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American Morning

Congress Battles Over Iraq Timetable; Interview with Senator Kennedy; Advice for Father's Day

Aired June 16, 2006 - 08:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.
COSTELLO: And I'm Carol Costello, in for Soledad.

(NEWSBREAK)

O'BRIEN: Congress is embroiled in a rhetorical war over the war in Iraq. Lawmakers in both the House and Senate debated the notion of setting a timetable for bringing U.S. troops home. Here's a little taste of the tone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHAEL ROGERS (R), MICHIGAN: Let's not come home in humiliation. Let's not tell all of those families that their loved ones died in vain because we have a November time frame and not a time frame for victory.

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I know what rhetoric is and what fighting in the front lines are. I know the difference between it. I know standing here does not solve the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Today, the House lawmakers will go on record on this issue. Yesterday the Senate did. And in the slim minority on this issue, Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, who joins us now. We're going to talk about that and some other matters.

Senator, good to have you with us.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Thank you very much.

O'BRIEN: Every time I hear a Democrat say anything about the war, I hear something different. Why is it the party can't get itself together on this?

KENNEDY: Well, it's important to know what the Democrats are united about. First of all, they're united that we don't really have a policy. It's an open-ended policy in Iraq at the present time. And they're united that that has to alter and change. And secondly, they're united -- and this ought to be the year of transition, where we're beginning to get American troops out of Iraq.

I think the American people have to look at that, versus what the Republicans are united about. And they are united about sort of rubber-stamping the administration's policy in Iraq and supporting an open-endedness, which means American troops are going to be there for any long period of time. The president said that this is ultimately going to be decided in the next -- by the next president. That's the year 2008.

We've had elections, we have a government, they have more than 200,000 troops now that have been trained. It is time to bring Americans back and bring them back with honor.

O'BRIEN: With a timetable?

KENNEDY: Oh, well, very definitely. I think that that can be done. We're talking now about the Iraqi troops now at the front ends of the battles. I think those troops can begin to come back here. You may have to have a contingent that's going to remain there in order to train. You may have to have other troops that are sort of over the horizon. We have strategic interests in those regions.

But, as was said very well the other day, this -- our military have been there longer than we have fought in Korea. At the end of this year, the American military will have been in Iraq fighting in Iraq longer than World War II, where we beat the Germans and beat the Japanese. You cannot expect you're going to have an Iraqi solution out of the gun of a 22-year-old marine. Those individuals are trained to fight, they've done right and done well. There has to be a political resolution. This administration has had its turn, and it's time now to go in a different direction.

O'BRIEN: "USA Today" editorial this morning. I think you probably have seen it. Let me just share an excerpt with our viewers. "While the war itself was a mistake based on faulty intelligence and delusional optimism, pulling out now, as advocated by John Murtha and other Democrats, risks making a bad situation worse. Announcing a timetable for withdrawal, as Senator John Kerry proposes, would just invite the insurgents to wait out the American presence." What do you say to that?

KENNEDY: Well, first of all, the fact is, as I mentioned, we have been there long enough. Today, the Iraqis -- we are part of inflaming the insurgency. American presence in Iraq, number one. Secondly, serious people doubt whether the Iraqis are going to make the tough decisions until they're sure that we're going to leave. As long as we, American troops, will be a crutch for them, they're not going to make the tough and rough decisions. And that means American troops are going to be dying every single day. And I think that is really the issue.

How much more can the military do? This is the finest military in the world, fighting a third rate country for four years. And the best estimate even now is that there's 15,000 insurgents; they have 250,000 troops. When are the Iraqis -- having had elections, they've got the government, they have their troops. Why are we going to continue to expect Americans to stay there in an open-ended way? That just doesn't make any sense. Doesn't make any sense to me. O'BRIEN: This debate has put you in a familiar position. Republicans use you -- excuse me -- as a poster boy for liberalism. A political pinata, if you will. You've been doing this a long time. Do you -- what's it like being the object of such ire?

KENNEDY: Well, I welcome it. I stand for a sensible and responsible foreign policy. I was against the war going in there. The combat commanders that appeared before the Armed Services Committee warned exactly what was doing. We were misled. We've given false information to going in there. Now we're just stuck in a quagmire. We're part of the problem and not part of the solution.

We have -- the administration just wanting to keep us there in an open-ended way. So I'm -- I don't step back from my position on the Iraqi situation, nor do I step back from believing in a strong education system that ought to be funded and that we ought to get a comprehensive health care issue. And I stand, in terms of believe that the workers ought to have pensions. And I think America is prepared to deal with serious issues that is going to respond to the kind of concerns that they care about.

O'BRIEN: All right. Shifting gears. Father's Day is coming up.

KENNEDY: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Your son Patrick, just this week, a plea bargain in the wake of a very unfortunate incident, car crash and an admission of an addiction to painkillers. As a father, is it harder to see your son go through this than to deal with your own personal issues?

KENNEDY: Well, I think so. And I think any father would certainly agree. We've had health challenges in our family. I had a son who had cancer, Teddy. Has osteosarcoma, there was a real chance that he wouldn't be able to survive. And he has been able to survive. We've benefited from experimental kinds of regimes and he's been able to do well.

Health has been a challenge in our family. Patrick's accepted responsibility. He's working hard in the things he's involved in. I love him very much and I'm proud of him.

O'BRIEN: All right, let's shift gears and talk about something you wanted to talk about the most here. Let's make a splash. Splash is in the studio, first of all, Splash the dog. You have a new book out. It's called "My Senator and Me," a kid's book. The subtitle is "A Dogs's Eye view of Washington." Splash is a Portuguese water dog. And the idea was to tell the story of politics in Washington and a little bit about what you do up there through the eyes of a dog. And thus, spur kids on to read. Tell us about the project and why you wrote the book?

KENNEDY: Well, I read with a child in Washington. I read for the last 12 years. There weren't very many books. And what I always thought is that they -- the children enjoyed the books that were -- had a -- were about animals. And having a wonderful Portuguese water dog, Splash.... O'BRIEN: He's a great dog, by the way.

KENNEDY: I wrote the book -- Splash wrote the book, really. It's through the voice of Splash and talking about how legislation was passed. And he did a very good job. He goes to work with me every single day. He's not allowed on the floor of the United States Senate. If you read the book, you'll find out he thinks he behaves a lot better than a lot of senators and he can't understand.

O'BRIEN: Most of us would agree.

KENNEDY: And -- but he's -- they're -- Portuguese water dogs were the message dogs for the Portuguese Navy for 300 years. They don't shed. They're wonderful family dogs. They've got webbed feet. And they are terrific swimmers. And so he's a great joy. And it's an interesting sort of fun story. If you want your children to get interested in reading, which is a key to education, learn a little bit about the United States Senate, learn a little bit about Washington. "My Senator and Me" is a joyous way to do it.

O'BRIEN: If you've got kids, you want to check this out. It's worth it. It's a pleasure to meet Splash, as well. Senator Ted Kennedy, thanks for dropping by today.

KENNEDY: Thank you very, very much. Nice to see you.

O'BRIEN: We had everything including the dog -- Carol.

KENNEDY: That was an obedient dog. That was (INAUDIBLE). Wow.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Buying dad an electric screwdriver, maybe a tie for Father's Day? Well, advice columnist Amy Dickinson stops by to tell us how you can use that cliched gift to save your father's life.

O'BRIEN: And a little bit of wordplay. Are you a crossword puzzle fan?

COSTELLO: I am.

O'BRIEN: All right, there is a documentary you need to know about called "Wordplay," which is just coming out. We're going to check in with the man behind all of this, Will Shorts. He's the editor of "The New York Times" crossword puzzle, the gold standard. We're going to do a little puzzling, and we'll give you a little glimpse of a really fun...

COSTELLO: Is he going to spill some secrets?

O'BRIEN: Yes, I'm sure he will. He'll give us a few clues, because I'm pretty clueless on these things.

COSTELLO: Be tough on him.

O'BRIEN: You know, you get toward the end of the week, it's tough. A Monday puzzle, maybe. Anyway, stay with us for AMERICAN MORNING. We'll do a little bit of crosswording later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Listen up, kids. Father's Day is on the horizon. Yes, it's Father's Day. And I don't need a new tie. So what are you going to get me? Well, There's a lot of ideas out there. And quite frankly, there are some that are more meaningful than others. Our friend Amy Dickinson who writes the fabulously successful "Ask Amy" column is here with just that, a thought which was sparked by a letter.

Amy, good to have you with us.

AMY DICKINSON, ADVICE COLUMNIST: Hey, Miles.

O'BRIEN: You get all kinds of letters.

DICKINSON: I do.

O'BRIEN: And this one really sends us in an entirely different Father's Day attitude, doesn't it?

DICKINSON: I know. This got me. And you know, when I was thinking about Father's Day, like, what do we give our dads? Hedge trimmers, nose hair clippers. There's a lot of trimming and clipping going on.

O'BRIEN: Well, when you get older there's a lot of things to trim and clip, sadly, in all the places you don't want it. But that's another story. So this letter comes in from Bruce. And it's really...

DICKINSON: It was wonderful. He said, basically, you know women get a lot of attention for breast cancer awareness, the pink-ribbon campaign; it's for women.

O'BRIEN: We'll read the quote. It's from Bruce. He says this. The pink-ribbon campaign has done wonders for increasing awareness of and attention to breast cancer. Where are the marches, the candlelight vigils and ribbons for us?" Meaning him.

And let's follow this up with a quick little graphic. This will surprise a lot of people. New cancer cases for 2006. These are estimates. For prostate cancer, 234,000-and-change. For breast cancer, fewer cases. Surprising numbers there.

DICKINSON: Right. But breast cancer is far more deadly.

O'BRIEN: OK.

DICKINSON: Far faster acting, and you know, that's the reason for the differential. Actually the death rate for breast cancer is higher than for prostate cancer. But prostate cancer is a very huge issue for men, especially as they age. And I spoke to a doctor at the -- through the American Cancer Society, who told me that there is a high likelihood that most men will develop prostate cancer at some point during their life.

O'BRIEN: Well, on that ominous note...

DICKINSON: I know.

O'BRIEN: ... a lot of dads will say what does this have to do with mice Father's Day gift. The point is what?

DICKINSON: Here's what I want to do. Here's a necktie, right?

O'BRIEN: That's a neck tie.

DICKINSON: I was trying to think of a good gimmicky thing, like instead of the ribbon -- this is what I'm going to do, Father's Day. I'm going to wear this neck tie. Ladies, kids, girls, I want you to go into dad's closet, pull out a neck tie, put it on.

O'BRIEN: And just wear it.

DICKINSON: And wear it. And when he says, why are you wearing this neck tie? You say, this is my gift to you. I want you to go to the doctor. I want you to get a checkup. You know, men don't go to the doctor until their leg is falling off. I mean really. They're not...

O'BRIEN: What's wrong with that? There's something wrong with that?

DICKINSON: They're really bad about that.

O'BRIEN: We're bad about this. I don't know, that's a whole other subject. But we don't go to the doctor.

DICKINSON: Right.

O'BRIEN: And so put the tie on, and say, hey...

DICKINSON: OK, so put it on. And he'll say, why are you wearing my tie? And you say, this is one of my gifts to you. OK, give him the nose hair clipper if you want. But you say, dad, this is to remind you that I'm worried about you, I'm concerned about you, and I want you to get screened and get a checkup.

O'BRIEN: And the key ones are? Prostate cancer. Testicular cancer is another big one, right?

DICKINSON: Right. Colonoscopies. I know.

O'BRIEN: But something that can save your life.

DICKINSON: Right, totally. If more people were screened starting at age 50 for colon cancer, colonoscopies are not only diagnostic tools, I was told, but they also -- they can actually prevent and treat colon cancer.

O'BRIEN: Yes, got to find it early.

DICKINSON: I know.

O'BRIEN: A lot of men when they hear that colonoscopy, they're thinking, I'd rather have the tie, thank you.

DICKINSON: I know. I know.

So let's do this, ladies, like, go into the closet, pull this out, wear it.

O'BRIEN: Wear the tie.

DICKINSON: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Send a message that...

DICKINSON: Yes, totally.

O'BRIEN: And happy Father's Day to you all.

DICKINSON: And it's because we love our men. That's why.

O'BRIEN: Aw shucks.

Amy Dickinson, thanks for dropping by.

DICKINSON: Thanks, Miles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Aw, because we love -- I love that.

O'BRIEN: She's cute.

COSTELLO: She's wonderful.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

Andy is, too. And he's here minding all of our business this morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Well, thank you, Carol. I am. Rapper Jay-Z is at war with Cristal champagne. We'll tell you about that.

Plus, the Iranian government's least favorite magazine coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: After a career in computers, he started living the dream, CNN's Valerie Morris has the story in this edition of "Life After Work." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOWARD CUTTER, WOODWORKER: My business uniform.

VALERIE MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventy-two- year-old Howard Cutter spends the days of his retirement exactly as he hoped he would, fine-tuning his craft as an accomplished woodworker. He built his dream workshop after a 37-year career with IBM.

CUTTER: So I began maybe ten years before I retired to say, what can I do if I could do whatever I wanted to do? And I'd always had a love of fine art and of design. Once I got the notion that I was doing pretty well, I decided I was going to build something a little more difficult. I tackled a rocking chair, which turned out to be a real challenge. And from beginning to end, it took me about three years to finish it.

I started entering juried competitions and when I began to win ribbons, I started making things and putting them in several galleries. There's nothing quite as nice as when somebody sees something you've done and say I love it and can you do one like that for me?

Absolutely I'm living my dream. It's a thrill to get up and come out here every day.

MORRIS: Valerie Morris, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: In a moment, top stories, including at least 11 killed in a suicide bomb attack at a Shiite mosque in Baghdad.

The House gets ready to vote on a new Iraq war resolution.

A new homeland security report says most American cities unprepared for disasters. s Congress William Jefferson vowing to fight his suspension from a House committee.

And fire fighters with their hands full in New Mexico. A huge blaze taking over both sides of the Rio Grande. We're live on the scene. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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