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Deciding Troop Numbers; Obama Lauded for International Diplomacy

Aired October 09, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It's time now for your top stories reset this hour. I'm Don Lemon, we're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

It's noon at the White House, where President Barack Obama says he's deeply humbled to receive the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

Then, to Capitol Hill where an ethics investigation into the powerful Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, it is widening.

And it is 9 a.m. in Los Angeles where one of the WNBA's -- look at that smoggy short of Los Angeles, foggy there -- where one of the WNBA's most dynamic and popular players, her name is Lisa Leslie, she will join me in the CNN NEWSROOM.

So let's get started. We focus first on the crucial issue, the critical issue of the war strategy for Afghanistan. Will President Barack Obama will increase troop levels there? The sensitive question on the table when the president meets today with his national security team. For more on that, we go live now to CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, another meeting today at the White House with the top national security team even as the president receives the Nobel Peace Prize, looking for a solution to bring peace to Afghanistan and next-door Pakistan.

General Stanley McChrystal expected to join from his headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, via secured teleconference. What we do know is that they are now ready to discuss both strategy, what they want to do and troops. How many troops it may take to do it all. A lot of spin going on all over town. There's no official word on what, if anything, has been decided. But lots of whispering all over town. Is it 20,000 troops, 40,000 troops, 60,000 troops?

The bottom line is this -- Defensive Secretary Robert Gates pointed out several days ago, it was not possible to get a large number of U.S. troops to Afghanistan before next year. The logistics, the supplies, making it all happen, just is not possible before early 2010.

The Army and Marine Corps looking very hard at the numbers and voicing their concerns as well about sending tens of thousands of additional troops, because that's going to have a real impact on the troops in terms of cutting their time at home with their families. So, still, to the best of anybody's knowledge, all of this under discussion at the White House, at the Pentagon, and in the war zone. Don?

LEMON: I have a question for you. You know, we saw General Stanley McChrystal on Air Force One last week going to Copenhagen with the president, but having just a meeting there. But how soon before we could see him in Washington, in person?

STARR: Well, that's what everybody's waiting for. People want to see him. They want to hear him explain directly his thinking. Now, Secretary Gates has said that as soon as the decisions are made, that General McChrystal would be on the next plane to Washington to explain it all to Congress and presumably to the American people via that venue.

There had been some discussion, we are told, about General McChrystal coming this week to sit in on one of those White House meetings directly. That was very low-level staff discussion. That's not going to happen. The meetings will go on, we believe, for the next several days. We'll see if General McChrystal shows up, but so far the word is he will not until a decision is made. Don?

LEMON: Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr -- Barbara, thank you.

Pakistan is blaming the Taliban for a massive car bombing today in the city of Peshawar. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a busy market, killing 49 people and wounding 135 others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INAAM ULLAH, BOMB VICTIM (through translator): I got down from the bus and there was a blast. I was not in my senses after that.

DOST MOHAMMAD, SHOPKEEPER (through translator): There was a blast and no one was in their senses afterwards. There was a lot of smoke, and anyone who was alive was running away, and the injured with were lying on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It happened in front of us, the blast. It was such a horrible and terrifying incident which I will never forget in my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We're going to bring you a live report from Pakistan in just a few minutes here on CNN.

In a surprise move, President Barack Obama is awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize. The honor comes just eight months into the Obama presidency. The Nobel Committee cited the president's extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy, and that's a quote.

Barack Obama is the fourth U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He is the third to be awarded for the honor while still in office.

The president says he is deeply humbled by the honor. He reacted to the news of his Nobel Prize win in remarks that he made last hour. White House correspondent Dan Lothian joins us now live from the White House.

And, Dan, what did the president have to say? We saw it here, on the news, of course, but give us the back story, read between the lines for us. It's not about me, he said, it's really about future and peace for the world.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, the president really did go out of his way through that short remarks, the short remarks that he made here at the White House, here in the Rose Garden this morning, to show it was more about a nation or the globe rather than just one individual.

He pointed out that throughout history, this achievement has been used to really be the cause behind momentum that led to changes in various causes. And so, in accepting the award today, the president said that he was causing it as a call to action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear, I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but, rather, as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: The president has been getting congratulations from around the world and also here at home. And, in fact, this one from former President Jimmy Carter who himself received the Nobel Prize decades after he left office. Former President Carter saying, quote, "I congratulate President Obama on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today. It is a bold statement of international support for his vision and commitment to peace and harmony in international relations. It shows the hope his administration represents, not only to our nation, but to people around the world."

And, Don, finally on a lighter note, this kind of keeps it all in perspective for the president. He said that this morning his young daughter came in and said to him that, that you know, you have won the Nobel Prize, and also pointed out that it was their dog Bo's birthday and his second daughter, Sasha came in, and reminded the president that a three-day weekend was coming up.

LEMON: And on an even lighter note, Dan, we're wearing the exact same necktie today. So, a good tie choice for you. All right Dan, thank you, have a great day.

We will bring you more of President Barack Obama's reaction on the Nobel surprise there. And we asked our correspondents to check it all out this hour. That's coming up at the bottom of the hour on CNN.

What are people overseas saying about this Nobel Prize? Again, we asked our correspondents to check it out. Our focus now, Moscow, Cairo and Kabul. We want to take you first now to Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matthew Chance in Moscow. Even though the results aren't known yet, already Barack Obama has had a profound impact on often touchy relations between the United States and Russia.

His rhetorical offer to press the reset button in the relationship between the two countries has been backed up with concrete steps, not least his decision to abandon plans to deploy elements of the missile defense system of the United States in Eastern Europe. That was a plan which the Russians strongly objected to, and that move has, in itself, opened up a whole range of possibilities for diplomatic cooperation. Not least over how to tackle Iran's very controversial nuclear program.

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Atia Abawi in Kabul, where we're getting a very interesting reaction from the Afghan people on President Barack Obama's win for the Nobel Peace Prize. They say that they appreciate his efforts to try to bring peace in Afghanistan, but they are still waiting for the peace to come. This also comes at a time where President Obama is mulling over the decision to send 40,000 additional troops to the country. For the most part, the U.S. troops are confident that their commander-in-chief will base that decision on being the president of the United States and not be being a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When Barack Obama came to Cairo in June to address the Muslim world, Egyptians were wildly enthusiastic. Many had fallen in love with the new, young American president with the Arabic middle name. Some even took up the slogan "Yes, we can."

But that was then, and this is now. And the love affair is beginning to go sour. One Egyptian analyst I spoke with, who is normally quite well disposed to the United States, said he was shocked at the news that he'd won the Nobel Peace Prize. He said that none of the promises made by the new U.S. president have been achieved. That the Arab/Israeli conflict is, if anything, getting even nastier. In short, he said, he's done nothing.

Now, Egyptians look at this administration as a work in progress. But in a region where war is always looming, where the U.S. often flexes its military might, the feeling among many Egyptians is, it's a bit too early to be handing out the laurels.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Thank you to all our international correspondents.

President Barack Obama becomes the third sitting U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He joins Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1919. Here are some other notable Americans who have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, was recognized in 1964, and Henry Kissinger shared the prize in 1973. In 2002, former President Jimmy Carter was awarded the prize. Two years ago, it went to former Vice President Al Gore with his intergovernmental panel on climate change.

Another horrific terrorist attack blamed on the Taliban. This one a massive suicide car bombing in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. Let's go to Reza Sayah. He is in the capital of Islamabad. Reza?

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, a senior government official tells CNN this was the deadliest suicide attack ever in Peshawar and that really puts things in perspective, because Peshawar has seen more than its share of car bombs and suicide attacks. This one killing 49 people according to officials, injuring at least 135 others.

The head of the bomb disposal unit in Peshawar saying this car bomb packed with more than 120 pound of explosives. He said the explosion was so powerful, initially investigators had no idea what the blast was, because all the evidence including the car, obliterated. What has outraged people is where this attack took place, a busy market. Many of the victims, women and children. Here's how witnesses described the blast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INAAM ULLAH, BOMB VICTIM (through translator): I got down from the bus and there was a blast. I was not in my senses after that.

DOST MOHAMMAD, SHOPKEEPER (through translator): There was a blast and no one was in their senses afterwards. There was a lot of smoke, and anyone who was alive was running away, and the injured with were lying on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): It happened in front of us, the blast. It was such a horrible and terrifying incident which I will never forget in my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAYAH: Just hours before this attack in Peshawar, you had at least 15 militants attacking and torching NATO supply trucks, taking supplies from Pakistan across the border into Afghanistan. Five days ago, you had a suicide attacker target the offices of the U.N.'s World Food Program.

Here in Islamabad, there has been an uptick in attacks by militants in Pakistan. The Taliban sending a clear message to the - Pakistani government and also perhaps sending a message to the newest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, U.S. President Barack Obama, who has a lot of work to do before peace comes to this region. Don?

LEMON: All right, Reza, thank you very much.

We want to get you live now to Washington and the daily briefing, Robert Gibbs, giving -- answering questions and giving thoughts as well. ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Take us away.

QUESTION: On the Nobel Prize, did anyone in the White House, including the president, know that he'd been nominated?

GIBBS: Not that I could find.

QUESTION: So, this was a total surprise?

GIBBS: Yes. Absolutely.

QUESTION: Did he get the call or...

GIBBS: I was notified by -- we got e-mails. We got notified by the situation room. I got calls from reporters.

QUESTION: From us?

GIBBS: Well, the situation room sends out news updates on -- throughout -- we got e-mails at 3:00 in the morning from those guys on activities throughout the world. And about 6:00 a.m., I called the president to tell him that he'd won, and I think it's safe to say he was very surprised.

QUESTION: Are you the designated waker?

GIBBS: I don't think anybody wants the job. I just figured it would be easiest to do.

QUESTION: What exactly were his words?

QUESTION: He was sleeping?

GIBBS: I believe he was asleep, yes.

QUESTION: What was his reaction?

QUESTION: What did he say exactly?

GIBBS: He was just very surprised.

QUESTION: Did he...

GIBBS: I don't know that he did. He did not scream, that I could hear so --

QUESTION: Did he know that he'd been nominated?

GIBBS: No, not that I know of.

QUESTION: Do you know who nominated him?

GIBBS: I don't. Yes, ma'am?

HELEN THOMAS, REPORTER: There's been so much talk of war now, will this have an impact in making peace more... GIBBS: Well, look, Helen, I would point you to what the president said today. Obviously, we've got the president and his team have worked, since the very beginning, of our administration to work toward bringing peace to the Middle East.

Well, we've had these disagreements, you and me, Helen. But obviously, I think the president mentioned both his hopes for and work for peace in the Middle East as well as the commitments that he has as commander-in-chief to protect the American people and to prevent the spread of the type of violent extremism that we see in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Well, again, Helen, we've done this before, there are people --

THOMAS: I'm asking you the question.

GIBBS: I understand. There are those that sit there in that region of the world and actively are plotting and planning to do America harm.

THOMAS: What are we doing to...

GIBBS: One, I watch the news. And, two, I get that from the intelligence briefings. Yes, sir?

QUESTION: The Republican National Committee has been less than magnanimous about this. The Democrats are now comparing their reaction to the Taliban. What do you think of that? And how does this complicate the domestic political situation?

GIBBS: How does what complicate?

QUESTION: How does the idea of him winning this prize, if at all?

GIBBS: I don't know that it complicates the domestic political situation. I have not --

QUESTION: Does it raise expectations too high? Does it contribute to the perspective that he's all expectation and no results yet?

GIBBS: Look, I think as the president said today, this is a -- this announcement today represents not the achievements of one person, but the hopes of millions and millions throughout the world of the life and the world that they want to live in. Whether that's a world without nuclear weapons, a world without the spread of weapons of mass destruction, a world with peace in the Middle East, a world that addresses climate change.

I think all of those things are what millions throughout the world hope that -- hope that can be achieved, but understanding, as the president said today, that can't be achieved by one person. It has to be achieved through the collective action of the world, and that's what he'll continue to work on. Yes, sir?

QUESTION: To that point, there are those who are already saying that what happened today, that the president winning this prize, highlights criticism that the president so far has been more talk than substance. How do you respond to that?

GIBBS: Well...

QUESTION: Because he got it so early in his presidency.

GIBBS: Again, I'm not going to parse the words of the president. I think one of the -- one of the reasons, obviously highlighted by the committee, is that through engagement, through a renewal of American leadership, we can help lead the world to do many of the things that the president has outlined.

I don't think that's a bad thing. I think that's actually a very good thing. I think America, having that place in the world, that can lead us to do the types of things that the president has outlined on weapons of mass destruction, on nuclear nonproliferation and on issues of peace and climate change -- are aspirations held by many.

QUESTION: On Afghanistan, the meetings that have been ongoing. Can you give us a sense of where the ball is? Has it moved beyond the meetings? Are we at a different place today, or will we be at a different place today than the ones before? Is the ball being moved closer to the point where the president is getting what he needs to make?

GIBBS: The president has been getting what he wants and what he needs through the process.

QUESTION: When you sit down today, will they be at different points --

GIBBS: I think it was reported somewhere today, I forget where -- and I concur with this -- that there have been all these conjectures about where different people are, about different decisions on resources. I have not actually heard anybody in the meetings intone their opinion on that yet.

So, it's the best thing for me to watch the back-and-forth on something that we certainly haven't seen in the meetings. Today's meeting will focus primarily on Afghanistan. We'll spend quite a bit of time going through, with General McChrystal, his assessment. And I think that's the basis for what we'll do today.

QUESTION: I guess I'm trying to get a sense of progress, though. Is there, like -- for lack of a better explanation, you know, a checklist, where you can say, OK, we've made it to this point, we --

GIBBS: Well, look, I think there's -- obviously in each of these an agenda where we're going through, again, as we've talked about, understanding and enunciating clearly the goal, the strategy to accomplish the goal and ultimately we'll get toward -- get to a discussion, decisions about resources need in order to implement a strategy to meet that goal.

QUESTION: Will the resource issue come up in this meeting today? GIBBS: I think it very well could, but I don't know that it -- I think obviously the assessment is something that we'll spend quite a bit of time on.

QUESTION: Will we get a read-out after the reading?

GIBBS: Likely so, yes, sir.

QUESTION: The president in a statement today said I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of these transformative figures. Did he consider turning it down?

GIBBS: Not that I know of.

QUESTION: Money, $1.4 million, has there been any discussion, I know it's early, any discussion about what to do with that?

GIBBS: No. But again Chip, let me point out -- let me finish the thought that the president had, that he mentioned. But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women and all Americans want to build, a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents.

QUESTION: Following up on the political question, I think, a point a lot of your favorite people, pundits have been making, is that the response to this has been like this. Most Democrats have praised it and most Republicans have said, you have got to be kidding me, Ronald Reagan didn't get one but Barack Obama nominated 12 days after he was sworn in, gets a Nobel Peace Prize?

And the fear among some, even some Democrats, is that this is going to widen the partisan divide and make things even more difficult to accomplish on every front.

GIBBS: I'll leave the pundicizing to the pundits. The notion that this is going to somehow more greatly divide America, I think it should be mandatory that pundits spend a certain amount of their days each year outside of the friendly confines of the viewership of the Washington, D.C., media market.

I think people -- I think people believe that what -- again, what this represents, renewed American leadership in order to make our country safer and to live up to our own ideals and the ideals that many in the world want to live up to. It's a good thing. It's an important thing. I don't think it's a partisan thing.

QUESTION: Well, then, one last question. A lot of people think it is a partisan thing because Al Gore, Jimmy Carter and now President Obama have all received awards for work on --

GIBBS: Teddy Roosevelt was in, but I don't think it was Republican -- or Democrat. He got it. Just, you know -- you know, I...

QUESTION: But Ronald Reagan, could I just ask you to respond to that? He ended the Cold War, did he not? GIBBS: Let me do this, Chip. I'm not a member of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, I hate...

QUESTION: The organization that supports liberal causes.

GIBBS: And I hope you can get somebody on the phone at this hour in Oslo. I'm not a member of the committee. And I'll let you do that. The notion that this is somehow widens the partisan divide I think demonstrates what's wrong with pundits and instant analysis of what goes on in our society. Yes? Here comes another pundit question. Go ahead.

QUESTION: There's -- the president seemed to hint, he talked about other -- he talked about an example of the woman who marches alone for certain causes. It sounds like he's going to probably bring a delegation of other Americans with him or something like that. Is that -- should we assume that that's what he's going to try to do?

GIBBS: I think, obviously, that the end of his remarks, he is talking about all of those that either throughout this year or all previous years have worked to bring peace and justice to the world. I don't know the logistics obviously heading into that. But obviously what the award represents in terms of, as he says, justice and dignity.

QUESTION: In the remarks, he referenced the fact that he is commander-in-chief of two wars and didn't say the word "Afghanistan" again. What -- you call it a theater. Just where is the war? The war is in Afghanistan, the war is -- I guess, is there -- is it fair to say...

GIBBS: We'd be making news now, wouldn't we? I don't want to -- maybe we should step back on this whole Afghanistan/Pakistan thing.

QUESTION: Is that part of the strategy, trying to figure out what -- is there no geographic boundary for this war?

GIBBS: Look, obviously there are violent extremists that in different places all over the world. In places like Somalia, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. I think obviously what the president believes and what the president set out strongly in that goal in the March speech earlier this year was the goal of disrupting, dismantling and destroying al Qaeda and its extremist allies.

Obviously, we're involved in a fight with the Taliban to ensure that anybody that would want to provide al Qaeda with a safe haven with which to plan and execute attacks on our homeland, on our allies. I'm looking at the statement, he says, ending one war responsibly and working in another theater confront a ruthless adversary, I think he's talking about Iraq and Afghanistan, but I may have lost the allusion.

QUESTION: What kind of terrorism center he did -- again, it's its own, he's avoided naming the country per se, is it --

GIBBS: I don't know what percentage of the questions this week have been about Afghanistan and Pakistan. This notion, we tell everyone who is in these meetings, I think this notion that somehow we're avoiding the use of the word is a semantical thing that I can't understand.

QUESTION: Today you said you are going through the McChrystal thing. Where are we in the process, are we getting into -- I'm not asking about the whole baseball metaphor, I'm not asking anymore, but are we now past the middle of this process? Are we getting towards the end? It's usually Chip's question.

QUESTION: It's usually the only one he'll answer.

QUESTION: OK, fine, what inning are we in? How close are we to a resolution?

GIBS: I still think we're -- we're probably several weeks away. I don't -- I don't -- I mean, obviously, I think the president feels like the discussions are going well. We've dealt with the broader region -- we've focused Wednesday on Pakistan, today on Afghanistan. I don't have an agenda for upcoming meetings. But --

QUESTION: What can we expect next week?

GIBBS: I think there could be more than one. But right now I think one is planned.

QUESTION: What day?

GIBBS: I don't know the day yet. They're working on a schedule. Yes, sir?

QUESTION: I have a question about the stimulus.

GIBBS: Uh-huh.

QUESTION: Is the administration satisfied at the rate at which money is flowing from the federal government to the states and then down to the contractor level?

GIBBS: Absolutely. We're ahead of -- we're ahead of where we thought we'd be, and we're ahead of the -- we're -- we're ahead of the goals that we had set originally in moving money out.

Obviously some of the money -- there's roughly -- there's several different -- there's basically three different buckets, right? There's -- they're largely roughly equal. There's a tax relief that will be paid out over the course of a two-year period. There is state and local aid, primarily things like FMAP, Medicaid, unemployment insurance and things like that. And then a third bucket of project money.

I know just this week, the 8,000th highway project money was obligated for that. So, the team met with the president yesterday as part of his economic daily briefing to go through where we were on disbursement, and we're ahead of schedule.

LEMON: Just Robert Gibbs at the White House today, weighing in on the briefing, taking some questions, and also commenting. Just real quickly, he talked about the economy there, money, federal money flowing into city and states, gave an answer for that.

Also talked about the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to the president. Really funny moment saying, questioning why some pundits would think that this could be bad. He said they should spend some time outside of the confines of the Washington media.

And, finally, really important issue here, he said several weeks away from a decision on Afghanistan. He said, on Wednesday they focus on Pakistan. Today, Afghanistan, several weeks away.

We have it all for you here on CNN. We're covering it. Continuing to listen to the briefing and bringing you any news out of that.

So back now to the Nobel Peace Prize. Was it star power or something much more? Our guests weigh in on President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize award.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. President Barack Obama says he is humbled to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, but he also says he is unworthy. Critics wouldn't disagree on this. They say his selection so early in his young presidency makes a political mockery of the Nobel Prize.

Let's talk about it with CNN's Roland Martin, a political analyst and a syndicated columnist.

Hello, sir.

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Glad to see you.

LEMON: Also the host of "Washington Watch" on TV1.

And Tara Wall. Did I say that right? I used to call you Tara, but it's Tara Wall.

TARA WALL, DEPUTY EDITOR, "THE WASHINGTON TIMES": Yes, you did.

LEMON: She worked in the Bush administration and is currently a deputy editor at "The Washington Times."

Thank you both for joining us. Good to see you.

This came as a surprise this morning, you know, to the president and to be honored so early -- he said just even getting it so early into his presidency. Roland, really quickly, what do you make of that and then we'll talk about some of the comments that Robert Gibbs made just a few minutes ago.

MARTIN: Well, the first thing that I -- I mean I was surprised by it as well, but I immediately said, I want to know why they made the decision. And when you go back and actually read the text, when they talk about hope for the future, when they talk about the whole issue of diplomacy in terms of reaching out to the rest of the world. So I understand that.

You also listen to the folks with the Nobel Committee who said they have honored other people at the outset of initiatives, like Mikhail Gorbachev. And so, again, this is their award. They can do whatever they want to. And so I'm not going to sit here and say, oh, I have my own criteria for your particular award. That's ridiculous.

LEMON: You want to weigh in on that, Tara?

WALL: Well, just -- yes. I would simply say, you know, it's a lesson on how to win a Nobel Peace Prize in 12 days. Twelve days, I mean they talked about this effort to -- for international peace and diplomacy. Boy, he must have had a lot of work in those first 12 days.

But, I mean, I think everyone recognizes essentially, yes, it's not about, you know, any specific action or achievement here. It's more about this attitude of what he -- what he represents, if you will, in the international scope of things.

MARTIN: Hey, Don. Don, Don, if we're going to talk about this here, let's deal with facts. There was a nominating process when the name was put in. Anybody can be nominated. But they actually have a process. You go to their Web site. They have a process of a period of months where they actually go through various things. So, they met several times as late as September to go through the whole process, so it's not all of a sudden what took place in 12 days, what took place in nine months.

LEMON: But, Roland and Tara, hold that thought because I want to get some reaction from across the political spectrum here and get your reaction as well. People are questioning whether the president deserved this. I want you to listen to what Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele had to say. He said, "The real questions Americans are asking is, what has President Obama actually accomplished? It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights." Is he right, Tara?

WALL: Look, to that point and to Roland's point, I mean, the notion when you put him in the category of people like Nelson Mandela and the U.N. peacekeeping forces and Yitzhak Rabin and others, I mean there is -- there's no comparison in that regard. He is being recognized internationally as an international star, if you will. And I think he was surprised, Americans are surprised. We don't have any grandious (ph) notions here about something he did specifically.

I think what the issue is, is the juxtaposition that it does pose because he's being lauded for his ability to keep peace, if you will, with diplomacy and discussions as opposed to force. And now we are faced with a situation where there is active force that's being -- that's taking place in Afghanistan that has to take place moving forward.

LEMON: Both of you guys are talking about the international community. And everyone, you know, is saying, oh, the international community, this is good for peace, for foreign policy, for perception in the world. But not every -- it's not monolithic when you look at it.

I want you to listen now to what Michael Binyon writes in "The Times of London" just this morning. He says, "Rarely has an award had such an obvious political and partisan intent. It was clearly seen by the Norwegian Nobel committee as a way of expressing European gratitude for an end to the Bush administration, approval for the election of America's first black president and the hope that Washington will honor its promise to re-engage with the world. Instead, the prize risks," listen to this, guys, "looking preposterous in its claims, patronizing in its intentions and demeaning in its attempt to build up a man who has barely begun his period in office, let alone achieved any tangible outcome for pace." That is from "The London Times."

ROLAND: OK, no, no, no, that's from Michael Binyon of "The London Times." One person.

LEMON: Michael Binyon, yes.

ROLAND: I've got one word, and. Look, listen (INAUDIBLE) committee said. OK. You also have to look at, they awarded this in this particular year. Mahatma Gandhi was nominated five times, never got the award. Parma Improma (ph) (INAUDIBLE), the first African- Asian to their own independence, was nominated, never awarded. And so you look at the context of that particular year. This is their choice. They can do whatever they want to do.

LEMON: OK, listen, Tara, hang on. Tara, hang on. Tara, I want to ask something else, and, Roland, hold on. That's going to have to be the last word on that because we're going to have to run. But here's what I want to know. And the question was asked during the briefing, does this help or hurt here on domestic issues? Does this rile up the opposition or does it galvanize the base?

MARTIN: Don, they got mad when he woke up this morning. So, it doesn't matter. It doesn't change the right (ph). They got mad when he woke up this morning. It doesn't matter.

LEMON: Tara.

WALL: For his liberal base, of course, it's not going to make a difference because this is the kind of thing they want to hear. They want to hear about peace and non-force and all those wonderful buzzwords. For (INAUDIBLE), independent Americans . . .

MARTIN: No, which are nice things we need, Tara.

WALL: It does pose a problem for those who, going forward, here in America, want to know whether he's, you know, appeasing those on the left in the international community or doing the things that are right for America in a time of war specifically.

LEMON: All right. That's going to have to be it.

MARTIN: They don't like him anyway, so it doesn't matter.

LEMON: That's going to have to be it, Roland, thank you very much. And the question I wanted -- didn't get to, does it also rile up the opposition overseas, the Taliban, and the folks who are fighting, you know, who could possibly bring terror (ph) to (INAUDIBLE).

MARTIN: They already want to kill us. What is it going to do, (INAUDIBLE) more of them?

LEMON: Thank you, sir. Thank you, ma'am, Tara. You know, Roland, he just talks. Sometimes he talks to himself. Loves to hear himself talk. Thank you very much, guys. Always a pleasure to see you.

MARTIN: Somebody's got to give you some facts, Don. (INAUDIBLE).

LEMON: A bad situation becoming worse. Severe flooding forcing people out of their homes. We'll show you the areas at risk coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Here in the United States, we're tracking severe weather across the country. A slow-moving storm system has dumped up to 2 inches of rain in north Texas. A flash flood watch is in effect until this evening. Parts of Missouri under a flooding warning. A flood warning. Some areas expected to get several inches of rain. Four deaths blamed on the weather.

And flooding in Oklahoma keeping emergency teams busy there. Heavy rains have washed out roads and sent rivers over their banks. Our Chad Myers standing by in the CNN severe weather center.

Chad, are we seeing most of the rain today? Is it over?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, it's not over by any means. In fact, it's moving to the East, so other areas that didn't flood yesterday will flood again today and then could even move back into Atlanta, Georgia, for the weekend.

Look at all these areas. See that everywhere there? That is all a flood event. This entire -- all the way from Ohio, all the way back to Dallas and as far south as San Antonio, there has been enough weather for the past couple of days, enough rain to cause flooding in all of those areas.

And now we have red boxes. Red boxes mean tornado watches. Not so much that a tornado's on the ground, but the potential is there for a tornado. Now, something no one else has, right here, see these buttons on the bottom? Any time a tornado pops up, a tornado warning pops up, this entire map will turn red. All the bars are on the outside will turn red. You will know the exact moment that I know that a tornado warning has been issued.

We have for just about Greenville, Mississippi, you guys are under the only real significant rotation warning that I've seen so far. If you're in Greenville, Mississippi, in the next 15 minutes, you need to be taking cover.

For tomorrow, rain showers all the way from the Carolinas down into Texas. A little bit of light snow up here. We were just kind of chatting. The weekend producer coming over here to the weather office and said, what's going on for the weekend? I'm thinking there could be snow for a Colorado baseball game. We'll have to see if that comes to fruition, Don.

LEMON: No snow in Death Valley, though, down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

MYERS: No, just rain though.

Did you see that Nebraska game last night?

LEMON: I did not see it. I had to get up early in order to be here.

MYERS: Talk about the swamp. That was a swamp.

LEMON: All right, thank you, Chad. See you later.

He's one of the chief architects of the nation's tax laws. Should a powerful congressman step aside? Will his own taxes, under cloud of investigation, will that make him have to step aside, I should say?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: On Capitol Hill, Congressman Charlie Rangel's problems are growing. The House Ethics Committee plans to take a wider look at his finances. CNN's Brianna Keilar has the new information.

Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, the House Ethics Committee has announced that it is expanding its investigation of Chairman Rangel to include corrections that he made to his mandatory financial disclosure statements. So now their investigation will also encompass his failure to disclose some of his assets to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, the way it works, really, is members of Congress have to disclose that kind of thing. They have to publicly put out there what their worth is and what their assets are.

Now, we actually knew that Chairman Rangel had corrected these omissions earlier this summer, but the new thing here is the committee saying they are going to include this in their investigation. Really, this is added to a list of things that they are looking at Chairman Rangel for. And he is the head of that very powerful tax-writing committee in the House. That is why this investigation has particular significance.

The Ethics Committee also looking at him for his -- admittedly, he said he did this, that he failed not only to disclose $75,000 in income he got from a rental property he owns in the Dominican Republic, from renting that out, but not only that, he failed to pay taxes on that $75,000. So it's really -- those are some of the key things among a list of items that the ethics committee is looking at Chairman Rangel for.

And the chairman's office, for their part, said this is really just a technicality. This is nothing new, this announcement of an expanded investigation. But Republicans are saying that is not true. They say this is just another reason why Chairman Rangel should step down.

Don.

LEMON: All right, thank you very much for that, Brianna.

After 12 years, basketball's first lady is leaving the court for good. I'm talking about Lisa Leslie. She tells us why she's calling it quits.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Time now for top stories.

President Barack Obama meets with senior military advisors about two hours from now. They will discuss war strategy for Afghanistan, including the sensitive issue of whether to send thousands more U.S. troops to that battle zone.

Pakistan is blaming the Taliban for a massive car bombing today in the city of Peshawar. A suicide bomber detonated 120 pounds of explosives in a busy marketplace, killing 49 people and wounding 135 others. A government official calls it the city's deadliest attack.

At least 97 people are now confirmed dead from massive mud slides and flooding in the Philippines. Rescue groups say close to 200 others are missing and they are feared dead. The devastation was caused by heavy rains from a downgraded typhoon.

From a player to a fan. Lisa Leslie. Look up, there she is. She talks about her decision to leave the WNBA and her future plans.

Are you ready to talk, Lisa?

LISA LESLIE, FORMER BASKETBALL PLAYER: I'm ready.

LEMON: See you in a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAGIC JOHNSON, BASKETBALL PLAYER: Thank you for blessing us with your talent, with your big heart and giving back to the city of Los Angeles. You are a world champion. You are a gold medal winner. But also, you're a world champion daughter, mother, wife and friend. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You know, you can add to that, what Magic said, you can add basketball's first lady to that list of names there. Lisa Leslie is leaving the court, though, and it's what we're talking about today in our "What Matters" segment in partnership with "Essence" magazine.

Leslie is the most decorated player in the history of the WMBA. She retired after the L.A. Sparks were knocked out by the WNBA play- offs by the Phoenix Mercury, in the playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury. Today is the final game of the WNBA championship between the Mercury and the Indiana Fever. And Lisa Leslie will be watching for the first time as just a fan. She's always been a fan, but this time she won't be playing, she'll just be a fan. Lisa Leslie joins me now from Los Angeles.

Hey, good to see you. You look great. You look happy. You look calm. Almost zen like. Are you feeling that?

LESLIE: I feel wonderful. I am so excited to have decided to retire from the WNBA. I've truly give this sport my all since I was 12 years old, playing in four different Olympics, obviously winning gold medals and winning two WNBA championships. And it's just been a highlight. It's been a dream come true for me to play and represent my city, my state and even my country.

LEMON: I mean, you've been playing for, really, almost as long -- almost as long as the league's been around. You took off one year -- I think it was 13 years, but you took off one. So, you say 12 years.

LESLIE: Yes.

LEMON: That is quite a career. That's quite a lengthy career. It's you and Brett Favre, you know?

LESLIE: Well, I promise, I won't Brett Favre you, because I'm not coming back. I have truly retired and hung up my sneakers and just looking forward to basically transitioning. I know it's considered a retirement, but I'm a little too young. I don't have quite enough money to just go sit home and do nothing, though. I'm looking forward.

LEMON: Transitioning into what, though? Transitioning into what?

LESLIE: I would like to go into broadcasting. You know, if you ever need a day off, I can come in and talk about, you know, the political issues that are going on around the world.

LEMON: Come on in.

LESLIE: Or, you know, broadcasting, whether it's NBA basketball or WNBA, I would love to stay close to the game as well.

LEMON: Can we talk some business real quick, and best of luck to you with that as well. I'm sure you'll have a very promising -- you had a very promising career in broadcasting. LESLIE: Yes.

LEMON: You know, there are people who say, you know, the WNBA doesn't get the attention that it should get. And a lot of people don't support it enough.

LESLIE: Right.

LEMON: What do you think about the future of the WNBA? And also, are you going to work to try to improve that image?

LESLIE: I am going to work to try to improve that image. I think that there has been phenomenal basketball being played in these WNBA finals that many people have missed. We have been on ESPN2, as well as NBA television. But I think it's important for the media to do a much better job of covering the WNBA, to see basketball, to see the highlights in each city would be important to me.

I always say, it's not our fault that we were born girls, we just want to play too and we really would love to have our place here in the world of sports and to be included. When you see the sports tomorrow, we would love to see the WNBA finals and who won and the different highlights that happened in that game. So for me it is a constant fight even though I'm walking away from the game physically, I won't be out there, I still hope to be in the studios and out in the games and hoping to get us a place, you know, in the media world.

LEMON: I want to cover several more topics with you real quickly. First, who are you going to be rooting for tonight?

LESLIE: I will be rooting for Phoenix. I think Phoenix is the better team. I do love Tamika Catchings in Indiana, and she's very deserving of a championship as well. So, I wouldn't be mad about either one. But I think Diana Taurasi is the best player in the WNBA. She's proven that all year long and winning the MVP. And it will be great to see Phoenix go out on top.

LEMON: OK. You know, I notice that you said that you have -- I read that you've been paying particular attention to politics, especially over the last selection period. And you have some thoughts of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to President Barack Obama.

LESLIE: Well, I think it's just absolutely wonderful. I think President Obama has done a great job of recognizing that the world was very separated when it came to the USA. And since I have played in several Olympics, I've been all around the world and, you know, we haven't been treated that well. The United States has not been welcomed the way that we used to be. So I think that President Obama has done a really good job of allowing us to have talks with countries that didn't prior before, you know, during the Bush administration, they didn't want to talk to us. I mean, Russia, for example.

So I think it's great for us to have more peace treaties around the world and making sure that we strengthen our alliances with other countries. And I think President Obama is, you know, he's responsible for that. And I think when you talk about the Nobel Peace Prize, it's all about peace. World peace.

LEMON: Yes. I wish you could talk longer. We could talk longer. Come see me in Atlanta. Come on the show any time. You're welcome back here. Congratulations. Best of luck to you, OK.

LESLIE: Thank you so much.

LEMON: All right, Lisa Leslie, everyone. We're back in a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lisa Leslie coming out of the game with 2:21 to play. Let's listen to the crowd.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Los Angeles police have charged a UCLA senior with attempted murder. The horrifying attack happened in a chemistry lab on the UCLA campus. Witnesses say the suspect punched a female student, then slit her throat. The two reportedly had an altercation, but the extent of their relationship isn't clear. The victim underwent surgery and is said to be improving.

That's it for me, Don Lemon. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Kyra Phillips.

Take it away, Kyra.