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American Morning

Inside the Iraq Study Group's Report; Midwest Power Struggle

Aired December 06, 2006 - 08:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush in the cabinet room with members of the Iraq Study Group, calling it a tough assessment, the report entitled "The Way Forward."
Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.

A special edition of AMERICAN MORNING this morning live from Washington -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Soledad O'Brien, live in New York this morning -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: More now on the Iraq Study Group.

Ed Henry has broken a lot of significant details for the report. Let's get a preview right away from him on what we know that's in it.

Of course the president not sharing details just this moment, just thanking members of that blue ribbon panel.

Ed, what's inside?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Miles, it played out exactly as we expected. The president not wanting to go out and comment on the specifics. Instead, wanting wiggle room to take a look at this report, weigh it against the other reports his own administration is preparing. He clearly does not want to be locked into any cement.

What this report, the Iraq Study Group report, says, bottom line, is that it says that by early 2008 -- this bipartisan group has come to a consensus, and they think a goal should be set that most U.S. combat troops should be transitioned into more of an advisory supportive role of the Iraqi army. And most importantly, perhaps, though, this report does not set a timetable for actual withdrawal of U.S. troops. Instead, it puts pressure on the administration and says it should not be an open-ended commitment in Iraq.

Secondly, it also urges the Bush administration to launch a new diplomatic initiative for a broader Mideast peace plan, saying that nothing in Iraq can really be accomplished without solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for example, urging direct talks between the U.S. and Iran and Syria, something the Bush administration has had no appetite for whatsoever. And also, I think a very interesting quote in here, a conclusion -- they come up this quote, "Foreign policy is doomed to failure, as is any action in Iraq, if not supported by a broad sustained consensus." This report has a tone in which these 10 commissioners, five from each party, say that they are very deeply concerned that the public is so polarized right now, as the president mentioned, and they are concerned about whether a Republican president and a Democratic Congress in January can really move forward together. You heard the president say he believes the public is tired of political bickering, but that's frankly what both parties have been doing the last three to four years on this issue, on the broader war on terror as well.

So the big question is, what is the president going to do with this report? And moving forward, what is a Republican president and a Democratic Congress going to do? Can they come together or not -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: This Iraq Study Group, as you allude to, Ed, is a group of people solidly kind of in the middle of the political spectrum. And I guess that reflects that. And it's interesting in this environment of Washington now how that will play.

HENRY: Oh, absolutely, because I think you saw it play out in the Robert Gates hearing as well yesterday. Democrats coming to power in January. They don't have the gavel yet in the Senate Armed Services Committee, but feeling their way exactly how much they're going to push and prod this administration.

And I think one person to watch clearly is Robert Gates, because yesterday, as you heard Susan Collins a few moments ago on AMERICAN MORNING, a Republican, Democrat Carl Levin yesterday also, saying they both feel that Robert Gates already has been a breath of fresh air by candidly admitting yesterday he does not believe the U.S. is winning in Iraq right now, something no other senior Bush official has ever said. They feel that may be a breath of fresh air.

He's going to be the chief salesman of whatever new policy the president comes up with. That is going to give him some credibility. By making that statement yesterday, credibility that Donald Rumsfeld no longer had -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry, good job on your reporting. Thank you very much.

The Iraq Study Group report is entitled "The Way Forward." The president says it offers a tough assessment, some interesting proposals, something he will take seriously, something he encourages Congress to take seriously as well.

The question is, how much of it will he truly embrace in the final analysis?

For the way forward on this story, we turn to Candy Crowley with more on that.

Good morning, Candy.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Interesting initial reaction here, I thought. Now, we can't expect him to talk about the specific recommendations. First of all, it's not public yet. But second of all, the White House certainly wants to be seen, and the president says, I'm going to take this seriously.

I think Ed hit on a really good point, and that is that this report says we can't -- it's unsustainable if the American public is sharply divided. And by that they mean if Congress and the president can't get together on this. So that is maybe the broader issue that's going on here.

I talked to a lot of people yesterday who said this has to be something that brings people together. They have got to figure out where the commonality is within that report. But as we talked about earlier, there are so many other reports out there that -- that are coming.

So if you can cherry-pick what you want, we find ourselves in January right back where we started.

M. O'BRIEN: Cherry-pick what you want, ignore what you don't like, come up with your own particular plan.

Will that be enough though for folks here on the Hill, do you think, to go that route?

CROWLEY: Well, I think Capitol Hill will want to look at it. I mean, Nancy Pelosi said yesterday, well, there are other studies out there, there are other people with plans. So I think they, too, on the Democratic side and on the Republican side, are going to want to look at other plans. They are not going to like everything in this report.

Senator Warner said yesterday from Virginia, I think everybody is going to have to give up a little bit if we're ever going to come together. They have not been very good on either side at giving up a little bit in past years.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, you talked about the "C" word, "compromise," and it's been out of fashion in Washington for a little while. Maybe it will come back. Who knows?

CROWLEY: Well, we'll see in January, won't we?

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, we will.

Candy Crowley, thank you very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning, E. coli cases are now cropping up in Pennsylvania. Three people who got sick ate at Taco Bells in Montgomery County, which is near Philadelphia. All nine Taco Bells in the county are now inspected and sanitized as a precaution. In New York and New Jersey, 42 E. coli cases are now reported.

If your Jamba Juice has strawberries, you might want to think about another flavor. The company is warning that some of its smoothies could be contaminated with Listeria, a potentially deadly bacteria. The bacteria was found in frozen strawberries supplied to Jamba Juice sold in stores in Arizona, southern Nevada and southern California.

A development to tell you about in the search for James Kim. He's been missing for 11 days near Grants Pass in Oregon.

Searchers found a pair of pants they think might belong to Kim. Apparently, he had two pairs of pants on him, and they think he left one pair to mark his path for rescuers. Kim's wife and two daughters were found alive and well on Monday.

In Illinois and Missouri this morning, tens of thousands of people still do not have any power after last week's deadly winter storm, and bitterly cold air is just about to move back in. Let's get right to CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano. He's in Oreana, Illinois this morning.

Good morning, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.

That is just north and east, just outside of Decatur and central Illinois. And here they are saying this is the worst snow and ice storm since the Good Friday storm of 1978.

One, two inches of ice in spots. Up to a foot of snow in other spots. And that was enough to take down hundreds of tree limbs like what you see behind me.

Some of these tree limbs still caked with ice, still fragile and taking down power lines. Seventy thousand residents in Illinois remain without power.

The power company says they could get some of that back by tonight. If they don't, bitterly cold air is coming this way tomorrow. So that power couldn't get here soon enough.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO (voice over): The Illinois National Guard rolled out across the icy streets of Decatur, checking on residents door to door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can help you out as far as, like, blankets for warmth, and food.

MARCIANO: Some, like Lena Jones, have been without electricity for nearly six days since a winter storm blew through the area, knocking down trees and knocking out power.

LENA JONES, DECATUR, ILLINOIS, RESIDENT: When we called the power, you know, they said it could be seven to 10 days. So we're just doing the best we can.

MARCIANO: She says her priority is keeping her grandson Eric (ph) warm in this frigid weather. That means relying on a last and sometimes dangerous resort, a gas oven.

JONES: I know it's a risk, but also, you know, you have to -- if you've got a 3-year-old running around, you have to keep him warm, you know? So you can't go with nothing.

STAFF SGT. ROBERT CHARLES SMITH, U.S. ARMY: It's disheartening that a family has to put themselves where they have to choose the lesser of two evils, whether they want to have heat or they want the risk the risk of the gas fumes.

MARCIANO: As residents do what they can to stay warm.

Others, like George Diggs, are trying to help utility crews. He's clearing his alley, hoping to pave the way to get power back.

GEORGE DIGGS, DECATUR, ILLINOIS, RESIDENT: If they can get their trucks in here, they can get our stuff back hooked up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have lights.

MARCIANO: Tina Pressley got her power back.

TINA PRESSLEY, OREANA, ILLINOIS, RESIDENT: It's wonderful. You don't realize how much you miss it until you don't have it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully we'll be wrapped up tomorrow or late the next day.

MARCIANO: House to house, and well into the night, utility crews work to restore electricity.

STEVE LASHMETT, AMEREN ENERGY DELIVERY SUPERVISOR: Just the overall magnitude of this and how widespread it was, it just makes it very difficult.

MARCIANO: And with many more residents to go and temperatures expected to drop, it's not just a race against time but against Mother Nature as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: And Mother Nature is expected to bring another cold air mass tonight. We've been watching this thermometer, crude but effective for our purposes, right around the freezing mark. Actually, today one of the warmer mornings this week.

You can bet, Soledad, tomorrow won't be nearly as warm as today.

Back to you.

S. O'BRIEN: So rough for the folks there. All right, Rob. Thank you very much.

And of course Chad is going to join us in just a few minutes. He'll have a look at the forecast straight ahead -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: More on our top story in just a moment. The Iraq Study Group hands its final report to the president. The panel's next stop, right where I am, Capitol Hill, to meet with lawmakers.

Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Top stories on our radar this morning. Breaking news from Washington.

President Bush receiving the Iraq Study Group's report just minutes ago. He calls it a critical assessment of the war that he will take seriously.

The president didn't comment on specifics, but sources tell us the report calls for pulling U.S. troops off the front lines in 2008, among other things.

It's a beautiful day here in Washington, D.C. Chad Myers is here with the forecast for just about everybody else.

Hello, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's not going to be so great in other places.

Good morning, Miles.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Just moments ago we heard from President Bush. He was commenting just after meeting with the members of the Iraq Study Group. They met for just about an hour. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I've told the members that this report, called "The Way Forward." It will be taken very seriously by this administration. It's a -- this report gives a very tough assessment of the situation in Iraq. It is a report that brings some really very interesting proposals, and we will -- we will take every proposal seriously, and we will act in a timely fashion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Military reaction this morning from Barbara Starr, who's live at the Pentagon.

Barbara, since what we know right now, this report seems very low on various specifics. How is this different from what we've already heard from the military?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Soledad, that may over the coming hours become the very central question, how do you make the recommendations in this report turn into military strategy on the ground in Iraq?

Now, one of the central recommendations about getting the U.S. out of that frontline combat role by 2008, well, that's an awful similar-sounding statement to the basic administration policy that, as Iraqi forces stand up, U.S. forces will stand down. And that has proven to be very difficult to do, especially in Baghdad and western Iraq, Anbar Province, where security is at crisis proportions by anyone's measure.

So how can commanders make that recommendation happen? They have already been looking at several things in Iraq on the ground.

They are already accelerating the turnover of security in the more peaceful areas to the Iraqi government, increasing training of Iraqi forces. Also looking at the redeployment or movement of U.S. troops to some of the more rear areas in an effort to push the Iraqi forces out there and get them to take more responsibility.

All of this is the basic underpinnings of the Iraq Study Group, because basically what people are saying is there are no silver bullets. There are no really new ideas that folks hadn't already thought of.

The military doesn't see this report as a surprise. They have been looking at a lot of these things, but it's the central question, Soledad. How do you turn these ideas in Washington to military reality on the ground in Iraq -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: So, basically, how do you turn what is essentially a political document into something that the military advisers can use.

STARR: Well, that's right. And nobody is disregarding what this report is saying as far as anyone can see.

The one red line for the military perhaps at President Bush's direction is no set timetable for withdrawal. The president has been against that, and the commanders say their best military advice is they are also against that, a set timetable would basically lead to destabilization in the area. It would make the insurgents simply wait out the U.S. withdrawal.

So that's not something they want to see. But these other areas, turnover, training, acceleration, moving to some of the rear areas to push the Iraqis out there, all of that is basically under way in Iraq. If they can accelerate it, if they can make more of it happen, that's something they say they are going to do -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us this morning.

Thank you, Barbara.

Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, the search for a father who's missing in the wilderness in Oregon. Authorities think they may have found a very important clue. We'll tell you about that straight ahead.

Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Top stories we're following for you.

Breaking news from here in Washington.

President Bush receiving the Iraq Study Group's report just a little while ago. He calls it a critical assessment of the war and he will take it seriously. The president did not comment on specifics, but sources tell us the report calls for pulling U.S. troops off the frontlines by 2008, among other things.

The Iraq Study Group is now here on Capitol Hill. They just arrived about five minutes ago -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's talk business now.

MySpace is working on a new tool they say to try to keep children safe on their site.

Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business."

What are they doing?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What a phenomenon, MySpace. There 135 million users...

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, cash cow.

VELSHI: ... but there's some statistic that -- some number in the small teens are under 18, so a lot of kids on MySpace. It's very popular, and News Corporation bought this company a year ago, and now they are putting in some sort of a system that is going to try to match information from databases of known sex offenders to people who put postings on MySpace. So the idea is, theoretically, if you have a profile and you're a sex offender, and you enter enough information that can be compared to a database, they will catch you.

S. O'BRIEN: But you would have to enter real information.

VELSHI: Right. Exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: "I'm 5'8", I..."

VELSHI: If I'm a sex offender, I'm probably not putting all my details. The other thing is, so many sex offenders, or so many predators on sites like this, aren't registered sex offenders.

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

VELSHI: So it's kind of a mixed thing. They are moving in a direction that they probably need to move in. Anybody who's got these social networks...

S. O'BRIEN: Doing something.

VELSHI: You've got to do something, you've got to set up an infrastructure and find out what's not working.

The fact of the matter is, the information -- this is only as good as the information in it. And if you don't have information on sex offenders or the kind of information that they will register on MySpace with, it's not going to catch the right people. They might catch some people.

S. O'BRIEN: You can't track them by the e-mail accounts.

VELSHI: No, because there's no -- there's no tracking of anybody's e-mail -- e-mail accounts. You can set up e-mail accounts wherever you want without identification, and you can use those. I mean, sex offenders and predators online are known to be able to, you know, hide their identity and disguise themselves. So...

S. O'BRIEN: Are they getting kudos today for this, or is this sort of...

VELSHI: Yes. I think things have to be developed. And they're a big company.

If MySpace can work it through and figure out over the next year or two what to do, that would be useful. But they're going to have to try and see what happens.

I think there are kudos to be given to them for the effort. I don't think anybody thinks this is going to solve the problem of predators online any time soon.

S. O'BRIEN: OK. Anything else?

VELSHI: I'll be back in a little while to tell you about some other stuff going on in the news.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. We'll wait for that. Thank you, Ali -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Soledad.

The Iraq Study Group has just arrived here on Capitol Hill. They are here to brief members of Congress on their report entitled "The Way Forward." We'll have alive report coming up.

Plus, more on that E. coli scare. Taco Bell restaurants in yet another state forced to close as that outbreak spreads.

We'll have more on that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Breaking news this morning.

President Bush receives that landmark report from the Iraq Study Group. He calls it a critical assessment, but will it change things for U.S. troops?

We're live in Washington, D.C., this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: E. coli now in a third state affecting more people who ate at a Taco Bell. Investigators tracking the source now of that contamination.

S. O'BRIEN: And new details this morning about postpartum depression. One woman's story straight ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Welcome, everybody, Wednesday, December 6th.

I'm Soledad O'Brien. I'm in New York this morning. Miles is in Washington, D.C., where the Iraq Study Group is heading to -- I guess they have just gotten to Capitol Hill, haven't they, Miles?

Good morning.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. They're in the building behind me right now.

Good morning, Soledad.

And we're here on Capitol Hill for a very momentous day in Washington. At this hour we're watching the Capitol behind me.

The Iraq Study Group is now meeting with members of the House as it prepares to officially release its report to the public. It will be just a matter of hours before that happens.

Here it is, paperback form. Also being released that way today.

Among the group's recommendations, that most of the U.S. military should be out of Iraqi combat roles no later than early 2008. And that primary mission of American troops should evolve at that point into training Iraqi forces.

The report also pushes for direct talks between the U.S. and Syria, as well as Iran, something President Bush has thus far resisted. Commission leaders Baker and Hamilton will brief the public at a news conference, 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and you will see that here live on CNN -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles, thanks.

Also happening this morning, the E. coli outbreak now in Pennsylvania. Three or four people who got sick there from E. coli ate at Taco Bells in Montgomery County, which is near Philadelphia. All nine Taco Bells in the county are being inspected and sanitized as a precaution.

In New York and New Jersey, there are now 42 E. coli cases reported.

If you usually drink your Jamba Juice with strawberries, you might want to think about another flavor. The company is warning that some of its smoothies could be contaminated with Listeria, a potentially deadly bacteria. The bacteria was found in frozen strawberries supplied to Jamba Juice sold in stores in Arizona, in southern Nevada, and in southern California.

And a development to tell you about in the search for James Kim. He's been missing now for 11 days near Grants Pass in Oregon.

Searchers found a pair of pants they think belonged to Kim. Apparently, he had two pairs of pants. They think he left one pair behind to mark his path for rescuers. His wife and two daughters were found alive and well on Monday.

In the Midwest, tens of thousands of people are still waiting for the lights and that heat to come back on following that ice storm that happened nearly a week ago. Bitter cold is in the forecast, too, and some 70,000 people are without power in Illinois. Some rural areas could be without power until Friday -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Soledad. Back to the Iraq Study Group meeting right now with leaders of the House. Part of the lead up to the release of the full report to the public.

CNN's Andrea Koppel is here. Actually, we're here on her turf. Good to be here with you. Tell us what's going to happen right now in that building because they are now beginning a series of briefings that are pretty crucial.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Right now you have the members of the Iraq Study Group briefing the leadership, Democratic and Republican, in the House including some of the key committee chairs. They will then head over to the Senate to do the same thing over there before at 11:00 a.m. having a press conference and also releasing that report to the general public.

M. O'BRIEN: OK. They will have the press conference. They will release the report. It will be online. There will be paperback books. Everybody can finally see. We've heard leaks and Ed Henry has pushed this story a long way so far this morning, but even before they do that, Democrats are appearing before the cameras. What are they saying.

KOPPEL: Exactly.

M. O'BRIEN: What's the posture there?

KOPPEL: Well, at 10:30 this morning, half an hour before Baker and -- before Baker and Hamilton get an opportunity to answer questions from the press, Democrats are staging this preemptive press conference, and the purpose is a couple of things -- one, to say to the American public, to those of you out there, we heard you on November 7th that you want change in Iraq.

The other purpose is the fact of the matter is Democrats themselves are split on what to do in Iraq, so what they are going to do is they are going to turn the focus, turn the cameras on President Bush, the spotlight on him, Miles, saying President Bush, listen to what this committee is telling you. Change in Iraq is desperately need as soon as possible. M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's interesting. That's what Democrats are saying, but a lot of Republicans are saying the same thing, aren't they?

KOPPEL: They are, and in fact this was something that was buried sort of in the midst of the Gates hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday. We heard John Warner, the senior Senator from Virginia, a six-term senator, is someone who himself, former secretary of the Navy is very deferential to the chain of command. You don't hear him criticizing President Bush. He did so yesterday. He said President Bush, you have a moral obligation to consult with Democrats, privately, with Democrats, and this is a Republican who was saying so.

M. O'BRIEN: Very interesting. Obviously the election is having something to do with this, but so are events in Iraq, aren't they?

KOPPEL: That's true. This really wasn't a political move on the part of Senator Warner.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Andrea Koppel, thank you very much, appreciate it.

Another looming question is whether the president will follow the group's recommendations and how soon. The president finished meeting with the group a short time ago. You saw him live here on CNN talking about the report in general terms in the cabinet room in the White House. Let's go to Suzanne Malveaux on the north lawn of the White House with more. Suzanne, good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles. We're getting details from press secretary Tony Snow about what occurred in that room. The president received a hard copy of the report. Each one of the ten members took a turn in talking about the report. It was passed around the table. President Bush got each one of the members to sign his copy. That will go to the archives.

There's 79 recommendations. After each one of those members spoke President Bush said, and I'm quoting here, well, that was good. Now Tony Snow know is confirming what Ed Henry reported last night breaking the news that is that inside of this report there are no timetables, no calling for immediate withdrawal of troops, that the bulk of this report essentially is calling for diplomatic efforts, a surge in embedding the training of these troops, essentially changing the role of the military from on the front lines to training those Iraqi troops.

The report also calls for direct talks with Iran and Syria, using a method of incentives and disincentives or carrots and sticks, if you will, to get them back to the table. We are also told that members said this was a real bipartisan effort. One of the members of the committee, Vernon Jordan, said that they all checked their partisanship at the door when they went in to reach a consensus on this report and then finally Lee Hamilton told the president directly, he said you're going to get a lot of advice, Mr. President, but this is the only bipartisan advice. This is how President Bush reacted to the report just about 20 minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The country in my judgment is tired of pure political bickering that happens in Washington, and they understand that on this important issue of war and peace, it is best for our country to work together, and I understand how difficult that is, but this report will give us all an opportunity to find common ground, for the good of the country, not for the good of the Republican Party or the Democrat Party, but for the good of the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And Miles, as expected the head of the commission, Baker, James Baker, also stressed the importance of Middle East diplomacy, a solution between the Israelis and Palestinians in that particular crisis and how important an integral a role that plays as well as in the Iraq situation so that was something that he stressed.

The president also stressed this is something that he takes very seriously. He's going to take a look at it, but, of course, he's going to take his time. This is expected to take weeks before we hear any definitive comments about these options -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Of course we'll be awaiting details of the Iraq study report as they filter out today. We've heard several leaks and Ed Henry here at CNN has had a lot of good reporting on that so far this morning, but finally we'll get a chance to see it at about 11:00 a.m. Eastern time when they will go before the cameras and release that report.

And some of the key questions in there is about the number of Iraqi forces required to provide some sort of stability in Iraq because the strategy being laid out and what we're hearing so far is that the military would shift into a role more of trainers as opposed to being leading the way in combat. That's a difficult transition.

CNN military analyst, retired Brigadier General James Spider Marks is here to talk to us about that. First of all, how hard is it to, there's nothing graceful about any sort of transition like this, pulling combat troops out, turning troops into trainers as opposed to war fighters.

BRIG. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Absolutely, and in fact the combat mission that the U.S. military and the coalition forces are involved in will certainly not go away, but there will be a transition of some hand-picked troops that will have to go from the combat role as a primary function into the advisory role.

You've got to put those soldiers and their leaders through some very specific training and then you've got to embed them with those Iraqi units. Now, Miles, that's been ongoing for quite some time. We have mobile training teams that are in Iraq today at the brigade or full Colonel level of the Iraqi units. The key, I think, is to have a mission critical level at the battalion level so drop down an echelon and then to have a mission enhancement level drop it down one more and put these mobile training teams at the company level.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. So what you're saying is what's in the report isn't necessarily news to the military. The theory of training Iraqi troops is something that's been around for a while.

MARKS: They have been doing it.

M. O'BRIEN: The devil is in the implementation, the details of all of this, right?

MARKS: Absolutely. You've got to hand-pick the troops. You've got to maintain the current mission of combat. You've got to adjust those forces that are not going to be in combat anymore and get them over to the training role, embed them at appropriate level. Make sure they have the right skills sets because what you have in Iraq is what's called a live fire learning laboratory.

Iraqi commanders, just like U.S. commanders and soldiers on the ground and Marines on the ground are learning every day. That Iraqi unit that has that level of oversight is going to grow astronomically. That's why it's important that the numbers grow and the quality grows as well.

M. O'BRIEN: We've heard all kinds of reports though about the inability of Iraqi forces to be ready to stand on their own. How will the U.S. know when the Iraqi forces are ready, and when they are ready in significant enough numbers to really create some sort of stability?

MARKS: Miles, the second part of your question, first, if I can. I think the total number you're looking for is about 625,000 Iraqi forces, and that's simple arithmetic. If you look at history you need at least one form of a security soldier or a Marine or policeman on the ground for 50 civilians, so you have a country of 25 million, you need about 500,000. You need to have a redundancy of 25 percent so you can do operations 24/7 -- you have you about 625.

M. O'BRIEN: That's a big number.

MARKS: It's a huge number but they are moving in that direction. The quality will come over time. They have to be stabilized. You have to evaluate them, and you have to make sure they are learning the lessons and they are getting scar tissue which they are every day. It's going to take some time. It won't be a microwave solution. You can't pop out 625 and leave. You have to stick around and make sure they are doing the tasks appropriately.

M. O'BRIEN: No microwave solutions, all right. Retired General James Spider Marks our military analyst, thanks for your time, appreciate it -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning Miles, more on the major cold snap for the forecast in the Midwest and beyond. Severe weather expert Chad Myers is going to tell us who better bundle up.

Plus, it sounds like post-partum depression but it's far worse. A stay at home home mom talks about her bout with post-partum psychosis. That story ahead, stay with us.

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S. O'BRIEN: A strong warning this morning for new mothers. Post-partum depression is more common and more serious than previously thought.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen live at the CNN Center in Atlanta with details for us.

Good morning, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

You know, there's still a stigma about post-partum mental disease, especially when it's severe.

Here's one woman's story.

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BROOKE SHIELDS, ACTRESS: I looked at this child and could not find any type of a bond.

COHEN (voice-over): By now most people have heard of post-partum depression, suffered by Brooke Shields and so many other moms.

But a new study says it can get worse, much worse.

TERESA TWOMEY, MOTHER: When I walked back into the bedroom I saw my daughter on the bed, cut open, blood everywhere, and I thought I had killed her, well, because, I thought what I was seeing was real, and it's the worst thing I've ever felt in my life.

COHEN: Theresa Twomey actually took very good care of her daughter, Arianna (ph), but she kept hallucinating that she'd harmed her.

TWOMEY: I saw myself pick up the scissors, and I saw myself cut her open from there down. There was that horrible feeling of just being a horrible mother for even having such a thought. I mean, how could any mother think of hurting her child?

COHEN: But Theresa wasn't a horrible mother. She later learned she was suffering from psychosis, post-partum psychosis.

DR. JULIE RAND DORNEY, PSYCHIATRIST: They develop illusions, they develop fears about their child, so potentially it's very dangerous.

COHEN: the new study in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" says about one in a thousand first-time mothers suffer psychosis.

Andrea Yates is an extreme example. She said she heard voices and saw visions. She drowned her five children.

Doctors say there are many biological causes of post-partum mental disorders.

DORNEY: The abrupt change in hormones, the rapid decline in estrogen and progesterone post-delivery can lead to severe depression.

COHEN: Theresa, a lawyer and now a stay-at-home mom in Connecticut, had never had problems before and her psychosis went away when her daughter was two months old. Her advice get help.

TWOMEY: All post-partum disorders are treatable, including psychosis.

COHEN: Doctors say medication and family support are key.

DORNEY: One of the things that we look at with women when they have post-partum depression is that for future pregnancies they plan, they develop social supports around them. They plan for medication if that's necessary.

COHEN: Theresa did fine with just family support, and didn't suffer when she had twins two years later.

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COHEN: Now we talked about support in our story. New mothers can face terrible isolation, so it's very important to make sure that there are people around you after the birth of a baby, especially the first baby -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: So the psychosis isn't consistent. I mean, she had it with the first one but didn't have it with twins. Is there any specific time when people find that they are getting psychosis, or how long it lasts before it sort of clears up without help?

COHEN: Yes, this study found the psychosis was more common when women had their first children than subsequent children, and part of the reason for that is that they learn, as women learn to get the support system in place when they have the subsequent children, usually psychosis or depression will set in about two weeks after birth. It usually lasts only a couple of weeks or couple of months, but if it's severe it can last longer.

S. O'BRIEN: Elizabeth Cohen for us this morning. Thanks, Elizabeth.

The "CNN NEWSROOM" is just a few minutes away. Tony Harris is at the CNN Center with a look at what they've got for you this morning. Hey, Tony. Good morning.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Soledad, good morning.

We've got the latest developments on these stories in the "NEWSROOM" rundown. The war strategy: The president gets long awaited recommendations from the Iraq study group, extensive live coverage all day in the "NEWSROOM."

Thousands in the Midwest power struggle. Still no electricity days after a big storm, and here comes another cold blast.

Scared straight, a mom has her 12-year-old arrested. What did he do? he opened a Christmas present early.

Heidi Collins with me all morning long in the "NEWSROOM." We get started right here at top of the hour right her eon CNN -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, thank you very much, Tony.

Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, our holiday travel guide. Today we're going to take a look at trips that can do both your mind and your body good. Wellness vacations is what they're called. A look at that up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

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M. O'BRIEN: Top stories we've been following for you. The Iraq Study Group now briefing congressional leadership after giving its report to President Bush. The president calls it a critical assessment. Sources tell us the report is calling for pulling U.S. troops off the front lines in Iraq by 2008.

Check out this video. Just in from Serbia in Belgrade. A wild riot inside a basketball arena. Six people hurt here. Opposing fans got into a brawl throwing punches, chairs. As you can see, even lighting fires. Two serious injuries reported -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow, that's crazy. Those look like molotov cocktails almost being thrown at people or flares being tossed. Oh, my goodness.

All right. Let's talk travel, shall we. This morning our holiday travel guide has some tips that are good and trips, I should say that, are good for what ails you. Wellness vacations is what they are called. More than just massages and manicures, although that's nice, too. Poor AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho had to rough it at a spa.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right it's a tough assignment.

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CHO: Traveling on the three-hour delayed flight, yes, that's right. You know if you're a Type A personality and so of us are these days.

S. O'BRIEN: As you are.

CHO: As I am, as you are, I think. You know, this may be the ultimate vacation for you. Wellness vacations are all about improving yourself, your mind, your body, and your spirit.

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CHO (voice-over): Steven Deutsch is a prime example of someone who wears wellness well.

STEVEN DEUTSCH, CANYON RANCH VACATIONER: This is one of the only vacations you'll ever take where you come back feeling better than when you left.

CHO: Deutsch and his wife Andrea are regulars at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. Many of the people who come here are overachievers. They relax by working out. Hiking, boxing swimming, and that's all before lunch. Sound crazy?

The web site spafinder says spa vacations are ranked third as the most popular vacation activity after sight-seeing and shopping.

CHO (on camera): Wellness is a buzzword, but it's also big business. It's an $11 billion a year industry, and it's only growing.

(voice-over): And the spa experience is not just about exercise.

DR. RICHARD CARMONA, CEO, CANYON RANCH: A wide array of dietary choices, a wide array of spiritual options so that wellness is made up of all of those factors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Squeeze that right in there.

CHO: Including a healthy eating class, a meditation session and let's not forget the popular evening activity, massages. Here, if you're brave, you can walk your way to tranquillity. Most come here hoping the healthy lifestyle will stick.

MARK ORWOLL, "TRAVEL AND LEISURE": People who want to be pampered, who want to have a sense of luxury, but at the same time they want to get out there and exercise.

CHO: But it comes at a price, about $1,000 a day. That includes meals and lodging, spa services are extra. Even hotels are getting into the game, offering spas of their own. Thanks to Canyon Ranch, Steven Deutsch lost 15 pounds and is running half marathons. Five years ago he couldn't run two miles. His wife Andrea calls it the perfect holiday vacation.

ANDREA SEEBAUM, CANYON RANCH VACATIONER: What's wrong with someone feeding you and then you work out and then someone feeds you again, and then you get a massage and then you start over. That's a nice vacation.

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CHO: Sure does. Now, Andrea told me that she and her husband Steve chose this vacation over the Caribbean or Hawaii because staying fit is a priority in their lives and they saved up for this trip. Now, Andrea told me she doesn't eat wheat anymore because she's allergic to it.

Her husband Steve doesn't eat dairy because he's allergic to that and they found out about these allergies while they were at Canyon Ranch. 40 percent of all guests go there for medical reasons, some serious, some not so serious but one of the big draws is that there are experts in every field Soledad to help break you out of these bad habits and hopefully you'll learn some good habits in the process.

S. O'BRIEN: So, I would imagine that people go to break a bad habit maybe to stop smoking or maybe they are chocaholics to stop scarfing down candy bars. So what happens if you can't do it and there you are, you know smoking at Canyon Ranch or eating candy bars?

CHO: Well, it's a problem.

S. O'BRIEN: Really?

CHO: It's sort of a tough love approach. You know, you can't get a drink there, you can't even get a soda there.

S. O'BRIEN: Really?

CHO: I tried. I tried to get a Diet Coke, you can't, and if you're caught smoking there it's a $600 fine, so this is very serious. Now, that's in addition to all the thousands of dollars you're paying for the trip, so you're going to spend the money, but hopefully as the proponents say, this is an investment in the rest of your life.

S. O'BRIEN; Jump start to some good habits. All right Alina. What's next for you?

CHO: A family vacation. I went to Disney World.

S. O'BRIEN: Did you take your family? I should have sent you with my family. That would be relaxing. All right, we look forward to that. Alina, thanks.

Let's get a quick look at what "CNN NEWSROOM" is working on for the top of the hour.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Some of the stories you'll see in the NEWSROOM: the Iraq Study Group reports to the president and the public. The recommendations in a news conference at 11:00 Eastern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Did you poison Alexander Litvinenko?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not me, of course.

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HARRIS: A Russian spy's friend infected with radioactive polonium. His exclusive bedside interview with CNN.

Taco Bell restaurants in suburban Philly close. Is an E. coli outbreak spreading? You're in the NEWSROOM at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 on the West Coast.

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M. O'BRIEN: That's all from here for this AMERICAN MORNING. Soledad, see you tomorrow.

S. O'BRIEN: CNN news -- and likewise. We'll see you back here in New York tomorrow Miles. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.

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