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American Morning
Missing U.S. Soldier; War and Politics; Laura Bush Speaks; U.S. Military Briefing on Situation in Iraq
Aired October 26, 2006 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. It is Thursday, October 26th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us.
A lot happening. Let's get right to the news wall.
A possible break in the case of a missing U.S. soldier in Iraq. The military detaining three men caught in that crackdown in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City. Still no word on where the soldier is or where he might be or whether he was kidnapped. We're live in Iraq for a military briefing very shortly.
S. O'BRIEN: Also, with the election just days away, President Bush says he is unhappy with the situation in Iraq. He believes, though, the U.S. is winning the war.
Live at the White House with a report straight ahead.
M. O'BRIEN: The New Jersey Supreme Court orders equal rights for same-sex marriages. Conservatives now predicting a voter backlash on Election Day.
S. O'BRIEN: And Colorado expecting a blizzard this morning. The forecasters are calling for blowing snow, howling winds. It's going to be messy.
Let's get right to Chad with an update on that.
Good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Chad.
Once again, we're awaiting a news briefing from Baghdad. Major General William Caldwell, who is the chief spokesman for the U.S. military, to speak shortly. We'll bring it to you live.
In the meantime, we're tracking some new developments and a possible break on the story of that missing American soldier, went missing in Baghdad on Monday. There are now three suspects being detained by the military.
CNN's John Roberts with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SR. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. military and Iraqi forces continue the urgent search for that Army specialist, a translator tasked to a provincial reconstruction team who has been missing since Monday. It's presumed by the U.S. military that that this soldier was kidnapped, whereabouts at this point unknown, though they are looking through many of Baghdad's neighborhoods.
One that has been of particular interest for the U.S. military is Sadr City, in the northeastern part of Baghdad. That is that Mehdi militia stronghold.
Yesterday, as part of a joint U.S.-Iraqi army operation, a mosque was raided where three people were detained and taken in for questioning. We have been in contact with the U.S. military to find out if those people are still in custody, if the question has gleaned anything about the whereabouts of this missing soldier, but so far, the Army has been playing things very close to their vest, not a lot of information coming out about that.
The three people were arrested as part of this joint U.S.-Iraqi operation targeting Sadr City, the mission was twofold. First of all, they were looking for a Mehdi militia commander who is believed to be a leader of some of these death squads that have been responsible for so much of the sectarian violence in the Baghdad area and now growing outside of the Baghdad area to consume some of the towns and villages to the south and to the north of the capital city.
A fierce firefight erupted in that operation. It was eventually suppressed by American air power, what they called targeted munitions. Ten of these suspected Mehdi militia members were killed in that. After they completed that operation, that's when they moved on to the mosque and captured these three individuals.
The whereabouts of this soldier continue to be unknown. As to the exact circumstances of his disappearance, he was last seen in the international zone on Monday. About 5:30, we were out with a Stryker unit when the 911 call came in that the soldier had gone missing.
We started searching through -- with this team. They started searching through some of the neighborhoods in Baghdad.
Many parts of downtown Baghdad now are closed off. Other neighborhoods as well blocked off. There are checkpoints that have been set up by both the U.S. Army, the Iraqi military, and the Iraqi police, as they're checking cars going in and out of these neighborhoods. They're doing patrols through the streets and sometimes checking house to house as well.
But so far, nothing new on the disappearance of this Army soldier who's been missing since Monday afternoon.
John Roberts, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: With 12 days until Election Day, the war in Iraq is weighing down Republican candidates across the country. So President Bush is tackling the issue head-on, admitting that there are problems, and insisting that America is winning the war.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is live at the White House for us this morning.
Good morning, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
President Bush was walking quite a tight rope at that press conference yesterday, trying to express optimism about U.S. efforts in Iraq. But at the same time, trying to appear realistic.
And Mr. Bush, you may have noticed, studiously avoided using that once preferred slogan, "stay the course." That has now been replaced by words like "flexible" and "responsive" to describe U.S. strategy in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're winning and we will win, unless we leave before the job is done. And the crucial battle right now is Iraq.
And as I said in my statement, I understand how tough it is. Really tough. It's tough for a reason, because people understand the stakes of success in Iraq. And my mission -- my point to the American people is, is that we're constantly adjusting our tactics to achieve victory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: And Democrats were quick to criticize the new Bush tone. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid saying, "One day it's stay the course, the next day it's change the course."
President Bush, meanwhile, did his level best at the press conference to smooth the ruffled feathers of angry Iraqi leaders frustrated about some new benchmarks for progress proposed by U.S. officials in Iraq Tuesday. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is saying, "The Americans have the right to review their policies, but we do not believe in a timetable and no one will impose one on us."
Bush responded that Maliki was correct that the U.S. would not impose any mandates on Iraq, a sovereign government.
Back to you, Soledad. S. O'BRIEN: Kathleen, what was the end game and the end goal for the president in this news conference then? Was it send -- to send a message to the Iraqis? Was it to speak to voters who are going to go to the polls in 12 days?
KOCH: A little bit of both, but very much this focused on American voters. The president really trying to take the bull by the horns here.
He realizes that most Americans, a majority, now oppose the war in Iraq, opposes handling of the war. It was a chance for him to say he understands their frustration, he shares it. Also a chance to take responsibility.
He tried to deflect criticism from his defense secretary, from Republicans in Congress who voted for the war, saying that the ultimate accountability rests on his shoulders. That's pretty safe because he's not running for office -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Kathleen Koch at the White House for us.
Kathleen, thanks -- Miles.
KOCH: You bet.
M. O'BRIEN: The war in Iraq, well, it may be weighing heavily on the president and his party, but it hasn't put a ding in the first lady's popularity. Laura Bush first in popularity among the president's inner circle. A 68 percent approval rating in the most recent poll, followed by Condoleezza Rice at 57 percent, the president at 46 percent, Dick Cheney at 37, Donald Rumsfeld at 35.
So perhaps, no surprise, Laura Bush is working hard on the hustings, trying to help Republicans hold on to power.
Our White House correspondent, Ed Henry, sat down with the first lady in an interview you'll see only here on CNN.
He joins us from Washington with more.
Hello, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Miles.
You're right, with those high favorability numbers, it's easy to see why Laura Bush is treated almost like a rock star by Republican crowds. She's crisscrossing the country, as you noted, in the final two weeks of this midterm election. I spent the day with her yesterday in Minnesota, in Indiana. She's campaigning in some key House and Senate races.
She's popular because she smooths out some of the perceived rougher edges of the Bush administration. Republicans think that may help with female and Independent voters in the final hours. And I can see how poised she was on the stump, gracious. But you can also see the tougher side.
In the interview, the first lady bristling when I asked her about the president's popularity and if that's why she's traveling so much. She insisted he's still very active. In fact, he's going to Iowa and Michigan today.
And she also responded sharply when I pressed her on the claim in Bob Woodward's book, "State of Denial," that perhaps her husband was not frank enough and straight enough with the American people about just how difficult the war in Iraq is.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH: , FIRST LADY: Absolutely, I think that's wrong. Of course the president has been frank from the very, very first speech he gave to the Congress in September after the September 11th attack, talking about this is a long war, it's a very difficult war, it's a different war than our country has ever faced. The enemy can make a big show on television, like they did for the last month, for the bloody last month that we had in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, those were her very first comments on the Woodward book. She had not done -- in any of her interviews she had not commented on it yet until yesterday.
She was also very sharp in denying Woodward's claim that the first lady was pushing to get Don Rumsfeld replaced as defense secretary. She told me absolutely not and insisted she believes he's done a good job -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Ed, do you think she takes it personally?
HENRY: Absolutely. At one point, you know, when I pressed her on whether she ever gets frustrated, she insisted no. But she said that she's sort of tired of attacks in the media on her husband -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry in Washington.
Let's get right to Baghdad. Major General William Caldwell is now addressing reporters.
Let's listen.
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: And the 4th Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, along with Iraqi national police and security forces, mounted an intensive effort to locate this soldier, using all available means, to include aviation assets and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The soldier was last seen inside the international zone at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Monday. He is assigned as a linguist with duty at the provincial reconstruction team here in Baghdad.
It is believed that the soldier left the IZ, international zone, to visit with family members. He was reportedly at a relative's house when three cars pulled up to the residence. The men who were described to have dark colored rags over their nose and mouths handcuffed the soldier and forced him into one of their vehicles.
He is an American of Iraqi descent. The soldier's relative who claimed to have been at the residence when the abduction occurred was reportedly contacted by the alleged kidnappers using the soldier's personal cell phone.
Upon notification that a soldier was designated duty status and whereabouts unknown, multinational division Baghdad took decisive actions to locate him. Intensive operations were launched in Baghdad, to include targeted raids on suspected locations. These locations did include the Al-Furat TV station and the Sadid Al-Daris (ph) mosque.
Coalition forces and Iraqi security forces used checkpoints to close down roads and bridges in central Baghdad, and are searching vehicles in the area. Security forces are continuing to conduct searches through homes and buildings in an effort to locate our missing soldier.
We are continuing to conduct operations based on actionable intelligence, including raids and checkpoints. The soldier is still considered as duty status and whereabouts unknown. The name of this soldier is being withheld for the safety of family members that are still here in the Baghdad area.
We have detained a number of personnel for possible connection with or knowledge of this kidnapping. We're using all assets in our arsenal to find this American soldier, and the government of Iraq is doing everything it can also at every level.
Make no mistake, we will not stop looking for our service member. We ask you to remember him and his family in your prayers.
On Tuesday, Ambassador Khalilzad and General Casey shared their views on progress here in Iraq. I hope you found their perspectives as valuable as I did.
They shifted their focus from day-to-day struggles and successes to show a broader picture of the profound changes being accomplished by the people of Iraq and their government. Two things stood out from their statements.
The first is, that the end goal we share with Iraqis remains the same: the building of a free and strong country, with a representative government that respects and protects the rights of all its citizens. A country that can be a valued ally in the fight against extremism and terror.
The second thing that came into greater focus is that the nature of our cooperation towards this end goal is in transition. The role of our forces is in transition. Our partnership continues to evolve as we have always evolved.
The multinational force in Iraq has moved from a leadership role to a role of support and assistance to the government of Iraq. While we can help create the conditions that are necessary for progress, the achievement of our shared goal is ultimately the responsibility of the Iraqi people...
M. O'BRIEN: That's Major General William Caldwell. We'll continue to monitor that briefing for you. But as we dipped into it, he was talking about that missing U.S. soldier in Baghdad, confirming for the first time that the U.S. military does in fact believe that he was kidnapped, and talking extensively about the effort that is being brought to bear to find that soldier.
Also, once again, confirming what we've been reporting all this morning, that three are being detained right now in the wake of that crackdown of the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City. Those three might have some information which would lead to finding that U.S. soldier.
His name being withheld to protect his family. As we've said, he's an Iraqi-American interpreter, went outside the Green Zone area into the so-called Red Zone to visit a family member, and apparently was kidnapped at that time.
As we say, we'll continue to monitor General Caldwell. Any more news comes out if it, we'll bring it to you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: A hot-button issue is certain to get even hotter. Yesterday, New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the same rights as straight couples who are married.
Now, this comes as Americans in eight states prepare to go to the polls to vote on gay marriage. The issue is an important one to many voters.
Our faith and values correspondent, Delia Gallagher, has more.
Good morning.
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Did the plaintiffs see this as a complete victory, this ruling in New Jersey?
GALLAGHER: No, they didn't. In fact, neither side saw it as a complete victory. This is the interesting thing about the ruling, because it essentially kicks back the decision to the legislature.
It says equal rights have to be granted, but you decide how it's called. And how it's called is extremely important to both sides. Do you call it marriage or do you call it a civil union?
S. O'BRIEN: You've been following this story and talking to some of the plaintiffs in the case. What have they said to you? GALLAGHER: Well, I think some of the interesting aspects of this is, you know, I spoke to two plaintiffs who are both Episcopal priests and partners. And there are lots of elements in the concept of marriage. And one of them, of course, is a religious element as well.
You know, it doesn't directly relate to the civil case, but it does, nonetheless, have an impact because many people consider marriage also to have this religious element. And so the debate is really about what does marriage mean, what is the definition of marriage?
And it's important for many people on both sides, this idea that god blesses a marriage as well. And so the debate has many kind of tentacles, as it were. But the essential fact is, you know, what is marriage? Is it between just a man and a woman, or can it refer to any sort of union?
And one side wants to say, you can have all the same rights, but we're going to call it a civil union. And the other side wants to say, but that's not the same thing.
S. O'BRIEN: So, right, by saying...
GALLAGHER: If you don't call it marriage, it's separate but equal, and it's not the same.
S. O'BRIEN: I know you interviewed one of the plaintiffs. Let's listen to a little bit of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PASTOR DENIS WINSLOW, SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SUPPORTER: Civil unions leave me cold, empty. A marriage is a marriage. We want to be married in this state, with the blessing of the legislature.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: You see him using the word "blessing". I mean, this is something that you hear quite a lot.
S. O'BRIEN: He means that in a religious way.
GALLAGHER: Yes. And you get this sort of concept that's very interesting in marriage, which has a religious connotation as well.
So, there's an idea that a state blesses a marriage as well. And I think that falls into this whole argument.
S. O'BRIEN: Reaction among conservatives with just 12 days before people go to the polls, and will be in some states voting on this issue?
GALLAGHER: Well, conservatives want this issue at the polls. They want the people to be deciding on it. They don't want the courts to be deciding on it. And so, in one sense, they're happy because the courts have kicked it back to the legislature, and to the people. And you're going to see now in the follow-up in the next six months, because the courts have given the legislature of New Jersey six months to decide whether they're going to call this marriage or whether they're going to call it something else, you're going to see a lot of push from both sides, a lot of pressure on their representatives to make that call.
S. O'BRIEN: It's going to be an interesting six months, I think.
Delia Gallagher, our faith and values correspondent.
Thanks, Delia.
GALLAGHER: Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: Some of the stories we continue to follow for you.
President Bush says he's the one ultimately accountable for the war in Iraq. Will that hurt Republicans on Election Day? Our chief national correspondent, John King, will join us with more on that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Some of the top stories we're following for you.
Five more American service members killed in Iraq. Ninety-six U.S. service members been killed this month alone in Iraq.
President Bush signing a new immigration bill today. It will pave the way for that 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexican border -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Only 12 days until the midterm elections. Are Democrats acting like it's 12 days to Christmas?
Chief National Correspondent John King is with us.
They're certainly hoping it's going to be Christmas at the end of the 12 days.
You look at the political headlines this morning -- from the "LA Times," "Bush Insists He's Going to Stand by His Iraq Goals". "The New York Times," "Conceding Missteps, Bush Urges Patience on Iraq". "The Washington Post," "The War Now Working Against the GOP".
The president talking about the war in Iraq yesterday very bluntly. A lot of people who are running for reelection say, whoa, I've been tried to avoid this issue a lot.
Is he really hurting their chances in 12 days?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's a lot of anxiety in the Republican Party about why did he pick to do this yesterday. The White House believes the president had to do it, that the anxiety is growing so much because, as Miles just noted, it's the deadliest month this year in Iraq, the pictures are terrible. And in the political context, it's horrible for the Republicans to have this happen so close to the election.
So, the president thinking the best way to deal with this is to go out and talk to the American people, explain the shifts in his strategy, and say, I'm accountable. And sort of a subtle way of saying -- a not-so-subtle maybe way of saying, don't blame the Republicans in Congress. If you want to blame anybody, blame me. But, of course, he's not on the ballot...
S. O'BRIEN: Right.
KING: ... and the Republicans think they're going to get hit pretty hard.
S. O'BRIEN: You know, you heard the president yesterday -- I think it's fair to describe him almost as contrite. I mean, he's very low-key. He sort of presented both sides, "I understand the other side of this issue."
Do you think that voters will say, well, you're coming around a little bit too late?
KING: That is the -- that is the worry. And even many Republicans say the president is coming around a little too late, using language that talks about adjusting, that talks about mistakes, that talks about strategic changes in Iraq.
Any Republican will tell you privately -- they don't like to criticize the president publicly -- that he's way behind the curve on this one. And they do think, for the most part, it's too late.
Yesterday, from a political standpoint, it was much more about Republicans. As you watched the poll numbers, two in 10 Americans say the United States is winning in Iraq. That means a lot of Republicans think we're not winning in Iraq. So...
S. O'BRIEN: And yet you heard that from the president -- I mean, he said -- after all the caveats, he said we're winning in Iraq.
KING: He says we're winning. There are problems, we're winning. But the American people right now don't think that the United States is winning, and they're not sure this president has a plan.
So he is now three and a half years, $400 billion into this war, trying to convince the American people he has a plan. It's a huge political challenge, and many in his party think the Republicans will pay a price for this.
S. O'BRIEN: Republicans will, as much as he says the buck stops with him.
Let's talk a little bit about gay marriage in New Jersey. The courts came down with a ruling, basically sent the issue back to the legislature. It was such a huge issue, huge issue in '04.
Do you get the sense that it's as big, as important, as volatile in a way for the midterm elections?
KING: Well, there are seven states, I believe, that have constitutional amendments, proposed amendments on the ballot. Conservatives do think it will drive up turnout of their voters in those states as it did in 2004, and will immediately now become an issue in a hotly-contested Senate race in New Jersey, where the candidates both say marriage should be between a man and a woman, but the Democrat, Robert Menendez, says he supports civil unions.
So, it will become a debating point between them as well. Most people think Bob Menendez, the Democrat, is beginning to inch away in that race. We'll see if this helps Tom Kean, the republican.
S. O'BRIEN: When we take a quick look at the political calendar, the president is going to be campaigning in Iowa and Michigan. Laura Bush, his wife, who is far more popular, is going to be in Minnesota and Indiana. And there's a debate which will include a congressional debate with Congressman Jefferson of Louisiana.
I don't know the details of that debate. Is it a four-way debate? A lot of people in that race. And is he going to at some point have to explain the $90,000 in the freezer?
KING: Well, he did an interview with our Sean Callebs a time ago and he didn't want to talk about the $90,000 in the freezer. This -- this race could redefine the old Tip O'Neill saying that all politics is local.
Many around the country would think, OK, he's still innocent until proven guilty. We need to say that. The investigation is still going on. But many would say, you get caught with $90,000 in your freezer, your political career is probably over.
S. O'BRIEN: Or at least you should talk about it.
KING: At least you should talk about it. He argues he can't talk about it because he's under investigation. The leading Democratic challenger is telling the people of New Orleans, look, this man will have no more influence in Washington. Let's not do this, you're wasting your vote if you send him back.
But he has Mayor Nagin's support. He has others' support. He's on the House Ways and Means Committee.
S. O'BRIEN: It's Louisiana, which means politics there are just freaky.
KING: And he has brought a lot of pork home. And that is the nature of some races for Congress. So this is an interesting one to watch. It is politics. It's also a lot of soap opera.
S. O'BRIEN: He could win with the $90,000 in the freezer is what you're saying.
John King, nice to see you, as always. Thank you very much.
KING: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: John's going to be back tomorrow, too, talking about the election again.
And of course, you want to tune in tonight 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, "Power Play". John and the best political team on TV investigate how the Bush administration's redefining presidential power. It is the very latest in CNN's week-long "Broken Government" series. That's tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Some of the stories we're following for you.
Starbucks gets into a fight with the government of Ethiopia.
Andy will explain, "Minding Your Business" shortly.
Plus, Madonna has some explaining to do. She defends her plan to adopt a little boy from Malawi on "Oprah".
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: In Iraq, three suspects are being questioned about a kidnapping of a U.S. soldier. Moments ago, the military confirmed for the first time that the Iraqi-American GI was apparently handcuffed and then abducted by gunmen while visiting his family in Baghdad. At least that is what the family members are telling the military today.
In Afghanistan, reports of 60 civilians dead. They were killed as NATO troops were fighting the Taliban rebels -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Starbucks is in a scrap with an African nation. And I guess the issue is, well, it's a latte trouble, isn't it?
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": That would be one way of saying it.
S. O'BRIEN: So unnecessary.
SERWER: That's not necessarily how I would put it, but that's how Miles is putting it this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: All right. It's a coffee battle. This is an unlikely showdown between Starbucks and the nation of Ethiopia.
Starbucks, of course, buys coffee all around the globe, including Ethiopia. And it buys coffee from small farmers there.
The east African country wants to own the rights to the names of three types of coffee in that country, Urgashefi (ph), Sadamo (ph) and Harar (ph). And they want to essentially trademark these names, and Starbucks instead wants to enter into what's called a geographic certification program.
And it sounds complicated, but it's what champagne is, or Kona coffee, or Washington State apples. In other words, the product has to be from that region. Then the question is, can that region charge money, additional money for products that have that certification?
That -- it can be done, but you would get more -- Ethiopia would get more if these brands were simply trade marked. So it's a dispute.
Ethiopia says that their farmers only get pennies per pound for this coffee that Starbucks pays. Starbucks says that it pays more than anyone else for this coffee. And both things are probably true.
So you have a global company here doing business in very obscure regions where laws -- local laws don't apply here in the United states, and you can see where this is going, which is to say, it's going to be an interesting battle.
M. O'BRIEN: So, more dough for a trademark than they would for calling it the champagne of coffee, essentially?
SERWER: Yes. Yes. Although, then there are some suggestions that then Starbucks and other companies would go elsewhere to buy coffee because it costs more. So -- but they're probably just threatening that because they want to have brands from everywhere.
M. O'BRIEN: I see.
SERWER: So, anyway, another interesting little tidbit here about Starbucks.
You know they say they want to have 40,000 stores around the globe. They've only got 12,000 now. And, of course, they want to...
S. O'BRIEN: There's only 12,000?
SERWER: Only 12,000.
S. O'BRIEN: There's a Starbucks on every corner in Manhattan. It's only 12,000?
SERWER: And, you know, they're doing two strategies.
M. O'BRIEN: There might be a few corners left.
SERWER: It's interesting here. They of course want to put them all over in places they aren't, which is to say Alaska and everywhere else. But also, they're pursuing something called an infield strategy, which is to say they do literally want to put a Starbucks on every block.
And just one interesting line from a Starbucks manager saying, "Going to the other side of the street to get to a Starbucks can be a barrier." They literally are acknowledging now that just every corner of every city -- you know, Macy's, there's a Macy's here in New York City that has two. There's a Marriott that has two. I mean, there can't be enough. McDonald's only has 30,000 stores.
M. O'BRIEN: When do we get our own personal barista for life?
It's coming, right?
SERWER: With a green apron on, no doubt. Right?
M. O'BRIEN: Exactly.
All right, Andy. Thank you very much.
SERWER: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, day four of our special series "Prescription Iraq". Today we talk to Senator Carl Levin about his plan for a phased withdrawal.
And the feds head to the nuclear lab in Los Alamos. They want to know how nuclear secrets may have ended up in a trailer park.
That's ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm Miles O'Brien.
(NEWSBREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Now on to our special series "Prescription: Iraq." Part four of our series as we stay the course on our effort to look for some solutions. This morning, deadlines, timetables, milestones. Amid all that talk, should the U.S. announce a date certain when the troops should start coming home?
Michigan Senator Carl Levin is the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee. He joins us from Detroit, and he would like to see that happen.
Senator, good to have you with us. Why don't we just run through your proposal off the bat here?
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), ARMED SERVICES CMTE: Well, what Senator Jack Reid in Rhode Island and I proposed many months ago now and was voted on by the Senate, with almost all the Democrats voting yes, was a proposal that we begin a phased withdrawal of American forces from Iraq by the end of this year.
We believe that only by making it clear to the Iraqis that this is their land, their government, their country, and only they can save themselves, we cannot save them, will they take the necessary steps to make those political compromises which are so essential. In other words, just to talk about they adopting milestones or timetables, it doesn't put any pressure on them to do so. There's been a lot of announcement of plans by them before which have fallen through.
So there's got to be a clarity to our position, which is that we've got to begin a phased reduction in American forces by the end of this year, by some fixed point, as a way of forcing the Iraqis to come to grips with the reality. I don't think the president has come to grips with reality, as he yesterday again said absolutely we're winning. Well, I don't know of any general in Iraq that thinks we're winning.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, let's listen to the president. We have -- he actually addressed this whole notion of a fixed timetable yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This notion about, you know, fixed timetable of withdrawal, in my judgment, is a -- it means defeat. You can't leave until the job is done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: The criteria for departure, should it be just a date on a calendar or should it be the situation on the ground in Iraq?
LEVIN: Well, the situation on the ground now is not leading us to success. And so the question is, do you want to change the status quo, do we want to change this negative downward spiral that is going on in Iraq or not? Or are we satisfied with the direction in which it's going? It's been clear for a long time that we've got to change the direction in Iraq, and that there is no military solution.
I think all of our uniformed military leaders have reiterated, there is no military solution in Iraq, only a political coming together of the Iraqis, as a chance of achieving success in Iraq. How do you do that? You don't do that if you continue to tell the Iraqis, we're there as long as you want us, or as long as you need us. Because they'll need us forever. You've got to put some pressure on them to force the Iraqis to face the reality that we can't stay there for an unlimited period of time, and they must make the decisions politically to share power and to share resources, which only they can make. And that's why I think we need a beginning point for a phased reduction of American forces.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's go back 23 years ago, and talk about what kind of a message this sends to terrorists. In 1983, the bombing of the marine barracks in Beirut, not long after that, President Reagan made the decision to pull the marines out of there. Many people would suggest to you -- many experts would say, that sent precisely the wrong message to terrorists all throughout the world. What's your proposal? Wouldn't that lay the groundwork for just precisely the same message?
LEVIN: I think it's the opposite. I think what's going on in Iraq -- and every situation differs -- but what's going on in Iraq is that the status quo is playing into the hands of terrorists. It's a training ground for terrorists.
Look what's going on in Iraq right now. This is a downward spiral. If we were making progress in Iraq, if the government in Iraq was coming together, if they met their own deadlines, which were to amend their constitution within 90 days, or at least consider amendments to the constitution within 90 days of the beginning of the assembly, that would be one thing.
If the spiral were -- if the direction were a positive direction, then I would agree with that. But the direction is a negative direction. We've got to change the dynamic in Iraq. We've got to change the status quo in Iraq.
M. O'BRIEN: There's one other problem, though. I'm sure you saw this yesterday. The prime minister there, Nouri al-Malaki, issued a press conference not long after we saw the press conference with the U.S. ambassador there and the top general over there.
And he said this. He said, "I affirm that this government represents the will of the people. And no one has the right to impose a timetable on it. I am positive that this is not the official policy of the American government, but rather a result of the ongoing election campaign, and that does not concern us very much."
When -- does that concern you very much, when the prime minister there, the U.S.-supported government, this fledgling democracy there, says something like that?
LEVIN: That ought to concern the president, because there's obviously disarray in our policy in Iraq. There's internal inconsistency in what the president says, by the way. He says now that we're no longer going to talk about staying the course, and then he even denies that he has a stay the course policy. We've got to change the course, and you're not going to change the course here if you deny that there's -- if you deny that Iraq is not making progress.
But putting -- going back to Malaki, there's a disconnect with Malaki and this president. Obviously, we should not impose a timetable on Iraq. That's not the point. We should impose a timetable on ourselves so that the Iraqis understand that we're not there forever. But I'm afraid that the president of Iraq was right in the second half of what you quoted, that the presidential press conference yesterday was an effort by the president to help Republicans in this election, to try to persuade the American people that, yes, we're flexible, even though he's been claiming that we're going to stay the course year after year and made that statement I don't know how many times. But that's been his consistent position.
But I think he's trying to see if he can't help Republicans, persuade Americans that suddenly this administration is what it has not been in Iraq, which is realistic and flexible.
M. O'BRIEN: Michigan Senator Carl Levin, thank you for your time, sir. LEVIN: Miles, good to be with you.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, tomorrow, each expert we've had on this week will return for a final discussion for a wrap-up on how to turn the tide in Iraq. We hope you join us for that -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Pretty startling admission of guilt for the man who's accused of killing a social worker. He'd been going on a run with his girlfriend and her baby. Christopher Luttrell and Renee Luttrell were back in Henderson, Kentucky. They were captured last week after that four day, 200-mile chase that all began with the killing of a 67-year-old social worker who had brought baby -- who was a boy -- to visit with his mother.
In front of reporters and police, Luttrell said yes when he was asked if he killed the social worker. He's what else he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER LUTTRELL, ACCUSED KILLER: (INAUDIBLE) I want to apologize to everybody. And I want to apologize to my mom and dad, too, and all the friends I have. I hope you all still love me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: The baby, 10-month-old Sage, is reported to be in good health and he's back in custody of the state.
In New Mexico, federal investigators are heading to the nuclear weapons lab in Los Alamos after a possible security breech. During the search of a trailer park, police found what appeared to be classified information on a computer disk and drug paraphernalia as well. Twenty-year-old Justin Stone was arrested on an unrelated charge, a probation violation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN STONE, SUSPECT: What people don't realize is that information from the lab is really meaningless to us. I mean, for one, half the people that do meth don't even know how to spell the word plutonium.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, then, the question is, so why are there maybe confidential documents on the computer in the trailer park? The woman who lived in the trailer park, apparently, was working at the Los Alamos lab.
Ahead this morning, a major development in diagnosing lung cancer. A new study shows that CT scans can detect cancer at its earliest and most curable stages. We've got a cancer specialist to talk to, just ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BERAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Major development to tell you about in medical news this morning in diagnosing lung cancer. A new study out says that CT scans can detect lung cancer at very early, treatable stages.
Dr. Derek Raghavan is the chairman of the Tassig Cancer Center at the Cleveland Clinic. He's with us this morning. It's nice to see you, doctor.
DR. DEREK RAGHAVAN, CHAIRMAN, TASSIG CANCER CENTER: Good morning, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you for talking with us.
It's an interesting study, 31,000 people involved. And it was across seven countries. And what they found was 484 cancers were discovered, 412 of them in very, very early stages. So all good news. And yet the study, to some degree, is controversial. Why?
RAGHAVAN: Well, the problem is, it actually doesn't prove anything at all. Their final conclusion, which was that annual spiral CT scans can diagnose lung cancer at a curable stage, could equally be said about chest x-rays. And I think they made a fundamental mistake. They screened 31,000 people. They came up, I guess, with about a 1.5 percent hit rate.
And the problem is, they haven't shown that it's better than anything else. The survival figures are way too early to identify. These days, it's kind of a bad thing to be negative about studies. Everybody wants to see progress in lung cancer, Soledad. But the problem is, this looks interesting. It says, yep, it's an interesting technique. But it doesn't tell us that it's anything better than what we had before.
S. O'BRIEN: Why did they do the study? It's such a big study and apparently very well done in a lot of ways, but with no control group, which seems kind of your standard operating procedure for any sort of really solid medical study.
RAGHAVAN: Yes, you're absolutely right. That's exactly the question I asked myself. Why do a 31,000 patient study without a population control group? We already know that figures have improved. People are smoking less. We know that there are new chemotherapy agents. We know that people are aggressively combining surgery and chemotherapy to actually achieve cure for cancers that we used to not be able to cure 15, 20 years ago. And so the fact is, this apparent improvement in results might just be a result of all the other good stuff that's going on. You know, when you think...
S. O'BRIEN: But if it even is a little bit of good news in a disease that is so deadly, why not say, you know what, I recommend it? I recommend CT scans for anybody who thinks that they might actually be at risk. I mean, what's to lose? RAGHAVAN: I think the thing to lose is exposure to x-rays, when you don't need to have exposure to x-rays. These are somewhat expensive. Now, you know, for a situation where you know that you're looking for something specific, it's very, very good to spend money to try to cure people. On the other hand, if you have a technique that is applied internationally and where they have not yet proved that it actually does save lives, then you could be using money that could be used in other domains in this screening exercise. And so I really wish that they'd done a control group so we really knew what this meant.
S. O'BRIEN: Is it just a matter of time? I mean, is it one of these in ten years, you and I could have this conversation again and you'll say,, you know, enough time has passed that I feel very good about giving it my stamp of approval?
RAGHAVAN: You know, it may be time. But it may also be that time will tell us that this doesn't fix the problem. There have been many screening studies for lung cancer where survival wasn't improved. One of the things I have to say that worries me a lot is that this will make people sort of relax and say, oh, great, well, I can smoke to my heart's content, I can then always have an annual CT scan and it will fix everything.
Right now, there are battles being waged right across the U.S., where the smoking lobby is trying to overturn smoking legislation with a bunch of dirty tricks. The truth of the matter is, the big problem in 2006 is to stop people smoking. To try to find lung cancer early is a great idea, but you want to apply technologies that have been proven. And in the interim period, we want to focus our attention on getting people to understand that they don't need CT scans, they need to stop smoking. It's like a no-brainer.
S. O'BRIEN: Dr. Derek Raghavan is of the Cleveland Clinic. Thank you for talking with us, Doctor. We appreciate your time this morning.
RAGHAVAN: Thanks, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Other stories that we're following for you this morning.
The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to the rights and benefits of marriage.
And Madonna goes on Oprah talking about her family's plans to adopt that little boy from Malawi.
Those stories and much more ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Madonna says she did absolutely nothing wrong. She's firing back at the global controversy surrounding her adoption of a child from Malawi, or her attempted adoption really. Madonna was on Oprah yesterday, telling her side of the story. CNN's Sibila Vargas has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MADONNA: I think if everybody went there, they'd want to bring one of those children home with them and give them a better life. And I say to those people, shame on you for discouraging other people from wanting to do the same thing.
(APPLAUSE)
OPRAH WINFREY: Madonna, thank you.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Madonna, on "Oprah," confronting the deluge of criticism that has come from the adoption of an African boy, including accusations by some human rights groups that she used her celebrity to speed up the process.
MADONNA: If only my wealth and position could have made things go faster, I assure you, it doesn't matter who you are or how much money you have, nothing goes fast in Africa.
VARGAS: Also slowing things down, recent reports that the boy's father, Yohane Banda, was not aware that the adoption was prominent.
YOHANE BANDA, CHILD'S FATHER (through translator): When we agreed with madonna that she wants to take care of the child, there wasn't any arrangement that she was going to have him as her own forever.
VARGAS: Madonna this simply isn't so.
MADONNA: No, I do not believe that is true. I sat in that room, I looked into that man's eyes. I believe that the press is manipulating this information out of him. I believe at this point in time that he's been terrorized by the media.
VARGAS (on camera): Banda now tells time magazine that he will not contest the adoption, good news for Madonna who is perhaps one step closer to her original goal.
MADONNA: I wanted to go into a third world country, I wasn't sure where, and give a life to a child who otherwise might not have one.
WINFREY: I say God bless you for that.
VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: So many questions about that one, so many questions.
It is Thursday. You know what that means?
S O'BRIEN: It's Miles-cam day, a pipeline product on CNN.com. M. O'BRIEN: You are well trained. Thank you very much.
S. O'BRIEN: I log in every day, just hoping you'll be there.
M. O'BRIEN: Maybe every day can be Miles-cam day.
S. O'BRIEN: What are you talking about today?
M. O'BRIEN: I was thinking we'll talk about space. You know, it's one of my favorite things.
S. O'BRIEN: Space and flying?
M. O'BRIEN: The X-Prize thing was this past weekend. Civilian space flight, getting a ticket to ride, you know, hotels on the moon. If you're into all that stuff, pop me some questions. I'll tell you if you can muster up the bucks to go for a ride. CNN.com/pipeline, the place to see it at 10:00. E-mails milecam@CNN.com. Stay with us.
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M. O'BRIEN: Just got word in, the Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will hold a briefing at 1:15 in the afternoon, Eastern Time today. We'll be carrying that for you live.
Now, to those pictures there. And that's Warrior One. You remember our humble, formerly humble Warrior One. It's one of the Hummers our intrepid crews use to cover the invasion of Iraq. That TLC show "Overhaul" tricked the thing out. It's got some Bond rims now. No, it actually doesn't have rims now.
S. O'BRIEN: It looks good.
M. O'BRIEN: No, it actually doesn't have rims, but it does have a new engine, a new suspension. It's got a paint job that includes images of some of our people there. It's got a DVD player, and you can see the whole program and how they did that on November 14th on TLC, and in January, you folks can bid to own this fine ride.
S. O'BRIEN: I'd like to own it.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, I don't know where you're going to park it, down in Chelsea. Anyway, the proceeds are going to a very worthy cause, the Fisher House. It's a place where families of wounded vets can stay as they try to put their lives back together.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim with one family's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dan Barnes hoists himself and gets his arms in motion. Seven weeks ago, while on patrol in Iraq, his vehicle was struck by a grenade.
SGT. DAN BARNES, U.S. ARMY: Immediately I knew that was seriously injured. I couldn't feel my legs. OPPENHEIM: Dan's legs were amputated. He was brought here, to the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio for rehabilitation. His wife, Gretchen, traveled from their home in Missouri to watch over his progress.
GRETCHEN BARNES, DAN'S WIFE: We're, you know, 800 miles from home, and so it's not a familiar place.
OPPENHEIM: But a place called Fisher House helped make the setting more familiar. Fisher House is a program that provides living accommodations for the families of wounded servicemen and women right on the grounds of military hospitals.
COL. JOHN SHERO, BROOKE ARMY MEDICAL CENTER: We found that that support that comes really does aid in the positive power of healing.
OPPENHEIM: Gretchen can walk from her husband's room at the hospital to her room at Fisher House. And soon Dan will be able to stay with her at the House once he is an outpatient.
G. BARNES: For this, this makes me feel less stressed about starting our new life.
OPPENHEIM: Hospital staff tell us the war is bringing in high numbers of patients with burns and lost limbs, cases where healing and readjustment take time.
For Dan Barnes, his wife's regular presence is making a difference.
D. BARNES: If she wasn't here, it'd be a lot harder on me.
OPPENHEIM: Fisher House has shown that having loved ones close by is a simple, but powerful way to help soldiers recover from war.
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, San Antonio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Remember that as you bid on our Hummer.
CNN "NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.
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