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American Morning

Sharon's Impact; Schwarzenegger Plan

Aired January 06, 2006 - 09:34   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We just got word from Jerusalem, the Hadassah Hospital, that Ariel Sharon is in the latter stages of that surgery we've been telling you about that all morning now, at least four and a half hours, an effort to stop bleeding in his brain, this after what is described as a very severe stroke, and frankly, there's very slim hope for his recovery from all of this.
And that has set the stage for a lot of discussion about what happens next in Israel, what happens to the peace process, and we've been telling you a lot about the reaction in Israel and the reaction here, but what about the reaction in the Arab world? And for that we turn to our senior Arab affairs editor, Octavia Nasr, who's been watching all of these Arab outlets.

Octavia, good to have you with us.

OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SR. ARAB AFFAIRS EDITOR: Thanks, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: We've gotten some excerpts together that you were sharing with us earlier. One London-based newspaper had this for us, and I want to see if you can put this in context for us. "If we put all personal reactions aside," this coming from a Saudi, "Sharon's death may lead Netanyahu to power," Benjamin Netanyahu, who's he's referring to, the former prime minister, "and that will turn everything to hell in Israel and the Palestinian territories." Why don't you amplify on that?

NASR: Yes, first of all, let's see who said that. This is a reader of the newspaper. This is not the actual editorial or news piece that was in the paper. It was a viewer, a reader, someone who felt that he has to vent basically and say what's on his mind.

Very interesting. Yesterday it was just news on Arab media, not much analysis. Today you're seeing a lot of analysis. And basically what this man is saying in his commentary is echoed even in editorials, and there is a genuine fear, it seems like, if you read Arab media or listen to experts and analysts on Arab media, a genuine fear of what's going to happen after Ariel Sharon, and especially if Benjamin Netanyahu takes over. They believe -- you can hear it in their commentary, you can read it in the papers -- they fear that Netanyahu is going to be extreme. He might even reverse what Sharon had done. Someone even went -- in a (INAUDIBLE) newspaper today, went to say he might take things back to square one -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Meaning actually, they're inferring that he might reoccupy the settlements? Is that what they're suggesting, that kind of thing? NASR: They have no idea. As a matter of fact, when you read them, you do feel that there is tension. There is tension as to what's going to happen, because you have to understand that Ariel Sharon called for early elections in Israel in March. He had just established a new party, and many Arabs have believed that this new party possibly can lead the region to peace.

So now with Sharon that ill and possibility of his departing, that winning in the upcoming elections, what Netanyahu is going to do, they say, is totally unpredictable. They have no idea what he's going do, and this is where the fear is coming from.

They express it very openly at this point, which is surprising to many, because in a way, it sounds like they support Sharon all of a sudden, the man they lived most of their life hating. So it's very interesting to read the Arab editorials today because you go -- you have a sense that there's an admiration of sorts for Sharon, and many, many people, not all of them, of course, but many people are hoping that he will stay in power.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, let's pick up that point. I'm going to skip ahead her, so stay with me in the control room. The weekly political magazine from Egypt offered this in reference to Sharon. "We want him healthy, not because we like him, but because we believe he can make peace." Is there a lot of sentiment like that in the Arab world?

NASR: You know what? Not a lot in the sense that the majority of the viewpoints are of this nature, but you're hearing, many, many people say that, which is unheard of for the region. It's very unusual that you read commentary like this, and basically what you're reading in editorials is that there is a pause here to look at Ariel Sharon and this Israeli leader, what he's done for the Palestinians and with the Palestinians.

Again, you cannot forget that he is not liked. He's even hated in the Arab world, and you read that and you hear that in the voices of the -- of those making the commentary. But underneath all this, you hear the moderate voices saying, you know what, this is the only Israeli leader that pulled out of Gaza. This is the only Israeli leader that sacrificed by destroying settlements, the same man who championed the settlements, the same man who said we will never get out of Gaza.

So you're hearing more and more of those moderate voices, but in no way are they the majority. The majority still totally opposing Sharon and his policies, and saying that whoever takes over, it's going to be just the same.

Thanks very much, Octavia. Octavia Nasr is CNN's senior Arab affairs editor. Always a appreciate your insights -- Soledad.

NASR: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN" California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he got the message. It came in the form of a resounding defeat of his programs in a special election last November. Now, he says, he's got a new plan. But before announcing it, he tried a little humility, a little humor, too, during last night's state of the state address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: Now what a difference a year makes. A year ago, USC and I were number one. What happened? Anyway, the people recently have said to me, Arnold, I bet you wish you were back in the movie business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN; Joining us this morning from Sacramento is Bill Bradley, political columnist for "L.A. Weekly." Nice to have you with us. Thanks for being with us.

What did you think of the speech?

BILL BRADLEY, "L.A. WEEKLY" POL. COLUMNIST: Well, I thought it was a good speech. He was dynamic, and focused and pretty polished, and certainly self-deprecating, which he needed to be. So much of last year he was filled with a great deal of hubris and pushing programs, initiatives that the public wasn't much interested in, and in fact there was a much bigger turnout than expected for a special election to vote no.

So the speech was an attempt to reposition back to where he was when he was elected in the recall in 2003. It's sort of the new Arnold is really the old Arnold. He's presenting himself, once again, as the bipartisan centrist, the reformer, the builder, the person who's going to bring people together. The question is can he do that, having just spent the last year stoking the partisan fires in California?

S. O'BRIEN: Usually people are self-deprecating and humble when they're in big trouble.

BRADLEY: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Here's what Arnold had to say about sort of the message he received from the voters. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: I have absorbed my defeat and have learned my lesson. And the people who always have the last word sent a clear message: cut the warfare, cool the rhetoric, find common ground and fix the problems together. So to my fellow Californians, I say, message received.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Is the clear "message received" enough to kind of bring him back around to the 2003 Arnold, as you say?

BRADLEY: I think it is. And he's going to attempt to do that, but he's in a greatly diminished state from what he was. Just over a year ago, he had a 68 percent job approval rating, which is nearly a record in California. Now it's down to 32 percent. So somehow, the biggest action movie star in the world has lost half his popularity, as a result of his action, action, action last year.

So now he has to try to recoup what he had. And it's going to be difficult, because a lot of Californians have tuned him out. He's not -- there are -- a lot of people are very angry with him, but most of the public isn't really furious with Schwarzenegger. They're just sort of bemused.

So if he is able to deliver on what he talked about last night -- and it's a very big agenda of tens of billions of dollars of bonds in the near-term and ultimately about $20 billion over ten years -- if he can deliver this or at least a large portion of it, then he could get reelected. But he has a tough fight.

S. O'BRIEN: To remake himself, he's sort of shaken up his cabinet a little bit.

BRADLEY: Exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: He's appointed a new chief of staff. Tell me about the woman she's he's appointed. Her name is Susan Kennedy.

BRADLEY: Her name is Susan Kennedy. She's someone that I've known for a long time through my past in democratic politics. She was a top aide to Gray Davis -- Gray Davis, the governor who was recalled in 2003, who Arnold defeated. She's also in the past a long time liberal activist and she is also -- even more controversially for conservative Republicans, she's a lesbian who married her partner on Maui.

So it's created a great deal of consternation in the Republican party, having this person who was a top aide to Gray Davis and was director of the state Democratic party showing up right in the middle of the Schwarzenegger administration in the corner office.

And along with that, another former aide to Gray Davis is now the chief of staff to Maria Shriver, the first lady. So it's -- and he's participating in all these meetings. So it's quite a rumble in the Republican ranks.

They don't know -- at best, they don't know what to make of this in terms of the staffing. But beyond that, a lot of the conservative Republicans are saying to me we know just a few days before he started announcing the big bond program in November after he lost the election, he was saying we have to live within our means. And now we're going get out the credit card, it looks like.

So there's -- he has some real problems with his Republican base. But he has one great advantage. In California, which is mostly a Democratic state, it's either -- for Republicans, it's either Arnold Schwarzenegger or they're out. They have no other candidate who could possibly get elected governor.

S. O'BRIEN: And that is a big advantage. Bill Bradley, political columnist for the "L.A. Weekly" newspaper. Thanks for talking with us, Bill.

Andy is "Minding Your Business" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. What you got coming up?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: Soledad, how's the stock market reacting to that December jobs report? Plus, one airline shuts down for good. Stay tuned to AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Just into CNN. We're told by officials at the hospital at Jerusalem that the surgery on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is now complete. As you can see, as you look at those live pictures there, the scene in front of the hospital, the Hadassah Medical Center, we are expecting very shortly to hear from a spokesman who will give us some indication as to Mr. Sharon's condition. As soon as we get that, we'll bring it to you.

Once again, though, surgery which lasted at least -- pushing five hours, is now over. To relieve pressure on his brain and alleviate some bleeding. And we'll get you a condition as soon as we get it -- Soledad.

(MARKET REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get to Daryn. She's got an update on what's coming up this morning. Good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Soledad. We're going to make it worth your while to stay with us.

There are simple things you can do to fatten your paycheck and we have them for you in the "Top Five Tips."

Plus, the motorcity madman joins me, Ted Nugent. Guitarist, outdoorsman, activist and now reality TV star. We're going Gonzo on CNN LIVE TODAY.

And not to be missed, the story of the hitchhiking cat. Yes, it's true, the cat hitchhiked.

S. O'BRIEN: Wait a minute, didn't you just have the cell phone dialing rescue cat.

KAGAN: The 911 cat.

M. O'BRIEN: And the there-legged cat.

KAGAN: The three-legged cat, the 911 cat, and now the hitchhiking cat.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, we'll stay tuned. You know, that's quite a tease.

Thank you, Daryn.

M. O'BRIEN: She's in charge of cat-astrophes.

S. O'BRIEN: Short break. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: This just in from Hadassah Hospital in Israel. We heard that they have finished operating on the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon.

Let's get to Sanjay Gupta. He joins us by phone, with a little more information on what the prime minister and the doctors really might be doing at this stage.

Sanjay, this is the third surgery, the third time they've been working on this problem, bleeding inside the brain. This has got to be a very, very bad sign for the prime minister.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL SR. CORRESPONDENT: A very bad sign for sure, Soledad. And in fact, just been very unusual as well. As a neurosurgeon, it's very unusual to go back in three separate times now for, essentially, the same operation. It's pretty clear that at the time originally he probably had significant bleeding in the brain and had his first operation. That bleeding was probably not adequately controlled, in part, because he had been on these blood-thinning medications, and therefore, after a CAT scan was performed, he still had bleeding in the brain and went in a second time, and it sounds like despite the fact that he's had aggressive medical therapy in terms of medication to try and control swelling in his brain and perhaps a drain placed in his brain as well, but that just has not been able to control things, and going back in a third time as well.

Soledad, it's a terrible sign. It's unlikely that he's going to have any significant brain sort of capacity alone, and obviously, he's, as you said, still fighting for his life as well.

S. O'BRIEN: You mentioned, Sanjay, the blood thinners. Of course he's on blood thinners because of the previous stroke that he had in the middle of December, and that complicates the cerebral hemorrhaging, because now the blood won't clot easily, which is really what the doctors need. Is that right?

GUPTA: Yes, that's exactly right. Those blood-thinning medications really make it very challenging. To paint a little bit of a picture for you, you are actually doing the operation, you are going in to remove the clot of blood that has actually formed and is placing pressure on the brain, and as you;re taking that clot out, more bleeding starts up, and you try to control that bleeding, obviously, before you can finish your operation. And you know, it's a situation where just about any surgeon has been in it at some point in their life, and it's a very difficult situation to control, and ultimately, you have to make sure that bleeding stops, which is it sounds like they may have done the first time, but it seems to have re-accumulated now two separate times, and that's just a very poor sign for him.

S. O'BRIEN: We have not gotten any updates from the hospital, and generally what happens as a director of the hospital, as you well know, Sanjay, comes out and kind of gives an update. And they have not come out, except for just informing us that the surgery is now over. Do you read anything into that?

GUPTA: You know, I think this turns into a little bit of a tricky situation. It also turns into one of those situations, where you know, you're you sort of -- you get the definition of terms almost. Then they come out and say, you know, the prime minister is stable again, and that is a term that probably doesn't mean that much. You could be stable, but in a very bad condition as well. You know, and he could still be alive, but essentially being kept alive using the breathing machine.

I think that most likely they'll come out that he's going to get yet another CAT scan to see if in fact there is any blood still in the brain, but I don't think that -- I think that the information that we already have is probably the information that tells us most everything, and that is that he's had three operations now in a short period of time on his brain, and that that just does not bode well for him at all.

S. O'BRIEN: It doesn't sound that way. Sanjay Gupta with a little more insight in this news that we're getting from Hadassah Hospital. Ariel Sharon now out of surgery. He was in surgery for at least four and a half hours, maybe more, trying to correct some bleeding and relieve some of the pressure on his brain, a very ominous sign, very dire situation for the Israeli prime minister.

Short break. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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