence? A new poll out showing the lowest level of public support for the war ever.

And for the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery, no more repair missions. They're headed home as is. Now, astronauts preparing for the biggest safety test of all on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you.

Also ahead, some chilling new information about the potential for suicide bombers attacking inside America.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The "New York Times" quoting a confidential government assessment which essentially says that suicide bombings are likely the preferred method of attack.

This morning, we're also going to take a look at some of the new procedures that police might follow for dealing with suicide bombers. One police chief will weigh in on that.

M. O'BRIEN: We will get to that shortly.

But first, the headlines.

Carol Costello with that -- good morning, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

Good morning to all of you.

Now in the news, President Bush's popularity appears to be taking a hit. A new Associated Press poll taken this week indicates 38 percent of Americans approve of his handling of Iraq, while 59 percent disapprove. That 38 percent is an all time low for the president.

A violent scene in Northern Ireland this morning. Check out these pictures. Rioters in Belfast targeted police with gasoline bombs and grenades. Forty police officers hurt. It's not clear how many protesters were hurt. The five hour riot apparently broke out after the arrest of six people linked to militant Protestant groups.

A follow-up to a story we first told you about on Thursday. Colorado authorities now say a plane that disappeared from radar crashed before it could land near Denver. Heavy rain in the area delayed the search for the cargo plane. Rescue teams say the aircraft was approaching the airport when it crashed, killing the pilot. And he's believed to be the only one that was on board.

NASA has cleared the shuttle Discovery for reentry. NASA officials decided Thursday a fourth space walk would not be needed to repair a torn thermal blanket. Scientists say tests show the damage wouldn't pose a problem during the shuttle's reentry.

Right now, astronauts are packing up and getting ready for their return home. We're expecting an update from the Discovery crew in just, oh, about a half hour or so. Discovery's landing is set to take place on Monday.

Hey, weren't you on the Jon Stewart show last night?

M. O'BRIEN: I might have been there. I might have been there, yes.

COSTELLO: It was funny.

S. O'BRIEN: Hilarious.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, thank you.

COSTELLO: Miles brought his rockets with him...

(CROSSTALK)

M. O'BRIEN: Well, I...

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, he did.

M. O'BRIEN: ... I've always got to bring my props and toys wherever I go and so...

COSTELLO: They're under the desk right now.

M. O'BRIEN: Always here available. Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Moving on, let's talk about Iraq. And, actually, we have some new developments to tell you about.

The military is launching Operation Quick Strike as a particularly deadly week for U.S. troops draws finally to a close. About 1,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops are involved, we're told, in the operation. They're battling insurgents in Anbar Province west of Baghdad.

Correspondent Aneesh Raman in Baghdad for us this morning -- Aneesh, good morning to you.

Can you give us some details on this operation?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Soledad, good morning to you.

The military says that Operation Quick Strike was planned in advance of this week's deadly attacks on U.S. forces. The timing, though, now, of obvious import. We know very little in terms of what engagements are going on on the ground. We do know today, though, that Iraqi special forces directed U.S. Marine air fire onto a building where insurgents were firing back.

Now, it comes in the Al Anbar Province of northwestern Iraq, a hotbed of insurgent activity. Multiple operations have been going on there all along to prevent the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq; also, to suffocate and isolate the enemy there.

The numbers of troops involved, Soledad, in this operation, 1,000 U.S. Marines along with Iraqi forces, is a sizable amount. It suggests how big this operation is and how important it is for the U.S. military.

As you say, it comes amid a deadly week. Upwards of 30 U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq since Monday. Fourteen of those were U.S. Marines killed in Haditha, within Al Anbar Province, on Wednesday. That, of course, after a massive improvised explosive device detonated and essentially destroyed their assault vehicle. We've got pictures now that show the extent of the damage in that area. Also on Monday, just days before, seven U.S. Marines again killed in that area.

So for the U.S. military, this is a front line of sorts against the insurgents. They have been fighting them there for quite some time. But as this week showed, Soledad, the insurgency remains, in the Pentagon's words, "incredibly lethal, incredibly adaptive," and needs to be met on its own terms -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman is in Baghdad for us this morning.

Aneesh, thanks -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: British Prime Minister Tony Blair is issuing a warning to people who advocate violence and terrorism. A short time ago, Mr. Blair announced new measures to crack down on extremism.

Robin Oakley live outside Number Ten Downing Street -- Robin, what is the prime minister proposing?

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, essentially, Miles, anybody who comes to Britain seeking to advocate violence or foment extremism in support of terrorism, they're going to find themselves deported from this country or prevented from coming into the country in future; as well as new legislative measures to be introduced in the autumn, for example, making the condoning of terrorism an offense. Tony Blair and his home secretary, Charles Clarke, are going to use existing administrative measures to tighten up on the preachers of race hate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I'm sorry, people can't come here and abuse our good-nature and our tolerance. They can't come here and start inciting our young people in communities to take up violence against British people here. And if they do that, they're going to go back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OAKLEY: Mr. Blair was asked at his press conference about Ayman el-Zawahiri's suggestions that it was his policies in Iraq which had led to the attacks on London. That, said Mr. Blair, was a mere excuse used by any of the extremists and it was a complete obscenity -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Robin Oakley at Number Ten Downing Street.

Thank you -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, there is a new report in the "New York Times" this morning that says that al Qaeda is intent on attacking the U.S., probably using suicide bombers. This comes a day after we learn that the International Association of Chiefs of Police has issued new guidelines on how to handle those kinds of bombers.

In a CNN "Security Watch" this morning, John Timoney, the chief of police in Miami, Florida, also, the former police commissioner for Philadelphia, joins us.

It's nice to see you, sir.

Thank you for talking with us.

CHIEF JOHN TIMONEY, MIAMI POLICE: Good morning, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Talking about this policy, we'll show a graphic about what it essentially says in a nutshell. "If lethal force is justified or authorized, shoot for the head."

Do you agree with this?

TIMONEY: Well, I agree with the policy. I agree with the idea behind it. However, we're not in the process of implementing that and no other major city chief that I'm aware of is implementing it, except Terry Gaynor in the Capitol Police over in Washington, D.C. And it's understandable up there.

My sense is, you know, we've talked about it, discussed it. But right now there's no major department (AUDIO GAP) the recommendations.

S. O'BRIEN: We're having a few little glitches in your audio, but I can hear you just fine, so we'll keep going while we try to work that problem out on our end.

You know, so you say you agree with it, although it's not happening yet. But it really doesn't leave that policy a lot of room for error, certainly, as a 27-year-old Brazilian man can attest, who sort of fit the profile and ran, but other than that, had no reason to be shot dead as a terrorist in London.

TIMONEY: Correct. But that mistake could have been made whether it was a torso shot or a head shot. The reasoning or the rationale, if you will, behind the head shot is if you have, in fact, a suicide bomber that's strapped with bombs, then to shoot him in the chest may set off the bomb, may give him time to set the bomb off himself. Whereas a head shot is almost guaranteed to take the person out instantaneously.

The problem with the head shot is it's quite difficult. You need a trained marksman. And so right now we don't see the need for it right now.

S. O'BRIEN: Again, you sort of have emphasized right now.

Are you disappointed that it's not being put into place right now...

TIMONEY: No, no, no...

S. O'BRIEN: ... or you're fine with that?

TIMONEY: No, I am fine. By the way, that's up to me. Each individual chief, for his or her city, makes that choice. The issue is, my sense is it's going to cause -- when we do such a policy, there'll be a bit of a backlash, there'll be naysayers. You will have the ACLU, certain local groups will line up against it and it'll cause quite a disturbance. And my sense is, and I hate to say this, my sense is often you actually have to wait for something drastic, i.e., the London bombing, before the public, the general public, will be willing to accept such a policy.

S. O'BRIEN: So if there is some kind of an attack on the subway system, some kind of suicide attack, really, anywhere in the city, then the support -- people will come behind this idea?

TIMONEY: Exactly. It's something that you see in Israel all the time, a pizza store, just a regular place of business where a suicide bomber shows up. We've never experienced that in the United States. We've spoken about it at length over the last three or four years, wondering not if, but actually when it's going to happen. And my sense is eventually it will happen.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, that's a very scary prospect, of course, because I think many people echo what you say.

TIMONEY: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: John Timoney is the chief of police in Miami, Florida. Thanks for talking with us.

TIMONEY: Thank you, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Nice to see you, as always.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: An emergency rescue operation now underway in the Pacific. Russian officials say seven sailors that are trapped aboard a deep sea diving vessel have less than 24 hours of air left. The mini sub is stuck 625 feet down in Pacific waters off of Russia's far eastern coast. And the Russians have asked for U.S. help in the rescue.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon watching the rescue effort from there -- Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles.

This story now just unfolding at this hour. There has been a high level meeting at the U.S. Navy in Hawaii in the middle of the night now. And they have now come to some decisions. This rescue operation now underway. The U.S. Navy from San Diego will, in the next couple of hours, send a Navy crew and an unmanned vehicle to rescue this Russian sub, to assist in the rescue.

This is a Russian sub called an AS-28 Russian mini sub. Seven sailors on board. They apparently got their propeller stuck on some fishing nets and they may be running out of air.

So the Navy has now come to a decision that they will send this rescue vehicle. This is file video of some of the technology involved. This is the Russian submarine and then the rescue vehicle coming up. This is going to be a Navy vehicle called the Super Scorpio. It will go on an aircraft with a Navy crew to a Russian airfield in the Pacific. It will then be sent out with the U.S. Navy crew to a Russian surface ship. The U.S. Navy personnel will drop this rescue remote vehicle over the side. They will try and untangle the Russian mini sub from those fishing nets.

It is now a race against time, Miles, to see if they can get all of this there before those sailors run out of air -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Barbara, a lot of people are thinking this morning about the Kursk four years ago, different waters, a different scenario, a bigger submarine, but at that time, the Russians a little bit reluctant to ask for help. This sounds different.

STARR: It does, indeed. The Russians were very slow to ask for international assistance in that case and more than 100 Russian Navy sailors died. It was a situation that put the Russian government at real odds with the people in Russia.

As we understand it at this hour, the Russians very quickly came to the U.S. Navy and to the go of Japan, asked them what they had, what they could do to help. And it led to the fact that there was this middle of the night meeting of high level U.S. Navy officials out in Hawaii to try and see what they could pull together to assist the Russian Navy as quickly as possible.

All of that now unfolding -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

Thanks.

Let's check the weather.

Chad Myers at the Weather Center with that -- good morning, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi.

Good morning, Miles.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Here's where I put Chad on the spot.

Landing forecast, shuttle, 4:46 a.m. Eastern time Monday.

I hear ground fog, maybe. But that's...

MYERS: Yes, you know, I looked at it. I didn't see too much that's really going to get in the way, nothing organized over Florida. There is an area of disturbance. Whether that's like over Panama City, but I don't think its arms are going to stretch all the way down toward Daytona.

S. O'BRIEN: He was trying to stump you, Chad, you realize.

M. O'BRIEN: And he looked at it, didn't he?

MYERS: I did. I looked at it yesterday.

S. O'BRIEN: And Chad won.

M. O'BRIEN: Darn it. You are my hero.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Chad.

MYERS: We'll see.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the link between blood pressure and heart disease. Could you be at risk even if your blood pressure is not very high?

M. O'BRIEN: Also, outrage in Nevada. Why a killer could walk free after spending less than a year in confinement.

S. O'BRIEN: The worries back home as the shuttle crew prepares for reentry. We'll talk to the husband of shuttle commander Eileen Collins ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Live pictures as you look at the main core of the International Space Station. That's the part where the U.S. meets the Russian side. And in the foreground there, you see the space station's robotic arm. There's the air lock off to the side there. The Discovery astronauts inside gearing up to head back to Earth. NASA decided Thursday, yesterday, a fourth space walk not needed to fix a damaged thermal blanket near one of the cockpit windows.

This means Discovery all set for reentry. Thursday, shuttle commander Eileen Collins spoke about coming home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EILEEN COLLINS, SHUTTLE COMMANDER: I believe it's going to be Monday morning back there on the planet Earth. I feel very confident coming back, because we have looked at everything and whatever we decide to do on the blanket, I'm not too worried about it. I think that it's going to be fine and I'm really looking forward to getting back and seeing my family again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: With us now from Houston, Commander Collins' husband, Pat Youngs.

Pat, good to see you again.

PAT YOUNGS, HUSBAND OF SHUTTLE COMMANDER: Good morning, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Are you worried about the blanket, or, for that matter, much else this morning when you think about that landing Monday morning?

YOUNGS: No, Miles. Actually, I mean pretty happy how all the issues -- it's been kind of an exciting flight, but it looks like all the issues, to me, have been well resolved.

M. O'BRIEN: You say exciting flight. It's been a bit of a roller coaster ride. And we haven't talked since that foam fell off about two minutes after lift-off.

What went through your mind when you saw that?

YOUNGS: Well, I think, like everyone else, a little surprised with all the work that's been done. However, I think the NASA people got right on it, you know, did all the analysis. I think the new cameras and photography that came along with this STS114 worked exceptionally well. And, you know, I think that was a great aid in solving the different issues that have popped up.

M. O'BRIEN: But it must have been disappointing to see, after all that work, to see foam falling off the tank, which was a primary objective in this period of time from Columbia to now. YOUNGS: No doubt about it, you know, especially the one kind of large piece. But, you know, as you know, this flight is basically a test flight and, you know, that's a possibility. You know, we hoped it wasn't a probability. But luckily it looks like everything is OK as far as the foam goes.

M. O'BRIEN: Now, you've had an opportunity, of course, to communicate with Eileen via e-mail; the kids, as well.

How are those exchanges going?

First of all, how is Eileen doing up there? Is she being a mom as well as a commander?

YOUNGS: Yes, she is. She's doing really well. She's very happy on how the mission has progressed and she's still a mom. I got -- the first e-mail I got from her was P.S., make sure my daughter brushes her teeth and tell my son not to hit his sister. So she's still being mom.

M. O'BRIEN: She's always multi-tasking, isn't she?

YOUNGS: Yes, she is.

M. O'BRIEN: And I know you have an opportunity -- you always have an opportunity during these missions to do private teleconferences back and forth.

How have those gone?

YOUNGS: Actually, our first one will be tomorrow morning. So the kids are really excited about getting a chance to actually talk to her and, you know, see her for a couple of minutes.

M. O'BRIEN: Have they been at all scared, the kids especially?

YOUNGS: No, they've handled it exceptionally well. I couldn't be happier. You know, both of them, we get NASA TV, so we've been flowing the mission real closely and seeing the space walks and the kids have really done well. I'm very happy.

M. O'BRIEN: And you feel good about landing Monday?

YOUNGS: I do. I hope it's a good one.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, I'm sure she'll grease it.

Pat Youngs -- as they say in the aviation biz, greasing it is a good thing. That means it's a nice smooth landing.

Pat Youngs, we'll see you in Florida.

Thanks for being with us.

YOUNGS: You bet, Miles.

Have a good day.

M. O'BRIEN: All right -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: I hope she greases it, too.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes. She will.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come...

M. O'BRIEN: She's a good stick, as they say, a good stick.

S. O'BRIEN: She is going to do it.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: No fears there.

Still to come this morning, a growing crisis leads one state to take unprecedented action in the war on drugs.

That's up next on AMERICAN MORNING. stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: The State of Oregon is about to pass a first of its kind law in the battle against methamphetamine use. It requires a prescription to buy any cold and allergy medicine that contains a key ingredient for making meth.

Governor Ted Kulongoski is ready to sign that bill.

And he joins us from Portland, Oregon today.

Nice to see you and thank you for talking with us.

Meth is obviously a huge problem. But in your state, how big of a problem is this?

GOV. TED KULONGOSKI (D), OREGON: Well, Oregon was one of the first states that I think that was cited as having a crisis situation with methamphetamine. About a year ago, I went before the Board of Pharmacy and then moved all of the pseudoephedrine tablets behind the pharmacy counter. We kept a log. We required identification to receive that particular type of cold remedy.

The legislature, I put a bill in this time and the legislature now is going to require a prescription for all cold remedies that have pseudoephedrine in it. So you'll have to get a prescription to be able to do that.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about a couple of things that you just raised there.

By putting it behind the counter, which seemed like a pretty aggressive step the first time around anyway, what was the reaction? Was it just not effective enough so you've had to move to this step?

KULONGOSKI: Well, what was happening is that there's actually two different issues involved in this. One is the homegrown labs that you get in our respective states. And I think this is a crisis all across America. This methamphetamine problem is a national concern at this particular time.

What I think Oregon did a year ago was try to address the homegrown meth lab problem, the people who were manufacturing methamphetamine in their homes, in the backs of their cars. The issue that really drove this was that the effect it was having on children.

S. O'BRIEN: Your opinion piece that you wrote, I thought, was really incredibly moving, because you described some of the situations that these children are being recovered and brought, frankly, to foster care, in because the parents are doing meth or are making meth in their homes.

Can you get into some of the, I guess, the more egregious examples for me?

KULONGOSKI: Well, sometimes these parents, when they start manufacturing this and they get high on meth, we had one situation where we were called in and that the law enforcement authorities, when they came in, the parents had actually nailed a two by -- a piece of plywood over the crib so that when they got high that the child wouldn't come out of the crib. And how long the child had been in there, had been in for quite a while.

The other issues that we're facing is that parents basically neglect their children. They pay little attention to them once they start becoming addicted to meth. These kids...

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, it's terrible.

KULONGOSKI: ... they do not get fed. It's just, it's a human tragedy.

S. O'BRIEN: But you have another problem, which is people who normally wouldn't go to a doctor to get a prescription for their allergy medicines, people who wouldn't normally, you know, would just run to the pharmacy because they have a cold now have to get a prescription...

KULONGOSKI: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: ... which is both an annoyance, frankly, and expensive if you're not going to use that to create meth.

What do you do about those folks?

KULONGOSKI: Well, you know, first of all, what has happened, even in the time frame that we've had this pseudoephedrine behind the counter, the pharmaceutical companies have already started putting products on the market here in Oregon that do not have pseudoephedrine in it. And so this isn't something that the drug companies couldn't remedy themselves.

That's the national problem. That's why you need a national effort in Congress to get the drug companies to stop manufacturing these products that have this pseudoephedrine in it.

They have alternatives. It's just a financial issue with them and so it hasn't been as much of an inconvenience as some people would like to say, because there are cold remedies available without a prescription.

S. O'BRIEN: It's a bill you're going to sign.

KULONGOSKI: Oh, you'd better believe it.

S. O'BRIEN: Governor Ted Kulongoski joining us this morning.

Thank you for your time.

Appreciate it.

KULONGOSKI: Thank you, Soledad.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come, new reason to worry about your blood pressure. A new study says it doesn't have to be very high to put you at risk for heart disease.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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