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Heavy Weather in the Midwest; Is America Ready?

Aired February 24, 2007 - 17:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOVIE CLIP: I don't know, I'm making this up as I go.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Which presidential candidate may see himself like that? We're not making anything up here folks. We're going to let you know what they say in the NEWSROOM.

And hello again, I'm Rick Sanchez. We want to bring you up to date on a lot of stories we've been following over the last several hours. Major weather story, of course, it's happening right now. Blizzard conditions in the heartland today, as a major weather system suddenly moves eastward. Interstate 70 east of Denver littered with wreckage of cars and trucks and didn't need warnings to stay off some of the treacherous roads. But even greater concern, extreme thunderstorms that could spin off tornados. At least two have been reported already.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: Some scary moments in Texas as we continue to follow this weather. This is in the panhandle, take a look. You see that thing right there? This is a tape that came in from McLean. There were no reported deaths or injuries, but a whole lot of worry as the twister came spinning right through town.

More violence today in Iraq, when another claim by the government that the drive to pacify Baghdad is producing some results. In the worst attack in the town of Habbaniya, it's a truck bomb that exploded near a mosque whose leader has spoken out against the insurgency. At least 39 people were killed in the blast in Sunni dominated Anbar Province. At least nine people died in Baghdad today in car bombings, mortar attacks and roadside blasts. Even so, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki said the new security crackdown is yielding results. He claimed a drastic drop in sectarian violence, disruption of terrorist plots and the detention of more than 400 insurgents.

IEDs as well in the news, in the USA, they're everywhere in Iraq, Improvised Explosive Devices, makeshift bombs is what really we should call them. And we've all seen what they can do. Now what would the federal government do if a few of them or a lot of them, even worse, suddenly went off in the United States? Today, the people in charge of the federal response got together to practice in case something like that ever happened. CNN's White House correspondent Elaine Quijano is joining us now to talk about it. What did they find out? ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well essentially there are areas of improvement bottom line that they identified in the exercise today. At the same time they also say there have been great areas that they've already improved upon. Of course, during the immediate aftermath of hurricane Katrina, the Bush administration was sharply criticized for the federal response, so since about December of 2005 Rick, they've been having a series of practice drills, if you will, dealing with different scenarios. And the scenario today, purely fictional the White House is emphasizing, not based on any threats to the United States, but the idea was to get about 90 high level government officials together to see how they would respond if the United States was in fact attacked by terrorists who used IEDs here in the U.S. Now the three-hour-long session was led by the president's homeland security adviser Fran Townsend, other officials taking part, officials from the Justice Department, from the FBI, also the Pentagon as well as the president's homeland security secretary, Michael Chertoff.

Again, this is about the fourth time in a little over a year that the government has held these kind of exercises. Other exercises have focused on pandemic flu outbreak, on a possible smallpox or a fictional smallpox outbreak as well as a hurricane. President Bush himself did not participate today but his homeland security adviser Fran Townsend will in fact be reporting the results back to him. A White House spokesman saying today, again, that there are areas of improvement, for instance, streamlining policies and procedures. But he said that overall it showed that the government's ability to deal with disasters has, in fact, been strengthened. How for instance some of those lessons learned after hurricane Katrina, better coordination and communication and a better understanding, Rick, he said of how to work more closely with local and state authorities. Rick?

SANCHEZ: It sounds like they're looking at some possibilities that none of us really want to face at this point. Thanks so much. Elaine Quijano following that story for us. And of course we at CNN are committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. We do this every day, so stay tuned to CNN for the very latest information day and night.

We're going to be showing you some of the protests in Iraq today. These are some of the pictures that we've been getting in, what coalition troops are accused of that has people taking to the streets. We'll tell you what it is.

Also, you recognize this Florida man? A whole community is now looking for him.

And then there's Brooke Anderson, she's live in Los Angeles and she's going to be giving us -- well, it's an Oscar preview, I suppose, right? Given the fact that the big night is tomorrow night, right?

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDETN: The big night is tomorrow night Rick you know and there is a concerted effort to make Oscar greener this year. People are going to be driving Prius cars, Wolfgang Puck's menu is organic and also Al Gore here with his environmental message. We'll have that for you after the break when CNN NEWSROOM returns.

SANCHEZ: Not just a message, you're saying he might win this thing, right? Yeah.

ANDERSON: Everybody's curious, yeah.

SANCHEZ: All right Brooke, we'll be getting back to you.

Well here's a beautiful site, it's from Orlando's International Airport yesterday and we'll bring it to you when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Rick Sanchez. We told you that we're going to be watching the weather, and there's a lot to watch today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: I'm just getting information now from some of the producers on something else we're covering, this is in Fort Hood, Texas. And to Fort Hood we go, Colonel Battaglia we understand is the person I'm going to be talking to. And the story as I understand it is that you have a pretty good fire you're dealing with out there colonel, is that right?

COL. DIANE BATTAGLIA, FORT HOOD PUBLIC AFFAIRS: That's correct Rick. We had a brush fire that the winds picked up and spread. We've got thick smoke that has been affecting our commissary that we evacuated here on post and some individuals are relocating to gymnasiums to get out of the way of the smoke. We have incredible first responders from Killeen, Coppers Cove and Fort Hood who are generating all their capacity to handle this blaze.

SANCHEZ: Well you know what's interesting about Fort Hood is it's a post that has these rolling hills, semi arid area, it's good from a military standpoint because it's a great place to train, right. Bad from a fire standpoint because these things can roll all over the place when they get started, grassfires like this.

BATTAGLIA: That is correct. That's why Fort Hood implements a controlled burn program throughout the year so that it can minimize the risk of wildfires spreading here on post.

SANCHEZ: And is there any effect to the military installation at this point?

BATTAGLIA: At this point the commissary has been closed but the military installation and the operating units that are here are not affected. Again, there is some areas that are affected by thick smoke and individuals are just relocating to other areas in Fort Hood.

SANCHEZ: Well how many guys do you have out there at this time of the year? How many people in barracks for example that might need to be moved at some point if this gets real thick? BATTAGLIA: Well we had the 4th infantry division and it has just returned from it's (INAUDIBLE) after returning from Iraq. But our third corps has deployed. So the post has approximately half the number of soldiers that it has the capacity to house. So I think we have ample room if we need to relocate that we can relocate them, within the confines of Fort Hood. We have a very large installation.

SANCHEZ: Well there you have it. Colonel Battaglia, you're very kind to explain to us what's going on, I know we're taking time out of your busy schedule but we are interested in what happens to some of our troops there. A grassfire around Fort Hood, right now it seems to be somewhat under control, at least it's not getting any worse. If it does, colonel we'll get back to you and get more information. Thank you.

BATTAGLIA: Ok, thank you for the opportunity Rick.

SANCHEZ: Mother earth and the Oscar. Not your typical Hollywood couple but Al Gore's passionate debate against global warming is getting renewed buzz, thanks to the Academy Awards. Our Brooke Anderson is joining us now from the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre with more on this. You know we were talking a little while ago about the possibility that this thing can actually win, right? This would be kind of weird.

ANDERSON: A lot of the Oscar prognosticators say it will win for best documentary. But "An Inconvenient Truth" is actually up for two Oscars Rick, including best original song for Melissa Etheridge's song. But yes, former Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper will stroll this red carpet here tomorrow, hoping that their environmental message takes center stage here and in turn garners worldwide attention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DOCUMENTARY CLIP: The scientific consensus is that we are causing global warming.

ANDERSON (voice-over): "An Inconvenient Truth" has generated a tremendous response, beginning with its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last year.

AL GORE: The reaction from the audience just couldn't have possibly been any better.

ANDERSON: Al Gore's documentary about the dangers of global warming has earned more than $24 million at the box office and two Oscar nominations, best documentary and best song. But for many, this acclaimed film's impact extends far beyond Hollywood.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: No one can talk these days in Washington about global warming without mentioning Al Gore, "An Inconvenient Truth," that they've seen the film. I mean it's just become part of the public discourse.

ANDERSON: CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider says even the president has joined the conversation.

SCHNEIDER: I remember watching the state of the union and I said, whoa, wait a minute, this is important.

BUSH: And they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change.

SCHNEIDER: This is a president who has always said it may be happening, it may not be happening, now he's treating it as a fact and I think the film really helped do that.

ANDERSON: Has any specific legislation on this topic been passed?

SCHNEIDER: The governor of California has gone further than any government that I know of, probably in the world, to deal with the crisis of global warming. He has a carbon emissions standard, one of the most ambitious in the world, to reduce carbon emissions here in California by 10 percent.

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENNEGER, (R) CALIFORNIA: California is leading the way.

ANDERSON: Director Davis Guggenheim hopes the federal government takes California's lead and in turn inspires the whole country.

DAVIS GUGGENHEIM, DIRECTOR: The truth is, it's going to take all of us to figure this out. You know, principals of schools, heads of corporations, mothers and fathers, we have to figure it out.

DOCUMENTARY CLIP: This is really not a political issue so much as a moral issue.

ANDERSON: Gore, who will be a first-time attendee at this year's Academy Awards is thrilled his battle against global warming has found a powerful ally in Hollywood.

GORE: You know I tried to tell this story for 30 years. And I've had a chance to see what a huge difference is made when you have these kinds of talented people who make a message entertaining and compelling.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Both Melissa Etheridge and Director Davis Guggenheim have told me they were so influenced by the film that they've made a lot of personal changes in their own lives to better the environment. And Rick, now the question becomes, if the documentary does win, will Al Gore make an acceptance speech, what will he say? And can he keep that speech to 45 seconds or less? The Academy only allows 45 seconds and then they start rolling that music over what you're saying. So it will be interesting to see what happens.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, talk about a legitimate news story coming out of the Oscars. And I know you have to go, so just give me a yes, no or I don't know. Do we know at this point if he will be accepting if he wins?

ANDERSON: I believe he is planning to take the stage with the director. If he will take the mic, who knows, but I'm sure the director would want him to and I'm sure the audience would want him to as well, because it really is Al Gore's message, Al Gore's documentary.

SANCHEZ: It would make sense, wouldn't it?

ANDERSON: It would.

SANCHEZ: Brooke Anderson, we thank you. We know you have a lot do, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us here.

ANDERSON: Of course, thanks Rick.

SANCHEZ: All right, CNN's live from the red carpet at the Academy Awards all day tomorrow. Also, don't miss our live special, "Hollywood's Gold Rush", it's tomorrow night at 7:00 eastern right here on CNN.

You could always get more on the Oscars at cnn.com as well, there we'll have a bevy of information for you.

What are the presidential contenders favorite movies? Did you know? Well you're about to find out if you stay with us. It would be interesting to see how much it matches their political style, their choice of movies.

Take a look at this, no, an asteroid didn't fall through the ground. It's a huge sink hole and it swallowed two people. We'll tell you where it is, what kind of damage it did. All kinds of information. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. Remember Jacqui Jeras came out a little while ago and told you about this situation in Dumas, Arkansas? We're now getting some "Associated Press" reports, they've done interviews with some of the officials there. Here's what we know. They say that this weather situation has caused multiple injuries and property damage. They're describing to us, what is a five-mile swath of damage, about a half mile wide. For those of you familiar with the area, it's on U.S. 65 in south Arkansas where it intersects with Arkansas 159. The number of people hurt, not known. The nature of the injuries, not known, but we'll continue to check back and look at the wires for you as we get more information from Dumas, Arkansas, we're going to be sharing it with you.

Meanwhile, some Florida deputies are searching for a kidnapper. The victim, 13-year-old Clay Moore, he's safe now after being snatched at gunpoint from his bus stop yesterday. He says that his abductor tied him up but he was able to escape the bindings to then get out of there and finally call for help, thank God. But his alleged perpetrator still on the loose. From CNN affiliate WFLA now, here is reporter Peter Bernard. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER BERNARD, WFLA (voice-over): Five hours after being abducted at gunpoint from his school bus stop, a Manatee sheriff deputy gave a relieved looking Clay Moore a ride back to civilization and the people who care for him. Deputies say a man who looks like this is responsible for this crime. They say he's likely from this area, judging from the remote location where he took Clay.

DAVID BRISTOW, MANATEE CO., FL SHERIFF'S OFFICE: When he took the child, Clay, out to the remote area, it appeared he knew exactly what he was doing. He knew the area.

BERNARD: While deputies won't confirm it, Clay's aunt tells our coverage partners at "The Sarasota Herald Tribune," his abductor used duct tape and some of Clay's own clothes to tie him to a tree by his feet and hands. The aunt says the man stuffed Clay's sock in his mouth. He says her nephew used a safety pin to work the binds loose, then walked some distance to flag down a farmer for help. Students at the bus stop who saw the armed abduction say they ran behind a house to hide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some guy just pulls up in a red truck and tells the kid to get in the truck or else he's going to shoot, pulls out a gun, the kid gets in the truck and they take off.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He told him to get in the car and then he had a gun in his hand and he wouldn't get in the car, so they were like, Clay looked like he was ready to cry.

BERNARD: At a quickly set up command post, Clay's frantic parents waited on every development, fearing they would hear the worst. But around 1:30 in the afternoon, Sheriff Charles Wells told everyone --

SHERIFF CHARLIE WELLS, MANATEE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Well we got good news, Clay Moore is ok and he's with my deputies right now out in East County.

BERNARD: After a checkout at Manatee Memorial, Clay returned to his Kingsfield Estates home. His family asked the media to let them be for now.

BRISTOW: They've been through by far the most traumatic day they've ever been through and hopefully will ever go through.

BERNARD: Looking ahead to Monday, if the attacker isn't caught, residents will see more activity around this area.

MAJ. CHUCK HAGAMAN, MANATEE COUNTY, FL SHERIFF'S OFFICE: We are going to beef up patrol and have more patrol units out roaming the areas of the bus stops in the hours the kids go to school.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: By the way, take a look at the sketch now. This is from Manatee County Sheriff's Office, it put this out in the hopes that you or somebody else watching this newscast right now will recognize the suspect. He's described as a dark-skinned man with short hair, thought to be in his 30s, last seen driving an older model red pickup truck. If you see the suspect or the truck, you're asked to call the Manatee County Sheriff's Department. And here's the number, 941-747-3011, if you can help them out

Winter weather causing all types of problems and forcing tornado watches. Jacqui's going to be keeping an eye on it and boy, has she been busy today.

Also, we've heard all about the troop surge in Iraq, what about all those already committed? How long will they really be there? These are the questions that we're looking into. We hope they answer them for you, stay with us, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Rick Sanchez. A lot of news on this day. If your travel plans include renting a car, be careful. Find out how not to be taken advantage of on today's on the go travel segment. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM PARSONS, BESTFARES.COM: The number one definitely don't do, if you have an empty tank, bring it back to the car rental company and say you fill it up. When I was on a recent trip to Florida, it was $6.99 a gallon to refuel. In my case, by filling up the gas tank and it was pretty empty, it was $35 or $40, if they had done it, it would have been over $140. This is where it's truly highway robbery. It's -- the way the car rental companies take advantage of you, the policy I take every time, is when I leave the airport, I'll mark down the first exit where I see a group of gas stations because there is usually never a gas station anywhere near the airport. And then I'll come back and there is where I'll just pull over, make sure it's filled up. In my opinion right now, it's best that you fill up the car. Don't ever bring that car back empty. Unless you like to refinance your home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: This is this big storm we've been telling you about, has shut down interstates along the Great Plains and it is still heading east. So let's go back to Jacqui. She's been talking to us throughout the newscast about this and I understand you have got a guest, Jacqui?

JERAS: Yeah. We do, actually. From Dumas, where we had a tornado touchdown and then another warning right now. And why don't we go ahead and get right to that, because the situation has certainly ominous and Tina Owens, she is with emergency management there in the city of Dumas. Tina, are you with me?

TINA OWENS, ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (on phone): Yes, I am. JERAS: This is Jacqui Jeras. Thanks for being with us. What's the situation there right now? Are you still under severe weather?

OWENS: At this time, we are. I believe there has been another warning issued at this point. The information that I have is there have been reports of a tornado down the main street in the city of Dumas. I don't have any reports exactly of damage at this point or injuries. I do know that we're receiving some reports but we do have staff that is headed to the scene to assess the damage at this time.

JERAS: So nobody is there at the scene yet, emergency workers aren't there?

OWENS: They are. They are. I'm actually with the state department and we have people that are on scene and reporting back to us, but we have not received a report in the last 15 minutes or so.

JERAS: OK. We heard some word from your office, I thought earlier, about a grocery store, do you know anything about that?

OWENS: I've been hearing those same reports, I cannot confirm that at that time. Hopefully I'll know in the next 30 minutes or so.

JERAS: OK. And we've also heard some reports along highway 65, north of town of some cars in a tree. Do you know anything about that? It came from the National Weather Service.

OWENS: I can't - I can confirm that it is along highway 65 but again, staff has not reported that back to me at this point.

JERAS: OK. What kind of plan do you guys have in place? More severe weather on top of you right now and more storms are coming in back behind that. What should people be doing in you areas over the next couple of hours?

OWENS: We're recommending to everyone as we always do, just to stay ahead of it, listen to the media, listen to the radio and make sure that you understand what's going on, if there are warnings, to take cover immediately.

JERAS: And what about power in the area?

OWENS: At this time I haven't received any reports of power lines down, so I can't confirm that information at this point.

JERAS: OK. Well, thank you for joining us, Tina Owens in Dumas Arkansas where there had been a possible tornado touchdown that about an hour and 15 minutes or so ago. Give us a call if you get more information and of course we'll try to keep in touch with you as well.

OWENS: You're welcome. Thank you.

JERAS: Thanks Tina.

All right. Let's go ahead and show you. Here is Little Rock, Arkansas, by the way. Here is Pine Bluff and Dumas is down into this area and we'll zoom in on another cell that is moving through as we speak.

OWENS: All right. Thank you.

JERAS: Thank you, Tina. I'm sorry. We've already lost her.

There you can see the cell pushing up to the northeast. One of the things about these storms is that they are moving so quickly, 60 to 75 miles per hour to the north and east, so you know when they say don't try and outrun these storms, you couldn't outrun these storms, moving that quickly, if you were in the car.

So they say to get out of your vehicle, get into a ditch area if you do run across these storms. If you are out traveling today, of course, not a very good idea to do that.

We have numerous warnings still in effect into eastern and central parts of Arkansas, including Ashley County, Drew County, Desha County still, Arkansas County and Lincoln County. So we have got ground truth (ph) on some of these storms continuing to be a very dangerous situation.

And there you see watches in effect. Starting to shave it off a little bit. So Little Rock now is out of woods at this time. But Memphis, we will be watching you, those storms are just to your south and west. Should be arriving here in about an hour and a half, maybe two hours or so.

Of course on northern tier of this system, we are talking about heavy snow accumulations and really for example, Minneapolis/St. Paul, you've been snow deprived. You have only had about a foot of snow all season now stretched out and now we're talking about maybe a foot of snow on top of what you have here at this time.

I believe we have a couple live cameras that we want to show you and give you a tour and give you a sample of the winter weather across the Upper Midwest. This is Milwaukee, Wisconsin from WTMJ, doesn't look too bad now right here but you have had a good six to seven inches of snow on the ground across the metro area, seven to 14 on top of what you already have.

This is from KCCI TV in Des Moines and look at the ice accumulating on that tower right there. Freezing rain throughout a good part of the afternoon and now it is snow coming down. We'll see heavy accumulations there.

So a big travel mass and nasty weather across the nation's midsection, Rick, and of course we'll be here and breaking in if necessary if we get more tornadoes on the ground.

SANCHEZ: You know what's great about what we do here at CNN? We're able to follow up breaking news, you just did just a moment ago when you did the interview with Tina there in Dumas and we have got something else now.

Remember a little while ago we were talking about Ft. Hood and the fires that were take place there? Well, we just got this video in seconds ago and we are going to share it with you now. This is from Ft. Hood. Remember, Ft. Hood, 340 square mile installation. That's about 217 acres , it is about one of the only posts in the nation capable of stationing and training two armored divisions, so this is where a lot of troops are before they head overseas.

The problem is it's a great place for training troops because of the terrain, it's a rolling terrain, semi-arid, the problem with that, of course, is that while it's great for troops, it also catches fire easily. So they are kind of used to that in this area.

They have firefighters on standby all the time. As you can see, they've got those earthmovers as well. They are trying to create those fire lines now to try and stop it but it is still burning and we will be checking back on that from time to time to bring you the latest from Ft. Hood.

Wait, let's go back to Jacqui Jeras now. I understand we have got something ...

JERAS: I just wanted to comment on that, because we were just talking about the tornadoes and the severe weather here and I'm going to actually fix my computer while I'm telling you this. But this is a result, Rick, of the same storm system. This map I'm showing you here, this is fire weather outlook area and notice the hatched area. This is extremely critical area today for fire danger because of the strong winds associated with the low pressure storm system.

Winds are gusting between 40 and 60 miles per hour, so that's really fanning the flames here and really aggravating the situation, making it extremely difficult for firefighters to put this out, this area has been very dry as of late.

And you can kind of see when you look at some of these pictures just how brown everything looks here. So those winds fanning the flames, making conditions very difficult. Not just in the Ft. Hood area which is near Killeen, if you know where that is, which is north of the Austin area, but it includes much of central, much of western Texas and even parts of New Mexico. Back to you.

SANCHEZ: Thanks Jacqui. We appreciate you filling us up on that. Filling us in, I should say. I'm back to the gas story.

Let's talk Iraq now. The British are pulling out of Iraq but U.S. troops staying. Maybe much longer than anyone in Washington or out on the campaign trail is willing to talk about.

That's the subject of Web exclusive "Newsweek" magazine commentary. Joining me now from Washington is the man who wrote it, "Newsweek" columnist Michael Hirsh. Michael, this changes things, the dynamic of the politics as the presidential election gets closer and closer, doesn't it?

MICHAEL HIRSH, "NEWSWEEK": Well, it does. And I thought it was important to drill down into the details of the counterinsurgency plan that General Dave Petraeus brought with him to Iraq. And if you look at that plan and what is actually happening on the ground in Iraq, you realize we're committing our troops to being there and indeed, being on the front lines policing Iraq for a lot longer than anyone is acknowledging or talking about, either on the campaign trail or out of the White House these days and so, it was kind of a reality check.

SANCHEZ: You know, what is interesting politically about this is, wouldn't you say it's really a help to the present administration, after all, for some reason in this country, it's seen as taboo to talk about troop strength, to talk about deploying troops, to talk about war policy at this time because, quote, there is still a war going on. If this war is going to last another 10 years, then will this ever be discussed?

HIRSH: I frankly don't think so. Look, at this time a year ago, the plans were for rapid withdrawal, that's what the signals were coming out of the White House. The Bush administration, General George Casey, the guy who was in command then, was planning -- we knew they were consolidating to four main super bases, what's happened since Petraeus has come in is almost a complete turnabout from that along with a surge plan.

This is a much more aggressive commitment to dealing with a counterinsurgency plan, that according to what the experts tell me and including some of the people who were involved in developing the plan with Petraeus could go five to 10 years, that's how long traditionally it takes to deal with an insurgency of this kind, about a decade.

SANCHEZ: But aren't the numbers, at least as far as your typical American, is saying I can't stomach this any longer? Sixty-three percent in the last poll or something like that? Politically, how do you deal with numbers like that?

HIRSH: I think it's going to be extremely difficult. And we may find that in the next six months, 12 months or two years, basically this plan is aborted. I mean, Robert Gates, the new defense secretary when asked about this in January, he said we're thinking about a matter of months.

The problem with that is, in pure military terms, counterinsurgency terms, there is no way you can win in that period of time. That's what the experts are saying. So the point is let's get real about the actual commitment that we're making with this Petraeus plan.

SANCHEZ: Well, you use the word "win" and that's really an interesting word when you use it in -- What is a win?

HIRSH: Well, it begs the question of obviously the whole approach to Iraq right now. In my view, based on conversations I've had with military sources, a win is kind of keeping the lid on, propping up the government that is currently there, legitimatizing it more than it is now but that also means because U.S. troops are instead of Iraqi troops at this point, doing the policing, doing the lion's share of policing, right now at this moment in Baghdad, and Anbar and elsewhere around Iraq, that means committing ourselves to staying there, well into the next presidency, whoever that is.

And that's the kind of political dialogue that you are not hearing now on the campaign trail or in Washington and that I think needs to be talked about.

SANCHEZ: Do you see the Democrats dancing that fine line on that little tightrope dance that says I'm for the troops, I'm kind of for the war but I also am looking into a plan to get us out? Or do you see them saying as Petraeus continues to say we're going to be in a long, long time, eventually more Democrats saying we got to get out of this thing?

HIRSH: I think all the Democrats are saying that now. Obviously 2008 is very much on their minds, they are trying to tell the public what they think it wants to hear. What I have yet to hear from any of the leading Democrats is an honest assessment, that look, I may have not supported the war, I think the war was a terrible idea but the fact is that Iraq has become a quasi failed state, that is where al Qaeda roosts, in failed states and we're going to have to stay there.

I have not heard that kind of real reckoning coming out of the Democrats yet.

SANCHEZ: That's interesting. Hey, thanks so much, man. We appreciate you taking time to talk to us. Good reporting as usual.

HIRSH: Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: Sure.

Well, we're going to be talking to Bill Schneider. We talk to Bill Schneider. He is the one we are usually talking to about things like Iraq and the Dems and the GOP, but guess what he'll talk about. You are not going to believe this, folks, Bill is going to be talking to us about the Oscars, among other things. Take it away. Give us a tease, Bill.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I'm here on the red carpet, which is the place to be. Tomorrow, we're going to be talking about politics and the movies.

SANCHEZ: That's great. You look good there my friend, look forward to this conversation.

SCHNEIDER: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: We'll be catching up in just a little bit.

Also men in motion, a new program that has black men taking charge of their weight. How does it work? What is the combination? You're going to be watching CNN. We are the most trusted name in news and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN GRANT, 100 BLACK MEN OF ATLANTA: To really sell in in market.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Grant is a man in motion.

GRANT: I walk at a very fast pace. Often have people telling me, who are with me, will you slow down?

GUPTA: As CEO of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Grant teamed up with the former surgeon general David Satcher and the Morehouse School of Medicine to create a health program.

GRANT: I'm much more conscious of the fact that one can walk 10,000 steps day, how much it can lower your instance of diabetes ...

GUPTA: Sixty percent of African American men are overweight, 41 percent have cardiovascular disease. In addition, black men are twice as likely as white men to have diabetes or die of cancer.

GRANT: We felt that if we started with these men, it would be an investment in their health and in the health of their community

GUPTA: Initial health screenings found many undiagnosed problems, such as prostate cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure. Each participant was encouraged to increase physical activity to 10,000 steps a day and eat at least nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Those simple changes lowered their cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Over the first two years of the program.

And now the group is reaching out to young people in its scholarship program.

DR. WILLIAM ALEXANDER, MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: We believe very strongly that if we can help our students improve their health they'll improve their academic performance.

GUPTA: Walter Burson is a sophomore at Tuskegee University. He was overweight and at risk, he has lost 15 pounds since starting the health challenge.

WALTER BURSON, STUDENT: I want to be healthy, I want to live a long life and now is the time to start.

SATCHER: This is the black men playing that role. Taking over responsibility in the home and ultimately in the community, that's what this is about.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: It says America votes but what could more Hollywood than? We're in the control room now to bring you the story, it's a highly charged political question this weekend. The Oscars? Huh? That's right. You may not recognize the correlation between the award winners and the presidential candidates but our Bill Schneider certainly does and he's joining us now because nobody covers Hollywood -- Hollywood? Like Bill Schneider. What do you got, Bill?

SCHNEIDER: You know. You hear a lot about the hot political candidates here in Hollywood so we turned that question around. We asked the candidates, what are your favorite movies?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): It's Oscar time. So we asked the presidential candidates the question of the moment. What are you wearing? No. What is your favorite movie?

John McCain, the champion of campaign finance reform? His favorite movie is "Viva Zapata."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elections are a farce. The people have no voice in the government.

SCHNEIDER: Hillary Clinton said one of her favorites is "Casablanca" where in the end public commitments trump private concerns.

HUMPHREY BOGART, ACTOR: It doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.

SCHNEIDER: Rudy Giuliani's pick "The Godfather," a lesson in leadership.

MARLON BRANDO, ACTOR: I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.

SCHNEIDER: "Dr. Strangelove," John Edwards favorite movie, reveals the candidate's interest in civil/military relations.

GEORGE C. SCOTT, ACTOR: Now it appears that the order called for the planes to attack the targets inside Russia.

SCHNEIDER: Bill Richardson likes "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." It is about getting the job done.

PAUL NEWMAN, ACTOR: Well, that ought to do it.

SCHNEIDER: What does "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Mitt Romney's favorite movie, say about his campaign?

HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: I'm going after that truck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How?

FORD: I don't know. I'm making this up as I go.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SCHNEIDER (on camera): Now what would be the favorite movie of political reporters who are covering the 2008 campaign? I think that would have to be "From Here to Eternity."

Rick?

SANCHEZ: That is interesting. I like "The Poseidon Adventure" myself.

Hey, I've been asked to ask you a question. Now, I'm a regular guy and regular guys usually don't usually ask this question of other guys, but I was told to ask you this so I will. What are you wearing tomorrow night, bill?

SCHNEIDER: Well, question is supposed to be who are you wearing? But I can tell you ...

SANCHEZ: Oh! OK. Go.

SCHNEIDER: I have my outfit, my tuxedo all ready, with my own special touch, I have wonderful red shoes made by my personal designer, Monsieur Hush Puppy and I'll have them on tomorrow night.

SANCHEZ: Are you kidding me? So it's kind of like a Santa suit to the Oscars?

SCHNEIDER: I decided many years ago at the Oscars, when I was covering it, we had to climb up a tree. That's where we did the Oscars from. So I said, I can't do this in tuxedo shoes, and I bought a special pair of hush puppies which that year they made in red and I've worn them ever since.

SANCHEZ: That's why we love you, Bill.

And you go every -- this is not like something new, not a novelty this year, you regularly go to the Oscars, right?

SCHNEIDER: Yeah. I do. I have a lot of friends out here.

SANCHEZ: That's wonderful. Bill Schneider, always great talking to you, my friend.

SCHNEIDER: Good to talk to you.

SANCHEZ: CNN is going to be live from the red carpet at the Academy Awards all day tomorrow. And don't miss our live special, it's "Hollywood's Gold Rush," tomorrow night at 7:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

And after you have seen the big show and all the winners, CNN is your access pass to the after parties. They say those are a lot of fun. Sometimes people drink too much but we won't go there. The winners and all the Oscar action, that's tomorrow night at midnight Eastern right here on CNN.

By the way, who do you think will take home an Oscar? Play "Inside the Envelope" at cnn.com. You can win some big prizes, including a home theater system and plasma TV to boot.

And then what is up with this sinkhole? We'll tell where it is, what happened, all the information you need to know. You're watching CNN. We're the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Here is the story about the sinkhole we've been telling you about, we have the details on it now. It is in Guatemala City. Literally it looks like a giant hole in the ground but that's really not the half of it.

This sinkhole is more than 300 feet deep and they just -- they happen out of nowhere, with river of sewage at the bottom we understand. It's swallowed up several houses already along with a teenaged brother and sister. They both perished in this, sadly enough. The neighborhood, needless to say has now been evacuated so it doesn't happen to somebody else.

Well, there is still a lot more news coming up. Lou Dobbs has a preview of what's coming up next.

LOU DOBBS, CNN HOST: Coming up on LOU DOBBS THIS WEEK, shocking new reports that evidence may have been suppressed in case of former Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean, and I'll be talking to the head of a liberal advocacy group who says the middle class has never seen it so good. I obviously disagree. We'll straighten that gentleman out.

All of that and a great deal more, straight ahead, 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

SANCHEZ: Of course, that's Lou being Lou. And then we are going to bring you a lot of information tonight at 10:00, a lot of stories that we are going to be looking at.

Let's look at this first. This is the whys (ph) of hip-hop. Going to give you a taste of this, because it's a story we're following all of the way from the streets of Brooklyn in the '80s to Eminem in the '90s.

This is really what started out as a black voice but it's evolved, very much so. Some say not evolved for the better. Has it lost its social message, for example? We're going to look at the controversy and look at the examples that are being set by some people that are now involved in this industry and look at it from the standpoint of just regular people who look at this and maybe wondering what it is their kids are listening to.

According to statistics, the kids in the United States who watch this the most happen to be not necessarily African American but usually white American kids. So we're going to bring you the very latest on that controversy.

That's tonight, join me for that and a whole lot more. Tonight at 10:00. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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