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American Morning
Obama to Announce Afghan Decision; Obamas Host First State Dinner; India's Prime Minister Singh is President Obama's First State Visitor; Local Chains Take On Megachains
Aired November 24, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Tuesday morning to you. Thanks for joining us on the Most News in the Morning.
It is the 24th of November, one day before the big getaway day. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. And a little bit later, Rob Marciano is going to show us how airlines are working to make sure everything runs smoothly for Thanksgiving travel.
I'm Kiran Chetry. Here are the big stories we're going to be telling you about in the next 15 minutes.
The decision about whether or not to send more troops to Afghanistan, just days away, and that's the word now from the White House after a late-night closed-door huddle between President Obama and his National Security team. We're live at the Pentagon with brand-new developments this morning.
ROBERTS: President Obama ready to host his first state dinner at the White House tonight. The guest of honor, the prime minister of India. It will be a lavish affair and there is a lot at stake for the administration.
Our Jill Dougherty on why India matters now more than ever.
CHETRY: And the economy. We know it's going to be rough for -- for a little while longer. We also know that the economy is growing for the first time this year. The big question, though, by how much? And does that mean new jobs?
Our CNN Money team is standing by for new numbers which may show the recovery is not as big as we originally thought.
First, though, President Obama may be ready to commit to a new strategy for Afghanistan. After meeting with his national security team for the ninth time last night, the White House says the president is now within days of announcing whether he'll send more troops to the war zone.
Our Elaine Quijano is live at the Pentagon.
And, Elaine, what have your sources told you about the president's time frame for this announcement?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're still waiting with bated breath on that one, Kiran. But we know this meeting last night lasted roughly two hours, wrapped up around 10:00 Eastern Time in the White House Situation Room. Afterwards, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that this was a rigorous final meeting and he said that President Obama now has the information he wants and needs to make a decision. And as you noted, the White House is saying that this is expected to be announced within days.
Now, the president, since September, has met with his war council a total of nine times in the Situation Room for this Afghanistan strategy review. And it's interesting to note that there's another meeting scheduled today, albeit a smaller meeting, the president is expected to meet with the defense secretary, Robert Gates, in the Oval Office, along with Vice President Joe Biden. Not sure if the topic -- the main topic there is going to be Afghanistan. But that is on the president's schedule, Kiran, for later today -- Kiran.
CHETRY: You know, and this is a war council meeting. Of course, it's full of national security advisers, defense officials. There was someone there that people may not have expected to be there. Tell us who.
QUIJANO: That's right. Peter Orszag. Not necessarily a household name, but, certainly, a powerful player within the Obama administration. He is the White House budget chief.
And it's interesting, to look at the photo that the White House released, you see him there, definitely, clearly in that photograph, seated next to the ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice -- obviously, concern about the cost of war. We've heard this already about lawmakers expressing concern how is the administration planning to pay for this ongoing war effort in Afghanistan.
Obviously, as all of these topics are being discussed, Peter Orszag, part of those conversations. He was not on the original attendee list that the White House released yesterday, but, clearly, very prominent place there at the table as the White House continued its deliberations last night -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Elaine Quijano for us this morning at the Pentagon -- thanks.
ROBERTS: President Obama hosts the prime minister of India for an official state visit today. It is the highest honor that the White House can bestow upon a foreign dignitary. There will be a lavish state dinner tonight, the first one hosted by the Obamas, a huge deal, 400 guests out there on the South Lawn of the White House.
Our Jill Dougherty is live at the White House for us this morning.
And a lot of time and effort are going into this visit. Just how important is the relationship between the United States and India, Jill?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You know, John, you'd have to say that India's clout politically, economically, and in other ways is really growing. And that's why you're seeing what you're going to be seeing today.
This is actually the second state visit for Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of India. He was here in July of 2005, guest of President Bush. And that is really when the relationship began to take off.
But now, you have some opinion in India that maybe President Obama isn't giving as much attention or placing it on as high a level as President Bush did. And that's why a lot of the fanfare that we're going to be seeing is meant to answer that question.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): It's the world's largest democracy. Population: almost 1.2 billion. It's a nuclear power, a major trading partner with the U.S.
Now, President Barack Obama puts India center stage, hosting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his first state dinner -- so large the White House has constructed a massive tent on the back lawn.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is a very important relationship with a very important country that we have in the world. That's why India was chosen to be the first visit.
DOUGHERTY: The relationship started with economics and trade. President George W. Bush reached a landmark civil nuclear deal which allowed the U.S. to do business with India on nuclear technology. Now, no matter what the issue, India's importance is growing -- counterterrorism, nonproliferation, climate change, the conflict in Afghanistan.
MANMOHAN SINGH, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER: I sincerely hope that the world community would have the wisdom to stay engaged in that process and any premature talk of exit will only embolden the terrorist elements who are out to destabilize, not only our part of the world, but civilized worlds everywhere.
DOUGHERTY: President Obama's recent visit to China and his attention to Beijing makes India nervous. So does his focus on India's neighbor and rival, Pakistan. This visit is one way Mr. Obama will try to alleviate those concerns.
But long-term, India's burgeoning economy and its affect on global warming, says one expert, could be a key issue between the U.S. and India.
TERESITA S. SCHAFFER, CSIS: I will also be listening for what, if anything, they say about climate change, where India and the United States are actually both having a little difficulty taming this issue domestically. We both have serious domestic problems with what we'd like to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY: So, climate change, energy, even Afghanistan -- you name it -- it's a very broad relationship.
And speaking of Afghanistan, John, you know, this visit is coming as President Obama is finishing up his strategy on Afghanistan. And India does play a role in that, because as U.S. officials look at it, the animosity between India and Pakistan is having a bad affect on the effort in Afghanistan because the U.S. would argue that Pakistan is more focused on perceived threats from India, sometimes, than it is on the threat from the Taliban -- John.
ROBERTS: And in fact, Jill, that's a question we'll put to Ambassador Nick Burns coming up just after the break. Jill Dougherty -- thanks so much.
Why is India such a significant ally? What about these other issues? Nick Burns is going to join us in just a couple of moments. He held diplomatic posts in the Clinton and Bush White Houses; now, a professor at the Kennedy School at Harvard. We'll get his insights on what Hillary Clinton is calling U.S.-India 3.0 -- just ahead.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, Iran's president says the courts will decide whether three American hikers will be released or punished. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is saying that the hikers did enter Iran illegally, but that he hopes a judge issues a lenient verdict. Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal, and Sarah Shourd were charged with spying on November 9th, more than three months after they were arrested for crossing over an unmarked border from northern Iraq. The U.S. says they are just innocent tourists.
ROBERTS: Is it Sanford's last stand? The South Carolina governor accused of breaking state ethics laws a whopping 37 times. Meantime, state legislators today will begin debating a measure to impeach him. Sanford was a rising star in the Republican Party before he disappeared in June and later revealed that he had a mistress in Argentina. South Carolina lawmakers say Sanford's actions brought shame and ridicule to the state.
CHETRY: Well, celebrity chef Paula Deen is a "Good Samaritan," but also a good sport. She was helping out an Atlanta charity yesterday, tossing hams down the line when one of the volunteers tossed one back -- oh, there you go, it smacked her right in the face. Deen, though, ended up laughing it off in the end, saying, "I ran head-on into a hog."
ROBERTS: She's a "Good Samaritan" and a good sport. She is obviously not a good catch.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Poor thing. They were frozen, even worse. Ouch!
ROBERTS: Revenge of the hogs, I guess.
Ambassador Nick Burns with the U.S. relationship with India. Why it's so important? Coming up right after the break.
Eight minutes after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
They will be dusting off tuxedos all over Washington, D.C. today. President Obama hosts his first official state dinner at the White House tonight. India's prime minister is the guest -- quite an honor for a nation that we don't hear much about these days.
So, why is the administration making such a fuss over India?
Ambassador Nicholas Burns joins us now from Newton, Massachusetts. He held diplomatic posts in the Clinton and Bush White Houses; now a professor at the Kennedy School at Harvard University.
Mr. Ambassador, good to see you this morning. This is the third state dinner for an Indian prime minister in the last decade -- 2000, Bill Clinton hosted Prime Minister Vajpayee. Manmohan Singh was here in 2005, now back again.
Why so much focus on India?
AMBASSADOR R. NICHOLAS BURNS, HARVARD'S KENNEDY SCHOOL: Well, John, India is one of our most important global partners. Think of this largest democracy in the world, so it has that democratic link with the United States. It's going to be central to whether or not we can be successful in Afghanistan and with Pakistan. And globally, on everything from climate change to terrorism to nuclear proliferation, India is going to be central to what we want to do in the world.
So, I think we're looking at a relationship that is about as important as any we have in the world.
ROBERTS: And how is that relationship these days? President Clinton went a long way to putting it on a new track with his visit there in the spring of 2000. George W. Bush had a great relationship with India.
What's the state of the relationship now?
BURNS: You know, it's one of the great bipartisan successes. We don't have too many of those in recent American history. President Clinton and President Bush made India a major priority. And now, President Obama has taken the step of inviting India's Prime Minister Singh to be the first state visitor.
So, I think the Obama administration is trying to signal that India is important. There's a perception that among some Indians that maybe the United States is more interested in China or Pakistan. So they have an opportunity to dispel that perception this week.
ROBERTS: You wrote an op-ed in "The Boston Globe" in which you suggested that some Indian officials think, well, maybe the relationship has been a little neglected as of late. And you said, quote, "President Obama faces a classic diplomatic challenge in South Asia -- how to balance a short-term need for progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan without losing sight of our equally important long-term ambitions with India."
How does he strike that balance?
BURNS: Well, it's an important balance, because obviously, the president has made the right choice in putting our priority attention at least this year into Afghanistan. That's where we're fighting this very difficult war.
But over the long-term, if we want to be successful as a country, everything from space research, to education, to agriculture, to fighting terrorism -- we have one major global power that is also a democracy, and that's India. And you know -- you know, John, the balance of power in the world is shifting towards the east, towards Asia.
So, we're going to need a strong relationship with India, as well as Japan and Australia, to make sure that we can balance China's power in the future. And for all those reasons, I think this is a very important visit. I think the Obama administration has a major opportunity now to show that it is essentially in line with the last two administrations so that we can have another bipartisan success in crafting this very important partnership.
ROBERTS: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has talked about U.S.-India 3.0, as she puts it -- how the relationship will evolve going forward.
What do you think are some of the most important aspects of this relationship and how the Obama administration should approach it going forward?
BURNS: Well, certainly, energy, look for cooperation on energy this week. If we're going to have a deal on climate change, globally, India, the U.S., and China will need to be part of it.
Second, agriculture. India has the largest number of poor people in the world. It wants the United States, and particularly our land grant institutions in the Midwest to be helpful in a second green agricultural revolution in India.
And third, I'd say, military ties, because the United States and India are really natural partners. Our navies and air forces are working together. And so, I think there's an opportunity -- India had relied on Russian technology for 60 years -- an opportunity for the United States, perhaps, to replace that.
There's really no limit to where this relationship between two great capitalistic countries, two great democracies can take us. So, it's appropriate that President Obama has made Prime Minister Singh his first state visitor.
ROBERTS: And Jill Dougherty was mentioning a moment ago. I don't know if you heard it or not, the important role that India plays in Afghanistan. Pakistan has come to the United States several times and said, can you do something to get India off of our doorstep along our southern border so that we can take some of those troops that are protecting that frontier and send them to fight the Taliban.
Do you think that will come up during the state meeting? Will president Obama say to Manmohan Singh, if we can dial down tensions between you and Pakistan, they can shift more of their resources to the fight against the Taliban and that will be in all of our interests.
BURNS: I think that will certainly be at the center of the agenda this week, John. Because, you know, this is the most important issue now for the United States. Can we succeed in Afghanistan? It is partially dependent on convincing Pakistan to be more cooperative in the fight against those terrorist groups. And therefore if India and Pakistan can reduce tensions, we'll have a better chance of achieving that. So, that relationship is important.
And you know, the United States is not going to be an outright mediator between Pakistan and India, but we can quietly behind the scenes push them to reduce their problems. They are two nuclear-armed countries. The last thing in the world we should want to see is a conflict between them. And this is the one-year anniversary of the horrible terrorist attacks in Mumbai. So, we can cooperate with India on counterterrorism.
ROBERTS: And Mr. Ambassador, is it possible to dial down tensions between those two countries without resolving the Kashmir issue?
BURNS: Well, ultimately, Kashmir is the greatest difference between them. But I think it is possible to have tensions dissipate so that Pakistan can focus on Afghanistan, India can grow unfettered. And the great worry that India has is that so many of the terrorist attacks against its country have emanated from Pakistan itself, including last year's Mumbai attack.
So, the responsibility for progress in the India/Pakistan relationship goes both ways. It's not just what India can do for Pakistan, but Pakistanis need to do a much better job of reducing the terrorist threat from their own territory.
ROBERTS: Ambassador Nick Burns, it's always great to talk to you. Thanks for joining us this morning.
BURNS: Pleasure, John. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, did political correctness play a role in the Fort Hood shooting? There are some who say it could have been stopped, including a former CIA officer who has some harsh words for the FBI. We're going to be talking to him about his point of view and challenge him on some of the things he is saying as well. 17 minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: 19 and a half minutes past the hour. A look at New York City this morning. 49 degrees right now and cloudy, as you can see there. A little bit later, we've got some drizzle, a high of 54. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Well, good news for your investments. In a little more than 90 minutes, the Dow Jones kicks off the trading day at a 13- month high. Blue chips gaining 133 points yesterday, closing at 10,451. The surge fueled in part by a strong housing report out yesterday.
ROBERTS: The National Retail Federation is painting an upbeat picture for Black Friday, well, for retailers, anyways. Not necessarily those of you looking for deals. A brand-new survey just out this morning shows 16% more people will head to the stores on the busiest shopping day of the year. The question is, how much will they buy? Like always, buyer beware, though. Some of the biggest deals being advertised are quite often found in "limited supplies only."
CHETRY: Again, could that be the case for the hottest toy this year? It's not the Elmo doll, it's not the latest from Nintendo. Apparently, what's going to have most parents searching this year is that little fury hamster, it's called a Zhu Zhu pet, and they're selling out across the country at all the biggest stores, including Toys R' Us, Wal-Mart, Target. They usually sell for less than ten bucks. Of course, you know, already the bidding on some of the online auction sites going for ten times that amount.
ROBERTS: Well, two seniors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are going to England together. They both won Rhodes Scholarships to study at Oxford University. Tarheels Henry Spellman and Libby Longino will both receive tuition, board, and living expenses for two years - an annual value of about $50,000 dollars. Libby will be studying human trafficking, while Henry pursues a doctorate in Latin and Greek. Some famous Rhodes scholars, Former President Bill Clinton, NBA all-star Bill Bradley, and singer song writer and actor, Chris Christoffersen.
CHETRY: Wow, one went on to be president, famous basketball player, an then, you know, an actor. How about that?
ROBERTS: And Christine Freeman from the Financial Times still often comes in, she's a Rhodes scholar as well. So we're keeping the company of some very bright people these days, which is always good for everybody.
Success in sour times. Local chains take on Wal-Mart, Target, and Costco, the big box stores. Can they survive? Our Jason Carroll has got some surprising news for you coming right up. Twenty- two minutes after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Ben Folds, not a Rhodes scholar. Bobby Jindal, however, Rhodes scholar.
CHETRY: Wait, I thought it was Ben Folds 5? Did he go solo?
ROBERTS: There could be five of them and he still wouldn't be a Rhodes scholar. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It's a modern-day version of David versus Goliath. So called local chains, small shops all went together, taking on the Wal-Marts, the Targets, and the Costcos of this world.
CHETRY: But can the little guy really survive when these huge, huge megastores can slash prices so low? Jason Carroll is here this morning with part two of our A.M. original series, "Success in Sour Times." And some of these small businesses are banding together and they're doing it.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And they are doing it. And they are doing it successfully. Target, you know, I like that. My mom says Target. I digressed. Anyway, yes.
ROBERTS: These sophisticated...
(LAUGHTER)
CARROLL: Way to do it. And, yes, these little guys are doing it. They're beating the sophisticated targets of the world and they are doing it in very unique ways. You know, we actually found some examples of some homegrown entrepreneurs. They built themselves little empires among the giants.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): They've dominated American consumer culture, Wal-Mart, Target, Costco -- megachain stores. But in one Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood, a phenomenon is taking hold, the local chains. Small businesses linked by a common theme and unlike their big chain rivals, these little upstarts are located practically right next to each other.
PATRICK WATSON, LOCAL CHAIN OWNER: We're not cloning one thing and putting it somewhere else. We're trying to target a neighborhood that we know and love incredibly well and fill the gaps in. We did have to move about a block -
CARROLL: Patrick Watson and his wife, Michelle Provada, first opened Smith and Vine, a wine shop. Then came their cheese store, Stinky Brooklyn, across the street.
This is probably the consistency you're looking for.
CARROLL: Finally opening their bar, Jake Walk, about a block away. Doing it just four months after Wall Street crashed.
CARROLL (on camera): Any nervousness at all, given the economy, knowing what you guys are doing?
I don't know. I just think we were just kind of young and, let's just do it!
CARROLL (voice-over): The local chain concept is simple, identify your customer, cater to their tastes, and once successful, expand within a neighborhood where you've already established a following. The couple knew their Brooklyn neighborhood was gentrifying and opened businesses to reflect a hipper crowd.
I can really trust the product if I go here. There's knowledgeable people --
Oh definitely, I go get my cheese over there and I come back here to get the wine and then I'll have a little drink at the bar.
CARROLL: Loretta Genville gets the appeal. She owns seven stores also in the same Brooklyn neighborhood under the generic name Airya, ranging from a boutique spa to a toy store.
LORETTA GENDVILLE, LOCAL CHAIN OWNER: We have kind of a history with customers. We get to know our customers and they get to know us.
CARROLL: Experts say more local chains could be on the way.
RAY KEATING, SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP COUNCIL: Entrepreneurs are innovators. And, once the word gets out that this is going on in certain areas, I think you'll have more entrepreneurs considering it. Absolutely.
CARROLL: Patrick and Michelle say they've been rewarded not only with profits, but something else they value, loyalty.
WATSON: You can never expect someone to care about your business as much as you do, but I find that that's sort of a contradiction around here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Well, Patrick and Michelle's businesses are actually doing well. Their bar, Jakewalk, only had one month in the red. Their cheese and wine store have never actually had a down month, despite stiff competition from Trader Joes just a few blocks away. Kiran is making me laugh.
CHETRY: Well, I think you can do both, you can get your 600 towels, paper towels at, you know, Target or Wal-Mart and you can enjoy your fine wine and cheeses -
CARROLL: Because we know how you love the big discount stores, so we have to give it up for the little guy out there doing their thing.
ROBERTS: Good, do they have any Evanthal at that cheese shop?
CARROLL: They have everything at that cheese shop, including some very stinky cheese, but very good cheese.
CHETRY: That's right. The smellier, the better.
ROBERTS: Jason, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: So, in tough times, farmers are banding together and focusing on customers looking to eat local foods. It's called network farming. Tomorrow, Jason brings us part three of our A.M. original series, "Success in Sour Times."
CHETRY: Twenty minutes past the hour right now. A check of our top stories. Happening right now, a live news conference from space. The 12 astronauts on the space shuttle "Atlantis" and the international space station are talking to reporters. They're in Houston and D.C. and cape Canaveral -- the reporters. The astronauts are at space. It's the first time we've heard from Atlantis astronaut, Randy Bresnik about his new daughter. She was born about the same time that her dad was on a six-hour spacewalk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDY BRESNIK, ATLANTIS ASTRONAUT: Time came when I had some free time and was able to see the pictures and call down. It was just wonderful to find out the news and to be able to see her for the first time, two days ago. And hopefully, as soon as we land, you know, it's a lot less on us shuttle crew who are coming home after 11 days. We've got people here who have been up here for three months and our ISS crew that just went over the 180-day mark. And I think, the common theme you'll hear from all of us, is we just want to see our, you know, we're just looking forward to seeing our families as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And that's great news for the couple. You know, they'd once been told by their doctor that their odds of having a baby were 1 in a million.
ROBERTS: Icebergs down. Australian scientist say under more than 100 ice chunks, some of them 650 feet across, have been spotted heading towards New Zealand. Rare in waters that far north. They have issued a warning for ships to be on alert. The icebergs are smaller remnants of the giant chunks that were seen off of Australia earlier this month, including one estimated to be twice the size of China's giant bird nest Olympic stadium.
CHETRY: Well, an attorney for Ft. Hood's shooting suspect Major Nidal Hasan is saying that his client will likely plead not guilty and could actually pursue an insanity defense when he goes to a military trial.
The lawyer is saying that Hasan's mental state must be considered because the allegations go against his lifestyle and military career. Hasan is accused of killing 13 people. He still remains in intensive care. Some lawmakers and military analysts have publicly questioned whether the Ft. Hood shootings could have been stopped if political correctness didn't get in the way. Our next guest goes even further, writing in "The Wall Street Journal" that this was the first Islamist terrorist strike in America since 9/11. He says the threat of homegrown terror is real and that the FBI is not ready to fight it.
Let's bring in Reuel Marc Gerecht. He's a former CIA agent and senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Good to have you with us this morning, Raul.
REUEL MARC GERECHT, SENIOR FELLOW, FOUNDATION FOR THE DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: My pleasure.
CHETRY: So you refer to this shooting as the first Islamist terror strike in the U.S. since 9/11. Investigators have not concluded that at this point. What makes you think that it's more than a disturbed individual who attacked his fellow soldiers and happened to be Muslim?
GERECHT: Because everything that we know about the gentleman says that he became enraptured with Islamic radicalism. He was in correspondence with a gentleman, Al Awlaki, who is a well-known pro-al Qaeda imam. The man's pattern is very, very similar to Islamic militants affiliated with al Qaeda who have been arrested in Europe.
I mean, he is an Islamic militant and he unquestionably believed in jihadism.
CHETRY: It's interesting, the FBI is dismissing that, defending some of the actions about Major Hasan, specifically the e-mails you just referred to, where he was corresponding with the radical imam.
Even former President Bush's terror adviser Juan Carlos Irada is saying that given the cover he used, which was somebody researching the effects on Muslim soldiers of operating in Muslim countries, it didn't necessarily raise the specter of dangerous or criminal activity.
So are we asking our agencies, our federal agencies to be super human, to know more than they could actually possibly know?
GERECHT: I don't think that's true. I think if the FBI were to release those e-mails, I think a rational human being would look at them and go, oh, my lord in heaven.
The psychiatrist does not correspond with a radical cleric to figure out how American soldiers are thinking. If he were treating jihadists, then it would make sense for him to perhaps correspond with Al Awlaki. But that position, I don't think, is sustainable, and I think the FBI is actually starting to walk away from it.
CHETRY: Well, you say that religion, specifically Islam, is a sensitive subject for the Bureau, and if Major Hasan had been an officer in the cold war and he had expressed sympathy for the Soviet Union, perhaps corresponded with somebody, he would have been surrounded by counterintelligence officers.
Do you think that political correctness played a role in missing warning signs?
GERECHT: Certainly. I mean, I think in both the case for the military and the case for the FBI, people were too sensitive to religion. I mean, this is a long-standing problem in the United States. It's -- it is, in many ways, commendable.
But when you're dealing with counterterrorism, I think you have to be pretty straightforward and you have to say that someone who is Muslim, who expresses fraternity, a greater fraternity for the Islamic community abroad, who believes the United States is engaged in criminal acts in the Middle East, has to be considered a potential terrorist threat.
CHETRY: So what do you do, then, in practical purposes? You need Muslims to be serving in our military. Most of them, I guess you could say, are serving honorably and helping out. So what is the FBI to do?
GERECHT: Well, I mean the FBI, I think, when it receives information that a member of the American military who is Muslim is corresponding with a radical cleric in Yemen who has a long history with al Qaeda, that alarms should go off.
I mean, the vast majority of American Muslims are serving, and the soldiers are serving honorably and there's no issue. That's why we have counterintelligence services. They are supposed to sift through these things. They're supposed to be curious. They're supposed to be adult. And they're to look for individuals who have all the warning signs that we've got a serious problem.
CHETRY: Your op-ed also calls out our president. In fact, you say that President Obama's, quote, "Determined effort not to mention Islam in terrorist discussions weaken America's counterterrorism." You also charge that he's on the wrong side of history when it comes to this issue. What do you mean?
GERECHT: I mean, it's not a good idea for the president of the United States to essentially take a position which is, say, to the left of what the 9/11 commission report did.
I mean, the 9/11 commission report, which was very sensitive to Muslim issues in the United States, to religion, nevertheless said quite clearly that our problem is Islamist terrorism.
The president doesn't want to do this. I think he's probably well intentioned, but it isn't helpful if you've got counterintelligence services that are already sensitive to the issue of surveilling possible Muslim threats in the United States, to say that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism. It's surreal.
CHETRY: So is there a case to be made, though, that this outreach that the president has tried very hard to do to the Islamist world could help diffuse radical elements of the religion? GERECHT: No, I think it's actually more likely just the opposite. I think the position would be a lot more helpful and a lot more healthy if the president would speak honestly.
In Cairo, he said, I intend to speak the truth. And I think the truth is that there is obviously a problem with Islamic militancy, that Islamic militancy isn't just a fringe movement in the Muslim world, that it is a fairly wide river.
And there are very basic questions that need to be asked. And the president of the United States, President Obama, would be well suited to ask him.
And I think he's quite talented rhetorically, and he's in a very good position to actually open a debate, open a dialogue that has real meaning and not just, essentially, taking positions which are politically correct and soft-pedaling the issues.
CHETRY: Reuel Marc Gerecht, former CIA officer and now a senior fellow for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
We're going to link up your op-ed with our Web site so people can read it themselves and see what they think. And we invite people to weigh in as well. Thanks for your time and your input this morning.
GERECHT: My pleasure.
ROBERTS: Revised third quarter GDP numbers are in. Good news, but not quite as good as first thought. Our Christine Romans breaking it all down for you coming right up.
It's 37 minutes now after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Just into CNN this morning, the revised GDP figures for the third quarter of 2009, and Christine Romans here with the details.
Good morning.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: This is taking the pulse of the recovery. And we have told you earlier that the economy grew in the third quarter 3.5 percent. Now the government has revised those numbers, as it always does, and the economy only grew 2.8 percent in the quarter. That's a positive number. You can see that we are off four quarters -- those red bars just before there, one, two, three, four -- that was the brutal, painful recession. There has been a rebound, a recovery in economic growth. The recovery still stands, folks, but it wasn't as strong, it wasn't as energetic as we had originally thought.
Why wasn't it as strong? Consumers spent a little less than they first thought. Construction, business construction in particular, was not as robust as it first appeared.
And our trade deficit was a bigger drag on the economy's growth than we had first thought. That trade deficit, of course, the difference between what we import and what we export. Both imports and exports are growing right now, but of course imports are growing at a greater pace. That's almost like the bad old days, remember?
But 2.8 percent is what the economy grew. And many people are looking for the next quarter, the quarter we're in right now, to also show positive economic growth. So, again, this still suggests that the economy may have turned around and the recession may have ended in the end of the summer. That is still the case, but it just wasn't as -- the best word to use is "energetic." It just as energetic as we once thought.
I think this will feed into the purely political debate about the stimulus. When we first reported the 3.5 percent economic growth, you remember that the White House quickly took claim that it was the...
ROBERTS: Took ads out in all the local newspapers.
ROMANS: Right. But said it was the stimulus that really helped things. Now I think you will hear opponents of the stimulus say, look, we spent all that money and only got 2.8 percent growth? That's a purely political argument. Many people say the stimulus is largely behind these numbers. Without it you would have another contraction in the economy.
ROBERTS: And you don't have to tell anyone without a job there are still hard times out there.
ROMANS: That's absolutely right.
ROBERTS: Christine Romans, thanks.
CHETRY: Still ahead, we'll be talking about the White House state dinner that's happening tonight. The president and the first lady hosting their first one in that beautiful big tent right there on the White House lawn. Our Suzanne Malveaux got a sneak peak at some of the secrets from behind the scenes.
It's 42 minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: That's a live look at the White House. It's going to be a busy scene there today. It's cloudy right now, 48 degrees. A little bit later, some rain, 53 degrees for a high today.
Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning at 45 minutes past the hour.
Tonight's official state dinner at the White House is one tough ticket to get your hands on. It's the first state dinner being hosted by the Obamas. For the well-heeled in Washington it means a lot of arm twisting to land an invitation. Because it's not just a must-see event, it's an event where you must be seen.
And as Suzanne Malveaux reports, putting this party together takes an awful lot of planning.
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SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the most treasured and formal honor the president can offer. The First Couple literally roll out the Red Carpet. The event is timed down to the second. A state dinner is the ultimate prize.
AMY ZANTZINGER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARY: Invitations from the White House...
MALVEAUX: Social Secretary for President George W. Bush, Amy Zantzinger coordinated a few of these dinners, but she says this one will be different.
ZANTZINGER: First, they'll bring the newness, the quote, "Newness of the whole day" because this is their first big dinner.
MALVEAUX: The big dinner will not be in the White House, but under a big tent on the South Lawn. Several hundred lucky guests will have the invites.
(on camera): How do I get an invite to the dinner? How hard is that?
ZANTZINGER: It is very hard to get an invitation. It is very hard. Some invitations are complete surprises to people when they get them and others are a bit more expected.
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Like foreign dignitaries, cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, lawmakers, artists and entertainers.
ZANTZINGER: The word's out that the state dinners are a tough one to crash.
MALVEAUX (on camera): Ok, just in case, I'm planning on it.
ZANTZINGER: Exactly. Exactly.
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Seating is critical. Deciding just not who should sit together, but who should be kept apart, especially for politicians.
ZANTZINGER: It's always nice to be aware who's run against who and how bitter was the race.
MALVEAUX: The White House pays close attention to every detail.
ZANTZINGER: The appetizer with the lobster...
MALVEAUX: From the silverware.
ZANTZINGER: Some people get overwhelmed by the number of forks and spoons and knives.
MALVEAUX (on camera): It's overwhelming. (voice-over): To the finger bowls.
ZANTZINGER: But you can always see people looking around to figure out, what are they supposed to do with this? You just hope people don't drink it.
MALVEAUX (on camera): Don't drink the bath water, ok.
(voice-over): And of course, there's the menu.
ZANTZINGER: The chef will have done tasting menus prior to the dinner for the President and the First Lady to taste.
MALVEAUX: The First Lady will choose the flowers, the table cloths and the china to be used that night. She will be presented with the completed centerpieces and place settings to pick from.
(on camera): Do you ever find people take the China or take a silverware as a memento.
ZANTZINGER: It's very sad. Unfortunately, it does happen and it's really upsetting because they are part of the White House history.
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Coordinating the wardrobe is so important. Aides talk ahead of time to make sure that dresses don't clash.
ZANTZINGER: The personal aides will sort of communicate. And it's really more so that they don't duplicate, you know, for them both not to be wearing the same color.
MALVEAUX (on camera): What about the heads of state? The president and the heads of state and the other presidents?
ZANTZINGER: They have it easy. They're just in black ties.
MALVEAUX (voice-over): But just in case there's a spill or a split, the usher's office is at the ready.
ZANTZINGER: Mending issues that they've dealt with.
MALVEAUX (on camera): Wardrobe malfunctions.
ZANTZINGER: Exactly. Wardrobe malfunctions.
MALVEAUX (voice-over): But surprisingly, what makes a successful dinner, it's what you don't plan.
During President Reagan's dinner, Princess Diana and John Travolta took to the dance floor.
ZANTZINGER: You had one of the most beautiful women in the world with one of the best dancers in the world come together in this incredible place. And I think the spontaneity of it and the combination of the two of them was perfection and really livened up a dinner.
MALVEAUX: Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And a live picture this morning in the White House, where they are assembled. It looks like the East Room of the White House. Yes, that is the East Room of the White House, where President Obama will be welcoming Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India along with his wife Gursharan in about 25 minutes time.
You can see on the left-hand side of the screen there of our big Vista wall, that's the north portico of the White House. There will be a welcoming ceremony there, then they'll move inside, joint statements. They're also going to have a lot of meetings today. We talked about some of the big issues on the agenda.
Then, of course, that big state dinner on the South Lawn of the White House tonight.
CHETRY: A lot of people in those pictures holding flags of India and the U.S. in their hands and got their cameras at the ready as well.
ROBERTS: It's a big, big, big event here; the 10th state visit, 10th state visit -- the third state visit in the past ten years for an Indian Prime Minister. So, a big day at the White House.
Coming up next, our "Fit Nation "segment: Dr. Sanjay Gupta with how Weight Watchers clients could lose weight for good. We'll tell you how to do it.
Forty-nine-and-a-half minutes after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Good morning, Baltimore. Well, it's a pretty lousy day; showers and 49 degrees at present. Later on today, the rain continues with a high of only 54.
We're back with The Most News in the Morning. Weight Watchers is giving its clients a unique motivation. It's "Lose for Good" program encourages people to donate a pound of food for every pound they lose.
CHETRY: Yes and Dr. Sanjay Gupta show us how it's helping motivate in more ways than one in his "Fit Nation" report.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rosemary Barresi never considered herself obese.
ROSEMARY BARRESI, LOSE FOR GOOD LEAD VOLUNTEER: I always battled weight, but not -- I'd never thought it was a significant amount of weight; maybe five, ten. GUPTA: But when a neighbor mistakenly called her pregnant, she immediately decided to join Weight Watchers and became a lifetime member.
Now, 12 years later, 31 pounds lighter and a Weight Watchers meeting leader herself, Rosemary and the entire Weight Watchers family are starting to give back in a meaningful, but somewhat ironic way.
BARRESI: We ask our members, if you've lost a pound, you bring in a pound of food to symbolize that weight loss. And what we do in turn is we turn it over to City Harvest which in turn donates to the 10 or 12 groups that are in our local area.
GUPTA: The Lose for Good campaign, as it's being called, is now in its second year and it's delivering some remarkable results.
DAVID KIRCHHOFF, CEO, WEIGHT WATCHERS: This year in seven weeks, our members have lost over four million pounds of weight. They've contributed over two million pounds of food.
GUPTA: It's an astounding amount of food. But for Rosemary, it just simply makes sense.
BARRESI: We have opposite ends of the same rainbow. We're dealing with obesity and these people are dealing with, "Oh, my, how am I going to pull a meal together with what I have in the cabinets?"
GUPTA: And for the organizations receiving the food, it's a very welcome helping hand in a difficult economy.
JILLY STEPHENS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CITY HARVEST: We can pick it up in the morning and that will be on someone's table this evening. So really that's an immediate result and we can't ask for anything better during this time.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Great stuff. As we said, good motivation both ways; you know that every pound you lose, you're also going to help somebody else out.
ROBERTS: It is. It's a great -- anything to motivate because it's difficult to keep those pounds off, particularly around this time of year.
CHETRY: That's very true.
Well, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
It's 55 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning. When they needed a hero, they answered the call. This Thursday, we're going to honor the Top Ten CNN Heroes of 2009 in an All-Star Tribute.
ROBERTS: It's a recognition that can dramatically impact the work that our heroes do.
A prime example: Peter Kithene, a CNN hero nominated in 2007 for the clinic that he founded in Kenya.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Let's marvel at Peter Kithene.
PETER KITHENE, CNN HERO, 2009: It was just a fantastic thing at the right time. Remember two weeks after that, my country went into flames.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In late 2007, Kenya erupted in ethnic violence. Yet in the face of this tragedy, Peter Kithene's clinic, Mama Maria Kenya, thrived.
KITHENE: Going through that as a hero, I was just like, wow, I can show some kind of leadership. While 40 percent of clinics are closing across the country, I didn't close.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, there are two Mama Maria clinics with a third on the way, and the care goes far beyond basic medical needs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really beautiful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Growth Peter credits to the overwhelming support he's received since becoming a CNN hero.
KITHENE: The life at Mama Maria and my dreams have completely being altered. I mean, people listen to me when I talk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The clinics treat more than 14,000 people each year. But for this native son, it is just the beginning of a pledge he made when he was orphaned at the age of 12; a pledge and a dream to make a difference.
KITHENE: The goal is to reach as many communities as possible and there's still a lot of work to do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Though, already, Peter Kithene has come so far.
KITHENE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: He's an amazing man. And you'll see more amazing and inspirational stories when the star-studded tribute airs right here on CNN. It will be shown on Thanksgiving night, 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific; a great show and a lot of great people.
Continue the conversation on today's stories; go to our blog at cnn.com/amfix.
That's going to wrap it up for us on this Tuesday morning. Thanks so much for joining us. We'll see you back here again tomorrow.
Here's "CNN NEWSROOM" with Heidi Collins. Good morning Heidi.
