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Robert Gates Reacts to Iranian Involvement in Iraq; Senator Clinton Conducts Town Hall Meeting in New Hampshire; Clashes in Sensitive Part of Jerusalem
Aired February 10, 2007 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have any doubt in my mind that the Iranians are involved in Iraq. Everyone knows that. The question is, are the Iranians the ones that are supporting the groups that are killing Americans?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Claims and credibility, is the U.S. preparing to make its case against Iran?
The presidential race is on for Barack Obama. Will his race be a factor?
On the campaign trail with Hillary Clinton. We'll take you to her town hall meeting live this hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDRIC VAN ANHALT: I never said I'd be the father, I never said yes, I never said no, so it stays in the middle. Let's see what happened. I'll leave one door open to jump in, if something goes wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A complicated custody issue heats up. Who is Dannielynn's father and who will raise her, now that Anna Nicole is gone?
The news unfolds, live this Saturday, the 10th day of February. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was here in Springfield, where North, South, East and West, come together, that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people.
Where I came to believe that truth as decency, we could build a more hopeful America. And that is why, in the shadow of the old state capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And you watched that live right here from the NEWSROOM. Senator Barack Obama announcing his formal entry into 2008 Democratic presidential race. He did it in his home state of Illinois, on the steps of the old courthouse in Springfield.
Obama is on his way now to Iowa, and in just a few hours, he'll be in cedar rapids for a town hall meeting there. Our Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley is traveling with him. And we'll have a live report later on.
Will Obama make history in the White House and is his life in danger, just simply by running? Senator Obama, and his wife, Michelle, tackle those very issues in a CBS "60 Minutes" interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think the country is ready for a black president?
OBAMA: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't think it's going to hold you back?
OBAMA: No. You know, I think if I don't win this race it will be because of other factors. It's going to be because I have not shown to the American people a vision for where the country needs to go, that they can embrace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has that been a factor? I mean, have you talked about that? Is that something that you think about?
MICHELLE OBAMA, WIFR OF SEN. BARACK OBAMA: I don't lose sleep over it, because the realities are, that, you know, as a black man, you know, Barack can get shot going to the gas station. You know, so you, you know, you can't -- you know, you can't make decisions based on fear, and the possibility of what might happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: While Obama insists race won't be a deciding factor in his candidacy, our Chief National Correspondent John King explores how race has played out in past presidential contests.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NAT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An embrace that likely is a sign of things to come. Two-time presidential candidate Jesse Jackson tells CNN, he is all but certain to endorse Barack Obama's 2008 White House bid.
JESSE JACKSON, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All of my heart links to Barack. He's he a next door neighbor, literally. I think he's an extension of our struggling to make this a more perfect union. I'll talk to all of them, but my inclinations are really toward Barack.
KING: Yes as Jackson shares memories of 1984 and 1988 with his friend, he also remembers the ugly side.
JACKSON: There was such an antipathy toward my running, we received the most threats of any candidate ever.
KING: Jackson aides and Secret Service officials from those days recall racial slurs, hate mail, and death threats, not just against the candidate.
JACKSON: My family, I had the most sensitivity to the fact, whether they have security in our home, the threats were very real, sometimes very overt, sometimes very covert. But everyplace we went, Secret Service was always on the edge. And if you think it's not real, think about what happened to John Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy, and Dr. King, there is the ever-present threat.
KING: Obama aides are reluctant to discuss internal deliberations. But one top advisor tells CNN racism and security were of course among the factors Obama and his wife considered when discussing the toll a presidential campaign would take on them, and their two young daughters.
JACKSON: We talked about it a bit. He is very aware of the risk factor in this campaign.
KING: The outpouring of encouragement for Obama now stirs memories of 1995 when retired General Colin Powell's book tour brought talk of running for president. Alma Powell worried her husband's race would make him a target for assassination.
WILLIAM SMULLEN, COLIN POWELL CONFIDANTE: Clearly Mrs. Powell was concerned about his safety. However in the end, she said, Colin, whatever you want to do, I'll support you.
KING: In the end, Powell decided not to run, and long-time confidant Bill Smullen says race and safety, ultimately, were minor factors.
SMELLEN: Quite frankly, it was that -- as he called it -- that fire in the belly, it simply was not there.
KING: Obama plays down the role of race, though in his book, "The Audacity of Hope", he wrote "Whatever preconceived notions white Americans may continue to hold, the overwhelming majority of them, these days, are able, if given the time, to look beyond race in making their judgments of people."
The numbers tend to support hat view. When Jackson first sought the presidency in 1984 there were 5,700 black officials in the United States. Now Senator Obama is among more than 9,500 elected blacks in office. Back in 1984, 77 percent of Americans said they could support a black for president, now more than nine in 10 say that.
MAYOR DOUGLAS WILDER, RICHMOND, VA.: I think absolutely that the nation is ready, he is ready and times don't change, John. You and I know that, people change.
KING: Still Richmond, Virginia Mayor L. Douglas Wilder cautions Obama to be wary of the polls.
In 1991 Wilder made history, an African-American elected governor in the one-time capital of the Confederacy. Late polls had him comfortably ahead. But Wilder won narrowly, many who told pollsters they would vote for a black man, in the end, didn't.
WILDER: I'm not naive enough to believe that racism is gone. On the other hand, I think the nearest thing to that, being a candidate who could cross that is Obama now. The burden is on him to say look I'm not running as an African-American. I'm not running for history's sake. I'm not running for anything other than to be the best possible person to lead this country.
KING: John King, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And another Democratic presidential candidate is campaigning in New Hampshire today. Senator Hillary Clinton is speaking, right now, at a town hall forum in Concord. CNN's Mary Snow is there, and she'll have a live report just at the half hour.
And there are the live pictures there, of the reception, that Senator Clinton is getting there at that town hall meeting. I think when we have an opportunity we'll be able to listen in to her.
Meantime, in San Diego, California, a military training exercise claims the life of a Marine today. At the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, a seven-ton truck, during this training exercise overturned. One Marine was killed; 16 others injured, and taken to nearby hospitals.
You're looking at the pictures that we are just receiving in, of the injured Marines, just before taken to a nearby hospital. When we get any more information about exactly what caused this training exercise accident, a fatal one at that, we'll be able to bring that to you.
Meantime, blaming Washington: Russia's president launches a scathing verbal assault on the Bush administration, accusing it of making the world a more dangerous place. This comes at the U.S. tries to lay out evidence against Iran. Details now from CNN's Jamie McIntyre, at an international conference in Germany.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): President Vladimir Putin kicked off the Munich conference with what U.S. Senator John McCain later called the most aggressive speech from a Russian leader since the end of the Cold War.
Putin's in-your-face charge, what he called the United States illegitimate, unilateral military actions have backfired. He claimed, frightening countries into seeking weapons of mass destruction to protect themselves.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way, and this is very dangerous. It leads to a situation where nobody feels secure.
MCINTYRE: Putin didn't refer to Iran's nuclear ambitions. And Iran, through its chief nuclear negotiator, repeated the claim its nuclear program is peaceful and transparent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are completing a course, which is not threaten (ph) to no one. Our activities are all under the IAEA, and we are committed to the nonproliferation treaty.
MCINTYRE: Meanwhile the United States continues to claim it has evidence linking Iran with weapons used against U.S. forces in Iraq, in particular, sophisticated EFPs, or explosively formed penetrators, shaped charges with the ability to pierce the thickest armor.
ROBERT GATES, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: The sophistication of the technology, I think that there are some serial numbers, there may be some markings on some of the projectile fragments that we found. I'm just, frankly, not specifically certain myself of the details, but I understand there is pretty good evidence tying these EFPs to the Iranians.
COLIN POWELL, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: Now, let me add one other fact --
MCINTYRE: But Iran, well aware of the flawed intelligence cited in the lead up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, is trying to cast this in evidence the same light.
JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: The problem is that the United States has decided on a policy and is trying to find or fabricate evidence, if it cannot find one, and I believe it hasn't been able to find any evidence in order to substantiate and corroborate that policy.
MCINTYRE: Privately, U.S. officials concede the soon-to-be released evidence, while convincing, is not ironclad. One problem, while serial numbers may show weapons of Iranian origin, that doesn't rule out the possibility they could have come from the black market.
It's also uncertain how many Iranian weapons have been used in attacks against U.S. troops since most of Iran's sympathy lie with Shia militia who are battling rival Sunni groups.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Iranians are close to the Shiites but it is the Sunni insurgents that have killed the vast majority of American soldiers.
MCINTYRE (on camera): The debate at this informal security conference underscores a key problem the U.S. has, even with its closest allies, credibility. Whether it's Iran's nuclear ambitions or allegations it's arming Iraqi insurgents, the rest of the world is increasingly unconvinced by what the U.S. claims is convincing evidence. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Munich.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Back now to presidential '08 politics. We take you straight to Concord, New Hampshire, where Senator Hillary Clinton is encouraging a conversation with her, during this town hall meeting. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN LIVE FEED, IN PROGRESS)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And high school gyms and city halls and everywhere we can gather. And I said in Berlin, this morning, that I'm going to enjoy every minute of this, because I love the personal campaigning. But I'm going to make one change from my husband's campaigning, and I want all of you to help me keep to this, not so many Dunkin' Donuts stops.
(LAUGHTER)
I cannot afford that. So I'm going to really need a lot of monitors in the room.
Well, this conversation that I'm holding as part of my presidential campaign is really rooted in my deep belief that our country is on the wrong course. And that we've had --
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: We've had a president, and administration, and until recently, with Paul's help a Congress that made decisions, which undermined the promise of America at home, and our leadership and greatness around the world.
(END LIVE FEED, IN PROGRESS)
WHITFIELD: You've been listening to Senator Hillary Clinton, there in Concord, New Hampshire, talk about why she's having a conversation there, with the folks of Concord, in her town hall meeting.
We, of course, will go back to that town hall, when we get an opportunity. Our Mary Snow is there, reporting on it as well. This taking place just a couple hours after Senator Barack Obama grabbed a few headlines by throwing his hat into the presidential ring, making it official from Springfield, Illinois, today.
Also in life, and now in death, controversies and lawsuits surround Anna Nicole Smith. Our legal experts weigh in on the custody battle.
And enough's enough, already. Many in Upstate New York, just want the winter to end -- or do they? All that and more, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Checking stories "Across America", some frightening moments at a Boston beauty salon. It was business as usual, until a plumbing truck plowed into the building. The crash shattered glass and sent debris flying. Five people were hurt, but none of them seriously. Police are now investigating.
Violence against a Nobel Peace prize winner. Police in San Francisco say a man who approached Holocaust scholar Elie Wiesel, seeking an interview, later roughed him up. Wiesel is not injured. The incident took place during a peace forum last week at a San Francisco hotel. Police say the suspect may be a holocaust denier.
A break from your Blackberry. Could it be? Customers across North and South America could have their service interrupted this weekend, as the company performs some infrastructure work. Can you live without it?
And just what Upstate New York doesn't need right now, more snow. That's what the region is getting today, on top of the 10 feet of snow that has already fallen this week. CNN'S Reggie Aqui is in Oswego, New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It seems like just as soon as these folks behind me, shovel out, and finally get the streets looking good again, it snows again. This has been the story all week long in Oswego County.
I can tell you, although people are very used to a lot of snow here, nothing like this. I mean, just look at how high these drifts are. This has been the case really all over the area. We're talking about anywhere between 7 to 10 feet of snow. And it's all lake-effect snow, so it's all very localized and it comes and goes very quickly.
We had a time when we didn't have much snow yesterday. They did have a break. They were able to finally get the roads looking very good, and now here we go again with the snow coming down.
The kids have been out of school for a week and they are getting a little stir crazy at this pint. A lot of parents telling us they can't wait for school to start up again. But the snow is going to have to stop before that happens.
The good news to report in all of this? The folks here are definitely used to snow and so they know how to deal with it, they know how to survive it. And the services are already in place to provide for the folks here. So, so far, no major incidents to report, no deaths to report in this county. No, even, major accidents to report.
People here are handling this very well. I will tell you, they're getting a little tired of it at this point. It's back-breaking work. As you can see, these folks behind me working on all of this stuff, they say they'll be OK, though. They just wish it would slow down just a little bit, and they're certainly hoping this is the worst winter has to offer. In Oswego County, New York, I'm Reggie Aqui.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Something tells me, even when the snow finally ends, it will be like a freezer there. It will be there quite awhile. Jacqui Jeras now in the Severe Weather Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Well, he is a dealer in demand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If you need three hand grenades you can get them in two hours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how much?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No more than 25,000 to 30,000 Iraqi denars, around $20.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Business is booming, literally, in Baghdad, that story 15 minutes from now.
And the death of Anna Nicole Smith raises several questions. Among them, what happened to the battle over her late husband's billion-dollar estate? We'll ask some lawyers, our lawyers, some questions, coming up next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So perhaps you're surfing the net today? Well this is the most popular video on cnn.com. This beatdown in Canada; an optician is spitting mad when confronted by a consumer reporter.
Another top pick for web surfers, the ongoing debate over skinny models. A top celebrity photographer weighs in, insisting models are not too thin.
And Anna Nicole Smith's last interview, also getting lots of web hits. CNN's Miles O'Brien talks with "Entertainment Tonight" host Mark Steines, who interviewed Smith just last week.
Anna Nicole Smith's behavior often raised a few eyebrows, and her death raises a lot of legal questions now. Her battle for a share of her late husband's fortune went all the way to the Supreme Court, and it's still not settled. And there's a paternity suit over her baby daughter.
Let's see what our legal experts have to say. Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor.
Good to see you.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney.
Good to see you as well.
RICHARD HERMAN, NY CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, guys, a lot to talk about involving the Anna Nicole Smith case. We'll talk about this still disputed estate, her mental status, and the paternity suit.
But first, Avery, there is a February 20th hearing, and her body is being preserved in time for that hearing, so what is to take place during that hearing?
FRIEDMAN: Well, actually, what's going to happen on February 20th, Fredricka, is that the case will be thrown out. The body's in Florida. The baby is in the Bahamas. There aren't even minimal contacts with Los Angeles. To me the argument of preserving DNA is mooted out, because that's already been done.
The idea of a bait and switch is ridiculous. The Los Angeles part of this thing goes out the window. So this case, there's no grace in the media blitz, but these are sober, serious legal issues that remain.
WHITFIELD: But so Richard, this Los Angeles end is about the paternity of this child, in the Bahamas, right?
HERMAN: It's incredible, Fred. This is a perfect law bar examiner's question for the law students. I mean, this case has everything in it.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
HERMAN: I mean, you have criminal aspects. You have estate aspects. You have paternity. You have parenting. It's unbelievable. I agree with Avery. I think the California case, I don't think they have any jurisdiction, and I think it's a sham. The DNA has been preserved here, and we hear the baby is in the Bahamas. The baby is in Ft. Lauderdale, we don't know where Howard K. Stern is. And you know, he may be a very good husband, or a loving man -- not a husband -- but paramour, whatever you want to call him.
FRIEDMAN: Not a husband.
HERMANS: But the fact is he's her lawyer and it's a secret relationship with his client. So, it just doesn't sit well with everyone, whatever he is.
WHITFIELD: That's the other weird thing, because apparently they had some kind of commitment ceremony in the Bahamas, so they're not legally married I guess by U.S. standards, but Anna Nicole --
HERMAN: Not by Bahamas' standards. WHITFIELD: Right, OK. OK,
HERMAN: By Bahamas standards.
WHITFIELD: Even by their standards, but Anna Nicole tried to make it very clear that he was the father of the child, but then the whole issue of who gets custody of the child, who is taking care of the child right now. There are so many what seem to be legal issues but what is really the one that can be resolved?
FRIEDMAN: The one that can be resolved will be through DNA. We're going to know, with certainty, who the father is. Understand the day that you and Richard and I were together, talking about the Supreme Court argument, on the 28th of September. The next day, they were on a catamaran, Howard K. Stern and Anna Nicole n a commitment ceremony. They both concede there was no marriage license, so it's going to get down to DNA on who the father of Dannielynn is.
HERMAN: But Fred this is the issue here, she apparently intestate, meaning she died without a will. And if that's the case, her child will be the sole heir to the estate. That estate right now --
WHITFIELD: Who carries that forward, anyway? I mean with her death and with the one child of her late husband, the primary son, who is really fighting against her receiving any of the estate, who was really keeping the ball going here?
HERMAN: Well, you're going to see people petition the court to become the administrators of her estate, if there's no will. There could be four or five different people, including her mother, this Howard K. Stern, this Birkhead guy in California. You mean -- every -- even Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband is going to come now. Who knows, who is going to petition here?
WHITFIELD: Oh, gosh. It's all so murky and weird.
FRIEDMAN: By the time this is done there won't be any lawyers left in the Bar Association, because there are so many issues and all of them in a courtroom. There's no way someone will compromise or resolve this.
WHITFIELD: Well, something --
HERMAN: But Fred --
WHITFIELD: Oh, go ahead.
HERMAN: I'm just sorry the appeal will decide about $88 million that might come to her, so I think you know, there's a lot at stake in this case. And you are going to see a lot of people dipping their toes in the water here.
WHITFIELD: Oh, so one last thing about Howard K. Stern, because he is still part of the equation, even though his status is her is still kind of up in the air. Since the medical examiner out of Florida said there were no physical injuries, there was no evidence of pills in her body, et cetera, might Howard K. Stern, her partner, in any way, I guess, be held accountable, or liable because of the outcome of this woman, simply by association of being with her?
HERMAN: Here's the deal, Fred. When her son died in the Bahamas there was methadone in there, apparently prescribed to this Howard K. Stern. In Florida, one of the drugs found was methadone that's for a heroin addiction. It was not proscribed to her.
We don't know, but all the criminal pathologists who have looked at this case so far have said this is a clear absolute drug overdose case. Doesn't have to be in her stomach, and that's what's going to come out in the next couple of days, this was a drug overdose.
FRIEDMAN: But the question is Howard K. Smith (sic) potentially on the line and I bet you Richard agrees with this. There is a possibility that he may very well find himself in the suit.
HERMAN: Only a possibility, Fred, only a possibility.
WHITFIELD: OK, well I assure you, you guys, we're going to be talking about this again. Always good to see you.
FRIEDMAN: Fred, happy Valentine's Day.
WHITFIELD: Aww, thanks so much. Back at cha! All right Avery and Richard, thanks so much.
Well, here you go. In New Hampshire, the conversation still ongoing. It began moments ago, and now lots of applause there for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who says she wants to have this kind of conversation, open conversation in a town hall meeting kind of style here, at least in Concord, New Hampshire.
Our Mary Snow is there, and will fill us in on all that is being said.
And the men who make Iraq's violence possible. CNN sits down with one of Baghdad's black market arms dealers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Half past the hour. Here's what's happening right now in news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that shut you out, that's told you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe that we can be one people, reaching out for what's possible, building that more perfect union.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Barack Obama making it official. He is running for president. Even though he is only a first term senator, the Illinois Democrat said he has been in Washington long enough to know it must change.
A key issue at an international security conference in Munich, Germany: Iranian involvement in Iraq. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says there is good evidence that Iran is providing either weapons or technology to Iraqi militants. Officials tell CNN the Pentagon may hold a briefing tomorrow.
And did this New Orleans teenager kill a rival on his mother's instructions? Police say 17-year-old Clarence Johnson lost a fist fight to another teenager. They say Johnson walked away after the fight, but then his mother gave him a gun, and told him to go get revenge.
As Senator Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination his top rival campaigned in the tradition home of the nation's first primary. Senator Hillary Clinton is talking with voters in New Hampshire. CNN's Mary Snow joins us by phone from Concord, and how is it going there?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on phone): Well, Fredricka, it is a packed gymnasium that Senator Clinton is addressing right now. Over 1,000 people crammed into a high school auditorium.
This is her first trip to New Hampshire since she was first lady in 1996. The slogan is "let the conversation begin." And in the two events so far today, it's clear that Iraq is dominating the conversation.
Now Senator Clinton getting a warm response, but also some tough questions. She said a short while ago that Iraq was one of the most heartbreaking situations, saying in her words "the arrogance and incompetence of our administration in Washington is to blame," and to that, she got a standing ovation.
Earlier today in another town hall, a smaller one, she got a question from a man named Robert Tilden (ph), who said he was a Democratic primary voter and he wanted her to say whether or not her war authorization vote was a mistake saying that he felt he, and other primary voters couldn't listen to anything else she had to say until she cleared that up.
Senator Clinton repeated what she has in the past, and that's if she knew now what she knew then, she would have not voted for the war, but she blamed the president for the war, saying that she took responsibility for her vote. And these are the kinds of questions that she is facing here. She also plans to go in living rooms in New Hampshire, saying she wants to win over voters the New Hampshire way, and tomorrow, she will be making the rounds in people's homes, as she spends a second day here in this state. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: And so tomorrow, just because the cell phone reception was a little spotty there, tomorrow she'll be holding a similar format discussion just in another part of the state? SNOW: She will be going into people's homes for political parties, talking one on one with people throughout the state saying that she plans to have a lot of these kinds of conversations, going into diners, meeting people one on one, to hear their concerns.
WHITFIELD: All right, Mary Snow from Concord, New Hampshire. And of course, if you want to hear more of that conversation between Senator Clinton and people there in Concord, New Hampshire, you can go to CNN.com/Pipeline.
Also, campaigning today, several Republican presidential prospects. Like Senator Clinton, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has been looking for votes in New Hampshire. At a meeting with business leaders there, Huckabee declared that a loss in Iraq would doom U.S. culture.
Elsewhere across the nation, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Kansas Senator Sam Brownback are addressing the State Republican Convention in Michigan. And former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is speaking at the State Republican Convention in California.
U.S. forces in Iraq have a new boss. General David Petraeus officially took over command today from General George Casey. At the ceremony in Baghdad, Petraeus declared the mission is doable, but he indicates it's a team effort.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. ARMY: We will all have to share the burdens and move forward together. If we can do that, and if we can help the people of Iraq do likewise, then the prospects for success are good. Failing that, Iraq will be doomed to continued violence and civil strife, and surely, that is a prospect that all must strive to avoid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Like everything else in Iraq, the economy is a casualty of war. But in war, one business is booming. CNN's Michael Holmes played let's make a deal in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ABU HIBA (ph), (through translator): Before we buy a weapon, we always check its quality.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): In a country where unemployment is rampant, one business is booming, often literally.
HIBA: This path found me. I didn't choose it. I want to help people defend themselves.
He goes by the name of Abu Hiba. He used to go to university. He's young, smart and for two years now a black market arms dealer in Baghdad, with no shortage of customers. HIBA: Everyone demands. Neighborhoods, militias, Jihadi groups. Everyone demands.
HOLMES: He's a proud salesman and knows his wares. In this case, the heavy duty PKC machine gun.
HIBA: This is an effective long range weapon. Its nickname in the army and among militias is the reaper.
HOLMES: Say I wanted to buy some grenades. How long would it take to you get them to me?
HIBA: If you need three hand grenades, you can get them in two hours.
HOLMES: And how much?
HIBA: No more than 25,000 to 30,000 Iraqi dinars. Around $20.
HOLMES: A rocket-propelled grenade launcher, around $130. But his biggest seller is the AK-47. The weapon of choice for most Iraqis. On a busy month, maybe 50 pass through his hands and onto the streets, adding to an already unnerving level of fire power in the capital. This a fairly routine sound in the city.
Iraq is a place where every household is entitled to have one AK- 47. That's one of them there our guard is holding. You see, with all the sectarian and criminal violence, ordinary people feel that no one can adequately protect them. Not the police, not the army, not the Americans. So for about $400, they try to protect themselves.
Abu Hiba says those people are his market, not insurgents, although later he does admit to having rockets, hardly a defensive weapon, in his inventory. And with the new Baghdad security plan underway, Abu Hiba says many militiamen are laying low, getting rid of some of their weapons. Abu Hiba's happy. With so many weapons around, prices are low for him. He'll store them until those prices rise.
Meanwhile, he tells us that while militia members supply him, they are often supplied from places within Iran.
HIBA: What comes in from Iran is disastrous. Big trucks stacked with mortar bombs, 135 millimeter and 136 millimeter, Iranian- manufactured 120 millimeter mortars stamped 2006.
HOLMES: It's not like there's a shortage of weapons in Iraq. During the invasion, American troops left vast armories unguarded, later to be looted. Only a couple of years ago outdoor arms market thrived. They were shut down and so now the market is black. Underground.
Are you ever worried you're going to get caught?
HIBA: We can buy and hide weapons easily. When the Americans come in, they can't find anything and leave. I'm afraid only of God. HOLMES: Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well this is some clash, one between Israelis and Palestinians. This time sacred ground becomes the battlefield. More on the violence straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
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WHITFIELD: Clashes this week in a sensitive part of Jerusalem. Violence stemming from a controversial Israeli renovation project. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Stones fly. Stun grenades explode. Prayers are cut short as a holy site becomes a battleground.
Clashes between Muslim worshipers and Israeli police Friday were widely anticipated as tensions over an Israeli renovation project next to one of the most sensitive spots in this ancient city erupted into violence.
The Israeli project aims to renovate a ramp leading to the compound of the Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, known as the al-Haram al-Sharif, the noble sanctuary.
It's the temple mount to Jews. Palestinian leaders claims the work threatens the structure of the complex. Israeli officials deny it, and insist the renovation is necessary.
MARK REGEV, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY: In many way it's a catch 22. If you proceed with the restoration work, the repair work, then there's a chance that extremists will incite to violence. But of course if you don't do the repair work, you have a chance of a real tragedy, that people coming up to the mount, innocent people, pilgrims tourists, they will be hurt by the collapse of the ramp.
WEDEMAN: Neither side seems willing to back down. Israeli police had tried to bar all males under the age of 45 from entering the mosque compound, leaving hundreds outside the city walls to say their prayers.
"We came to praise Muslims, as Jerusalemites. We came to practice our right to right to worship," says Yusif Mukemar, "but our right has been denied."
Later police arrested him as he tried to rest the crowd. Scuffles ensued. And then pandemonium broke out. Similar scenes played out around the old city. This may not be the third Palestinian intifada some were predicting. There were wounded on both sides, but no fatalities. But it's a reminder, nonetheless that the conflict here is never far from the surface, and that what might seem like innocuous acts can have unforeseen consequences.
(on camera): Despite Friday's troubles, Israeli officials say they may well resume renovation work in the old city, pending the review. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Jerusalem.
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WHITFIELD: And now to politics in this country, where it is dirty business, and fashion just may be worse. The combination? Vicious.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary's legs are like tree stumps, so it's better that she wears pants.
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wow, tree stumps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you ever seen them? Oh, terrible.
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WHITFIELD: Oh, boy, so impolite. Hillary and her pant suits. Jeanne Moos takes a light-hearted look, light-hearted to who? Straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
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WHITFIELD: All right, Jacqui Jeras in the Severe Weather Center. As promised, what's happening out west?
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WHITFIELD: OK, so now that Senator Barack Obama is an official presidential candidate, it's time for rival candidate Hillary Clinton to fight back. Some suggest a fashion makeover. CNN's Jeanne Moos has some tailor-made advice.
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MOOS (voice-over): First it was her hair. Long, short, head band. There was even a Hillary wig. Then there was the time she was criticized for showing too much cleavage. But now something now is cleaving apart the nation.
(on camera): You're pro-pant suit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, completely. It just does wonders for women.
MOOS: You're anti-pant suit?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am unfortunately. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like pantsuits. I love my pant suits.
MOOS (voice-over): Pant suit lovers of the world unite. Hillary's favorite outfit is under attack by fashion designer Donatella Versace.
(on camera): Donatella advised Hillary to lose the pant suits.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good idea.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wrong, wrong. They're the most comfortable things in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They usually wear pants when their legs aren't that good ...
MOOS: Is he with you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not anymore.
MOOS (voice-over): In an interview with a German newspaper, Versace says, "She should treat femininity as an opportunity and not try to emulate masculinity in politics."
As New York's fashion week wound down we got fashionistas wound up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think she looks great in a pant suit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She could glamour it up a little bit.
MOOS: (on camera): Think she is too understated - dowdy, did you say?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
MOOS (voice-over): Political junkies haven't had a fashion player-up like this since Condoleezza Rice showed up in Germany dressed in all black with high heel boots. They said her clothes brought to mind the "Matrix", not to mention a dominatrix.
At least you can't pin that on a pant suits.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary's legs are like tree stumps. It's better that she wears pants.
MOOS (on camera): Wow, tree stumps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you ever seen them? Oh, terrible.
MOOS (voice-over): Take it from a costume designer with fuzz on his feet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are homemade.
MOOS: Some thought Hillary should cling to the skirts of another first lady.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like Jackie-O? Did you ever see Jackie in pants?
MOOS (on camera): What are you wearing? Let me see what you're wearing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know.
MOOS (voice-over): At least Hillary hasn't done what Dick Cheney, show up at a solemn memorial service dressed up like a hiker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think she's at the top of her game, frankly. She's the best she's ever looked.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) NY: I'm in it to win it.
MOOS: And she got in it in a pant suit. Imagine having every part of your body scrutinized. Remember that's a voting booth not a dressing room.
(on camera): I haven't worn a skirt since 1975.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Catherine Hepburn never wore a skirt. They're ridiculous. Men should wear them if they think they're so fashionable.
MOOS (voice-over): Hear that, Rudy? Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
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WHITFIELD: All right, Senator Barack Obama now officially in the presidential race. We'll look at his future and his past.
Men with guns and speedboats meet the militants of the Nigerian Delta. Those stories in the NEWSROOM one hour from now.
Next, a check of the headlines and then CNN's "SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT" goes to the Gulf Coast, "The Town That Fought Back," straight ahead.
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