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American Morning

Operation Swarmer; Welcome to New Orleans

Aired March 17, 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've heard from the generals and the correspondents about Operation Swarmer. Let's turn to a correspondent analyst. She is Jane Arraf. She's with the Council on Foreign Relations, and she has spent her time in Baghdad and in environs for CNN. Currently on leave, and I'm sure she'll be back there soon enough.
Jane, let's first of all talk about, in the interim, since we talked before we saw that Pentagon briefing, General Corelli (ph), what's your takeaway from that? It seems like the -- there is an effort, perhaps, to put this particular operation in terms of maybe greater than it really is on the ground. What do you think?

JANE ARRAF, FMR. CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: I think it shows what a tough spot the military is in. Do you remember Operation Lightning? That was that huge operation in Baghdad, where we were told that there were unprecedented numbers of Iraqi soldiers and Americans and the Iraqis were in charge. We tried to cover it, couldn't find it.

Now, obviously this was a significant operation. But if you look behind it, you have to ask you yourself, three years on, why are they still doing the same sort of operations? I'm not saying there isn't progress, there is, but we're seeing the same pattern of looking for insurgents in really difficult territory.

M. O'BRIEN: Three years on. Just two years ago you were in Samarra, embedded with the troop there is. And what was the goal then? And how does that differ from the goal now?

ARRAF: Pretty well the same goal. The goal then was to root out insurgents who had settled in Samarra. And they actually saw that as a model for Falluja, which they went on to fight.

Now, Samarra was typical of these battles that Americans are trying to fight, crowded streets. They don't know where they're being shot at from. And they were launching airstrikes then on the outskirts and tribal areas. They're still launching airstrikes now. An indication that, I think, that this insurgency is really quite deeply rooted, and it's not just a military problem. It's going to have to be politics as well that goes into this.

M. O'BRIEN: I would think generally when you're talking about insurgencies, airstrikes are not your solution.

ARRAF: They're certainly not. Military leaders like to say that the solution to an insurgency is really mostly political, with a military component, and the goal really is to get local people on board. One military strategist I know calls it armed social work.

Now, that's obviously not what we're seeing, but we're seeing airstrikes because it's a way to minimize U.S. casualties, a way to minimize other casualties, certainly has a cost on the ground.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about people are feeling in Iraq, the centrical forces, if you will, and kind of a surprising dateline for what we saw yesterday, a riot in Kurdish controlled country. Normally relatively speaking a peaceful part of Iraq. Tell us about that.

ARRAF: That was amazing. In Halabja. Now Halabja, many people will remember, was the site 18 years ago of the horrific incident where Saddam Hussein's regime gassed the Kurds. And I've been at these memorials, and they're very somber events, and they go and they commemorate this in a region, as you mention, Miles, that's generally quite peaceful. There were riots, and there were riots because people there apparently believe that the Kurdish government in control of their territory is diverting money meant for them, meant for survivors of that incident. An indication, also, I think that in the worst-case scenario we tend to think perhaps Iraq will break up into three nice easy pieces, and we don't have to worry about Kuridstan. Well, I think there are all sorts of things that people are going to have worry about. Not quite as peaceful, not quite as calm, not quite as simple as it looks there.

M. O'BRIEN: Nothing neat or easy about this at all.

ARRAF: Their certainly isn't.

M. O'BRIEN: Jane Arraf, thank you for very much for being with us this morning. See you again soon -- Soledad.

ARRAF: Thank you, Miles. Thanks so much.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, more veterans and hurricane victims on a protest march from Mobil, Alabama to New Orleans. They're protesting the war in Iraq, and at the same time, calling for more hurricane relief aid. The group's expected to reach New Orleans tomorrow. Sean Callebs live for us in Long Beach, Mississippi.

Good morning to you, Sean.

Where are the marchers right now?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the marchers are right here in Long Beach. If you just kind of pan over, we can show you a bit of them here. They're at a church. They are getting ready. They are breaking camp in a matter of moments. They're going to head out of here. They're actually not going to be walking immediately. They're actually going to be bussing from here to nearby Waveland, Mississippi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS (voice-over): Dozens of demonstrators are marching from Mobile, Alabama to New Orleans. They are unapologetically out of step from the uniform many wear. It's billed as a protest to get U.S. troops out of Iraq and get more government help for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody need the doc?

CALLEBS: Jose Vasquez is a nurse and Army sergeant in the Reserves. He is also a conscientious objector trying to avoid serving in Iraq. As a New Yorker, Vasquez had concerns about marching in the Deep South.

JOSE VASQUEZ, PROTESTER: I was actually worried about the same thing, you know, worried about how people are going to react to us. But there's actually been a lot of support, and we found out what Southern hospitality means.

CALLEBS: Alfred Zapella's son was killed by a bomb blast in Baghdad two years ago. He says it's important for him to march.

ALFRED ZAPELLA, PROTESTER: Everybody wants to believe that their government is doing right by them, and that the president is an honorable person, and that he would never, ever send their kids in harm's way. But I know differently.

CALLEBS: They are often met with horns honking, an occasional thumbs up and what they call a one-finger salute. Critics like construction worker Aero Smith just give them a wide berth.

AERO SMITH, BILOXI CONTRACTOR: They've got their right to do whatever they want to do, and as long as they keep it away from me. I'm for the president and what we're doing.

CALLEBS: No one here expects the administration to immediately reverse course. This group had hoped for 1,200 marchers. Clearly they fell short. But remain upbeat.

TAMMARA ROSENLEAF, PROTESTER: It doesn't matter how many show up; the matter is that any show up. You know, we're firmly convinced that a small number of people can make a big difference.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: And really what this organization is hoping for, they would like to see some of the money that has been earmarked for the ongoing operation in Iraq diverted and be directed toward many of the victims here on the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina.

And if you look around just a moment, what gets more attention is that the protests against the war in Iraq, or for the victims, well, they say they should, without question, get more attention for what is going on in Iraq. And when they arrive today, Cindy Sheehan, Soledad, will be with them, so probably get even more attention.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Sean Callebs with us this morning. Thanks, Sean.

Still to come on this St. Patrick's Day. Did you know that there are some 800,000 O'Briens in the world. Not enough, I say.

M. O'BRIEN: You've proven that, producing four additional ones.

S. O'BRIEN: I know, really. I'm adding to it every day. We went on search for some specific O'Briens. Miles O'Brien and Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: A Miles O'Brien.

We'll bring you their stories and talk to them as well, next on AMERICAN MORNING.

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S. O'BRIEN: Ahead we're celebrating our Irish O'Brien heritage. We're going to meet what we're calling our name twins, the other Miles O'Brien and the other Soledad O'Brien. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: For some people, retirement means literally taking their lives to new heights.

CNN's Jennifer Westhoven has the story in this edition of "Life After Work."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hanging from a kite 3,000 feet above a mountain might scare most people, but not Tosh Hopkins.

TOSH HOPKINS, HANG GLIDER: To me, it's very peaceful up there, just floating about with the birds. To some people it is exhilarating, but to me it's peaceful.

WESTHOVEN: Tosh Hopkins and her husband Bruce retired to Georgia's Lookout Mountain last year. There, the Hopkins found a community of hang gliders and a home right on the landing field that lets them fly as often as they want. Bruce Hopkins pilots an ultra- light plane and tows his wife's glider up to 2,000 feet.

HOPKINS: The airplane will roll down the field there. It is the wind's this way, and you'll see there's another gazebo at the other end and we can go the other way. And as you can see, it's quite a large field so if there is a cross wind, you can actually come in and land cross wind in your glider.

So it's a wonderful place to take off and to land. I think it is magic because according to the laws of science, you can't take more energy out of something than you put into it. But with hang gliding, you get a lot more energy out than you put into it.

BRUCE HOPKINS, HANG GLIDER: This is a lovely part of the country and we have everything that we like to do here, so it's turning out to be a very nice -- ideal retirement location for us.

WESTHOVEN: Jennifer Westhoven, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: It's a good day to be Irish.

M. O'BRIEN: The disco mix of that, it's spectacular, really.

S. O'BRIEN: You know, O'Brien is a noble name. And here on AMERICAN MORNING the moniker comes in twos. We're not married. We're not brother and sister actually. And in fact there are 800,000 O'Briens across the world. There's even another, and I believe only one other, Soledad O'Brien. That's pretty rare.

M. O'BRIEN: In the while wide world. So we are welcoming the other O'Briens, saluting the old sod (ph), in this way, on St. Patrick's Day.

And here is a Miles O'Brien. That's Andrew Miles O'Brien.

ANDREW MILES O'BRIEN, THE "OTHER" MILES: Yes, it is.

M. O'BRIEN: Good to see you. And we'll get to you in a second.

And in San Francisco...

S. O'BRIEN: In San Francisco, that is Soledad O'Brien, a beautiful name, I must say, and I'm not biased at all.

Good morning to you, Soledad. Nice to see you.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, THE "OTHER" SOLEDAD: Good morning to you.

S. O'BRIEN: Tell me what'S behind your name. How did you get the name Soledad O'Brien?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Well, my father's name is Francis O'Brien, so obviously that's the Irish connection, and my mother is from Puerto Rico. And actually the Soledad element, as you know, Soledad, means loneliness or solitude. My mother actually was -- had cancer while she was pregnant with me, and had undergone exploratory surgery, and basically she thought that I wasn't going to make it, so she felt that she was alone in her decision to have me, and she called me loneliness or solitude.

S. O'BRIEN: I know, I'm always like solitude. Loneliness sounds like you have no friends. Solitude is like, ah, peaceful. I choose to be alone. Tell me something, is Soledad O'Brien your full name? Or do you have like a long Hispanic... SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Actually, I do. I have a very long name.

S. O'BRIEN: Give it to me. Give it to me.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: OK, it's Soledad Solame DeFrancsico O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm Maria de la Soledad O'Brien. Oh, my goodness, another thing we have in common. Those Hispanic first names, you know how that goes.

We will talk in moment about how we ran into each other in midtown Manhattan a couple of years ago. That's such a funny meeting.

But let's get to Miles O'Brien.

Miles', other, dare I say, better half?

M. O'BRIEN: Well, you know,'s interesting, it's hard to top you guys. You are guys are like a walking, talking United Nations with those names.

Andrew Miles O'Brien, we actually tracked down your father, whose name was in a database, and that's what lead us to you. He was a Miles O'Brien.

A. MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, he was.

M. O'BRIEN: And when you look at your father's interest, your interests together with mine, you have to say, gosh, maybe there is some sort of familial link there.

A. MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, we really do have some things in common.

M. O'BRIEN: Because there's aviation.

A. MILES O'BRIEN: Aviation. My nephew is taking up piloting, and today I found out that you're into kayaking as well. I enjoy kayaking.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

A. MILES O'BRIEN: My father went to Georgetown, class of '46.

M. O'BRIEN: Georgetown guy, yes, whole family was that.

And then your father was a big TWA guy for years and years.

A. MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, he was, for many years, he worked for TWA.

M. O'BRIEN: The name O'Brien is a great name to have, isn't it? I mean, there's a lot of source of Irish pride. And I know you're very proud about your heritage.

A. MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, I am, very proud.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, being an Irish American on this day, what does it mean to you?

A. MILES O'BRIEN: Well, I enjoy getting together with family and friends, and celebrating this together.

As a matter of fact, they came in here with me, and we're going to go -- try to get over to the parade for a little bit, but I have to get back into work later on.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's about family and friends. I think it kind of gets twisted a little bit in the media about drinking beer, but there's more to that good than that, isn't it?

A. MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, there is.

S. O'BRIEN: You know Soledad and I actually have similar ways in which not only our paths have crossed, we have similarities. We both went to school in Boston. We at one point had the same bank, and so our bank accounts used to get crisscrossed. I'm so sorry about that, because I had no money when I lived in Boston. That was just absolutely horrible. And you're in San Francisco now, and I was a reporter in San Francisco. Do you ever, like, say, people ever think you're me when you call up?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Oh, definitely. All the time.

S. O'BRIEN: Really? Do you go to great restaurants, because I don't go out at all? Do you do go fun things.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I do, actually. And I've actually gotten reservations because people actually think I'm you.

S. O'BRIEN: That's awesome, because I'm in bed by 8:00. And you know, I don't do any of that stuff. Good for you.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I'm using your reservations.

S. O'BRIEN: You do it. You go girl. And enjoy it. Do you ever think about changing your name or think it was weird to have the name Soledad?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Never.

S. O'BRIEN: Really?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Never. I think when I was a child, I was called things like "soltergard," or "saltine"...

S. O'BRIEN: "Solemom."

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Things like that, or yes, solar system.

S. O'BRIEN: This is so weird to be able to have this conversation with someone with my exact name, because we're bonded. We're so bonded.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Definitely. (CROSSTALK)

M. O'BRIEN: Did you ever want to change your name?

S. O'BRIEN: I got pressure in the news business actually to change my name. People said, you know, maybe people wouldn't be able to pronounce Soledad, which of course obviously not a problem. Final question for you, Soledad. You know, I'm on a campaign. I have 14 nieces and nephew, not one named Soledad, by the way, so I'm always trying to get my friends who are pregnant to name their kids Soledad. Do you know that?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: It's an amazing name. I don't know why they're not more Soledads. So go for it.

S. O'BRIEN: I hear you sister. I hear you.

M. O'BRIEN: You've got two daughters, and there's nary a Soledad there.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: That's true actually.

S. O'BRIEN: Hey, hey, Soledad. Whose side are you on?

Soledad, thanks for chatting with us.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Happy St. Patrick's Day. So great to see you.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Happy St. Patrick's Day to you.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks.

M. O'BRIEN; And what has being an Andrew Miles O'Brien gotten you? Anything?

A. MILES O'BRIEN; No, but maybe I'll just have to start using the Miles O'Brien. Maybe the name miles will pick up a little more.

S. O'BRIEN: Open doors, man. Open doors.

M. O'BRIEN: That and a buck will get you a large regular at a Dunkin' Donuts.

All right, Andrew Miles O'Brien, thanks for dropping in. Happy St. Patty's Day to you.

A. MILES O'BRIEN: Thank you. Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Nice to see you. A short break. We're back in just a moment.

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