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CNN Live At Daybreak

Attacks by Suicide Bombers at Mosques in Iraq; Examining Claims of Some in Congress Critical of Iraq War

Aired November 18, 2005 - 06:00   ET

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

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is Friday, November 18.
Topping the news this morning, the war in Iraq and the war of words over it.

And hello, everyone.

Welcome to DAYBREAK.

I'm Kelly Wallace in today for Carol Costello.

Thanks so much for starting your day with us.

Our top story this hour, another day of horrific bombings in Iraq. At least four suicide bombers have struck today, killing more than 50 people. Most of them were killed while praying at a mosque.

Our Nic Robertson is following all the latest developments.

He joins us live from Baghdad -- Nic, what's the latest from there?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelly, the most recent bombs went off at lunchtime about 85 miles northwest of Baghdad. Two suicide bombers talking into two different mosques at their busiest time of the week, the noon day prayers on Friday. They detonated their explosives, according to U.S. military officials. At least 50 people killed there, according to Iraqi police. Many, many people wounded.

There is a possibility, we have been told, that one more suicide bomber is walking around that particular town. It is strange because that town has been relatively quiet. There have been very, very few attacks there.

Two attacks earlier in the day, two suicide bombers driving vehicles, a combined, sophisticated attack on a hotel being used by Western journalists. The white van, you may see it in the picture here, drives up toward the security barrier, the wood, big concrete wall outside the hotel, detonates it, blows a hole in the security barrier for a second vehicle that tries to drive through, getting closer to the hotel to detonate its explosives.

That vehicle wasn't able to get right up to the hotel, but it did blow out windows in the hotel, damage part of the hotel, bring down some parts of the building and also bring down some neighboring apartments. Six people were killed in that attack this morning. Two of them were children, one of them a woman, we're told. More than 40 people were killed in that particular attack -- Kelly.

WALLACE: And, Nic, very quickly, I know it's very early, any claims of responsibility yet and any sense I these two incidents are coordinated or linked in any way?

ROBERTSON: No claims of responsibility. The bombings this morning in Baghdad at the hotel very, very similar to a bombing three weeks ago in another hotel used by Western journalists. The same type of attack, a lead vehicle blowing a hole in a security barrier so following vehicles can try and get through with their explosives. That was claimed by al Qaeda in Iraq. But no claims so far today -- Kelly.

WALLACE: OK, Nic, we appreciate the report.

We'll be following your reporting throughout the day.

Nic Robertson reporting live for us from Baghdad this morning.

Meantime in Washington, there is more heated debate over the war in Iraq. Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran and ranking Democrat on the House Defense Appropriations Committee, he is saying it is time to bring our troops home from Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN P. MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: It's time to bring them home. They've done everything they can do. The military has done everything they can do. This was has been so mishandled from the very start. Not only was the intelligence bad, the way they disbanded the troops. There's all kinds of mistakes that have been made. They don't deserve to continue to suffer. They're the targets. They have become the enemy. Eighty percent of the Iraqis want us out of there. The public wants us out of there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And the White House has been quick to respond those remarks. Less than an hour ago, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: He's a veteran, a veteran congressman and a great leader in the Congress. On this issue, the president believes he's wrong. And the -- it is interesting that just two days ago, the Senate of the United States, in voting on the Levin Amendment, had an opportunity to reject the position of deadlines or immediate pullout of troops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And White House Spokesman Scott McClellan is also weighing in. In a statement he says: "Congressman Murtha is a respected veteran politician who has a record of supporting a strong America. So it is baffling that he is endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic Party."

Well, anti-war filmmaker Michael Moore snapped back, saying: "Unfortunately, the president doesn't understand that it is mainstream middle America who has turned against him and his immoral war and that it is and the Democrats who represent the mainstream. It is Mr. Bush who is the extremist."

Well, it is clearly a heated battle and it is all over whether the White House manipulated pre-war intelligence. That's part of it, it's definitely so. And this has all prompted our David Ensor to do a fact check. He took a look, trying to compare White House rhetoric to reality.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president and his aides have counter-attacked against critics with two major arguments. The key one? Congress and the administration had access to the same intelligence.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And members of the United States Congress from both political parties looked at the same intelligence on Iraq and reached the same conclusion -- Saddam Hussein was a threat.

ENSOR: In a general sense, that is true. U.S. intelligence believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and said so in a national intelligence estimate Congress had access to before the war. But it is not accurate to say Congress and the administration looked at all the same intelligence.

The White House had access to far more than lawmakers did. Presidential daily briefs on intelligence are never given to Congress. Some intelligence available to the White House but not to Congress gave reason to doubt some of the president's blunt pre-war assertions. For example, that Iraq had helped al Qaeda on weapons.

BUSH: We've learned that Iraq has trained al Qaeda members in bomb making and poisons and deadly gases.

ENSOR: The president said that in October 2002. Yet eight months earlier, the Defense Intelligence Agency questioned the reliability of the captured al Qaeda operative who was the source of that assertion in a document delivered to the White House. It was recently declassified at the isstc of Democratic Senator Carl Levin. Speaking of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, the DIA said: "It is more likely this individual is intentionally misleading the debriefers."

Pentagon spokesman called the release of the DIA document "irresponsible" and "out of context."

The next major argument from the White House, independent reviews have already determined that the administration did not misrepresent the intelligence before the war.

HADLEY: They were looked about by the Silverman-Robb Commission. They were looked at by the Senate Intelligence Community -- Committee. Both of them concluded that there was no manipulation of intelligence.

ENSOR: But, in fact, no commission or committee has yet spoken on whether the White House misrepresented pre-war intelligence. The Senate Intelligence Committee, under pressure from Democrats, is working on it. The orders to the Silverman Commission from the White House specifically left it out.

LAURENCE SILBERMAN, FORMER CHAIRMAN, IRAQ WMD COMMISSION: Our executive order did not direct us to deal with the use of intelligence by policymakers and all of us were agreed that that was not part of our inquiry.

ENSOR (on camera): There is, however, plenty of blame to go around. Congress may have voted on Iraq without doing its homework. Members could read the 92-page national intelligence estimate by signing in at a reading run out of money to do so. The "Washington Post" reported that no more than six senators and a handful of House members took time to read beyond the five page executive summary.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WALLACE: Well, right now President Bush is halfway around the world. He and 20 other leaders are at the Asia-Pacific Economic Summit in South Korea, which officially got underway today. Those leaders are expected to try to revive stalled global free trade talks and pledge unity in combating bird flu and terrorism. On the sidelines of the summit, President Bush met separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They discussed a wide range of issues, from Iran and North Korea's nuclear programs to the Iraq war and bird flu.

With leaders huddled safely indoors, protesters flooded the streets of Busan only to be blasted by water cannons.

Our senior Asia correspondent, Mike Chinoy, is live in South Korea covering those protests -- Mike, always good to talk to you.

What's happening there right now?

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kelly.

Well, for the last several hours, a small group of protesters was engaged in a violent stand-off with police. The demonstrators had promised to put 100,000 people on the streets. In the end, just a fraction of that amount, 4,000 or 5,000, marching toward the convention center, where the APEC leaders were meeting.

Police had blocked access to the convention center. They had put down large shipping containers to block the streets and the bridges and told the protesters that if they tried to pass they'd be stopped. The protesters didn't listen and the police used water cannon. Some of the protesters pulled down those containers and tried to push them aside. But in the end, the police prevailed and after a few hours, the protesters basically gave up -- Kelly.

WALLACE: Mike, any sense of why the smaller number, as you said? I think the number was -- that might have been expected, some 100,000 demonstrators? Any sense why many fewer turned out?

CHINOY: I think it's probably the security. There's -- it was so massive. Thousands of police here. Some busloads of people who tried to come to Busan from elsewhere in South Korea were stopped. There's no -- the sense of grievance among those who did protest is pretty strong, especially among South Korea's farmers, who don't want to see the country opened up to imports of foreign rice. They see this as one of the disastrous effects of globalization.

Also, a lot of hostility toward President Bush.

But very extensive security, I think, really kept the numbers down -- Kelly.

WALLACE: And any sense, Mike, as you've been able to talk to the protesters, any of those that are there demonstrating against President Bush or against the Iraq war, about the news coming from the South Korean Defense Ministry that it will recommend pulling troops, its troops, eventually, out of Iraq?

CHINOY: No reaction. That news just really hasn't filtered through. But in general among the protesters and significant sections of South Korean society, there is a lot of hostility toward President Bush. Frankly, less about Iraq than about his very hard line views on North Korea.

But more than that, these protests were driven by concerns about economic issues, about the impact of globalization, about South Korea being forced to open up its markets and disrupting something that is seen as very valuable, not just economically, but culturally, which is the country's traditional farming communities -- Kelly.

WALLACE: Mike, we appreciate that report.

CNN's senior Asia correspondent, Mike Chinoy, reporting live from Busan, South Korea.

Well, still to come this hour on DAYBREAK, a threat of a global pandemic in the age of intercontinental travel. As fast as a jumbo jet can travel, an epidemic can swirl out of control. We will take you what American airports are doing to protect travelers.

Also, Carrie Lee will take a closer look at what is actually in that huge tax cut bill passed by the Senate last night.

And look at these faces. Please take a close look. Children in need of a home and a family to love. We'll tell you how you can make their dreams come true. But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And welcome back to DAYBREAK.

Fighting the bird flu is an uphill battle so far. Treatment options are being considered side by side with more preventive measures. And some of those measures are being seen at several American airports.

CNN's Sumi Das is at Dulles International Airport near Washington -- Sumi, what's happening there?

SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, scientists are worried that the avian flu virus could mutate into a form that could be passable between humans. Right now that's not the case. But that possibility could affect the airline industry, because as fast as a 747 shuttles passengers to the United States from abroad, it could also carry disease.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAS (voice-over): In the event of a bird flu outbreak, airplanes could speed the spread of the virus. The 2003 SARS epidemic forced airlines to make costly last minute cancellations of flights to affected destinations.

Since then, airlines have made every effort to be informed.

JOHN MEENAN, AIRLINE TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION: We're concerned about any possibly contagious diseases and we stay in very close contact with the Centers for Disease Control to monitor developments around the world on literally a daily basis.

DAS: Washington-Dulles International Airport is one of the 18 U.S. airports with quarantine stations set up by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At these stations, the CDC works in conjunction with local health and emergency officials, ready to respond to potential infectious disease threats. These centers include a private room where medical officers can screen potentially ill passengers for symptoms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are not treatment facilities. They're coordinated centers. They're outposts of CDC staff that coordinate responses at the ports of entry.

DAS: Thursday, CDC officials at Dulles Airport ran an exercise, discussing how to handle various situations, if they needed to get a patient off a plane or hold passengers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those responses, the protocols and the plans, can then be adapted for a disease such as SARS or avian influenza.

(END VIDEO TAPE) DAS: One area the airline industry says it needs to streamline is its tracking systems. If a person is identified as ill after passengers have disembarked from the plane, the airline needs to be able to get in contact with everyone who was on that flight -- Kelly.

WALLACE: Sumi, thanks for that very interesting report.

Sumi Das reporting for us live from Dulles International Airport. That is outside Washington, D.C.

Well, health experts today will be discussing the deaths of 12 Japanese children who took the flu fighting drug Tamiflu. Tamiflu is considered one of the best drugs to take in battling avian flu. FDA officials say it's difficult to determine whether the drug played a role in those deaths. The agency also is concerned about reports that some Japanese children are having hallucinations after taking the drug. The health experts meeting today are advisers to the FDA.

Well, up next here on DAYBREAK, family is something most people take for granted. But not these kids. They're looking for family to love, as are thousands of other youngsters. Tomorrow is National Adoption Day and we want to take a closer look at what you can do to help these beautiful kids find a home.

But first, we want to say good morning to a chilly Atlanta this morning. Our folks down South, we hope they are keeping warm. Hello to all of them.

DAYBREAK continues in just a moment.

Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Saturday is National Adoption Day and earlier this year, we told you about the Heart Gallery and what it is doing to try and place kids in homes. You might not realize just how many children are available and are waiting for families.

Our Carol Costello got a personal tour of New Jersey's Heart Gallery, home to more than 300 kids in foster care.

She got a chance to talk to one boy who is looking for a home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I'm just waiting for the perfect home. I'm just, I just keep waiting for the perfect one at the right time. Maybe when I get older, I might take a foster kid an adopt them, so if I'm not going to get helped, I'm going to help someone else. So anyway I win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And we are told he is 12 now. Not many people willing to adopt older children. We checked and he is still hoping for a family.

More than half a million children like him are now in foster care and more than 100,000 kids are now eligible for adoption.

Maxine Baker is president and CEO of the Freddie Mac Foundation. It funds non-profit groups serving children and families.

And she joins us this morning from Washington.

Thanks so much for being here.

We appreciate it.

MAXINE BAKER, FREDDIE MAC FOUNDATION: Good morning, Kelly.

How are you?

WALLACE: Good.

And an important issue. And, of course, part of the goal of National Adoption Day is increasing awareness about the problem. I was reading some of the research. Since 1987, the number of children in foster care has nearly doubled. You also report that each year approximately 20,000 children in foster care will age out of the system without ever being placed with a permanent family. So a huge need is here.

BAKER: Yes, there is a huge need in our own United States to help the half million children who are in the foster care system.

As you just mentioned, about 100,000 are available for adoption and tomorrow, Saturday, is National Adoption Day, during the month of November, a time when we all come together and think about what we're thankful for, we find that we must help these children who languish in this system for years.

WALLACE: You know, it's so interesting, also, looking at some of the statistics. Women age 18 to 44 expressing a bigger interest in adoption, which is great to see. 1995, 13 million expressed an interest. That jumped up to 18 million in 2002. But then take a look at this. The women interested in adoption who took steps to adopt. 1995, 2.1 million. That dropped to 1.9 million in 2002.

What do you think the problem is? There seems to be an increased interest, but fewer women taking steps to adopt?

BAKER: Well, this study that we commissioned this year looking at the issue around adoption and women, this drop-off, I think we have to do a little bit more analysis. I'd be interested in laying the demographics of women who are interested in adoption over the number of women who are available. So I think that's one thing we have to look at.

I think clearly the issue around adoption and adoption from foster care, the awareness has happened. But what we need to now focus is on a call to action, to help people make the system more user friendly or consumer friendly, so that it takes some of the mystique or the difficulty out of the system.

Of course, we want to make sure that these children get into good, loving, safe homes, but I think the systems have to look a little bit more to make it more user-friendly.

WALLACE: And as you are talking, Miss. Baker, we're putting up pictures of these beautiful children, all waiting for a home.

If someone is watching this interview right now and is interested in adopting, what would be your advice to them about how they can go about maneuvering through what is obviously a complicated process?

BAKER: Well, I think they could call their local jurisdiction is one way to do it. There are a lots of different Web sites. Www.nationaladoptionday.org is one that I would suggest, particularly since tomorrow is National Adoption Day. And that will help guide people through the process. There are different rules in different jurisdictions, different states, and that way they can start their search.

WALLACE: And give us a sense of why you think awareness has gone up so much. More attention to the issue? More people focusing on these children in need?

BAKER: Well, I think the whole adoption arena has changed. I'm an adopted mother of two children and 20 years ago it just wasn't talked about. You didn't meet the birth parents. You didn't meet the foster parents. And that trend has really changed over time.

So I think a lot of people in the United States of America don't realize that a half a million children are in the foster care system. They might look to international countries for adoption and really don't understand what the need is here in our own country.

WALLACE: Oh, such an important story.

Thank you so much.

Maxine Baker with the Freddie Mac Foundation.

Again, National Adoption Day is tomorrow.

We thank you for being here and sharing your insights.

BAKER: Thank you, Kelly.

I appreciate it.

WALLACE: And, again, if you are interested in adopting and want more information, consult these Web sites. One that Maxine Baker was just mentioning -- www.nationaladoptionday.org. Or, for the Heart Gallery Web site -- we saw those beautiful photographs of those children -- www.heartgallerynewjersey.com.

And we'll be right back here on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And good Friday morning, everyone.

I'm Kelly Wallace in today for Carol Costello.

Thanks so much for starting your day with us.

Coming up this half hour, dozens are dead following several suicide attacks in Iraq. We'll be going there live.

And the debate heating up over troops and the mission in the Middle East.

All that ahead.

But first, these stories now in the news.

In Baghdad, a camera captures the moment of a huge explosion. This is one of two suicide car bombings in the capital. The blast killing at least six people. And in eastern Iraq, two more suicide bombers walked into a Shia mosque and set off their bombs. At least 50 people were killed there. Scores of people have been hurt in both locations. Again, a live report from Baghdad in just minutes.

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