Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Governor Bill Richardson Endorses Barack Obama; Passport Breaches: State Department Investigates Snooping; A Mother's Agony

Aired March 21, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Another big get for Barack Obama. A governor, a former presidential delegate, and, best of all, a superdelegate, endorses the Democratic frontrunner.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: What do Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain now have in common? All of them victims of unauthorized snooping at the State Department. Condoleezza Rice herself apologizing for the breaches.

Hi there. I'm Brianna Keilar, in today for Kyra Phillips, at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

It is just after 2:00 here in the East. And a big pickup for Barack Obama, a political blow for Hillary Clinton. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who served in the Bill Clinton White House, well, he is backing Obama for president.

Our Jessica Yellin is covering the story for us, and she joins us now from Indianapolis.

What are you doing there, first?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.

We're here because this is going to be another state that will be voting after Pennsylvania, and Senator Hillary Clinton was here holding events. So, here we are, and, wow, what a big gift to the Obama campaign today. You know, as you say, he's not just a former Bill Clinton administration official, but he's also the nation's only Hispanic governor, and a man with considerable foreign policy credentials who lends all of that to the Obama campaign.

Now, Richardson said in his speech today that he really was moved to do this, in part by Barack Obama's speech on race earlier this week. Richardson speaking about his concerns about especially the treatment of Hispanics and immigrants in this country, and he wants to see a leader who will heal those divisions, he says. And so he found that after that speech, Barack Obama was his man.

Let's listen to some of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: Senator Obama showed us once again what kind of leader he is.

(APPLAUSE)

He spoke to us -- he spoke to us as adults. He spoke to us as adults. He asked us to ponder the raid of our racially divided past, to rise above it, and to seize the opportunity to carry forward of many patriots of all races who struggled and died to bring us together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: He also said that he developed a personal affection for Barack Obama in some of the debates we've seen. He was a bit funny about the debates and how they can drag on, and how he never got called on, and he referred to a time that Barack Obama kind of gave him an assist when he didn't hear a question.

And then they share a lot of similarities. They have lived overseas, and they have a similar different cultural mix in their blood, in their histories. So he feels a certain kinship to Obama he said.

Of course, a blow to the Clinton campaign not so much because this is expected to sway voters' decisions in upcoming states like Indiana, where I am, but more because there's a concern this could persuade other superdelegates to break for Obama now. That's something Senator Clinton has been fighting desperately, waiting, she's saying, to let the voters decide before the superdelegates do.

So, very good news for Barack Obama, and this has to be a morale blow to the Clinton campaign -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Jessica Yellin in Indianapolis, who explained to us why she's there.

Thank you very much for that, Jessica. We look forward to your reports from there.

And we want to remind our viewers that CNN en Espanol's Juan Carlos Lopez is going to talk to us in just a little bit about the nation's only Hispanic governor. What does this mean for the Hispanic community and for both the Clinton and the Obama campaigns?

KEILAR: Who snooped into Hillary Clinton's, Barack Obama's and John McCain's passport files? And why? The State Department is vowing to get to the bottom of what it calls imprudent curiosity.

And our State Department correspondent, Zain Verjee, is joining us live now to tell us exactly what happened here -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, the snooping scandal continues here at the State Department. Just a short while ago, the State Department's spokesman, Sean McCormack, confirmed that Senator John McCain, as well as Senator Hillary Clinton's passport files had been snooped into, as well as Senator Barack Obama's.

What he said was that on Hillary Clinton, her file was snooped into by a trainee that they brought in because of the whole passport backlog. You remember back over the summer when they had that major problem. That trainee did not have any authorization, and that trainee was a State Department employee. On Senator John McCain, this is what Sean McCormack had to say...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: They are going to take a look at these particular unauthorized accesses that we have talked about now in the case of these three presidential candidates. But they're also going to take a look at whether or not there are any systemic issues that need to be addressed.

And in the course of doing that, if they come across any other incidents, of course they are going to report those. And if there's any action that needs to be taken as a result of any information that they may uncover in the course of their investigation, absolutely they're going to act on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: Sean McCormack outlining the details of the investigation. What he said about Senator McCain was that they detected a breach a little earlier this year, and that one of the same contractors that went into Senator Obama's file was the same individual that also went into Senator McCain's files. And that individual is still an employee and still working for the contracting company the State Department here uses.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier in the day spoke to Barack Obama and said, "I'm sorry."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I told him that I was sorry, and I told him that I myself would be very disturbed if I learned that somebody had looked into my passport file. And therefore, I will stay on top of it and get to the bottom of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: We know now that she's also spoken directly to Senator Clinton and Senator McCain, and the "I'm sorrys" just kept on coming today -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And there's some confusion, right, over whether the Justice Department is actually involved here, I think?

VERJEE: Well, from the State Department's point of view, the State Department's spokesman, Sean McCormack, is saying that the Justice Department is going to be working together with the State Department on this. He said this is something quite ordinary, that they do this all the time, and that they want hem involved earlier on, because if there is legal action to be taken down the road, they're aware. He did clarify in the briefing, though, that there was no joint investigation, just that they would "proceed together."

KEILAR: And real quickly, I just want to ask you, Zain, is there any concern from the State Department this could be politically motivated?

VERJEE: Well, that's the question everyone here is asking. And what the State Department is saying is that, for now, they treating it just as imprudent curiosity, but they're saying they're not going to dismiss the fact that it could be politically motivated.

KEILAR: It always makes you wonder if it's the tip of the iceberg. I think a lot of people probably concerned.

VERJEE: Yes.

KEILAR: Zain Verjee for us there at the State Department.

Thanks.

LEMON: Back now to the Bill Richardson nomination -- Bill Richardson endorsement.

Juan Carlos Lopez with CNN en Espanol joins us now from Washington to talk more about Bill Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama.

Thanks for joining us, sir. You were watching and observing. What are your thoughts?

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL: Well, it was surprising. Everyone was expecting -- waiting to see what the governor would do. His friendship with President Bill Clinton, with Senator Hillary Clinton, was very well known, so it was very interesting to see him going to the Obama campaign.

I'd like to hear part of his speech when he was endorsing Senator Obama, because he used some words in Spanish that a lot of people, a lot of Hispanics, will probably find interesting and will resonate with them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARDSON: As a Hispanic American, I was particularly touched by his words. (SPEAKING IN SPANISH).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOPEZ: And he was saying that this is a man that will respect the Hispanic community, that will treat the Hispanic community with that respect, that he says he further goes on to talk about the debate on illegal immigration. And the governor reflects what a lot of Hispanics think, that this debate has focused not only on illegal immigration, but on Hispanic presence in the U.S. So he's going to be an important tool, Don, for the Obama campaign from now on. LEMON: And that's very interesting, because I think what he said in that, and I'm paraphrasing here, is that sort of the demonization of immigration in this country, that other politicians have -- have done that to immigration, and he thinks Barack Obama can change that?

LOPEZ: Yes. That's what he said.

And remember, Barack Obama has said he would support immigration reform, as has -- said Senator Clinton. So that's an important thing for Governor Richardson. But it's the tone of the debate on immigration and the fact that he even said it in his words after he spoke Spanish, he said Hispanics have been singled out, he believes they have been singled out in this debate.

LEMON: OK. Juan Carlos Lopez from CNN en Espanol, joining us from Washington. Thank you, sir.

LOPEZ: You're welcome.

KEILAR: John McCain leading our Political Ticker today. He's been a fierce critic of France, but today's he's soaking in the sights and sounds of Paris.

He's meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy, who's considered much more pro-American than his predecessor, Jacques Chirac. McCain's wrapping up a weeklong congressional junket to the Middle East and to Europe.

LEMON: The Democratic convention won't have to seat a delegation from Florida if it doesn't want to. That's the effect of a federal appeals court dismissal of a lawsuit claiming the national party disenfranchised Florida voters.

Hillary Clinton won Florida's primary, but party leaders say the state broke the rules by holding the vote too early. Today's ruling may be appealed.

KEILAR: Presidential candidates, they aren't the only ones trying to raise money these days. Denver, host of this year's Democratic convention, is trying to raise $40 million to help pay the bills. The fundraising committee was supposed to have $28 million in the bank this week, but the "L.A. Times" says it's $5 million short. Denver's mayor says the lengthy battle for the Democratic nomination could be distracting potential convention donors.

LEMON: Almost 4,000 American war dead. That's almost 4,000 shattered families. We'll meet a mother who lost her son, and so much more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Knoxville, Illinois, is far from the war-scarred deserts of the Middle East, but an Army mother will always have a connection with the conflict in Iraq, one that broke her heart forever.

CNN's Cal Perry reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was May the 4th of 2006 when we met Caleb Lufkin here in Baghdad's busiest combat hospital. He was scared and near death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't you dare try to die on me, OK? I didn't give you permission.

CALEB LUFKIN, U.S. ARMY: Don't let me die.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won't let you die. I promise. I promise. I give you my word, OK?

PERRY: It was a roadside bomb that shattered his body, and Caleb, like thousands of other wounded veterans, flew to Walter Reed Hospital for follow-on surgeries. Two years later, we wanted to hear for ourselves what had happened to Caleb after he left that hospital, so we came here to his hometown of Knoxville, Illinois, and visited with his mother.

Marcy Grosline immediately cast her mind back 20 years when her eldest son was just a kid.

MARCY GROSLINE, LOST SON IN IRAQ: The little hand, and you'd take him to the first day of kindergarten. And he had the little backpack on, you know. And you get them to the door, well, you don't want to let go of their hand.

PERRY: He grew up fast and seemed destined for a life in public service. He wanted to become a firefighter here in his hometown. But soon after he left high school...

GROSLINE: He called me up one day and he said, "Mom" -- he said, "I need my Social Security card." "Why?" And he says, "Well, mom, I'm going to join the Army."

PERRY: And he did, graduating from basic training.

GROSLINE: He was suddenly a man. I mean, he went from being I guess my little boy. He was a man.

PERRY: Marcy was against the war in Iraq, but she still had to let her boy go. And so he joined the 5th Engineering Battalion of the U.S. Army and was soon packing for his first deployment overseas.

GROSLINE: He had his backpack on and his fatigues, and we're all crying. And he looked over his shoulder before he got on the plane, "I'll be all right, mom."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breathe deep for me, Caleb. Are you having trouble breathing over there?

LUFKIN: A little bit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Big breath. PERRY: Marcy flew immediately to his side, meeting him at Walter Reed Hospital and preparing for what was to be his final surgery before going home.

GROSLINE: He said, "Now, you're going to fly home with me, right?" And I said, "You're darn right I am. We're flying home."

And so he went into surgery, and right before he went in, I tussled his hair and I kissed him on the forehead and I said, "I love you, buddy." And he said, "I love you, too, mom."

PERRY: And then in an instant, Marcy faced every mother's worst nightmare. Caleb's heart had stopped, and he died on the operating table.

GROSLINE: We had to get on the plane without him. I felt like I let him down.

Someone said, "What does the war mean to you? What was done?" It took away dreams. It took away dreams. To the world he's number 95 for Illinois. To us he was the world.

PERRY (on camera): And that's why you decided here?

GROSLINE: He's where he's supposed to be.

PERRY: Under the flag.

GROSLINE: Under the flag.

PERRY (voice-over): Every day she comes to Knoxville Cemetery and tends to the grave of her eldest son. Her world is still turned upside down.

GROSLINE: A mom shouldn't have to bury her child. So now the flag's protecting him instead of him protecting the flag.

PERRY: But what's important to Marcy...

GROSLINE: I just don't want anybody to forget him. And I don't want anybody to forget the other 4,000.

PERRY: Cal Perry, CNN, Knoxville.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And as we mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, we also remember some of the fallen heroes.

Tomorrow, friends and family of Army Specialist Donald A. Wesley Burkett (ph) will gather for his funeral. The 24-year-old from Texas was killed when his vehicle was killed by an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

Sergeant Lerando Brown of Poplarville, Mississippi, got married a month before he deployed to Iraq. His wife Candice (ph) says his death was -- has left a hole in her heart. Brown died of a gunshot wound in Balad, Iraq, last week.

Twenty-four-year-old Staff Sergeant Christopher Frost was killed when his helicopter crashed during a sandstorm in Iraq. The Waukesha, Wisconsin, native had a 5-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.

These are just three of the 3,992 men and women in the U.S. armed forces who have been killed while serving in Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

KEILAR: And right now we want to take you to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. We find CNN's Poppy Harlow there with cnnmoney.com.

And Poppy, isn't it great -- or it must be great to be in her home state, as she is.

Let's take a look at a story that she filed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Iowa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are from Wisconsin.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From across the country...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from South Dakota.

HARLOW: ... and around the globe, 40 million visitors spend more than $400 million a year at the Mall of America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pull up and, yeah, it's crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're spending more than I would normally spend.

HARLOW: As gas prices rise and job concerns grow, here at Mall of America retailers see little evidence of an economic slowdown.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We actually noticed an increase in traffic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel very fortunate that we are squeaking ahead of last year's numbers.

HARLOW: Nationwide, February retail sales took a deeper plunge than expected according to the Commerce Department. One reason Mall of America is steady, shoppers visiting from other countries.

MAUREEN BAUSCH, MALL OF AMERICA VICE PRESIDENT: When the dollar started to drop, we started to market overseas. And if you have a destination, you can do that.

HARLOW: Tourists bank on the weak dollar to buy luxury goods. And at Mall of America, there's no sales tax on clothing.

BAUSCH: You can absolutely save money by shopping in America right now. Even after your plane ticket and hotel.

HARLOW: Another reason Mall of America is coasting along? Retail sales aren't its only attraction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rides, ice cream.

HARLOW: A new theme park and restaurants are packed into the 4.2 million square foot mammoth.

STAN JACKSON, PARK OPERATIONS: We've got Ferris wheels, we've got roller-coasters, we've got water rides.

HARLOW: But there are some signs of weakness. Sales are down slightly at the food court, and some store owners are seeing a trend towards bargain shopping.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've also probably sold a little bit more in our lower end.

HARLOW: And while Maryann London (ph) is selling plenty of prom dresses, she senses potential trouble in the months ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm ahead of last year's numbers, but I'm still nervous the season isn't over.

HARLOW: Store owners hope once millions of Americans get their tax rebate checks, the spring season will be in the bag.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Now, this may be something a little different than you've been hearing amid all this talk of a potential recession, but today mall representatives tell us on this Good Friday, there's upwards of 130,000 people shopping, going to restaurants, going on the rides you see here behind me. But keep in mind, about half the money that comes into the Mall of America every year is tourist dollars.

A lot of people coming from overseas that are cashing in on that weak U.S. dollar, and two-thirds of our GDP here in America is based on consumer spending. So, if this economic slowdown does persist, the Mall of America, Brianna, may not be immune as it appears right now.

KEILAR: And Poppy, you're really in tune with what people in that area especially are seeing. I know you're in your home state. It must be nice to be home. But I'm wondering, what are families there at the mall saying about the economy?

HARLOW: You know, I just talked to one family who was standing in line right over here waiting to take their kids on the Ferris wheel, and the mom said to me, "You know what? We were going to go to Florida. It's spring break, but we couldn't do it, we couldn't afford it. So we packed up, we brought the kids here, we used our coupons to get into the park. But it is spring break, we have to give them a little bit of fun."

But again, you see families pulling back. That mother mentioned the high gas prices and the high cost of food for her family as one reason on why they're sort of trying to rein things in. So you still are seeing people all around America and at this mall talking about the same issues -- Brianna.

KEILAR: All right. And a little birdie, Poppy, told me that you're kind of scared of the roller-coaster, so I'm going to say, maybe between now and your next live shot, you can either go on the Ferris wheel or go shopping, and we'll check in with you a little later, maybe.

HARLOW: Sounds good. I'll do my best to overcome that here -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: Sure.

KEILAR: And now we want to take you back to Portland, Oregon. Barack Obama is holding a media availability. He's taking questions here from the media.

Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm assuming that whatever information anybody obtained is already information that is available in other ways. But because we have to set, I think, some clear principles for people having confidence that when they give information to their government, that it's not going to be misused. Yes?

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

OBAMA: Well, I think there are a number of things that not only we can do but should so. And this is something that I've cared about for quite some time. I was the chief co-sponsor, one of the chief architects of the Human Rights Ordinance in Illinois that ensured no discrimination when it comes to housing and employment, and we are now trying to pass a similar bill at the Federal level.

It's something that I strongly support and it's something that I would push for as president. I think that we should have a strong civil union, that is recognized by the Federal government.

Right now, even those states that have civil unions are having difficulty -- even if you enter into a civil union, you're still not getting the Federal recognition in terms of benefits, rights, and responsibilities of that union. I think it should be recognized at the Federal level. I think that we should end Don't Ask, Don't Tell. So, there are a whole host of areas where the president can help lead in creating a more just and equal society.

QUESTION: Governor Richardson, could you tell us a little bit -- talk more about the timing of the endorsement and why now, and why did you not come out before -- (INAUDIBLE).

RICHARDSON: Well, I decided to endorse Senator Obama a week ago, and I was torn legitimately between two very strong, good candidates. I've had long ties with the Clintons. I've admired Senator Clinton. I served under President Clinton. But I think Senator Obama -- I decided on this endorsement because I think he's something special that the country needs right now, somebody that can bring the country together. Something very good about this man.

And it was just reinforced to do the endorsement by his speech on race, where he could have just said, I'm going to give a safe speech in response to what his pastor had said. But instead, he faced the issue head-on and talked about unity and talked about the need to eliminate stereotypes. It just reinforced my decision.

You know, I was in the race myself, and I've seen this man up close. I've seen his humanity. I've seen his intellect. He can serve as commander in chief. He's got great judgment. That's what you need in foreign policy. You need great judgment.

KEILAR: And there you have it, that is New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who just a short time ago, endorsed Barack Obama. Richardson very close to the Clintons, so, this certainly could be considered a bit of an upset, although the Clinton campaign is kind of brushing this off.

But Richardson saying that Barack Obama is someone who can turn the place that the U.S. has in the world, can sort of turn that around, and overall, saying that he very much believes in Barack Obama.

This is happening here in Portland, Oregon, and there's been a lot of coverage of Barack Obama today. Hillary Clinton actually taking the day off. John McCain in France. And we'll continue to listen in and bring you any comments, if there are -- if there's anything of import.

Meanwhile, let's talk weather. Floodwaters and more rolling down river. The losses stacking up here as the water keeps going up.

LEMON: The work of war is hard. And for many troops, it doesn't end, even after they come home. Who's caring for their minds and their souls?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, let's talk about the weather misery. They are sandbagging in parts of the Midwest and shoveling snow in others. What is going on?

Chad Myers, Chicago's spring storm, widespread, so I'm looking at what's happening over your head.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

LEMON: Flood warnings.

MYERS: Anything you want up there. I can put your name in lights, if you want, Don.

LEMON: No, not there. I'd rather not. Widespread floods, it says.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KEILAR: From the ashes of war emerges a proud and beautiful Iraqi culture, the catwalks of Baghdad? Yes, fashionable Baghdad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Five years of fighting in Iraq, that's five years of close combat and bombings, a lifetime of blood and death and fear. And there's no way the Iraq War veterans can just drop that experience when they leave the war zone. Look at these statistics.

Walter Reed hospital research found nearly every U.S. troop deployed to Iraq saw dead bodies, was shot at or otherwise attacked or knew someone who'd been wounded or killed. So, let's get some conversation going about this.

Joining us here, Dr. Judith Broder who founded a military counseling service called the Soldiers Project and Edgar Cuevas, an Iraq veteran who carries some of that baggage to this day.

Now let's start with you, Dr. Broder. You founded this project, you're a psychiatrist. Obviously soldiers -- they live all over, they kind of spread out when they get home and maybe -- there seems to be a problem.

They don't have access to affordable mental healthcare. Tell us about your program and how that addresses this problem.

DR. JUDITH BRODER, FOUNDER, THE SOLDIERS PROJECT: Our program, the Soldiers Project, is primarily in southern California. And the way we address it is that it's very, very easy to access care with us. The care is completely free with unlimited number of sessions.

And all that's required is a phone call into the Soldiers Project and I find a therapist for the soldier, or the family. And they usually can get an appointment within a week at the maximum.

KEILAR: So, it's mainly in L.A., but it's for soldiers and for their families. If you live somewhere else, is there a way for you to get help through the project?

BRODER: We have people in the state of Washington and Chicago and the New York area -- New York City area, and because I have been up and running this for almost four years, I have connections with people throughout the country. So, we work very hard to make a connection with people when they call wherever they're living.

KEILAR: Let's talk now to Edgar Cuevas. You're an Iraq vet; you've also been to Kosovo and Bosnia. And you say that in Iraq you saw a lot misery. You saw two soldiers who died because of an IED. You saw an Iraqi family sitting in the back of a car actually shot at by one of your fellow soldiers. And when you came back to the states, you carried that with you obviously.

Tell us about the effects of this on you.

EDGAR CUEVAS, IRAQ WAR VETERAN: What occurs after you -- I came back was that I had all this baggage that I brought with me from Iraq. I started to explode on my family, my close friends, relatives. It was very hard for me to be able to deal with all these things that I've done, such as conducting raids, doing patrols and things like that.

So -- for me to be able to get help is -- is really important. And especially since it's kind of difficult for me to be going to the V.A, waiting on the long lines, you know, and sitting there, waiting to get help, and they evaluating me, seeing if I qualify for that help. It becomes very tedious.

And then also, if I decide to try to go through the civilian sector, you know, and get some private help, it would cost me an arm and a leg for me to be able to get this. And I see the Soldiers Project as a very important project for soldiers who can't afford it and also don't want to go through all of that -- all the bureaucracy from the V.A.

KEILAR: Is this something you think can help your family as well? Have they sort of suffered the effects of you being at war?

CUEVAS: Most definitely. Most definitely. Because -- because of me coming back with all these -- all this baggage, they also carry that baggage, too, because I live with them, you know, I'm their son and what effects me effects them, too.

KEILAR: And what about your friends, your fellow soldiers, who have come back from war? Have they -- obviously, they probably have, dealt with some of the same problems as you? Have they faced the same sort of problems in finding help?

CUEVAS: It varies from person to person. But we all have those -- that quick temper, you know, getting angry real quickly and then also others have that emotional baggage that they carry and we all go through the same -- through the same things. Some may be a little more extreme than others. But we all have the same -- same problems.

KEILAR: And, Dr. Broder, how -- tell us how, if there are maybe soldiers out there watching, or there are the families, military families out there, and they're looking for help, maybe they're having a hard time getting some help.

How can they get help? How can they contact your organization? BRODER: They can go to our Web site, which is www.thesoldiersproject.org, or they can call at 818-761-7438 and leave a message and then I actually will respond within a few hours and get the information and find them a therapist.

KEILAR: And it's such a -- this is such a noble thing you're doing, Dr. Broder. We really appreciate you for coming on and talking to us about it.

And, Edgar, thanks so much also for joining us, because this is something that so many military families and people who are coming back from Iraq are dealing with, and it's really important that people like you put a face on the problem and talk to people about how they can get help.

Thanks to both of you for being with us.

CUEVAS: You're welcome. Thank you for having us.

BRODER: Thank you so much for having us.

LEMON: From the ashes of war, emerges a proud and beautiful Iraqi culture. The catwalks of Baghdad, yes, fashionable Baghdad.

KEILAR: Well, here is something that you don't see every day, some houses have two-car garages. Well, this car -- this house, rather, it's got a one-car bathroom. That's not really supposed to happen. But we're going to tell you how it did, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: War, death and hatred dominate the news from Iraq, but you can find glimmers of art and beauty. And, of course, Kyra Phillips finds art and beauty in Baghdad.

Kyra, what did you find?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you know, these models they say, hey, there's Milano, there's Paris, there's New York. But what about Iraq? I was surprised to find actually what I -- what I discovered in these models.

I asked them about the fashion industry in the United States and the fact that models are so wrapped up with body image and worrying about the clothes and how sometimes they can be so revealing but they said something that was very humbling; and that is, Kyra, it's not about the beauty of the woman here, it's the beauty of the dress.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Iraq's Osman period. The Abassa (ph) era. And modern-day Baghdad.

This is no ordinary fashion show; it's a catwalk of culture.

"Our fashion shows represent the old glamour, with folklore and history. Our beauty shows in the details of the dresses. You can see the art, the culture, the history, and the calligraphy. Iraqi history is represented through our dresses. They're unique and amazing."

But this Baghdad beauty comes with a tremendous risk. For models like 24-year-old Huda Faieq, every stroke of makeup, every dress she dons, death threats are part of this wardrobe.

"We get so many letters threatening us saying, this is your last day. There are many Islamists here and Islamic groups who want to destroy us. They look at our success as a failure to them."

Ironically, that wasn't the case under Saddam Hussein. He loved beautiful things, and under him, what passed for Iraqi couture flourished. Now, the Iraqi fashion scene is struggling to return.

May Joseph is director of Iraq's House of Fashion.

(on-camera): You were an electrical engineer. Why did you want to become a fashion director?

MAY JOSEPH, DIRECTOR, IRAQ'S HOUSE OF FASHION: Because I'm a lady.

(voice-over): And a strong lady at that.

This is Iraq's only fashion house. It was bombed, burned, and looted during the war. Now, thanks to May and her staff, it's back.

(on-camera): So you just open up the history books, and pick a story?

JOSEPH: Pick a story.

PHILLIPS: Pick some history and design a show.

JOSEPH: And design a show.

PHILLIPS: Why do it that way?

JOSEPH: This is the easiest way to transfer our civilization to the world.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Not only showcasing the art of Iraqi dress, but artifacts.

JOSEPH: It is made of special type of stone, which is expensive, the stone, in this color.

PHILLIPS (on-camera): And was the Babylonian times?

JOSEPH: No, this is Sumerian.

PHILLIPS: Sumerian.

JOSEPH: Going to Visacor (ph).

PHILLIPS: Wow.

(voice-over): These designers, artists, embroiderers and dressmakers are conserving ancient Iraqi culture.

JOSEPH: This is the symbols of the evil eyes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) in the South of Iraq or in Kuwait or (INAUDIBLE)

PHILLIPS (on-camera): South Iraq here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

JOSEPH: Yes. But this is the evil eye dress.

PHILLIPS: So if you wear this dress, you ward off all evil.

JOSEPH: We hope so.

PHILLIPS: So tell me how it feels to watch your models.

JOSEPH: This is a feeling of -- let them live again.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Iraqi models like Huda Faieq.

"It's the inspiration inside of me. When I don't see these dresses on the runway, I feel as if a part of me is missing. This runway completes my personality. I find myself on this stage."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And, Don, this is a hashimi (ph) gown. And I have -- give us a little bit of a visual here. It's all handmade, all hand embroidered. These beads are hand painted. All the materials come from Iraq.

And -- take a look at these sleeves and just the intricacy and the way they weave it and sew, and all the various colors.

Now I know this is one of your best colors, Don, but I think it would look a lot better on Brianna. What do you think?

LEMON: I think so. Is that like, translucent -- is it sort of see-through under the arms? Like right by your arm?

PHILLIPS: Yes, you must always wear something underneath this. They won't sell these, Don. I asked if I could buy something, if I could support the fashion house. But they believe that each piece is specially made -- just like a piece of art and so they want to keep them to preserve the history and not let anybody own them.

LEMON: Oh is that -- can -- who is your photographer? Can he pull out so we can sort of get the full effective of this?

PHILLIPS: Sarmwa (ph), Don is now directing from Baghdad.

You guys want head to toe? I should have worn the proper shoes, but here you go.

LEMON: Well, you get the full effect ...

KEILAR: It's pretty.

LEMON: ...it's actually very beautiful. You can't see it. Yes, there you go.

PHILLIPS: Isn't that neat?

LEMON: Yes, there ...

KEILAR: There you go.

LEMON: It's very nice.

KEILAR: OK. It looks very nice.

LEMON: You do have to wear something under it, because that might cause problems. Yes, where ...

PHILLIPS: And you saw from the models too, they had these beautiful silk dresses -- the women obviously are gorgeous. But the clothes are just incredible and the fact that every dress tells a story, whether it's from Sumerian times, the Babylonian times. I learned a lot about history, too.

LEMON: All right. Well, we have lots more questions but we're up against a break here and you know how it is here.

Thank you.

KEILAR: You look beautiful, Kyra. Thanks very much.

PHILLIPS: I'll try to bring it back for you, Brianna.

KEILAR: Wonderful.

Well, here's something that you don't see every day. Some houses, they have two-car garages. Well, this house -- it's got a one-car bathroom. Not planned, obviously. We're going to tell you what happened, coming up.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxantshop.com