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American Morning

Political Reality in London; Is Pakistan Friend or Foe?

Aired January 25, 2006 - 06:30   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. is watching a crucial vote right now in the Palestinian territories. Will peace in the Middle East depend on negotiations with leaders from Hamas?
Internet everything. Google heads to China, but the search engine will be coming up empty on some very important subjects.

And some people in Britain are seeing red over what one controversial politician is up to now. Yes, that's a lovely red leotard he's wearing.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's just not his color. It's not his color.

S. O'BRIEN: Leotards are really tough for everybody to wear. I mean, honestly, it's -- you know, you've got to have a really good shape for that.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. That story and much more ahead. Carol has got a look at the top stories this morning, too.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I never thought of it that way, but you're right.

In the headlines this morning, President Bush is speaking to the choir today, you might say. He is heading to Fort Mead, Maryland, to defend his domestic spying program. He'll be speaking to employees of the National Security Agency, and that is the agency that runs the program. He's expected to tell the workers he has the constitutional authority to carry on the program without court approval.

One down and one to go. The full Senate begins debating Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court today. Alito got the backing of the Senate Judiciary Committee in a vote on Tuesday, and it appears he'll have enough votes to get confirmed. The final vote on the confirmation could come as early as this week.

A big vote today in the West Bank and Gaza for more than one million Palestinians. Voting now under way for the 132-seat Legislative Council. Hamas, the Islamic militant group, appears to be doing well against the ruling Fatah party. The leader of Hamas indicating he would be willing to form a coalition with Fatah and also might consider negotiation with Israel.

For some now we've heard fish oil may help reduce the risks of heart disease. But according to some new findings, it is no help when it comes to cancer. The review finds omega-3 fatty acids probably don't help fight cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends fish partly because it doesn't include high amounts of saturated fats like those found in red meat. So do you need to eat lots of fish or not? We're going to take a closer look at that when we take a closer look at the study later on, on AMERICAN MORNING.

And quick, get your wife or girlfriend or daughter or whatever female is in the house right now, it's a story close to our hearts, chocolate and diamonds. Yes, chocolate and diamonds together. Check it out. A Tokyo jeweler got together with a baker to create what could be the world's most priceless Valentine's chocolate. It's done in the shape of the African continent. All those diamonds are worth about $5 million.

I think I'd just take the diamonds and get rid of the chocolate.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, a great box of diamonds.

COSTELLO: Who cares about the chocolate?

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.

Let's tell you about the loose cannon of British politics, George Galloway, kind of at it again. Galloway, of course, is a member of parliament. He's also competing on the reality show "Big Brother." You might have seen him -- there he is -- acting like a little kitty cat. He's on all fours licking milk from an actress' hand.

Think they would love him, right? But no, he might be getting kicked off the show, in fact.

Jim Boulden is live for us in London this morning.

Hey, Jim, good morning. What's going on?

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Soledad.

Well, yes, when you see him acting like a cat, you really thought that maybe this socialist politician, George Galloway, couldn't actually stoop any lower. And then this weekend he dressed in a red leotard and danced around with this transvestite singer. And they were doing a bit of charades. And really, this has really put it over the top for many viewers.

George Galloway, it's a heck of a day for him, really. His lawyers are in court. He's all over the front pages of newspapers for other reasons. But the main focus for many people here is the "Big Brother" house, and maybe, just maybe, we will all be put out of our misery tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOULDEN (voice over): They call him "gorgeous George." So maybe George Galloway has revealed a little too much of himself this time.

The rebel member of the British parliament wore a red leotard and danced around London's "Celebrity Big Brother" house this weekend with a pop singer transvestite. They didn't even win the dancing contest.

On an earlier show, it was George the cat on all fours, lapping up milk from the hands of recently-evicted actress Rula Lenska. Even his friend and spokesman, Ron McKay, thinks Galloway's time on "Big Brother" has been a disaster.

RON MCKAY, GALLOWAY SPOKESMAN: He knew there would be several indignities to go through, and he decided that it was worth it. Had he known the extent of it, perhaps, he would have reconsidered it.

BOULDEN: Galloway is one of three people up for eviction from the house tonight. Basketball star Dennis Rodman is on the list as well. Two will go.

Many of Galloway's East London constituents are hoping he is one of them. Some have a Web site showing George has earned more than $5,000 of his government salary while inside the house.

Not that Galloway is afraid of controversy. He lambasted members of the U.S. Senate in hearings last May when he was accused of profiting from the Iraq oil for food scandal, something he strongly denies.

And Galloway has already said his six-figure fee for appearing in the "Big Brother" house will go to a London-based Palestinian charity called Interpal, a charity Washington says funnels money to terrorists. The British government says so far there is no proof of that.

Galloway went into the house 21 days ago hoping to espouse his antiwar stance. Frankly, most of the other members haven't bothered to listen, and most admitted on live TV they don't know he is in real life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Now, Galloway did win one other round in the courts today. Just about an hour ago, his lawyers did win another round against the "Daily Telegraph." This paper said that he actually took money in the Iraq oil for food scandal.

Now, he sued them for libel. He won it, and he won another appeal today. So that's really good news for him.

But also he is on the front pages of "The Sun," this red top. And this is a picture of him with Uday Hussein, this video of him with Uday Hussein, of course, the late son of Saddam Hussein.

All of this is going on around. But, of course, Galloway has no idea that he won this court case or that he's on the front pages of "The Sun" because he's still stuck in the house. But maybe, just maybe, tonight he'll learn about everything we've been saying about him -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: In the house, not necessarily in the red leotards. Jim Boulden for us this morning. Jim, thank you -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's time now for a check of the forecast.

Chad, how do you look in a red leotard?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I just don't even understand why that's a story for the U.S. We don't need to get to...

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, come on. You were interested.

MYERS: Do we get to see that show here, though? Maybe it's on BBC America or something.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, I'm sure. But we can get a hold of it for you, all right?

MYERS: I'll put it on my iPod Nano video thing that I don't have.

M. O'BRIEN: OK, first get the iPod. Then we'll hook you up, all right?

MYERS: All right, fair enough.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, more evidence that White House officials knew ahead of time just how bad Hurricane Katrina could be. We're going to talk to one of the experts who warned them. We'll ask him what he said.

M. O'BRIEN: President Bush meets with the prime minister of Pakistan, a key ally, we hope. But is the country friend or foe? We'll take a look next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: President Bush is planning a trip to India and Pakistan in March, the latter country a key U.S. ally in the war on terror. But it's not an easy friendship. The government in Islamabad walks a very high tightrope between helping the U.S. and inciting an Islamic revolution.

Joining us now from Washington is Akbar Ahmed, a professor at American University, who focuses on Islamic studies. He's an expert on such matters.

Professor Ahmed, good to have you with us.

AKBAR AHMED, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: It's great to be with you, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: I'd like to focus on those rugged mountains that border Afghanistan and Pakistan, Waziristan. What we've been seeing there, especially in the wake of this attack by that CIA drone, a lot of attention on how lawless that area has become. Always a lawless place, but in many respects a lot of evidence out there that the Taliban is really taking root there and could become kind of a mini- Afghanistan, if you will, referring to it before the U.S. invasion. What are your thoughts on that?

AHMED: Yes, Miles, what we are seeing is the traditional authority, the chiefs who were either neutral or pro-government, have been marginalize. And in many cases they're being killed, because they see the policies of the government of Pakistan is too closely allied to the United States.

And here's the dilemma for the government of Pakistan, because President Musharraf's government is closely allied to the United States, and the United States appreciates this relationship. President Bush is going to Pakistan next month, his first visit. His father was out there a few days ago. So there is a warm and close personal relationship.

At the same time among the people, there are many reservations, many doubts. And the incident that took place in Bajor (ph) a few days ago doesn't help at all.

M. O'BRIEN: What -- if you could, give us a sense of what the options are for President Musharraf as he is faced with this problem. As we say, this is not a part of the world that has -- hope you can still hear me OK with that earpiece.

AHMED: Yes, I can.

M. O'BRIEN: I'm going to back up just a little bit in case you missed some of that. That part of the world has always been lawless. But it seems a little more sinister now. What are the options for President Musharraf given the fact that he's very concerned about inciting an outright revolution fueled by these Islamists?

AHMED: A very difficult balancing act for him. He has to keep Washington, his main ally, satisfied. On the other hand, he has the sentiments of the people of Pakistan. And then he has the reality of the tribal areas that you referred to, Miles. This is not well known in the West, but these areas are really special in the sense the terrain is inaccessible, isolated, very difficult. The people, the tribesmen there, are some of the toughest on the planet. And they have given a very tough time to previous governments, including the British who have lost armies here in fights and conflicts.

So, you need to be balancing between a carrot and stick policy. You need to be making sure that the tribes don't unite against you. And what we are seeing is a dramatic shifting in the tribal areas and a re-emergence of the Taliban a few years after 9/11.

M. O'BRIEN: What we saw on January 13 was the U.S. stick (ph), that drone attack which focused on an area believed to be a meeting of al Qaeda leadership, perhaps four, maybe eight, al Qaeda leaders dead. A total of 13 dead. But there was a terrible backlash that resulted from that. And that really in that one instance points out the difficulties in waging any sort of campaign against what goes on in that part of the world.

AHMED: Yes, a campaign in this manner, because what we saw was the reaction to the killing or the deaths of women and children. And remember, it is not the only incident of its kind. This was coming straight after two or three previous incidents in Waziristan down south.

Now, this inflamed people, inflamed public opinion and inflamed the opposition. So, again, this act put further pressure on President Musharraf.

And we must remember that what happens in the tribal areas does not stay in the tribal areas. It has an impact on Afghanistan, on the border on one side and on Pakistan on the other side. So, we need to be very sensitive to what's happening in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

M. O'BRIEN: So, if you were advising the president right now, what would you tell him to do to handle this problem?

AHMED: I would say handle it as it has been handled for the last few centuries with sensitivity for diplomatic, cultural, social initiatives, build up support in the tribal areas through traditional leadership. Don't marginalize them. Don't go rushing into areas where angels fear to tread. And be cautious about the cultural social context.

People have played the game, what is called the great game in these areas, and they've played them by the rules. You don't just go charging in and killing people, because that has a reaction. And in the end, you may lose much, much more than what you gain.

M. O'BRIEN: Good advice. Akbar Ahmed, professor of Islamic studies at American University in Washington. Thanks for being with us this morning.

AHMED: Thank you very much, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Andy is "Minding Your Business" just ahead. What do you got for us this morning?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad.

A new television network is headed our way. Some of the shows may seem familiar. Plus, why Google says no to the U.S. government but yes to the Chinese government. Stay tuned for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Ernie Harwell, the voice of the Detroit Tigers.

SERWER: That's for you, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: It takes me back, you know, six, seven years old.

SERWER: Way back.

M. O'BRIEN: Go to bed and listened to Ernie Harwell until I fell asleep to the Tigers. Ah, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: I go to bed with Alicia Keys.

M. O'BRIEN: What a voice. What a voice.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: I listen to hockey, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. We're going to get to business news in just a moment. First, Carol, has got the headlines, though.

Good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning. And good morning to all of you.

The Palestinians are at a crossroads this morning. Security is tight as the Palestinians vote for a 132-seat Legislative Council. This is the first parliamentary election in a decade. About 1.3 million Palestinians are eligible to vote. Hamas, the militant Islamic group, is expected to do well against the ruling Fatah party. Polls close in about five hours.

It's on to the full Senate now for the Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Senators begin debating Alito's nomination today. He seems poised to get the majority of the Senate to confirm his appointment. Alito's nomination cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday along a 10 to 8 party line vote. The full Senate could vote this week.

Questions over the death of actor Chris Penn. An autopsy is set to get under way later today. Penn was found dead in his Santa Monica, California, condo. Police say there are no obvious signs of foul play. Penn is the brother of actor Sean Penn. Among his film credits, "Mulholland Falls," "Rumble Fish," "All the Right Moves" and "Footloose." Chris Penn was just 40 years old.

Talk about a close call. A California father and son survived an adventure they'd like to forget. The two were flying to Sacramento when they experienced engine trouble at 6,000 feet. Ross and Blake Rankin (ph) were able to walk away from the crash landing with just cuts and bruises. Wow! Ross Rankin (ph) says he's been flying for 32 years, and he had never had an engine go out on him like that. But he did a great job in landing that plane.

To the forecast center and Chad. Good morning. Chad, I hear you typing.

MYERS: Oh.

COSTELLO: Get over here, Chad. He's coming.

MYERS: I'm here.

COSTELLO: He's running.

MYERS: Carol! Hi, Carol. I'm running. I'm typing.

COSTELLO: He's coming.

M. O'BRIEN: He's checking his e-mail and doing his...

COSTELLO: There he is.

M. O'BRIEN: You have a forecast to do.

MYERS: I'm typing back to an e-mailer that was telling me that global warming didn't exist (INAUDIBLE).

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's it?

MYERS: That's it.

M. O'BRIEN: You do your e-mail and you come in and that's it. That's all we get.

MYERS: You'll get another one in eight minutes.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, get back to your mail, settle that global warming issue, will you?

MYERS: All right, all right.

M. O'BRIEN: Andy is here, and we're talking about a big network, a realignment you might say.

SERWER: That's right. There is a new network coming our way. Let's give you the back story first.

Now there are five. You know, first we started out with three networks, ABC, CBS and NBC. Then Fox joined in and then UPN and the WB.

Now, the problem is six networks appears to be too many, because the UPN and the WB were marginally profitable at best through their history. Now those two networks, the WB and UPN, have decided to join forces and merge, forming a new network called CW. And those two letters stand for their parent companies. The C is from CBS. The W is from Warner, which is a sister company of CNN.

This network will roll out in September, and they'll probably take hit shows or the shows that do well from both of the networks. So, UPN has "Girlfriends," "Everybody Hates Chris," "America's Top Model," a lot of shows with African-American casts. The WB more of a youth format, "Gilmore Girls," "Smallville," and then there's "Reba."

So interesting stuff here. And, of course, the hope is that these two will join forces and become profitable.

Another story to talk about, Google. Interesting stuff here. They are rolling out in China, bringing their big search engine over there. It's an...

M. O'BRIEN: A billion Chinese using Google.

SERWER: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Think of it. That is a Google.

SERWER: But think about this: They are not going to have their e-mail or the blog function because they're concerned about the Chinese government cracking down on them. So to make them happy, they're simply not going to offer it.

Now, this contradicts what they're doing with the U.S. government. They're resisting U.S. government's attempts to subpoena them to find out who their users are. So in other words, they're sort of capitulating in China but fighting on here in the U.S. It's an interesting strategy.

M. O'BRIEN: When in Beijing, do as the Chinese do, I guess.

SERWER: Probably smart to get the license.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, they would not get in the country.

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: A think a little pragmatism is at root there.

SERWER: Yes, two different political systems, right?

M. O'BRIEN: To say the least, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Andy.

Coming up, what did the White House know about Katrina's destructive power before the storm hit? It appears they knew a lot. We'll talk to one of the experts who was ringing the alarm bells and find out exactly what he told them, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Be sure to check out our Web site, CNN.com, for the latest on the morning's top stories, including this one: Palestinian elections. Palestinian voters are taking to the polls, picking their leadership. Fatah, Hamas are really neck and neck. It's anybody's guess at this point who is going to walk away with the most votes.

Also at CNN.com, the most popular stories, including this one: Actor Chris Penn, the brother of actor Sean Penn, has been found dead in Santa Monica, the 40-year-old actor who appeared in many movies like "Mulholland Falls" and "Rumble Fish" and "All the Right Moves." It looks as if no foul play was involved, according to investigators at this point.

If you're about to head out the door for work or school, stay in touch with CNN and AMERICAN MORNING. Just log on to CNN.com and our pipeline video service. You can catch live commercial-free news updates all day. It's right there at CNN.com/pipeline.

M. O'BRIEN: We're about at the top of the hour, which means Chad Myers has broken away from his e-mail one more time to check in with us.

Good morning, Chad.

MYERS: See, I type with one finger. If I would have taken typing classes I would have been done with that e-mail.

M. O'BRIEN: I wish I had taken a typing class, too. My kids are faster typists than me. They are.

MYERS: I can't figure out why all of the letters are scattered out where they are. It would have been easier if we would have made it ABC, wouldn't it?

M. O'BRIEN: Who came up with corty (ph)? I don't know.

MYERS: Who was that anyway? G and H in the middle.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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