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American Morning

Woman From Belgium Believed to be First Western Woman to Carry Out Suicide Bombing in Iraq

Aired December 02, 2005 - 08:32   ET

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


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A woman from Belgium believed to be the first Western woman to carry out a suicide bombing in Iraq. Jim Bittermann went to the town she grew up in, where those who knew her are reacting in disbelief.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the shadow of the grimy steel plants of Southwestern Belgium in one of the poorest parts of the country, the residents of a working-class neighborhood were stunned to read in the morning paper what had become to the girl next door. Thirty-eight-year-old Muriel Degall (ph) had become the first European woman to carry out a suicide bombing in Iraq. She blew herself up in November, in one of the scores of attacks each month targeting U.S. troops. But why? Why would someone graduated from the girl's school here, who occasionally went to mass at the church of Saint Luis (ph) and worked at the local bakery turn herself into a human bomb in a far-off war?

Her aged parents closed their house and went into seclusion at a local hospital when they heard the news. But those who knew Muriel painted a picture of a young woman with problems, first drugs, then alcohol. The woman who lived remembers that Muriel's parents were happy when she converted to Islam, and cleaned up her life to marry her first husband. But after a divorce, her second husband, an Islamic radical, was a different story. The two last seen living on this street in Brussels. They took a trip to Syria last summer, returned, and then drove off to Iraq. Her husband was killed in combat there a few days before his wife.

(on camera): The shock and surprise that a woman who grew up around here could end up a suicide bomber in Iraq has raised another concern. That just as her increasing radicalism went undetected, others, too, might be following a similar course.

(voice-over): A Belgian terrorism expert fears the couple could serve a model for some.

CLAUDE MONIQUET, STRATEGIC INTL. & SECURITY CTR.: The man and his wife, which went to Iraq and which together against the American, this is -- I'm afraid it could be a success story in the jihadist movement.

BITTERMANN: After Muriel's story hit the news, Belgian police rounded up 14 suspected members of a suspected terrorist network who had been under operation for months, but they said they knew nothing about Muriel, until she became what they're calling here, the Belgian kamikaze.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Malsalsarsaum (ph), Belgium.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: No one else was killed in the bombing aside from the woman. One soldier was slightly wounded -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, former President Bill Clinton talking about Iraq on ANDERSON COOPER 360 last night. He reacted to the president's strategy speech and comments that were made by his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FMR. PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: What we want to do is maximize the participation of all the Iraqis, including the Sunnis, in the election.

Now the thing that was important about the president's speech, I thought, was that he acknowledged we can have a drawn down next year, and we should withdrawal our troops into safer areas, which is what Mr. Murtha said. And I hope that we'll reconfigure them with greater strike-force capacity and greater intelligence capacity, but that's essentially what Hillary said in her e-mail. So I think whether people agreed with what we did Iraq in the beginning, or disagreed with it, the question is what's now best for the American people, for the war on terror and for the people of Iraq and the stability of the Middle East.

We don't want to set a fixed timetable if that led to chaos, the establishment of permanent terrorist operations in the Sunni section of Iraq, and long-term greater instability in the Middle East. So whether you're for or against it, it seems to me you should all be praying that it succeeds. I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: "ANDERSON COOPER" airs weeknights from 10:00 p.m. to Midnight. That's Eastern Time.

Well, President Clinton had the Kosovo campaign, but that is nothing like what is happening in Iraq. Iraq, though, has been compared to Vietnam.

Our CNN analyst Jeff Greenfield is here this morning, taking a look really at President Bush, and comparing him to former President Nixon.

Nice to see you. Good morning.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Good morning.

Well, yes, you have a president who talks to the nation about an unpopular war. He outlines a plan that will enable Americans to begin leaving the battlefield without abandoning its goals. That's what happened not just on Wednesday, but more than 25 years ago, and the question is, are there lessons here?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD M. NIXON, FMR. PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: The question facing us today is, now that we are in the war, what is the best way to end it?

GREENFIELD (voice-over): It was November 1969. President Richard Nixon addressed the nation barely two weeks after a nationwide Vietnam War moratorium had brought millions of people out to protest the war, a war that had cost more than 30,000 lives over the last three years.

In rejecting the idea of withdrawal, Nixon called it an easy and popular course to follow. The president proposed to turn more of the fighting over to South Vietnamese, and to begin lessening America's combat role.

He put it this way:

NIXON: As South Vietnamese forces become stronger, the rate of American withdrawal can become greater.

GREENFIELD: Those words have had a strong echo in President Bush's speeches.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: And as Iraqi security forces stand up, coalition forces can stand down.

Our troops will come home with the honor they have earned.

GREENFIELD: Did Vietnamization work? Well, American combat deaths did fall dramatically, from 9,414 in 1969 to 1,380 in 1971 to just 300 in 1972. And in 1973, all American combat forces left South Vietnam, and American prisoners of war came home, including future Senator John McCain.

But the U.S. promise to keep South Vietnam viable did not survive. In 1975, Nixon had resigned in disgrace over Watergate.

GERALD R. FORD, FMR. PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Gerald R. Ford.

GREENFIELD: And a politically weakened President Ford could not persuade the Congress to continue sending funds to Saigon. That spring, the north conquered the south and unified the country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Now this president's proposal rests on a set of assumptions that make the Vietnam analogy a little limited. For instance, can Sunni, and Shiite and Kurds in Iraq put aside their historic animosities and work together? If American troop levels are strained to the breaking point, and they are to be used to clear and hold limited areas, does leave insurgents free throughout the rest of the country? But one lesson of Vietnam is very much with us, as a crucial question. Back then, after five years of combat, with no end in sight, America's political will to fight the war had been irreparably eroded. If today's polls are right, something like that may be happening now, which does not leave much time for this president to demonstrate that his plan is working -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: So essentially, it's about the will of the American people to be involved in the conflict.

Do you think it makes a difference that when you're talking about President Nixon, you're talking about a guy who didn't start the Vietnam War and who didn't escalate the Vietnam War. When you're talking about President Bush, it's a different set of circumstances there?

GREENFIELD: I think President Nixon had a lot more leeway, a lot more running room, to use the football analogies he used to like, to change course, and to say, all right, maybe we were wrong to get in, but we're here now.

With this president, that's...

S. O'BRIEN: Wrong takes on a different tone. Because we were wrong?

GREENFIELD: Right. So he was able to say or hint at in that speech, saying, OK, we've learned some lessons from experience. The idea of him saying, look, maybe this was a disastrous mistake, but we're grappling with it, no, that would be on his shoulders. And to that extent, the analogy really is very different.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you're not going to hear that. All right, Jeff

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Hello, Andy. What you got?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: We're going to tell you about the big jobs report that just crossed the tapes about 11 minutes ago. How is the economy faring? We'll give you the very latest, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

M. O'BRIEN: You know, it would be funny to be a deejay, wouldn't it?> Because you could just dance the whole day through.

S. O'BRIEN: Kind of rocking out.

M. O'BRIEN: And nobody would know.

S. O'BRIEN: Britney Spears is 24.

SERWER: Is that right?

S. O'BRIEN: Gosh, I feel old.

SERWER: Were there any men born today?

S. O'BRIEN: No. No men were born today. And only three women, very young attractive.

SERWER: Accomplished women.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, that's good.

S. O'BRIEN: All the news you need and more. Let's get to business news. What do you got?

SERWER: We got the jobs report for the month of November coming out, Soledad. Hats off to the nation's economists. They got it just right. 215,000 jobs created in the month. They were anticipating between 210 and 220. That's 215, so they're right. Five percent unemployment rate holding steady there.

This is all pretty much good stuff and I think you're going to see some positive response by the stock market. You know, it's one of those deals, not too hot, not too cold. So it's not inflationary. It shows the economy is expanding, but not too much. Construction jobs very strong, probably some of that having to do with the hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, and rebuilding there.

Let's talk about the markets. In fact, yesterday was a banner one. Great way to start off month. You can see here. Triple digit gain for the Dow. Consumer confidence up. The one little problem on the business world this morning is story on the "Wall Street Journal" today. Reports that Ford is contemplating big layoffs, probably 7,500 jobs at plants across the country and, in fact, in Canada and Mexico.

Futures are mixed up this morning. So we got a lot of different things going on, but it's generally some positive news, except for those autoworkers who are taking it on the chin yet again.

S. O'BRIEN: I think it's terrible, terrible news there.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, I mean, has the market sort baked that already in, the auto layoffs?

SERWER: Yes. I mean, it's not surprising anyone. You know, Ford is in trouble just like GM is.

M. O'BRIEN: OK.

S. O'BRIEN: Did you guys see Oprah on Letterman?

M. O'BRIEN: All morning long, we've been watching it.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, outside of the little clips that we showed.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, come on, like we were up for that! We weren't up for that!

SERWER: Soledad was...

S. O'BRIEN: Hi, TiVo, have you heard of TiVo? You could have TiVoed it.

M. O'BRIEN: And so what, am I going to get up at 2:00 in the morning to watch the TiVo?

SERWER: It's live, right?

S. O'BRIEN: It's a possibility. Anyway, they kissed -- for those who haven't seen it, they kissed and made up. They had a little TV reunion. She hadn't been on the show for 16 years because they sort of had this little feud.

Here is Brooke Anderson with a look at just how it went.

Brooke Anderson has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW": Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Oprah Winfrey!

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Their reunion was a love fest. But David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey haven't always gotten along so well.

STEPHEN BATTAGLIO, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT "TV GUIDE": David Letterman has asked Oprah to be a guest on his show many times over the years, and she has refused.

ANDERSON: In a 2003 interview with "Time" magazine, Winfrey cited her two previous appearances on Letterman's show as to why she was reluctant to make another one, saying, quote: "Both times I was sort of like the butt of his jokes. I felt completely uncomfortable sitting in that chair, and I vowed I would not ever put myself in that position again."

Oprah's last appearance on "Late Night" was in 1989. Since that time, Letterman has frequently joked about Oprah not being his biggest fan.

LETTERMAN: We found out through reliable sources that Oprah hated me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.

ANDERSON: Hate? No way, according to Oprah.

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: For there is no feud. There's only peace.

LETTERMAN: Peace and love?

WINFREY: Peace and love.

LETTERMAN: And admiration?

WINFREY: And admiration.

LETTERMAN: And...

ANDERSON: But Letterman himself acknowledged he may have made a few too many jokes at her expense over the years.

LETTERMAN: I have made jokes, and I've begged and I pleaded and I've made a fool of myself and generally have been a nuisance. So, of course, she wasn't eager to come back.

ANDERSON: Oprah even seemed surprised by Letterman's newfound graciousness.

WINFREY: Thank you for being so nice to me.

LETTERMAN: Absolutely.

ANDERSON: On the show, they talked Tom Cruise.

LETTERMAN: And you're sitting there, and Tom Cruise was hopping up and down on your furniture.

ANDERSON: They got serious about AIDS in Africa.

WINFREY: And there's millions of children who are going to be suffering.

ANDERSON: And they chatted about "The Color Purple" musical, which Oprah is producing, and its opening night on Broadway.

Letterman ventured outside the Ed Sullivan Theater when he escorted Oprah to the Broadway Theater, where "The Color Purple" was playing less than a block away.

A big night for Oprah, and a seemingly happy ending to a friendly feud.

Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, she looks so good! That was such a fun event. I went. I got invited to the premiere and I sat in the...

SERWER: How was it?

S. O'BRIEN: Actually, I thought it was great. I mean, "The Color Purple" as a musical, you might think, huh, that's going to a toughy, but it was great. But the best thing was the A-list celebrity sighting. And I got to the point where I took out my BlackBerry, started writing down people's names because I knew I wouldn't forget. So Oprah was seven rows in front of me. She was with Steadman. Ashford and Simpson, looking exactly the same as they always have. Chuck Schumer, who did a loop around the entire audience, shaking hands.

M. O'BRIEN: Working the crowd.

SERWER: He's good that way.

S. O'BRIEN: Totally. Every time you look up, Chuck Schumer was in a different spot in the audience. Al Roker was there with his lovely wife. Diane Sawyer, Rob Reiner, Jesse -- Jerry Seinfeld and his wife Jessica. Cicely Tyson. Spike and Tonya Lee. Tina Turner. Fabulous. Angela Bassett, also fabulous. Star Jones. Sidney Poitier. Phylicia Rashad. Gale, the best friend of Oprah. The list goes on and on.

SERWER: Everyone except for Miles and myself!

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, we were way out of that.

S. O'BRIEN: I was off -- you could have come with me.

M. O'BRIEN: It was -- was Steadman was there?

S. O'BRIEN: Steadman was there, he looked good. Yes, handsome as ever.

M. O'BRIEN: OK.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, speaking of celebrity sightings, we're just a month away from the next season of "American Idol" and Paula Abdul -- remember her in this "Straight Up" video -- well, straight up, she's going to tell us all about their look at some of the favorite moments from past seasons. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Well, straight up, she's going to tell us all about their look at the favorite moments of the past seasons.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Well, still to come on the program, in addition to all of that, new rules for airport security. We've been telling you about them. Jeanne Meserve had this story a long time ago, but it's being officially released now by the Transportation Security Administration. It means you can fly with things like you see there. What does that mean for your travel plans ahead? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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