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War Funding Fight; Iraq's Secret Office?; Border Patrol Training; Wedding Insurance

Aired May 02, 2007 - 10:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Staring each other down over Iraq War funding. They will meet today looking for a way out of the standoff.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraqi military and political leaders undercutting the U.S. CNN Baghdad reports on the office. Sources say it promotes an extreme Shiite agenda. One that's fueling the fight with Sunnis.

HARRIS: Getting married? Don't get left holding the bill if your beloved bails. Wedding insurance just in case "I do" becomes "I don't."

It is Wednesday, May 2nd. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And at the top this hour, the war funding fight between the White House and Democrats. Can they reach a compromise? Congressional Democrats meet with President Bush and their Republican counterparts today. And President Bush's veto of a spending bill calling for withdrawal from Iraq arrives on Capitol Hill this hour. The president is speaking right now about Iraq and we will update you on his comments.

Meanwhile, one possible compromise being floated, benchmarks for the Iraqi government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) MINORITY LEADER: There are a number of Republicans who do think that some kind of benchmarks, properly crafted, would actually be helpful. If you recall, when General Petraeus was here, he said he thought some kinds of benchmarks crafted appropriately would actually be helpful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel joins us live.

Andrea, Republican leaders, Mitch McConnell there, sounds like at least he's ready to compromise a bit. What is going on here? Good morning.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Tony.

Much more so I than the White House or President Bush, and there's a good reason for that. President Bush isn't running for reelection in 2008, but all of the Republicans in the House are and over 20 in the Senate will be. And they recognize, Tony, that they've been loyal Republicans to this point, but they read the polls just like everyone else. They see just how unpopular this war is. They have walked the plank many times for this president and the political reality is they are just as skeptical as everyone else that this plan is going to work out, so they're really hedging their bets at this point and trying to see if a compromise can be worked out.

HARRIS: All right. So, Andrea, are Democrats, well, are Democrats ready to compromise?

KOPPEL: They're ready to compromise. But take a listen to a couple of the leading Democrats in the House and the Senate. They certainly don't sound like it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) HOUSE SPEAKER: The president want a blank check. The Congress is not going to give it to him.

SEN. HARRY REID, (D) MAJORITY LEADER: If the president thinks by vetoing this bill he'll stop us from working to change the direction of the war in Iraq, he is mistaken.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: So there are a couple of messages going on. One, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi speaking to the Democratic base saying, we have not forgotten the fact that we need to get U.S. troops out of Iraq. Just because the president vetoed this, doesn't mean that we have given up. But they're also signaling to the president that this is going to be a tough compromise that they're going to have to work out. They recognize, Tony, that the troops need to be funded. That's what this bill is all about, after all. But they also recognize that they have to keep their base on board.

HARRIS: Boy, and, Andrea, your day just -- another agenda item for your day. We just heard that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be holding a news conference next hour. So the president will make comments shortly on Iraq. And then Nancy Pelosi will hold a news conference. And then everyone will go behind closed doors. Our congressional correspondent following it all for us, Andrea Koppel.

Andrea, thank you.

COLLINS: Iraqi leader Nuri al-Maliki, once seen as a crucial Washington ally. There are now suspicions he may be making the bitter sectarian divisions even more volatile. U.S. military and intelligence sources tell CNN he's created an office that hides an extreme Shiite agenda. And, they say, it's undermining the U.S. mission in Iraq. CNN's Arwa Damon is in Baghdad.

Arwa, what have you been able to learn about the office?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, it's called the office of the commander in chief. And it was essentially (ph) created as an advisory office to the prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, to advise him on military matters. But senior U.S. intelligence and military sources are saying that it is being used as a smoke screen to hide an extreme Shia agenda, saying that this office has the power to emplace (ph) commanders into position within the Iraqi security forces, commanders that it can control. Adding that it has been cracking down and removing from their position commanders that are going after Shia militias operating here.

Now the Iraqi government has been quick to deny all of these allegations. The spokesman for the Baghdad security plan, Brigadier General Cosam Atta (ph), coming out and saying that the office is merely an advisory institution. That it does not have the power to remove commanders from their positions. That it's quite simply advising the prime minister.

But a senior Iraqi army officer did say that the office is abusing this power that it has been given. That it is an entity that is not beneficial to the progress of trying to secure Iraq. That it is quite simply overstepping its bounds.

Now this has been raising concerns, especially amongst the U.S. military. It could, if what intelligence sources are saying is its true intent, and that is this extreme Shia agenda, really undermine the entire effort of trying to secure Iraq, as well as the image that the Iraqi government is trying to put forward, that it is not a sectarian government. And this office most certainly, if it is in fact pursuing a Shia agenda, undermining all those efforts.

Heidi.

COLLINS: Boy. What is the U.S. government saying about the reports, Arwa?

DAMON: Well, a senior White House official did say that the U.S. was very concerned about the doings of this office, but that there were currently ongoing efforts to try to partner with the office to ensure that the emplacement of commanders is happening based on their credentials and not along sectarian lines. And that is also what we are hearing from senior commanders on the ground here.

The U.S. basically doesn't have any real insight into the doings of the office, quite simply because they are not partnered with them. And what they are trying to do right now is to establish some sort of partnership with the office first and foremost to try to figure out exactly what is happening behind its closed doors. And if it is, in fact, pursuing a sectarian agenda to try to prevent that from happening.

Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Arwa Damon watching this story for us.

Arwa, thank you.

HARRIS: And, Heidi, we told everybody just a couple of moments ago that the official documentation of President Bush's veto of the supplemental bill was due to land on Capitol Hill with a thud in just a couple of minutes. It has, in fact, landed on the floor of the House. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) HOUSE SPEAKER: The chair will receive a message.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaker, a message from the president of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Madam speaker.

PELOSI: Mr. Secretary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm directed by the president of the United States to deliver to the House of Representative a message in writing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And there you have it. OK. So this is -- it's new for most of us because it's only the second time it's happened with this president. The official documentation arriving and the actual language. The process as it plays out there on the House floor, the official veto from the president of the supplemental spending bill. Now everyone gets behind closed doors later this afternoon and work begins on a compromise.

COLLINS: I thought we were going to get to hear the actual letter.

HARRIS: I thought so to. Yes. Yes.

COLLINS: I guess not.

Moving on for now.

On the diplomatic front, though, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is en route to the Middle East right now for a two-day meeting in Iraq. She is due in Egypt this morning in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. She'll meet officials from Europe and the Middle East. The topic, how best to stabilize Iraq and, by extension, the Middle East. That agenda has been overshadowed by another possibility that Rice could hold talks with Iran and Syria.

HARRIS: And let's get another check of weather now. Chad Myers in the Weather Center.

But before we do that, let's tell you the story of severe storms. A concern today from the southern Plains into west Texas. Thunderstorms, tornadoes, flooding rains and hail could be part of the mix. The scene near Alma, Kansas, as a funnel cloud dropped from the sky. There are no reports of any injuries or damage. It was one of many twisters that formed yesterday in northeastern Kansas in Topeka. State lawmakers took shelter in an underground parking garage in the state capital when tornado sirens started sounding. And this scene in Denver. Take a look. That's not snow that we're looking at. It is hail. The storm also unleashed flash floods across the region. Yikes.

COLLINS: Yes, I've seen that happen before. I was telling you that story where you can come up over a ridge in Colorado and it just is -- everything is green, then you come up over a hill and it's pure whiteout. It looks like the big, you know, the South Pole or something.

HARRIS: All the hail. Yes.

COLLINS: Look at those chunks of hail there.

Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Still to come this morning in the NEWSROOM, a police department review promised in Los Angeles after a violent end to immigrant protests. Take a look at these pictures. Police used rubber bullets and batons to remove demonstrators in MacArthur Park. Police say it happened after a motorcycle officer was knocked down. And there were minor injuries, including about a dozen police officers. At least one person was arrested for disorderly conduct.

CNN's Lou Dobbs is tackling the immigration issue with a primetime special tonight. He is live with a town hall meeting from Hazleton, Pennsylvania. What it's doing to fight broken borders. A Lou Dobbs primetime special, CNN, tonight, 8:00 Eastern.

COLLINS: Troops on the ground in Iraq. The search for common ground on war spending. Senators from both sides of the aisle discuss the war funding fight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Al Qaeda on the attack. Reports another top figure killed in Iraq. Will it slow the terrorist attacks? We will take a look for you in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Here comes the bride and the big tab. Don't get the wedding bill blues. Gerri Willis on wedding insurance. When something goes wrong on the way to marital bliss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: You're in the NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins.

It's boot camp for the border patrol. Watch what recruits go through before they become border protectors. Some tough stuff in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Click it or ticket. New Jersey governor setting a better example now, paying up after breaking the law. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine pulls out his checkbook and pays a $46 fine for not wearing a seat belt. Corzine was severely injured in an auto accident April 12th and released from a hospital this past Monday. Police hadn't decided whether to issue a traffic citation. But during a meeting yesterday, he personally asked a police superintendent to give him a ticket. Corzine is also paying his own medical bills.

COLLINS: Boot camp for the war to protect our borders. CNN's Dan Simon goes inside the border patrol academy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): America's fight against illegal immigration starts right here in a place you probably never heard of. Artesia, New Mexico, is home to the U.S. Border Patrol Academy. Anyone wearing the green uniform has trained here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speed is 55.

SIMON: But getting through the academy is no easy ride. Only one out of 30 who apply will make it through the five-month training. And I saw firsthand how hard it can be. Before I know it, I find myself in a simulated shoot-out.

While becoming a proficient marksman is an important part of border patrol training, trainees also spend hundreds of hours in the classroom. The subjects ranging from the law to Spanish.

More than 200 hours of Spanish are required.

What's been the hardest thing for you in terms of your training?

DAVID CHAVEZ, BORDER PATROL TRAINEE: In terms of the training? Believe it or not, it's been Spanish. I mean, I'm getting ripped constantly because of my last name. But I'm not a native speaker.

SIMON: After fighting in Iraq, David Chavez says he wants to stay on the front lines protecting his country here at home.

Do you feel like you're going to be facing an uphill battle?

CHAVEZ: Not at all. I mean, I was in Iraq. I didn't feel it was an uphill battle. And this is the same thing. It's just one day at a time, doing your job. And hopefully we can curve the problem of illegal immigration.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, RECRUITMENT VIDEO: We protect America. Are you up to the challenge?

SIMON: Recruiting these days is a top priority, after the president's urgent call for 6,000 new agents by the end of 2008. The academy let us on campus in hopes that showing the tough regimen who attract recruits. And it is tough. A former MP in the Air Force, Jorge Fernandez, admits there's a bit of irony in his new job.

You're going to be on the front lines busting illegal immigrants, most of whom are of Hispanic origin. How do you feel about that?

JORGE FERNANDEZ, BORDER PATROL TRAINEE: You've got to look at it as a job, sir. I mean, I really don't know how to answer that question. So it's going to be difficult at times, but you've got to look at it as a job.

SIMON: Instructors try to recreate the conditions that new agents will encounter in the field. Sometimes, though, nature can be just as tough.

Dan Simon, CNN, Artesia, New Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Take a look at these pictures. Home at last. Larry Birkhead and baby Dannielynn arrive in Kentucky. Details coming up in the NEWSROOM.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.

It's wedding season. And wouldn't it be great if you could ensure your marriage? Well maybe that's not possible, but at least we'll tell you how you can ensure the wedding. That's coming up next in "Top Tips" in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: OK. So an interesting story. At least the few tidbits that we know about it, pretty interesting. You're looking at some video coming in from our affiliate WSVN in the Miami area. There's a vehicle there. It is an armored car. Can't make out -- obviously that's a police car. Can't make out where it is. But police are on the scene of this. Apparently the armored car has been robbed. And you see that on your screen there, yes, of $1.8 million.

HARRIS: Whoa!

COLLINS: Hialeah Gardens, I'm hearing, is the exact area there. Once again, according to our affiliate WSVN in the Miami area, Hialeah Gardens, $1.8 million apparently robbed from an armored car. Police looking for clues. Looking for the money and the suspect, obviously. We'll follow it for you and bring you any more information.

HARRIS: Want to talk about money. There's some money being made today. The New York Stock Exchange. And we take you to the big board, New York City. The Dow up 55 points. Not sure if that's a new intraday (ph) high. Don't know. Could be. But we are watching these numbers today. Of course, oil prices on the radar for sure. Prices ticking up higher and higher every day. We'll watch all of the business headlines of this morning, of this day, with Susan Lisovicz right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Something else that's ticking up every day, the price of a wedding. Now there's wedding insurance. It covers acts of God and even cold feet. Is the price worth the peace of mind? Boy, I sure think it sounds like it. Here with the answer now, CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis, joining us from New York with her "Top Tips."

Love this topic, Gerri.

WILLIS: It's crazy, isn't it? You know. You want to insure the marriage, not the wedding, right? But you can't do that.

COLLINS: But you can't do that. Yes.

WILLIS: Can't do that yet.

COLLINS: Sow hat are the tips here? What do you do?

WILLIS: Let me tell you what's covered? You will be covered by these policies if you had to cancel or postpone the wedding because of death or a serious injury to the immediate family. You'll also be covered if the bride or groom is unexpectedly called to military duty or if a natural disaster, like a hurricane or earthquake, interrupts the wedding day. And today, as you said at the top, there's even one policy that will cover the cost of the wedding in case the bride or groom has a change of heart.

COLLINS: Oh, come on. Really?

WILLIS: I know. It's crazy, isn't it.

COLLINS: I can't believe that.

WILLIS: I know, people ensure everything now.

COLLINS: Yes, I guess so.

What about evaluating all of this, though? I mean how much should you be paying for this type of coverage?

WILLIS: Well, the average policy is about $200. And that will cover a wedding up to $30,000. But policies can range from $95 for a basic liability policy, to $500 in some cases. Of course, it all depends on the extras you buy, like ensuring your wedding gifts in case they're stolen, or for personal counseling in case the wedding is canceled. I don't even want to bring this up.

The biggest players in wedding insurance are Fireman's Fund Insurance at firemansfund.com, wedsafe.com and Traveler's Protection Plan at protectmywedding.com. So those are the big players, three of them.

COLLINS: Yes, it's really interesting. And I have to say, one of our producers, who is about to get married, our fine Sarah (ph), has gone ahead and just bought this.

WILLIS: I heard that. Yes.

COLLINS: Yes, just the other day. Long before we knew that we were going to do this story with you.

WILLIS: We're on the same page. COLLINS: Yes. It wasn't even available when I got married.

But it's important to point out there are some limits here.

WILLIS: There is big limitations to coverage. One common misunderstanding is what weather refers to in the policies. Look, a garden wedding would be covered if heavy rain causes the wedding ceremony to be moved inside. No. Military deployment must be totally unexpected at the time of buying your policy. So reservists or those on part-time status may not be covered.

COLLINS: You know what, quickly, a question on that. I have a very good friend whose wedding was canceled because of one of the hurricanes in Florida. Would something like that have been covered then?

WILLIS: That would be covered. Yes.

COLLINS: OK. Wow. Interesting.

WILLIS: Yes, most of the policies do.

COLLINS: OK. What about minimizing your risk here financially?

WILLIS: Right. Well, look, you don't have to go out and buy a policy. And if you're so worried about a wedding, maybe you're spending a little too much money on it, is my point of view. But the things you can do outside of buying a policy to curb your financial risk., number one, limit the size of deposits that you're giving the vendors for the wedding. Try to use credit cards for as many expenses as possible. This way you can always dispute the charges. And if you have a question, send it to us at toptips@cnn.com. If you've bought a wedding policy and want to talk to us about it, we'd love to hear from you. We answer your questions right here every Friday and we love to hear from you.

COLLINS: Yes, we were trying to find video, Gerri, of the runaway bride, but (INAUDIBLE).

HARRIS: No, no, no, no, no, no.

WILLIS: That would have been good.

COLLINS: I know.

WILLIS: Yes. Yes.

COLLINS: Gerri Willis with our "Top Tips" today.

Gerri, thanks so much.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

HARRIS: Still to come this morning, troops on the ground in Iraq and the surge for common ground on the war spending. Senators from both sides of the aisle discuss the war funding fight. That is ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Bottom of the hour. Good morning, again. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. We just had a massive spill here, so we're ...

HARRIS: Way to go, Heidi.

COLLINS: We're going to move on. I didn't do it.

I want to let you know a little bit more about the story that we've been covering today on the Iraq funding bill. As you know, it was vetoed yesterday by President Bush. Today, he was addressing the Associated General Contractors of America in Washington. I want to let you listen to some sound regarding that issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Democrat leaders in Congress have chosen this time to try to force a precipitous withdrawal. In other words, I was presented a bill last night that said there's a timetable, you know, had to leave -- start leaving by July 1st and definitely be leaving by October 1st.

It didn't make any sense to me, to impose the will of politicians over the recommendations of our military commanders in the field. So, I vetoed the bill and -- a phase of the process is now over. And a new phase has begun.

Later on this afternoon, leaders from both parties and both chambers are coming down to the White House and I look forward to meeting with them. I am confident that with good will on both sides that we can move beyond political statements and agree on a bill that gives our troops the funds and the flexibility they need to do the job that we have asked them to do.

As we move forward to debate there are some of the things that all of us in Washington keep in mind. First of all, debate is good. I have no problems with debates. This issue of Iraq and this war on terror deserves a serious discussion across --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The fight for Iraq now three attacks to tell you about -- at least eight deaths. The latest, a mortar attack in eastern Baghdad, two civilians killed, five others wounded. Six more civilians killed south of the capital at Mahmoudiya. In one attack, a roadside bomb detonated under a minibus. In the other, insurgents launched mortars on a residential area -- at least 17 people were hurt on those attacks.

Dead or alive? The question surrounding al Qaeda's leader in Iraq. What would his death mean for the insurgencies? CNN's Hugh Riminton has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, an ex-con from Jordan, who established al Qaeda in Iraq. His masterstroke was to take his exceptionally violent insurgent group in 2004 and seek and receive the blessing and the al Qaeda brand name from Osama bin Laden.

Zarqawi's death was announced several times before it actually happened in a U.S. airstrike in Diyala Province last June. Zarqawi's replacement was named within a week, an Egyptian, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, a master bomb maker and longtime follower of bin Laden's number two, Ayman Al-Zawahri.

Soon, with a $5 million bounty on his head, rumors of his demise were also circulating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My message to the terrorist Abu Ayyub al-Masri, we are very close to you, closer than you think and imagine.

RIMINTON: Iraqi security analysts say al-Masri lacked Zarqawi's personal charisma. But that has not stopped the organization developing politically, while engineering a near constant barrage of atrocities.

(on camera): Late last year, under al-Masri, al Qaeda formed up the Islamic State of Iraq, naming its own cabinet. This was a political apparatus in pursuit of its long-term strategic goal, the establishment of an extreme Muslim state in Iraq. Al-Masri named himself minister of war.

(voice-over): It was his predecessor, Zarqawi, who had openly pushed sectarian war in Iraq, so that al Qaeda rapidly made Shias their enemy, as much as the U.S.-led occupation. Al-Masri has maintained that course.

But, under al-Masri, al Qaeda has also fought hard against new pressure brought by a changed U.S. tactical plan, devising more sophisticated roadside bombs to beat the new-generation American anti- bomb techniques.

Last month, al Qaeda also claimed responsibility for two suicide truck bombs used to kill nine U.S. soldiers and wound 20 more at a patrol base in Diyala Province. The U.S. was quick to acknowledge Tuesday that, even if al-Masri has been killed, as reported, that would not end al Qaeda violence.

Hugh Riminton, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: She is a beauty queen who helped bust suspected predators. Why is Miss America coming under fire? The story coming up for you in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Benchmarks instead of timelines -- one possible compromise in the fight over war spending. President Bush made good on his threat to veto a bill calling for withdrawal from Iraq. Today, he meets with congressional leaders on both parties.

Joining us to talk about the war funding fight, Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Republican Senator John Ensign from Nevada. Both members of the armed services committee. Gentlemen, thank you for your time this morning. We appreciate it.

SEN. JACK REED, (D-RI): Good morning.

SEN. JOHN ENSIGN, (R-NV): Good morning.

Let's start with this dose of reality from Ohio senator, Republican George Voinovich quoted in the "Washington Post" this morning. He's quoted as saying, "Some kind of compromise has to be worked out between the administration and the Democrats. That's how it's done. Everybody holds their nose and maybe a couple of times vomits, but you get it done."

All right. Senator Ensign, let me start with you. What will the final bill, the final supplemental bill look like that is sent to the president, the one that he will actually sign?

ENSIGN: Well, I think first of all, we have to forget about whether we're Republican or Democrats and start being Americans. And we have to think what is best for the troops. What is best gives us the best chance to have a victory in Iraq that will make not only Iraq more stable but will also keep us safer here at home. And so that the terrorists don't follow us here.

So, when we look at it from that perspective, if we all just put our party labels aside, I actually think that we can get to a compromise. Baker Hamilton commission, a lot of people have talked about benchmarks. I think benchmarks are actually a good way forward as long as those benchmarks don't tie the hands of the military.

So, I think that that's some place where maybe we can find some common ground. I'm hoping we can at least cut back on some of the spending. I think that the spending in this bill was excessive and that hasn't been highlighted a lot. But I just don't think that we should just pile a lot of other things on there. So I hope we can at least compromise on some of the spending, as well.

HARRIS: OK, Senator Reed, give me some specifics, benchmarks -- specifics on benchmarks. What are we talking about in terms of U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq and are we talking about benchmarks for a withdrawal ultimately out of the country or benchmarks for a redeployment?

REED: Well, I believe the benchmark discussion focused on very specific conditions, most of them on the responsibility of the Iraqi government. First, our serious reconciliation and the de- baathification program, we'll modify it significantly. Second, have an oil law that provides for fair distribution of the revenues from the oil. And then third, go seriously after these militias so that there's not a paramilitary force outside the security forces.

Then there's a whole list of other conditions that I think will be much more contentious in terms of debate. I don't know at this juncture if we're -- there'll be serious discussion about timelines but I hope there's a serious discussion about the policy of phased redeployment of our forces. Letting commanders decide on the timing, but make it clear and I think this is the will of the American people, that we don't have an open-ended commitment there. We're not there forever. And it's the responsibility of the Iraqi government to stand up.

And if we send that message, I think they'll stand up much faster.

HARRIS: All right, we're getting close now. Senator Ensign, a phased redeployment, is that a non-starter or is there room for compromise?

ENSIGN: Well, first of all, I do not think that we should be the military commanders here in the U.S. Congress.

HARRIS: So we're stuck?

ENSIGN: Well, one of the big mistakes that was made and we have to learn from the lessons of our past, the Congress and the political leaders tried to micromanage the war in Vietnam. And we saw the results of that.

I think that it is critical that we take the advice for right now, General Petraeus. He's a new general, he is one of the best generals we've had come along in a long time, he has laid out a plan and we have to give that plan a chance to work. Everybody agrees that you cannot win this thing militarily, you must have a political solution. But the important point that General Petraeus makes that without the military solution as far as making things more secure there, you can't get the political solution. They are intertwined, they are both as important as each other.

HARRIS: Hard to separate benchmarks and timelines and it seems benchmarks have to come with a timeline. If you would, let me have you both listen to Senator Carl Levin this morning with John Roberts on "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CARL LEVIN, (D-MI): Our resolution says that we're going to give the Iraqi leaders four months to reach a political settlement of the issues that they agreed to address four months ago.

They promised to divide resources, have a constitutional convention, amend their constitutional convention, they made those promises, 14 different milestones, excuse me, benchmarks. They made those commitments to be carried out in last December and January. They have failed to carry out the political commitments. Their own prime minister says the reason that the bloodshed continues in Iraq is the failure of the Iraqi political leaders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Senator Ensign, can you accept that timeline? Those benchmarks tied to that four-month timeline?

ENSIGN: Well, I don't think that you can have the timeline when it comes to military action.

HARRIS: Yes.

ENSIGN: You could tie timelines for instance to maybe some of the reconstruction money. Put in instead of punishment, you know, carrot and stick type of approach out there for the Iraqi government to say that you're going to lose money, you're going to lose some of this reconstruction money if you don't act.

That would be incentive in both sides, they want to see that money coming over there for reconstruction. But what happens is that if you tie the hands of our military leaders with a timeline, you say to the terrorists, you say to them, to al Qaeda that's over there doing most of these big bombings, just wait out this timeline. Do everything you can to disturb this timeline, and then you win. That is a terrible message to send to the terrorists over there. And I think that we'll do great damage to our military.

HARRIS: Senator Reed, do you share the president's confidence that Nouri al Maliki is the right man for the job?

REED: Well, he's the person that has the job. When we don't have much of a choice there. We have to help him, cajole him, persuade him, to take decisive action which he hasn't done. And that's something that I think would be not only encourage, but perhaps prompted by serious conditions on this spending bill.

And I should also point out, too, that when we talk about the phased redeployment of forces, we recognize there are still continuing missions in Iraq. One is going out to the terrorist there and the other is training Iraqi forces. So, this notion that we're going to just pick up and leave immediately on a date certain, is not what is incorporated in the resolution. We anticipate training Iraqi forces for many months and also providing constantly and for the future the ability to strike these terrorists in Iraq or elsewhere.

HARRIS: Well, as the camera widens out, let me take that moment to thank you both. Senator Reed and Senator Ensign, thanks for your time this morning, appreciate it. Thanks.

REED: Thank you.

COLLINS: Quickly want to get some information to you now. We are learning that the Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, said just moments ago that she met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and asked him basically to resign. She added of course that it would be a personal decision for Olmert who is of course under fire after this report that was released on Monday, blaming him for rushing into last summer's war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

You may remember it all began after Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers -- there were 1,000 Lebanese, nearly 160 Israelis that died in that war. Meanwhile, the two soldiers still in custody, Hezbollah still intact. So once again, the Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, asking that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resign from his position.

HARRIS: And to business news now, the cable company that owns the New York Knicks, the Rangers and the Liberty is going private.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details on this multi -- wow -- billion dollar deal. Morning, Susan.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

COLLINS: Fighting the war for hearts and minds on the Internet. The U.S. military shares its own coverage from Iraq. Logging on and tuning in. Coming up in the NEWSROOM.

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COLLINS: The beauty queen who joined the sting may now be stung by criticism.

CNN's Brooke Anderson has the latest on Miss America and the suspected predators.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on in. My phone is ringing. I have to grab my phone.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: It was riveting television. Miss America, Lauren Nelson, on "America's Most Wanted," posing as a 13- year-old girl to lure suspected Internet child predators for what they think is a sex encounter with a child they met online. But what they encounter is "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh, along with a camera crew and local police officers who arrest the suspects and cart them away.

JOHN WALSH, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": You're the father of three kids. What the hell are you doing here?

ANDERSON: Eleven alleged predators, in all, nabbed in what turned out to be a ratings bonanza for "America's Most Wanted."

WALSH: You just showed up to have sex with a 14-year-old girl.

ANDERSON: But following the sting, it's Miss America who's getting stung in the press. The local prosecutor is fuming that her participation may have endangered the case against the suspects she helped bust. WALSH Here he comes.

ANDERSON: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT sorts it all out. And we ask the tough question. No matter how disgusting the crime of soliciting children online is, should luring and busting them be left to the cops instead of the stars?

It all went down in Suffolk County, New York.

LAUREN NELSON, MISS AMERICA: Hi, it's Jen.

ANDERSON: For the "America's Most Wanted" segment, Miss America, Lauren Nelson, posed as a teen and chatted with the suspects online and arranged meetings over the phone.

NELSON: OK, great. I'm really excited.

ANDERSON: Nelson, who herself, was once solicited online as a teen, told SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's A.J. Hammer how creepy it was to face it again for the show.

NELSON: It's so sexually explicit you can't even say it on TV. It surprised me how quickly the conversation turned to sex.

ANDERSON: But the experience is getting even more difficult for Miss America. In a story in the Long Island paper "Newsday," entitled Mess America, Suffolk County D.A. Thomas Fota (ph) claims that Nelson is refusing to come back to testify against the people busted in the case. He blasted the sting as, quote, nothing more than a publicity stunt, saying that at least one of the cases may be compromised by her refusal to testify.

NELSON: Glad another one is behind bars.

ANDERSON: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you that Miss America may do her part after all. We reached out to the Miss America organization, who told us, quote "Lauren plans to and has always planned to fully cooperate with the Suffolk County Police Department and will continue to champion here cause." In response to that, the Suffolk County D.A. tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, quote, "we have yet to hear from her. However, based on the Miss America statement, we are pleased that she will cooperate and make herself available as these cases move forward."

Of course, "America's Most Wanted" is not the first show to learn that busting child predators for the camera can be big ratings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You talk about having sex with her.

ANDERSON: "Dateline NBC's" To Catch a Predator series draws millions of viewers and claims to have nabbed 250 suspects. But as shows like "Dateline" and now "America's Most Wanted" get into the predator-busting business, some are wondering if law enforcement is a proper place for a TV star or beauty queen.

ROBERT ZELNICK, BOSTON UNIV. JOURNALISM PROFESSOR: You complicate what's already a very tricky business by going the celebrity route. And I think at sometimes to the detriment of effective law enforcement.

ANDERSON: Still, the shocking fact is that one out of every five children are said to be solicited online. As "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, high profile TV shows like his can alert parents to the danger.

WALSH: I say to parents all the time, come on, saddle up. Keep that computer out of the bedroom. Talk to your kids about personal Web sites. Talk to them about information. Open those lines of communication.

ANDERSON: And child safety advocate Mark Klaas, who like Walsh, has lost a child to violence, tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT --

MARK KLAAS, CHILD SAFETY ADVOCATE: I think the awareness that's been raised and the education that's been heaped upon the American public far outweighs any criticism whatsoever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Well, they've got an important meeting today. The president and Democrats trying to come to terms on Iraq war funding. After the veto, in the NEWSROOM.

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