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President Bush to Meet With Nancy Pelosi; Pentagon Under New Management; Reaction in Iraq

Aired November 09, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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


TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You're with CNN. You're informed.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Carol Lin, sitting in for Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming in to the NEWSROOM on this Thursday, the 9th of November. And here's what's on the rundown.

Political postmortem. Breakfast with the Republicans, lunch with the Democrats. This hour, President Bush speaks live from the Rose Garden.

HARRIS: Virginia, Capitol powerbroker. Democrats will claim victory in the Senate race. If confirmed, it puts the party in charge of both houses of Congress.

LIN: Under new management. The president taps an old Washington hand to guide the war in Iraq. We explore his resume right here in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: So, what do you say, "Let's do lunch?" President Bush breaks bread next hour with the speaker-to-be of the House, Nancy Pelosi. And later this hour, he makes a statement from the Rose Garden. You'll see it live here in the NEWSROOM.

All this follows the president's bombshell announcement Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is out.

Live to the White House now with. Much to talk about with White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano.

Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony.

Well, that's right, first up for the president today was a breakfast with the outgoing GOP leadership. This coming, of course, two days after Republicans got what the president himself described as a cumulative effect of a thumping at the polls.

Now, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said just a few minutes ago at the off-camera briefing to reporters that this was not an opportunity for recriminations, but rather a chance to take a look at lessons learned. Also an opportunity for the president and these GOP leaders to take a look at what might be ahead, what they can accomplish in their remaining time left before the Democrats take control.

A couple of things. Some conformation hearings they're hoping to push through, including John Bolton's, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Bob Gates to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

That announcement, as you noted, made yesterday. And we have a little bit more information now.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow saying that there was no "epiphany moment," that in fact these talks had been going on between the president and the defense secretary for some time. Also, that the leadership was informed about this about 30 minutes before the press, including, of course, Nancy Pelosi.

Speaking of which, later today, for lunch, the president will be reaching across the aisle to House Democratic leaders, including the incoming House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, despite some harsh words during the campaign. The president and his top aides say that want to move beyond all of the partisan rancor and move beyond the elections.

At this hour, the president sitting down with members of his cabinet. And we do expect to hear from the president in about half an hour or so. We're told not to expect any kind of surprises, no surprise announcements, but that Rose Garden statement coming in just about 30 minutes -- Tony.

HARRIS: And we will bring it to you live in the NEWSROOM.

Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Elaine, thank you.

LIN: So let's talk a little bit more about Rumsfeld's presumed successor. Robert Gates may not be a household name for most Americans, but he is a veteran around Washington.

CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr joins us to explain.

Barbara, has the reaction settled at the Pentagon?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that people are accepting, life goes on around here. They've seen an awful lot of defense secretaries come and go.

Mr. Gates, however, is someone that the president turned to from his father's administration, but he, Mr. Gates, is no stranger to controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice over): Bob Gates is new to the Pentagon, but a new secretary of defense does not end the problems in Iraq. ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE: Because of our long- term strategic interests and our national and homeland security are at risk, because so many of America's sons and daughters in our armed forces are in harm's way, I did not hesitate when the president asked me to return to duty.

STARR: Gates, who served as CIA director and national security adviser for the first President Bush, is regarded as someone who understands both politics and policy.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: He's very well known to Democrats, and I think is seen across the aisle as a non- ideological person who would bring a realist's perspective to this job.

STARR: If confirmed, Gates is expected to have a smoother relationship with his generals than Secretary Rumsfeld had, at least for now.

MCLAUGHLIN: I think they will welcome Bob because he's generally well-known in the military. They'll welcome his style.

STARR: Gates is an old Washington hand from the Reagan-Bush years. He's currently part of the Iraq Study Group co-chaired by former secretary of state James Baker, one of the first President Bush's closest friends. That group is working on options for a new Iraq policy.

GATES: If confirmed by the Senate...

STARR: Gates is not without controversy. In 1991, he was investigated but cleared of any wrongdoing in the Iran Contra scandal. Several political analysts tell CNN they do not expect that to hinder his confirmation.

He has not always agreed with the current administration. In 2004, he co-authored a study on Iran for the Counsel on Foreign Relations which said, in part, "The United States should not defer a political dialogue with Iran until differences over its nuclear programs have been resolved."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: And Carol, already this morning we are seeing the beginnings of the transition here. Mr. Gates called the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the phone last night, General Peter Pace, to say hello. And the military is beginning to assemble the highly classified briefings that Mr. Gates will have to have, which will be going through his confirmation hearings to take office, and so that he is ready once he comes on board.

Pentagon officials this morning saying they want a seamless transition, in their words, between Secretary Rumsfeld and Mr. Gates, and that they are getting ready to do everything they can do to support that confirmation process for Gates -- Carol.

LIN: Barbara, everybody is looking for fresh ideas when it comes to Iraq. So what are you hearing?

STARR: Right. Well, you know, one of the things people are watching around here is Gates has been, until now at least, a member of this Iraq Study Group co-chaired by Jim Baker. That is something everyone is watching to see, what kind of recommendations they come up with for some changes in Iraq.

Talking to a number of people over the last many days, the kinds of ideas we're hearing are these -- one idea, begin to draw some troops off the front lines in Iraq in the more peaceful areas and make them more of a rapid reaction force if the Iraqis get into trouble. Turn them into firemen, if you will, instead of policemen.

Begin to double the size of the U.S. military training teams so that more Iraqis can be trained more quickly. And set some timetables or time frames for the turnover of security to Iraqis, all aimed at getting the Iraqis out front, getting that transition more quickly happening.

But Carol, the key problem remains the sectarian violence, especially in Baghdad. Baghdad is the face of Iraq to the world. And until that begins to look better, it's hard to see how any real immediate progress is going to happen any time soon.

LIN: Right. Baghdad becoming a symbol for the success of this war.

Barbara Starr, live at the Pentagon.

Thank you.

STARR: Sure.

HARRIS: As an architect of the war, Donald Rumsfeld cast a long shadow over the everyday lives of Iraqis. So what do they think of his departure?

CNN's Aneesh Raman takes the pulse in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On Iraqi TV screens, this was the farewell to Donald Rumsfeld: a good-bye montage of Abu Ghraib abuse pictures, a sign that one of the most notorious moments of the war will forever be linked to a man who, for most Iraqis, embodies all that's gone wrong here.

Among the people we spoke with, there is now a tinge of expectation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We do not see anything good from him except war. We do not want war. We hope the next one is better than him. We hope so.

RAMAN: For Iraqi politicians, though, change in Washington means uncertainty in Baghdad. Iraq's prime minister, criticized by many Democrats for not doing enough, could face increased pressure to go after Shia militias. And while there's little love lost for Rumsfeld, there's now the potential for a new military strategy on the front lines, perhaps even a decrease in American troops, who are for the Iraqi government a key factor in heading off civil war.

It's not a position U.S. troops enjoy. And while many of them were shocked by the news of Rumsfeld's departure, it could, some say, bring about a fresh start.

COL. AL KELLY, U.S. ARMY: There are a lot of decisions that he made that people aren't happy with, but he made some hard decisions. And when you're in that kind of position, you're not always going to be positive or not always going to be liked by everybody, particularly making those decisions.

RAMAN: Decisions that made Donald Rumsfeld a target of mounting anger, if not outright hate, for Iraqis, and is why some see his departure as a victory, most notably in the political camp of anti- American Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

FALAH SHANSHAL, IRAQI PARLIAMENT (through translator): Changing the U.S. defense minister is considered a defeat to the U.S. administration and its military strategy upon which the occupation forces relied.

RAMAN: A defense secretary gone, a Congress changing power.

(on camera): It all adds up to a time of change in Washington. Change Iraqis hope will soon make its way here to Baghdad. Then again, when it comes to U.S. troops, most Iraqis say they want them to go but need them to say.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, the focus of Republicans and Democrats alike this morning, the Virginia Senate race. A win by Jim Webb means the Democrats control both the House and the Senate.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve is live in Arlington.

And Jeanne, when last we spoke we thought we might be getting a declaration of victory speech in the next hour from Jim Webb, but things have changed.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony, very unclear how things are going to play out at this point. A spokesman for Democrat James Webb says that he will not have anything to say until there is some word from Republican George Allen, presumably a concession. However, Senator Allen, we don't know when we're going to hear from him.

The campaign had told us to expect a statement from him at the conclusion of the canvassing of votes that's going on in Virginia right now. The campaign had said that was going quickly and might conclude today. But the secretary of the State Board of Elections tells CNN that only about one third of the localities in Virginia have reported the canvass results back to the state, that this could take until Tuesday. And as of now, she says there have been some small shifts in the vote tallies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN JENSEN, VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS: The changes that we are seeing are very small changes. They find that three absentee ballots were placed in a sealed envelope before they were counted, and those three votes were added.

We've seen some larger shifts, 200, 300 votes, when tapes weren't added together. But as you can see, the change totally is very subtle between -- you know, only a 181-vote shift.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: And those 181 votes have gone to the Webb column. He now has a lead of 7,484 out of more than two million votes cast this in race.

So what will George Allen do? Will he ask for a recount or will he concede? People close to Allen have said that he does not want to drag this out. And there were some other indicators, perhaps, in a conversation yesterday that Allen had with some of his staff.

A senior staffer described this to CNN's Andrea Koppel, saying that Allen didn't concede but was clearly not emboldened to fight this. According to the senior staffer on this call, he thanked his staff for their service and urged them to keep doing what they are doing for the state of Virginia.

The senior staffer described the staff reaction as shell shocked. "It is a nightmare" said this staffer.

So a lot of hints, a lot of indicators, but nothing definitive here on exactly when and how this will play out. Of course, at stake is not just George Allen and James Webb and their futures, but who will represent Virginia and who will have control of the United States Senate.

Tony, back to you.

HARRIS: CNN's Jeanne Meserve for us in Arlington, Virginia.

Jeanne, thank you.

LIN: Another really tight race in Montana. Victory claimed, but defeat not conceded. Ninety-nine percent of the vote counted, and Democrat Jon Tester holding a lead of almost 3,000 votes over Senator Conrad Burns. Most news organizations have called the race for Tester. And he sounds like a lawmaker heading to Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JON TESTER (D), MONTANA SENATOR-ELECT: Now is the time really, though, to come together. It really is a time to put politics aside. We have got many, many issues that are facing this great state and this country, both in foreign policy and domestic policy. We've talked about them for the last 18 months.

Now's the time to roll up our sleeves and get some things done. It is -- it is absolutely critically important that we change the direction of this country and empower the middle class, empower working families and small businesses, family farms and ranches, and really the people who have made this country so great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: But wait a minute, says the incumbent. Burns acknowledging Tester has the lead but not the race. Montana's Republican secretary of state is not giving his party colleague much hope, though. He says the margin of victory will probably be too wide for a recount.

HARRIS: The rise and fall of Donald Rumsfeld. An inside look at the outgoing Pentagon boss and the mission in Iraq. Frank Sesno and his unique insights in the NEWSROOM.

LIN: Also, in about 20 minutes, we're going to be hearing from President Bush, making a statement from the Rose Garden after meeting with his cabinet and right before his lunch with the Democratic House speaker-elect, Nancy Pelosi. We'll be hearing what he has to say live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, chief architect of the Iraq war, but critics claim he forgot to draw up a post-war plan. Rumsfeld's popularity faltered, along with America's support for the war.

Special Correspondent Frank Sesno spoke with the defense secretary before the election. The focus, the changing winds of war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: The American people seem to not support this war anymore.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, it comes and goes.

SESNO: A majority of them say it's a bad idea.

RUMSFELD: It comes and it goes. But on big things, over time, the American people have been right. If they're not, they would have tossed in the towel on the Revolutionary War and we wouldn't have had a country.

Think of the people who were telling Abraham Lincoln not to even have a civil war, and throughout it, to stop it. We wouldn't have had the United States of America today if he'd believed that. SESNO: If that's the case, how do you explain the polling? If the American people are right and they've watched this war for years...

RUMSFELD: I've watched polling go from zero to 55 percent to 12 percent in six weeks. What's important is what's right. What's important is what makes sense. And over time, the American people find their way to right decisions.

If people believe today that the problem of terrorism in this world is a law enforcement problem, like somebody stealing their car or killing somebody in one of the metropolitan areas, that the task then is to punish them and put them in jail, they're wrong. And over time they see that.

There's too many people being killed by terrorists. And the capabilities of terrorists are growing and the lethality of their weapons are growing, and the threat against the American people is growing and is a serious one. And the government of the United States just simply cannot sit there and take the attack. They have to go out and find them and work with other countries to achieve that.

And I believe the American people understand that message. I believe that they do have staying power and perseverance. And I think that, over time, it will be seen. And I think you'll see the polls go up and down, depending on what the news of the day happens to be in any given moment. But I've got a lot of confidence in the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And the American people have spoken. Rumsfeld finds himself on the outside looking in.

Special Correspondent Frank Sesno joins me from Washington.

Frank, good to talk to you.

SESNO: Likewise, Tony.

HARRIS: Frank, you watched yesterday's good-bye. And what did you think?

SESNO: Well, I thought that it was a very bitter moment for Donald Rumsfeld. You know, this is a guy who throughout his career, he's intensely competitive. He was a high school and a college wrestler. Everybody you talk to around him says he still loves that body contact.

That's why he's as combative as he is and why he is as abrasive as he is. Why so many people don't like him, to be quite honest.

He's not accustomed to failing. And I have to tell you, the way he went out yesterday, despite what he said -- you heard him, as defiant as he was about public opinion, public opinion has spoken. And like you said, he's on the outside looking in now. HARRIS: He talked to you about how difficult it can be for democracies to wage long wars, years-long wars. And there's some history to back him up, isn't there?

SESNO: Oh, yes. You know, I mean, the way -- it's the British throwing the (INAUDIBLE) out after World War II, and Winston Churchill with it. Or, in this country after World War I, again after World War II.

Publics want to get back to normal, and they don't want -- often don't reward people who fought the wars, even when the wars have gone well. But I think what you saw in that clip of Rumsfeld and his attitude toward public opinion does explain one reason.

I mean, it gives you once sense there as to why he became so isolated, and many in the administration so isolated, because they just thought that everybody would see that this conflict was right and that they would prevail and essentially fall into line. That's not what's happened.

HARRIS: He leaves -- he leaves a lot of issues to be sort of straightened out, cleaned up in Iraq. Just a whole host of issues for Robert Gates, presumably -- well, if he is confirmed to begin to straighten out, doesn't he?

SESNO: Gates has a very tough job, and it's going to start within the Pentagon. The attitude toward many of the general officers, top military men and women in the Pentagon toward Donald Rumsfeld has been quite hostile.

Even though the voices of the critics, the retired generals have called for his resignation and very critical of him have been fairly few in number, they have resonated broadly with men and women in the military. So it starts there and ripples out right into Iraq itself.

One of the big questions being asked now is whether Gates is just going to change the furniture and the faces and the tone, or whether he really addresses not just the tactics, but the strategy itself. If the strategy changes, that goes to the White House.

HARRIS: I have to ask you, finally, personally, how difficult a moment was this for Rumsfeld himself personally in that room?

SESNO: You mean yesterday?

HARRIS: Yesterday. Because I thought there was a moment where -- you talk about how much he believes in this and how righteous he can be about what he believes in -- I thought there was a moment at the end yesterday where he almost choked up a bit when he was talking about the servicemen and women.

SESNO: I think that -- and he's capable of doing that. He doesn't do it a lot and he doesn't do it very publicly, but he will tear up from time to time.

Look, Donald Rumsfeld knows that his legacy is going to be determined by Iraq and only by Iraq. He, as you said, is the architect of this war.

He's very committed to the men and women in uniform. Quietly, he goes to Walter Reed and other places to visit the vets. He writes checks, he and his wife, again, without much fanfare or publicity.

This is a mix of a very personal connection, but also a very public connection. Because I'm not going to say he's going become the McNamara of our time -- I don't know if Donald Rumsfeld will ever look back and apologize, but this -- this is his legacy.

LIN: All right. We are just hearing also here in the CNN NEWSROOM that Senator George Allen is going to be making a statement at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. We're not sure what he's going to say. We don't know if he's actually conceding his race for the Senate there. So far, The Associated Press is already calling that race for his opponent, Jim Webb.

And any moment now, in about a couple of minutes, in fact, we're expecting to hear from President Bush making a statement from the Rose Garden after his cabinet meeting and right before he's meeting with the new House-elect -- speaker-elect, Nancy Pelosi for lunch. So the president talking about a lot of changes both in his party and perhaps even in the war on terror.

Also, the blind see again. It happened with mice. Find out about promising new research right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We've just gotten the two-minute warning that we're going to see the president of the United States momentarily. But there, a live picture in the Rose Garden of the president's cabinet, all assembled on the steps that lead out from the Oval Office.

We're waiting for the president of the United States. But in the meantime, our White House correspondent, Elaine Quijano, standing by.

Elaine, as we look at this picture, you can't help but think united front. That's the picture that the White House wants to put forth to the public today.

QUIJANO: Well, absolutely, Carol. And, you know, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, first of all, after yesterday's stunning announcement, said don't expect surprises necessarily. No announcements. But certainly this is a president who now wants to show that his team is unified and ready to do the nation's work.

Of course, it was an acrimonious election cycle. And the president is trying to send the message that he wants to reach out to Democrats and his team is prepared to do so as well. So we'll wait to hear what the president has to say here as he approaches the podium.

LIN: That's right.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Earlier this week, the American people went to the polls and they cast their ballots for a new Congress. The American people made their decision. I respect the results, and so does my cabinet.

I want to congratulate the Democrat leaders on the victory they achieved for their party.

In a few minutes, Congresswoman Pelosi and Congressman Hoyer will be here for lunch. I'm looking forward to that visit. I'm looking forward to that visit.

I'm also looking forward to my visit with Senator Reid and Senator Durbin tomorrow. We'll discuss the way forward for our country, and I'm going to tell them what I just told our cabinet. It is our responsibility to put the elections behind us and work together on the great issues facing America.

Some of these issues need to be addressed before the current Congress finishes its legislative session, and that means the next few weeks are going to be busy ones.

The first order of business is for Congress to complete the work on the federal spending bills for this year, with strong fiscal discipline and without diminishing our capacity to fight the war on terror.

Another important priority in the war on terror is for the Congress to pass the Terrorist Surveillance Act.

We also need to pass the bipartisan energy legislation that's now before Congress.

And on the foreign policy front, we need to complete the work on legislation that will allow us to cooperate with India on civilian nuclear technology, and pass trade legislation that will enable us to recognize Vietnam as a member of the WTO. As the new members of Congress and their leaders return to Washington, I've instructed by cabinet to provide whatever briefings and information they need to be able to do their jobs. The American people expect us to rise above partisan differences, and my administration will do its part.

One of the most important challenges facing our country is the war on terror, and Iraq is the central front in this war. Our country now has more than 149,000 men and women serving bravely in that country. Whatever party we come from, we all have a responsibility to ensure that these troops have the resources and support they need to prevail. I'm open to any idea or suggestion that will help us achieve our goals of defeating the terrorists and ensuring that Iraq's Democratic government succeeds.

Yesterday, I accepted the resignation of one of the original members of my cabinet, Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He could not be with us today because he's at Kansas State University to deliver the prestigious Landon Lecture, and to help dedicate the university's science building as the General B. Richard Myers Hall. Donald Rumsfeld has been an outstanding secretary of defense, a loyal adviser and loyal friend to me. I've named a good man to succeed Don Rumsfeld, former CIA director bob Gates. Secretary Rumsfeld has agreed to stay until Bob is confirmed, and I'm deeply grateful to Don for his service to our country.

Thank you all very much.

LIN: All right. Just hearing from the president of the United States there, standing there with his cabinet, explaining why secretary of defense, who resigned yesterday, Donald Rumsfeld, is not there making a speech at Kansas State University.

Tony, we have Elaine Quijano standing by on the White House Lawn.

Elaine, the president laying out some of his agenda. All right. Right before his lunch with Nancy Pelosi, who is going to be the speaker of the House, now that the Democrats have a majority. Nothing about the minimum wage. Nothing about immigration. Nothing about some of the -- for the more divisive issues that have really been a landmark. What do you think he's saying before this lunch that he's about to have with Nancy Pelosi?

QUIJANO: Well, certainly, he's trying to set the agenda there, but at the same time, this is a White House that doesn't like to negotiate from the podium. It's something they say quite often.

But what's interesting to note here, one of the things that the president did mention, is the terrorist surveillance program, trying to get members of Congress behind that.

Now, on the campaign trail, I can tell you from listening to the president's speeches, there was quite a lot said about Democrats not giving Americans, or willing to give surveillance officials the tools they need really to carry out the war on terror properly. There are a lot of things said certainly that the president and Nancy Pelosi will try to put behind them. But for some Americans and the electorate out there, there might be a bitter sort of taste in their mouth from all of this.

The discussion, though, as the president noted really looking forward. The president said himself, this is not his first rodeo. He understands that politics at times can be rough.

Nevertheless, at a time when the war on terrorism was an issue that this White House wanted to put front and center, it will be interesting to hear, and I'm not sure how much of it quite frankly we'll be able to hear out of these meetings that are going to be taking place. The president noted not only this lunch that is going to be taking place today, but the president will be having breakfast with Senator Harry Reid and Dick Durbin tomorrow. He'll be having coffee with them. A lot to move beyond, the president clearly signaling that both he and members of his cabinet are ready to do the nation's business.

The president saying I think just yesterday, that if you hold grudges in this line of work, you never get anything done. He's got two years left to finish his agenda.

HARRIS: Just another quick thought on this domestic surveillance act that the president mentioned and you rightly picked up on. This is an issue that the president is clearly saying to the Republican Congress, get it done before you say goodbye. And one can imagine that Democrats hearing this, might think, as contentious as it has been, the details of this legislation and the program itself, that this is something they'd like to see left for a new debate in the next Congress.

QUIJANO: Absolutely. And you know, it's interesting to note as well, that some of the questions raised, we should point out, about the terrorist surveillance program, as the White House calls it, came not just from the Democratic side, also there were Republicans, namely Senator Arlen Specter, who had questions about this program as well. The president understands full well that it is going to be difficult if in fact when the Democrats are in charge he tries to push all of this through.

But clearly the president signaling this is one of his priorities and something that he wants to get done before the year's end.

LIN: We're looking at the driveway between the White House and the old executive office building, Elaine, as we're watching some of the cabinet members make their way back to their cars after this meeting with President Bush.

QUIJANO: Right.

HARRIS: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales right there. Just another reminder -- Elaine, appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Just another reminder that who you didn't see there was the secretary of state, Donald Rumsfeld, he resigned yesterday. The secretary giving a lecture at Kansas State University today. Rumsfeld taking part in the Alf Landon lecture series. And for those of you who know something about Kansas politics, Alf Landon, the political powerhouse as governor there in Kansas, and we will bring that speech to you live when it happens. We're expecting it in the noon hour here in the NEWSROOM.

LIN: That's right.

(NEWSBREAK)

HARRIS: And still to come this morning, conservative Christians, faith or doubt in the Republican Party, a post-election analysis in the NEWSROOM.

LIN: And water logged in Washington State. The cleanup begins after a super soaker. That straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Reynolds Wolf takes an up close and personal look at the beautiful Georgia aquarium. It's one whale of a fish story he has for us, and you can see it right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Across the nation, Republicans and Democrats alike watching Virginia this morning. Democrat Jim Webb on the right here is leading Senator George Allen by about 7,200 votes. A canvas of votes showing no significant changes in the count. The Associated Press has called the race for Webb. The margin is narrow enough to allow Allen to demand a recount, but a source close to Allen says the senator has no intention of dragging out the election. Allen has scheduled a 3:00 p.m. eastern news conference. No early word on what he'll be saying, but we will bring it to you live if the vote total stands. A Webb victory would give Democrats a one-seat majority in the Senate.

LIN: The midterms are done and now the race for the White House is on. A few Democrats have been positioning themselves to run and now the first to make it official. A source says Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack will file election papers today. He plans a multi-state tour on November 30th to formally announce he's running. Vilsack heads the Democratic leadership Council. Former President Clinton used that centrist group to help launch his candidacy.

So, how does Governor Vilsack stack up against potential party rivals? Well, at the bottom according to a recent CNN poll from late October. The survey asked registered Democrats their choice for a 2008 White House nominee -- Senator Hillary Clinton topped the list with 28 percent, followed by Senator Barack Obama. Al Gore and John Edwards were tied for third, Senator John Kerry was fifth. Trailing the pack, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Delaware Senator Joseph Biden and Senator Russ Feingold from Wisconsin, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and finally Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack.

HARRIS: Well Carol, a moment ago we mentioned that Senator Allen is scheduling a news conference for 3:00 p.m. eastern time. No word on what he will exactly say other than to say that things haven't changed. That's what we're getting from an aide. Now we're getting word that Jim Webb, the man who leads the race in Virginia, will hold his own news conference at 4:15 eastern time, p.m. And, of course, we will bring that to you in the "SITUATION ROOM." So stand by.

HARRIS: Stay tuned right here -- still to come, waterlogged in Washington State. The cleanup begins after a super soaker. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: One of the Baldwin brothers, have you heard this story, accused of behaving badly. Authorities in Santa Monica spotted Daniel Baldwin in an SUV that had been reported stolen. It belonged it a Baldwin acquaintance, but he didn't have permission to take it. The actor was booked for investigation of grand theft auto and later made bail. It's the second time this year Baldwin's made news on southern California roads. Back in July, he crashed a rental he was driving at 80 miles an hour. Baldwin is the brother of actors Alec, Steven and William. He appeared in the 1990's TV series Homicide: Life on the Street.

LIN: You know what they say in Hollywood?

HARRIS: What do they say?

LIN: You have issues when those things happen. he has alot of issues.

All right, speaking of issues -- disgraced evangelist Ted Haggard undergoing what's called spiritual restoration. It's a reported -- it's reported that the rehabilitation process could take three to five years.

HARRIS: Come on.

LIN: Yes, he's being rehabilitated. Three to five years. The recovery plans generally includes prayer and counseling. But officials have refused to comment on the specifics of Haggard's program. One Christian leader who's not involved with the Haggard case says he's seen about a 50 percent success rate. Haggard fell from the pinnacle of the evangelical movement, you might say, when a former male prostitute accused him of paying for sex and using meth. Haggard has denied those allegations.

HARRIS: A whale of a story coming up for you. Reynolds Wolf takes us up close and personal with this beauty, right here, right there. The center of the screen there at the Georgia aquarium. It is one whale of a fish tale. See it in the NEWSROOM.

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LIN: Ralph gets a physical. Usually no one is allowed to watch but reporters got an eyeful today at the Georgia aquarium where veterinarians have been examining a giant whale shark. Reynolds Wolf checking it out. Reynolds, actually, this isn't a common procedure on these whale sharks.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, this is not something you happen to see everyday. I mean, they have done this before. You have remember four sharks over there altogether, four whale sharks. You've got Allison, Trixie, you also have Norton. They've already been examined. But, today was Ralph's turn. It's was the very, very first time it's ever been done on camera.

Take a look at this video and we're going to show you how it went down First you see this big hammock type of thing. It picks the whale shark out of the water. They insert the IV. They get to work. And what they did, is they took a team of the 50 scientists, divers and, biologists and did several things. First and foremost, they got blood drawn from this whale. The skin is incredibly, incredibly thick, So it's hard to get that stuff out. They also examine under gill flaps and inside the whale shark's mouth to study the feeding mechanics. The whale sharks are also given a small amount of food with color coded indigestible beads to track feeding mechanics as well as digestive transit study. That's always a fun time.

(LAUGHTER)

LIN: It's called a colonoscopy. WOLF: And then they took some measurements to track the growth of these animals. But, my gosh, those are some big fish. It's a complex procedure. It's not like you have them out of the water, then you tell them to turn their head and cough. I mean, it's a big thing that they really have to do, no question about it.

LIN: Yes, and you don't want them coughing in your face, I'm sure. How do they get them to stay still?

WOLF: Well, what they use is, they use anesthesia. And the way they give it to the fish is really amazing. They've got two 300- gallon vats. They have something that's similar to a straw that goes right there from those two vats, you see them right there in the corner of the screen, that goes right into the whale shark's mouth and they tell him to take a sip. And he takes several sips and then he pretty much is knocked out.

LIN: They tell him to take a sip and he understands them?

WOLF: Well, they don't tell him, they kind of coax it to him. It must be pretty good because he doesn't complain or she doesn't complain. This, of course, being Ralph, so it is a he. And the thing that's interesting about it, they're very, very similar to human beings when they get up out of the anesthesia. When it wears off, they're very groggy. They're not really alert, just like we would be if we when the to the dentist office or had any other kind of medical procedure that would require you going under sedation.

So, once the procedure is finished, the couple of divers hop in the tank with Ralph and they kind of swim around with him, make sure everything is OK. And it was an amazing thing. Scientists are really hoping to learn quite a bit from this procedure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY DAVIS, GEORGIA AQUARIUM: What we've been able to do at Georgia Aquarium is take the experience of the team as well as the facilities that we put in place to start what we will call routine physicals on whale sharks -- something that has not been able to be done before.

Take a look at free-ranging wild animals, natural places, open ocean -- not seen that often. We're involved in research in some areas (INAUDIBLE). But, to be able to put your hands on them, draw blood, start analyzing the blood and understand those things, take a look at feeding mechanics and nutrition and a variety of things like that, all within this one little piece of a physical. It's been extraordinary. We've learned a lot already.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF: You know, if we had a way to give you the drum roll and then give you the follow-up, I certainly would do that. Here are the numbers -- Ralph has grown six feet and Norton seven feet since June of 2005. They both measure 22 feet in length. The females have also grown over a foot respectively. They're doing fine. Certainly good news from the aquarium.

LIN: Good eaters.

WOLF: Absolutely.

HARRIS: Nice story.

WOLF: Thanks.

LIN: All right, thanks Reynolds.

HARRIS: CNN NEWSROOM continues. Live coverage next hour. A lot to cover. A White House briefing, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld speaking at Kansas State University.

LIN: Oh yes. And of course, we're going to keep an eye on the race for the Senate in Virginia. We're going to be hearing from one of the candidates. That and more, after a quite break.

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