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Remembering Gerald Ford; Makeshift Memorial Growing Outside Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum In Grand Rapids; Saddam Death Sentence Upheld

Aired December 27, 2006 - 14:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And that is former President Bush there, addressing a crowd, talking about former President Gerald Ford. Let's listen in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're mic is not on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mic's not on.

GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, whose problem is that? How do you -- who knows how to do it?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The cameras, they're good.

BUSH: Well, let me -- I'll just start over, then. We're here to -- as I was saying, we're here to express our condolences to the death of Gerald Ford, to express our love for him and for his family.

I owe much of my life in politics to Gerry Ford because, having lost an election in '64, he campaigned for me in '66, and I won. And then he gave me the great assignment of being equivalent of ambassador in China. And then through that -- before that, he was our leader in the House of Representatives, and one of the most decent, honorable men I have ever met in my life.

We're all familiar with his healing the wounds of the United States after Watergate, but he was typical Gerry Ford. It never went to his head that he was president, and a truly remarkable man.

And we send Betty and the kids and the rest of their family our family's love. The president expressed it very well this morning -- the president -- and I heard that, and he really spoke for a lot of us. And I would simply add that, God bless the man. He was one of the very best.

Governor, you want a part (ph)?

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: No, sir. It's all yours.

G. BUSH: OK, we'll take some questions. Jeb and I will.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

G. BUSH: Huh? What do I do? QUESTION: What are you going to do while you're here, play golf?

G. BUSH: Vacation. I might play golf. I'm not -- I'm not sure I'll be into the golf. I love it, but I'm not sure.

Let me first get the questions anyone has about Gerry Ford, and then I'll come back to you.

QUESTION: Mr. President, yesterday an appeals court upheld the death sentence of Saddam Hussein.

What are your reflections on that, sir?

G. BUSH: The reflection is it doesn't have much to do with Gerry Ford, but I'm very pleased about that. Very.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

G. BUSH: Well, we've known he's been off and on ailing from time to time, and I didn't know that his passing was this imminent. But I first found out about it from an e-mail from my chief of staff in Texas, now up in Missouri.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

G. BUSH: A little louder. I'm deaf, as well as old.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

G. BUSH: Well, I think what they'll learn is what I learned in being close to him, and even those that weren't will learn about what decency and honor are all about in the White House. And this is his legacy. He came in, and he healed, and the rest is history. An amazing man.

QUESTION: Mr. President, when President Ford was selecting a vice president, it came down to you and Nelson Rockefeller. In retrospect, how do you feel about Mr. Ford's decision?

G. BUSH: Well, I think he made a good call, because life is -- at the time I was flattered to be considered. When he went out to announce Rockefeller as his choice, Barbara and I were in Maine. The telephone rang. We were watching the TV. There was a delay, and he had the kindness to call me up and say that I was not his choice.

But it made no difference. I went on, and thanks to him, had wonderful assignments in life. And as I say, working with him as a leader, a minority leader in the House, was just a joy.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

G. BUSH: I'm sure I will be attending the funeral. I don't think the date has been set. To my knowledge it hasn't. Maybe you all have a later word, but unquestionably, Barbara and I will be there.

I'm sure there will be a service in the National Cathedral. And I'd be proud to be there.

OK. The floor's open. The governor's fair game here.

(LAUGHTER)

J. BUSH: Not for much longer.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

J. BUSH: Excuse me?

QUESTION: Is it really true that you have no future, as you said?

J. BUSH: Well, the reporter obviously didn't speak Spanish, because I was speaking a fairly lengthy sentence, and he took that one portion out. Obviously, we all have a future as long as we're up and taking nourishment.

We've got things to do, and I'm excited about not knowing what I'm going to do next. For the first time in my adult life, I'm like a lot of people. I don't know what the next step's going to be. And I'm going to take my time and enjoy life a little bit.

It's been a great joy being governor of this state. I mean, can you imagine being governor of paradise? This is kind of what it's been like for eight years.

Even the most difficult times have been a chance to serve with joy. And I've really appreciated the chance to do it, and I'm looking forward to not knowing what I'm going to do.

LEMON: And that is governor -- Florida Governor Jeb Bush standing next to his father, George H. W. Bush, and his mother, Barbara Bush. The former first lady, former president there.

They, of course, were talking about the death of former President Gerald Ford. The president saying -- the former president saying he was the most decent and honest man that he had ever met in his life. And he said he never let the presidency go to his head.

You can continue to follow this live on CNN.com, our Pipeline product. Just go to CNN.com and click on "Pipeline." That press conference we'll continue live.

We'll move on now and talk about 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.

And CNN's Ted Rowlands is there now -- Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, according to family members, President Ford died peacefully at his home last night at 6:45 Pacific Time here in Rancho Mirage. The news was shared with the world by his wife, his -- the former first lady, Betty Ford. They were married for 58 years.

And she issued this statement to the world to tell everybody that her husband had passed.

"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."

Gerald Ford, of course, only served two and a half years in the White House, taking over for Richard Nixon after his resignation in the wake of the Watergate scandal. He was called the "accidental president" because he never sought after or won the presidency or the vice presidency but was appointed to both posts.

When he left Washington, he and his wife came out here to the California desert. And this is where they lived for the next 30 years.

They played -- President Ford, the first years, was seen playing a lot of golf, but they also really entrenched themselves in this community. And they will be missed -- Gerald Ford will be missed dearly.

Not only did he contribute his time, but also his resources in helping to launch many different things in this community. And the people of this community will have an opportunity to pay their respects when he lies in repose.

Also, of course, the folks in Grand Rapids, Michigan, have lost their native son. And last night,. overnight, they came out and paid respects, bringing candles and flowers and leaving them at the Gerald Ford Library there, the Gerald Ford Museum. And that is where the president eventually will be laid to rest after the ceremonies here in Rancho Mirage and in Washington, D.C.

We don't have the firm schedule yet. We're expected to get that in the next few hours. It is believed that he'll lie here in repose here for a few days, go to Washington, lie in repose over the weekend there, and then have the funeral most likely early next week. And then finally will be taken -- the president's body, will be taken to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it is there that will be -- that will be his final resting spot.

President Ford dead at the age of 93 -- Don.

LEMON: Ted Rowlands, Rancho Mirage, California, thank you so much for that.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: 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: Good afternoon, Fredericka.

President Bush is spending this week at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. And from there this morning he said that President Ford reflected the best in America's character.

Now, even before President Ford passed away, he went down in history as the man who filled the void left in the White House by the resignation of President Nixon because of the Watergate scandal. And this morning, President Bush acknowledged that. He credited President Ford's leadership during what he called a period of great division and turmoil.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For a nation that needed healing, and for an office that needed a calm and steady hand, Gerald Ford came along when we needed 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: President Ford died shortly before 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time last night. At about 10:30 p.m., Ford's chief of staff contacted Josh Bolten, President Bush's chief of staff, who, in turn, quickly alerted President Bush.

President Bush immediately tried to contact Betty Ford, but he wasn't able to get in touch with her. So a phone call was arranged between the two, and they did talk at about midnight.

Meanwhile, in terms of services here in the capital, we do understand, as is customary, President Ford's body will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. And also, flags of all U.S. government buildings here and abroad will be at half-staff for 30 days.

In addition, Fredricka, there will be a one-day period of national mourning. What -- exactly what that day will be we're not sure at this point.

WHITFIELD: And Brianna, what about more reaction coming from the vice president, given that he was once the chief of staff for the late president?

KEILAR: That's exactly right. He served under Ford in his administration. And he was alerted early this morning as well.

He is in Wyoming at this point. And like President Bush, he acknowledged President Ford's leadership following Richard Nixon's resignation. He actually said that President Ford restored public trust in the presidency.

WHITFIELD: All right. Brianna Keilar, thanks so much, from the White House. LEMON: Until the day he was summoned to the White House, Gerry Ford was just the guy across the street. Up next in the NEWSROOM, we'll talk with the neighbor who watched history unfold right in his front yard.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A modest home, where a modest man grew up. It's now in the National Register of Historic Places. The man went on to live in the White House.

Flags at half-staff today at Gerald Ford's boyhood house in Grand Rapids, Michigan, one of many tributes to the 38th U.S. president.

Congressman, vice president, president. Gerald Ford was all those things, but Peter Abbruzzese called him neighbor. The Fords lived just across the street before moving on to much bigger digs.

Mr. Abbruzzese joins us now from his home in Alexandria, Virginia.

Thank you so much for joining us today, sir.

PETER ABBRUZZESE, FORD'S FORMER NEIGHBOR: Glad to talk to you. Nice to meet you.

LEMON: Yes, nice to meet you as well.

Anything you want to share? What will you remember most about living -- being a neighbor of the former president?

ABBRUZZESE: He was a gentleman and his wife was a lady. And they had well-behaved, rambunctious children. Just a great family.

LEMON: Great family.

ABBRUZZESE: Good neighbors. Excellent neighbors. Although the older boys I think were in college when we moved in, in '71.

LEMON: You were -- you shared some very interesting things that we've been reading about and hearing about. You consider your garage to be the first press room for President Gerald Ford?

ABBRUZZESE: Well, I didn't. Some of the press people said that. And Dick Martin, an artist, brass on brass -- or copper on copper artist, made a plaque in which he called it the first president -- the first press room of President Ford, because in the mornings, when activity began to develop around the house, it rained a lot. So we had opened the garage door and put a table and chairs in the garage, and they sat in the garage to do their typing, telephone calling. They used our downstairs living room and washroom.

LEMON: Yes. You -- at first, though -- correct me if I'm wrong -- it kind of annoyed you because the press would be stepping on your lawn. And then you felt sorry for them. You'd actually open your garage to let them out of the rain. And then you developed a relationship with the press.

ABBRUZZESE: Well, it didn't annoy me. I figured it was part of life. And I said, well, I may as well save the grass from perdition, and moved them into the garage.

And they were so grateful. They were wonderful. They were absolutely the best thing about it because they were all so courteous and polite about using our house.

LEMON: Yes. Very courteous.

ABBRUZZESE: In fact, we went on vacation -- we went on vacation five days when they were here and gave our neighbor a key to open up the house. And it was in perfect shape when we came back.

LEMON: Yes. They also...

ABBRUZZESE: Including the grass.

LEMON: They also brought you a welcome gift to the neighborhood when you first moved in.

ABBRUZZESE: Oh, Mrs. Ford brought us a welcome gift.

LEMON: Yes. Do you remember what was in that?

ABBRUZZESE: She came in -- no. I wasn't even here. I was working or on a trip, and I came home and my wife told us, "Mrs. Ford came over with a gift for the baby."

My son had just been born. And -- in '72. You know, shortly after we moved in. And she brought a gift to us.

And that's how we really got to know them. And then after a while, Susan used to baby-sit, started -- was one of our early baby- sitters. She was terrific, too.

LEMON: It does speak to the kind of people that they were, that they would bring you a warm welcoming present when you moved into the neighborhood.

Tell us what -- you know, I know my neighbors growing up. I remember the guy across the street who used to mow our lawn if my dad was out of town, and what have you.

What kind of neighbor was Gerald Ford if you met him on the street, if you met him, you know, on the sidewalk? Tell us about him.

ABBRUZZESE: You could not tell him from another neighbor in that, when he came out, if you saw him, he always said hello. If we passed by each other, we would chat.

He was just a good neighbor. He was also a very good father and husband. I must say, he was a very good father and husband.

LEMON: Yes. Where were you...

ABBRUZZESE: Very popular in the neighborhood.

LEMON: I would imagine.

Where were you when you found out the news?

ABBRUZZESE: The news that he became vice -- his accession?

LEMON: No, when you found out the news that he had passed.

ABBRUZZESE: Oh. That was in the middle of the night.

I just happened to be flipping through the stations, and I just heard that he had gone late at night, I think somewhere about 11:00 or so. And I was sorry to hear that, but I knew his health had been bad and he had been failing for quite a while. So it was not unexpected.

And at that age, you know, going is pretty much a blessing for some people. They're having a tough time. And I guess when it's time to go, there's nothing to do but go, you know?

LEMON: Yes. And, of course, you were friends with him and you know him. So if anyone...

ABBRUZZESE: Oh, yes. Yes.

LEMON: ... has a privilege to say those words, you can.

You're talking about what a normal guy he is, he and his family.

ABBRUZZESE: Yes.

LEMON: I want to talk to you about Helen Thomas, who is a reporter now -- former UPI reporter, and now a reporter in Washington. Ms. Thomas spoke about the Fords as well, and particularly Gerald Ford, how down to earth they are.

Let's take a listen to it, and then we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HELEN THOMAS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The first day we started covering him, we went to his home in Alexandria, Virginia. And he was busy toasting English muffins. We thought, well, this is really a down to earth president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So he was busy toasting English muffins. And if I'm correct, you may have been making some martinis for the press corps in your garage.

ABBRUZZESE: I understand that in the afternoon, there would be martinis in the garage. I don't know how they got there. There have been various accusations along those lines. I will not admit to anything.

LEMON: So you're not going to take responsibility for them. Did you ever taste the muffins, though? Or the martinis?

ABBRUZZESE: Oh, no, no. Breakfast, he made -- he made breakfast quite frequently. In those days, I would have a bowl of cereal, and I was off.

I went -- I worked on Capitol Hill at the same time that he was -- that he was minority leader. And I worked for the Foreign Affairs Committee. And I was gone most of the time that, frequently when my wife would see him or Mrs. Ford, I was not here.

LEMON: Yes. Have you spoken to Mrs. Ford, speaking of her?

ABBRUZZESE: Well, not recently.

LEMON: Not recently. Anything you'd like to say to her if you got to speak to her?

ABBRUZZESE: Oh, well, you know, he was such a sweetheart that, you know, all you can say is, be patient, and you'll be together again soon, you know. Not too soon, I hope. But he's -- we were lucky to have him as president at that time. The country was very lucky.

Normally people liked to say, "I'm grateful to my country for having given me this opportunity and letting me be president." But in that particular case, the paradox is, he was unelected, but the presidency was still very lucky to have him.

I don't think another person could have done the same because they didn't have his style and personal courtesies and manner that he would distribute -- that he gave to everyone. Regardless of their party.

LEMON: Peter Abbruzzese...

ABBRUZZESE: Yes. Yes.

LEMON: ... thank you.

Neighbor of former President Gerald Ford.

ABBRUZZESE: You're welcome.

LEMON: Thank you so much for joining us today. We really enjoyed having you and offering your insight today.

ABBRUZZESE: OK, right.

LEMON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And do you remember this? His statue toppled with a rope in the fall of Baghdad. Now Saddam Hussein awaits a similar fate. His date with the gallows is imminent.

We watch for developments right here from the NEWSROOM.

And we're tracking the next big winter storm. Bonnie Schneider has more on that straight ahead.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: On the winter storm watch again in Denver. The city's mayor and the airport managers huddle 24 hours, give or take, before the next big blow.

You may recall last week's storm caused the airport to shut down for two days. It was a mess, stranding thousands of holiday travelers, some for almost a week. This new storm, well, it has driving snow as well. Bitter cold and howling winds. And it's expected to hit sometime after noon tomorrow.

CNN's Bonnie Schneider tracking that storm in our severe weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: An ad hoc administration and a turbulent era. Up next in the NEWSROOM, the political legacy of an unexpected president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World headquarters in Atlanta.

WHITFIELD: I'm Fredricka Whitfield in today for Kyra Phillips. Watergate? Vietnam? Would you have agreed to walk into those buzzsaws? For better and worse, Gerald Ford did. In a few minutes, we'll look at the political legacy of America's unexpected president. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A makeshift memorial is growing outside the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's the city where the late commander in chief grew up and entered Republican politics.

Peter Ross from our affiliate WZZM is there. And has it been a constant flow of people there?

PETER ROSS, WZZM REPORTER: There have been, Fredricka. Outside the museum -- actually, inside the museum, which is right behind us, directly beside the news trucks which have filled the parking lot, is a public condolence book.

People can walk in the Ford library and write a message to the Ford family in their own words. Just within the hour after the news of the president's passing, people started appearing here at the museum site. They established a makeshift shrine. It grew so big they had to move it out here onto Pearl Street in downtown Grand Rapids. There are candles. There are poinsettias. There are flags. There are dolls and bears. There are well-wishers' words including Gerald Ford, just a nice guy. Thank you for serving. People have been dropping off these items throughout the day and no doubt will continue throughout the night.

Grand Rapids is where Gerald Ford had lived since 1914. In recent decades, he had spent his retirement years in California, of course, but Grand Rapids is the president's home. He wasn't born here. He was born in Nebraska, but he was always fond of saying that his values of integrity, fairness, and character were honed here in this Midwestern manufacturing city, a city he and his wife, Betty, loved so much and a city that is turning out in very large numbers now to say thank you to the man who helped heal this nation in 1974 -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Peter, are you hearing any details about the plans there at the museum? I understand he'll be buried there, but any kind of ceremony? Would they be public or very private?

ROSS: Well, the ceremonies will be here public and private after the more public ceremonies in Washington. Following the state funeral in the Capitol, the former president's body will be flown back here. It will be on public display within the museum for a day.

There will be a funeral in a local church nearby that will actually be largely private for family. And then he will be buried in a plot right here behind the Gerald Ford museum.

WHITFIELD: Peter Ross, thanks so much, from our affiliate WZZM there in Grand Rapids.

LEMON: He became known as the accidental president and accident prone to boot. But Gerald Ford's brief time in the White House will be remembered for many other things. Joining us now to look back is CNN senior analyst Jeff Greenfield.

You know, it seems like Jeff like the stars kind of aligned for him to become president. He became vice president because Spiro Agnew had to resign.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: Yes, and I think that's an often overlooked historical quirk. Spiro Agnew was often seen as Richard Nixon's best impeachment insurance. He was a very polarizing figure. Most folks on the right loved him. Most folks on the left really didn't like him. He launched the attack on the press, on elite liberalism. He was a very -- to put it charitably -- outspoken fellow.

And as long as he was vice president, the thinking was, well, the Democrats who controlled Congress and therefore the impeachment process, were they really going to throw out Nixon only to get Agnew? But when Agnew was forced out of office on a completely unrelated matter, he had been taking bribes of one kind or another while as governor of Maryland and I think even as vice president. When he was forced out, Nixon thought to himself, I'll get a very easily confirmable vice president. I don't need the headache. Let me pick the House minority leader who is liked on both sides. It turned out to be a terrible political miscalculation because it made the removal of Nixon much more acceptable to Democrats who controlled the Congress.

LEMON: And I remember this was a very -- Jeff, very turbulent time. I remember myself as well as a child and my parents sort of around the television watching the news about Watergate and about Vietnam.

Let's talk about once he became president. He had a brief honeymoon with the country and then, of course, that pardon and then the criticism started.

GREENFIELD: Yes. The first 30 days were remarkable. First of all, it was just the fact Ford actually put it quite well when he was sworn in, our long national nightmare is over.

It had been from the start of the famous Ciricca (ph) letter to the judge, one of the conspirators, in March of '73 the lid blew off. And from then until August of '74, it was a never-ending turmoil. The firing of the special prosecutor, calls for impeachment. Very, very angry feelings on both sides.

And Ford's 30 days were marked by a lowering of the temperature, a kind of celebration of this very ordinary, sweet guy who toasted his own English muffins, carried no presidential airs about him. Nixon had outfitted some White House people in uniforms that looked like they were something of a victor operetta. Ford was not that kind of guy.

But when he announced the pardon it was like a switch had been thrown. His own press secretary, who was a respected journalist who had come to work for Ford quit in protest. And public opinion polls switched almost overnight.

There was a feeling generated, I think, by kind of the poisonous atmosphere of Watergate that something else had to be up. That somehow Nixon had gone to Ford and said, okay, I'll resign and make you president. You pardon me. There's no evidence at all that anything like that happened, but given the climate of the Watergate times, you can understand perhaps why people believed that -- and it really did put a screeching halt, if this is a correct metaphor, to the Ford honeymoon.

LEMON: Yes. And let's talk about the polls. Now there's a poll -- there's a Gallup poll, and it talks about President Ford's legacy. It will go down in history as outstanding or above average president. We've got Ronald Reagan, 64 percent, Bill Clinton, 45 percent, Jimmy Carter, 38 percent, George Bush, 32 percent, George Bush the dad, that is, and Gerald Ford, 23 percent, followed by George Bush, the son.

GREENFIELD: Right. The striking ...

LEMON: Go ahead.

GREENFIELD: Well, the striking thing about that poll is that, the exception of George W. Bush, the lower folks are all one-term presidents. When you don't get re-elected, when you try and fail at re-election, it hurts you historically.

The assumption is, well, you couldn't hack it. George W. Bush, is a two-term president, is a very different arena, and that's all Iraq, I think. But that's what happens.

The other thing is Ford was not only a one-term president, he served for about two and a half years. I think only three presidents in history served a shorter tenure.

And in that kind of time, particularly when the Congress is controlled by the opposition party and Congress tries to put brakes on executive power which they very much wanted to do after Vietnam and Watergate, there's not much of a legacy you have a chance to establish. There's no Ford Doctrine, there is no Ford Plan like a Marshall Plan.

What people are going to remember Gerald Ford for, to the extent that people have any sense of history, is that he was suited ideally to come into that White House in the post-Watergate era. And that, I think, is what people are going to remember.

LEMON: And Jeff, he sort of ran on his experience, foreign policy and what have you. But during his run when he ran for president again against Jimmy Carter, he made a big gaffe during the second debate with former president Jimmy Carter.

GREENFIELD: Well, it's interesting. What happened was, the question was about the Soviet domination of eastern Europe -- Poland and other countries and Ford said there is no Soviet domination and in a Ford Administration there never will be.

LEMON: And Jeff, we have that if you want to take a listen.

GREENFIELD: Yes, let's play it because it's interesting, please.

LEMON: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALD FORD, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't believe that the Poles consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union. Each of those countries is independent, autonomous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And, again, he ran on his foreign policy experience, but that turned out not to be correct, right?

GREENFIELD: Look, here's the problem. In fact, the questioner who was Max Shranka, later would become editor of the "New York Times," gave Ford a chance to explain what he meant. He said, I'm sure you don't mean that and he said it again. What Ford meant, and he -- you can see him trying to grope for the answer, was look, whatever the reality in eastern Europe, the brave people of eastern Europe do not consider themselves slaves of the Soviet Union which proved to be true once Solidarity began in Poland.

But Ford was not the most flexible of speakers, and instead of saying there may be Soviet troops in Poland, but they will never dominate the Polish heart, he talked about the independent and Parliament, which was -- that was absolutely, flatly wrong. They were, of course, essentially colonies of the Soviet Union, and he just got tripped up.

The interesting thing about that debate -- it was the second debate -- is the initial reaction, those instant polls that we endlessly take, showed that most people thought Ford had won the debate. When it was explained what he had said by the press, the public reaction shifted, and that clearly did hurt him.

LEMON: Jeff Greenfield, we thank you for your insight in all of this and providing some context for us. Thank you, sir.

Before he was the center of attention at the White House, he was the all-star center for the blue and gold. Here's a strapping Gerald Ford playing for the University of Michigan's 1932 and 1933 national championship football teams.

Ford also was the Wolverines most valuable player back in 1934. The school later retired his number, number 48. That was his jersey number. And take a look at this helmet, a signed gift to Ford from Bo Schembechler. The former legendary Michigan coach died just last month.

And, of course, get more on the life and legacy of former President Gerald Ford in a special report at CNN.com. See his life in pictures. Watch what colleagues are saying about him and interact. Tell us how you'll remember the former president in a CNN i-Report. Get more at CNN.com.

WHITFIELD: I love, too, that he was always the athlete. Even up until last year, he was known to be skiing. Fit man.

Well, here's a bit of a scare for Tony Blair. Off the runway in Miami. But the big question, was the British prime minister flying coach? Find out in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: And a stunning discovery near Houston Airport -- lots and lots of lost luggage. Dozens of bags dumped in the trash, a mystery. Can we solve it? Ahead in the NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: Were they empty?

LEMON: I don't know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Let's check in now with Carol Lin in the NEWSROOM with a developing story -- Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This having to do with Major League Baseball and the testing of performance-enhancing drugs, Fred.

We have just learned from the Associated Press here that a federal appeals court has ruled that authorities investigating those allegations in the sport are entitled to the names and the urine samples of about 100 Major League Baseball players who tested positive for steroids back in 2003.

That's pretty big. I mean, we've known some of the names that have come out, you know, in these allegations. We do know that the Mitchell Report -- this is a report ordered by the baseball commissioner, naming senator George Mitchell, former Senator George Mitchell, as part of this panel investigation of steroid use of performance-enhancing drug use.

That report is supposed to come out on February 12th. And it -- we are hearing that it is going to indicate a prevalent use of performance-enhancing drugs. It may name some names, but certainly not compared to what may come out because of this federal appeals court ruling.

So, Fred, we're just beginning to follow this. This just broke. But that's pretty big in the world of baseball.

WHITFIELD: It is, indeed. And we'll be following all of that. Thanks so much, Carol.

LEMON: The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating last night's mishap at the Miami Airport for which the British prime minister had a front-row seat. Check this out. Tony Blair and his family were on a British Airways jet that rolled off the end of a runway after landing. I guess they were flying commercial. None of the 343 passengers was hurt, but two airport approach lights were damaged.

Now, the airline says there weren't enough -- the airline says there weren't enough lights and the pilot lost his way. The airport denies that. Reportedly Blair's -- the Blairs are on a private vacation at the Miami home of Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb. In case you're wondering, the "Miami Herald" says they were flying first class.

WHITFIELD: But of course.

LEMON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Well, it's a screening system, not a peep show. At least that's what it's supposed to be. A screening system -- that promise from the Transportation Security Administration as it starts tests of a new X-ray system at the Phoenix airport.

The system a few raised eyebrows at first because it lets screeners see a little too much, as in through the clothes. The TSA has since modified the equipment so it only shows cartoon-like outlines. Now, however, some experts doubt it will deflect plastic explosives.

LEMON: Ever wonder where lost luggage goes? Well...

WHITFIELD: I have a few bags that I'm still waiting to be returned.

LEMON: Same here. Well, apparently the answer, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I'm angry forever.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: I know. I know. The answer is behind a pet store in Houston, of course.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY SANDER, FOUND LUGGAGE: We showed up here at about 9:30, and then we just noticed there was a bunch of luggage. There was one laying on the ground. We started looking and then we got up in the dumpster, and it was full.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: There you go. That's right. A dumpster full of luggage found about a mile from Bush International Airport in Houston, almost 70 bags in all with tags from such far-flung destinations as London -- hopefully the Blairs' stuff wasn't in there -- and United Arab Emirates. Continental Airlines is now trying to sort it all out and get the bags to the rightful and rightfully frustrated owners.

WHITFIELD: I can identify. All right, checking in with Wall Street right now. Investors are in a buying mood. Darby Dunn explains.

(MARKET REPORT)

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LEMON: He's sentenced to hang. But he still has his hangers-on. And today those loyalists of Saddam Hussein threatened to attack U.S. interests anywhere if the former dictator's execution goes ahead. It's supposed to happen within 30 days of yesterday's ruling by an Iraqi appeals court.

CNN's Arwa Damon has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iraq's former dictator, whose very image was enough to instill fear. He will now face a fate like many ordinary criminals in Iraq. The decision is final. The trial court sentence upheld by the appellate chamber.

JUDGE AREF SHAHEEN, IRAQI HIGH TRIBUNAL (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The appeals court has decided to uphold the guilty verdict and sentence against the accused, Saddam Hussein, Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan and Awad al-Bandar, by hanging them to death for committing crimes against humanity.

DAMON: It was often a chaotic trial. Regular outbursts from the defendants, who even appeared in their pajamas; accusations of government interference.

Human Rights Watch called the trial "fundamentally flawed."

Predictably, Saddam's lawyers said that upholding the sentence was a crazy ruling. But they were in a small minority.

(on camera): As the judge read out the final decision to execute Saddam Hussein, Iraq's former dictator, we saw members of the Iraqi media here giving each other the thumbs up and smiles on nearly everyone's faces, including representatives of the Iraqi government and members of the Iraqi High Tribunal.

(voice-over): And as one government official put it, "It's now game over for Saddam."

MITHAL ALOOSI, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: This is our Iraq today. And as asked the government to close the file as soon as possible. We are not ready to hear anybody saying to us there's still Saddam alive and he will come back.

He will never come back.

DAMON: According to Iraqi law, Saddam's execution will be witnessed by members of the Iraqi judicial system, members of the government and medical experts.

BASSEM RIDHA, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER ADVISER: Finally, we are seeing an end to this and hopefully the executive branch of the government will take command and in charge of this and will deliver the execution verdict just like it's been certified by the appeals chamber.

DAMON: The Iraqi government is discussing the execution details -- who will be invited to witnesses the execution and whether it will be broadcast on television.

The clock for Saddam and two of his co-defendants is ticking. The sentence must be carried out by January 27th.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A letter supposedly from Saddam has appeared on a Baathist Web site. It asks Iraqis not to fight one another, nor to blame, quote, "average Americans for the occupation of Iraq."

It also calls for continued struggle against the occupiers, quoting, "Oh brave pious Iraqis in the heroic resistance. Oh sons of one nation -- of the one nation direct your enmity toward the invaders. Do not let them divide you. Long live jihad and the mujahideen against the invaders."

It was apparently written earlier this month.

PHILLIPS: And we know that they can potentially be dangerous. They're also beautiful.

Well, now we're told they're endangered as well. The plight of the polar bears, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And coming up, a new warning about drugs that treat heartburn. Some may get you more than relief. Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains coming up next.

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