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General David Petraeus Nominated as CENTCOM Commander

Aired April 23, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again, everyone. You're informed with CNN.
I'm Tony Harris.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in today for Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: Developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM on Wednesday, the 23rd day of April.

Here's what's on the rundown.

WHITFIELD: Breaking news this hour. A new job for General David Petraeus. A report says he'll take charge of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

HARRIS: Hillary Clinton fights another day. She handily wins Pennsylvania and looks ahead to Indiana.

WHITFIELD: It was inevitable. Some of you are already paying $4 a gallon.

Gas records keep falling -- in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And breaking news this hour on the U.S. military front. The Associated Press is reporting that General David Petraeus, the man heading up the U.S. military operation in Iraq, is getting a new job.

Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre joins us now with details on where the four-star general is going.

Jamie, good morning.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is scheduled to make that announcement at this hour. The Pentagon briefing room is filled with reporters waiting for the official announcement.

But General David Petraeus has been seen as the logical pick to take over the U.S. Central Command, which has responsibility not just for Iraq and Afghanistan, but the entire Middle East, Persian Gulf region.

It's a promotion for General Petraeus, although he'll be moving from one four-star command to another. But it also increases dramatically the set of problems that he's going to have to deal with, not just, of course, with Iraq, but also the problems with the mission in Afghanistan, which has seen some negative trends lately, and the problem of getting NATO forces to contribute there.

Up until now he has been focused entirely on Iraq. This promotion, though, will allow General Petraeus to move from Iraq, where he has been way from his family now for several years, to the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, and take oversight of the wars from a base in the United States.

It also means that he will be the U.S. central commander when the next president takes office. And of course, these combatant commanders serve at the pleasure of the commander in chief. So he could be replaced by a future president, but given his performance in Iraq, I would say that is probably unlikely.

The challenge for General Petraeus now is to take some of the lessons that he has learned and applied in Iraq and applied them to the problems that he's going to be facing in a much wider region.

HARRIS: Yes.

MCINTYRE: And it appears that his former deputy, General Raymond Odierno, who has just been brought back to the Pentagon for an assignment, will be going back over to Iraq to take over as that four- star commander on the ground in Iraq, the job that General Petraeus has now.

Again, we are waiting for Defense Secretary Gates to come out and make the official announcement this morning.

HARRIS: And as we wait, Jamie, just a quick question. Many of us who watch this appointment of General David Petraeus really were of the mind that David Petraeus was the man who was going to see things through their natural conclusion in Iraq, that he was the man that was going to finish the job.

I'm just curious, when you are a CENTCOM commander, how removed you are you from the actual day-to-day decision-making of what goes on in Iraq?

MCINTYRE: Well, it's an interesting dynamic there. First of all, General Petraeus will have to be confirmed by the Senate for this position. He is essentially nominated for it by the president. But assuming that that confirmation takes place, he would take over probably sometime next year.

The plan has always been for him to stay sort of through the end of this year and see things over -- see things over, although he could move much sooner than that because there is a vacancy at CENTCOM created by the -- by really the firing of Admiral Fallon recently. So it will be an interesting dynamic, because while he has been the top commander on the ground, he has been pretty autonomous...

HARRIS: Yes.

MCINTYRE: ... not really having to answer too much to his nominal boss, the CENTCOM commander, Admiral Fallon. It will be interesting to see if he grants that same sort of autonomy to General Odierno, or whether he will be taking a much more hands-on approach, whether Odierno would have to be reporting much more directly to General Petraeus.

I suspect because he knows what it's like to be that commander on the ground in Iraq and to need that autonomy to work, that he's going to try to give General Odierno a free hand. But it's always -- you know, everybody has a boss in this chain of command.

Technically, General Odierno will report to General Petraeus, who reports to Bob Gates, who reports to President Bush. Everything is along the chain of command.

HARRIS: Yes, it's pretty fascinating.

MCINTYRE: So it will be an interesting dynamic to see how much latitude he wants to grant his ground commander when he is back in the United States looking at things from 6,000 miles away.

HARRIS: That's right.

All right. Jamie McIntyre for us.

And Jamie, we will continue to wait for that news conference to begin. And we will, of course, bring it to everyone live right here in the NEWSROOM.

Thanks, Jamie.

WHITFIELD: Hillary Clinton's campaign stays alive and the Democrats' long battle for the White House heads on down the road.

Well, we'll get back to that in moment. Let's now take you to the Pentagon and hear from Secretary Gates on his promotion.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT M. GATES: ... step down as commander of Central Command on March 11th created a vacancy at one of our most important combatant commands, one engaged in two wars and on many fronts, in perhaps the most sensitive part of the world.

The difficulty of filling this position is magnified by the number of changes that follow in other positions, as is usually the case, all of which is simply to explain why this process has taken nearly six weeks.

With the concurrence of the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, I have recommended, and the president has approved and will nominate General David Petraeus as the new commander of Central Command.

We will withdraw the nomination of Lieutenant General Ray Odierno to be the Army vice chief of staff and nominate him to return to Baghdad as the new Multi-National Force-Iraq commander, replacing General Petraeus. The president will nominate Lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli as vice chief of staff of the Army.

I do not anticipate General Petraeus leaving Iraq until late summer or early fall.

With respect to all these moves, I am especially grateful to Ray Odierno, his wife, Linda, and their family, for his acceptance of another tour in Iraq, this time as overall commander.

General Odierno has only been back from Iraq a little over two months. And it is, I think, his extraordinary sense of duty that has led him to accept this tough assignment. I am personally grateful to him and to his family for their remarkable service to our country.

We expect to move the paperwork on these nominations to the White House and to the Senate very quickly. Because of the complexity of this series of moves, I respectfully ask the Senate to move on them expeditiously, hopefully by Memorial Day, so the families and we can plan appropriately.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, one quick thing: Have you spoken to any of the key leaders in the Senate to determine at least their initial support, or not, for these nominations? Do you anticipate any problems?

And then, do you anticipate any issues with Iraq, in terms of interrupting the tenure of General Petraeus, and whether that might present a problem in losing momentum, as far as what he has been doing there?

GATES: Well, first of all, I have talked with Senator Levin, Senator McCain and Senator Warner. I think they all have high respect for General Petraeus. He has clearly been successful in his current assignment. And so I don't really anticipate any problems.

With respect to a possible interruption of momentum, one of the reasons for General Petraeus staying on for a while is to ensure that there is plenty of time to prepare and for a good hand- off.

By the same token, the fact that General Odierno has just returned means that he is well-known to our brigade commanders, he's known to our troops, he's known to the Iraqis and has very current experience. Clearly was General Petraeus's right-hand man during this last year.

So, I believe that this arrangement probably preserves the likelihood of continued momentum and progress.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, can you just explain the reasons for nominating General Petraeus in particular for this job, rather than bringing in someone who already had combatant command experience in another region?

GATES: I think that that is an easy one to answer. I recommended him to the president because I am absolutely confident he is the best man for the job.

The kinds of conflicts that we're dealing with not just in Iraq but in Afghanistan and some of the challenges that we face elsewhere in the region in the Central Command area are very much characterized by asymmetric warfare. And I don't know anybody in the United States military better qualified to lead that effort.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, doesn't this -- beside momentum, though, doesn't it raise questions about continuity at a very critical time?

General Petraeus just recently told Congress that at the end of the surge operation, when the fifth surge combat brigade is withdrawn, there'd be a 45-day period to assessing and -- of the situation on the ground and then decide whether more troops could be withdrawn. At that critical time, doesn't that present a break in that kind of continuity?

GATES: Well, I would expect that General Petraeus would carry out that first -- carry out not only the evaluation, but that first decision in terms of are we able to draw down another brigade combat team or not, depending on the conditions on the ground.

At that point, that ongoing evaluation that I expect to happen, sort of, on a weekly, if not daily, basis will pass to General Odierno.

QUESTION: But with the new general in charge, though, would that -- is there a possibility that would change, that 45-day waiting period?

GATES: No, I don't think so.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GATES: Remember, I was talking about late summer or early fall. So I think it'll work out.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary?

GATES: Yes?

QUESTION: Is there a shortage of talent in the Army when it comes to counterinsurgency warfare? You seem to be using Petraeus almost as a finger in the dike. And then you're sending Odierno back.

GATES: There is no question that there are a handful of generals, like a lot of our captains and enlisted soldiers and the NCOs who have had repeated tours in Iraq. Partly it is their experience; partly it is the fact that they know Iraq.

And so, I think that it's -- look, I would have -- Admiral Fallon's decision to step down was unexpected. I had intended that Admiral Fallon probably stay on for a third year. His second year would have ended in February. And when I reviewed all of these assignments through next January with the president and with Chairman Levin a few weeks ago -- two or three -- two and a half or three months ago, I laid out where I thought the combatant commanders would be. And Admiral Fallon was one of those that I had intended to continue on for a third year.

So I'm faced with a critical combatant command where a commander is needed and a commander who knows what's going on in the region. I think that -- as I just indicated, I think General Petraeus is the best qualified.

QUESTION: Under your old plan, would the choice of the commanders for these key positions been left to the new administration?

GATES: Well, I mean, every one of these commanders serves at the president's sufferance. And so, all of these people would have been subject to review by a new secretary of defense and a new president in terms of whether they continue on for their third year, whatever.

I was just trying to provide some continuity for a new administration. But they always have the opportunity to make a change.

QUESTION: And just to get to the second part of David's question about General Odierno going to Iraq, is it really -- are the possible candidates really that short of a list, a guy that just returned is going to go back?

And, secondly, a lot of people looking at this might see this as, kind of, a -- for the foreseeable future -- a stay-the-course approach. I mean, basically you've got the same two guys that, you know, were so instrumental in implementing the surge and the current strategy will now effectively, for the foreseeable future, be playing the central roles yet again.

GATES: What was the first part of your question?

QUESTION: About General Odierno as really...

GATES: Oh, the reasons are as I described.

I believe in most parts of the world, especially in the Middle East, personal relationships make a big difference. And General Odierno is known recently to the Iraqi leadership, he's known to the Iraqi generals, he is known to our own people, he has current experience, and so the likelihood of him being able to pick up for this baton passing to be smooth is better -- the odds of that are better with him than with anybody else I could identify.

QUESTION: And the stay-the-course question?

GATES: You know, I think that -- first of all, I think that the course certainly that General Petraeus has set has been a successful course.

So, frankly, I think staying that course is not a bad idea. I would say it's a good idea.

And I think that apropos of a comment about passing the baton, I think sustaining the success and building on it is important.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, both General Odierno and Petraeus have been very hardline on Iranian involvement in Iraq, in the last five or six months; General Petraeus, earlier this month.

There's a public perception that Admiral Fallon was less hardline on Iran; again, public perception. I don't know if it's true or not.

But should the public and the world at large see this as a signal that the U.S. is beefing up, not only for Iraq but also as a signal to Iran that the United States means business about them staying out of Iraqi affairs?

GATES: Well, all these people can speak for themselves.

But I would tell you, it's my belief that General Odierno and General Petraeus and Admiral Fallon were all in exactly the same position when it came to their views of Iranian interference inside Iraq.

And it is a hard position. Because what the Iranians are doing is killing American service men and women inside Iraq. And so I don't think there is any difference of view among them on that issue whatsoever.

QUESTION: General Petraeus has in the past alluded -- in the testimony on the Hill, most recently -- to Afghanistan, but said that it wasn't, as yet, his purview.

When his nomination confirmed, it seems likely it will be his purview. Do you have sense of what these changes might mean for Afghanistan, when you have a general still closely linked to large- scale counterinsurgency in Iraq now having oversight for Afghanistan at a time when U.S. troop levels there are rising?

GATES: Well, I think that it puts -- you know, Afghanistan was high on Admiral Fallon's list. It's an important theater of action right now. I assume it will be very high on General Petraeus' list as well. He will have responsibilities there, as will EUCOM continue to have responsibilities there.

So I think it will continue to receive high-level attention.

QUESTION: But, Dr. Gates, you hope that General Petraeus will, sort of, apply his lessons learned from Iraq into Afghanistan. Do you hope that he will overhaul -- help lead to overhaul the Afghanistan strategy? GATES: Well, first of all, you have to understand that the part of Afghanistan for which CENTCOM commander has responsibility is OEF, which is basically the U.S. forces operating in R.C.-East.

GATES: R.C.-East already has been a successful exemplar of a successful counterinsurgency. And so the key would be also to continue to build on success.

The question is, how do we do a better job with our allies in R.C.-South? But that's not in OEF's area of responsibility.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, this week key members of Congress are being briefed on what U.S. intelligence knows about North Korea's providing of nuclear technical expertise to Syria. When, if ever, will it be appropriate for the American public to be told about what the U.S. believes was going on there?

GATES: Soon.

QUESTION: And can you say anything about...

GATES: I think "soon" will do the job.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, do you anticipate any change in the command structure in Afghanistan to give the CENTCOM commander more authority? Or do you anticipate that the current structure, with NATO covering most of the country, will continue, especially in view of the president's commitment to send more U.S. troops?

GATES: Well, the command structure, I think, is a sensitive matter in terms of the eyes of our allies. And so if there were to be any discussion of changes in the command structure it would require some pretty intensive consultations with our allies and discussion about what makes sense going forward.

There have been no such consultations so far.

QUESTION: Do you think they'd be warranted?

GATES: We're always looking at how -- whether there are ways to make what we do more effective. And there's been a lot of -- as I'm sure you all are aware, there's been a lot of discussion in this building about whether we have the best possible command arrangements in Afghanistan. I've made no decisions, I've made no recommendations to the president. We're still discussing it.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, your remarks at a university down in Alabama earlier this week were interpreted as a dig at the Air Force. Do you agree with that assessment? And, if so, what were some of the challenges that you were trying to convey that were misinterpreted? GATES: Well, I think if you read the text of the speech, you'll see that it's not a dig at the Air Force at all.

GATES: In fact, a significant part of the speech was full of praise of what the Air Force has done in the Middle East, in Iraq, in Afghanistan and the whole theater, and a lot of explicit comment about the fact that their operations -- their C-17 operations take the equivalent of 5,000 trucks a month off the roads, total control of the air, the medevac capabilities and so on.

So, there was a lot in that speech that praised the Air Force.

The part that has been interpreted as critical of the Air Force, if you go back and read it, you will see that the -- that I actually refer to all the services.

And it really has to do with institutional barriers here, to getting things done quickly.

The thing that has concerned me is that, in too many instances, there is a tendency to look out a year or two years or three years in terms of programs and so on and, sort of, processes as usual, and not enough willingness to think out of the box and how do we get more help to the theater now. How do we help the men and women who are on the front lines out there now?

And so, that was my focus. It's focused on all of the services. It has to do with a lot of different areas. ISR was one example. In asking the Air Force to think unconventionally, I mentioned several other examples yesterday of things they ought to think about that hadn't been done before.

But the message really was to all of the services and it really was more about, frankly, the bureaucracy in this building and the Department of Defense as a whole. It really had nothing to do with the people down-range. They're doing an incredible job.

QUESTION: Sir, how do you expect the -- or how do you hope the ISR task force will break that and what capabilities do you really...

GATES: Well, they really have two responsibilities. One is to look worldwide at all of the ISR resources we have, and it's not just -- it's not just unmanned vehicles and UAVs; I'm asking them to look at all of the ISR capabilities -- piloted aircraft as well as UAVs and so on -- and see what we have in the other commands here in the United States and so on.

And if we keep a certain number back here for training, if we look at training in a different way than we have been in the past, can we maybe squeeze a little bit more of those capabilities over to the -- over to Iraq or Afghanistan.

So they're really looking -- kind of doing -- the first part (inaudible) is to look at the inventory of what we have and can we get it over there -- the second part -- or get some more of it over there.

The second part of the effort is, is to go over to the theater, both Afghanistan and Iraq, and see if the commands are making maximum possible use of the assets they have. Are there ways in which by changing the way they do business, in some respects, we could squeeze more capability out of what they already have?

So it's really a combination of those two things. And, again, with some pretty short deadline.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) can you, sort of, explain some of the deadlines you've set for the task force?

GATES: Well, I think I'm getting their first report in about a week; and I think that giving them 90 days to complete the entire undertaking. I've found that perhaps the most effective way to get things done around here is to put pretty short deadlines on things, and then enforce them.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you received an initial report on the Taiwan fuse incident about a week or so ago. Can you give us a sense as to where you see that investigation heading?

And what can you say about whether the military does indeed have proper controls over its nuclear and nuclear-related materials?

GATES: Well, I think that the -- based on everything that I've seen so far, there are proper controls over nuclear and nuclear- related materials. The area of concern at this point is the non- nuclear aspects of some of these weapons systems, such as the nose cones, for example, that didn't have any warheads -- I mean, they didn't have any nuclear material, but there were sensitive electronics, sensitive materials and things.

And the initial report of Admiral Donald's task -- effort has been several recommendations, mostly to try and get information. And he is continuing. And I will accept his initial recommendations. I can't remember them in detail, but it basically is -- there are some areas in terms of the handling of classified material where there can be some improvements.

GATES: Another issue that has come up that we're investigating is, are there areas where certain of kinds of technologies may be classified secret but don't have special handling?

And so it may lead to things that are actually -- you know, maybe they're just secret, but maybe they're especially sensitive because they're missile technologies or something like that. And are there...

WHITFIELD: All right. You are listening to Secretary Gates there from the Pentagon, making the big announcement of a significant job promotion.

General David Petraeus, soon this summer, as early as this summer, leaving command over Iraq to then take over Central Command. He will be relocating to Tampa.

In his place, Lieutenant General Ray Odierno, who just two months ago left Iraq. Well, he has accepted the position of being the general there for multinational forces there in Iraq.

Secretary Gates saying that Odierno indeed was accepting a very tough assignment, and that indeed is a tough assignment, nonetheless, for General Petraeus, too, to be taking over operations both in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says very tough assignment. So that transition likely to take place as early as this summer.

Meantime, when we come back here in the NEWSROOM, we'll be talking about presidential politics. Pennsylvania, a big night for Hillary Clinton. Jessica Yellin will be joining us with details on that.

Much more straight ahead right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Bottom of the hour. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Our top story, Hillary Clinton's campaign stays alive. And the Democrat's long battle for the White House heads on down the road.

Has the race changed overnight?

CNN's Jessica Yellin is in Philadelphia.

And we know already since Hillary Clinton's victory she's already garnered an additional $2 million in her fund-raising efforts. She could use every dime, right?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. She raised $2.5 million in the hours of the victory was announced last night, according to her campaign, and they say they continue to raise money. That's because she really needs it. Obama has a significant advantage over her at this point.

I will tell you, right now both campaigns are in aggressive spend mode. The Clinton folks are crowing, they say, she trounced him in this state, and in particular, she won among those Reagan Democrats who will be crucial for a nominee to win the presidency in the general election in November.

But, I just got off a call with Obama's campaign manager and he's saying look, Obama cut into her 20-point lead. She had 20 points -- was 20 points ahead seven weeks ago. He cut that in half. Now it is on to states where Obama has a better hand to play, where he is more aggressive, has more favorable going in. And here is how they -- here is how they put it last night. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. Hillary CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the tide is turning. Obviously, yesterday we had record turnout in Pennsylvania. I won that double digit victory that everybody -- TV said I had to win. And the voters of Pennsylvania clearly made their views known that they think I would be the best President, and the better candidate to go against Senator McCain.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now it is up to you, Indiana. You can decide -- you can decide whether we are going to travel the same worn path, or whether we will chart a new course that offers real hope for the future. (END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Now, the Obama folks are also saying look, they don't think that the primary results are a reflection of how a candidate would do in the general election. As his campaign manager put it, those Democrats who voted for Hillary Clinton here in Pennsylvania yesterday, he says, quote "They will come home," and vote for a Democrat in the general election against McCain.

They are also saying John McCain has a particular strength among Independents, and Barack Obama in the view of the Obama campaign has a better chance of wooing those Independents away from McCain than does Senator Clinton. So, that is the electability argument we are hearing from the Obama folks.

Of course, Clinton's people are saying she is winning the big states and that's what matters. We have to keep in mind Obama still, after -- even after the Pennsylvania victory Clinton got, Obama still retains the delegate lead and the popular vote lead. So, it's on to Indiana and North Carolina now. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Jessica Yellin, thanks so much. Philadelphia.

HARRIS: What do you say we take a look at where the race stands right now. Up for grabs in Pennsylvania 158 delegates, and Hillary Clinton has won a majority of them. Her net gain not yet final. We do know she is narrowing Barack Obama's lead. CNN's latest tally shows Clinton with a total of 1584 delegates.

Obama, according to our count, has 1714. Clinton says her strong finish in Pennsylvania shows that the tide is turning. The next stop for the Democrats, the May 6th presidential primaries in North Carolina. Obama is favored in Indiana. It is too close to call. Earlier on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING we heard from Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama is next with a live interview on CNN.

CNN contributor Rowland Martin is hosting a special program on CNN RADIO at noon eastern today. You can also hear the Obama interview right here on CNN. And we also want your questions. Logon to CNN.com.

WHITFIELD: Well, it is going to cost you more to fill your gas tank today than did it yesterday. AAA says the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded hit $3.53 a gallon today yet another record high. A year ago the average price was about $2.86 a gallon. Diesel fuel prices hit $4.21 a gallon today. Also a new record.

Diesel is used to transport most food and commercial goods. The price a year ago, $2.92 a gallon. So, what's behind the high gas prices anyway? The soaring cost of crude oil, is one of the biggest factors. But speculation by investors, subsidies for ethanol and the weak dollar also helping drive prices much higher.

HARRIS: And quickly now we want to take you to the Capital Rotunda. President Bush is there, he is honor in honoring Dr. Michael Debakey with a Congressional Gold Medal. Let's listen to the President.

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, UNITED STATES: Madam speaker, Mr. Lever, members of Congress, fellow Texans, distinguished guests, Dr. and Mrs. Debakey, I'm honored to join you on this day of celebration. Throughout our nation's history the Congressional Gold Medal has been awarding sparingly in recognition of the tremendous accomplishments it takes to earn this high honor.

Recipients of the medal that have come from the world of science are few, but they are iconic. They include Thomas Edison, Walter Reed, and Jonas Salk. Today we gather to recognize that Michael Debakey's name belongs among them. I appreciate the members of the Texas delegation, Senator Hutchison, Representative Greene and others who sponsored this legislation.

As Chancellor Emeritus of the Baylor College of Medicine, and the Director of the Debakey Heart Center, Dr. Debakey has given the citizens of the great state of Texas one more reason to be proud. It is a good thing, too, because we are usually such a quiet bunch. Unassuming people.

In year that Michael Debakey was born Theodore Roosevelt sat in the White House. Henry Ford produced the first Model T automobile, and the average American life expectancy was 51 years. That last point is worth noting, because the number today is nearly 78 years. Our lifetimes have been extended by more than 50 percent within the course of a century, and the man we are honoring today is part of the reason why.

It was Hippocrates the author of the doctor's sacred oath, who said wherever the art of medicine is loved, there also is a love of humanity. Truer words could not be spoken of Michael Debakey. Growing up in a small town of Lake Charles, Louisiana, he learned the power of compassion at an early age.

Every Sunday, as the speaker noted, Michael's parents and siblings would load the family car with food and clothes for children who lived at an orphanage on the outskirts of town. One weekend, the donations included one of his favorite ball caps. When Michael complained, his mother simply told him you have a lot of caps, those children have none.

It's a lesson he never forgot and Michael Debakey has giving to the world ever since. The other gift that Dr. Debakey's parents gave him was the love of learning. In fact, young Michael's mother and father required their children to check a book out of the library every week.

One week Michael returned home frustrated, and told his father that he had found a fascinating book, but that the librarians refused to lend it to him. The book was actually a part of the series called the Encyclopedia Britannica. And when his father bought the set for him, Michael read every word of every article in every volume.

The charitable spirit and disciplined mind that Michael developed in his youth have lasted throughout his life. It was his selflessness that caused him to volunteer for World War II, even though he was a successful surgeon and professional. It was his intellect that caused him to develop the idea of the MASH unit during his years of service.

It was his power of his mind that led him to become one of the pioneers of the heart transplant bypass surgery and the artificial heart, and it was his sense of compassion that led him to help create a magnet school in Houston for young people pursuing careers in science. It's been nearly 40 years since President Linden B. Johnson awarded Dr. Debakey the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That point four decades ago.

He had already proven himself to be one of the great scientific minds of his generation. In the years since, that status is being reaffirmed by many honors he has received, including the National Medal of Science, induction into the Health Care Hall of Fame, a lifetime achievement award from the United Nations, and living legend citation from the Library of Congress.

That was most interesting in another distinction. It is this, that Dr. Debakey was the first foreign physician made an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It took quite an act to get into the Russian Academy of Sciences. All it took was him saving the life of a president. 1996, only five years after the Cold War ended, Dr. Debakey traveled to Moscow and arranged Boris Yeltsin's quintuple bypass. President Yeltsin spoke for many of Dr. Debakey's patients when he called him "a man with a gift of performing miracles."

Dr. DeBakey has an impressive resume. But his truest legacy is not inscribed on a medal or etched into stone. It is written on the human heart. His legacy is the unlost hours with family and friends who are still with us because of his healing touch. His legacy is grandparents that lived to see their grandchildren. His legacy is holding the fragile and sacred gift of human life in his hands and returning it unbroken.

Nearly 100 years, our country has been blessed with the endless talents and dedication of Dr. Michael DeBakey. And he has dedicated his career to a truly noble ambition, bettering the life of his fellow men.

So, Dr. DeBakey, on behalf of all those you've healed and those you've inspired, we thank you. May God bless you.

And now I ask the Speaker, Senator Reid, to join me for the gold medal presentation.

(APPLAUSE)

WHITFIELD: Well, that's a great moment.

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Here he is about to celebrate his 100th birthday this year and he gets one of the highest civilian awards to be bestowed and being praised for his work in science as a doctor. HARRIS: Pioneer and heart transplant and bypass surgery. There he is, Dr. Michael DeBakey, you see there being honored by President Bush and perhaps ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey.

(APPLAUSE)

DR. MICHAEL DEBAKEY: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Members of Congress, Mr. President, members of Congress, members of the administration, and the trustees and faculty members of Baylor College of Medicine that are here, I want to thank you for coming and help me enjoy the day together.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm speaking temporaneously (ph) but let me assure you that I realize I need to be succinct and I will be. My first thought, of course, is to express my deep-seated and humble sense of gratitude for this high honor you've awarded me.

As a child growing up in southwest Louisiana, my parents repeatedly emphasized to us as children how important it was and how we had to be so thankful in being citizens of the United States of America. My parents immigrated to this country as children from Lebanon. Grew up in this country, educated in this country, and flourished in this country. And so, we had as children almost everything you needed anyhow (ph).

But the most important thing our parents thought we should have was a good education. And, for example, they urged us to get any book from the library at least once a week and read it. I came home one day and told them I found a very good book, but they wouldn't let you borrow it. You had to read it in the library. And my father wanted to know what it was. And I said it's called the Encyclopedia Britannica. He promptly bought us that.

And both may brothers and sisters and I would rush through our lessons to get a little time with the Encyclopedia Britannica because at the time, it was a new adventure and we enjoyed it so much. And I as well as my brothers and sisters had read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica by the time we got to college. So when I got to college at Tulane, I was probably the best educated freshman on campus.

HARRIS: Just wanted to share some of the moments from -- boy, what an amazing life. The life of Dr. Michael DeBakey as he talks about some of the important moments of that life as he receives the Congressional Gold Medal and ceremony where he was honored by the president and also the leaders Reid and Pelosi. What a moment there at a packed Capitol Rotunda.

WHITFIELD: And at the top of the hour, you heard General Gates make a major announcement about some job changes as it pertains to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. General Petraeus soon to leave his post in Iraq where he's been leading the multi-national forces there. And as early as this summer, will become the commander of U.S. CENTCOM, central command, meaning he'll be based in Tampa.

Well, Kyra Phillips has spent a significant amount of time in Iraq and also time with General Petraeus. She's on the phone with us now because Kyra, I understand you are hearing from General Petraeus himself.

VOICE OF KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. And as you can imagine, this has been pretty overwhelming. I think that a lot of people within his circle, Fred, didn't expect this to happen so quickly. I mean, sources had told me they wanted to make a decision by the end of the month.

Admiral Bill Fallon, you know, that was formerly head of CENTCOM and -- will officially be out of that position May 31. So now, possibly if everything passes and General Petraeus makes a good confirmation, he will be the head of CENTCOM as of May 1st. He's letting the dust settle a little bit and then he's planning on talking to the press officially.

But I can tell you he said that he's honored to be nominated for this position. And to have this opportunity, as he says, to continue to serve with America's soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians. He definitely doesn't leave anybody out of the process there.

But as you know, he has had a tremendous relationship, kind of an off and on type of relationship with Admiral Bill Fallon. But most recently, a very strong one.

I was able to talk to Admiral Fallon just a few minutes ago as well, too, Fred. And he said that General Petraeus is a brilliant leader and that he's the best man to work in that part of the region, a region he says the No. 1 priority in the Middle East and that is Iraq. And General David Petraeus is the man that should be in the head of position of CENTCOM to lead that fight, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Kyra, it's interesting because as we heard from Secretary Gates, he said that and underscored this is a tough assignment, a tough assignment for General Petraeus, tough assignment for the man who'll be taking his place, Lieutenant General Ray Odierno who'll be making his way back to Iraq after leaving it just two months ago.

And you know, this really is very complicated because the question was asked there from the Pentagon announcement about the recycling of these generals. Is there a shortage and that instead of leaving, General Petraeus in place in Iraq to send a message to Iraq and to the American people about the stability. Why remove him to head CENTCOM?

Did Petraeus in any way convey mixed feelings that he has about abandoning, if you will, his position in Iraq while not abandoning the war effort in Iraq by heading up CENTCOM?

PHILLIPS: No, Fred, in no way will he abandon what's happening in Iraq at all. Now, if indeed that he is confirmed and he will be the head of CENTCOM, I mean, he knows exactly what needs to be done. And I think that testimony on the Hill just, you know, a couple of weeks ago, really proved to the president, proved to the secretary of defense, Bob Gates, that this was the man right now that they need in that position because he didn't -- he didn't pull any punches, Fred.

You remember when he was giving his testimony, he said look, we are making progress in certain areas. But what's happening in Iraq is fragile and reversible. And David Petraeus has told me a number of times, we're not in the end zone doing a victory dance. We're not popping bottles of champagne.

He was very straight forward, he doesn't say anything -- he's very careful in his word choice, Fred. He won't say that things are better than what they really are. If anything, he'll pull it back, he'll throttle back and be even more candid than a number of generals have been.

And I think that that's what the administration is seeing right now is this is the type of man that we need in a position, a very controversial war, a very unpopular war, we need someone that's going to get in there and make changes and move forward in a much more honest way than what has been done in the past. And he's been there on the ground and he knows what needs to be done.

And you know, and he and Admiral Fallon developed a very good relationship, particularly -- in particular toward the end there and were seeing eye-to-eye on a number of things that needed to be done. So, now the admiral as he steps out of that position is looking at what's been put in place here and says that David Petraeus, that general, will be a brilliant leader in that position.

WHITFIELD: Kyra Phillips, thanks so much.

HARRIS: Threatening skies, tornado warnings in fact in Texas and Rob Marciano after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Threatening weather in Texas, tornado warnings, in fact. Rob Marciano is in the severe weather center.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey guys.

Yes, this has popped up in the last few minutes or the last 20 minutes actually. And it's not moving anywhere too quickly. That's the good news. This red box is a tornado watch. That has been recently issued as well. That's in effect until 4:00 local time, that would be Central time.

And this cell right in Borden County, this has what has been deemed a tornadic cell as indicated by the Doppler Radar Scope. You see the purple in there, even a little bit of a rotation. It's moving easterly at 10 miles an hour. It is a fairly rural spot. So, that's the good news. It's north of I-10, away from Lubbock and away from Midland. But north of Lubbock, we have some storms that are firing up. This is all in conjunction with a lot of energy that's coming out of the Rocky Mountains. West of Oklahoma City, you're in it, too. And you'll be in the thick of things, I think before the day is done.

Not only that tornado watch, guys, that's in effect until 4:00 local time, but two severe thunderstorm watches that are also in effect for parts of the Panhandle and through parts of Kansas as well and I suspect things will get even more active as the day rolls along.

Back to you guys.

WHITFIELD: OK, thank you so much, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right.

HARRIS: All right, $3 a gallon was frustrating, $3.50 a gallon frightening. Now, the Bay Area in California has reached the $4 milestone for a gallon of gas.

WHITFIELD: Not good.

HARRIS: Chris Lawrence live from San Francisco. And Chris, since what starts out West usually ends up moving East, I'm starting to think it's time for me to oil up my bicycle chain. I'm going to need it.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You got running shorts, a skateboard?

HARRIS: Yes.

LAWRENCE: Anything that can get you around, Tony, other than getting in this car. Take a look. This -- come on over here for a second. Right before we came on, there was a big SUV that filled up here. Take a look at what he paid. That's right ...

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

WHITFIELD: Oh.

LAWRENCE: ...$75 to fill up, $75 to fill up. That was only 18 gallons of gas. A lot of people here, we've been talking to, are saying they remember when they were filling up, you know, for $30. We talked to a guy yesterday driving a Prius, $44 to fill up a Prius. You know it's bad when even they're taking a big hit.

And a lot of people here in the Bay Area say there's something psychological about that $4 mark that's really gotten them starting to change their habits. You know, I don't know.

You know, sir, you just pulled up here. You see that $4 a gallon gas. I mean, what do you think when you see something like that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very expensive, pretty prohibitive. Makes you not want to buy gas. LAWRENCE: Have you started to change how much you drive at all or?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I try to drive less, walking to work more.

LAWRENCE: Well, you're lucky that you even have that option.

See, there's another one for you, Tony: walking to work. If you live close enough, a lot of folks are trying do that. But again, you know, everyone here really starting to make some permanent changes.

HARRIS: What am I laughing for? It's not even funny.

WHITFIELD: No, it's not, it hurts.

HARRIS: It's not even funny, this is serious.

Well, Chris, great to see you. We know you're at the top of the hour here in just a couple of minutes on "ISSUE #1," the economy with Ali and Gerri. We'll see you then.

WHITFIELD: What's funny is trying to see you on a bike riding to work. That's the part that makes me laugh. That's all I'm saying.

HARRIS: Thanks, Fred.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now.

HARRIS: "ISSUE #1" is next with Gerri Willis and Ali Velshi. But first, a quick check of the headlines.

A promotion in the works for the U.S. commander in Iraq. Last hour, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced President Bush will nominate General David Petraeus to head up U.S. central command. If confirmed by the Senate, Petraeus will succeed Admiral William Fallon who announced his resignation last month. Secretary Gates says Army Lieutenant General Ray Odierno has been nominated to replace Petraeus as the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Well, let's get a check of weather now. Chad Myers is in the severe weather center. Good to see you, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Nice to be seen, Tony, except you know, when you see me, there's something bad going on.

HARRIS: Good point, good point.

MYERS: You know, because otherwise I wouldn't be in this cut-in here.