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General David Petraeus Reports on Iraq Progress

Aired September 10, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: The buildup -- America's top general in Iraq today in Washington reporting on progress, holding out hope for a sizable military drawdown.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And the letdown -- Iraq's civilian leadership still seen as unwilling or unable to unify that splintered country.

LEMON: The burning question: Will Congress sign on to several more months of the status quo?

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Well, once he got his microphone to work, the top U.S. commander in Iraq made two things clear His views are his own, and he does plan to start sending troops home.

CNN congressional correspondent Jessica Yellin brings up to date on that -- Jessica.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there is some real news here today, General Petraeus saying that he plans to recommend drawing down U.S. combat troops in Iraq, 30,000 troops, by July of 2008. So, the U.S. would be back to pre-surge levels by next summer. And that would begin with one Marine unit coming home this month, and an Army brigade by December.

Now, Don, as you pointed out, there were some theatrics here, both protesters screaming and then the microphone failing to work. When General Petraeus finally got to speak, he said that the U.S. has in large part achieved many of its military objectives. Its military progress has been -- quote -- "substantial." And he says the Iraqis really are stepping up.

Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: In what may be the most significant development of the past eight months, the tribal rejection of al Qaeda that started in Anbar province and helped produce such significant change there has now spread to a number of other locations as well. Based on all this, and on the further progress we believe we can achieve over the next few months, I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level of brigade combat teams by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains that we have fought so hard to achieve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Well, the big question, as you asked, are Democrats willing to accept what Petraeus is saying? Do they agree that it's necessary for troops to stay in Iraq and continue the surge?

Even before Petraeus, General Petraeus spoke, several leading Democrats made it clear that they think it's too little, too late, and time to get out is now.

LEMON: All right, Jessica Yellin, thank you very much.

YELLIN: Sorry. I thought we had a sound bite.

LEMON: No. Do -- if we do, someone tell me. We don't have it. OK. We will move on.

Jessica, thank you very much -- a lot going on here today. We appreciate your report -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, all eyes and ears may be on Capitol Hill this hour, but Iraqis got a progress report of their own today from a guy who many in Washington consider a big part of the problem.

CNN's Aneesh Raman has that and reaction to the goings-on in Washington from his post there in Baghdad.

Hi, Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

We heard from Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, earlier today, addressing the country's parliament. His main message? He needs more time to build up the numbers and capabilities of Iraq's security forces. He projected success in keeping Iraq from descending into all-out civil war.

But what he didn't mention, Kyra, is that he also needs more time to get his own political house in order. Support for the prime minister has been vanishing. He has a tenuous, at best, relationship, we're told, with all or virtually all of the major political parties.

And we have heard from the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, in his testimony, a lot of emphasis on the date August 26. What happened then was the leaders of Iraq's five major political parties met and recommitted to finding some political compromise on key issues, de-Baathification, oil revenue sharing, provincial elections among them.

Ambassador Crocker put a lot of hope into that meeting, but Iraqis don't see it. August 26, since then, Iraq's parliament has entered its second week, back after a monthlong vacation. They haven't taken any actions on those key legislations. And one of the people that signed on to the accord, the Sunni vice president, Tariq al-Hashemi, bloc is boycotting the prime minister's cabinet, said, it's a marriage without a bride, that, essentially, this is a hollow compromise until and unless the Maliki government shows it is willing to bring about compromise.

So, perhaps, according to the critics of Maliki, a pretty rosy picture being painted by the U.S. ambassador to Iraq about political compromise that could be in the offing. We do expect, Kyra, the first official reaction from Iraq's government to this testimony tomorrow morning from National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie.

PHILLIPS: We will follow it. Aneesh Raman in Baghdad -- thanks Aneesh.

LEMON: Well, depending on whom you ask, General David Petraeus is today's Ulysses S. Grant or the General Westmoreland of the Iraq war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): Even before beginning his third tour of duty in Iraq, colleagues were comparing General David Petraeus to U.S. Grant, a general who took charge of a bogged-down Union army and led to it victory in the Civil War.

Now, after eight months in Iraq as the top American commander, some critics argue that Petraeus is more like William C. Westmoreland, the chief U.S. commander in Vietnam in the mid-'60s. Westmoreland appeared before Congress in 1967 in a bid to win support for an increasingly unpopular war.

Less than a year later saw a major shift in strategy and a new commander to carry it out. Until Iraq, Petraeus was known for his staff work, his service to several key generals, and an ability to make important friends on Capitol Hill. He enhanced his resume by commanding the 101st Airborne in the invasion of Iraq, proving to be one of the most successful and adaptable divisional commanders in the military.

Petraeus is at ease talking with his troops, as well with reporters and the public. A West Point graduate with a Ph.D. in international relations from Princeton, Petraeus essentially rewrote the Army's book on counterinsurgency.

Some analysts say President Bush is using Petraeus as a shield, to avoid a real debate on the Democrats' plan for Iraq. Regardless, the general and his commander in chief are said to share at least one thing: extreme optimism.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: General David Petraeus delivers his much-awaited testimony on progress in Iraq. Let's get some feedback now from retired Major General Don Shepperd, our military analyst.

We have been talking, Shep, a lot about the force reductions, the mission shift. I also want to talk to you about Iran. But why don't we start with troops and troops coming home? He actually laid out some dates. He had the charts, and it looks like by next year, we could see thousands of troops coming home.

MAJOR GENERAL DONALD SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Kyra, this is the first time we have heard definite numbers from General Petraeus.

People were kind of expecting to hear a brigade coming home by the end of the year. But he went further than that. To put it in context, we went up by 30,000 troops for the surge. What he is basically proposing is going down 30,000 troops a year after they arrive. Then, we would still have 130,00 troops.

And what he said, let's wait until then, see what the situation is, and see what to do from there on.

PHILLIPS: Do you -- from your experience, the conversations you have had, the sources that you have talked to, obviously, specifically within the past six months -- we have heard numbers out there back and forth, possible dates. Do you think this is something he could really stick to? Because he has hesitated to come out with specific numbers, with the feeling that, well, I don't want to be held accountable if I can't do it.

SHEPPERD: Yes, I think he can stick to the 30,000 for sure. And I think he can stick to the other promise of, let's take a look at, after the 30,000 -- when we get to the point where the 30,000 come home, let's take a look at what we should do then.

There's been a lot of talk about what we should do. We should stay forever and continue our combat role. We should get out of our combat role and strictly train Iraqi forces. I think he is hedging his bets and saying, let's look at situation on the ground and then decide. He considers that to be a responsible position for him, as responsible for what's going on in Iraq right now -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Shep, we know that the U.S. will have a presence there from this point on to the end of eternity. It kind of has to go that way now. There's a huge embassy that's being built there in Iraq right now.

And now we're hearing about the Pentagon preparing to build its first base for U.S. forces right there on the Iranian/Iraq border. Let's talk about this for a minute. This is a first. This is something that we're just learning about. We have known about the Iranian threat, that Iran is fuelling the insurgency there in Iraq. What would be the point of this base? And how helpful could that be?

SHEPPERD: I think there's a lot of things coming together there. First of all, a base in that area will, of course, be vulnerable to attack. It is a message to Iran. If you listened to Ambassador Crocker, basically what he said was, Iran wants to be seen at the table, but there is nothing substantive they're willing to discuss.

So, making the statement that we are going to stay in this area, that we are going to be involved, and that we are going to be involved near Iran, is a statement to Iran and a statement to all of the surrounding states that we're going to have a long-term interest in the Gulf and what happens, Kyra. It's a big statement and significant.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Well, big statement, significant statement. If indeed it does get built, does this only fuel the fire there in Iran, get Iranian leaders more upset, want to fight harder? Or could this be the answer to trying -- well, to try and get leaders to back down?

SHEPPERD: I think it's a -- it's our answer to trying to get them to back down.

And, basically, I think the Iranians are reading the United States' politics. They know that we are -- quote -- "bogged down" in Iraq as they see it, that we want out, that we do not want another confrontation, especially one with Iran, a military confrontation, in the Gulf. And so they feel some freedom.

So, I think this is our method of pushing back to say, wait a minute. You don't have complete freedom. We're going to be around. You're going to have to deal with us for a long time.

PHILLIPS: Now, as a military general, retired, were you expecting more today? This has been pumped up for a really long time, specifically on behalf of the U.S. military. Was this a letdown? Were there some surprises for you?

SHEPPERD: I tell you, the one surprise that I got was the strong statements about Iran in General Petraeus' testimony. I didn't expect to hear that. I expected to hear it muted, saying that they are not being helpful.

But there were some really strong statements there. The rest of it I kind of expected to hear, although I didn't know for sure if he would say we are going to bring all the surge troops out by next July. That was kind of surprising.

The rest of it, I believe, was somewhat obvious, where the troops are; the situation is getting better; if you take them out, it's going to get worse, and the longer we can stay, the better chance we have. The statements was -- by both General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker was, look, success is possible.

We haven't heard that in quite a while. But they both said and they both went on the record saying it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Retired Major General Don Shepperd -- thanks for your time, Shep.

SHEPPERD: You bet.

LEMON: Pollsters, politician, the Pentagon. There's no shortage of talk about Iraq. But what's the feeling in Iraq?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More than anything, there's almost like a daily sense of futility, that no matter how many missions we run or how many people we capture or anything like that, nothing changes. Too much American blood has been shed, I guess, as far as I'm concerned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We want to hear from those on the ground, hear from the soldiers doing the fighting -- straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: And we will be keeping an eye on General Petraeus' and Ambassador Crocker's testimony all afternoon. You can, also, online. It will be live and free on CNN.com in its entirety. Check it out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Live pictures. They prepare for a break here on Cap Hill. These hearings are still under way. But they're going to take a little bit of a break here.

Some major news coming out of this today, General Petraeus saying he's going to recommend a drawdown of troops from Iraq, starting in December and then early into 2008. And then, by July of 2008, there should be a gradual reduction of pre-surge, as they call it, levels by mid-July of 2008.

As soon as that gets under way, we will check back. Also want to remind you, you can go to CNN.com and watch live coverage of this when it resumes on the Hill.

PHILLIPS: Three fifteen Eastern time now. Here are some of the other stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A hard hit lands a pro football player in the hospital with a potentially paralyzing injury. Kevin Everett -- there it is right there -- of the Buffalo Bills was tackling a Denver player yesterday. The two helmets collided. Everett to the ground, didn't move. He's in intensive care in a Buffalo hospital with a severe spinal injury.

Al Qaeda might be getting ready to put out another new videotape. It reportedly will show Osama bin Laden presenting the last testament of a 9/11 hijacker. That videotape of bin Laden appeared last week.

Actress Jane Wyman died today at the age of 93. She won an Oscar for the movie "Johnny Belinda," and starred on TV's "Falcon Crest" for several years. She was also famous for a real-life role. She Mrs. Ronald Reagan from 1940 until 1948. LEMON: Well, Custer wasn't the first. And, Petraeus, well, he won't be the last. The category is big-time generals called before Congress to answer tough questions about difficult wars.

The general now defending the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq took over as the senior U.S. commander there in February. In that sense, he, too, is part of the surge.

Now, from the early days of the war until 2005, Petraeus led the 101st Airborne Division in Northern Iraq. He also for a time oversaw the training of Iraqi troops and police.

Well, today, Petraeus told lawmakers that military objectives in Iraq are largely being met and U.S. troop levels may be able to come back down by next summer.

PHILLIPS: Surge, or pullout, or status quo? It's up to the men and women in uniform to carry it you off. So, what do they think?

CNN's Arwa Damon tried to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A vehicle stopped, left side, single (INAUDIBLE). And debris on the right side of (INAUDIBLE).

STAFF SGT. ANTONIO GONZALEZ, U.S. ARMY: And if you don't come out here, you know, then you really -- you have no clue. You know, they don't understand what it is to drive down the road and kind of wonder if you're going to get blown up.

STAFF SGT. DAVID JULIAN, U.S. ARMY: It's a miserable hell. I mean it's hot and dirty. As you can see, we don't have palaces as some of our national leadership likes to make it out that we have. We don't have them. You know, usually it's 15 guys in a room that shouldn't be sleeping five. Our A.C. is pumped in through vents or windows. Boards on our windows. You know, it's ridiculous.

We eat chow out of green tupperware that has been sitting there a couple hours. You know, it's not -- it's not all fame and glory. It's -- there's a lot of hard times out here.

I think so. I think it's just, you know, you go downtown and you have got 15 kids that are running up to your Humvee and telling you how much they like you and, you know, running right up to you like -- like you're a king. And it makes it worth it to know that you might provide a future for those kids.

GONZALEZ: I just think that they're on a -- they're on kind of a precipice and they can kind of go either way. And we're hoping that what we're doing out here is trying to keep them all on our side rather than have them go into a full-blown chaos.

(INAUDIBLE) to be patient and that we, you know, we all -- we want -- we definitely want a fast -- the situation -- a resolution here. But, you know, it's going to take a lot of time -- a lot more time than we thought and, you know, but it's -- and that's fine. We're committed to it.

STAFF SGT. HARRY THOMAS MORGAN, U.S. ARMY: It's my personal belief that if you're in a leadership position -- from senator to president -- you should have to come over here and live in the facilities on the ground, not necessarily in the Green Zone, where, you know, we have the most luxury.

PFC TYLER NORTON, U.S. ARMY: I think it would be hard for anybody who hasn't done it to really understand it. My mother sent me an e- mail the other day asking me, you know, what is it like?

What's your job like, you know, day in and day out?

And just -- I didn't really -- I started writing back and I didn't really know what to say. And more than anything, there's almost like of daily sense of futility that, you know, no matter how many missions we run or how many people we capture or anything like that, nothing changes.

PFC MICHAEL OFFIDANI, U.S. ARMY: I just went home. I just got back off of leave. My wife gave birth to my little girl, so I was real happy about that. And now I come back here and it's just -- I have 11 more months to go, so it's just going to drag -- drag on.

NORTON: Too much American blood has been shed, I guess, as far as I'm concerned.

JULIAN: I think we came into a country and, you know, we have overthrown a government and we're trying to rebuild a government. And I'm afraid that, you know, enough of their own people are going to take power and they're going to -- they're going to pull us out and basically let the (INAUDIBLE) the world. You know, but a lot -- millions of good people, they just want to live that are stuck in strife and turmoil right now. And it's kind of a shame.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: A lot of charts, a lot of statistics. A top Democrat accuses the White House of manipulating the numbers to improve the Iraq report card. Our Jamie McIntyre is running a fact check.

LEMON: Plus, a dangerous tackle, then four hours of surgery. Doctors say it's too still soon to tell whether the Buffalo Bills' Kevin Everett will ever walk again.

PHILLIPS: Three hundred and fourteen million dollars richer. Meet the newest Powerball winners just named this hour in Indiana.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And let's get straight to the newsroom.

Betty Nguyen working details on a developing story -- Betty. BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Let me just ask you this, Kyra. If you had won the Powerball lottery, would you come to work tomorrow?

PHILLIPS: That's exactly what we were just sitting here talking about -- $314 million. Actually, we were all...

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: And I got to toot everybody's horn. We were all talking about charities that we would give to, and we would travel the world and try and do good things. That's in our heart as journalists, right?

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: Yes.

LEMON: Do a lot of snowboarding.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: So, needless to say, you probably wouldn't be here tomorrow, right?

PHILLIPS: Probably not.

NGUYEN: Yes. I got you. I'm with you there.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: But let me just tell you, a retired autoworker and his two adult children have won that $314 million Powerball jackpot. The Hoosier Lottery announced that today. And they are going to be speaking. We're getting a live look at them right now. And, boy, that is a big check. And we mean that in so many ways.

And just to let you know, yes, they are all quitting their jobs, once they found out that they are the big winners. But take a listen to how long they actually stayed on the job after they found out they had the winning ticket

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I made it two days, and then I quit.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I lasted for three.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually, I called in sick. I just officially quit on Friday, because it was still somewhat hard to believe about -- that it wasn't going to disappear or go away somehow.

He made it three days.

QUESTION: What had you folks been doing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a poster worker for the Dayton Post Office, working the main branch. I have been working nights for 17 years. And I have been trying to get on days for a while. And I just recently got a day bid and started training on that. And then this happened. So, needless to say, I'm not finishing that. So...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Working nights for 17 years. Boy, does she deserve this, and she got it. I don't blame her, although she called in sick.

You know, at that point, though, Kyra, you would think, I'm going to wait until I get the check in my hand before I quit my job, just in case.

But, man, $314 million, that's a lot to go around. And it's in the family. It's going to stay in the family. So, that's good news.

PHILLIPS: That's great. Yes, they are going to have some fun. And it will be fun to track them and see what they do.

NGUYEN: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: ... won't be working nights.

PHILLIPS: Seventeen years working the night shift, right, at the post office. What a blessing.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: All right, Betty, thanks.

NGUYEN: Sure.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Back live to Capitol Hill, General David Petraeus side by side with the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker.

We are following testimony, as they meet before members of Congress.

Our Jamie McIntyre also checking the facts of what's being said.

We will be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Live pictures from Capitol Hill. U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, side by side by the man who is running all operations in Iraq, General David Petraeus.

This week's hearings only set the stage for a formal report from the White House and probably a prime time speech from President Bush.

CNN's Kathleen Koch is telling us about both, as we monitor that testimony right there in the joint hearings -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ...Kyra, I spoke just about two hours into the testimony with White House Press Secretary Tony Snow. And he said right now the White House is not prepared to dissect Petraeus' or Crocker's testimony. Tony saying that basically the administration believes it's important to look at what they're saying with an open mind, for members of Congress to not engage in the type of personal attacks that have been seen over the last couple of days.

That a direct reference to this MoveOn.org ad, where General Petraeus was instead called "General Betray Us". The ad accused him of cooking the books for the White House.

Snow told me these are highly respected servants, the president is grateful for their service, thanks them for coming -- they're willing to come before Congress and give what Snow described as their honest and unfettered views.

Now, Snow said that the president would come forth and make his views public at a certain point. And that point obviously being when the president makes his address to the nation, a prime time address, at some point this week. The White House still not saying exactly what evening that would be. But Snow said the White House is going to telegraph in advance what the president's views are by basically, again, dissecting what these two men are saying.

Now, certainly, you have to say that the facts -- the proposals laid out by both Crocker and Petraeus don't come as a surprise to the White House. The president got a one-on-one briefing from the two men when he was in Iraq just one week ago. He said he was happy then with what he heard.

Now, did he actually watch the testimony today?

We don't know for certain. The first hour of the testimony, he had a couple of public events. The last couple of hours, though, we're not sure. Snow said he was going to check on that and get back to me -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS:

Kathleen Koch live from the White House.

Appropriate it.

KOCH: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Get back to us once he gets back to you.

KOCH: Will do.

PHILLIPS: All right.

LEMON: General Petraeus talks, Congress listens and CNN's Iraq Fact Desk is checking the general's testimony.

Jamie McIntyre, our senior Pentagon correspondent, he is checking the facts for us at the Fact Desk.

He's on Fact Desk duty -- Jamie, any red flags today?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, here's the thing we're looking at this hour -- is General Petraeus bowing to political pressure to bring some U.S. troops home, even though he and his commanders have said all along they basically need the surge to continue until March?

Here's what General Petraeus said at his testimony today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDER, MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level of brigade combat teams by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains that we have fought so hard to achieve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: So it is a modest plan, but it does involve bringing some troops home this year.

Here's what the Petraeus plan calls for. A Marine expeditionary unit will leave Iraq this month. Then there will be a withdrawal of a brigade combat team, without replacement, in mid-December. And then there will be a redeployment without replacement of four other combat brigade teams and the two surge Marine battalions in the first seven months of 2008. And that means they would get to the pre-surge levels by mid-July of next year.

Let's take a look at where those troops are coming from.

First of all, the Marine expeditionary unit, they are based on ships that are in the Persian Gulf. They're the ones who are going to be coming home this month. The other Marine brigades are in Anbar Province, where they've had some success in bringing down the level of violence. But, again, that's because of the agreements with the local sheikhs there. So they'll be coming home.

But the Marines are only on seven month tours. So many of those will be coming home at the end of their seventh months.

The big -- the big redeployment will be the troops around Baghdad, the Army troops. And as we said, one brigade will be coming home in December. The rest of these will sort of come out the way they went in, which is at the rate of a brigade a month over about five months. And that will bring it down to the pre-surge level of 130,000 troops before -- by midsummer.

Now the question is, what about withdrawals beyond that?

Because that's basically what was scheduled, with a few troops being accelerated at the end of the year. And General Petraeus said he's going to need until March to make a recommendation about that -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Jamie McIntyre checking the facts for us.

Thank you, Jamie.

PHILLIPS: Well, a report today that the U.S. will build a new base near Iraq's border with Iran.

The mission?

To help keep Iran's weapons out of the country and out of the hands of Shiite militants. The "Wall Street Journal" says the base is to be located about four miles from the border. The military hopes to have it up and running in November. At least 200 troops will be posted there.

"The Journal" also reports there will be six checkpoints among the major roads between the Iranian border and Baghdad. Soldiers from the Republic of Georgia will man those checkpoints and watch for weapons smugglers.

LEMON: A guilty plea in a sex sting, now a legal bid to undo it. Senator Larry Craig's new move to try to clear his name and keep his job. That's straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: A pain in the neck sends Laura Bush into surgery. An update on the first lady's condition.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The search for famed aviator Steve Fossett is now in its second week. Dozens of planes are in the sky over Nevada searching for any sign of him. Hopes were raised briefly over the weekend. Rescuers thought -- thought they spotted his wreckage not far from the airstrip he took off last Monday. But it turned out it wasn't Fossett's plane. Still, rescuers remain optimistic.

Well, a short time ago, a family spokesman, Tim Evinger, read a statement from Fossett's wife.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

TIM EVINGER, FOSSETT FAMILY SPOKESMAN: The outpouring of help from around the world has been extraordinary. More than anything else, Steve Fossett believes in achieving success through calculated, meticulous planning and organization. And it is in that spirit which permeates on this team. Our hopes are high and I am confident of a successful resolution to this search.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Now you, too, can aid in the search with the help of Amazon.com and Google Earth. It's part of Amazon's program called Mechanical Turk. Just go to www.mturk.com and follow the directions to help look for Steve Fossett.

PHILLIPS: Flags in Provo, Utah are flying at half staff out of respect for 22-year-old Camille Cleverley. Her body was found yesterday at the bottom of a 200-foot cliff in Provo Canyon. No one had seen her since August 30th. Investigators are still trying to figure out if her death was accident or an act of foul play. Camille would have been a senior at Brigham Young University. The school held a memorial service last night.

LEMON: Senator Larry Craig took the first step today to challenge the guilty plea he made last month. In court papers filed in Minneapolis, Craig asserts he wasn't thinking clearly when he admitted to guilt to a charge related to an airport bathroom sting. The Idaho Republican maintains he hoped to dispense with the matter and acted rashly under the weight of a newspaper probe into his sexuality.

His attorney says there wasn't any crime to begin with.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILLY MARTIN, CRAIG'S ATTORNEY: Under Minnesota law, the intelligence is defined by having a crime to which you know you've committed and that conduct constitutes a crime. Here, Senator Craig admits to going into the bathroom. He admits to moving his foot. He admits to reaching his hand down. That's all. That is not a crime. So what we are alleging is that it's not intelligent and knowingly to enter a plea to conduct that does not itself constitute a crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, a poll released today indicates two-thirds of Americans want Craig to follow through on his stated intent to leave office. About one in four said Craig should keep his seat in the Senate.

PHILLIPS: It's official -- Jim Nussle is now head of the Office of Management and Budget. President Bush swore him in today. The Senate confirmed the former Iowa Republican Congressman last week. He'll be in the middle of what could be some tough battles between Congress and the White House, with several spending bills still in limbo. The new budget year begins October 1st.

LEMON: First Lady Laura Bush is recovering today from surgery. She had an operation Saturday to relieve pinched nerves in her neck. The White House says the two-and-a-half hour procedure was a success.

Mrs. Bush had been in pain for some time and had been getting physical therapy for months. But when that didn't work, her doctors recommended surgery.

PHILLIPS: And live once again to Capitol Hill. We're still monitoring that joint hearing of the House Armed Services Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee as they listen to the head in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and, also, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. As you can see here, a number of professor protesters have been able to enter the room, as well. Just moments ago, a few more were shuffled out.

LEMON: Yes, one of those protesters just removed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There will be order.

(VIDEO OF PROTESTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is the sergeant at arms?

(VIDEO OF PROTESTER)

PHILLIPS: That has been happening sporadically throughout the afternoon. We'll continue to follow the testimony. You can also log on to CNN.com. You can watch it live.

Well, back in Britain but still under a cloud of suspicion. Straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM, an update on Kate and Gerry McCann and the case of their missing daughter.

LEMON: And a missing teen's incredible survival story -- trapped for a week in a week in an overturned car.

How he survived, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Oscar winner, TV star and, for a few years, wife of a future president. Actress Jane Wyman died this morning in Palm Springs, California. She was 93 years old. Wyman won an Oscar in 1948 for "Johnny Belinda". You might remember her as Angela Channing on "Falcon Crest" during the 1980s.

Back in the 1940s, she was married to then fellow actor Ronald Reagan.

LEMON: Days after naming Madeleine McCanns' parents suspects in her disappearance, Portuguese police say they're handing the case off to prosecutors. The McCanns and their young twins returned home to England over the weekend, a trip they said was heartbreaking without 4-year-old Maddie.

ITN's Robert Moore filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ROBERT MOORE, ITN CORRESPONDENT: The McCanns are staying out of view, attempting to escape the relentless media pressure and trying to ensure that their twins can return to some kind of routine.

Kate's uncle emerged to appeal for privacy.

BRIAN KENNEDY, MADELEINE'S GREAT-UNCLE: Kate and Gerry are continuing to receive many messages of support and the children are fine. And that's all I'm going to say.

MOORE: Kate and Gerry McCanns' decision to come home yesterday was largely prompted by concern for Sean and Emily. For they have given guarantees to Portuguese investigators they will return to the Algarve whenever required. And family members say the focus must remain on Madeleine, not on Kate and Gerry.

PHILOMENA MCCANN, MADELEINE'S AUNT: They have more trauma here. The investigation is not over. But, more importantly, Madeleine's missing. And we have to strive to look for her. We have to get this investigation back on track. The focus needs to change. It has to go back to searching for Madeleine. We have to find her. She's out there. She's the straw -- can you imagine the parents out there that are saying -- and they're grown-ups. Poor Madeleine, what is she thinking?

Please, God, don't ever let her think that we have abandoned her, because we have not. We are looking for her. We want her home.

MOORE: Immensely difficult days lie ahead for the McCanns, as they wait inside the house for these further developments in Portugal.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LEMON: Well, Madeleine disappeared May 3rd from the family's holiday apartment. Her parents say they are shocked they've been named suspects and that they would never have hurt her.

PHILLIPS: Popping through a McDonald's drive-through for a late night snack, a Georgia cop got more than he ordered and a restaurant worker got hit with a criminal charge.

Kendra Bull was accused of reckless conduct after the officer got sick from his burger. She says she accidentally spilled a bunch of salt on the ground beef that made -- well, that the paddy was made from -- and that her supervisor said it was still OK to use.

The big and salty -- I mean big and tasty burger -- has been sent to the state crime lab for analysis.

LEMON: An amazing story of survival -- a missing teen is finally found -- injured and disoriented, but alive.

Here's CNN's Kathleen Koch.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A deep ravine, just a stone's throw from a major highway -- that's where police found the overturned car where missing 18-year-old Bowie State University student, Julian McCormick, had been trapped for a week.

He was last seen September 1st, on his way to pick up his girlfriend. Finally McCormick managed to free himself, telling family he crawled through a creek bed, under a bridge and up an embankment to a road, where Saturday two women spotted him.

LEIGH ANN HESS, SPOTTED INJURED TEEN: I ran up to him and I said are you OK? What happened?

And he said I got in a car accident. I said hold on. You're going to be OK. We were going to have an ambulance coming. And I ran up and I flagged to my mom, yes, get them to come. Get them. Get them to come.

KOCH: The disoriented teenager asked what day it was.

HESS: He did have a movie ticket in his pocket or something, he gave one of the observers. And they had said this is the last thing he had remembered seeing.

KOCH: The date on the ticket -- September 1st.

Police responded immediately.

LT. ROXANNE BROWN ANKEY, U.S. PARK POLICE: We found a young gentleman suffering from cuts, abrasions and burns, dehydration.

KOCH: McCormick's aunt says he told his family he survived by dipping his shoe into the creek and eating what fish he could catch while he worked to tear the seat belt. Police confirm it was evident from the crash scene McCormick had been trapped in the car for days. The teenager is being treated for non life-threatening injuries.

PEGGY MCCORMICK, JULIAN'S MOTHER: He says, "I love you, mom. I love you, mom. I was so scared."

KOCH: Worried friends had created a Facebook page and were headed to a Saturday vigil for McCormick when they got the news.

EMILY SPRINGER, FRIEND: At first, I kind of thought it was joke. But then, you know, she said he was OK, so I came over here as fast as I could.

MCCORMICK: Julian is well. He is still having medical treatment. We are just so happy.

KOCH: His family says McCormick should be released from the hospital in a few days.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to THE NEWSROOM.

Betty Nguyen working details on a developing story -- Betty, what do you have for us?

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we understand that a reputed drug lord on the FBI's most wanted list has been captured in Colombia. I want to show you some live pictures now. We're expecting him to appear there in that window of the entrance to that plane there. He, again, has been captured. The man we're talking about is Diego Montoya, who sits alongside Osama bin Laden as the only major alleged drug trafficker on the FBI list and is accused of exporting tons of cocaine to the United States.

The FBI had previously offered $5 million for information leading to his arrest. Here's a picture of him right there.

Again, Montoya was caught by the Colombian Army. And authorities have been actually closing in on this cartel since last year, when the Army killed eight members of a private army believed to be protecting Diego Montoya.

But today he has been captured.

Just a little background information. Reports show Colombia is the source of 90 percent of the cocaine entering the United States. So this was a big catch for authorities searching for people response there.

And, again, reputed drug lord Diego Montoya, who is on the FBI's top 10 Most Wanted List, has been captured in Western Colombia. And we'll just continue to watch as developments occur in this case. But it's a big get for the FBI -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Betty Nguyen.

Thanks so much.

LEMON: The closing bell and a wrap of all the action of Wall Street straight ahead for you.

PHILLIPS: Plus, Thanksgiving came early this year thanks to the MTV awards, and it's not just the critics carving into Britney Spears. We're going to talk turkey and serve up some other celebrity dish.

What's up with the outfit?

Next in THE NEWSROOM.

LEMON: What's up with that?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(VIDEO CLIP OF BRITNEY SPEAR'S PERFORMANCE, COURTESY MTV)

LEMON: OK.

Well, Britney bombed -- that seems to be the consensus regarding Britney Spears' performance at the Video Music Awards last night.

Did you see it?

PHILLIPS: No.

LEMON: Her appearance was supposed to kick off a comeback. But her lip synching was off, as well as her dancing. (VIDEO CLIP OF BRITNEY SPEAR'S PERFORMANCE, COURTESY MTV)

LEMON: There you go. That wasn't the only highlight, though -- or the low light of the show. Check this out. Kid Rock and Tommy Lee, came to blows in the audience. Both are ex-husbands of Pamela Anderson, who was a presenter at the show. It's still unclear if the altercation had anything to do with her.

And finally, after getting shut out at the awards show, Kanye West says he'll never return to MTV. The rapper lost in all five categories for which he was nominated and was caught throwing a tantrum backstage, as the show was ending.

PHILLIPS: A lot of drama at the show last night, obviously.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Jeez. And I -- I think the backstage stuff was probably better than the stuff onstage.

PHILLIPS: The closing bell about to ring on Wall Street.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Look at that face.

PHILLIPS: Susan is sitting there, thinking, oh, lord, how am I going to follow that?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No lip synching on Wall Street.

LEMON: No.

Did you see that?

Did you see it, Susan?

LISOVICZ: You know, what I watched?

I watched Kyra's friend, Mike Wallace, interview the great Luciano Pavarotti.

LEMON: Oh, wasn't that a show last night?

PHILLIPS: All right!

LEMON: Oh, wasn't -- that was good. I saw that, too. Yes.

PHILLIPS: See, some of us were watching "60 Minutes".

LISOVICZ: That was -- that was a pretty classy act, I have to say.

LEMON: (INAUDIBLE) previous channel, previous channel, back and forth. PHILLIPS: Did you see him riding on the scooter? Yes, he was on the back of a scooter with Pavarotti.

LEMON: Yes.

PHILLIPS: It was classic. Good old Mike Wallace hanging onto the back of Pavarotti.

LISOVICZ: Yes.

Yes, he couldn't -- he couldn't stand to hold him, you know -- hold the Maestro, you know, by the -- well, never mind.

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: You know, it was tough.

PHILLIPS: That might be better than grabbing Britney Spears around the you know what.

But anyway.

LEMON: Oh, God!

PHILLIPS: Susan?

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: All right. I've got some business news to dispense in the final seconds here.

I just want to tell you, this is a piece of news we weren't able to get to because of the General Petraeus report. And that is that Disney is stepping in. It says that it is going to do random testing of its products. You know, Disney only has one product that was actually affected in all those Mattel recalls, and that was Sarge from the movie -- the Pixar movie, "Toys."

But it actually licenses 65,000 kids' products. It has about 2,000 vendors. It's going to randomly test its products in stores.

Toys"R"Us says it's going to do the same thing. And, in fact, Disney says it's going to have its manufacturers, such as Mattel and Hasbro, sign statements saying that they tested before these ships are exported to the U.S.

You know, the holiday season is just about two months before shopping begins in earnest and this is not kid's play when it comes to kids' toys. So that's good news for parents, consumers, and, hopefully, for the bottom line.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

LEMON: All right, now it's time to turn it over to "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Mr. Wolf Blitzer -- hi, Wolf.

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