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Some Iraqi Children Returning to School; November Elections
Aired October 22, 2006 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A new and racy ad pushes the limits.
But first, let's catch you up on the headlines. Bombs ripped through a Baghdad market packed with shoppers preparing for the end of the Ramadan holy month. Iraqi police say at least six people were killed and dozens wounded.
And another deadly attack sparked a fierce gun battle north of Baghdad. Militants and Iraqi soldiers fought in the streets near Baquba after gunmen opened fire on buses carrying police recruits. At least 13 people were killed. Much more in a live report state ahead.
And a grim warning from a fugitive Taliban leader. He threatens a surprising surge in violence in Afghanistan in the next few months. Mullah Omar also denounces Pakistan for supporting the U.S.
Iran says it will respond if the UN Security Council imposes sanctions over its disputed nuclear program. The Security Council is expected to consider a draft resolution this week. Tehran is not saying exactly how it plans to respond if it could halt nuclear inspections.
And Tropical Storm Paul could strike Mexico's mainland in the next few days and forecasters warn it could be a hurricane by then. The storm is south of the Baja California Peninsula right now.
The Detroit Tigers will try to even out the World Series tonight. The St. Louis Cardinals took game one, winning 7-2. Detroit's Kenny Rogers will be on the mound tonight against former Tiger, Jeff Weaver.
First up tonight, Iraq. The U.S.-backed prime minister is feeling new pressure from Washington to get his government moving. The growing disenchantment with Nouri al Maliki stems from Iraq's sectarian violence and his failure to stop it. Well, today there's been more killing. Here's CNN's Arwa Damon in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The holiday season here so far has been marked only with violence. A brazen attack by insurgents against Iraqi police recruits traveling from the city of Baquba along a very dangerous route to Baghdad. According to security officials, they were traveling in two to three busloads when a roadside bomb hit one of the buses, this was followed by an unknown number of armed gunmen opening fire. At least 11 police recruits were killed, at least 24 wounded. When Iraqi police responded to the site and tried to recover the dead, another bomb detonating as well, Iraqi police finding at least 15 bombs around the bodies of those who were killed.
This follows a number of attacks in and around Baghdad, mainly targeting Iraqi civilians in busy shopping areas. It is the shopping season right here as the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end, those attacks killing at least 23.
And October has been a very deadly month for U.S. troops here. In fact, the deadliest month so far with at least 83 U.S. troops killed across the country. All of this coming as Ramadan, the holy month of Ramadan, comes to an end, as Iraqis prepare to celebrate the holy Muslim religious holiday of Eid.
It is normally a time of shopping, a time of joy. But here, there will be very little celebrations. Iraqis are turning to their government and finding it ineffective and unable to bring security and stability and U.S. forces are right now revisiting their strategy for Iraq. Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: So let's take a look at that mounting frustration with Iraq's lagging government and perhaps new signs of a possible U.S. effort to light a fire under the leader of Baghdad. With that part of the story, CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House. Good evening, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Carol. Well, tonight the White House says it is disputed a "New York Times" report that says that the United States is preparing to draft a timeline to hand to the Iraqi government to curb the ongoing violence there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO (voice over): It's been part of President Bush's Iraq mantra for months.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You can't win a war if you have an artificial timetable for withdraw.
Many advocating an artificial timetable for withdrawing our troops are sincere, but I believe they're sincerely wrong.
QUIJANO: But "The New York Times," citing senior U.S. officials, reports that the Bush administration is drafting a timetable for the Iraqi government to address sectarian divisions and take on more of the country's security responsibilities. A White House spokeswoman said, "The story is not accurate," adding that "The administration is constantly developing new tactics to achieve its goal," and that4 the administration has been "coordinating with the Iraqis for months on a series of measures they can take to assume more control of their country." With the violence in Iraq showing no signs of letting up and Republicans in Congress nervous about their re-election prospects in just over two weeks, the debate over what to do next in Iraq has intensified. Against that backdrop, the pressure for the White House to change course has come from both Democrats and Republicans.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: I don't believe that a shift in tactics ought to wait until after the election. There are too many casualties there. If we have a better course we ought to adopt it sooner rather than later.
SEN. JACK REED (D), RHODE ISLAND: The strategy of the administration has failed. The strategy of clear, build and hold has not worked. It's been clear, build and wait. And while we've waited without the resources to rebuild the Iraqi economy, the insurgents have snuck back in, the sectarian militias have snuck -- snuck back in.
QUIJANO: One analyst suggests that with Democrats on the offensive over Iraq, the administration may be trying to throw vulnerable Republicans a political lifeline.
NORMAN ORNSTEIN, SCHOLAR, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: This new announcement of sorts gives Republican candidates an ability to say they're for change without undercutting their own administration. Is politics a part of this? It always is.
(END VIDEOTAPE) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO (on cameras): While the White House is calling "The New York Times" story overwritten, on Friday defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged that the United states is working with the Iraqi government to develop a set of quote "projections" as to when the United States can hand over security responsibilities.
LIN: Elaine, clearly though, when you take a look at the dialogue here, clearly lays it at the feet of the Iraqi government. It's almost as if two weeks before the elections that the administration itself is not taking some responsibility in the increasing violence.
QUIJANO: Well, what's clear here, Carol, this is a White House that has been on the defensive about its commitment in Iraq and whether or not it's an open ended commitment. We've seen Democrats on the attack, really intensifying those attacks over recent days and weeks, talking about the need for a new direction.
So, recently, we've been hearing President Bush talk about how while his strategy has remained the same, his goals have remained the same, he wants to see an Iraq that can sustain itself, defend itself, govern itself, defend itself and be an ally in the war on terrorism. At the same time, you hear this talk of the president talking about the flexibility of the tactics. It may sound like semantics to some, but what others are hearing there is a little bit of wiggle room perhaps, so that when other options might be offered that perhaps there may be room to maneuver. At the same time, also important to keep in mind is that this is taking place ahead of when the Iraq Study Group, that bipartisan commission led by former secretary of state James Baker as well as former democratic congressman Lee Hamilton. In fact, that is supposed to come out after the election. There's been some talk as well that this is perhaps a move to get out of that report.
LIN: Thank you. Elaine Quijano live at the White House.
Now, lost in translation or perhaps even taken out of context, several explanations offered up today for a blunt assessment by a U.S. diplomat of American failures in Iraq. Here he is, the State Department's Alberto Fernandez in an interview with Arab network al Jazeera.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALBERTO FERNANDEZ, U.S. DIPLOMAT (through translator): History will decide what role the U.S. played and, God willing, we tried to do our best in Iraq, but I think there is a big possibility for extreme criticism and because, undoubtedly, there was arrogance and stupidity from the United States in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Arrogance and stupidity. You heard it there. The State Department spokesman Sean McCormack says he talked to Fernandez about that remark and according to McCormack, and I'm quoting here, he says he has been misquoted. McCormack went on to say that he asked if something was lost in translation and that Fernandez replied, that's my take.
LIN In Denver, a mystery solved. A man diagnosed with amnesia held a press conference, urging anyone who recognized him to come forward. Now someone has. A woman in Washington State says the man is her fiance, 40-year-old Jeffrey Ingram. Police confirm her story. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VIRGINIA QUINONES, DETECTIVE, DENVER POLICE: The plan is as soon as we can, make plan on making the attempt to get him back to his girlfriend, to maybe try to put the pieces of the puzzle together. And once he gets there I'm sure there will be follow up medical attention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: We still don't know what happened, but we do know that Ingram says he woke up on a Denver street September 10th with no memory or knowledge of who he has. He says it has been a frightening ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY INGRAM, HAS AMNESIA: I don't know how, if I remember how to drive. I don't know how to cook. I want my past. I want who I was. Or who I am. I feel totally lost. I feel totally alone. I'm very depressed and I don't fit in anywhere. I don't know who I am. I don't know what kind of a person I am. I don't know where I was or who I was. There was no drugs, no alcohol or anything found in my system. If anybody recognizes me, knows who I am, please let somebody know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Jeffrey Ingram had undergone hypnosis to try to jog his memory, but no evidence of his life in Washington surfaced.
It is a case that helped change the way the FBI tracked down pedophiles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE STANLEY BURDYNSKI, SR, LOST SON: The not knowing really hurts, you know. It's a lot of stress, a lot of strain on my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: The poignant story of a young boy missing for 13 years coming up.
Plus, fish, shrimp and salmon may all sound good, but your Sunday dinner plans may change after this story.
And they're off. If only this morning's Chicago marathon ended as smoothly as it started. A finish you don't want to miss.
Plus, we are also watching tropical storm Paul off the coast of Mexico and gaining strength. You can actually see the eye of the storm forming. Where will this storm go and when will it become a hurricane? Plus, we're also watching rain in Detroit, important for tonight's game. Will it slow things down? I'll have a complete look at weather plus a look ahead at tomorrow's forecast next on CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: In news across America, remembering the victims of a deadly terrorist attack. A ceremony was held at Arlington National Cemetery today. It honored the 242 Americans killed in the 1983 bombings of the marine barracks in Beirut.
And federal health officials are monitoring a violent outbreak on an Ohio River cruise ship. At least 36 passengers on the Mississippi Queen came down with flu-like symptoms. Ten are in the hospital. Kentucky health officials say it could be an outbreak of Norwalk virus. That's an intestinal illness that can spread quickly in confined areas.
And crisis averted. A train carrying a flammable liquid derailed in Arkansas today right near some homes. Hundreds of people had to evacuate but officials don't believe any chemicals spilled and residents are being allowed back home. And here is the winner of today's Chicago Marathon. Take a look at how he crossed the finish line. Ow. Robert Kiriya (ph) from Kenya banged his head as he slipped under the victory tape, he was immediately taken to the hospital. But officials say he wasn't seriously hurt and he still came away with the win.
Now many of us have never heard of Junior Burdynski. The 10- year-old Maryland boy disappeared 13 years ago, never to be seen again. But his case helped teach the FBI about computer savvy pedophiles and led to the creation of a program that goes after predators online. CNN's Gary Nurenberg reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: George Stanley Burdynski Jr got on his Schwinn bicycle, waved to his mom and disappeared. May 24th, 1993. May 24th, 1994.
BURDYNSKI: It's been a year. A year of not knowing where your son is - this really puts a big mental strain on the family.
NURENBERG: This year, 2006. You can see it on his face.
BURDYNSKI: And the not knowing really hurts, you know it's -- it's put a lot of stress, a lot of strain on my family.
NURENBERG: After 13 years of trying.
MICHAEL MCQUILLAN, PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY POLICE (RET): We don't know the who, what, where, when, how, and why of his disappearance.
NURENBERG: But pre-Internet boom, 1993, investigators did learn something surprising.
LOUIS LUCIANO, FBI: The kids in the neighborhood were communicating with older adult males via the computer.
DORIS GARDNER, FBI: We turned up two individuals who were actually having sexual encounters with young boys. And they were running bulletin board systems.
NURENBERG: Some of Junior's friends showed up in explicit postings but the chief suspect convicted of molesting other kids denied guilt in Junior's case and no one has been charged with the 10- year-old's disappearance. Junior's case was a wake-up call for the FBI.
GARDNER: Back in '94 and '93, we didn't know how prevalent the trade of child exploitation, trade of pictures and the child exploitation was.
NURENBERG: So the FBI started Innocent Images program. Cyberstings targeting pedophiles whose meet kids online. A program the FBI dedicates to Junior.
LUCIANO: Although he -- he has not been recovered. Numerous children have been recovered. Returned home safely. Numerous cases have been closed. And, put to rest. And prosecuted. Many, many pedophiles have been put in jail.
NURENBERG: Age progression technology shows what junior would look like growing up and what he would look like now. George and Barbara Burdynski still live in the home Junior rode away from 13 years ago and say they won't move.
Tell me why?
BURDYNSKI: I think he might come home.
NURENBERG: You want to make sure he knows where to go?
And so they wait, glad Junior's case has helped other kids come home, hoping against hope, Junior will come home too. Gary Nurenberg, CNN Brentwood, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Heartbreak for that family.
Well, right here in the NEWSROOM, we all know that political campaigns get nasty from time to time. But just wait until you see the latest ads the Republicans, they released against Harold Ford Jr. Also, they'll put the soul in your soul. Alternative church services, are they for you?
Plus, what may not be for you. Seafood. New safety guidelines you don't want to miss.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Let's check out some of the most popular stories at cnn.com, including a pop star who is praising pot. George Michael reportedly told a TV interviewer that marijuana keeps him sane and happy then he lit up a joint. An anti-drug activist called his comments naive.
Also lots of you are checking out Madonna's attempts to adopt a boy from the African nation of Malawi. The boy's father now says he never wanted Madonna to actually adopt his son, he says he only wanted the pop diva to raise the boy on his behalf.
And a Wisconsin man takes home the ultimate souvenir from a visit to an Arkansas state park. It's a 5.7 carat diamond. He found at the Crater of Diamond State Park ironically. Visitors are allowed to keep any gems they find. You can find out more on all these stories and many others at cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Now to politics and New York Senator Hillary Clinton, her reelection bid for the U.S. Senate. Clinton and Republican challenger John Spencer squared off today in their second debate of the campaign. Now Clinton refused to make the same pledge that she did six years ago, that she would serve a full six-year term in the Senate and Spencer responded this way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) NY: I have made no decisions about any future plans. And if that is a concern to any voter they should factor that into their decision on November 7th. But I am proud of the record I have accumulated over the last six years. And I'm looking forward to helping to chart a new direction for New York and America.
JOHN SPENCER, (R) NEW YORK SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm any the only one standing here today that wants to be a united states senator for the next six years for the people of New York. Senator Clinton, I believe, and trying to be a gentleman here, is being disingenuous with the people of New York State. I think it has been written from coast- to-coast, and committees I believe have been set up. Senator Clinton has been given the welcome mat by the people of New York six years again. And I believe she is using us as a doormat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Well, a new statewide poll finds Clinton is leading Spencer 65 percent to 30 percent right now.
Well do little or do nothing. That is how some describe the 109th Congress. From corruption to incompetence, the list of missteps is long. Here is CNN's congressional correspondent Joe Johns with the top ten complaints.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Number 10: All pay, no work. Every member of the House of Representatives makes at least $165,000 a year. So far, they've spent only 94 days in session. That's almost $1,800 a day.
Nice work if you can get it.
Nine: What illegal immigrants? Wasn't immigration reform supposed to be about the most important issue this year? And what did they do about it? They voted to build a fence.
Eight: What are you wearing? The skanky way Florida Republican Mark Foley is reported to have talked to former congressional pages in electronic messages and when he got caught like a real profiling courage he announced he was gay, abused as a teenager by an unnamed priest, checked into alcohol rehab and left his colleagues to sort out the mess.
REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: And he deceived me, too.
Seven: Oh say can you thieve? Duke Cunningham the former fighter jock turned jail bird once seemed like a poster child for patriotism until it turned out the California Republican was on the take and getting paid with just about everything, but the stars and stripes. Six: The booze made me do it. The congressional pilgrimage is to rehab that featured some household names this year including Foley, Ohio Republican Bob Ney and Rhode Island Democrat Patrick Kennedy. People wished them well but were left wondering if rehab wasn't just an easy way out.
Five: Addicted to pork. The Congress is going to face it, it's addicted to pork. Bridges to nowhere, a museum to honor the folks responsible for the New Orleans levees that failed. Emergency money for non-emergencies and at the end, a record deficit.
Four: The "Macaca" moment. Senator George Allen of Virginia called a guy of Indian descent who was shadowing him Macaca and then claimed he didn't know what it meant. Well, it means monkey.
Three: Throwing in the towel. Texas Republican Tom DeLay, he was the House majority leader and got indicted in Texas in a case that was far from watertight, denied wrongdoing and then up and quit. What's up with that? The Capitol's tough guys, "The Hammer," gave up before fighting it out in court.
Two: Frostbite. The case of the cold, hard cash. The feds said they videotaped Louisiana Democrat Bill Jefferson accepting $100,000 and then found 90 grand in his freezer and they're investigating several allegedly shady deals. He hasn't been charged with anything and says he hasn't done anything wrong.
And the winner is number one on the list of dubious accomplishments of the 109th Congress. Jack Abramoff and Bob Ney, the corrupt couple, the lobbyist and the mayor of Capitol Hill, united by guilty pleas, things of value exchanged for official acts, plus a passion for golf, meals, tickets to sporting events and power. Jack is out of the lobbying game, but Ney is still a congressman and still cashing paychecks until his colleagues throw him out.
At $1,800 a day, who can blame him?
A tip fedora to old Jack, Bob and a session that many would sooner forget.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Joe Johns. Part of the best political team on television. Let's bring in CNN political editor Mark Preston. Mark, let's start with the new CNN poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation released today. It shows that 78 percent of those questioned think the U.S. government is broken. What do you make of that?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I just think people are frustrated at this point. I think Joe's list just hit all the high points of it. Voters are angry that they've sent people to Washington, DC who were supposed to represent their interests only to find out that, in some cases, they're representing their own interests.
Also, you know, we can't underplay the fact that the Iraq War is really unpopular and the people want out of Iraq. So, you know, you just have this potent mix, and people are just frustrated.
LIN: So how do you think that's going to translate at the polls? Especially the recent spate of violence in Iraq. Where you have portions of southern Iraq which are virtually run by the local militias. We asked our viewers last night if they even thought there should be a partial pullout, at least from that region, which apparently the U.S. - the coalition cannot contain the violence there.
PRESTON: Well, look. Iraq really is just a bad situation at this point. I guess the latest account of soldiers killed this month alone I believe, is at 81 this afternoon. You know, it certainly can't help Republicans at this point, and the reason being is that, you know, President Bush is very resolute on executing the war in Iraq. Republicans are standing with him. Democrats, you're hearing over and over again, saying we need a plan to get out, we need a plan to get out and we need to get out. And so at this point I think Iraq really is the number one issue going into the elections.
LIN: But it is enough to turn it for the Democrats?
PRESTON: You know, it all depends where you look. I think in the House of Representatives Democrats have a very good shot and appear likely to take back the chamber. In the Senate it's going to be a little bit different and I think you really have to look at it on a case-by-case basis.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE SUNDAY: Were there surprises in the poll? Here's what I found surprising. I found surprising the number of people who first said that they felt the government was broken, but second of all a good number of them said that they thought it could be fixed.
PRESTON: Thank God for optimism, right?
LIN: The American way.
PRESTON: Look, you have 78 percent of Americans who say that they're angry at the government. Was it just 71 percent or 72 percent say, look, we can get it fixed. That's one thing that we're hearing from Democrats now -- change, change, change. We need change at this point. It would be interesting to see if Democrats can actually capitalize on that and, come November 8th, will they be able to take back the House? Will they be able to take back the Senate?
LIN: All right Mark. I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks. Mark Preston, great to have you. Thank you.
PRESTON: Thanks.
LIN: As we wind down to Election Day, remember, you can get all the 2006 election information you need any time. All you have to do is click on to cnn.com/ticker.
It's pretty much half past the hour and here is what's happening right in the news. More mayhem in the Iraqi capitol where at least 23 people were killed today by insurgents. Six of the victims died at this open-air market which was bombed. Dozens more are wounded. And also, 50 more bullet-riddled bodies were found discarded in Baghdad. Insurgents also ambushed two bus loads of police recruits in Baquba, prompting a long gun battle with the Iraqi army. Casualty reports range from 13 to 15 dead and as many as 25 wounded. The Iraqi army was able to free as many as 25 of the kidnapped recruits, but dozens more were reportedly taken hostage.
Tropical storm Paul could strike Mexico's main land in the next few days and forecasters warn it could be a hurricane by then. The storm is south of the Baja, California peninsula right now and meteorologist Bonnie Schneider joins us a little later with an update.
