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American Morning
British Announce Troop Withdrawal from Iraq
Aired February 21, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Merck says it pushed too hard to get states behind it's new vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.
We're live this morning from London, from Baghdad and from Washington D.C. on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning. Welcome, everybody. Wednesday, February 21st. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: I'm John Roberts in today for Miles O'Brien. Thanks very much for joining us. It's the day we get over the hump and the long slide into the weekend.
S. O'BRIEN: Halfway, is what they say.
Let's begin this morning with what could be the beginning of the end for Britain's involvement in the Iraq war. Some live pictures now from the House of Commons in London where the British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to lay out a timetable for bringing thousands of British troops home from Iraq.
It's going to happen as thousands more American soldiers are heading right to the frontlines. CNN's Robin Oakley is live for us in London this morning. Ed Henry is at the White House for us. Let's begin with Robin at No. 10 Downing Street.
Robin, good morning.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
I think this is going to be a little bit of a furry edge timetable we get from Tony Blair today. It might start coming out during his prime ministerial question session, which he has begun already. It might be in a formal statement in a half hour's time.
He will be saying that 1,500 British troops will come back, possibly within a matter of weeks. And the government's hope is that another 1,500 will be out of Iraq by the end of the year -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: So what are the concerns about Basra? I mean, clearly, wait they're spinning this is that Basra is now in good enough shape to turnover to the Iraqi forces. Does everybody agree about that?
OAKLEY: Well, that's what the British authorities are saying. They've conducted this Operation Sinbad, designed to enable them to hand over to the Iraqi security forces. They will pull those troops back initially into their barracks and see how things go. They won't just take them back to Britain absolutely immediately, but the feeling is that, yes, the Iraqi security authorities are ready to take over.
Some people, though, question whether they -- whether the loyalties of those Iraqi security forces may perhaps be split along factional and tribal lines. And that once the British forces are not operating along side them, they may not be quite so dependable, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: That's a very good question. Robin Oakley at No. 10 Downing Street for us this morning. Thank you for the update, Robin.
John.
ROBERTS: The White House is putting its spin on Britain's troop withdrawal saying it's a sign of the progress that's being made in Iraq. CNN's Ed Henry live at the White House for us now. And, Ed, we understand that the president talked this over with Prime Minister Blair.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning, John.
President Bush got a phone call, a heads-up, from Mr. Blair yesterday about all of this, and no matter how the White House tries to play it, clearly it's a blow to Mr. Bush.
After repeatedly saying it would be wrong to set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops to have his best ally in Britain do that for his own forces, clearly puts the president on the spot. The White House strategy is to play the only card it has, which is to basically say, well, wait, this shows there's been some success on the ground, and that the U.S. wants to do the very same.
According to Gordon Johnoroe (ph), the spokesman for the White House National Security Council saying, quote, "We're pleased that conditions in Basra have improved sufficiently that they, the British forces, are able to transition more control for the Iraqis. The United States shares the same goal of turning responsibility over to the Iraqi security forces and reducing the number of American troops in Iraq."
But, obviously, that explanation leaves out a couple of key facts. Number one, it was not just success on the ground, but political pressure that really forced Mr. Blair's hand here, John.
ROBERTS: What do you think will happen to President Bush? Are the Democrats going to use this to put the pressure on him to come up with some sort of timetable for troop withdrawal?
HENRY: Oh, absolutely. They're going to use anything they can, and this would be another wedge for the Democrats here in the United States. But if you look around the world as well, more pressure on Mr. Bush.
You had Mr. Blair under heavy fire. You have another key ally, John Howard, the Australian prime minister, facing a tough re- election, in large part, because of the unpopular war in Iraq. If he were to go down in that election, it would really show that Mr. Bush is standing almost alone right now, John.
Ed Henry live for us at the White House. Ed, thanks very much.
We're going to keep track of two live key signals coming in this morning. In London we are waiting for British Prime Minister Tony Blair to address the House of Commons and spell out the final details of his country's troop withdrawal. He is on the floor right now answering some questions that may come out, as Robin Oakley said, in his question and answer period, or come out in a statement from No. 10 Downing Street.
We're also watching Baghdad to see if Major General William Caldwell will comment on the plan during his regular Wednesday briefing, and how it could impact the U.S. mission in Iraq -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Here in the U.S., the Army is moving to clean up some pretty shocking conditions inside its premier medical facility for injured soldiers. It's called Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Those conditions were first reported by "The Washington Post" and today the Army is going to meet with some very outraged family members. CNN's Jamie McIntyre got a look inside Walter Reed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Walter Reed Army Medical Center is considered on of the best medical facilities in the world for treating soldiers wounded in combat.
But this is another part of Walter Reed, a part many people don't often see, Building 18. It's a rundown hotel now used to house wounded veterans who are well enough to leave the main hospital, but too sick to go home.
(On camera): This is the inside of Building 18. It's become a symbol for a bureaucracy that's not working.
(Voice over): As revealed in a story first reported by "The Washington Post," Building 18 has serious problems, including pest infestations, mold, and faulty plumbing. CNN got a firsthand look.
(On camera): So this is the day room. They have pool tables, they have flat screen TV, but even here you can see on the roof they've got water damage.
(Voice over): Top Army leaders said they were unaware of the problems until they read about it in the paper Sunday. They were shocked. After a tour the top officials told CNN in an exclusive interview there would be quick action.
GEN. RICHARD CODY, ARMY VICE CHIEF OF STAFF: I have never come to this place. I wish I had. I'm somewhat disappointed in myself for not understanding. I was briefed that it was in pretty good condition. It's getting better today. FRANCIS HARVEY, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY: It's all about leadership. It's all about seeing a problem, getting an action plan together, and then following up to insure the actions are taken.
MCINTYRE: Dozens of wounded troops have been living here for months as they go through outpatient care. Veterans groups blame military bureaucracy for the rundown conditions.
FRANK YOUKUM, ENLISTED ASSN. OF THE NAT'L. GUARD: The commander of the hospital has deemed the situation to be, quote, unquote, "problematic". And that they were in a process to try and get things fixed. However, calling something problematic and actually doing something about it are two different things.
MCINTYRE: In an exclusive interview with CNN, Army Secretary Francis Harvey promised to review conditions not just here at Walter Reed, but at outpatient facilities across the country. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Later this morning, we'll be taking a closer look at some of the problems at Walter Reed through the eyes of an injured soldier who was treated there.
Also happening this morning, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Berlin talking Middle East peace with the European Union. It comes after her summit with Israel and Palestinian leaders, too, in Jerusalem.
Now, the Israelis say the Palestinian plan to gives Hamas more political clout is a big obstacle in the push for peace. Hamas, of course, refuses to recognize Israel.
Jurors in the Lewis Scooter Libby trial are set to begin their deliberations today. Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, he's charged with lying to federal investigators, and a grand jury, in the case of just how CIA operative Valerie Plame was outed.
South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson is making progress, we're told, in his recovery from brain surgery. That was back in December, that surgery. Johnson is at a private rehab facility. He was released from a Washington hospital last week. It is not known, though, when Johnson, who is a Democrat, might be able to return to work.
And another food recall to tell you about this morning. This one also possibly due to e. Coli. Mushrooms sold in packages at BJ's Wholesale Clubs. BJ's says they're testing mushrooms now. If confirm it's that it's e. Coli it would be the nation's third outbreak in just the past seven months. Recalled packages are Wellsley Farms brand fresh mushrooms bought between February 11th and 19th. Luckily, so far, there are no reports of anybody getting stick.
ROBERTS: Stay away from mushroom risotto.
Merck is backing off of its lobby campaign for the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil. Merck has been pushing states to make the vaccine mandatory for young girls, like those required for chickenpox and measles. The vaccine is for a sexually transmitted disease, and therein lies the controversy. CNN's Ali Velshi here to tell us why Merck is backing off.
Good morning, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
This was such a big deal when Gardasil got FDA approval last year. It was great on a couple levels. One, it was going to prevent two strains of HPV in pre-teen girls. HPV, those two strains lead most commonly to cervical cancer.
The other big deal, of course, is that Merck has been reeling from the effects of Vioxx being pulled off the market, and a number of patent expirations on other big selling drugs. So, this was good news for Merck; theoretically, good news for parents, and their daughters. But now, after months and months of promoting mandatory vaccination across the country, Merck says it's backing off of that campaign because it's hit a backlash.
Now, 20 states have legislated that this vaccine be given to preteen girls. But in Texas the governor, Rick Perry, in February issued sort of an edict that starting in 2008 all sixth graders will get the vaccination. This created quite an uproar, partially because a former chief of staff to Perry was one of the chief lobbyists for Merck.
However, the reaction from parents has been, look, we're not sure we want a new vaccine mandated. It's expensive. Not sure it's necessary. But mainly there's been a backlash against folks who think that by encouraging -- by mandating that preteen girls get this vaccination, it somehow offers some implied license that sex at an earlier age is appropriate.
Sort of a very muddled situation. Bottom line is a good drug, a complicated effort to get it out there that may have created a backlash.
All right. Thanks, Ali.
VELSHI: OK.
O'BRIEN: Could be a very slick commute across much of the country today. Chad Myers is going to join us in just a minute to tell us what exactly to expect this morning.
Plus, thousands of British troops are pulling out of Iraq. The White House says that's good news. We'll tell you what it means for American troops.
Caught on tape: We'll tell you what happened in this case. Look at all these people running for their lives, literally, after an apartment building collapses.
ROBERTS: Oh!
O'BRIEN: You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is speaking in a House of Commons right now. It's expected that is he going to lay out plans to pull thousands of British troops out of Iraq.
We're also monitoring for you this morning a military news conference coming out of Iraq for any reaction to that news about the accomplish pullout.
Plus, dramatic pictures to share with you this morning. This is the aftermath of a building that collapsed. It was an apartment building in Turkey early this morning. Here's what's left. And you can see, those are the dogs that are trying to search for survivors.
Here's what happened. Security camera caught these pictures. People running. That was the actual collapse of the building; five- story building. People took off, ran away. Investigators think that the foundation was weakened when there was construction going on next door.
Believe it or not, most of the residents could get out because somebody who was passing by threw rocks at the window to warn them that their building was swaying so much just before it came down.
ROBERTS: Whoa! Fortunate.
O'BRIEN: Two people are dead, though.
ROBERTS: It's 14 minutes after the hour. How bad is the weather today? Get this, the state of Georgia canceled a severe weather drill because of -- bad weather. There's plenty of problems elsewhere. Visibility is near zero. Black ice on the roadways. In the Midwest Severe Weather Expert Chad Myers watching it all.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Some folks in the Australian Outback had a smashing good time this past weekend. As 29-year-old John Allwood broke a world record by head-butting 40 watermelons in 58 seconds. You are asking yourself why. The event was part of a festival paying tribute to the Melon Harvest in the tiny town of Chinchilla.
Yeah, look at that.
Other events including melon skiing where folks glided down a slippery track wearing watermelons as skis. You know, those Aussies just know how to have fun, don't they? The president of the festival says the event just keeps getting better and better every year.
O'BRIEN: Gosh, it's crazy. My dad is Australian. I emailed him about this, this morning. I'm like, come on, Dad, what's that about?
ROBERTS: I'm telling you. They know how to have fun. It's all about relaxation.
O'BRIEN: By smacking a watermelon with your head. Ow. I don't know about that.
Ahead this morning, the cigarette maker Philip Morris has been handed a temporary win by the Supreme Court. Ali Velshi is watching that as he "Minding Your Business" straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: The most news in the morning is right here on CNN. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is addressing the European Union in Germany. She's trying to get a Mideast peace plan back on track.
And Vice President Dick Cheney is in Japan. He says U.S. troops will stay in Iraq until they finish the mission, quote, "get it done right" -- John.
ROBERTS: We're keeping track of two key live signals coming into us this morning. In London, we're waiting for British Prime Minister Tony Blair to address the House of Commons and spell out the final details of his country's troop withdrawal. He is expected to do that in about 10 minute's time.
We're watching Baghdad to see if Major General William Caldwell will comment on the plan and how it could impact the U.S. mission in Iraq.
Caldwell, we should point out, announced a short time ago that another American helicopter, a Blackhawk, has gone down. This one experiencing what Caldwell described as a, quote, "hard landing" north of Baghdad.
Philip Morris gets a big legal victory that could have an impact on lawsuits against all kinds of businesses. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" this morning. And the Supreme Court coming in for some criticism on this one.
VELSHI: Yes, well this is an interesting --
(CROSS TALK)
VELSHI: These are one of these big punitive awards against the tobacco companies. This was an $80 million award against Philip Morris about a janitor from Oregon who died from 47-year three pack a day habit.
What happened is this case made it all the way to the Supreme Court, which overturned the award in a 5-4 decision; sent it back to the Oregon appeals court. And here's why. The Supreme Court says that the punitive damages, the $80 million, has to be tied to the people or the parties injured by the case. It's a bit of a legal distinction. The punitive damages that are often sought are meant to be a deterrent, and the Supreme Court Justice Steven Breyer was writing that the intention of this jury was to punish the company for harm that was done to people who were not involved in the case, and he says that is not appropriate.
He sent it back to the Oregon appeals court, which is good news for Philip Morris at the moment. But, as you know, these things go back and forth, and back and forth, and it's unclear what, in the end, tobacco companies are going to pay. But, you know, a lot of people have been very critical of these punitive damages. The idea, though, is -- are they not meant to be a deterrent? That's the question that the Supreme Court is addressing.
ROBERTS: These things just seam to stay in court forever, too.
(CROSS TALK)
ROBERTS: They get awarded damages, the damage is taken away. They get awarded lesser damages.
VELSHI: It's a long term process. The only thing is a few years ago the cigarette companies had to get into the habit of accounting for it. So, when those big rulings came against them, they had to say we're setting aside money to pay for it, and that started to affect them.
ROBERTS: Ali, thanks.
VELSHI: OK.
ROBERTS: Is Nevada the new New Hampshire? Sure looks like it's shaping up that way. Eight democratic presidential contenders are swooping in for a noon forum, right here, at the Carson City Community Center. Nevada's primary, it's actually a caucus, falls between the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.
More party politics now; it's the morning after a Hollywood star- studded gala for one of those Democratic candidates. Our Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice over): First stop, the streets of Los Angeles to say, show me the love. Then to Hollywood to say, show me the money.
MARTIN KAPLAN, DIRECTOR, NORMAN LEAR CENTER: Obama has something that Hollywood is uniquely qualified to recognize, and that's star power.
SCHNEIDER: Barack Obama is supposed to be the outsider, the scrappy kid who appeals to young people and political newcomers.
JOY BRYANT, ACTRESS: I kept saying over and over again that, you know, I'm hoping. We're not sure yet, but I'm hoping that Barack is going to run. But for me, like, he is the one that sort of embodies that spirit of Bobby Kennedy of hope and inspiration.
SCHNEIDER: But he's drawing the ultimate A-list Hollywood crowd to his fundraiser here, which is sponsored by three of the most powerful figures in the movie industry.
LAWRENCE BENDER, PRODUCER, "AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH": The amount of money they're raising is equivalent to what a president comes into town and raises, not someone who has just announced.
SCHNEIDER: Think of it as Oscar week for politicos. There's a huge amount of money for politics here. Congress is in recess. Washington is frozen over. The primary schedule is earlier than ever, and an important deadline looms.
KAPLAN: The more dough you can show, in the first quarterly filing on April 15th, the more credible a candidate you are, and the more you can attract the big, glitzy names who used to go with, say, Hillary Clinton, the more formidable a contender you seem to be.
SCHNEIDER (on camera): Does that mean Hillary Clinton is chopped liver in Hollywood? Not at all. People here feel strong loyalty to the Clintons, and many Obama supporters are supporting her, too. After all, the most you can give a candidate is $2,300. In Hollywood that's loose change. Bill Schneider, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Of course, all the day's political news is available any time day or night at CNN.com/ticker.
O'BRIEN: Top stories of the morning are coming up next. Thousands of British troops are withdrawing from Iraq and the White House is praising the move. We'll tell you why.
Plus, Hollywood's elite lining up to support Senator Barack Obama. He is counting his cash. We'll tell you how he did.
And food dangers: In recent months it's been tainted spinach, and onions, and peanut butter and now mushrooms. We'll talk to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about what's happening there.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Pulling out: Live pictures from London this morning. We're expecting to hear from the British Prime Minister Tony Blair who will announce plans to bring thousands of British troops home from Iraq.
ROBERTS: Battlefield at home: Injured American troops enduring filthy conditions inside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. A top Army commander now speaking out, only to CNN.
O'BRIEN: And total recall: Well, first it was peanut butter, and then chicken, and now some mushrooms are being recalled, because of potentially a deadly bacteria. We'll tell you what you need to know on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Morning. Welcome back, everybody. It's Wednesday, February 21st. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
ROBERTS: I'm John Roberts in for Miles O'Brien on this Wednesday morning. Thanks for joining us.
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to our top story this morning. In fact, we're keeping track of two live events for you that are both happening right now. First, in London -- here's what it looks like inside the House of Commons. We're waiting to hear from the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, he's going to be addressing the House of Commons spelling out, we're told, the final details of his country's troop withdrawal.
We're also watching this morning, in Baghdad, to see if we get some more details from the Major General William Caldwell. He could comment on the plan. We're waiting to hear about that. And really talk about how it could impact the U.S. mission in Iraq.
Plus, a minute ago, the major general was talking about another chopper that went down, a Blackhawk. A hard landing, north of Baghdad, is what he said. We'll get more information on that. We start with that as we get right to Arwa Damon who is in Baghdad for us this morning.
Arwa, good morning.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Major General William Caldwell, spokesman for Multi-National Forces, just announcing in that press conference, in fact, there was another hard landing by a Blackhawk helicopter. All nine military personnel on board, though, are currently safe. The site has been secured.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN, MULTI-NAT'L. FORCES, IRAQ: These preliminary reports are still coming in. It is correct. We had a Blackhawk helicopter make a hard landing. Initial reports are that there were nine people on board. The accompanying helicopter landed and picked those personnel up. They're all OK. The site is currently being secured, while we assess what's wrong with the Blackhawk.
DAMON: Now the concern for the -- among the U.S. military is that since January 20th this would be the seventh helicopter to have crashed or made a hard landing. There are reports that the insurgency here it becoming increasingly adept at targeting U.S. aircraft, which are, of course, essential to the success of the mission here -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Arwa, we're also waiting to hear if the major general will comment on what we're expecting to hear, really any minute now, from the British Prime Minister Tony Blair about the British forces leaving Iraq, on the timetable. Has he made any comments about that yet?
DAMON: No, Soledad. Not just yet. But it is most certainly a question that the press corps will be putting to him if he does not bring it up on his own. This is one of the main subjects of debate that is going on here, troop withdrawal. Now, we are seeing the British forces beginning to draw down their troops. But again, the conditions in southern Iraq are drastically different than those that most American forces face here. Southern Iraq is predominantly Shia and is not really plagued by the sectarian violence or by the dramatic al Qaeda in Iraq attacks that we are seeing in the capital Baghdad and throughout the rest of the country. The concern in the south, though, is that what we do see there is Shia on Shia militia fighting, fighting for power. The British forces to a certain degree have established a delicate balance. The question is when you do drawn down those British troops, with whom do the loyalties of the Iraqi security forces lie? Is it with the militias or is with the government? Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: And that is kind of the $64,000 question, isn't it? Arwa Damon in Baghdad monitoring that news conference and other things for us. Thanks, as always. John.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Other news happening this morning. Vice President Dick Cheney in Japan right now making it clear that the United States is in Iraq for the long haul. Cheney telling U.S. sailors in Japan that American GIs will stay in Iraq until the mission is complete and they, quote, get it done right.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Berlin to talk Mid East peace with European Union members. It comes on the heels of her summit with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem. The Israelis say the plan to give Hamas more political clout is a big obstacle in the push for peace. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel.
Iran taking a defined stand against the United Nations, ignoring today's deadline to end its uranium enrichment program. Iran says it will continue the work to develop new sources of energy. The U.S. and other countries worry that Iran is enriching uranium to produce a nuclear bomb.
And the jury in the Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial is expected to begin deliberations today. The panel will decide whether Libby lied to the authorities investigating who leaked the name of a CIA operative. Prosecutors say Libby lied to keep his job as the vice president's chief of staff. Libby's lawyers contend their client is simply forgetful.
We're awaiting the announcement from British Prime Minister Tony Blair about the plan to bring home 1500 British troops from the southern part of Iraq in the next couple of months. Is it a sign of victory or retreat? Retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd is a CNN military analyst. He joins us this morning live from Tulsa, Oklahoma. General, what do you make of the British plan? What do you think is behind it?
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, US AIR FORCE (RET): I think it's politics in Britain, John. The war has remained tremendously unpopular in Britain. I think Prime Minister Blair is being forced to do this by his politicians. It's not good news for the American forces there that are going to have to pick up the load or turn it over to Iraqi forces. The key, as Arwa Damon said, is are the militia that you -- are the forces you put down there going to be loyal to the Iraqi military or are they going to be loyal to the militias? That's the big thing we have to find out.
ROBERTS: General Shepperd, hang with us for a second. We want to go to London, and here's Tony Blair apparently making the statement.
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The elections were held through transitional national assembly. Seven million people voted. A new constitution was agreed. In December 2005, full parliamentary elections were held. Twelve million Iraqis voted and in May 2006, the first fully elected government of Iraq was formed. It was expressly nonsectarian, including all the main elements of an Iraqi society, Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish. Throughout there has been full United Nations backing for the political process and now for the government of Prime Minister Maliki.
Success of the United Nations resolutions have been given explicit approval to the presence of the multinational force. The political process has thus, continued through these years. For example, as we speak, the Iraqi parliament is awaiting the report on amending the constitution from the constitution review committee. A draft floor on deBa'athification, relaxing some of the restrictions on former Ba'ath party members and the new hydrocarbon legislation which will attempt to spread fairly and evenly the proceeds of Iraq's considerable oil wealth.
However, the political process, the reconstruction, the reconciliation, everything that the UN have set out as the will of the international community and Iraqis have voted for has been thwarted or put at risk by the violence and terrorism that has beset the country and its people. From the appalling terrorist outrage in August of 2003 that killed the United Nations special representative and many of his colleagues to this day, Iraq and Baghdad in particular has been subject to a sinking level of carnage, some aimed at the multi- national force, but much aimed deliberately to prevent the sectarian struggle between Sunni and Shia.
The bombing of the shrine in Samara in February 2006 was designed precisely to provoke Shia death squads to retaliate against Sunni. The violence comes from different sources. Some of it originate with former Saddamists, some with Sunnis who are worried they will be excluded from the political future of Iraq. Much of the so-called spectacular suicide bombings are the work of al Qaeda, whose grizzly presence in Iraq since 2002 has been part of their wider battle with the forces of progress across the world.
Now Shia militant groups like (INAUDIBLE) are responsible for the abduction and execution of innocent Sunni. These groups have different names, different ideologies, but one common purpose, to prevent Iraqis' democracy from working. Throughout all the wretched and inexcusable bloodshed, one hope remains. Talk to anyone in Iraq of whatever denomination, whether Iraqi or part of the multi-national force, whether civilian or military and they all say the same thing. The majority of Iraqis do not want it to be like this. They voted, despite the violence. They know its purpose and its effect and they hate both.
There can be legitimate debate about what was right and what was wrong in respect to the original decision to remove Saddam. There can be no debate about the rights and wrongs of what is happening in Iraq today. The desire for democracy is good. The intent to destroy it through terrorism it evil. Unfortunately, that is not the question. The question is not should we, but can we defeat this evil? Do we have a plan to succeed?
Since the outset, our plan agreed by Iraq and the United Nations has been to build up Iraqi capability in order to let them take control of their own destiny. As they would step up, we would increasingly step back. For three years, therefore, we have been working to create, train, and equipped Iraqi security forces capable of taking on the security of the country themselves. In normal circumstances, the progress would be considered remarkable. There are now 10 divisions of the new Iraqi army, over 130,000 soldiers able in significant parts of the country to provide order. There are 135,000 of the Iraqi police service.
There the progress has been more constrained and frequently haunted by corruption and sectarianism, but nonetheless, again, in normal circumstances, it would be considered a remarkable effort. The plan of General Petraeus, then an Army commander in Iraq and now head of the coalition (INAUDIBLE) forces there which was conceived in 2004, has in its essential respect been put in place. But these are not normal circumstances. The Iraqi forces have often proved valiant but the various forces against them have also redoubled their efforts, in particular, in and around Baghdad where 80 to 90 percent of the violence is centered, they've engaged in a systematic attempt to bring the city to chaos.
It is the capital of Iraq, its strategic importance that's fundamental that has been an orgy of terrorism unleashed upon it in order to crush any possibility of it functioning. It doesn't much matter if elsewhere in Iraq, not least in Basra, change is happening. If Baghdad cannot be secured, the future of the country is in peril. The enemies of Iraq understand that and we understand it.
So last year in concert with our allies in the Iraqi government, a new plan was formulated and promulgated by President Bush in January of this year. The purpose is unchanged. Indeed, there can only be one purpose in Iraq, to support the government and people of the country to attain the necessary capability to run their own affairs as a sovereign independent state. But the means of achieving the purpose were adjusted to meet the changing nature of the threat.
The Baker Hamilton report to which I pay tribute also formed the strategy. There are three elements to this plan. First, there is the Baghdad security initiative drawn up by Prime Minister Maliki and currently underway. It aims like the operation in Basra has done, to take the city, district by district, drive out the extremists, put the legitimate Iraqi forces in charge, and then make it fit for development with a special fund in place able to deliver rapid improvement. This began last Tuesday. It is far too early to tell its results. The early indications are more promising than what was tried unsuccessfully some months back. In particular there is no doubt of its welcome amongst ordinary people in Baghdad.
The second part of the plan is a massive effort to gear up the capability of the Iraqi forces to plug any gaps in command logistics, training and equipment. Thirdly, there is a new and far more focused effort on reconciliation, reconstruction and development. There are now talks between Iraqi officials and both Sunni and Shia elements that have been engaged in fighting. It is again too early to draw conclusions but this has been given a wholly different priority within the Iraqi government and by the multinational force.
In addition, there have been many changes made by Prime Minister Maliki to whose leadership again I pay tribute, to the way economic development --
ROBERTS: That's British Prime Minister Tony Blair, obviously, a very long speech. This is not just going to be a quick announcement about the drawdown of British military forces from Basra, expected to be 1,500 in the next couple of months, 3,000 by the end of the year. He's just going through a long laundry list of his views of the situation there in Iraq and I'm sure that that announcement is due at some point, but not in the next couple of minutes, obviously.
So let's go back to CNN military analyst Don Shepperd, who is with us now. And Don, you said that at the beginning of this that you didn't seem to have a whole lot of faith that the Iraqis were going to be able to step up to the plate here and that the United States may end up filling that void.
SHEPPHERD: Yeah. Basically I don't know when they'll be able to step up to the plate or not, but the key is with the British withdrawing from southern Iraq, the Basra area, if you will, about half of them by the end of '07, the rest of them by '08 is what we are hearing now. That means the Iraqis have to be able to take over in that area. They have to be competent to take over and when the British pull out and Iraqi forces move in, the major if you will is that the area stay calm and not devolve back into what Baghdad has devolved into right now, but that the Americans are trying to fix, John.
ROBERTS: All right Don. Thanks very much for your views. Really appreciate it from Tulsa there. We also wanted to talk about a big glitch in the new American air superiority fighter, but we'll have to get to that another time. Thanks very much for appearing with us from Tulsa this morning. Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right, thank you, John.
Coming up this morning, another food recall to tell you about. Again, e. coli is the possible culprit. We're going to talk to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about this recent rash of contaminated food.
Plus, a closer look this morning at the deteriorating conditions of Walter Reed medical center through the eyes of a veteran treated there. Those stories and much more ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
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ROBERTS: Coming up to 45 minutes after the hour now. Now Chad Myers at the CNN weather center watching some dangerous weather across the country. Did I leave you enough to say this time, Chad?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is very dangerous, John, all the way from Marquette to Chicago into Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Although Pittsburgh, you are now 34, still very dense fog and we've had dense fog advisories all night long. We've also had freezing fog all night long. You say what is that? Well, it's fog, but your temperature is below 32 and, in fact, many areas below 20, 25, 22. This fog is settling on the ground, and it's coagulating or freezing on the roadways, on our walkways, and there are crashes everywhere. Even in Atlanta it's not freezing, but it's raining outside. I think every freeway is at a standstill with the rain coming down there. This is going to be a very difficult day to be getting around. And freezing fog also means, Soledad, that a lot of these planes are going to have to de-ice before they take off. They've been sitting on the tarmac in those gate areas. The ice is on the wings, so every plane will have to be de-iced this morning in those locations. Back to you.
O'BRIEN: Sitting on being the operative words there. We know what that means, sitting there for quite a while. All right Chad, thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: This morning we tell you about a place that's taken care of wounded soldiers coming home from war for decades. Now it's facing a lot of criticism. There are accusations that parts of Walter Reed Army Medical Center are filthy and substandard. Walter Reed is just five miles or so from the White House. It's a complex that's right in the middle of Washington DC and it's the historic crown jewel in the Army's medical system. There's one building in particular at Walter Reed that's getting the most attention and for all the wrong reasons.
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O'BRIEN (voice-over): The details of Army Major' Chuck Ziegenfuss injuries from an IED attack in Iraq back in 2005 are brutal.
MAJOR CHUCK ZIEGENFUSS, WOUNDED IN IRAQ: My left thigh was blown open. The thumb on my right hand was blown into my right leg.
O'BRIEN: At Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he says he got the very best medical care, but sometimes basic cleanliness fell short.
ZIEGENFUSS: It got so bad that my mom kept mentioning to the housekeeping folks that they needed to mop the floors, and they kept saying, oh, yeah, we'll get to that, we'll get to that and after a couple more weeks of that she ended up, you know, wetting a towel and doing it herself.
O'BRIEN: He was discharged to a hotel used to house outpatients. The air conditioning didn't work and there were few pillows.
ZIEGENFUSS: They seem like really smile gripes now, but, you know, at the time when you are laying flat on your back and when you stretch your leg out because you can't lay on your side and that pulls at the skin grafts on your leg, it's a pretty big deal.
O'BRIEN: Ziegenfuss spoke with us after a series of damning reports in the "Washington Post" outlined substandard housing and terrible administrative support for injured troops recovering at Walter Reed. Soldiers described it as stressful. Parents said it absolutely took forever to get anything done. And one facility known as building 18 was filthy with mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets and cheap mattresses.
(on-camera): This is building 18, and in many ways it's the most notorious in the greatest disrepair. It's where soldiers who have been severely wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are housed as outpatients. Now, just three days after the first in a series of articles appeared, they're already doing work on the building. They're scraping mold off the walls and they're patching holes in the sheet rock.
DANNY SOTO, DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS: I think they've done more in the last 48 hours than they've done in a while.
O'BRIEN: All this is hugely embarrassing for the military. Walter Reed is its crown jewel, open since 1909, a quarter of all the troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan are treated there. The president visited in December promising the best care.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We owe them all we can give them, not only for when they're in harm's way, but when they come home. To help them adjust if they have wounds.
O'BRIEN: General Richard Coty, the vice chief of staff for the Army, spoke with CNN after seeing some of the conditions for the first time.
GEN. RICHARD COTY, ARMY VICE CHIEF OF STAFF: I have never come to this place. I wish I had, somewhat disappointed in myself not understanding. I was briefed that it was in pretty good condition.
O'BRIEN: Army Secretary Francis Harvey blames a failure of leadership for the substandard conditions in building 18 and vows to move more quickly to fix the problem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: And the White House and congressional leaders are calling for immediate fixes to any problems at Walter Reed. John. ROBERTS: Coming up, tainted spinach, onions, peanut butter. Now mushrooms. We'll talk to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about what's going on with all of these outbreaks of contaminated food coming up.
And Merck, the maker of that vaccine that prevents cervical cancer changing course now. We'll explain next on AMERICAN MORNING.
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O'BRIEN: In health news this morning, drug maker Merck is suspending its lobbying campaign to require school aged girls to get the cervical cancer vaccine. The vaccine is expensive. It's controversial too. It prevents HPV, which is a sexually-transmitted disease. Merck says it's going to instead, focus on educating students about HPV and about cervical cancer, too.
Possible breakthrough in finding a cure for multiple sclerosis. Turns out there's this hormone in pregnant women called prolactin (ph) that can repair the damage that's done to the brain and the spinal cord in people who have multiple sclerosis. That damage means the brain really can't communicate with the body. And that goes into remission during pregnancy, but returns once the woman gives birth. So the research is possibly going to be able to answer why that is. This disease affects two million people around the world.
ROBERTS: Lately it seems like the foods that so many of us enjoy have turned on us. Recalled mushrooms, contaminated chicken strips, even peanut butter has been a threat. Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now to talk about all these food dangers and what you can do about it. Good morning Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning John. It does seem like the food has turned on us. I want to bring you up to speed, tell you what you need to know. The latest has been from BJ's, talking specifically about the mushrooms you just referenced. They actually did a voluntarily recall of these mushrooms. There was no illnesses reported and there was possible e. coli contamination found in routine testing. Again, no illnesses specifically there. That's the latest on that.
But as you mentioned, more recently February 18th you had the listeria (ph) in chicken strips. Listeria, a bit of an unusual pathogen, but found in chicken strips, again, no illnesses reported there. A few days before that, the salmonella in the peanut butter, Peter Pan peanut butter, great foods value, as well, peanut butter, 290 illnesses. You remember at the end of last year as well we had a couple of significant outbreaks, December of '06, the Taco Bell e. coli. That ended up with 71 illnesses overall. In September of '06, the e. coli in the spinach as well, 204 illnesses. Unclear, John, as to why we're seeing so many more food outbreaks recently. But you're right. We're trying to keep tabs on these, John.
ROBERTS: So if a person eats a food and gets sick, how can they tell the difference between if they've got an e. coli contamination, e. coli contamination and salmonella bacteria or it's listeriosis? GUPTA: It can be hard to tell for the person themselves, because a lot of the symptoms will be often the same, but oftentimes actually at the doctor's office, actually finding the bacteria, isolating it. That's the way they can tell for sure. Salmonella for example, that's typically spread to humans via animal food, things from reptiles, birds, mammals, typically causes fever. Fever is one of the cardinal symptoms, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, very susceptible on people with weakened immune symptoms. The e. coli which is something we hear about more often, typically does not cause a fever, but you do get the severe diarrhea, sometimes bloody diarrhea. It can also lead to kidney failure which is why you have some deaths associated with that as well. Listeria, as I mentioned before, less common, John. Typically that is found in sort of ready to eat refrigerated foods, thus, the chicken strips. You do get the fever there, muscle aches, diarrhea. If you have the symptoms, if they persist a few days after you have eaten one of these types of foods, you may want to see your doctor to try and get it checked out.
ROBERTS: I guess the bottom line here, Sanjay, is if you really not feeling good after you feed something, go get it checked out.
GUPTA: Absolutely and there are certain foods obviously to stay away from, unpasteurized foods, raw foods. You want to make sure you wash your hands before dealing with a lot of these vegetables and even with some of the vegetables that you buy that are triple washed, you want to make sure that you are handling those as well. John, what's most amazing to me is there is no mandatory recall sort of system sets up right now in the country. The USDA, the FDA are sort of scattered. One agency may be responsible for chickens, another for eggs. There is a safe food act that is on the table right now to try and bring this all together, so you might be able to recall some of these foods, John.
ROBERTS: All right, Sanjay, thanks very much for the tips as well. Appreciate it. Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All morning long we've been watching the British House of Commons. The British prime minister making an announcement just minutes ago about 1,600 British troops that are going to be pulled out of southern Iraq. We've got a live report for you straight ahead this morning.
Also, a legal case in Virginia that caught our eye. A mom and three young kids now behind bars for years. Her crime was chucking a cup of ice at a driver next to her. Her side of the story up next on AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
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ROBERTS: For some people, I'm sorry are the hardest words to say, but not for Jetblue. It's coming up to 59 after the hour. Ali Velshi minding your business. Good morning Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. In the "Washington Post," in newspapers in Boston and New York, you'll see full page ads from Jetblue today. The first line reads, we are sorry and embarrassed, but most of all, we are deeply sorry. I got to say, it reads pretty well. It's a good, straight up apology from Jetblue which has said that this debacle last week is going to cost them $30 million and it's going to affect their operating margin.
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