Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Gerald Ford, 93, Dies; Saddam Hussein Death Sentence Upheld; One Missing Climber Found Dead in China

Aired December 27, 2006 - 13:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips.

President Gerald Ford, he's being remembered as a selfless leader, a man of strength and integrity. Insight from his friends, family and colleagues about his life and legacy.

LEMON: The search for at least one of the American mountain climbers in China ends in tragedy. How and where rescuers found the body and new details on the possible fate of the other climber.

WHITFIELD: And on watch in Denver. Again, another blizzard approaches. Who's in its path and how will it affect your travel plans? Right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: An unassuming man, an unlikely president. Gerald Ford came to power amid unprecedented scandal and assured us that our long national nightmare was over. The former president died last night at his home in Rancho Mirage, California.

CNN's Ted Rowlands is there -- Tom.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, according to family members, the former president died peacefully here in Rancho Mirage at his home. The news was given to the world through a press release from his wife.

His wife of 58 years, the former first lady, Betty Ford, issued this statement to the world just shortly after her husband's passing, saying, "My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, has passed away at 93 years of age. His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country."

President Gerald Ford only served 2 1/2 years in the White House. He was referred to as the accidental president, because he never sought or won the office of president or vice president. He came in and took over the White House, of course, after the resignation of Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal.

After losing to Jimmy Carter in the 1976 election, he came out here to Rancho Mirage and, with his wife, they set up and really established themselves in this small community. He was seen in this first year, as many years, playing golf. And they worked together on a number of causes, including the formation of the Betty Ford Center which, of course, still exists today and helps thousands of people with drug and alcohol addiction.

They were involved in this community, and this community will have a chance to say goodbye. The president is expected to be first -- will first stay here. He will lie in repose for a few days to give the community a chance to say goodbye. He will also be in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He will end up there.

Overnight people came out and wished -- wanted to pay their respects. They went to the Ford library. A number of people brought flowers and candles, paying their respects throughout the night. That is expected to continue throughout the day.

We're expected to get final details at some point this afternoon here in California as to the schedule over the next week. It's expected he'll first lie in repose here, then go to Washington, D.C., where he will lie in state. There will be a state funeral there, as well, and then finally on to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where President Ford will be laid to rest after dying at the age of 93 -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Ted Rowlands joining us from Rancho Mirage, California. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Turmoil and division in the nation, integrity and common sense in the White House. The words of the 43rd U.S. president recalling the 38th.

Our Brianna Keilar has more -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, good morning.

President Bush spoke from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, saying that President Gerald Ford reflected the best in America's character.

Ford, of course, will always be remembered as the man who filled the White House after Richard Nixon resigned because of the Watergate scandal. And President Bush credited him with his leadership during what he called a period of great division and turmoil. Here's more of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For a nation that needed healing, and for an office that need a calm and steady hand, Gerald Ford came along when we need him most. During his time in office, the American people came to know President Ford as a man of complete integrity, who led our country with common sense and kind instincts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Former President Gerald Ford died shortly before 10 p.m. Eastern Time, and then at about 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Ford's chief of staff contacted Josh Bolten, the president's chief of staff. He quickly told President Bush, who in turn tried to call Betty Ford not long after that.

However, they weren't able to touch base at that time, so a call was arranged for about midnight. President Bush touched base with Betty Ford then and expressed his condolences for the passing of her husband.

Meanwhile, Vice President Dick Cheney, he is in Wyoming right now. He actually served under former President Gerald Ford. He was Ford's chief of staff. And in a written statement this morning he said that when he left office, "He had restored public trust in the presidency, and the nation once again looked to the future with confidence and faith."

Like President Bush, acknowledging Ford's leadership during that time of turmoil following the Watergate scandal -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Brianna, what more do we know about the planned state funeral there in Washington, D.C.?

KEILAR: Well, like other presidents, former President Gerald Ford will be lying in state in the Capitol rotunda, and also a proclamation was issued this morning. There will be -- flags will be at half-staff for 30 days. These are all flags on all buildings, including U.S. buildings overseas, embassies, that sort of thing.

We also understand that there will be a day of mourning, although Fredricka, at this point, which day that's going to be is not clear yet.

WHITFIELD: All right, Brianna Keilar at the White House, thanks so much.

And later on we'll be hearing from Barbara Starr, who will give us details about the military role in such arrangements for the late Gerald Ford, former president.

Meantime we're waiting to hear from the former President Bush next hour. Gerald Ford used to be his boss. Bush and wife Barbara will make a statement at 2 p.m. Eastern from Florida, and CNN will bring that to you live.

LEMON: And Fredricka, also paying tribute to the former president, another former first couple. Bill and Hillary Clinton say, "Gerald Ford brought Americans together during a difficult chapter in our history with strength, integrity and humility. All Americans should be grateful for his life of service. He served our nation well."

And get more on the life and legacy of former President Gerald Ford, a special report at CNN.com. See his life in pictures, watch what colleagues are saying about him and interact. Tell us how you will remember the former president in an i-report. Get more at CNN.com. WHITFIELD: A big chill and mighty winds. A new winter storm slammed into the Pacific coast overnight, knocking out power to about 49,000 homes and businesses in and around the San Francisco Bay area.

The storms now bearing down on Denver again, still digging out from last week's blizzard. That part of the Rockies could get as much as two more feet of snow before the weekend.

The big chill is also making its way across the eastern U.S. Snow fell in the North Carolina mountains overnight, much to the delight of the ski resort operators. And the mood is just about the same in Vermont as fresh snow falls on one of the biggest ski weeks of the year there.

LEMON: Fierce and frigid. That's the storm in the west. And CNN's Bonnie Schneider tracking it from our severe weather center. I wasn't even looking at the monitor, and I heard that snow shoveling sound. And I looked up. That's exactly what it was. Lots of trouble ahead.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Brings back memories, too?

LEMON: Yes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Oh, yes. Not looking forward to that, Bonnie. Thank you so much for that report.

And when weather becomes the news, you can become a CNN correspondent. If you see weather, severe weather happening, send us an i-report. Go to CNN.com and click on i-report. Or type in ireport@CNN.com on your cell phone and share your photos and your videos.

Gerald Ford, he took pot shots from comics, real shots from would-be assassins and managed to survive them all. Stay with CNN for continuing coverage on the passing of a president.

WHITFIELD: And former dictator Saddam Hussein to be executed in days. What do Hussein's attorneys have to say about his death sentence and the trial that produced it? We'll talk to one of them straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We're honoring a former president today. Gerald Ford took an unlikely path to the White House and in so doing, led America down the road to recovery.

CNN's Anderson Cooper looks back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERALD R. FORD, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Gerald R. Ford, do solemnly swear... WARREN E. BURGER, FORMER SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE: ... that I will faithfully execute...

FORD: ... that I will faithfully execute...

BURGER: ... the office of president of the United States...

FORD: ... the office of president of the United States...

BURGER: ... so help me God.

FORD: ... so help me God.

BURGER: Congratulations.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Very few presidents came into office with such a built-in reservoir of American goodwill.

FORD: My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.

COOPER: Gerald Ford was a largely unknown Midwestern congressman, despite his quarter of a century in the House of Representatives. He was elevated to the vice presidency in 1973 when Spiro Agnew resigned to avoid indictment on charges of bribery and income tax evasion. And he became president, of course, a year later after Richard Nixon's resignation.

FORD: I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy.

COOPER: He became the first appointed vice president to move into the White House, acutely aware that he had not been elected to the job. He knew he had to restore trust and public confidence in the presidency.

Yet he did not hesitate to grant a full pardon to Mr. Nixon after only a month in office. He did it, he said, to put Watergate behind the nation once and for all.

FORD: Some people never have, nor will they ever, forgive me for pardoning Mr. Nixon. Again, I repeat, I thought it was right, and I believe it today even more so.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Because of that decision, which was differed with by great numbers of Americans, including myself, America was able to heal itself and move back down the path toward reconciliation.

COOPER: Gerald Ford was an American success story, a good college football player at the University of Michigan, athletic and physically skilled, despite what comedians said about him a half- century later.

He was in the Navy during World War II and was elected to Congress from Grand Rapids one month after becoming married to the former Betty Warren. Once in the House of Representatives, he slowly inched up the ladder and became the Republican leader in a time when political differences did not blossom into personal enmity.

FORD: Tip O'Neill and I were strong adversaries, and we used to debate on the floor of the House many times, because of his job and my job. But when we were through, we'd go out and have a beer together.

COOPER: As president, Mr. Ford was beset by high inflation, and there were two assassination attempts against him in 1975. One shot missed him by only a few feet. Two women were ultimately arrested and jailed.

He won the Republican presidential nomination in 1976. Robert Dole of Kansas was his running mate. Although he campaigned with vigor, most remembered a single remark during a debate with Jimmy Carter.

FORD: I don't believe that the Poles consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union.

COOPER: In an election that was close, it may well have been a pivotal moment. He lost to Mr. Carter, who was gracious at what must have been a sour moment for Gerald Ford.

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land.

COOPER: After his defeat, Gerald Ford kept largely out of the public eye. His name briefly emerged as a possible vice presidential candidate when Ronald Reagan won the presidential nomination in 1980.

But Mr. Ford wound up spending a lot of time in Southern California, not far from Palm Springs. Not regretting for a moment, he said, what he had done in his 29 months in office.

FORD: I had to move forward and heal the wounds of Watergate and the tragedy of Vietnam. And I think by moving forward, doing something courageous, even if unpopular, gave some spirit and a new attitude on the part of the American people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was Anderson Cooper reporting. We'll have much, much more on the death of President Ford on CNN. Make sure to catch a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight on Ford's life and career. That's "LARRY KING LIVE", tonight at 9 Eastern.

WHITFIELD: For Gerald Ford, the U.S. presidency was a short but intense ride. Ahead in the NEWSROOM, we'll hear from one of the cabinet member who rode along with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were some tough times, challenging times, but I enjoyed every minute, good or bad.

It's a beautiful, beautiful residence and the people there make it so comfortable. And if you enjoy the challenges, I don't think you ever real feel lonesome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: As we continue our remembrance of former President Ford, let's also take a look at his impact on the nation's economy more than three decades ago.

Darby Dunn has the story from the New York Stock Exchange.

Good to see you, Darby.

DARBY DUNN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Good to see you, too.

Well, Gerald Ford's presidential term was as much marked by the economic forces of the time as it was by the politics.

Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the U.S. in 1974, and he inherited Richard Nixon's post and his problems. Inflation, for one, was surging at a 10.9 percent annual rate, thrust into overdrive by the OPEC oil embargo that year.

May seem hard to believe but energy actually made up much more of the U.S. GDP, or gross domestic product, in the early '70s than it does now. As a result, high gas prices had even more impact, and we saw cars line up for blocks to get gasoline, as you're seeing in this old footage here.

Ford's solution to containing inflation was modest tax cuts and spending restraints, outlined in a plan called "Whip Inflation Now," or WIN. Ford said, "To help save scarce fuel in the energy crisis, drive less, heat less."

Ford's program had only limited success, though, and he lost the presidential election in 1976. Inflation was not reined in until the next decade. And the economic crisis it created has been branded in our history books as stagflation, which brings us up to date. The fear of stagflation is once again being talked about by some economists as a possibility in 2007 -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Darby, I think those images of the long lines are branded in so many of our minds.

Meantime today, stocks are not stagnant. So what is driving the market a bit higher?

(STOCK REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot, Darby.

Well, to most of the nation he was Mr. President. But on these streets in suburban Virginia, he was Gerry. Straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, we'll visit Gerald Ford's old neighborhood.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in today for Kyra Phillips.

They've been missing for almost a month now on the other side of the world. Now searchers say they have found the body of one of their missing friends. In a moment, we'll talk live with a woman who has been helping to coordinate the rescue efforts.

LEMON: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: Funerals of former presidents are no simple affair. You may not realize the military rehearses every six months, and today is paying tribute to President Ford every half hour. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has details.

How's that happening, Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka.

Yes, the U.S. military now today beginning to render its first honors to the late president here in Washington at Ft. Myer just across from the Pentagon. The guns are sounding every half hour and will throughout the day in memory of President Ford.

There will be a final five-gun salute tonight at 5 p.m. Eastern Time when the military performs a ceremony they call "sounding retreat." That happens at the end of every day for the U.S. military around the world when they lower the American flag. But tonight at 5, a very special retreat for the late president, a five-gun salute.

You know, the U.S. military does practice the ceremony of rendering funeral honors to fallen presidents. Every six months they meet with the family members of each of the living and, of course, the current president to review any plans that those families may have for their funerals, and there had been a long-established plan for President Ford.

The last funeral, of course, that they did, of course, was the late President Reagan back in 2004, when, if you recall, of course, the military was there, rendering full honors to the president, escorting his casket into the Capitol, escorting Mrs. Reagan throughout several days of ceremonies. The Joint Chiefs were on hand. This is the type of thing that the U.S. military does.

But one of the things that U.S. -- the U.S. military always reminds us of is that they render full honors for everyone who falls, everyone from a president to a young private, a young trooper, on the front lines of Iraq. And what the U.S. military will tell you is, unfortunately, they've had an awful lot of practice lately rendering these very same types of honors to young soldiers -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And, Barbara, when do you believe you'll get some more specifics on perhaps even if they choose to take this casket through streets of Washington D.C., just as they did for the former President Reagan?

STARR: Well, that is a decision that of course has been made by President Ford's family. The U.S. military, and of course the Ford family, are expected to make that announcement in the next many hours. Everyone is very aware, however, that we are coming up on a holiday weekend, the New Year's weekend. Congress is not in Washington. So it's our understanding that some arrangements are being pulled together. As we said, a U.S. military team left Washington very early this morning for California to meet with the Ford family. It's not known if they will meet directly with Mrs. Ford at this point, but they will meet with members of the Ford family to try and make those very last arrangements, and then we do expect an announcement in the hours ahead -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thanks so much.

LEMON: Before he lived in the White House, Gerald Ford served in the House of Representatives and owned a house in Alexandria, Virginia.

CNN's Gary Nurenberg paid a visit to Ford's old neighborhood. And, Gary, we're hearing lots of warm stories coming out of this neighborhoods about the Fords, about his neighborhoods and about the press corps.

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is true. Former President Ford's former press secretary, Ron Nessen, used to say of his boss, I always used to like to think of him as the guy next door. And for 19 years, when he was a Congressman, minority leader, vice president and even his first few days as president, President Ford was on the streets in suburban Alexandria, Virginia, literally the guy next door. His house, a historic landmark, is now for sale, $999,00. But 50 years ago the fords had to come up with a little bit less.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, WUSA REPORTER (voice-over): 514 Crownview Drive, a new home for a growing family with a 1955 price tag.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $40,000, $35,000, $40,000, $45,000 maybe.

NURENBERG: Bill Smith's backyard abutted Gerry Ford's backyard and his appealing swimming pool.

NANCY SMITH, FORMER FORD NEIGHBOR: And I used to hear him hit the water in the morning when I was getting breakfast.

NURENBERG: But one day the splashes came from the Smith's son, Leif.

BILL SMITH, FORMER FORD NEIGHBOR: And Betty Ford called Nancy and said Leif is throwing some rocks into the pool. Could you ask him to stop.

NURENBERG: So Mr. Smith marched his son to the Ford home to apologize. B. SMITH: And they were of course very nice to him. They acted as if nothing had happened, but it was a good lesson.

NURENBERG: It's not the only story involving that fence.

N. SMITH: The night that he became vice-president, his son, Steve, who is our son's age, came to our door and said, can you please boost me over the back fence. The secret service won't let me into my street.

NURENBERG: Phil and Louise Abrizzi (ph) opened their garage to give reporters a way to get out of the rain and to quench their thirst. The press responded with a plaque that hangs over the door today. First press room of President Gerald R. Ford, August 8th, 1974. Phil remembers moving into the neighborhood.

PHIL ABRIZZI (ph), FORMER FORD NEIGHBOR: We had been there only a few days when Mrs. Ford brought a gift over for my wife.

NURENBERG: Not the first gift from the Fords.

ABRIZZI (ph): There were some feet marks on the shower door which we learned Susan had put on the door.

NURENBERG: Susan baby-sat for neighborhood families. The Fords were an active part of the community.

B. SMITH: They were at home in the neighborhood, and the neighbors were at home with them.

N. SMITH: They were very normal, natural, down to earth, everyday sort of people, the kind you want to have in your neighborhood.

NURENBERG: A neighborhood that today still remembers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG: So President ford has been president for a few days, the Nixons' belongings are finally out of the White House and it'S time for the Fords to move. They call the moving vans, they pack up all the household belongings, and now he's about to leave Crownview for the last time and move to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But you know what it's like when movers come, there's always something left. So his last trip from the house to the car, he's carrying some household goods. Reporters go, what have you got there? President Ford looks down at his hands and goes, um, shoe trees and my high school annual. Thirty-some odd years later he leaves some big shoes to fill.

LEMON: Gary, did you say that the house is for sale, is that right?

NURENBERG: It is, $999,000. Big swimming pool still in the back.

LEMON: Yes, and I think someone's going to buy it. I would predict that. Thank you very much for that report.

NURENBERG: OK.

WHITFIELD: Well, everyone's got great memories. President Ford was in the White House after all only 895 days, but he left his mark on the office and on the people who served with him.

Carla Hills served in Ford's cabinet as secretary of housing and urban development. She joins me now from Washington.

Mrs. Hills, good to see you.

CARLA HILLS, SERVED IN PRES. FORD'S CABINET: Good to be here.

WHITFIELD: So what lasting memory do you have working for your boss, Mr. President?

HILLS: I thought he had so much integrity, so much warmth and so much leadership. It was just a privilege to be in his cabinet.

WHITFIELD: And just like his neighbor described, he was very down to earth. Some people said that he was just like the guy next door. Pretty astounding, that being attached with a president.

HILLS: I agree with that. I agree with that assessment. His presidency, and many have commented on it, was most transparent. He was open to the public and to the press, and shared his decisions. And I believe that's why the Congress, which was in Democratic hands, both in the House and the Senate, trusted him, because he was so open, and he had been part of them for so many years.

WHITFIELD: And then being that transparent, do you believe that most people thought that he would be the person to bring integrity back to the presidency after the Nixon years? Did he have that kind of confidence in himself as well?

HILLS: Absolutely. Here was a man who decided his actions based upon conscience, not on polls, and that's what his fellow Congressmen saw in him. People talked about Gerry Ford as being a man they could trust. And you see that in how Congress dealt with him. You know he vetoed probably more bills than any other president in recent history, in the '60s. And he was able to sustain about 57, a huge percentage of them, in Congress held by the opposition. And that's because congressmen on both sides of the political aisle respected President Ford.

WHITFIELD: You talk about a man who really followed his conscience. He admits to doing the same thing when it came down to pardoning his good friend, the former President Richard Nixon. Do you suppose that he expected so many people would express their outrage and disappointment in his doing that?

HILLS: I do. I think he was a shrewd politician, knew that it was bad for his political future, but knew it was right for the country. And if you think back to the times, it's easy to extrapolate a single issue. We were in very serious trouble as a nation. Our president, President Nixon, was almost impeached, and stepped down. We had the Vietnam War, which was tearing the nation apart. We had the oil crisis in '73, which had driven up inflation to double digits, interest rates. The housing market, which I was focused on, was in shambles. And we had the Cold War. This is a plate full of trouble. And the president knew that if he kept the nation focused on impeachment, with litigation that would go on from the district court to the court of appeals to the Supreme Court, we would be distracted with dealing with the things that determined our future.

I believe he led us through the toughest constitutional crisis that we had since the inception of our nation, most historians would date it from the Civil War. The Civil War, in my view, was different. It was north-south. This was truly a problem that infected the entire nation.

WHITFIELD: And Miss Hills, you talked about how important it was for him to impress the Republicans and Democrats work together. Do you know whether he had any strong opinions in recent years about the kind of fighting we've seen, the political fighting we've seen on Capitol Hill, inside Washington, period? Did he ever express himself or even try to offer some advice to stop the kind of partisan bickering we've been seeing?

HILLS: He detested the partisan bickering, and I think he came to Washington when the Senate honored him and spoke about the need to work together. You know, his presidency was known for his reaching across the political aisle. He played golf regularly with Tip O'Neil and was fond of saying that he liked the man, he disagreed with his policy. But he still played golf with him.

And his neighbors, when he -- you had a segment there on the neighborhood which made me smile, because he would say, you know, that Congressman makes me so cross sometimes, but you know, we have to car pool his children tomorrow, so I'm going to be very moderate in my statement.

WHITFIELD: What a great sense of humor. So many people have described hip as being so grounded and that's why so many people liked him on all sides of the aisle.

Carla Hills, formerly the secretary of housing and urban development, we thank you for your time and for sharing your memories.

HILLS: Pleasure to be with you.

LEMON: He's due to be executed in days. What do Saddam Hussein's attorneys have to say about his death sentence and the trial that produced it. We'll talk to one of them ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And a search ends in sadness. One of two missing American climbers is found dead in China by friends. We'll talk live with the woman who's been helping coordinate the rescue efforts. That's next as well in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A goodbye letter from Saddam Hussein. A day after an Iraqi appeals court upheld Hussein's death sentence, a Baathist website posted a message supposedly from the former dictator apparently written earlier this month.

The writer says Iraq can be a model for forgiveness and co- existence, and he urges Iraqis not to hate or bear grudges, even against quote, "the people of the nations that invaded us," end quote.

Hussein is due to hang in the next 30 days for the killings of 148 Shiites. Joining us for more on all of this, a member of Hussein's legal team, Curtis Doebbler. Professor Doebbler thanks for being with us.

Have you spoken to Mr. Hussein or gotten a reaction from him?

CURTIS DOEBBLER, SADDAM HUSSEIN ATTORNEY: Well, obviously we have not spoken to him since this appeal has taken place. As you know our access to him is very restrictive. We have never had a confidential meeting with him. And every independent individual who has reviewed this trial has determined that it is a patently unfair trial and this is just one of the consequences of it.

WHITFIELD: Professor, according to this Baathist website, the statement that's is printed supposedly from Saddam Hussein, is stated this way, quote, "Here I offer myself in sacrifice. If God almighty wishes. It will take me where he orders to be with the martyrs. If my soul goes down this path of martyrdom, it will face God in serenity."

DOEBBLER: Well, that's certainly consistent with the way he has expressed himself to his lawyers and even in the public eye, in the courtroom.

It's somewhat ironic that he will go down in history as a man of integrity, while the American president, who is largely behind this whole puppet court, will not even be investigated for what is largely considered to be allegations of the greatest international crime, the crime of aggression against the Iraqi people that has led to thousands of American soldiers dying and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dying.

WHITFIELD: Is Saddam Hussein, at least according to these words, more resigned, more at peace, as opposed to a more defiant former dictator that we saw at the beginning and at some point during the trial?

DOEBBLER: I think he has always maintained the composure of a proud leader of his people. It is something that he showed in the time that he led Iraq. It is something that he showed also I think now in aftermath, we must even admit, in the integrity of his statements when he said he did not have weapons of mass destruction and he has maintained that integrity. It is something that he also shows in what he believes to be a foreign invasion of his country, what the international community believes to be an illegal invasion of his country. It is a stance that he has always taken, that he personifies his people and their resistance to such illegal action.

WHITFIELD: You and other members of your team and Saddam Hussein maintain that this was an unjust legal proceeding, but you are all out of options. Any day now is that the edict in which this hanging could take place?

DOEBBLER: Well, it's not only us that's claiming this is illegal. Every single independent body from NGOs, like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, to the U.N. Special Reporter on Judges and Lawyers to the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that the United States and other countries of the international community have said should determine whether or not a person is being held in a conditions that are arbitrary and unfair, has determined that this trial is unfair and a violation of the most basic principles of fair trial.

WHITFIELD: Do you see anything in the way of this hanging?

DOEBBLER: Well, there is the law standing in the way of the hanging. If they want to act in a way that is in accordance with law, then they will not execute somebody after an unfair trial.

Because in any country in the world, an execution, whether executions are allowed or not, in any country in the world, in any state in the United States, an execution after an unfair trial is patently illegal. But the people who are executing him or who want to execute him, have the guns. We are lawyers, we only have the law on our side and it is really for the international community right now, particularly the American government, to decide which one they're going to respect.

WHITFIELD: And what do you anticipate might be a consequence in that country if this execution does take place?

DOEBBLER: Well, as you're probably aware, Mr. Ahmed Ben Bella, former president of Algeria, Mr. Rolland Duma, Mr. Ramsey Clark, Mr. Muhammad Mahathir, the former prime minister of Malaysia, wrote to the American president in September 2005 and warned him that an unfair trial, particular one ending in an execution like this, could lead to greater violence in the country.

I think we've already seen it during the trial, and I think that a lot of people will see the president's maintenance of his integrity throughout this process as a inspiration to fight against what they believe to be foreign invaders of their country.

WHITFIELD: What do you say to those Iraqis who have already been outspoken who are applauding this sentence, applauding that the judge upheld this hanging?

DOEBBLER: I think there are few very Iraqis that are doing that believing that this came at the end of a fair process. I am a human rights lawyer. I usually represent individuals whose rights are violated by governments. And I can tell you, I have never represented an individual, or a group of individuals, where they have found justice to be done when it is done through an unfair process.

WHITFIELD: Professor Curtis Doebbler, one of the attorneys for Saddam Hussein, we appreciate your time joining us from Italy.

DOEBBLER: Thank you very much.

LEMON: A search ends in sadness. One of two missing American climbers is found dead in China, found by friends. We'll talk live with a woman who has been helping coordinate the rescue efforts. That is next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And one former president remembers an Oval Office predecessor. You are looking at live pictures. We're standing by for a live news event with President H.W. Bush. We'll bring that to you live from Florida when that begins.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A body buried in the snow, high in the mountains of southwest China. We don't know the name, but we do know it's one of two Americans who have been missing for more than a month, Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler.

Arlene Burns is a close friend of both. She has been helping coordinate rescue efforts halfway around the world from her base in Telluride, Colorado. Arlene joins us now by telephone.

Arlene, thank you for doing this. Do we know yet the identity of the body that's been found?

ARLENE BURNS, RESCUE COORDINATOR: We don't know that. And, in fact, we are not utterly sure that it is either Charlie or Chris. So our assumption is that in that direction. They were found -- this one body was exposed out of the snow just from really the bottom of the legs. So we -- the boots and the gators at about 1:00 p.m. China time yesterday. And we had the word at about 3:00 a.m. here in America.

As per instructed, the search team was requested and required by us not to touch the body or the scene until the authorities had been contacted. And so what they did is as soon as they did find this body, and it was up at 17,000 -- about 17,500 meters on the east face of Genyen Peak, so very high on the mountain.

They came down the valley back and connected with our main coordinator there. And then what will happen next is, at first light, a substantial team of searchers will go up to this spot and actually with snow shovels be able to positively identify, indeed, if it is Chris or Charlie or perhaps someone else.

LEMON: And, Miss Burns, you have been experiencing some difficulties when -- as it relates to the search for these two climbers. And basically, you're -- the friends of these two climbers took this on their own to go and look for them.

BURNS: Yes. Actually here in Telluride, this is sort of the community that knows and loves both of them dearly, and we kind of were worried that we hadn't heard from them and thought that they should have been back in the United States already. And this was, you know, two weeks ago now.

LEMON: And you were able to come up with a clue by doing this, someone who supposedly dropped them off back in November?

BURNS: Yes, and that was just on Christmas Eve. You know, we've had an extensive search in a large region, and on Christmas Eve, we got the news that a driver had come forward who had actually dropped them off in a very specific place, a village called Lamia (ph), and not only that, they'd spent the night with him the night before and had left their luggage at his place.

So we were able to go through the luggage and ascertain that for sure they had taken all of their climbing gear. They did not take a sat phone that was there in their luggage, most likely because they were intending on not doing anything too strenuous and probably didn't want the extra weight, and they planned really on being back in two weeks.

So the driver was able to take our search committee group there on the ground to this village and also introduce that committee to the local people that they had also met.

LEMON: Right.

BURNS: And yesterday we also had a confirmation at a monastery that, indeed, they had camped there for a few days, and had headed north from the monastery towards this Genyen Peak. And that's when we had really specific directions going there.

LEMON: And that's where you found them. Arlene Burns, we want to thank you for joining us. Best of luck in the search for the two climbers and your friends as well.

BURNS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Also coming up, paying homage to a former president. We are waiting to hear from former President H.W. Bush next hour. Gerald Ford used to be his boss. Mr. Bush and wife Barbara will make a statement at 2:00 p.m. Eastern from Florida, and CNN will bring that to you live in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com