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CNN Live Today

President Bush Discusses War, Politics in Iraq; Senate Leaders Announce 'Breakthrough' on Immigration Reform

Aired April 06, 2006 - 10:30   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is speaking in about the next 20 minutes. He is in Charlotte, North Carolina. A group has invited him there. The president not just speaking; he's going to be answering questions from a crowd that is described as politically diverse. You'll see that live here on CNN. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: This next story involves a crude e-mail and a coach's resignation. Rape allegations at Duke University trigger a chain reaction. The newly-revealed e-mail was allegedly sent by a lacrosse player, and it was just released in court documents and has already prompted an internal investigation.

Details now from CNN's Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Duke University is reeling from new developments in the alleged rape involving the school's lacrosse team. Duke's lacrosse team's coach, Mike Pressler, submitted his resignation effective immediately. This, after the court released information from a sealed warrant which graphically detailed a threatening e-mail allegedly sent by Ryan McFadyen, one of Pressler's players.

It was sent the same night of the alleged sexual assault. It reads, "Tomorrow night, after tonight's show, I've decided to have some strippers over to Eden's 2C (ph). All are welcome. However, there will be no nudity. I plan on killing the bitches as soon as they walk in and proceeding to cut their skin off while (BLANK) in my Duke-issue spandex."

(on camera): The e-mail was sent as 1:58 a.m., just about a half-an-hour after the alleged victim in this case, an exotic dancer, called police saying three lacrosse players raped and shouted racial slurs at her during a party she was hired to perform at, at the team member's off-campus home.

(voice-over): The university's president, Richard Broadhead, called the e-mail "sickening and repulsive." Broadhead canceled the men's lacrosse season, and Ryan McFadyen, who is 19 years old, has been suspended.

No one answered the door at McFadyen parents' home in Mendham, New Jersey. His attorney released a statement saying, quote, "While the language of the e-mail is vile, the e-mail itself is perfectly consistent with the boy's unequivocal assertion that no sexual assault took place that evening."

The team does have a history of trouble. More than a dozen players have previous minor offenses, mostly for underage drinking.

The university's critics have been speaking out, saying, given the team's past, school administrators have not been tough enough on the team or the coaches in the wake of the rape allegations. In a recent interview, Duke's president asked for patience as the facts unfold.

RICHARD BROADHEAD, DUKE PRESIDENT: All the ingredients of humanity are present on campus. You know, a university can't hope to be a place that never has unpleasant, or stressful, or deeply troubling episodes. All it can hope is that if and when such things happen, which God forbid, that they be dealt with in a way that gives everybody some further element of education.

CARROLL: No one has been charged in the connection with the case. DNA test results are expected some time next week. In the meantime, Duke's president continues to urge anyone with information to come forward.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: You can get a fresh perspective on the day's top stories from Anderson Cooper. "AC 360" airs at 10:0 p.m. Eastern here on CNN.

Will the tiger roar? It is that time of year when the azaleas are in bloom at Augusta National, and a green sport coat is deemed fashioned. The Masters Tournament is underway today.

Our Larry Smith drew the golden ticket and he gets to cover that for us. Larry, good morning.

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning. What great description of Augusta National there, Daryn. You know, just as at one time it was hard to imagine a Masters without say, Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer, the same can now be said for Tiger Woods.

We can't picture here, the second weekend of April, without Tiger being in the chase, though there was a chance of that this week. Tiger's dad Earl Woods, who is not only his first golf coach, but also a man tiger refers to as his best friend is back home in California battling prostate cancer. And Tiger had said in the past several weeks that he would not hesitate and would drop everything if needed to fly home if his dad Earl took a turn for the worst.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, 2005 MASTERS CHAMPION: I'm very proud of my dad. Very proud of my dad. He's a tremendous fighter, he's got an unbelievable will and hopefully he's passed a little bit of that on to me. And I think that's kind of how I play and how I go out about my -- I guess my competitiveness on the golf course is how it comes across. It's the will, and I got a lot of that from my dad.

PHIL MICKELSON, 2004 MASTERS CHAMPION: There's a lot of guys out here on tour that are going through personal problems, too. And it's almost a reprieve to have those four or five hours to yourself to go play golf, knowing that you have to redirect your thoughts to playing each shot and it affects you more off the course, I think.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Well, Tiger is on the course. He just teed off in the first hole. When asked if his dad would be watching from home in California, he said, well, Dad always watches and so if I get lucky and get on TV, he'll see me. Daryn, defending champion, the four-time Masters winner, I think it's a good bet he'll be on TV at some point this week.

KAGAN: You think?

SMITH: They just might get around to showing a shot or two.

KAGAN: All right, Larry, you enjoy the time. Thank you.

The "American Idol" gang goes country western. Telly's red hot when the contestants put their twang in the tunes. Hot enough? Who gets kicked off? We'll tell you in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A showdown in the Senate this morning on the hot-button issue of immigration. Democrats hope that they have the votes to end debate on one version of the reform bill, but if they fail, Republicans are ready with their own measure.

Andrea Koppel joins us live.

Andrea, first the proposal need 60 votes to stay alive. Is that going to happen?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not likely, Daryn.

Some of the key Republican sponsors of the legislation that they're going to be voting on momentarily have already signaled that they're going -- that they're not going to be in favor of it. And so what's likely to happen is we're going to be looking at the next day or so, a similar procedural vote, a test vote, if you will, on whether to bring legislation to the floor, will happen tomorrow on a new compromise that was just agreed to last night among Republicans, and that's known as really the Mel Martinez-Chuck Hagel, two Republicans who put out a new plan, a new compromise.

And I can talk about that now if you'd like. In the compromise what you have is the biggest -- really the toughest nut to crack has been what to do with those 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants who are currently living in the United States. Those opposed to giving them a free pass to this earned path to citizenship, has said you can't give them amnesty. So what Martinez and Hagel have come up with is really a staggered, three different groups of immigrants based on the number of years they'd be living in this country. Those here less than two years would have to go back. Those here between two to five years would have to leave the United States, return to their home country and apply for a visa. I'm told that that would happen quite quickly, and they'd come back under a temporary worker program. And then those here five years and beyond would be put down this path which would be the support is called an earned path to citizenship, seven or eight different requirements that they would have to meet in order to eventually, about 11 years later, earn U.S. citizenship -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill. You'll be watching for us. Andrea, thank you.

News on the "Today" show yesterday. We heard Katie Couric has decided to move on to CBS. Today NBC at 1:30 p.m. Eastern will announce her replacement. Not saying exactly who it is yet.

But Adrianna Costa is with us. Well, hold on. We're getting ahead of ourselves here.

We're going to get to Mandisa in a second.

Let me introduce Adrianna Costa, who is here, coming up from Headline News.

Lovely to see you.

ADRIANNA COSTA, HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Daryn, always...

(CROSSTALK)

KAGAN: Good to see you.

COSTA: Good to see you.

KAGAN: So much to talk about. We're going to get to "Idol" in just a second. First of all, Katie Couric is leaving.

COSTA: Here contract's up at the end of May. She's probably going to move over to CBS some time in September. They haven't mentioned who will be taking her spot, but the front-runner, the one contender, top contender, is Meredith Vieira from "The View."

KAGAN: And if she gets it, good luck to her.

COSTA: Good luck to her.

KAGAN: Excellent, excellent choice.

COSTA: Yes, I agree. I really like her actually.

KAGAN: Now on to bad choices? Can we just say outrage! (CROSSTALK)

I mean, this is just -- I almost couldn't come to work today.

COSTA: I know.

KAGAN: I mean, how Mandisa could get voted off of "American Idol," how did this happen?

COSTA: Well, OK, the bottom line at the end of day, it is a popularity contest. It really doesn't have to do with who is the best singer.

KAGAN: Well, clearly.

COSTA: We thought, you know, that it was going go a different direction. Why it's such a shocker is because Mandisa has never even been in the bottom three. She has a ton of fans. The judges lover her. America loves her. But you know what, if you don't have a dedicated fanbase, in the sense that they're going to just continue to call and call and call, then you're going to be the one to go. So it doesn't really have to do with her talent, her range.

As far as her performance went...

KAGAN: It wasn't agree, I will tell you that.

COSTA: I did not like it.

KAGAN: I will agree she was not great. Not the best.

But you know what, Mandisa does not need "American Idol." She is bigger and better than "American Idol," and she will do just fine.

COSTA: She was very gracious with her speech.

KAGAN: Yes, class act all of the way.

COSTA: Bottom three all of the way around with lots of drama last night, because three people who had never been in the bottom three, totally shocking, Elliot Yamin, never been in the bottom three, who I thought had a very strong performance the night before, despite what the judges thought.

And also Paris Bennett, 16 years old -- excuse me, 17 years old. She's a proud little girl. You know what I mean, she knows she's got it going on. But they were in the bottom three, and that was shocking.

Now Bucky Covington, nowhere in sight.

KAGAN: Yes, meanwhile, Bucky lives.

Here is my philosophy on this. All right, he's from a small town in North Carolina. OK, he needs to go back to that small town. COSTA: Daryn! He's got a lot of fans, believe it or not. He's got a very cool vibe that obviously was a country week, and that's where his roots are. And you know, his performance was pretty strong, and the truth is if you have a lot of it -- because it's a small town, he's probably got a lot of people voting for him, because you know, it sort of gives them a place on the map, if you know what I mean.

KAGAN: Well, good luck to him there.

COSTA: I think he might even last a little bit longer.

KAGAN: Next week, I don't know who thought of this, because they do have a different theme every week. Next week, it's songs from the group "Queen." I don't think these kids are even old enough.

Do you know who Queen is, little girl?

COSTA: Isn't that, like, "We Will Rock You." No, I know, but I was just to say, Paris Bennett, 17 years old, that's going to be funny to see her perform Queen. Imagine this, Kellie Pickler singing "Another One Bites the Dust."

For that matter, take it one step further, imagine Bucky Covington singing that song.

KAGAN: What's Taylor going to sing?

COSTA: "We Will Rock You?" I have no idea. But you know what...

KAGAN: Taylor Hicks, baby, I love him.

Meanwhile, we love Mandisa. We're sending the love out to Mandisa. It's not last we've heard of her, and not the last we've heard of you. You're coming back.

COSTA: Thank you, next Thursday. Be here and be square for some coffee talk.

KAGAN: Absolutely. Meanwhile, I'll see you in the makeup room.

COSTA: Thanks, Adrianna.

All right, and by the way, you don't have until Thursday to see Adrianna. You can see her every weekday morning on "ROBIN & COMPANY," 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. on CNN Headline News.

That's the fun. We need to get to the meat and potatoes. And we'll do that. President Bush about to speak in Charlotte, North Carolina. We'll get back and listen in the to president and the question-and-answer session in just a bit, after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: President Bush in a question and answer session in Charlotte, North Carolina. Let's listen in. GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One obviously media target is to dismantle al Qaeda. They -- they hide in kind of the far reaches of the world. They plot and plan, however, from the far reaches of the world. They're good at communications. They're good at deception. They're good at propaganda, and they want to strike again.

We have done a good job of dismantling the operating structure of al Qaeda. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Ramzi Binalshibh, a series of these folks that have become the operating element of al Qaeda. Obviously, Osama bin Laden and his sidekick Zawahiri is still at large. We understand that. But we're looking and we're listening and we're working with allies like President Musharraf of Pakistan, President Karzai of Afghanistan, to bring this -- to bring the head of al Qaeda to justice.

The second lesson learned is that unlike previous wars, these folks, this kind of terrorist network that is ideologically bound, needs a safe haven. They need a place to hide. They need a symbiotic relationship with governments that will enable them to plot, plan and attack.

So early on in the conflict, I'd only vow that we would use our fierce determination to protect this country by staying on the offense, but that we would deny safe haven to these terrorists. And so I said if you harbor a terrorist you are equally as guilty as the terrorist.

And one thing that I think is really important for our citizens to understand is that when the president says something, he better mean what he says. In order to be effective, in order to maintain credibility, words have got to mean something. You just can't say things in the job I'm in and not mean what you say. And I meant what I said.

And so we said to the Taliban, get rid of al Qaeda, they chose not to. I made my first decision to send our kids into harm's way and liberate Afghanistan. The decision to liberate Afghanistan was based first and foremost on the need to enforce a doctrine that I thought was necessary to protect the American people. One of the benefits of sending our kids into harm's way was that we liberated 25 million people from the clutches of one of the most barbaric regimes known to the history of man.

Laura and I went over to that fledgling democracy. We went to see President Karzai. It was -- it was a remarkable experience. It's -- it's hard to describe. You know, I'm not such a good poet, but let me put it to you this way. My spirits were lifted to see people committed to democracy, recognizing that democracy stands in stark contrast to the life these people had to live under the Taliban.

The task now is to continue to fight off the Taliban and al Qaeda that would continue to try to disrupt the march of the new democracy, help this country survive and thrive and grow and help the Afghan citizens to realize the dreams of men and women that they can live in a free and peaceful world. Remember, these folks voted for a president and voted for a parliament.

I'm proud of the progress we're making there. It's an historic achievement for our country and for our troops, and it was a necessary achievement to enforce the doctrines that we said were necessary to protect our people.

Another lesson. This is an important lesson for the country. It's one that kind of sometimes can get obscured in the politics of Washington, but it's one that I'm confident when I tell you it's necessary for this to adhere to. It's going to be necessary for me or whoever follows me. When we see a threat, we have got take the threat seriously before it comes to hurt us.

You know, growing up in Midland, Texas, we all felt pretty secure as a kid, mainly because we thought oceans could protect us. Now, in my case, we were really far away from oceans, too, but nevertheless, it's -- when you think about it, though, if you're a Baby Boomer like me, you think about what it was like growing up. We knew there was a nuclear threat. Of course, we hadn't put forth an interesting- sounding, you know, strategy, called "mutually assured destruction" which provided an umbrella for security and safety.

But nevertheless, we never really felt anybody would invade us, did we? We never felt that there would be another attack like Pearl Harbor on our lands. And yet September the 11th changed all of that. More people died on September 11th because of an attack by an enemy on our shore than died at Pearl Harbor.

The biggest threat we face is when a terrorist network is able to acquire weapons even stronger than airplanes. If the terrorist network were ever to get weapons of mass destruction, one of their stated objectives, our country and the free world would face a serious threat. I saw a threat in Iraq.

Not only did I see a threat in Iraq, the previous administration saw a threat in Iraq. Not only did the -- which by the way, passed a resolution in the United States Congress that said we ought to have a regime change in Iraq. Not only did the previous administration see a threat in Iraq, members of both political parties and both chambers during my time as president saw a threat in Iraq.

And the reason we saw threats is because the intelligence said that Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. But it wasn't just U.S. intelligence that said that. There was the worldwide intelligence network felt like he had weapons of mass destruction. After all, when I took the case at the United Nations Security Council, the Security Council voted 15-0 to say loud and clear -- disclose, disarm or face serious consequences.

It's not what the United States said alone, this is what France, Great Britain, China, Russia and members of the security council said, because the world felt like Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. And after 9/11 it was abundantly clear that a state sponsor of terror, which is what he had been declared by previous administrations, and the idea of weapons of mass destruction, and the fact that he was at least at the very minimum a stated enemy of the United States of America, posed a serious threat for our country.

My biggest job is to protect the American people. That became abundantly clear on September 11th. It's important to pass good reform for education, it's important support the community college system, it's important to work for, you know, a Medicare plan that meets the needs. My biggest job is to protect you. At least that's how I see the job.

Much of my decision making, by the way, is based upon what happened on September 11th. It had an effect on me, just like it had an effect on the country. I've never forgotten that day. I've never forgotten the lessons learned. And so when we saw a threat, we got to take it seriously. Oceans could no longer protect us. The enemy was able to strike us and kill, and they were dangerous. And before a president ever commits troops, you've got to try diplomacy at all costs.

I'm going to say to you what I said before. Putting those kids in harm's way is a tough, difficult decision, and nobody should ever want to do it. Because I understand fully the consequences of the decision. So, as I told you, I went to the diplomatic route. I was hoping that when the world spoke with that one voice at the United Nations Security Council, Saddam Hussein would see the reason of the free world. But he didn't.

I felt all along the decision was his to make. He said -- the world said disclose, disarm. In the meantime, I want you to remember, he was deceiving inspectors. It's a logical question to ask, why would somebody want to deceive inspectors?

I also told you earlier that when America speaks we either mean what we said -- I meant what we said when we embraced that resolution that said disclose, disarm or face serious consequences. Words mean something in this world if you're trying to protect the American people.

I fully understand that the intelligence was wrong, and I'm just as disappointed as everybody else is. But what wasn't wrong was Saddam Hussein had invaded a country, he had used weapons of mass destruction he had the capability of making weapons of mass destruction, he was firing at our pilots, he was a state sponsor of terror. Removing Saddam Hussein was the right thing for world peace and the security of our country.

(APPLAUSE)

Iraq is now the central front on the war on terror. The war on terror is broader than Iraq, but Iraq is the key battlefield right now. And the enemy has made it so.

The advance of democracy frightens the totalitarians that oppose us. Mr. Zarqawi, who is there in Iraq, is al Qaeda. He's not Iraqi, by the way. He is there representing the al Qaeda network, trying to stop the advance of democracy.

An interesting question, isn't it? Why would anybody want to stop democracy? Like, what's wrong with democracy?

Mister, why are you afraid of it? Are you threatened by the fact that people get to speak and you don't get to dictate? Are you threatened by the fact that people should be able to worship the almighty freely?

What about democracy that bothers -- I think it's a legitimate question we all ought to be asking. But nevertheless, he's tough and he's mean, and he'll kill innocent people in order to shake our will.

They have stated, clearly stated -- they being al Qaeda -- it's just a matter of time for the United States to loose its nerve. They recognize they cannot beat us on the battlefield. They cannot not militarily defeat the United States of America. But they can affect our conscience. And I can understand why.

Nobody likes to see violence on the TV screens. Nobody wants to see little children blown up when a U.S. soldier is trying to give them candy. Nobody likes to see innocent women die at the hands of suicide bombers. It breaks our heart.

The United States of America is an incredibly compassionate nation. We value human life, whether it be here at home or whether it be abroad. It's one of the really noble features of our country, I think.

And nobody likes to see that. And the enemy understands that, however. They know that if we lose our nerve and retreat from Iraq, they win.

We've got a strategy for victory in Iraq. It's important for you to know that victory will be achieved with a democracy that can sustain itself, a country that will be able to defend itself from those who will try to defeat democracy at home, a country that will be an ally in the war on terror and a country that will deny al Qaeda and the enemies that face America the safe haven they want.

Those are the four -- the four categories for victory. And they're clear. And our command structure and our diplomats in Iraq understand the definition of victory. And we're moving that way.

We're move that way. We've got a plan to help rebuild Iraq. You know, when we first went in there -- by the way, every war plan or every plan is fine until it meets the enemy. But you've got to adjust.

You've got to be able to say on the ground, well, this is working, this isn't working. The enemy's not a -- you know, they think, they think differently. They make different decisions. They come up with different tactics to try to defeat us. And it is very important for us to -- for me to say to our commanders and our diplomats, devise that strategy on the ground, keep adjusting so that we achieve the victory that we want.

So when we first got into Iraq we went with big rebuilding projects. You know, we're going to help them do this and help them do that, big electricity projects. And the enemy blew them up.

And so what we've done now is we've gone to a more rational strategy, provide money for local folks, including our military, to help smaller projects, but projects that are able to connect with the people on the ground. You know, jobs helps a lot if you're trying to say democracy is worth it.

The second aspect of our plan was to promote democracy. And I know four months and the way these news cycles works seems like a decade. At least it does to me at times, you know.

Four months ago, 12 million people went to the polls. It was an amazing event, wasn't it? I mean, when you really think about it, if you can project back to the amazement, surprise, exhilaration that happened when, given a chance to vote for the third time in one year, the Iraqi people having had suffered under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein said, I want to be free.

That's what we want to be. That's what they said. Twelve million people in the face of incredible threats and potential suicide bombers and ugly words coming out of those who fear democracy said, give me a chance.

It was an amazing experience. It was, in my judgment, a moment that is historic.

Part of the task now is to say to the Iraqis, leaders, people said something, now you need to get -- you need to act. You need to get a unity government together. And that's what we're watching right now.

It takes a while to -- for people to overcome the effects of tyranny. And there's -- you know, there's a lot of politics happening in Iraq.

It's a little different from what used to be the place, and a little different from other countries in that part of the world where one person makes a decision. Everybody kind of either likes it or doesn't like it, but you keep your mouth shut if you don't like it. Here you're watching, you know, people kind of edging for responsibility and working it, and we're very much involved.

I know you know Condi went over there the other day. And her message was, let's get moving.

The people want there to be a unity government. The people want there to be a democracy. And it requires leadership for people to stand up and take the lead. And so we're working with them to get this unity -- this unity government up and running.

And then there's the security side. You can't have a democracy unless the people are confident in the capacity of the state to protect them from those who want to stop the advance of democracy.

Now, the enemy for a while tried to shake our nerve. They can't shake my nerve. They just can't shake it. So long as I think I'm doing the right thing and so long as we can win, I'm going to leave our kids there because it's necessary for the security of this country.

If I didn't think that we could win, I would pull them out. You've just got to know that. I cannot sit with the mothers and fathers of our troops in harm's way and not feel like victory is necessary and victory will be achieved.

Part of my decision-making process about whether they're there is based upon whether or not the goal is necessary and attainable. It's necessary to protect this country. And we'll talk about it a little later. And it is attainable.

It's attainable because the Iraqis on the political side have said, you bet, give us a chance. They wrote a constitution. They ratified the constitution. Twelve million went to the polls. That's a high voter turnout, by the way.

On the security side, our goal, our mission is to let the Iraqis take the fight. And as I've always been saying, they stand up, we stand down. That means we train the Iraqis to take the fight to those who want to disrupt our country. And we're making good progress on the military side.

By the way, we had to change our tactics. When we first got there we said, why don't we train us an army that will be able to protect from an outside threat? Well, it turned out there wasn't much of an outside threat compared to the inside threat.

And so now the training mission has adapted to the tactics of the enemy on the ground. We're embedding our guys with the -- with the Iraqi army. They're becoming more efficient.

There's over 200,000 trained. And we're constantly monitoring the quality of effort. And as the quality of the forces improves, they take over more territory. The idea is to have the Iraqi face in front making the -- helping the folks get the confidence in their government.

We lagged in police training. And so General Casey, as he -- who's our general on the ground there, told me -- he said, "You know, this is going to be the year of training the police so they can bring confidence to people."

The enemy shifted its tactics, as you know, and has tried to create a civil war. And they blew up the -- one of the holiest sites in Samarra, trying to get the Sunnis to get after the Shia and vice versa. This has been an objective for a while.

First, it was, you know, go after coalition troops. There's still danger for our troops, don't get me wrong. But they really tried to incite a civil war.

And what's interesting to watch is to watch the reaction by the government. The government, including many of the religious leaders, said, no, we don't want to go there. We're not interested in a civil war.

The Iraqi troops did a good job of getting between, you know, some mosques and potential -- and crowds. And they got in between competing elements and stood their ground.

And as I put it a while ago, the Iraqi people looked into the abyss and didn't like what they saw. And it's still troublesome, of course. There's still sectarian violence. You can't have a free state if you've got militia taking the law into their own hands.

Now, remember, this is a society adjusting to being free after a -- after a tyranny. And Saddam Hussein's tactics to keep the country in check was to pit one group of people against another and say, I'm the only stabilizing force for you.

He was brutal on Shia. He destroyed with chemical weapons many Kurds. And he was tough on Sunnis, too, but he created kind of this sense of rivalry. And so you can understand why there's revenge after years of this kind of tension he created.

Our job and the job of rational Iraqi leaders is to prevent these sectarian reprisal attacks from going on. And it's tough work, but I want you to know that we understand the problem. More importantly, General Casey understands the problem.

We're adjusting our tactics to be able to help these Iraqis secure their country so that the democracy can flourish. They want democracy. That's what they've said.

The troops, time and time again, have shown that they're better trained than before. And we've got more work to do on that. I readily concede.

There's a lot of debate and a lot of questions about what's happening. I understand that. The -- again, I'll repeat to you, I know what violence does to people.

First of all, I'm confident -- people are say, I wonder if these people can ever get their act together and self-govern. The answer is, I'm confident they can if we don't lose our nerve.

One of the decision principles -- a principle on which I make decisions is this, I believe that freedom is universal. America was founded on the natural rights of men and women which speaks to the universality of freedom. And if you believe in the universality of freedom, then you have confidence that if given a chance, people will seize that opportunity.

No question the Iraqis need help after living under the thumb of a tyrant. But freedom is embedded, I believe, in the souls of men and women all over the earth.

You know, you don't demand freedom, you know, more than Methodist demand freedom. Let me put to it you that way. I'm a Methodist.

There's an interesting debate. Is it imposing one's values to encourage others to live in freedom? I argue the answer to that question is absolutely not, if you believe in the universality of freedom.

And so while thrilled to see the vote, I was -- I wasn't -- I wasn't shocked. People want to be free.

I know you're thinking about, well, you know, when's he going to get our troops out of there? There's a debate going on in Washington, D.C., which it should, and it's an important debate about our troop levels.

Here's my answer to you. I'm not going to make decisions based upon polls and focus groups. I'm going to make my decisions based upon the recommendations of our generals on the ground.

They're the ones who decide how to achieve the victory I just described. They're the ones who give me the information.

I remember coming up in the Vietnam War and it seemed like that there was a -- during the Vietnam War there was a lot of politicization of the military decisions. That's not going to be the case under my administration.

You say, well, does George Casey tell you the truth? You bet he tells me the truth. When I talk to him, which I do quite frequently, I've got all the confidence in the world in this fine general.

He's a smart guy. He's on the ground. He's making incredible sacrifices for our country. And he -- if he says he needs more troops, he'll get them. And if he says he can live with fewer troops because the Iraqis are prepared to take the fight, that's the way it's going to be.

There are some in Washington, D.C., and around the country who are good folks, legitimate, decent folks saying pull the troops out. That would be a huge mistake. It would be a huge...

(APPLAUSE)

Hold on for a second. It would be a huge mistake for these reasons...

The enemy has said that they want us to leave Iraq in order to be able to regroup and attack us. If the American people -- American government, not the people -- were to leave prematurely before victory is achieved it would embolden the enemy.

Now, I recognize some don't see the enemy like I do. Kind of a different view of the enemy. And that's the good thing about America, people can have different points of view. You know, and people should be a allowed to express it, which is great.

I see an enemy that is totalitarian in nature, that has clearly stated they want to attack us again, and they want safe haven from which to do so. That's why they're trying to stop democracy in Iraq. If we were to pull out our troops early, it would send a terrible signal to the Iraqis. Twelve million people said, I want to be free, and they need our help. We're helping the Iraqis achieve freedom.

It's -- you know, they watch -- they watch these deals. They listen carefully to the debate in America.

They need to watch, by the way. They need to watch this debate, which is good. It's what free societies do. We debate. But they're also listening very carefully about whether or not this country has got the will necessary to achieve the objective.

Thirdly, if we left before the mission was complete, what would it say to our troops and the families, particularly those who have lost a loved one?

I spend -- let me say this about our military. The volunteer army is a necessary part of our society. We need to maintain the volunteer army. It is a really -- we've had a magnificent group of men and women who serve our country.

You realize most people who served, are serving today, volunteered after 9/11. They saw the stakes. And they said, I want to join the United States military. The retention rate's high, which means we've got people serving in uniform who not only volunteered and saw the stakes but have been involved in this conflict and said, I would like to stay in the military.

It's a -- it is a -- the military is a vital part of securing this country and the war on terror. Now, if you don't think we're at war, then it probably doesn't matter that much.

I not only think we're at war, I know we're at war. And it's going to require diligence and strength and a really -- and a military that's well-paid, well-housed, well-trained, where morale is high, and pulling out before the mission is complete would send a terrible signal to the United States military.

I welcome the debate, but I just want people here to know we're going to complete the mission. We'll achieve victory.

And I want to say this to the Iraqi people: we want to help you achieve your dreams. And the United States of America will not be intimidated by thugs and assassins.

(APPLAUSE)

I've got one more thing to say, and then I'll -- I've got one more thing to say. I know I'm getting a little windy.

I want to talk to people about why it's important for us to succeed in Iraq. And Afghanistan, for that matter.

I told you that there's a short-term reason, deny safe haven and help get allies in the war on terror to prevent this totalitarian movement from gaining a stronghold in places from which they can come hit us. There's a long-term reason as well, and that is you defeat an ideology of darkness with an ideology of hope and light. And freedom and liberty are part of an ideology of light.

You know, our foreign policy in the past has been one that said, well, if the waters look calm in parts of the world, even though there may not be freedom, that's OK. The problem with that foreign policy is, below the surface there was resentment and anger and despair which provided a fertile ground for a totalitarian group of folks to spread their poisonous philosophy and recruit.

The way to defeat this notion of -- their notion of society is one that is open, that is democratic, that is based upon liberty. It doesn't have to be an American-style democracy. It won't be.

Democracy has got to reflect the tradition and the history of the countries in which it takes hold. I understand that. And nobody in the Middle East should think that when the president talks about liberty and democracy and says you've got to look just like America or act like America, nobody's saying that.

I am saying, though, trust your people. Give them a chance to participant in society.

I believe a society is a whole society in which women are free and are given equal rights. I believe there's a whole society in which young girls are given a chance to go to school and become educated. I believe it's a whole society when government actually responds to people, not dictates to people.

That's what I believe. And I believe that is the best way in the long run to defeat an ideology that feels the opposite way. And we've seen it happen in our history before. It's happened in -- in some of your lifetimes.

One of the ways I like to describe what I'm trying to tell you is about my relationship with Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan. I say this all the time, as the press corps will tell you traveling with me -- you know, when is he ever going to quit saying that? Well, it's the best example I can give you about what I'm trying to describe is happening today during these historic times.

My dad fought the Japanese as an 18-year-old kid -- or 19. He went in at 18, I guess. But he was -- many of your relatives fought the Japanese.

It's hard to think back and kind of remember the bitterness that we had toward the Japanese. They attacked the United States of America and killed a lot of folks, and we went to war with them, and a lot of people died and it was a bloody war.

After the war -- and by the way, it ended with an old doctrine of warfare, which is destroy as many innocent people as you can go to get the guilty to surrender. That's changed, by the way, with the precision, nature of our military, and the way -- the way we're structured and the way our troops think. We now target the guilty and spare the innocent. That's another subject, if you've a question.

But anyway, today, my friend in keeping the peace is the prime minister of Japan. It's amazing, isn't it? Maybe you take it for granted. I don't.

I think it's one of the really interesting parts of -- one of the interesting stories of history, that 60 years after we fought the Japanese, I can tell you that I work with Prime Minister Koizumi on a variety of issues. It's amazing, I think.

I know 60 seems like a long time. If I were six or seven, it would seem like a long time. At 59, it seems like a long time. Maybe when I'm 60, it will seem like a short time.

Anyway, so what happened? What was it that caused something to change, an enemy to become an ally?

I believe it's because the Japanese adopted a Japanese-style democracy. And I appreciate the fact that one of my predecessors, Harry S. Truman, had the foresight to see the capacity of freedom, the universal right of people to change the world.

KAGAN: We're going to break away from President Bush, speaking in North Carolina right now, to go to Capitol Hill. There appears to be some movement or development on an immigration bill making its way through the Senate.

Let's listen to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: Other senators will be coming in. We're just completing our vote, but wanted to go ahead and get started to really make a very important announcement. And that is, the American people are well aware of the challenge that we have today in terms of having an immigration system that is flat-out broken, broken at the borders, broken interiorally, at the level of the -- at the place of the work site, and also in terms of a temporary worker program.

In October of last year, I set out a two-week plan that is being fulfilled this week where we would start with a strong border security bill, build that out based on the tremendous work under Arlen Specter's -- Senator Specter's tremendous leadership. Build that out with a more comprehensive bill looking at work site enforcement, interior enforcement and a temporary worker program that does address the 12 million people who in this country are undocumented.

The good news is that, because of the hard work of the people who are with me, we've had a huge breakthrough which will allow us to pivot in the next several hours that will lead us to the conclusion of passing a very important bill.

I'm going to turn to my colleagues. I guess initially Senator Specter and then -- well, I'll turn to Senator Specter, then Senator Kennedy to reflect what this alternative that has come forward is all about and the implications for the country, but also for the 250, 300 million people who will be affected both now and people in the future -- Arlen.

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA), CHAIRMAN, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: The leader -- well, I don't know who has to say anything more. Senator Reid is here.

(LAUGHTER)

SPECTER: Senator Frist has accurately characterized the situation as a breakthrough. And the presence of the senators who are here today, both Republicans and Democrats, and the leaders and the ranking member of Judiciary, we have worked through a great many problems, starting with McCain-Kennedy and Kyl-Cornyn and the Hagel legislation, and I think we produced a good bill, but not a perfect bill.

Regrettably, we haven't been able to have amendments offered to it. So we needed some modifications. And the ideas have come forward from Senator Hagel and Senator Martinez, making distinctions between the undocumented aliens who have been here more than five years and those less than five years.

And while it admittedly is not perfect, the choice we have to make is whether the bill is better than no bill. And I think that is decisive.

We've made enormous improvements over what the House has done with our treatment of a comprehensive bill and the aid given for humanitarian assistance and not making so many felonies and moving toward balance. So I think we're on track to get a bill in relatively short order.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: We're gathered here on the third floor of the Capitol with all you folks here, but you know that the real people that are watching this are people in Las Vegas who, as I speak, it's 8:30 in the morning, they're getting ready for the first round at the 21st floor of the MGM hotel to make the beds, to pick up the mess from last night. They're working in the kitchen in Las Vegas, cleaning the grease pits. They're parking cars.

These are jobs that they have wanted and wanted them badly enough to come to America, to leave their families, their homes, their churches, their schools to come here and take a chance on the American dream. So even though we all feel good about today, it pales in comparison to the millions and millions of people out there who today feel that they have a chance to participate in the American dream.

Now, we're not there yet. We can't declare victory. But we've moved a long ways down the road.

The movement has taken place by inches. But as with everything, it's the last few inches that count. And we're almost there.

We're not there. We still have some obstacles. The leader and I have spoken about them the last few hours.

There's other pieces of legislation that may interfere. We have some amendments we have to vote on that are going to be hurtful to some people and not to others. But it wouldn't be fair if I didn't -- didn't acknowledge what I believe are some legislative heroes with this.

First of all, is Specter and Leahy. That Judiciary Committee is producing -- it's producing as it hasn't produced in years and years, and basically it's because of their relationship.

And I also want everyone to know here that the work that's taken place behind the scenes for the last week has been what legislation is all about. These people in the back rooms doing the drudge work, they don't get the attention that Senator Frist and I get when we're out there, as I've said, like a couple of running big horn sheep batting our heads. But they're the ones that allow us once in a while to raise our arm -- arms and declare victory.

We're not there yet, as I've said. But hopefully -- hopefully -- the next 24 hours there will be occasion for real celebration.

SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: I'll be brief.

One, leader, I thank you for the comments about Senator Specter and myself. We do have a close personal relationship. We have tried to move a lot of significant legislation. I told both leaders (INAUDIBLE) could we have something on the floor of the Senate that didn't have to go through Judiciary? Make me long for my days in Agriculture. Not that much, but you do.

We worked extraordinarily hard to get a bipartisan bill out of the committee. That was no easy task. It meant hours. It took time during recess, time at late night sessions and all. Senator Specter held us together in that. We were able to do it.

Obviously that's the bill I would have preferred. We're not going to have that bill. I think the steps we've taken now indicate the same things that we did during the committee markup. We find ways of moving forward. It's a small step, but a very, very important step. The devil's always in the details, and we'll see what the details are.

But for people like myself, who are only one generation away from immigrant grandparents, I feel the yearnings of my grandparents and those who came first to Vermont, just as many feel the yearnings of their own families throughout the country.

Let me conclude with this. If this is the step forward that I think it is, then let's make it that. Let's stop the name-calling. Let's stop the polemics, and especially those who are outside the Senate, who have been making everything from ethnic slurs to racial slurs and on. Let us as senators make it very clear, whatever party we're in we oppose that kind of name-calling. We're working together as senators to get a bill for America and for people who yearn to be Americans. Thank you.

SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Well, Americans have always had an ambivalence about immigration issues and immigration policy. We are a nation of immigrants. And when we're really at our best, we recognize the extraordinary contribution that immigrants have added to our culture, to our enterprise, to our initiatives, to our ideas. It has been profound.

But at other times, we have seen the incredible exploitation of immigrants. We think of the darker days, of the time of the braceros, which is one of the darker sides of American history. We think of what has happened -- the exploitations of many Asian during the coolee period, when they were building the -- coolees from the Far East were building the railroads of this country. Some of the cruelest kind of exploitation.

And the most dramatic aspect of American history, of course, were slaves that were brought into this country, not by their own desire, but for exploitation and the darker side of our history.

So there is enormous conflict and great emotions whenever we come to the issue in question, of dealing with how we're going to deal with challenges dealing with immigration.

And that is why Senator McCain and myself, the others that are gathered here, recognized that what was necessary is to do a comprehensive kind of approach, which hopefully this legislation, when it's finalized, hopefully by the end of the week -- and I think our leader, Senator Reid, has outlined both the opportunities and the challenges that still remain -- will send a very clear message to a very important group of individuals that are here -- and that is that if you work hard; you're devoted to your family; you play by the rules; you pay your taxes; and you work toward the American dream, that you can be included, too, as our grandparents and great grandparents have in the past.

Americans admire those qualities, those qualities of hard work, playing by the rules, devoted to your children, and devoted to the community. Those people that are out there today, the 11 million, we're sending a message, that is, you are going to be welcome. And you won't have to live in the fear in the future.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Obviously, I'd like to thank our leaders who are responsible for the shepherding of this legislation through. I'd especially like to note the work that Senator Kennedy has done on this issue. It's been a privilege to work with him.

And we've had an honest and intense series of negotiations, with the assistance, particularly, of the individuals who are right here, and I want to thank every one of them.

I especially think that the Senate is enriched by the presence of Senators Martinez and Salazar, both of whom bring to us a perspective that's very important on this issue. Like to thank my friend Chuck Hagel. He, along with Senator Martinez, came up with a compromise that I think has moved this issue off the dime.

I'd like to point out we still have obstacles ahead. One is the conference. Another, of course, are pending amendments that would have the effect of basically gutting this compromise.

And so we do have a lot of work ahead of us. But I think that this comprehensive approach, when most Americans are made aware of what we have done here so far and what I believe -- I am very optimistic that we can accomplish -- will meet the approval of the majority of our citizens.

That's what the Senate is supposed to do. This is how the Senate is supposed to act. And, unfortunately, we don't do nearly as much as we used to.

We've been in conversations with the White House and the president. The president will make an announcement at 12:30 that is supportive of this compromise, and he will be on camera later on in the day as he is traveling.

I'm very grateful for the participation of the president of the United States, who has sought a comprehensive solution to this issue.

And, again, I want to thank my colleagues, recognizing that we have obstacles ahead, but I think this kind of compromise has the kind of momentum that will see us through.

KAGAN: So there you have John McCain. John McCain and Ted Kennedy had sponsored a bill that many believed was too liberal on the amnesty issue for illegal immigrants in this country. But it does look like there's some development in progress, as senators coming to some kind of compromise. They said they're not there yet, but there is movement, so they held a news conference.

Our Andrea Koppel is watching all of this unfold on Capitol Hill, and she joins us with an update on where things stand now.

KOPPEL: Well, Daryn, this is a very significant development, as I'm sure many of our viewers have figured out already. What you have right now is the very real possibility, and certainly if the president's going to be going on the air within the hour to talk about it, the fact that after days and weeks, and in some instances months upon months of negotiations you finally have a coming together within the Republican Party itself, and obviously among Democrats, here in the Senate to sign off on some kind of immigration reform legislation.

The big question -- and when you heard Senator McCain refer to hurdles, he really is talking about merging this bill, the huge challenge that's going to be involved in merging the bill that's going to come out of the Senate, if it comes at the end of this week, with the much, much, much tough bill that was approved in December in the House. That bill, remember, only deals with stepping up border security. It does not address in any way, shape or form what's known as the guest worker program or with laying out the so-called earned path to citizenship for 11 to 12 million illegal immigrants. So that is a tremendous hurdle that they're going to have to be dealing with in the weeks to come.

But right now, what you have is the prospect tomorrow, perhaps even today, that there will be this procedural vote, really a test vote, to move this to the floor, to say, do we have 60 senators who agree to this legislation so that we can vote up or down. This could happen either today or tomorrow, probably tomorrow.

What just happened a few minutes ago, while this press conference was going on, is we just heard that the McCain/Kennedy bill that you alluded to as being something that many conservatives felt was giving a free pass to many illegal immigrants, giving them amnesty, that was just voted down, this procedural vote, by a vote of 39-60.

So now all eyes, Daryn, are going to be on whether or not there are 60 votes in the Senate -- sounds like there are -- to move to an up or down vote on this legislation to get it out of the way before they leave for their Easter Passover recess.

KAGAN: All right. Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill, watching it for us, thank you. And of course we're also watching the president who right now is in Charlotte, North Carolina. As the senators were mentioning and Andrea mentioned, the president is expected to make some kind of announcement within the hour about where he stands on this immigration reform development.

We're also watching Alexandria, Virginia. Some emotional moments inside the courtroom where a jury must decide if Zacarias Moussaoui will, indeed, get the death penalty. More on that ahead. Right now, a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Emotional testimony this morning at the trial of confessed al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. The subject, the September 11th attacks; the witness, former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani.

Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena has an update from Alexandria,, Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: It has been very difficult to be in the courtroom this morning. Prosecution showing video of the attacks on September 11th and the World Trade Center. Close-up shots of people jumping out of the highest floors of those buildings to escape the flames. We've heard testimony from former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani, who recalled, when he first heard the news and how he rushed down to the scene and the gruesome images that he saw and that he remembers to this day.

I sat behind a row of victim's family members who cried, hid their eyes, did not want to watch what they were watching. All the time, Zacarias Moussaoui was in the courtroom as well, and he alternated between smiling and laughing to looking like he was incredibly bored. When he left the courtroom for this break, he started singing "Born in the USA" as he left the courtroom.

Very, very difficult. The prosecution trying, as you know, to get this jury to decide to put Moussaoui to death. They are trying to prove that there were thousands of lives that were shattered that day. This jury has already concluded that because Moussaoui lied to federal agents when he was arrested the month before the September 11th attacks, that he is eligible for the death penalty, that he helped cause some of those deaths by allowing the September 11th attacks to go forward.

I'll be heading back into the courtroom. We expect this day to be highly emotional for everyone involved. Even the defense acknowledging that this would be very difficult. But they asked the jury to keep an open mind, say that there were several mitigating factors, including what they call the fact that Moussaoui, they say, is schizophrenic, that all of his actions and what he has done up until this point have convinced mental health experts that he is and that he is genetically loaded to be in that way because members of his family are schizophrenic, as well.

This is Kelli Arena, live outside the Alexandria Courthouse.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And now live to North Carolina. President Bush taking questions. Let's listen.

QUESTION: My question is what about -- how do you see long term how the European Union (INAUDIBLE).

BUSH: Yes.

QUESTION: ... helping Iraq (INAUDIBLE)

BUSH: I appreciate that. That's a very good question. First of all, thank you for teaching. By the way, as you grow up, the lady behind you, the girl behind you, as you grow up, one way to contribute is to teach, by the way.

The global war on terror requires a global response. And inherent in this woman's question was, what are you doing to make sure that others join the United States, recognizing that we cannot do this alone? And I appreciate the question a lot.

There is a lot of cooperation going on now. I mean, one of the great message is that the United States is alone on the war on terror. Take, for example, Afghanistan. No question we've got special force there. No question we've got a -- you know, a viable element of our military there to fight off al Qaeda or Taliban, as they either sneak across the border or come from different provinces to try to do harm.

But NATO is very actively involved there, as well. The NATO presence is in the lead in many of the provinces. There's what's called provincial reconstruction teams. It's kind along the lines they talked about earlier about localizing the reconstruction efforts on a provincial basis. This is what's happening in Afghanistan. And there's reconstruction, provincial reconstruction teams run by, you know, different countries. Germany has got a presence there. France has had a presence in Afghanistan. In other words, there is a global network.

In -- in Iraq, as well, there is a lot of coalition forces; some small, some large. Great Britain, of course, is large. The Japanese had a thousand troops there. It's an amazing commitment by Prime Minister Koizumi when you think about the aftermath of World War II. The South Koreans have got a significant force there. The Poles have had a significant force there. I mean, there's a big international presence there.

Many of the -- and the NATO mission, by the way, is present in Iraq, as well, all aimed at helping train. They're very much involved in the training mission, to give the Iraqi troops the skills necessary to do their jobs. The global war on terror is fought on more fronts than just the military front.

For example, one of the really important parts of this war on terror is to share intelligence, is to be able to say, if you hear somebody or see somebody coming that you tell a counterpart in another agency, another intelligence service. And so we spend a lot of time -- John Negroponte, for example, or Porter Goss, spends a lot of time with their counterparts, constantly figuring out how best to share information.

Again, in the old war, people could measure movement of the enemy from -- you know, by watching ships and tanks move across plains. Now we're dealing with people that are kind of moving around stealthily. And we've got to be in a position where we can share that intelligence. The third aspect of the global war on terror is to cut off their money. It turns out terrorists need money, just like the federal government spends money.

And it's a -- so we're -- our Secretary of Treasury John Snow and others are constantly working to make sure that Halawas (ph), for example, which are kind of a money transmitting entity, doesn't include terrorist financing. Or we worked with the Saudi government to make it clear that the financing of terrorist activities are not in our interest, obviously, or their interest.

By the way, the Saudi government has been very active in the war on terror. They've got a list of al Qaeda potential killers and they're bringing them to justice. Pakistan has been a strong ally in the war on terror. You might remember that President Musharraf was one of three countries, or the Pakistan under President Musharraf was one of three countries that had recognized the Taliban. And so, needless to say, after September 11th, he was -- made a choice...

KAGAN: President Bush speaking in Charlotte, North Carolina, answering questions from what's being described as a politically diverse crowd. We'll continue to monitor what the crowd asked and what the president has to say. Right now, a quick break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: If you are a regular viewer of this program, you know we adopted an incredible group of people. They are riding across America. In fact, they call it the Ride Across America. It's on the road right now. It's the brain child of U.S. airways pilot Tom Heidenberger. He wanted to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11, especially the 33 flight crew members, including his wife, Michelle. He and other riders set out from Los Angeles at the start of the month, and they are headed to the Pentagon. Right now they have made it as far as Phoenix, Arizona, and that's where we find Tom Heidenberger today.

Tom, good morning.

TOM HEIDENBERGER, U.S. AIRWAYS CAPTAIN: Good morning. How are you

KAGAN: Well, the bigger question is, how are you? How is the ride going so far? It looks like you've been getting some sun along the way.

HEIDENBERGER: Oh, yes. The ride is going surprisingly well. I hope you've been able to follow us on the Web site as we go across the country.

KAGAN: Tell the us the Web site again really quickly so people can follow your tracks.

HEIDENBERGER: WWW.airlineride.org. And it's going remarkably well. The outpouring of support from people as we go across, so far, California and the western half of Arizona has been surprising.

An example, last night -- or the day before yesterday, when we were pulling into Wickenburg, Arizona, about 70 miles northwest of here, there was an elderly couple. They had been standing outside for three hours and 40 minutes waiting for us to come by. I mean, it's overwhelming. To me, it's very, very humbling to see such support.

KAGAN: I think people are really touched that you've chosen to pick a day to honor each of the 33 flight crew members. We learned about your wife, Michelle, when we first talked last week. Tomorrow's leg that goes from Phoenix to Tucson is going to honor a man named Jeff Coleman. Tell me about Jeff.

HEIDENBERGER: Jeff was a flight attendant aboard American Airlines flight 11. And unfortunately, he was one of the 33 crew members that died that day. But the idea and the purpose of the ride is to tell the American public the life story, or the individual story, of every crew member, not just the one, but all the 33. And at the same time, create a public awareness to these first of the first responders who are slowly being the first to be forgotten.

KAGAN: So because we have adopted you and because we are a full service agency here, as we said, you're going from Phoenix to Tucson tomorrow. I want to bring in our weather expert Chad Myers. I have a special weather forecast just set for you, Tom.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You've got a tailwind tomorrow, how's that?

HEIDENBERGER: Well, we need that. I'll tell you, the second day we did a little over 160 miles. And just to give you an another example of the outpouring of support that we've gotten, we left San Bernardino at 7:00 in the morning, and made it as far as Indian Wells, where at about 12:30 the Rotary Club in Palm Springs, they offered us and hosted a lunch for us of chicken, potato and vegetables, which is what we needed, because we had to go another 100 miles to Blythe. And we were able to make that distance because of what you said, the tailwind.

KAGAN: What kind of temperatures should they get tomorrow, Chad?

MYERS: It will be in the middle 80s the rest of the week is. The good new is you're not in the plains today, because the plains, they're going to have baseball-sized hail there. I don't think you want to be riding through there that there.

KAGAN Absolutely not. And, Chad, we're going to hear more about severe weather in just a moment.

Tom, we wish you well. We're not leaving your side. We're going to follow you.

HEIDENBERGER: Well, thank you very much.

KAGAN: Good, safe cycling for you and the gang. And we will be following you on the Web. And we're going to track you down as you make your way across America.

HEIDENBERGER: Thanks. We hope to talk to you in Dallas.

KAGAN: In Dallas. Dallas it is. It's a date. Thank you, Tom. Good luck. Be safe out there.

HEIDENBERGER: All right, take care. Bye-bye.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan. International news is up next. Stay tuned for YOUR WORLD TODAY. And I'll have details from here in the U.S. in about 20 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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