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American Morning
Virginia Senate Race; Power Play; Rumsfeld Resigns; World is Watching; Washington Flooding
Aired November 09, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A clean sweep. The Associated Press calls Virginia for James Webb, giving the Senate and the House to the Democrats.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A White House shakeup. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is out, the former CIA chief, Robert Gates, is nominated. We'll take a look at what it means for U.S. troops in Iraq.
M. O'BRIEN: And water world. Pounding rains and floods on both coasts. A look at the damage and the drier forecast on this AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: And good morning. Welcome. It's Thursday, November 9th. I'm Soledad O'Brien. M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.
S. O'BRIEN: A new era dawns in Washington, D.C., today. Here's what's new this morning.
With Democrat James Webb apparently winning in Virginia, the Democratic Party now controls both the Senate and the House. Within the hour, President Bush shares breakfast with outgoing Republican leaders of Congress and then he'll have lunch with the incoming Democratic leaders.
And questions this morning about the changing of the guard at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has resigned and the president has nominated a former CIA chief from his father's era to take over. We're going to talk with the counselor to the president, Dan Bartlett, about all those things this morning and especially what it means for the fight in Iraq.
We begin, though, this morning in Virginia. The Virginia Senate race where the Democrats' midterm election sweep might be complete. CNN's Ed Henry has more from Richmond this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the hotly contested Virginia Senate battle, Democrat Jim Webb has already declared victory. He did it in the wee hours of election night. But he's going to do so again today with a formal press conference at noon in northern Virginia where he'll say he believes it's finally over, that he has beaten Republican incumbent George Allen, giving the Democrats control of the U.S. Senate, as well as the House of Representatives. A source close to Senator Allen tells CNN that the state mandated review of the vote count, which currently shows Webb leading by about 7,000 votes, is moving much quicker than expected. Officials originally said it would take about a week.
But now the Allen camp admits it will be done today. And it's showing that there's really no fraud that would raise red flags and it's also showing that Senator Allen is not catching up to Webb. He's not putting a dent into that lead that the Democrat has.
So a senior Allen adviser tells CNN that it's starting to become insurmountable. That basically it's going to be extremely difficult for the senator to overcome this lead and that the senator will now have to take a "hard look at the numbers." The bottom line, according to this senior Allen adviser, is that the senator cares deeply about the commonwealth of Virginia and is not about to put it through a long ordeal, either through a recount or some sort of contested election.
Ed Henry, CNN, Richmond, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: The White House spending some time nursing its political wounds today while also reaching out to the newly emboldened Democrats. There's a lot of talk about bipartisanship right now, but there are also a lot of hatchets to bury. CNN's Dana Bash has more from Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The president said his party took a thumping and the House majority leader said they took a pounding. Thumping, pounding, no Republican is trying to sugar coat what happened to them on election night. And later this morning, they're going to try to sift through the wreckage at the White House, a breakfast meeting there, trying to figure out what went wrong and, more importantly, where to go from here, especially in the short term. There's a lame duck session for the next few weeks while Republicans will still have control of both houses of Congress.
Also later today, Nancy Pelosi, the woman who will be speaker, will go to the White House and have lunch with the president. Now, Nancy Pelosi has called Mr. Bush incompetent and dangerous. The president has said she is a secret admirer of tax increases and this lunch will be the first test of whether the two can work together as both have pledged to do.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: The election proved both parties could agree on one contentious issue, that it was time for the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, to go. And even before the dust settled on election '06, the president did just that, replacing his controversial Pentagon chief with Robert Gates, a former CIA boss during the first Bush administration. CNN's Jamie McIntyre with more from the Pentagon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Both Rumsfeld's defenders and his detractors agree that his departure from the scene is an opportunity for a fresh start regarding Iraq strategy. And the selection of Robert Gates, the former CIA director, would seem to signal that the White House may put more weight on the recommendations of the Iraq study group of which he's a member. That group is headed by former Secretary of State Jim Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton. And it is a bipartisan group that's trying to come up with a new strategy for the way ahead in Iraq.
Gates, having been a member of that committee, got briefings from U.S. commanders, so he's a little bit up to speed already and may have a handle on where the recommendations are going. The removal of Rumsfeld clears the way for a major course correction in Iraq if both Democrats and Republicans agree that's need. It's also smart politics. It removes an easy target for the Democrats and puts increasing pressure on them to agree to any new strategy employed in the months ahead.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: And the world is watching Washington now, looking for changes that a new defense secretary and a Democratically controlled Congress might bring to the war in Iraq. Two reports for you this morning. One from Christiane Amanpour, she's in London, with a look at the reaction in Europe, and also Aneesh Raman who's in Baghdad for us. Let's begin with Aneesh.
Good morning.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning.
For a lot of U.S. troops on the ground, this announcement came as a complete shock given how much pressure to resign Rumsfeld has so far withstood. Our own John Roberts is embedded with U.S. troops. He was telling us yesterday that they aren't eager to talk about, which isn't surprising, this issue on camera.
But off camera a lot of troops are saying that this could be a good thing. That Rumsfeld had become a distraction from the war in Iraq, a lightning rod of criticism and that this does give a chance for things to change. Everyone is entirely guessing at this point what will be the impact on the ground, what might change in day-to-day operations given both Rumsfeld's departure and the Democrats' control of Congress. And that's something that will have to be figured out in the days and weeks ahead.
But people that are being quite explicit today are Iraqis that went out and spoke to. For them, Rumsfeld has really come to embody everything that's gone wrong with this war. He is forever linked in their minds to the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal. On Iraqi TV, the farewell to Rumsfeld this morning in the report had a lot of pictures from Abu Ghraib, from that prisoner abuse scandal.
Here's a little bit of what they told me this morning at a coffee shop here in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. AL KELLY, U.S. ARMY, (through translator): We did not see anything good from him except wars. We do not want war. We hope the next one is better than him. We hope so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, (through translator): Of course, he caused us all the problems starting from Abu Ghraib incident and many other things like occupation that all Iraqi people are suffering from and killing in the streets. But this is all because of the U.S. government and not only this minister.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMAN: So hope, not a word you hear often, being talked about by Iraqis. But as you heard the second man say, really it's a bigger issue. It's Bush. It's not just Rumsfeld.
Perhaps the person that is most uncertain this morning is Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki. He is now dealing with a U.S. Congress run by Democrats who have been very vocal against him, criticizing him for not putting more pressure on Shia militias. He will undoubtedly face increased calls for that from Congress. And now he deals with the potential of a new U.S. strategy on the ground. So among the politicians, there is undoubtedly a great deal of uncertainty as they try and figure out what this new Washington means for the working relationship with Baghdad.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman in Baghdad for us this morning.
Aneesh, thanks.
In the U.K., Prime Minister Tony Blair is paying a heavy price for his loyalty to the Bush administration. He's already announced that he's not going to serve another term after his political party suffered in the elections there. CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is live from London this morning for us.
Christiane, good morning.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
And precisely because of what you just mentioned, that Iraq has also poisoned the prospects of Prime Minister Blair, there has been no official, no public comment at all from what is, in fact, President Bush's closest ally, especially on Iraq. Prime Minister Blair and the rest of the British government have been very quiet on the whole denuma (ph), the drubbing that the Republicans got on the election and also the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld. However, around the world, there are other leaders who are talking about it. For instance, John Howard, another close ally of the U.S. administration, the prime minister of Australia, has said that he believed that asking for Rumsfeld's resignation was "gesture politics." That it had to be done. That he understood that. But he also said that he liked Donald Rumsfeld personally, wished him well and that he felt that Rumsfeld was a tough bloke who would understand what need to be done.
Beyond that, world leaders from Iraq to Afghanistan, as Aneesh has mentioned in Iraq, and elsewhere, are looking for a positive change in course in U.S. foreign policy. They're hoping that not a whole lot will change in the broad U.S. foreign policy, but that a lot will change on the issues that have caused so much anxiety and so much problems around the world -- Iraq, Afghanistan. They're looking for some change, for instance, on the Israel/Palestine situation.
The headlines in the newspapers from England to France to Holland and elsewhere around Europe and around the world are full of not just what happened to Donald Rumsfeld but also what had happened in terms of the people of America voting yesterday. The "August (ph) Financial Times," which has always held a very steady course, has said that the Republicans deserve "a sound thrashing." And people look at what's going on in terms of foreign policy.
As I said, some of the key issues that are going to be needed, to be dealt with, and not only Iraq, and people are wondering what exactly can happen. There are no great options, but something must change. On Israel/Palestine, they need the U.S. administration to make a much more vigorous intervention there to deal with it, to put a peace process on track. Right now, as you know, there is nothing. And, of course, on the big issues, such as nuclear proliferation, Iran and North Korea and other key players in the world, they're hoping that a new U.S. diplomatic initiative could engage rather than isolate these key players around the world.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Christiane Amanpour is in London for us this morning.
Christiane, thanks.
You want to stay with AMERICAN MORNING all morning long. Later this hour, we're going to get the lowdown from a former Rumsfeld assistant, Ken Adelman. And then in the next hour, we'll talk live with one of the most critical voices of the Iraq War, Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania. Plus Dan Bartlett, counselor to President Bush, will also weigh in. All that right ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning in Iraq. There is word Saddam Hussein could hang as early as next month. Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, asked the world to respect the judicial will of his country. Saddam is appealing his death sentence for ordering the mass murder of hundreds of members of an Iraqi village.
In Gaza, a dramatic outpouring of grief this morning after what Palestinians as calling a massacre. Tens of thousands gathering for the funerals of 19 civilians, most of them women and children, killed in an Israeli artillery strike in Hanun (ph) yesterday. Hamas is calling for retaliation. Israel's defense minister ordering an investigation.
Disgraced evangelical leader Teg Haggard has agreed to begin spiritual restoration. The process involves counseling and confrontation from fellow church members and can take from three to five years. Haggard confessed to sexual immorality last week after allegations of sex and drug use with a male prostitute.
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a frightening accident. A school bus full of children goes right into a ditch. There are the pictures there. We'll tell you about this story.
Plus, severe flooding on both coasts. We'll take a look at the damage and the latest forecast with Chad, straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Some of our top stories this morning.
Bipartisanship on the menu today as the president lunches at the White House with Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat poised to become the new speaker of the House.
A turnaround on turnout. It turns out Democrats rousted more voters to the polls than Republicans. That hasn't happened since the midterm elections of 1990. That study coming from American University.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: This morning, parts of New Jersey are drying out after heavy storms dumped up to four inches of rain. The resulting floods overwhelmed streets and roads and some drivers took a chance and plowed through, like you can see some of these big trucks here. Some made it and then some didn't. Chad always predicts that. He says, don't do it.
Out west, Washington state residents getting a much needed break there after a three day drenching. People drying out now, assessing the damage before the next round comes through. CNN's Kareen Wynter live for us in Mt. Vernon, Washington, this morning.
Good morning, Kareen.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning to you.
We're about an hour north of Seattle here in the town of Mt. Vernon where volunteers built this wall of sandbags really to protect the city from the overflowing Skagit River to my left. Now the river has receded quite a bit from the levels this time yesterday, and that's because this region here got a welcome reprieve from the bad weather. But not for long. Another front is about to roll in and that's right around the corner.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER, (voice over): After three days of record rains, people in western Washington are beginning to survey the damage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's gone down. It was ugly there for awhile. There was actually a current coming through right over here. You could stand there and it would splash up against you, the current was coming through so fast. And it came up quick.
WYNTER: Storms pushed rivers over their banks, causing widespread flooding. Roads, bridges and homes were submerged. This house in Preston, Washington, now hangs over a raging river. The owner spent 10 years building his dream home and was just about ready to move in. Now, it's about to be swept away.
MIKE NICHOLS, HOMEOWNER: I was moving in and I guess I'm not now. But all the years of shopping with my wife and, you know, for all the light fixtures and the plumbing fixtures and picking colors out and doing this on my vacation time and all your spare time during the day and weekends, to see it all -- this happen to it, it's really hard to take.
WYNTER: In King County, Washington, there was flooding as far as the eye could see. The rising waters caught many off guard. Hundreds were stranded and had to be rescued by the Coast Guard and National Guard crews.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is crazy. I've never been through this before.
WYNTER: Authorities say as many as a thousand hunters rode out the storms in mountain campsites and right now have no way out. Washington's governor has issued emergency declarations in 18 counties.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We tried to just get as much valuables up off -- you know, to try to ease the pain of the homeowner because nothing's going to be more frustrating than to come home to this.
WYNTER: And this Pacific northwest storm is reportedly responsible for three deaths. Two here in Washington state and one in Oregon, Soledad. As for damage estimate, the county says it's way too early to tell and that's because some of those hard-hit areas are so devastated they can't get in to survey the damage just yet.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Which is not a good indicator at all of the future damage. All right, Kareen Wynter for us this morning. She's in Mt. Vernon in Washington state.
Thanks, Kareen.
Let's take you right to Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center.
Chad, it just sounds like those folks are going to have it really tough today.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, we're "Minding Your Business." A look at how Wall Street is reacting to the power shift in Washington.
And listen up, bucks and does, it's deer season and that means you should avoid becoming a target or visiting one for that matter. A surprise shopping trip ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning.
In North Carolina, 17 elementary school students recovering now from injuries they suffered when their school -- whoops, there goes my mic -- school bus plunged into a ditch. I'll continue on. Don't worry. After being hit by a car. Take a look at those pictures. The accident happened when an 18-wheeler and a car both tried to pass the bus at the same time. The car hit the truck and then it collided with the bus.
In Florida, investigators are trying to figure out why a truck was on the tracks. An Amtrak train heading to Miami barreled right into that truck and killed the driver. Seventy people were on the train. A couple of them were hurt, but they were just very minor injuries.
Could be so long San Francisco for the 49ers. "The San Francisco Chronicle" is reporting that the 9ers could be moving elsewhere in California. Possibly Santa Clara because the team couldn't agree with the city about a new stadium. The 49ers have been playing in San Francisco since 1946.
In Georgia, kind of a checkup for the world's largest fish. Vets at the Georgia Aquarium are giving Ralph the whale shark, and he is a fish, a complete work-up. They're checking his blood, they're measuring his growth. They're even looking into his mouth. He has 300 rows of teeth. Did you know that? He's just a baby. He's 14 feet long, could grow to 41 feet. You're up to speed on the whale shark this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: In Iowa, an unusual shopper in a Des Moines Target store. Take a look at this. Yes, that's an eight-point buck running right through an automatic door and then I guess the people who were shopping in the store said they were calm but the employees were crazed chasing that poor buck up and down the aisles.
M. O'BRIEN: Doesn't take the tiles very well, does he? Kind of slippery.
S. O'BRIEN: They said after about 20 minutes the deer went out kind of the way he came in, through an open door. Oh.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh. Apparently security was very upset because they knew he didn't have any doe.
S. O'BRIEN: That's so unnecessary. I think he was fine.
M. O'BRIEN: Actually that was necessary, wasn't it?
S. O'BRIEN: That horrible pun, no, it was not actually. No, it was not.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, the stock market, apparently loves gridlock, doesn't it?
ELLEN MCGIRT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It does. Gridlock is good.
M. O'BRIEN: Ellen McGirt is here for Andy Serwer on one of his final days.
MCGIRT: I know.
M. O'BRIEN: Ellen with "Fortune." Good to have you back with us.
MCGIRT: Thanks for having me.
Yes, gridlock seems to be good. Who knew. The Dow closed at another record high. It rose 20 points to 12 and change, which was absolutely terrific. Third session in a row. Shaking off worries about the electric. It was a rough start and, of course, with Rumsfeld's decision to step down around 1:00, the markets just took off and did really well.
M. O'BRIEN: The market like that, too, huh?
MCGIRT: Well, you know, uncertainty is not a friend to the market, and this seems like we're going in a new direction that we can understand. The futures are expected to open flat. And I think all the usual suspects, we're going to see defense and pharmaceutical stocks still being a little uncertain, but a lot of good news on the market today.
Unless you're UnitedHealth Group. They are still having some problems with their stock options (INAUDIBLE) today.
M. O'BRIEN: Still?
MCGIRT: They're the poster child for this. More than 200 companies have had to restate their options. It's a real disaster. Their problems are getting worse. There restate saying that they were going to have to restate their earnings back to 1994. It's going to cost significantly more than $286 million.
S. O'BRIEN: To '94?
MCGIRT: I know. It's really tough and, of course, CEO William McGuire is going to be gone. He's leaving the job by December 1st and he's going to lose about $200 million when he actually prices his stock options fairly as opposed to unfairly.
S. O'BRIEN: Of the -- how much was he getting, a billion something?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, he's not exactly on assistance, put it that way, government assistance.
Tell us about Martha.
MCGIRT: No, no, he'll be fine. He'll be fine, I'm sure.
But she's still paying for this alleged dustup with the lying about ImClone stock. This is actually a class action suit this time. She's paying about $5 million of what looks like it's going to be about a $30 million class action settlement. The rest can be paid for by her company and the insurers. But the hits just keep on coming for Martha.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much.
What's next?
MCGIRT: Merry Christmas.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, no.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, no.
MCGIRT: I've got some Christmas news for you.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, no.
MCGIRT: Oh, I know.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
MCGIRT: Ho, ho, ho.
M. O'BRIEN: Need to see in a little bit. All right, thank you.
MCGIRT: You're welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: Some stories we're watching for you this morning.
Virginia blue? So it seems. And that would mean the Democrats will win both houses of Congress. We'll get an update on the recount in the race between George Allen and Jim Webb.
And farming for fish? Does a bumper crop of carp sound like good eating? A look at what might be on your dinner plate ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Could be a knockout punch. The Associated Press is giving Virginia to Jim Webb, giving the Senate and the House to the Democrats.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Donald Rumsfeld resigns as defense secretary. A friend of the president nominated to replace him. We'll talk to Rumsfeld's former assistant about the shakeup and what it means for Iraq.
S. O'BRIEN: And fresh out of fish? The ocean could one day be out of seafood. But that might never affect your menu. We'll tell you why all on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And welcome back, everybody. It is Thursday, November 9th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being us with.
S. O'BRIEN: It looks like victory may be the word of the week for Democrats. Democrat Jim Webb, in fact, appears to have won the race for Virginia Senate over incumbent George Allen. And that means that Democrats now control both chambers of Congress. Let's get right to CNN's Ed Henry. He's live for us this morning at Webb campaign headquarters in Arlington.
Good morning to you, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
You know, Jim Webb in the wee hours of election night declared victory. He's going to do it once again today. He's going to have a press conference. He's going to say he believes it's over. In fact, he's been addressing himself as senator-elect. He's making preparations to have an office on Capitol Hill.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, the camp of Republican Senator George Allen is admitting that the state-mandated review of the vote count, which now stands with Webb having about a 7,000-vote lead, is going much faster than expected. Initially officials told us it could take up to a week. But the Allen camp is acknowledging it's going quickly in part because they're not finding any sort of widespread fraud. They're not finding anything at all to really change the vote count. And one senior Allen adviser told CNN that the bottom line is they're realizing that this is becoming a steeper and steeper mountain to climb and that Senator Allen is going to have to take a hard look at the numbers here today and onward and figure out exactly what he wants to do.
Democrats are pushing Allen to concede, because, as you noted, this race would put it over the top for the Democrats, would give them a clear majority in the Senate. Then they would control both chambers of House. We're not hearing about a concession from Allen just yet, but privately Allen advisers are admitting that the chances of a recount are dwindling by the hour -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry for us this morning.
Thanks, Ed.
And it's kind of out with the old, in with the new kind of a theme. In fact, President Bush's scheduled at the White House today, the president is having breakfast with the outgoing GOP leaders. Then he'll have lunch with some of the Democratic leaders who are taking over their seats, including Nancy Pelosi, who is expected to become speaker of the House. Maryland's Democratic congressman, Steny Hoyer, a candidate for majority leader, will also be at that lunch -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Former evangelical leader Ted haggard is agreeing to check himself in for a sort of religious rehab for the spiritually fallen. Those in the practice call it spiritual restoration.
What does that mean? AMERICAN MORNING'S Ali Velshi joins us now to explain -- Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not speaking from experience. I've just studied this.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks.
VELSHI: But it's no spa, I must say. We're heard from people that this restoration takes three to five years, and there's about a 50 percent dropout rate because, according to one pastor who runs these things, it's just too hard to take.
They include things like prayer, counseling, confessions, advice, confrontation. And what this particular person said is rebuke from godly men.
Now, we got this information from vice president of Focus on the Family, which is a Christian -- conservative Christian ministry also in Colorado Springs, which is where Ted Haggard was from.
Now, he -- the founder of Focus on the Family, you know, James Dobson, a well-known person and conservative Christian, has -- he was one of the people who was appointed or chosen to lead Ted Haggard's restoration. He's actually already quit, and it hasn't started. He said...
M. O'BRIEN: No reason given or...
VELSHI: Well, he said that, "I wanted to be of help, but the reality is I don't have the time to devote to such a critical responsibility." We have heard that this thing could take -- you know, could go there several times a month, six times a month, could be years.
M. O'BRIEN: But where does this happen? Is there like a Quantico for spiritual rehabilitation?
VELSHI: You know, we don't have details on where it happens, but apparently these people get together, these people who are overseeing the restoration get together with Haggard, and they will talk to him, they will work through it, they'll counsel him.
There doesn't seem to be -- I don't know if there's a professional element to this, because there's two things that Haggard admitted to. One is being deceitful, and the other one is he referred to his -- the allegations of the drug use and other things as "dirt" and things in his life. So who knows whether he's dealing with that.
M. O'BRIEN: And does this ultimately get him in a position where he could go back and preach to a flock? Do we know?
VELSHI: Well, a lesser-known pastor in Pennsylvania who had an affair with a woman took about a year of this restoration process and was back with his flock after about a year. Apparently things are going fine with his wife. So who knows.
This is -- you know, in the evangelical movement it would be fantastic for the movement if -- if they could see that Ted Haggard had gone through some restoration, was actually saved and returned. Delia Gallagher has spoken many times on the fact that that's something that they talk about, this faith and forgiveness.
M. O'BRIEN: Right. So what do they just say, drop and give me 20 'Our fathers' or something?
VELSHI: I don't know what the penance is going to be fore that, but it does sound like it might be pretty rigorous.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Ali. Thank you very much. See you in a little bit.
VELSHI: OK.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Dire predictions to tell you about from a new study that shows that the oceans could be out of fish over the next 40 years. Before you start hoarding fish in your house -- it doesn't last -- you want to consider this, of course. We already get much of our fish state side.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho is live at a supermarket in New York with the story for us.
Good morning.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Soledad. Good morning to you.
I think a lot of us naturally assume that when we come to the grocery store the fish we buy comes from the ocean. Well, that's not necessarily the case. More and more these days the fish we buy, the fish we eat comes from a farm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHO (voice over): Today's catch comes from the ocean, but tomorrow's may not. A new study in the journal "Science" warns oceans around the world are rapidly running out of fish. The culprit, over- fishing.
DR. BORIS WORM, MARINE BIOLOGIST: Eventually, we're going to run out of species quite literally. And this could happen within our lifetime.
CHO: What some people may not know is that half the fish we eat doesn't come from the ocean, but from an actual farm. Fish farms.
VERN MANCINI, MUSKY TROUT FARM: You know, they're a beautiful fish.
CHO: Vern Mancini raises and sells 250,000 trout a year, fish that make it to grocery stores, restaurants and your dinner table. This booming business is called aqua culture.
MANCINI: The ocean fish are going down and down and down, and to supplement that, you've got to have farm fish. And this is where everything starts, right here.
CHO: There are 44,000 eggs in this tray alone. Once the eggs hatch, they're moved to holding tanks, where in less than two years they become full-grown fish ready to be sold...
CHRISTINE GUZZINO, EXECUTIVE CHEF: And then I get into the cooler.
CHO: ... to customers like executive chef Christine Guzzino.
GUZZINO: I come here, I pick out my fish, and I bring it back. It's alive, and it's just -- it's as fresh as it gets.
CHO: It's also accessible. The price is right, about half the cost of wild fish. And she likes the taste. So do customers.
ARIE VAN WINDERGARDEN, DINER: Oh, that looks good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. This is the trout here.
VAN WINDERGARDEN: It's controlled. You don't have to worry about pollution. Everything is controlled on the farm, so it's inspected. It tastes great.
CHO: But is it good for you? Most species are considered safe, with the exception of salmon. Some studies have shown farm-raised salmon have more potentially cancer-causing chemicals than wild salmon. Still, experts say the benefits of eating fish, farmed or not, far outweigh the risk.
LISA DRAYER, REGISTERED DIETICIAN: Salmon is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which have heart-protected (ph) benefits.
CHO: That's good news for Vern Mancini and helps his bottom line.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Now some advice for consumers. Farmed fish, as I mentioned in the piece, is generally cheaper. And most of the people we spoke to said in terms of taste they can't tell the difference.
Now, if you are concerned about toxins or pollutants in your farm-raised fish, there are some things you can do. Nutritionists tell us, when you bring the fish home, take the skin off, remove all visible fat, and either bake or broil the fish. That will certainly help.
And this is stuff you should know, because farm-raised fish is so popular these days, Soledad, that I would venture to guess you have probably have had it many, many times without even knowing it.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, how would you know? I mean, sometimes at a restaurant you can ask, or they even put it on the menu, but is there any way to really tell?
CHO: Well, there is in terms of salmon. First, in terms of going to a restaurant, the chef we spoke to said, unless it says "wild" on the menu, it's a safe bet that the fish that you're getting is going to be farm-raised.
Now, take a look behind me, because you can see right here, the salmon right here is wild or fresh. It will be marked generally, or you can ask. The color is darker.
If you look over here, the salmon is much lighter. That's because it's artificially colored, and that is farm-raised. And in terms of price, Soledad, wild fish is double. Here, as a matter of fact, it's $16.99 a pound. The farm-raised fish, $8.99 a pound.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow, that's a big difference. All right.
CHO: Yes, it is.
S. O'BRIEN: Alina Cho for us this morning.
Thanks, Alina -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, more on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. Will his replacement make a difference in Iraq? We'll talk to a Rumsfeld friend who also happens to be a critic.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's too early to say what historians will say about Donald Rumsfeld, but it is safe to say he will be a Pentagon boss who will not be forgotten. How will he be remembered, as a visionary or a failure? Ken Adelman started working with Rumsfeld 30 years ago, helped him shape U.S. policy in Iraq. He joins us from Washington.
Mr. Adelman, good to have you with us.
KEN ADELMAN, FMR. ASSISTANT TO DEFENSE SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Thank you, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: In an upcoming "Vanity Fair" article -- it still hasn't hit the newsstands, but there are excerpts out there -- you have described the entire national security team, with Rumsfeld as a part of it, as "deadly dysfunctional."
What did you mean by that?
ADELMAN: Well, what I meant by that, that they just didn't get along in an effective way. That each of them was very patriotic, very intelligent and all, but with Colin Powell at state and Condi Rice at the National Security Council, and Don Rumsfeld at the Pentagon, somehow it just didn't gel. And the result was a mess in Iraq.
M. O'BRIEN: So it was an all-star team that just didn't gel?
ADELMAN: It was a dream team in national security, and many of us thought it was just wonderful, it was going to be the most competent team since Harry Truman's team in the post-war era. And we were all excited about what they were trying to do, which was remake the Middle East into a regime with -- into an area with regimes, with governments that really represented their people, that worked for their people, that cared about their people, instead of repressed their people and brutalized their people.
And we were excited about it, and Rumsfeld was going to be, because of his performance, because of his dedication, because of his intelligence, and because of his wonderful decency, was going to be a real leader in effort.
M. O'BRIEN: So what happened? What was Rumsfeld's biggest mistake?
ADELMAN: Well, I think what happened was you had somebody who is very, very dedicated and wonderful. I worked for him three times in my life starting in 1970, and I thought the world of him and think the world of him, to tell you the truth. He's been wonderful to me. He's been wonderful to my family and my daughters. I just think he's a wonderful person.
I think he got into a situation there in the administration where they just didn't -- couldn't work along well with each other.
M. O'BRIEN: So who is responsible...
ADELMAN: And they didn't plan out what was going to happen in a sufficient way.
M. O'BRIEN: Whose responsibility is that to make that team work? Is that the president?
ADELMAN: Well, ultimately, the president, yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. So do you fault the president in this?
ADELMAN: Miles, we have a president with an MBA degree, a masters of business administration from Harvard, and I think the flaws of this administration are not going to be concepts, they're not going to be ideas, and certainly not going to be goals. I think they're wonderful, but they're going to be MBA-like things that are going to be execution. It's going to be planning, it's going to be holding people accountable.
And the day that broke my heart in this administration was the day that the president gave the Medal of Freedom, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award to civilians, to Jerry Bremer, to Tommy Franks and to George Tenet, three, I think, of the architects of the failure of the Iraq policy.
M. O'BRIEN: So you think the president has failed as a manager?
ADELMAN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about his successor, Robert Gates. Would he have been your first choice, or did you have somebody else on your short list?
ADELMAN: I think Bob Gates is a wonderful person. I worked with him in several administrations, and he's smart. He is well respected across the board, and he brings a lot of assets.
It's a very tough thing to come into a job like that at a time like this, to tell you the truth. And, you know, I wish him well.
M. O'BRIEN: So he is the right man at the right time then? Do you think?
ADELMAN: Yes, I would say very much so. And I hope he gets confirmed quickly and he looks at the alternatives. And Iraq really, really needs to be addressed in a new fashion, because we are not winning there, and the situation -- the stakes are very, very critical.
M. O'BRIEN: So what would you do? What would you do right now if you had this job?
ADELMAN: Well, I think that you have to look at the military application right now. The fact is that we are not stopping the sectarian violence in any effective way. We are -- the government is not being built up very well. And the whole idea of taking a territory and holding it, and the building on, kind of capture hold and build territory -- strategy was a very good strategy.
And somehow it got all confused with the rotations that are all too regular and all too soon in Iraq. It got all too confused with just the bureaucratic necessities of the Army, the Marine Corps and others. And the strategy just did not apply in an effective way.
M. O'BRIEN: Ken Adelman, thanks for your time.
ADELMAN: You're welcome, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Stay with AMERICAN MORNING all morning long.
Coming up next hour, we'll talk with one of the most critical voices of the Iraq war and the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Congressman John Murtha will be our guest.
And we'll also talk to the counselor to the president, Dan Bartlett, about this shift in strategy -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: It is 45 minutes past the hour. And if you're about to head out the door, you'll want to first listen to what Chad Myers has to tell you about the traveler's forecast.
Good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Stories we're following for you this morning.
A political crisis in Lebanon. Leaders in Beirut are trying to make sure the power struggle doesn't spill into the streets.
And is this car the answer to global warming and high oil prices? We'll take a look straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Welcome back to the program. Let's check out the news grid, look at some of the things we're following for you today.
Incoming 85, that is Kareen Wynter's live shot location. You just heard from her. She's in Mount Vernon, Washington. Those are sandbags. We have a flooding problem there.
Today should be a relatively good day and opportunity to clean up and assess. More rain expected over the weekend.
Take a look at incoming 16. That's the space shuttle Discovery making its way from the huge vehicle assembly building to launch pad 39 complex out there at the Kennedy Space Center, moving at about a half a mile an hour. It takes about six hours to make the three-mile journey.
We're watching that. The shuttle's slated for launch December 7th.
Incoming 301, the president is having a couple of important meals today, breakfast with Republicans to talk about their defeat, and lunch with the speaker-to-be -- or speaker-in-waiting, I guess, Nancy Pelosi. A little bit of -- some soup, salad and bipartisanship on the menu there.
Let's take a look up at APTN there. This is tape which came in just a short time ago from Gaza. Tens of thousands turning out for a funeral there. Nineteen civilians, many women and children, killed in an artillery barrage by Israeli defense forces. The Israelis launching an investigation. Hamas, you see their yellow flags there, demanding some sort of retaliation.
Then look at Pipeline. You know what today is. It's Thursday.
Just looking at the Pipeline main product there. Right now nothing there. They're giving you -- oh, there's a little slate there talking about Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats and their lunch that is slated for today.
Pipeline is, on Thursday, Miles Cam Day. And today we'll talk about the election. So we'll tell you a little bit more about how to send us questions later -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look now at stories that CNN correspondents around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: I'm Robin Oakley reporting from London.
Across Europe, few tears are being wept for the departed Donald Rumsfeld. Most Europeans believed him when he said, "I don't do diplomacy," and France and Germany never forgave him for sneering that they represented an old irrelevant old Europe. And while most Europeans would welcome a change of direction in Iraq, if that's what Mr. Rumsfeld's departure signals, few are holding their breath.
The biggest worries are in Britain, where Tony Blair has promised to stay the course in Iraq and could be left high and dry by any dramatic switch in U.S. policy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: I'm Brent Sadler in Beirut, where the aftershocks of the recent Israel-Hezbollah war have triggered a new political battle here among Lebanon's warring factions. Downtown has been paralyzed by a cordon of tight security as the country's top politicians face off in crisis talks over the balance of power, pitting Hezbollah and pro-Syrian allies against the U.S.-backed western-leaning government.
If negotiations fail, they warn, it could lead to chaotic and possibly violent reactions on the street.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) EUNICE YOON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Eunice Yoon in Hong Kong.
American manufacturer General Motors wowed the Chinese with its new hydrogen concept car. The car runs on hydrogen and fuel cells instead of gasoline. And the only emission, water vapor.
With oil prices so high, manufacturers like GM are investing heavily in new ways to power vehicles, even in emerging economies like China, GM's second largest national market behind the United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: For more on these or any of our top stories, log on to our Web site at CNN.com.
M. O'BRIEN: Top stories straight ahead.
Plus, we're "Minding Your Business". Wal-Mart decks the halls. Find out why the retailer says this year it's putting Christmas back into the holidays.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING begins right now.
S. O'BRIEN: It's a clean sweep The Associated Press says in Virginia for James Webb. And that gives the Democrats control of the House and the Senate.
M. O'BRIEN: A White House shakeup. The defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, resigns. Now the focus is on Robert Gates, the former CIA chief nominated to replace him.
S. O'BRIEN: And a washout. Pounding rain floods cities on both coasts. We'll take a look at the damage and the forecast straight ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome, everybody. It is Thursday, November 9th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us.
S. O'BRIEN: The wins keep coming for the Democrats. Here's what's new this morning.
With Democrat James Webb apparently winning in Virginia, the Democratic Party now controls both the Senate and the House. The first time that's happened in 12 years. At this hour, President Bush is sharing breakfast with outgoing Republican leaders of Congress. Then he's going to have lunch with the incoming Democratic leaders.
We're monitoring the White House for you this morning.
And there are some questions about the changing of the guard at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is out. The president's nominated a former CIA chief from his father's era to take over.
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