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President Bush to Spend Fourth of July with Troops at Fort Bragg; Arab View of U.S.

Aired July 04, 2006 - 08:33   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is on his way to North Carolina on this Independence Day. He'll spend the Fourth of July with some troops at Fort Bragg. And he's coming up on a big birthday of his own as we celebrate the birthday of our nation.
CNN's Ed Henry live at the White House with more.

Good morning, Ed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

That's right. The president is headed to North Carolina. As you noted, he'll be at Fort Bragg, home of the paratroopers and special operations, celebrating on Independence Day with some remarks to troops there. We're told he will be standing below a giant American flag, not surprisingly, hoisted by a crane. He'll be doing remarks, of course, about the sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan. He will also be standing in front of a giant statue know as Iron Mike. This is someone who's revered, a statue revered at Fort Bragg. It represents a World War II airborne ranger.

The president will then have lunch with some troops after the remarks, then head back to the White House in the afternoon. He wants to get a good seat, obviously, for the fireworks on the National Mall. Tonight, he'll be watching from the South Lawn, along with some of his staff, his family, as well as some friends. We're told this will also give the president an opportunity to have an early birthday celebration. As you know on Thursday, he hits the big 6-0 -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: 6-0 -- as we say, Ed, the new 40 is 60. So and he certainly looks good, keeps himself in shape, doesn't he?

HENRY: Absolutely. He's been -- you know, he takes a lot of bike rides. In fact he took one yesterday, because he had kind of an early day, and he certainly gets a lot of vigorous exercise, but it's certainly something we're going to be hearing a lot about from the president this week. He'll be asked quite a bit about that, and certainly we will hear him talking probably about how it's the new 40 -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Ah, it's just a number, just a number. Ed Henry, the youthful Ed Henry, North Lawn of the White House. The president and the first lady will be sitting down for an exclusive interview with the timeless Larry King, Thursday night, 9:00 Eastern. Don't miss it -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Miles.

In other news this morning, a discharged American soldier is now charged with raping a girl in Iraq and killing her and her family. It is the fifth recent case where U.S. troops are accused of killing Iraqi civilians.

An editorial in a major Iraqi newspaper this morning says it summarizes what's going on in Iraq, but what about other Arab countries? How are they reacting to these reports?

Anthony Shadid, Middle East correspondent for "The Washington Post," joins us now live from Cairo.

Thank you for joining us this morning.

What is the wider view of these allegations in the Middle East?

ANTHONY SHAHID, "WASHINGTON POST": You know, I think there's -- it's hard to overstate the, I guess you could call the degree of resentment that U.S. policy in recent years has been creating in the region. And I think instead of maybe being a decisive turn how people look to the war in Iraq, it's part of an accumulation of events that has diminished U.S. standing in the Middle East, and it's something I think diplomats here will be blunt about that, that the war in Iraq has made things more difficult for what they try to do here in the Middle East. And I think it's all part of a bigger picture.

In fact, when you talk to people right now, conversations often revolve around what's going on in Israel and Palestine as much as Iraq. And in fact they're protests planned in Cairo tomorrow on the...

COSTELLO: Yes, let me interrupt you right there, because I am going to ask about Israel in a second.

Let's go back to this resentment that's building in other Middle Eastern countries. Is it also making waves in countries that are traditionally friendly to the United States, like Kuwait and Jordan, and even Pakistan, a country we really need right now.

SHAHID: Well, I think Egypt is an interesting example itself. Egypt is a country that per capita, the U.S. has spent more on them than the Marshall Plan after World War II. But when you talk to Egyptians or you talk to people in the street here, it's almost overwhelmingly against what's happening in Iraq.

I think it's seen on a couple of different levels. I mean, on the one hand I think there's a lot of pity or sadness about what the situation in Iraq is like, since the escalating violence, the chaos. And there is a certain sadness, I think, that meets reports about what's happening there. I think there's also a fear, or maybe a kind of anxiety over what Iraq might do to the rest of the region. The sense that we haven't really seen the full legacy of this war yet, and that might visit the region in the next five, 10, 15 years. When we talk about the U.S. presence there, you know, I think it's seen as in some ways the basis of the trouble there, and I think whether true or not, when you talk to a lot of people in the region here, there's a sense that the U.S. presence itself is inflammatory, that it's at the core of the problems that you see going on in the country there.

COSTELLO: You say in an article you wrote on June 9th -- I'm going to read a bit of it here -- "You say there sometimes seems to be two realities at work in the Middle East, an American version of U.S. policy toward Iraq, the Palestinian territories and elsewhere, and another version heard in the States. Its alliance with Israel. It's aims in Iraq and the region run deep that almost anything it pronounces lacks credibility."

Talk to me more about that statement.

SHAHID: Well, it's something that struck me, I mean, when you're reporting in the region over the past, you know, decade or so is that what you hear less and less -- you have always heard a complaint among people, I think, in conversations here about what they perceive as double standards, double standards in U.S. policy. In other words, support for democracy on the one hand, but then what people will judge as overzealous support for Israel on the other.

But it's changed in recent years, and I think in particular since 2001, since the war in Iraq.

I mean, what we hear less is the complaint that double standards, and more a sense that you often hear that what U.S. policy amounts to at this point is a war on Islam. I think it makes it very difficult for U.S. officials. These pronouncements, like I said in the article, when they are made, they are met with a certain disbelief. And it strikes me, I guess, as a reporter here in the region that there do seem to be two realities at work. There seems to be the reality that the United States promotes, and there seems to be a reality that almost anything the U.S. says at this point, in particular in countries like Egypt, for instance, or Syria or Jordan, they are met with almost an utter lack of credibility.

COSTELLO: Anthony Shadid, "Washington Post" Middle East correspondent, thanks for joining us this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right. Let's lighten the mood this Fourth of July, shall we, because as you know the U.S. is hoping to reclaim a major title today. Call in the Indy 500, the Tour de France of competitive eating, Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island. Japan's Takeru Kobayashi has held that record since 2001, but can an American end the streak.

CNN's Allan Chernoff is live in Coney Island to tell us.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol. You know, this is where it all began for the hot dog. Here in Coney Island behind me, you know, you see the cyclone, the great roller coaster of Coney Island, but really the hot dog became famous here in Coney Island. It was First brought here in 1871, so it's only fitting that the greatest stage in competitive eating would be right here, Nathan's Famous. Here in Coney Island every July 4th, they hold the hot dog-eating contest.

And we even have the wall of fame over here. You can see Takeru Kobayashi, the great Japanese champion for the past five years. His record stands there for all to view -- 53.5 hot tags and buns eaten in only 12 minutes. But last year he won with just 49 hot dogs and buns.

And here's what makes it really exciting this year, a 22-year-old out of San Jose State, Joey Chestnut, ate 50 hot dogs in a preliminary contest in Las Vegas, so there is some expectation that the Americans could finally, finally regain the mustard-yellow international belt.

How do these guys do it? We have a quick demonstration here. The hot dog, you just don't eat it straight. First of all, you cut it in half and then shove it in like that. The issue, though -- excuse me. The issue is -- you can see I'm not very good at this; that's why I'm not competing. But the issue is the bun. The bun is so dry, you can't just shove this down. What you have to do is dip it in water, then it goes down easily. So it's all about the water. You have to use the water, and Kobayashi is the master. But let's see if Joey Chestnut can overcome Kobayashi. Lots of excitement here in this great competitive event -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Go, Joey!

Thank you Allan Chernoff, we appreciate that demonstration, especially so early in the morning. Allan Chernoff in Coney Island this morning.

Still to come, some important tips if you plan on hitting the waters this Fourth of July. We've got some advice to help boaters have a safe holiday. And later, the supermarket tricks of the trade to get you to buy more expensive, less healthy food. We'll show you how to be a smarter shopper, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Boaters will be out in force today as many Americans celebrate the Fourth on the water. So what better time to talk about boating safety, and who better than Coast Guard Chief Bruce Wright. He's in Key Biscayne, Florida this morning.

Good morning, sir.

CHIEF BRUCE WRIGHT, U.S. COAST GUARD: Good morning.

COSTELLO: I suspect the worse problem you have this holiday are boaters who drink too much and then try to, like, finagle a boat out there on crowded waters?

WRIGHT: That's correct. We certainly encourage to keep the alcohol off the boats, any time you're boating anywhere in the world.

We're working a case right now that may be alcohol-related. We've had our crews out for close to 36 hours looking for a boater that's been missing.

COSTELLO: Tell us a little bit about that accident. And how do you know alcohol was involved?

WRIGHT: Well, we're not sure at this point what exactly transpired. The boater left by himself Sunday night in the boat. His boat washed up on one of the Keys locally here on Virginia Key Monday at about 2:00 p.m. without the individual aboard, so our search units have been conducting the search in the area for this individual.

All we know at this time is -- I'm sorry?

COSTELLO: That's OK. I was going to say that I think a lot of people don't know that alcohol affects you, I don't know, in a stronger way when you are out on the water. Why is that?

WRIGHT: Well, the alcohol is -- a third of the accidents are alcohol-related. And when you're out boating, the sun, the wind, the vibration just heightens the effect that alcohol has on you, so it's very dangerous to be boating and consuming alcohol.

COSTELLO: A lot of people don't wear life jackets, either. Are they required in most states, or is it your choice?

WRIGHT: Well, most states have a child-life jacket law, and it varies state by state. But the general law that the Coast Guard has is when you're boating three miles offshore, that anyone under the age of 13 wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket. But as far as an adult's concerned, it's not really required, although we highly recommended it.

COSTELLO: Yes, I see you're wearing one yourself. A lot of people don't wear life jackets because, frankly, their uncomfortable, and it's really hot out there, but there are some newer life jackets you can buy, and I think you have some examples for us?

WRIGHT: Right. This is the jacket, the inflatable jacket that our Coast Guard crews where. Some of the older jackets that people are familiar with, this the type-two vest, they're very good in what they do, but as you can see, they've very uncomfortable, especially down here in the warmer climates. Some of the new type of jackets that are out that are Coast Guard approved. This is a waist pack, and this can either be manually or automatically inflated. If a person is wearing this and they go in the water, it automatically inflates to look like this.

As you can see, they're quite comfortable, and this is also a Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device. That's certainly a lot different...

COSTELLO: You can wear them just like a fanny pack, and then when you're in the water, they inflate, you they wouldn't get hot. WRIGHT: Absolutely. There's no reason why you shouldn't be wearing these.

COSTELLO: The other safety tip that you have for us this morning is you say you should file a float plan. What is that?

WRIGHT: Well, float plan everyone should file a float plan. In the event that you have an emergency out there, it allows the searching entities to locate you a lot quicker. And basically, what it is, is you're letting someone know where you are, what type of boat that you have, and your intended route. This helps our searchers find you if you should be reported missing. And it's always best to tell a neighbor and leave the instructions on your windshield of your car if you park it as a marina after launching a boat.

COSTELLO: Most excellent. Also have a marine radio. That's self explanatory. But you say you should also have an electronic position-indicating radio beacon -- an electronic position-indicating radio beacon, what's that?

WRIGHT: Well, basically, what it is, this is what they call an EPRB. It's a personal EPRB. It goes right with an individual if you should have to abandon your boat. What it does it basically sends a signal up to a satellite. The satellite takes that information and relays it down to a rescue coordination center, and they find out what search unit is most close to the position that this is indicating, and will send help immediately. It's good, and very reliable, and we highly recommend it for anybody who does boating offshore here.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you very much for joining us this morning. Great tips, and I know that the best advice you can give this morning is don't drink and boat.

Coast Guard Chief Bruce Wright in Key Biscayne, Florida this morning, thanks so much thanks for joining us.

And we've been mentioning all morning that President Bush was due to arrive at Fort Bragg. He has, in fact, arrived. You see Air Force One landing there. Soon the president will get out of that plane, and of course he will be with some U.S. troops and probably give them a pep talk on this nation's birthday, the Fourth of July.

Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, the Fourth of July may mean fun and games to most Americans, but for businesses, the holiday means big bucks.

Andy breaks it down for us in "Minding Your Business." That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello. I'm Staff Sergeant Crystal Marie Deutsche (ph), and I'm here with the 332nd Medical Operations Squadron in Balad Airbase, Iraq. I'd just like to say Happy Fourth of July to my boyfriend in San Antonio, Texas. I love you baby, and I miss you very much. I'd also like to say hi to my family in Susanville (ph), California. To Mom, Eddie, Heather and Jarret (ph), I love you all very much. Light the skies up for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

O'BRIEN: We're live at the Kennedy Space Center. We're watching the countdown of the Space Shuttle Discovery. The weather looks good. We're watching a few technical issues, as there are in any countdown. And we're still focused on foam. There was a crack in the foam found. It threatened today's launch. We're going to ask the man who wrote the book on the Columbia disaster how they came to a decision that it is safe to fly today.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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