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American Morning

Bush Urges Quick Senate Confirmation of Gates Due To Wartime Urgency

Aired December 05, 2006 - 07:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Hearings this morning for Defense Secretary Nominee Robert Gates. He'll face tough questions about America's future in Iraq.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Ready or not? A closer look at the Iraqi military and when it might be ready to fully take over for American troops.

M. O'BRIEN: On the move: That e. Coli outbreak infecting more people and more Taco Bells in the Northeast.

S. O'BRIEN: Fire fight: Residents are hoping to catch a break in the wind so firefighters can finally get the wildfire inferno under control. We've got the forecast and more, straight ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Welcome back everybody. It's Tuesday, December 05. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin this morning with Iraq and the search for new players to help the Bush administration steer a new course in the war. Defense secretary nominee Robert Gates is heading to a meeting with the president at the White House right now. CNN will cover Gates' confirmation hearing live. That begins at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

President also needs a new U.N. ambassador to replace the resigning temporary Ambassador John Bolton.

And the Iraq study group makes it recommendations to the president. We're expecting that tomorrow. Then on Thursday, the administration's closest ally in the war, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is going to pay a visit to the White House.

The urgency for change is underscored by the violence, three car bombs, and a bus attack, in Baghdad today. At least 29 people have been killed. We have all of that covered, CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House for us. Andrea Koppel is at the Gates hearing room, on Capitol Hill. Ben Wedeman is in Baghdad. Let's begin at the White House with Suzanne.

Good morning to you, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning, Soledad.

Well we expect that in about 55 minutes, or so, President Bush is going to be speaking. He is meeting with Robert Gates in the Diplomatic Reception Room, here at the White House. A very brief meeting the two are going to have. He certainly hopes to accomplish three things here before he sends him off to the Hill.

First, simply to bolster his candidate, to talk about his credibility, to laud his credentials. But secondly, he also wants to emphasize that during this time of war, time is of the essence. That it is important to confirm this nominee as quickly as possible because of the important position that he is up for. And third, he is going to warn, perhaps even admonish, the members of the Senate to move forward on this.

The Bush administration and the president, in particular, still really reeling over the failure of getting through his ambassador, the U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, through the process -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Let me ask you a question about the big news of yesterday, which, of course, was a meeting between President Bush and the Shiite leader al-Hakim. How did that go? What was accomplished there?

MALVEAUX: President Bush heard what he wanted to hear, that essentially Hakim, who is a very, very powerful Shiite leader, inside Iraq said, look, the Iraqi problems have to be solved by the Iraqis. He also said something else that was important too. He said he doesn't want these kind of regional players to play a very significant role in Iraq. He was very much eluding to Iran, and Iran's role. A very big concern over whether or not Iran has too much power in terms of the sectarian violence and as well, over Hakim, himself. So those were two things the Bush administration was very pleased to hear, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House this morning. Thanks, Suzanne.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Robert Gates is familiar with the nomination process. CNN's Andrea Koppel will be inside the hearing room where Gates will be sworn in, around 9:30 Eastern this morning. Here's her report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING (voice over): Forget the suspense. If you want to know why Robert Gates is a likely shoo-in to become the next secretary of Defense, just listen to one of the Bush administration's biggest critics.

SEN. JOHN KERRY, (D-MA): We need a secretary of Defense. We don't need a big fight here.

KOPPEL: The only fight Gates and West Virginia's Robert Byrd shouted about was a hypothetical face off in college football.

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE: Happily, the University of West Virginia does not play Texas A&M University.

KOPPEL: So as Gates, the most recently the president of Texas A&M, made his final congressional courtesy calls, the question wasn't if he'd be confirmed as secretary of Defense, but what he'll do about Iraq once he gets the job.

SEN. JOHN CORNYN, (R-TX) ARMED SVCS. CMTE.: I think he will say, as he has to this point, that he believes that a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq would be -- would not be in the best interest of the United States or of the region.

KOPPEL: The incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee wants to know if Gates is ready to challenge administration policy.

SEN. CARL LEVIN, (D-MI) ARMED SVCS. CMTE: Is he willing to speak truth to power? Is he willing to tell the president what the president might not want to hear? That's not been the case too often with this administration.

KOPPEL: One of the worst offender, suggests Levin, is the current Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. While Republican Susan Collins wondered why when Rumsfeld told Bush last month a major adjustment was needed in Iraq, he hadn't told Congress?

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS, (R-ME), ARMED SVCS. CMTE.: I found the memo to be inconsistent with very recent testimony and statements by the secretary of Defense.

KOPPEL: In 1987, some senators didn't buy that testimony and statements of then Deputy CIA Director Robert Gates about his knowledge of the Iran-Contra scandal. But now senators say there are more important questions to grill Gates on.

SEN. EVAN BAYH, (D-IN), ARMED SVCS. CMTE.: I'm more concerned about his views going forward than I am what happened 20 years ago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: That was Andrea Koppel reporting. We'll hear more from her a little bit later. CNN live coverage of the Gates confirmation hearing begins 9:30 Eastern this morning. CNN Pipeline, planning gavel-to-gavel coverage of the proceedings at CNN.com/pipeline. And happy anniversary, Pipeline -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: In Iraq today more deadly violence to tell you about as three car bombs ripped through a Baghdad neighborhood. At least 14 people were killed, another 25 were hurt. Earlier in the day, gunmen in northern Baghdad opened fire on a bus, killing 15 people there.

As the violence rages on, are Iraqi troops anywhere near ready to take responsibility for the country's security? CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Baghdad for us. Good morning to you, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning, Soledad.

The short answer to that question is, no. They are not ready. And no one here is actually contemplating any sort of immediate or sudden transfer of responsibility for security from coalition forces to the Iraqi police and the army.

So far the army and the police have been trained by the United States, partially equipped by them. The U.S. has spent up to $10 billion since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, in April 2003, training these people. However, there are problems. Problems, such as infiltration of the police and the military by the insurgents, by militias, among the police, there's lots of corruption.

At this point, nobody pretends that either the police or the army would be able to bring the situation under control. Given the ethnic divisions within Iraq, with Shiites, Kurds, Sunnis, Muslims at one another's throats in some cases, it's going to be hard to bring -- to create some sort a complete and self-sustaining security establishment at the moment.

What they're talking about -- what we're hearing that will come out of the Iraq study group is that it will till take several years before Iraq's security forces can actually bring this place under control -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: How do they deal with those problems? You mentioned a bunch of them, infiltration, corruption, soldiers who go on leave and just don't ever come back, the ethnic fighting within the armed forces, itself. What's the plan for fixing those massive problems?

WEDEMAN: Well, the plan is more money, more U.S. troops, possibly, in the short term to help them establish better security environment. And also to really accelerate on the training, training Iraqi forces to do the job right.

But I've read studies by some military analysts who say the real problem isn't necessarily with the police or the army, it's with the government itself. It is so divided along sectarian and party lines. Each individual ministry, basically a little kingdom run by one sect, or the other, or one party or the other, that there's no real consolidated political leadership to provide guidance to the military and police -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ben Wedeman in Baghdad for us this morning. Thank you, Ben.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Happening in America, that e. Coli outbreak linked to Taco Bell is now spreading. On New York's Long Island, eight Taco Bell restaurants are closed now; 14 people are sick. Two had recently eaten at a Taco Bell. New Jersey is still dealing with an e. Coli outbreak there. At least one Taco Bell involved in that, 25 people reported sick there.

In Oregon, three members of a San Francisco family missing for more than a week are now safe. Rescuers spotted the mother with her four-year-old daughter and baby stranded on a snowy road, in Josephine County. They're in good condition. Rescuers are now searching for the father, who set out for help a few days ago.

Firefighters are expected to contain that wildfire, just north of Los Angeles later today. Five homes destroyed more than 13,000 acres scorched by flames driven by winds up to 70 miles an hour. Officials don't yet know the cause.

Brooklyn, New York: A 64-year-old woman OK this morning after being swallowed up by a sink hole. Check this out. She fell five feet into a hole in the sidewalk, seen there. The homeowner says it looks like the foundation, under the sidewalk, washed away.

Another try to today to free the Intrepid from the Hudson River mud. About a month ago, as you look at live pictures, crews tried to move the floating museum from it's Manhattan berth to New Jersey for some sprucing up. But they couldn't budge it from the mud that's just built up there over 20-plus years. Now after dredging out significant amounts of the muck, they hope to pull it free today. They are waiting for high tide, I think.

S. O'BRIEN: That will help.

M. O'BRIEN: Anything the can get.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm not convinced it's going to happen today, but they've been promising it will. So our fingers are crossed for them.

Coming up this morning. We'll take a quick look at the morning forecast. Chad has that, of course.

And who should replace John Bolton, as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.? We'll talk to one of the men mentioned as a possible replacement. Straight ahead, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Top stories we're following for you this morning: In Fiji, it's been a successful coup by the military commanders -- overthrew the government, the prime minister is now under house arrest.

Thousands of residents in the Midwest who lost electricity in last week's snowstorm may not get heat or the lights back on for several days.

It's 13 minutes past the hour. Let's check in with Chad. Those poor folks, Chad, still without heat, electricity. It's cold there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: President Bush is none too happy about it, but he nevertheless accepted the resignation of his ambassador to the United Nation, John Bolton. Bolton went into the U.N. like a lion. And as he leaves his former counterparts are offering an assessment of his tenure that is, well, shall we say, diplomatic. Here's CNN's Richard Roth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: (voice over): John Bolton counted chads for then presidential candidate George Bush in the Florida election deadlock. Six years later Bolton resigned, aware the votes were there for him in the U.S. Congress to gain approval of a second term at the U.N.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I received the resignation of Ambassador John Bolton. I accept it. I'm not happy about it. I think he deserved to be confirmed, the reason why I think he deserved to be confirmed is because I know he did a fabulous job for the country.

ROTH: Bolton's reputation preceded him at the U.N. Few forgot an old quote, where Bolton questioned the usefulness of the organization and said you could take 10 floors off the building and nothing would be lost. Bolton's relationship with Kofi Annan was chilly. Twice Bolton demanded public apologies from Annan's deputy who had criticized American foreign policy. Bolton's blunt style rankled the U.N.'s top diplomat.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I think it's difficult to blame one individual ambassador, for difficulties on some of these issues, whether it's reform or some other issues. But I think what I have always maintained, that it is important that the ambassadors work together, and the ambassadors must understand that to get concessions they have to make concessions. And they need to work with each other, for the organization to move ahead.

ROTH: But Bolton drew praise from Security Council ambassadors for his tenacious efforts to forge resolutions during crisis, such as the North Korean nuclear test.

KENZO OSHIMA, JAPANESE AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: It is, to me, really disappointing to see Ambassador John Bolton go. He's been an exceptionally skillful diplomat at the United Nations.

ROTH: One diplomat said Bolton changed during his U.N. tenure, becoming more pleasant. Personalities aside, Bolton was seen as an effective envoy for his country.

WANG GUANGYA, CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Sometimes we differ, but certainly I think I can work together with him. He knows the job.

YAHYA MAHMASSANI, ARAB LEAGUE AMB. TO U.N.: Well, you know, an ambassador is an ambassador. He is not a state. He is not a member state, he represents a member state, and as such, he follows instructions.

ROTH (on camera): Soon after appointing Bolton, President Bush came to the U.N., jokingly asked, has he blown the place up yet? After news of the resignation, one U.N. diplomat said John Bolton has come and gone, and the 10 floors are still there. Richard Roth, CNN, the United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Former Majority Leader George Mitchell joins us now with more.

Good to have you with us this morning.

GEORGE MITCHELL (D), FMR. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Thanks, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Bolton is out. Are you in?

(LAUGHTER)

MITCHELL: No, no, I don't think so.

M. O'BRIEN: You're on a short list, though.

MITCHELL: It's got to be a pretty long list if I'm on it. I think the president will appoint somebody who is a member of his party. Probably closer to his policies. And there are quite a few of them. A lot of former senators, a lot of good public officials.

M. O'BRIEN: Want to name some names?

MITCHELL: Well, there are several senators, Senator Allen of Virginia, Senator DeWine of Ohio, Senator Talent of Kansas, that's just a few -- Nick Burns, who has been the number two guy in the State Department. He's a very able guy. I've known him for many years. Former Ambassador Khalilzad, who is --.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, that name keeps coming up. Lincoln Chafee, perhaps.

MITCHELL: Yes, yes. But I think Chafee has been -- as much in opposition to the president as many Democrats.

M. O'BRIEN: Right.

MITCHELL: But I think Khalilzad is a very good man.

M. O'BRIEN: At the time he was nominated, you were very critical of Mr. Bolton.

MITCHELL: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Was there anything about his tenure that changed your mind about him?

MITCHELL: He was in a tough spot, let's face it. He went there just as U.S. standing was declining, based upon Iraq the bashing of the U.N. that had gone on, by members of the administration prior to that. I think you can say that he was energetic, pursued the policies of the administration vigorously. And I really don't think there's benefit piling on the poor guy now.

M. O'BRIEN: So he did a good job?

MITCHELL: I think under the circumstances, yes. Although, I think it was a mistake from the outset.

M. O'BRIEN: What about the whole notion of making it a change at this point in the administration with two years left to go. So many critical issues. Would it be better, in this case, for the Senate to allow this nomination to go forward?

MITCHELL: No, I don't think so. It was never in the cards. I think it's been clear right from the outset that he would not be confirmed. I think it was a mistake for the administration to pursue it in the way that it has. There are plenty of other good people, several of whom we've named, who can pursue the president's policies vigorously and effectively.

M. O'BRIEN: I'm going to shift gears here, a little bit, because you've been involved in so many peace-making efforts over the years, in the Middle East, in Northern Ireland. We're going to hear, at long last, from the Baker-Hamilton group, the Iraq study group. It will be interesting to see what they have to offer. We've heard a lot of leaks.

I'm curious what you think? Let's take aside the military component. What should be done, diplomatically, that isn't being done? We've heard a lot about Iran and Syria, but are there other specific ideas you'd like to put on the table?

MITCHELL: I think it's a mistake to think of Iran and Syria in isolation. I think they have to be part of a regional effort. They must be included, but you're not going to solve the problem there, by calling upon them. Neither has any real incentive. Certainly not Iran, to help us in any way and they're a big part of the problem.

Syria does have an incentive. We had better be very careful on that, not to surrender Lebanon to them in exchange for getting their help. But a broader regional conference -- I think the other thing we should be doing is to recognize what the administration, I think, has not. That is the central problem in the Middle East is the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It's never been Iraq.

Even if Iraq went beautifully and we got great results, such as the president, secretary of Defense suggested three years ago, there'd not be stability in the region. I think a refocus on a regional effort -- and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, could yield results, even though it's obviously very difficult.

M. O'BRIEN: Those are a lot of hard issues to handle at once, aren't they?

MITCHELL: Very tough, very tough. There's no doubt about it. But they don't get any better by ignoring them. That's clearly been the case, over the past three years, as the administration has focused everything, resources, attention, manpower on Iraq , to the exclusion of the other problems in the area, you see the result. It's a real mess in Iraq and the other problems have gotten worse.

M. O'BRIEN: George Mitchell, thanks for you time.

MITCHELL: Thanks, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Straight ahead this morning, take a closer look at Pfizer's decision to pull the plug on a promising cholesterol drug after pouring billions of dollars into research. Ali Velshi will take a look at how Wall Street is reacting this morning.

And everything you need to know before you get to the airport, in our special holiday travel guide. That's straight ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Merger mania helps the stock market get over the Pfizer blues. Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Hey, Ali. Good morning.

ALI VELSHI, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Soledad, good morning.

Yesterday morning we told you about a deal between the Bank of New York and Mellon Financial of Pittsburgh. It was $16.5 billion deal. And it was just indicative of the kind of year we're having.

As a result of the merger, the problems with Pfizer that we told you about -- we had been reporting about how Pfizer pulled back on a cholesterol drug that was going to cost them a lot of money. Even despite the loss in Pfizer, a 10 percent drop in Pfizer, the Dow actually closed almost 90 points higher yesterday, to 12,283. That's because the bad news at Pfizer seemed to be limited to Pfizer.

It seemed to be a company-specific matter, whereas merger and acquisition activity generally shows confidence in the economy, confidence in business. Companies buying other businesses mean they think that business is OK.

Now, the interesting thing here, again, yesterday oil was down about 99 cents to $62.44 a barrel.

But let's talk about merger and activity (sic) stuff for a second. There was this Mellon and Bank of New York deal, $16.5 billion. When you add up where we are this year alone, we're at $1.4 trillion in merger activity. In 2000, that it was the biggest year in history for merger activity, it was $1.5 trillion. Now, we've still got all of December to go. There's some chance that this year will be a record year for merger activity.

And this isn't just a U.S. thing. Worldwide mergers, this year, are going to be about $3.6 trillion. That is fundamentally one of the best ways to measure how the smart money, if you will, Soledad, thinks the economy of the world is doing.

When things are looking bad, when it looks like people will stop buying, and stop spending and stop expanding, companies don't buy other companies, typically. There are some reasons that they do, but typically they don't. So when you see this kind of health in mergers and activities (sic), it's a good signal to the rest of us, working stiffs, that a lot of people think the economy is OK, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: A little good news from Ali this morning.

VELSHI: Yeah.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.

We have to look at out top stories, coming up. Defense Secretary Nominee Robert Gates is heading to the White House, as we speak, in fact. Then he's going to head to Capitol Hill. How could his CIA past come back to haunt him? Today, we'll take a look at that.

More cases of e. Coli infection in the Northeast. More Taco Bells closed. We have the latest on the investigation, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Hearing today, confirmation hearings this morning for Defense Secretary Nominee Robert Gates. He's going to face tough questions on Iraq. First, he's got a meeting with the president this hour.

M. O'BRIEN: That e. Coli outbreak bigger than we first thought. More people sick and more Taco Bells are closed in the Northeast this morning.

S. O'BRIEN: Burnout, firefighters are starting to contain the wildfire in southern California. Could the weather trigger some new flare-ups today? We'll take a look.

M. O'BRIEN: And we begin our holiday travel survival guide today. Important tips to make your next trip to the airport a bit smoother on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning. It's Tuesday, December 5. I'm Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.

(NEWSBREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: And in about two hours, Robert Gates will be on Capitol Hill, as we just mentioned. Let's get right to CNN's Andrea Koppel. She's live inside the hearing room with a little preview for us.

Hey, Andrea. Good morning.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning to you, Soledad. Well, 15 years ago, when Robert Gates sat a witness table similar to this one, he endured a grueling 10-day confirmation process. Today's won't be anything like that. It's expected to last just for a day. He could be confirmed, or at least on the Senate floor voting on this, as soon as tomorrow. The reason why, according to a Republican leadership aid that I spoke with last night, he said the operative phrase is anyone but Rumsfeld. They want to get Rumsfeld out as quickly as possible and they want to get Gates in as soon as possible. And so for that reason, you're going to see the questioning among the 13 Republicans and 11 Democrats who sit in these seats behind me focus on Iraq. They want to get inside Gates' head. They want him to lay out his vision as to how he is going to resolve the biggest military crisis facing the U.S. today in Iraq -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Andrea Koppel for us with a little bit of a preview. Thank you, Andrea -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: As Andrea just said, Senators will, no doubt, ask Gates some questions about his past in the CIA, but all indications are they're much more concerned about their future in Iraq.

Our chief national correspondent John King live from Washington with more.

Good morning, John.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATL. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles.

That's one of the interesting things about the Gates' nomination. We expect the confirmation to be a cakewalk, but this is a man who is past trips to Capitol Hill has been no stranger to controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-MI), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: The important thing with Mr. Gates is whether or not he's independent, whether or not he's going to speak truth to power.

KING (voice-over): Michigan Democrat Carl Levin was among 31 senators who voted against Gates' confirmation as CIA director back in 1991, in part because some colleagues suggested he manipulated intelligence in White House policy. But Levin, in line to be chairman of the Committee with Direct Pentagon Oversight, is also inclined to back Gates this time.

LEVIN: I'm not going to vote no because I voted no 15 years ago.

KING: Gates was in even more hot water two decades ago, an early subject of the Clinton investigation of the Reagan administration's Iran Contra scandals. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North was one of 11 active or retired officials charges in the scheme to sell weapon systems to Iran, and then Illegally divert the profits to Nicaragua's Contra rebels. Gates was a top CIA deputy at the time. And independent council Lawrence Walsh concluded he knew about illegal activities months before he told investigators he first learned. Gates was aware of information that caused others to question the legality of North's activities, Walsh concluded.

Like those of many other Iran Contra figures statement of Gates often seem scripted and less than candid.

In the end, though, Walsh found insufficient evidence to warrant charging Gates with a crime. The Reagan White House colleagues say he was smeared by an overzealous prosecutor.

KEN DUBERSTEIN, REAGAN W.H. CHIEF OF STAFF: Walsh went overboard on a whole bunch of things to justify his own existence.

KING: At the time, Senate Democrats believe Gates turned a blind eye because he believed North had the president's blessing.

SEN. BILL BRADLEY (D), NEW JERSEY?: You can't have it both ways. You either should have pursued it and you made a mistake, or there was only flimsy speculation and you should not have pursued it.

KING: Now, though, Democrats say, they're overwhelming focus will be on how Gates would change administration Iraq policy.

SEN. EVEN BAYH (D), INDIANA: I'll be interested in what Mr. Gates has to say about that. I'll be more interested in that than I will controversies of a generation ago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: So expect maybe a question or two about the Iran Contra days, a question or two more, maybe a few more on this front about whether he would ever cook intelligence, whether he would ever shade intelligence to suit White House policy.

But, Miles, most of all, look for the senators, Democrats and Republicans, to ask Mr. Gates, when you replace Mr. Rumsfeld, what will change in Iraq and how fast?

M. O'BRIEN: Sounds like you're laying the picture of virtually a lovefest. In a sense, I guess, he has an easy act to follow with Secretary Rumsfeld being so disliked on the Ill.

KING: Well, yes and no. Secretary Rumsfeld if disliked on the Hill. And one of the things Mr. Gates has going for him is in his private meetings on Capitol Hill, he has said will be very different, my door will always be open, I will consult with you. There will be no surprises.

But at the same time, look at this committee. Remember when General Abizaid went up just a few weeks ago. That was the first hearing after the election. Everyone thought, let's watch and see how aggressive the Democrats will be. Well, it was the Republicans who were more aggressive even. They are more frustrated with this White House perhaps than even the Democrats. So Mr. Gates is well liked. Mr. Gates will be confirmed easily, but this will be a big platform for discussion about all the criticism about Bush administration Iraq policy looking back. And, Miles, and a lot of questions about how fast Mr. Gates will move to change things once he moves into the Pentagon.

M. O'BRIEN: It's going to be interesting, though, because I'm sure he'll be reluctant to tip the administration's hand on what lies ahead, with the Baker/Hamilton report not coming out until later this week. Will he be able to say much?

KING: Well, that's the question, is how long of a leash does he have? He was on the Baker-Hamilton Commission, the Iraq Study Group, so knows the options that are on the table that will be coming from that group. He's also been part of the administration's discussions about what to do next since the president picked him to replace Mr. Rumsfeld. So he certainly knows what is on the table.

But the president has said he hasn't made a final decision yet. So it will be interesting to see if we get a little bit of new policy from Mr. Gates, although the expectation is he will say, we're working on all this, here's one option, here's another option, here's a hypothetical, but stay tuned when it comes to what actually will happen on the ground.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, John King. Thank you.

KING: Thank you.

(NEWSBREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: In New York, an E. coli outbreak is now on Long Island. It's shut down eight Taco Bell restaurants. Fourteen people are sick. Two had recently eaten at Taco Bell, and this follows an E. coli outbreak in New Jersey we told you about yesterday, at least 25 people sick there.

Jeff Rossen of our New York affiliate WABC has our report this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ROSSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a devastating blow to the fast food chain and nerve-wracking for anyone who has eaten there. Officials say it appears that tainted food was sold at eight Taco Bell locations, four in Nassau and four in Suffolk.

TOM SOUZZI, NASSAU CO., N.Y. EXECUTIVE: We're not looking for people to panic in any way and we're not looking to shutdown the Taco Bell chain, but the evidence points to the fact that we should be concerned about this.

ROSSEN: Taco bell has already closed four Taco Bell locations, including this one in Deer Park. Now Nassau County officials are asking for the same voluntary closure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was just going to go get something to eat now, and now you're telling me it's closed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's pretty bad because we have the high school right there, and my daughter is included in one of the groups of teenagers that come here every day, almost every day, so that's a little scary.

ROSSEN: E. coli can be fatal. In fact, an 11-year-old boy from Nassau is in the hospital right now from this outbreak. At this hour, Taco Bell is working with health officials to identify the tainted food.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: We want to show you a live picture right now this morning. We're waiting to see the meeting that's going on between Robert Gates, the former CIA director who has been meeting with President Bush. Of course, he is the nominee now to replace Secretary Rumsfeld. You can see the live camera there as we wait for them to emerge from a meeting. We're going to obviously continue to follow the story and update you on what happens. But the hearings begin at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and we've got reporters inside that room. We're going to cover those hearings live for you when that happens. That's straight ahead this morning.

Also ahead, Pfizer's nightmare. The drugmaker spent billions of dollars on that promising cholesterol drug, and then had to pull the plug. Can the company recover? We'll take a look.

Plus, getting there for the holidays and getting there with your cheer intact. We've got some tips on everything you need to know before you leave home, straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, we're watching the White House. The president meeting his nominee for defense secretary, Robert Gates, before sending him off to Capitol Hill. We'll also get a preview of the questions Gates could face at his hearings there.

And you know about the liquids rules by now. We hope you do. You know, the baggie and the three ounces, all that stuff. Well, what else should you be ready for at the airport besides taking your shoes off. We'll have a holiday travel survival guide ahead.

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S. O'BRIEN: ... the hearings in front of the Congress. Let's listen in.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: He admires our military. He respects those who have volunteered to serve our country. He is -- he's going to do an excellent job for us.

Again, Bob, I thank you for agreeing to serve.

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE: Thank you.

BUSH: Best of luck up there on Capitol. Hill.

GATES: Than you very much.

BUSH: Good luck to you.

GATES: Thank you.

BUSH: Thank you all.

S. O'BRIEN: A few words, then a photo op, then a walk-off, as the president and his nominee head off to their meeting. And as I mentioned, 9:30 a.m., that hearing will begin.

Andrea Koppel is inside the hearing for us this morning. We'll be checking in with her throughout the morning. 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time is when CNN begins coverage of that hearing.

Let's talk a little travel this morning. If you've ever traveled during a holiday season, then you know getting there is getting tougher and tougher. And this week we have a survival guide for your next trip.

AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho is live at New York's LaGuardia Airport this morning.

Hey, Alina. Good morning.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Soledad. Good morning to you.

If you are a frequent flyer, you are well aware of what you can and, more importantly, cannot bring in your carry-on bag. But if you're not, this is the latest travel accessory you have to have. Here's what else you need to know if you're traveling this holiday season.

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CHO (voice-over): Fifteen members of the Ostreicher family are traveling from New York to Cleveland. They're frequent flyers, so checking in is a breeze. Their biggest problem, the head count.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We lost a child.

CHO: Four-year-old Yakkof (ph) is found and the Ostreichers are on their way. Timing is everything.

MARVIN OSTREICHER, HOLIDAY TRAVELER: You're either two hours too early or you're 10 minutes too late for your flight. And there's no way to judge the security line.

CHO: If 9/11 changed everything, August 10th changed it again. The threat of a liquid bomb in London prompted a liquid ban on carry- on luggage in the U.S. The rules have since relaxed. The rule of thumb now is 3-1-1.

MARK HATFIELD, TSA: The 3-1-1 of air travel for your flight.

CHO: If 9/11 changed everything, August 10th changed it again. The threat of a liquid bomb in London prompted a liquid ban on carry- on luggage in the U.S. The rules have since relaxed. The rule of thumb now is 3-1-1.

MARK HATFIELD, TSA: The 3-1-1 of air travel is right here. No container bigger than three ounces, one one-quart Ziploc back, and one of these per passenger. Now you can walk through that checkpoint and you're good to go.

CHO: That's the good news. The bad, because of the ban on liquids, passengers are checking in more bags. That means more bags are lost. Nearly 383,000 bags were lost in September of this year, twice as many as last year, so get to the airport early. Make sure you have a seat assignment before you leave home. Check the weather. If it's bad, consider an earlier flight. Give yourself enough time for connections, at least an hour. Most important, avoid lines. Use kiosks instead.

SCOTT MCCARTNEY, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": You could change your seat, you can request an upgrade, you can stand by for another flight. You can do lots of things yourself. I like to just scroll it through and see at the last minute, maybe there's a better seat available.

CHO: One out of every four flights is late. We took Delta flight 5283 from New York to Washington, D.C. In September, it was late 100 percent of the time. Scheduled departure, 6:30 p.m. Our takeoff time, 9:30 p.m., exactly three hours late.

(on camera): It's 10:30.

(voice-over): Oh, and the Ostreicher's flight to Cleveland is two hours late.

SUZY OSTREICHER, HOLIDAY TRAVELER: This is a holiday. Everybody is trying to get somewhere. You know, the person that goes up to the counter all tense and starts screaming my flight is late and whatever, it doesn't help anybody, and then everybody else just kind of gets tense. So I'm into cool, calm and collected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Good advice. Now, a couple of other tips for you, know your rights. If your flight is more than four hours late and it's a mechanical problem, not the weather, in other words if it's the airline's fault, know that you can be booked on another airline, or at least get a hotel room for the night. And speaking of hotels, if you know your flight is going to be late and you're staying in a hotel, you may want to call ahead, let them know you're going to be late, so they don't give away your hotel room. Because the last thing you need, Soledad, after a long day of traveling is another problem at your destination.

S. O'BRIEN: That has happened to me. And if you want to see a meltdown at a hotel desk when they tell you we don't have your reservation, we gave it away.

CHO: That's a problem.

S. O'BRIEN: That's a bad, bad thing.

I'm dying to hear more about your trip on that now infamous flight that's late 100 percent of the time. That's straight ahead this morning.

Alina, thanks.

M. O'BRIEN: You had a meltdown, really?

S. O'BRIEN: I did. I do so rarely, but yes, I cried and begged. It wasn't pretty.

M. O'BRIEN: Top stories ahead. The confirmation hearings for Defense Secretary nominee Robert Gates start in less than two hours from now. Is the man to fix Iraq. We'll take a look.

Plus, firefighters try to catch a break against that devastating wildfire in Southern California. We'll have the latest on efforts to contain it ahead.

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