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Fourth Anniversary of Iraq War; More Violence in Iraq; Rescue Crews Expanding Search for a Boy Scout
Aired March 19, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: On its way to New York's JFK Airport, first arrival of the Airbus A380 with passengers to the U.S., a Qantas A380 will land in Los Angeles. They're obviously trying to bring up business.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Expensive airplanes.
M. O'BRIEN: Exactly. That's all from us on this edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: I'm Heidi Collins. Good morning to you.
For the next three hours watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on Monday, March 19th.
Here's what's on the run down: The invasion of Iraq, four years ago today; joy at a dictator's fall, grief at 3,200 U.S. deaths. Now a country slowly choking on sectarian hatred.
HARRIS: A New York groom shot dead before his wedding. In two hours prosecutors set to reveal indictments against police officers.
COLLINS: A Boy Scout lost in mountains. A camping trip turns into a nightmare. Desperately seeking Michael, in the NEWSROOM.
A somber anniversary marked by more bloodshed and remarks from the president. The war in Iraq entering its fifth year now and we just learned the president will speak in a couple of hours. We'll bring that to you live in the Roosevelt Room.
Meanwhile, today, more violence. In the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, and Baghdad. Five bombings in Kirkuk killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more. In the Iraqi capital, a bomb went off near a Shiite mosque killing at least six people, wounding more than 30 others.
On this day, four years ago, and in the weeks that followed, American warplanes were taking to the skies in bombing runs over Baghdad. The start of the war announced by President Bush in an address to the nation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Four years later, the president vowing to fight on. Meanwhile, critics of the war still on the march, protests and demonstrations across the U.S., to mark the anniversary.
HARRIS: Kyra Philips brought us live reports when the invasion of Iraq began. She was on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. Today, she is on the ground in Baghdad with a closer look at a situation then, and now. A warning: Her report includes graphic images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mission objectives: We heard that, hit the target, kill MIGs (ph).
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Welcome to "Shock & Awe: from the USS Abraham Lincoln.
(Voice over): It was four years ago this week I watched fighter pilots suit up and hit the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. I knew at this moment that was that within 90 minutes Baghdad would light up with blinding firepower. The mission would be called "Shock & Awe".
Operation Iraqi Freedom was now under way. Iraq was about to change forever, attempting to forge freedom, but creating years of chaos.
The smoke is cleared, and this is Baghdad today. It looks peaceful from here. But on the streets it's anything but.
(On camera): Just to give you an idea of how dangerous it still is here in Baghdad, four years after the war started, right now we're in a Shiite neighborhood, and you can see we have an Iraqi police escort in front, with armed police officers, and also behind us, we've got two trucks behind us.
And you can see there's members of the military and also the police that are constantly talking to us. We have checkpoints every 600 yards. And the curfew is in place from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. You can see how difficult it is just to travel less than a mile.
(Voice over): Even Iraqis move quickly through the streets with very little expression. There are no gatherings at cafes or catching a movie. They may have political freedom, but not freedom from terror.
"Of course I'm scared," this street vendor tells me, "because I feel I'm not secure. I'm standing here but I expect danger to happen to me at any moment."
Danger: This wedding shop owner fears every day.
"I'm afraid of everything," she says, "from car bombs, from people, from anything. I feel scared even inside my store, or inside my home."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We haven't been able to confirm it yet.
PHILLIPS: I remember the stories we reported as the war began. Our Baghdad correspondents based at the landmark Palestine Hotel, the search for weapons of mass destruction, and we wrote about democracy, justice, and a better life for the people of Iraq.
(On camera): This is actually our CNN newsroom. There were computers, editors equipment, satellites, that filled up this room. As a matter of fact, this entire hotel was wall-to-wall journalists. Now there's only a few reporters left. And they all stay here at their own risk.
(Voice over): Mohammed Fouzi (ph) still works here. He never loses hope, but life just isn't the same.
"After the fall of Saddam Hussein," he explains, "the Iraqi people were happy and had smiles on their faces. They were comfortable in terms of the future. The hope and smiles have disappeared. God willing, things will get back to normal and our children will have a better future."
No one knows for sure how many Iraqis have died since this war began. Figures range widely from 50,000 to 600,000, more than 3,200 U.S. troops have lost their lives.
Now the sounds of morning prayers, combined with gunfire, is just a reality. Faith and firefights; good battling evil; Iraqis and military troops enduring yet another war anniversary, with very little celebration.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Kyra Phillips joining us now from Baghdad.
Kyra, great to see you. Give us some insight into your thinking here. Did you expect to see the level of violence that we've been reporting these last four years, the kinds of attacks --
PHILLIPS: Absolutely not.
HARRIS: You didn't expect it?
PHILLIPS: No, not at all. As a matter of fact, hearing -- before my piece -- hearing the president of the United States give that speech that we're at war, or that the U.S., rather, was at war, it brought back so many memories. I remember watching that via satellite on the carrier and thinking this is it, we're at war. This is where it's all going to start. And there was a sense of patriotism among the U.S. military, among Americans, and the fighter pilots. And now, four years later, I walk these streets, I walk the grounds, I see where those bombs dropped, and there hasn't been a lot of rebuilding. It's still devastation. And it has affected the lives of Iraqis in such a way that I never expected four years later.
HARRIS: Kyra, I know you haven't been on the ground long, but you've been busy since you landed there and got to work at Baghdad. Are there any signs of the new security plan is working?
PHILLIPS: Well, it is getting a little better, but still today, I wake up and hear about drive-by shootings, explosion, Iraqis dying, U.S. soldiers dying already today. And even working the story, I was able to capture some video, on my small handy cam, to give you a sense of what we go through when we come to a checkpoint. There are blast walls everywhere. You have to weave through the city, the checkpoints happen about every 600 yards. You see the guns, you see the guards. And, Tony, every time you roll up to one of these checkpoints you don't know if they're good guys or bad guys.
You tense up. You worry. Because as soon as that car stops you're a sitting target. So, a lot of times you've just got to keep things moving, and you have to go with your gut. Just to work a story it's extremely difficult.
HARRIS: I cannot wait to hear your perspective over the weeks to come from Baghdad, four years later, for you. Kyra Phillips in Baghdad for us. Kyra, great to see you. Thanks.
COLLINS: As we mark the anniversary, we remember those killed and wounded in this conflict, 3,220 U.S. members have died in Iraq since the start of the war. More than 24,000 troops have been injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
HARRIS: Call it an Iraq status check, the war four years on. What's happened and what's ahead? We'll speak with Brigadier General David Grange coming up. Also, this morning, we will hear from President Bush on the war anniversary, that statement scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. CNN will, of course, bring that to you live.
COLLINS: Rescue crews expanding their search this morning for a Boy Scout; he's been missing since Saturday. CNN's Bob Franken is following the story in McGrady, North Carolina.
Hi there, Bob. Any positive news on the fate of this little boy yet?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No news whatsoever. They are resuming with the light of day the intense search that they have to curtail at night because this is such rugged terrain. The terrain in the Blue Ridge Mountains in back of me, at Doughton State Park, where on Saturday, Michael Auberry, who's 12-years-old, a Boy Scout, disappeared.
He had stayed behind with a scout leader because he had overslept a little bit when they went on Saturday, when everybody came back and had lunch. Then they noticed he had disappeared and the search was on.
It's a search that is quite extensive. It involves, with the light of day, aircraft with heat-sensing devices, and dogs and human trackers, well over 100 people involved. And they operate off a grid system.
At night, it becomes quite a different story. They haven't even had the light of the moon. The worry, of course, is with the temperatures as low as they've been, it might be difficult for him to survive.
But the young man has had training as a Boy Scout in exactly that kind of survival. So the intense search goes on. There is a hope that something is going to come out of it. They have found some clues, a couple of them. At one point they found his mess kit, then a little bit after that some footprints, not far away, that they believe to be Michael Auberry's.
So, the search goes on. Investigators are looking in just to make sure there was no foul play. Thus far they say they have found none -- Heidi.
COLLINS: As you're speaking, we can see your breath, so obviously it is pretty darn chilly.
You mentioned the boy stayed behind, he had overslept. There was a scout leader there. Was that scout leader the last person, then, to see him, do you know?
FRANKEN: They actually came back and had lunch before he disappeared, so, no, he wasn't the last one to see him. Of course, the officials are looking to make sure that nothing bad happened.
COLLINS: All right, Bob. We know you're following this one for us. Let us know if anything happens. Bob Franken, live this morning.
HARRIS: Let's check in with Chad Myers this morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: The Iraq war, today the start of the fifth year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go! In the house!
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: As the conflict grows longer, American confidence shorter. New poll numbers coming up in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Also, showdown ahead, a key senator forcing the issue over fired federal prosecutors, testify, or else. That story ahead in the NEWSROOM. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jim Acosta, in Queens, New York, whether three detectives surrendering to face charges in the shooting death of an unarmed man. That story coming up in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: And this good neighbor comes through in a pinch, not once but twice. Yes, it's twins at the house next door.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't realize what I did until like hours afterwards. I'm just like, wow, actually I delivered two babies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Wow. That's right. A snowstorm means double trouble. Home delivery in the NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Covering the angles, uncovering the details, see for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins.
Three New York police officers facing criminal charges this morning in a high-profile shooting. They have surrendered to authorities. Two hours from now, a formal announcement expected in the groom shooting case.
You may remember, officers fired dozens of bullets at three unarmed men. One died, just hours before his wedding. CNN's Jim Acosta joins us now with the new developments.
Jim, good morning to you. What are we expecting to happen today?
ACOSTA: Well, good morning, Heidi. Yes, as you mentioned just a couple of hours from now -- actually less than that a couple of hours -- the district attorney here in Queens will announce those charges against those three police detectives who were indicted on Friday, and have surrendered this morning to face charges in the shooting death of Sean Bell. The unarmed man, as you mentioned, who was out on his bachelor party just hours away from being married.
Those detectives in this case fired a total of 50 shots; one of the detectives firing 31 of those 50 shots. He is one of the indicted. These indictments, as I mentioned, did come down Friday, but the district attorney decided to wait until this morning to officially reveal those charges.
Some of the details have made it out in reports over the weekend. Two of the officers involved in that confrontation with Bell, were not indicted -- Heidi. COLLINS: Jim, I remember that last week there was a witness that came forward very late in the game saying that he had actually seen a couple of different things happen at that scene. One of which was shots being fired at the officers. Is there any more word on that, or are we likely to have to wait to see the actual decision before we learn if that had any bearing on the case?
ACOSTA: I think we'll have to wait to see what the district attorney says. And that will be a question for the D.A. when he releases those charges. Because if you consider the fact these officers were indicted, and what we're hearing in various reports is those indictments, those charges, will deal with manslaughter and criminal endangerment.
That the grand jury perhaps did take into consideration this last-minute witness but perhaps did not adhere to what that witness was telling the grand jury and decided to go ahead and hand down these indictments.
COLLINS: How did community leaders respond to those dimes?
ACOSTA: As we know, the Reverend Al Sharpton has been up front in this controversy supporting the fiancee of Sean Bell throughout this ordeal. He came out late Friday evening, over the weekend, saying he was viewing this with some optimism. And saying -- surprisingly, we don't hear this from Al Sharpton very much -- that he was hoping to see the system work here and that he thinks so far the system has worked -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Jim Acosta for us live from New York. We'll be watching this one. Thank you, Jim.
U.S. Airways struggling to make amends for those bad-weather blues now boarding in the NEWSROOM.
ALI VELSHI, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: And I Chad taking the pulse of that A380 that's coming into JFK. Kind of surprising that everybody thinks it's early because this flight is really late. It's about two years late. I'll tell you more about that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Clear skies, but rumpled passengers and a baggage backup, U.S. Airways clearing that backup, too. U.S. Airways clearing a back log of flights this morning. A weekend ice and snow storm paralyzed several airports in the Northeast.
At its worst about 100,000 passengers were stranded. The airline is waiving several standard fees for passengers in cities hit by the storm; 1,000 travelers, many of them U.S. Airway passengers, were stranded Friday and Saturday nights at Philadelphia International Airport. That figure dropped to about 100 last night.
HARRIS: Better late than never? Yeah, OK, better late than never. The Airbus A380 super jumbo jet makes its first commercial transatlantic flight after a two-year delay and billions in losses. Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
What do you think of all this, Ali, and when do you get a trip on this super jumbo jet?
VELSHI: I'm working it, Tony, I'll tell you.
HARRIS: I'll bet.
VELSHI: Hoping to get one this week. I'm fascinated by planes. We all are. The thing is huge, the wingspan is like two football fields. There are 550 people coming in on this flight that is landing at John F. Kennedy, that we've been tracking.
As Chad says, it could be coming in a few minutes early. Don't worry about it. They'll find a way to delay this thing. Airbus has managed to delay it by two years.
It has cost them billions of dollars in orders because it was a complicated plane to order in first place. Everybody wants it because there's prestige with the newest, biggest and the best. But its kind of complicated, it's a double-decker, it's 550 people. You can imagine the nightmare. Airlines who buy this plane have to figure out if they've got the gates for it, they've of a way to not upset people who decide to fly on it.
Can you imagine all the complications with landing that plane, going through customs, getting your baggage. It was a tough decision for airlines to buy these planes. Then with all the delays, after delays, after delays, they started losing orders. There are 116 firm orders for this aircraft, the first to be supposed to be delivered to Singapore Airlines. The first one that is actually going to go into service, in October. If they can get it out there, this is a big deal for Airbus, because they want people -- people like us to go and see it and wow, this is fascinating, everybody should order this.
The airlines who do order this plane are thought to be cutting edge and new and fantastic. But this plane has got some making up to do. And it's kind of sad because it's such a marvel of engineering. But for folks who are ordering it who had to cancel it, they're sort of saying make sure you guys can actually get this thing delivered.
HARRIS: Ali, the thinking is pretty simple here. Carry more people on fewer flights.
VELSHI: Yeah.
HARRIS: What are we talking about, 500? I've heard anywhere from 500 to 560 passengers?
VELSHI: Depending on how they configure it. A lot of these airlines will take them, Singapore and Emirates, which are sort of high-end airlines we'll probably want a little more space. But you could pack a whole bunch of people in. A lot of these are sold for cargo, too, because it's just a massive, massive plane.
Theoretically, there's less labor involved, there's less of everything involved. You can pack more onto a plane. But the competition is the Boeing Dreamliner which is made of titanium, and other light metals, which are more fuel efficient. There is some competition even though this is definitely going to be the biggest thing ever to be in the sky.
HARRIS: So, we this big baby what, about 12:30 Eastern?
VELSHI: Yeah, 12:30 Eastern. Should be in a few hours.
HARRIS: At JFK? All right, can't wait to see it. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" this morning. Thank you.
VELSHI: Yep.
COLLINS: Four years of fighting, no end in sight, President Bush on the Iraq war anniversary. Coming up live this morning, you'll see it here in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: A suicide bomber attacks a U.S. convoy in Afghanistan. Details ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BELL CLANGING)
COLLINS: There you have it. It is the opening bell. Today, it's a Monday, so you never know what's going to happen to us by Friday, but of course we always watch if for you here. Want to let you know, that Dow Jones industrial average fell on Friday, about 50 points or so, to rest at ...
COLLINS: There you have it, it is the opening bell. Today, it's a Monday, so you never know what's going to happen to us by Friday, but of course we always watch it for you here. And we want to let you know that the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell on Friday about 50 points or so to rest at 12,110. Again, we'll be watching it for you to see what happens today.
HARRIS: And good morning again everyone, among our top stories this hour -- rescue teams are stepping up their search for a missing Boy Scout. A 12-year-old Michael Auberry went missing Saturday during a camping trip to Doughton Park in North Carolina. Yesterday, searchers found footprints and the boy's mess kit. The search was killed last night for concern of the safety of the rescues. More than 100 people are looking for the boy today on the ground and in the air. Temperatures dropped below freezing the last two nights but Aubrey has had some training in survival techniques and was dressed for the elements. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID BAUER, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: He was also properly equipped for this time of year and this kind of weather, he had a good coat, good boots on. So, as long as he's able to stay dry, we feel he can survive for several days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Police say there are no signs of foul play.
COLLINS: The U.S. under attack in Afghanistan, and we have exclusive pictures.
A suicide bomber attacked a U.S. embassy convoy in Kabul this morning. An embassy spokesman said several people were injured. One American was evacuated for treatment. Kabul police say at least three people were killed. It happened along a busy highway that leads to Bagram Air Base, that is east of the capital.
The war in Iraq injure entering its fifth year now. Today, more violence, in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and in Baghdad. Five bombings in Kirkuk killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more. In the Iraqi capital, a bomb near a Shiite mosque killing at least six and wounding more than 30 others. President Bush is set to speak about the situation in Iraq a little bit latter this morning. Before that, were are told he will get a status check from the Iraqi prime minister.
Let's get our own status check now from our own military expert, Brigadier General David Grange is joining us this morning from Chicago.
General Grange, thanks for being with us.
Four years into the war in Iraq. What are the prospects as we move forward? That's what we want to do is to look forward today and see where we're at.
BRIGADIER GENERAL DAVID GRANGE, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Sure. I believe that this mission does have a chance. I mean, the momentum was lost in the past, you know, right after the 9 April when Saddam was removed. There was not really a consolidation concept, a plan where they could keep everything moving. Some time was lost there. Then I think some time was lost in the last several years where they let Iran get a little bit of a foothold and their influence. Militias got a little too strong. But I think right now it's starting to turn around a little bit again, and hopefully that process will continue.
COLLINS: When we talk about the new security plan, General Grange, we had this troop surge, and then we had an additional troop surge on top of that, so additional troops, I should say. Is this new security plan completely still in flux?
GRANGE: Well, it's always going to be in flux. It's war. I think the first numbers that were given to the American people really involved mostly combat troops. I think the additional numbers that we've been told about involve aviation and support. All combat troops need support structure. It probably was determined from assessments that the support structure in country was not enough to support those additional combat troops with the way they're being deployed throughout Baghdad as an example. And so, more are required.
COLLINS: Let's talk about the aviation a little bit, something that hasn't been used by way of fighters and so forth, very much so far in this war. What is the change, tactically?
GRANGE: Well, I think what you're going to see, because of keeping casualties down, again eliminating pockets of resistance, whatever the case may be, that all air, land, and sea elements are going to be brought to bear on accomplishing the mission. So, it's advantageous to use force from the air that will be done, but that has to be done on the ground. That will be done and they'll support each other. And I'm glad to see that they're mixing that up.
COLLINS: We have heard a lot over the past four years, certainly, about things that have gone wrong in Iraq, failures. What has gone right?
GRANGE: Well, you know, this is a region that's had decades of tyrants, terrorists, and here finally, you have an opportunity to maybe change what's going on in this part of the world. And I believe what Abraham Lincoln says, that liberty is the heritage of all men in all lands everywhere. And this is to give the Iraqi people a chance.
Now, what they do with it is to be determined. Hopefully elected officials will be committed to the transition of this nation, to some type of governance that protects people, allows freedom, and we're there to support. But the will of the American people is wearing thin so I don't think they have a lot of time to do this, but they have a chance.
COLLINS: The will of the Iraqi people going to take over?
GRANGE: Well, the will of the Iraqi people, I believe that the majority really do want freedom. But, again, they're worried about families, worried about jobs. They need to have a safe and secure environment to have that any of that type of quality of life that they desire. And the only people that can provide that right now is a combination of U.S. forces, some coalition, which aren't very many, and the Iraqi military and police forces, which are steadily improving but it's taken a long time, obviously, for that aspect.
But those are required to set conditions for the political process and to have the people actually have the confidence and the trust in the Iraqi army as an example, instead of insurgents or instead of militias so this thing can take hold.
COLLINS: And quickly, as this thing does take hold, the most immediate challenge for U.S. troops is?
GRANGE: Is to gain foot holds throughout, for instance, in the Baghdad piece and there's also an Anbar province piece, but the Baghdad piece, transition with the Iraqi security forces so it's a clear hold so people gain confidence they can provide rule of law, a safe and secure environment.
COLLINS: We certainly appreciate your insight as always, Retired General David Grange joining us from Chicago this morning. Thank you.
HARRIS: And you know you will get an earful of opinion when you talk to people about the Iraq war, and that's what we got.
Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider is here with new numbers on the war. Bill, good to see you this morning. You heard General Grange just a moment ago talking about the will of the American people wearing thin. We know public support for the war has dropped over the past four years. How far has it dropped and how quickly did it happen?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It's dropped 40 points since the end of the war in 2003. Then 72 percent of Americans said they supported the war in Iraq. Now that number is down to 32 percent. That is a very sharp drop, indeed. Much of the drop occurred in that very first year. You can see it here. From 72 to 48 percent.
That was a big drop, because right after the war ended, the insurgency broke out, which Americans didn't anticipate, and then shortly after that there was the discovery there were no weapons of mass destruction. So, Americans felt misled. The drop continued over the years, especially it accelerated in the last couple of years with falling support as the sectarian violence intensified in Iraq and Americans began to be angered over the fact that they seemed to be involved in another country's civil war.
HARRIS: Hey Bill, which side feels more strongly about the war?
SCHNEIDER: The opponents, very clearly. Right now, we took people and asked them not only whether they favored or opposed the war but how strongly they felt. Opposition was much stronger among the war critics. Forty-six percent of Americans now say, that's almost half, you can see in the lower left-hand corner, 46 percent strongly oppose the war, that's more than twice as many as the 21 percent who said they strongly favor the war. Notice that the percentage who strongly favor the war has dropped very sharply from 59 to 21 percent over the last four years. The number who strongly oppose the war has more than doubled from 19 to 46 percent. So, right now it's pretty clear intensity is among the war critics, not among the war supporters.
HARRIS: I think the answer to the next question is we all know the war has become partisan. To what degree are you finding it in the numbers?
SCHNEIDER: You're finding a huge gap, a real gaping split between Democrats and Republicans right now, which wasn't always the case. On the right, rather, you're seeing that in 2003, 42 percent of Democrats opposed the war, only 7 percent of Republicans. Now Democratic opposition to the war is virtually unanimous, 91 percent of Democrats say they're opposed to the war in Iraq, only 24 percent of Republicans are opposed to the war.
That is a huge partisan division, it's shaping everything that's happening in the war and the political response to the war, everything in American politics is being poisoned by this venomous partisanship that we see happening over this war. And I checked, the division over the war in Vietnam, while it was intense, was never as partisan as this.
HARRIS: Senior political analyst Bill Schneider for us from Washington this morning. Bill, good to see you. Thank you.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
HARRIS: And this morning we will hear from President Bush on the war anniversary. That statement is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Eastern time. CNN of course will bring that to you live.
Chad Myers joining us now to give us a little picture weather- wise all across the United States. Does that look like a trouble spot, there?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Showdown ahead, a key senator forcing the issue over fired federal prosecutors, testify or else. That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: There are good neighbors, then there are neighbors who really deliver.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At first I didn't even know. You know, I looked and was like oh my god and she just pushed him right out. I mean, he just came right out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: OK. The neighbors, the snowstorm, and the double delivery. Ahead, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: On this fourth anniversary of the Iraq war, we know that the president will be making a speech, if you will, or some remarks, at least, coming up at about 11:30 today from the Roosevelt Room regarding the latest situation in Iraq. Our Ed Henry is standing by now with a little more information about that.
Ed, we know he has had some briefings this morning.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning, Heidi. Originally the president's schedule was blank, basically, on the issue of Iraq, he was not going to officially mark this fourth anniversary of the invasion of Baghdad. But as you noted, at about 8:30 this morning, the president had a National Security Council briefing behind closed doors, with Secretary Rice and Secretary Gates. Also, we are told General Petraeus joined that meeting as well, the commander on the ground. This hour, right now, the president is behind closed doors having a secure video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki. Obviously to get an update about the situation on the ground.
Then, at 11:30, as you know, the president will be right here, in the White House, in the Roosevelt Room giving remarks that we are told that will last about five minutes long. He's going to talk about the sacrifice of U.S. troops, of course, more than 3,200 of whom have died during this war, but also is going to push back a bit on the Democrats on Capitol Hill who now want to attach some strings to funding for the war.
Tony Snow a few moments ago in an off-camera briefing, telling reporters that the president wants to talk about how this plan by the Democrats is a, quote, "recipe for defeat" and how it would, quote, "provide victory for the enemy."
Now, when I pressed Tony Snow on the point and said, "well, what's your recipe for success?" He got a little frustrated, thought I was interrupting him, so Tony Snow said, quote, "zip it." He later apologized, acknowledged it was inappropriate to say that to me. Then, when I pressed him a bit more on that subject, he said well, we're trying to turn this over to the Iraqi army and he talked about what we've heard a lot of over the last four years, about turning this over to the Iraqis but again, still now, Tony Snow adding the caveat that they're just not sure what's next.
He said, quote, "you don't know how things play out." That's something the American people have heard over and over again over the last four years. And obviously, a lot of the predictions at the beginning of this war, about how long it would last, how much it would cost, have all turned out to be wrong.
And that's why the White House is a bit on the defensive this morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: Alright, Ed Henry, we know you'll be watching it for us and won't be zipping it.
HENRY: No.
COLLINS: This is good. Ed Henry, thanks so much.
HARRIS: No compromise. Democrats making it clear either. White House officials willingly testify about the firing of federal prosecutors. Or they will be subpoenaed.
CNN's Kathleen Koch has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Top political strategist Karl Rove, former White House counsel Harriet Miers, two of the high-level White House officials who, it's now been revealed, were involved early on in discussions about dismissing U.S. attorneys. Democratic senators investigating whether the firings were politically motivated now vow to subpoena Rove, Miers and others to testify if they won't come voluntarily.
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY, (D) JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN: They'll have to testify under oath. I am tired of having the story change every other day.
KOCH: The White House promises to let senators know by Tuesday whether it will fight that, signing executive privilege.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER, (D) JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Their claim of privilege has weakened considerably because documents they have already issued that came from the Justice Department name Karl Rove and others and you can't claim privilege for some things and not for others.
KOCH: Schumer says already Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's former chief of staff has offered to testify. A Justice Department official says Gonzales in a Friday conference call apologized for his mishandling of the dismissals. And for suggesting some were based on job performance.
One fired prosecutor calls that a huge step, but wants congress to hold someone accountable.
BUD CUMMINS, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: They need to go around the room and say who knew about the basis for these decisions as they went along, who knew that the White House had this much input, was able to inject this much improper political consideration into these decisions because each of those people don't need to be at the Department of Justice anymore.
KOCH: Meanwhile, Republicans charge Senator Charles Schumer, who's leading the investigation, has a conflict of interest. He heads a committee dedicated to electing Democrats to the Senate. And they caution that the organization is profiting from the controversy.
SEN. JOHN CORNYN, (R) JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: I think that undermines the legitimacy of what I agree is a valid inquiry into the facts.
KOCH: And so begins another week where the White House has to rustle with the story it just wants to go away. On Monday, the Justice Department will give Congress hundreds of documents on the case, and lawmakers will debate a measure to again require the Senate to confirm all new U.S. attorneys.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Sean Bell's wedding never happened. Police officers to face charges in the death of the New York groom. Indictments unsealed at 11:00 Eastern. We'll have it live here in the NEWSROOM. HARRIS: And four years of fighting, no end in sight. President Bush on the Iraq war anniversary live this morning in the NEWSROOM. You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Good neighbors. OK, they'll check on the pets while you're away, even babysit. But one neighbor went well beyond that, keeping an eye on the kids in a big way. Details on a double delivery from reporter Josh Davis of CNN affiliate WMUR.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURIE DODGE, WOMAN HELPED NEIGHBOR DELIVER TWINS: I was just expecting to sit with her, talk with her, you know, do the normal thing. And it just didn't happen like that.
JOSH DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was Saturday morning just before 4:00 when Laurie Dodge's (ph) neighbor called to say his girlfriend was in labor. Two months before the due date. They needed help, and it was snowing. Dodge threw on her coat and ran next door.
DODGE: The snow was probably like almost up to my knees. I didn't really think about it. I just went through the snow and walked in the front door.
DAVIS: But she walked in on more than she bargained for. Within five minutes her neighbor, Maureen's, water broke followed quickly by three-pound Dakota. But her twin brother Blake's delivery wasn't as easy. He was breach.
DODGE: At first, I didn't even know. I looked and was like oh my God and then she just pushed him right out. He just came right out, and Chad, the father, had grabbed a hold of his hips and pulled him out.
CHAD SMITH, DODGE'S FIANCE: I was nervous. I don't like to see people in pain anyway, so hearing her screaming and, you know.
DAVIS: While Dodge was busy, her fiance ran outside to flag down rescue crews. They wouldn't arrive for another 15 minutes. But by that time, the babies were already out.
SMITH: I'm very proud of her. It's awesome, what she did.
DAVIS: Dodge credits the 911 operator who walked her through process, including tying off the umbilical cords. She's says she's been considering her LNA certification but she never thought she'd help deliver twins.
DODGE: And, I didn't even realize what I did until hours afterwards. I'm just like, wow, I delivered two babies. It was amazing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Yes. Very. Alright. Onto the next story now.
Unfortunately, alone in the woods, a 12-year-old boy scout missing for almost two days. We'll have an update on his search coming up right here in the NEWSROOM.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former CIA agent, Valerie Plame Wilson testified before a House committee on Friday about her work at the agency before her identity was leaked. You are going to find the latest at cnn.com. We have a complete transcript for you of Plame Wilson's congressional testimony. She says that learning her identity had been revealed was like being hit in the gut and she was so concerned for her family's safety.
You can keep track of the investigation by following the time line as well of all the major events in the case. And there's this gallery which highlights the key players involved in the investigation including Lewis Scooter Libby himself. The former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney was found guilty earlier this month on four of five charges including obstruction of justice, making false statements to the FBI and lying to the grand jury investigating the case. Libby now faces a maximum prison sentence of 25 years and a $1 million fine.
And, you can keep up with the very latest in the investigation by pointing your browser to CNN.com/cia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: You already know to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 until noon Eastern. But did you know you can take us with you anywhere on your iPod? Running, the grocery store, anywhere.
HARRIS: Hey, there you go. Lifestyle stuff.
COLLINS: Yes, the CNN NEWSROOM pod cast available 24/7 right on your iPod.
Good morning everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Spend a second hour with us in the NEWSROOM and stay informed. Here's what's on the rundown.
Four years of fighting for U.S. troops. The Iraq war anniversary. We will hear from the president on this somber day, live in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Three New York police officers turn themselves in to face charges ...
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