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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Heavy Fighting in Fallujah, Ramadi; Washington Readies for Rice's Testimony
Aired April 07, 2004 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Heavy fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi but how strong really is the support for Sadr?
Tough talk from the U.S. on Iraq. Rumsfeld says this is a test the U.S. will meet.
Washington readies for Condoleezza Rice, the most anticipated testimony of the year.
Heroin and Afghanistan, the poppy fields are blooming, the illegal industry booming. Can Afghans really crack down?
The power of forgiveness, tonight forgiving infidelity but not forgetting, how your marriage can survive a cheating spouse.
And what's with all the extreme makeovers? Nips and tucks have become cuts and cuts and cuts. Have reality show doctors finally gone too far?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COOPER: And a good evening to you.
Right now an intense battle against insurgents raging in Iraq. Tonight, Fallujah still the number one hot spot for coalition forces. Fighting in the city, street to street. U.S. forces drop two 500- pound bombs on a mosque complex in a battle against insurgents. Witnesses say 40 people were killed. Just about ten miles away to the north, Marines also battled insurgents in nearby Ramadi, killing 18, arresting eight others.
On the story for us tonight in Baghdad, CNN's Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers, at the Pentagon Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre. We begin in Baghdad. Walter, what's the latest?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Anderson.
There's been an appeal for calm here from the country's leading cleric, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. He called on both the United States and the insurgents to ratchet down the violence of which there's been more than a little.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RODGERS (voice-over): Day three, Fallujah, the dogs of war let loose. U.S. Marines battle inspired Iraqi insurgents to regain control of a city lost after four American civilian contractors were massacred there a week ago.
In the fighting, bombs fell within a mosque compound infuriating, electrifying and unifying Muslims but an American general said insurgents have turned the mosque into a fortress.
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: They can be attacked when there is a military necessity brought on by the fact that the enemy is storing weapons, using weapons, inciting violence, executing violence from its grounds.
RODGERS: (Unintelligible) no longer just ambushes but battles for cities, an-Najaf fell largely in the hands of Muqtada al-Sadr's rebels. Ukrainian coalition troops pulled out of Kut, outnumbered by insurgents and Bulgarians in Karbala called for reinforcements. In Baghdad's Sadr City, scene of bloody fighting since Sunday, U.S. armor took up positions to crush the Shiites' Mehdi Army.
KIMMITT: We will attack to destroy the Mehdi Army.
RODGERS: Iraqi hospitals filled but accurate death tolls were difficult. Baghdad mosques issued calls for food and medicine for beleaguered cities. The message for Americans was different.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Life is improving for Iraqis. Things are getting better for them.
RODGERS: But, Iraqis say the bloodshed turns people against the Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Americans will not -- didn't know what -- how to deal with the Iraqis.
RODGERS: This man said the situation goes from bad to worse every day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RODGERS: Privately, many Iraqis will tell you the promised American freedoms have left a bitter taste in their mouths. Their country, they say, is bleeding under the American occupation -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Walter Rodgers live in Baghdad, thanks Walter.
A fast fact for you about U.S. casualties, in the past week alone 46 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq. That brings the total U.S. death toll to 637. Of those deaths, 498 have occurred since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations.
Despite mounting U.S. casualties, the Pentagon today insisted the situation in Iraq is not spinning out of control. At a news conference this afternoon, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his top general were clearly on the defensive following the events of the past several days.
Our Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Along with insurgents on the ground, the Pentagon is now fighting a battle of perceptions. After several days of heavy losses, Pentagon officials are struggling to explain why they believe the U.S. is still winning.
You yourself said that it was a test of wills today.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It is.
MCINTYRE: Is this a turning point, a critical junction?
RUMSFELD: I wouldn't use that phrase. I thought the way I phrased it is about right. It's a moment on the path towards a free Iraq.
MCINTYRE: Sources say that in a video conference with his national security team, President Bush was assured by top U.S. Commander General John Abizaid that the U.S. military's plan to aggressively attack anti-American forces will work and, while Abizaid has not asked for additional troops to be sent to Iraq, sources say he is planning to delay the departure of units that had been scheduled to rotate out after one year.
Sources say quick reaction forces from the Army's 1st Cavalry Division and elements from the 1st Armored Division are being shifted to hot spots in Iraq instead of packing for home. The Pentagon says military necessity trumps its promise of limiting tours in Iraq to just one year.
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I think one thing we've always said from day one before major combat began is that what the combat commander on the ground needs in terms of resources, men, women, material, he'll get.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: The Pentagon insists the situation in Iraq is not out of control but they say relatively few Iraqis are supporting the forces opposing the United States -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Jamie McIntyre thanks from the Pentagon.
We'll talk with a top military commander in Iraq later on, on 360. In addition to monitoring the situation in Iraq, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is preparing for her testimony before the 9/11 commission. After months of refusing to testify in public, Rice will appear tomorrow under oath.
For a preview and a look at how the White House responded to today's developments in Iraq, let's go to Suzanne Malveaux with the president in Crawford, Texas. Suzanne, the White House very much staying on message today.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely Anderson.
White House Spokesman Scott McClellan, despite seeing the uprising from Sunni as well as Shia sects in Iraq saying that -- he downplayed the significance saying those responsible are really a bunch of radical element of thugs and terrorists.
At the same time, the White House is preparing for a very important day tomorrow. That is the testimony of National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice before the 9/11 commission.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I'm looking forward to Condy testifying.
MALVEAUX (voice-over): And Thursday she will. After initial objections from the president over executive privilege and tremendous pressure from Republicans and Democrats alike, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice will become the face of the Bush administration besieged by questions over September 11. Aides say Rice has been preparing for days in mock testimony sessions with her staff firing questions at her.
Officials say Thursday she will make a 20-minute opening statement, address the survivors of September 11, and will not make a formal apology for the terrorist attacks. Instead, she will say while the country still grieves the best way to honor the victims is to pursue the terrorists and bring them to justice.
Rice's top priority is to answer the charges made by her deputy Richard Clarke that had the Bush administration taking al Qaeda seriously, perhaps the September 11 attacks could have been prevented.
RICHARD CLARKE, FMR. COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISER: It would have been shaken out in the summer of 2001 if she had been doing her job.
MALVEAUX: Rice will argue that the administration did see al Qaeda as a serious threat and had a plan to eliminate it among their priorities but that the September 11 attacks brought that threat to the forefront but Bush and Clinton administration officials who have testified say they couldn't have imagined the gravity of the threat.
RICHARD ARMITAGE, DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: I just don't think we had the imagination required to consider a tragedy of this magnitude.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now whatever the outcome of Rice's testimony, the Bush campaign certainly hopes that the American people focus more on the president's actions in the three years after the September 11 attacks than the eight months before -- Anderson.
COOPER: Suzanne Malveaux in Crawford, thanks Suzanne.
The president's likely contender in November, Senator John Kerry, is back on the campaign trail after a vacation and shoulder surgery. His shoulder must be better because today he took swings at administration policy in Iraq, outlined his own economic plans as well.
Here's Judy Woodruff.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): He left one trail and returned to another.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That is good.
WOODRUFF: John Kerry revving up his campaign after a period under the radar, rolling out an economic agenda.
KERRY: Under my plan, 99 percent of American businesses and 98 percent of Americans will get a tax cut and I believe that will advance the economy of our country.
WOODRUFF: Taking George W. Bush to task on Iraq.
KERRY: The president needs to step up and acknowledge that there are difficulties and that the world needs to be involved.
WOODRUFF: But did Kerry fritter away precious time on the slopes and behind closed doors? With his absence, team Bush saw an opening to paper the airwaves with negative ads.
ANNOUNCER: Though John Kerry voted in October, 2002 for military action in Iraq he later voted against funding our soldiers.
WOODRUFF: And national polls show the attacks may have chipped away at the candidate.
CLARKE: By invading Iraq, the president of the United States has greatly undermined the war on terrorism.
WOODRUFF: On the flipside a flurry of events pounded the president during Kerry's down time. The Democrat has returned with a message to hone, a base to rally and, of course, a running mate to select. John Kerry back in the saddle again.
Judy Woodruff, CNN reporting. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, right now we are back in the saddle following a number of developing stories "Cross Country." Let's take a look.
Atlanta airport explosive scare, authorities are trying to determine whether a hand grenade found taped to a cell phone at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was live or a hoax. They don't know at this point. Officials evacuated a small section of the airport this morning after the device turned up in a men's restroom.
Yazoo County, Mississippi, fatal Amtrak wreck, federal investigators are looking into the cause of a passenger train derailment that killed one rider, injured 58 others last night.
In Los Angeles, landslide vote against Wal-Mart. We told you about this story last night. Just over 60 percent of voters in the L.A. suburb of Inglewood denied Wal-Mart an exemption from environmental and zoning rules other commercial developers have to follow.
In Salt Lake City, Utah, C-section plea, this woman accused of putting off a Cesarean section that might have saved one of her twins is pleading guilty to child endangerment. Prosecutors agreed to drop murder charges against Melissa Ann Rowland because of her mental health history.
Also in Salt Lake City tonight, making up with Mormons, a delegation of Illinois officials today apologized in person to the leaders of the Church of Latter Day Saints for the ugly events of 1844. That year a mob murdered Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Jr. setting off a wave of violence that drove his followers from the state. That's a look at stories "Cross Country" for you tonight.
Rush Limbaugh fights back in court today. Did police cross the line when they seized his medical records? That's ahead.
Also, "The Power of Forgiveness," that's our special series. Could you forgive a cheating spouse? One woman who has, we'll also talk to one doctor who will tell you how, part of our weeklong series.
And plastic surgery to the extremes, how far will TV execs and doctors go? Have they already gone too far?
First, all that ahead, but let's take a look right now "Inside the Box" at the top stories on tonight's network newscasts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, in Florida today, Rush Limbaugh's attorneys trying hard to keep his medical records under wraps now. If they succeed the investigation into whether Limbaugh illegally bought prescription pain pills could very well collapse. Will justice be served?
Susan Candiotti is covering the case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROY BLACK, LIMBAUGH'S ATTORNEY: First of all there is no right of seizure.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If Rush Limbaugh has his way, a Florida Appeals Court would stop investigators from using his own medical records against him.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, TALK SHOW HOST: We're trying to stand up and oppose this and stop this kind of wanton abuse of privacy from taking place.
CANDIOTTI: Prosecutors insisted a search warrant was the common sense way to get his medical records to avoid tipping off Limbaugh.
JAMES MARTZ, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Has it now been reduced to we have to notice the target of an investigation that we want to look at the evidence of the felonies he's committed?
CANDIOTTI: Investigators claim to have a three year history, including statements from a former Limbaugh housekeeper of possible illegal use of prescription painkillers.
MARTZ: It's not like an innocent person. It's not like you and me out there and they're just pulling records to try and go after you politically.
CANDIOTTI: Limbaugh's attorney tried to convince the court prosecutors should have and could have used an advance notice subpoena before barging into doctors' offices.
BLACK: With a search warrant you go in with police. You can search every document in the office to find the one you want.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't follow it at all.
CANDIOTTI: Judges asked pointed questions of both sides and all this without one charge being filed against Limbaugh.
MICHAEL MCAULIFFE, LEGAL ANALYST: Usually you wouldn't be airing the dirty laundry, so to speak, of addiction, of prescription drug fraud potentially and people's personal circumstances during the investigative stage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: But this isn't just any investigation to hear Limbaugh tell it. He sees it as a political battle of the left versus the right and a constitutional right to keep his medical records private. A decision is expected within a few weeks -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Susan thanks a lot from West Palm Beach.
We're tracking a number of developing stories around the globe right now. Let's check the "Up Link" for you quickly. In Hamburg, Germany, 9/11 plotter walks. The only person convicted in connection with the 9/11 attacks is free. The 30-year- old Moroccan released from prison after a judge says he didn't get a fair trial. He's accused of aiding a German-based terror cell that included some of the 9/11 hijackers.
Kigali, Rwanda, genocide anniversary, a somber ceremony, three minutes of silence marking ten years since Hutu extremists went on a murderous rampage killing nearly a million people in just 100 days, hard to imagine. A memorial site was inaugurated today, the beginning of a week of mourning and remembrance.
In the West Bank, fighting for their livelihood, both sides of a controversial wall, you see it right there, Israeli workers cut down a Palestinian farmer's olive grove to make way for the controversial West Bank wall. Then in the clashes that followed, at least 15 Palestinian villagers and two Israeli policemen were hurt.
Tokyo, Japan, symbolic slap, a district court declares the prime minister's visit to a war shrine unconstitutional. The premier has made several visits to the shrine where Japan's war dead are honored, including convicted war criminals. The visits have sparked debate in the region but this is the first time he gets a rebuke at home.
And London fuming over an anti-smoking proposal. The owner of one of Britain's top pub chains is calling for a total government ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. Industry rivals condemned the idea. They say it could ruin their businesses, especially in small rural areas. That's a quick look at tonight's "Up Link."
Infidelity and forgiveness, meet one couple who saved their marriage by forgiving but not forgetting. "The Power of Forgiveness," that is coming up in our special series.
Also tonight, plastic surgery to the extreme, young people under the knife who want to look like celebrities. A plastic surgery beauty contest? How far is too far?
Also a little later tonight a politician with a secret. Was he being blackmailed? A Texas tale you will not believe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: All during this Holy Week and Passover, we've been focusing our attention on "The Power of Forgiveness." Tonight in this special series, forgiving infidelity, is it possible, a question nearly half of all couples are likely to face?
In a moment we'll talk to an expert who gives tips about how to deal with infidelity in your marriage but first CNN's Adrian Baschuk with a couple who managed to stay together despite 15 years of betrayal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Susan McIntyre thought she had a picture perfect 17-year marriage to her husband but three years ago Susan found an unsent e-mail by Rob to another woman.
SUSAN MCINTYRE, FORGAVE SPOUSE'S INFIDELITY: I confronted him, you know, what is this? Who is this?
BASCHUK: This wasn't the only woman though. Rob says he cheated on and off for 15 years and, as a police officer working undercover, thought he could hide it.
ROB MCINTYRE, COMMITTED ADULTERY: It was never my idea to destroy her in our marriage, you know. When I made my vows I meant them.
BASCHUK: Rob is not alone. Experts suggest half of all marriages have to deal with infidelity. Susan fought to save their marriage for the sake of their three sons. The lovers quarreled sleeping in separate beds for six months. Susan then "sentenced herself to nine years." That's when her youngest would turn 18 and she would divorce Rob but then the tune of another son chimed in.
S. MCINTYRE: Our middle boy was very angry at me and he, you know, said mom you're supposed to forgive.
BASCHUK: The cue sent the California couple to therapist Dr. Doug Weiss. He prescribed Rob to two years of polygraph tests to provide hard evidence of his love, trust and fidelity.
DOUGLAS WEISS, PH.D., HEART TO HEART COUNSELING CENTER: Rob was able to measure through polygraph that he is being faithful.
BASCHUK: Five polygraph tests later, intense counseling and...
S. MCINTYRE: Yes, I've forgiven him.
R. MCINTYRE: It takes time.
S. MCINTYRE: It takes time.
BASCHUK: Forgiveness some studies have shown leads to a happier marriage five or ten years down the road and is helping the McIntyre's celebrate their 20th anniversary.
Adrian Baschuk CNN, Colorado Springs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Forgiveness certainly not an easy thing to do.
Dr. Jane Greer is a marriage and family therapist joins me. She's the author of "How Could you do This to me, Learning to Trust After Betrayal." I asked her if you're in a marriage where infidelity has occurred, how important is it to forgive?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE GREER, PH.D., MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST: Forgiveness is essential. It's basically the foundational block to rebuilding trust. Without it you can't go forward and both people are going to be locked in anger ongoing.
COOPER: And yet forgiveness does not necessarily mean forgetting.
GREER: No, absolutely not. In fact, if you think that you're going to apologize and that you're going to forgive your partner and then that's it, it's over, that's a mistake because you can't get through it. Basically, it's forgive and remember because you have to hold your partner accountable.
COOPER: And you say both partners, both the person who has committed the infidelity and the other partner have to take steps together.
GREER: Exactly because the person who has been betrayed is so angry and hurt. Once they start to take in the apology then they still have to feel that there's room for their anger and their pain. Their partner is going to listen to them.
COOPER: Let's talk about the steps that you say the betrayer needs to go through. You name three sort of main steps, the first one being apologize.
GREER: The apology is so essential to let your partner know you know how much pain you caused them and you understand the impact of it.
COOPER: The second step for the betrayer, listen to your partner's anger.
GREER: Yes. People start to get upset. They say I apologize. It's over. Forget about it and you can't forget about it.
COOPER: Right. You sometimes hear people say like how many times do I have to apologize?
GREER: All the time and they get angry and then they start to pull back, which is why the person who has been betrayed has to really start to take in the efforts on the betrayer's part to make amends.
COOPER: The third step for the betrayer, demonstrate trustworthy behavior.
GREER: Without showing your partner that you can be trusted that if you say you'll be home at a certain time you come home. If you say you're going to call that you call. Without those steps on a behavioral level so that your partner really knows what you say and what you do are in line there's no rebuilding of the trust.
COOPER: It's interesting though because you say it's not just the betrayer who has to do work. It's the person who has been betrayed has to take steps too.
GREER: Yes. COOPER: The first step you recommend forgive but hold your partner responsible.
GREER: Yes, because if you don't make your partner accountable to you, meaning that you want to be able to find out where they've been, what they've been up to, where they're going. You don't know what's going on and you wind up feeling that they could be out and doing it again.
COOPER: And the second step for the person who has been betrayed is work through your anger.
GREER: You know you tell them I'm upset. I'm hurt. How could you have done this to me? How could you do this to me? And if your partner says I understand and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to regain your trust that becomes the healing step in and of itself.
COOPER: And through forgiveness you can rebuild a relationship, you can regain that trust?
GREER: Absolutely and you know what, most importantly, it takes time. It's a process. You don't get over it in two, three months. You really need sometimes a year to three years because it's the kind of thing that really can linger.
COOPER: All right. Dr. Jane Greer, thank you, interesting.
GREER: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Our series on forgiveness continues tomorrow night with overcoming the pain of sexual abuse. Is it always a good idea to forgive? Maybe not. We're going to hear from both sides.
And, on Friday, what does it take to forgive yourself? You're going to meet a woman who sent an innocent man to jail and cannot let go of the guilt. That's on Friday on 360.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): Heroin and Afghanistan, the poppy fields are blooming, the illegal industry booming. Can Afghans really crack down?
And what's with all the extreme makeovers? Nips and tucks have become cuts and cuts and cuts. Have reality show doctors finally gone too far? 360 continues.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: In the next half hour on 360, the death toll rising in Iraq. More bloodshed as the fighting heats up.
Will it change the U.S. strategy on the ground?
We're going to talk to the top general in Baghdad.
Plus a holy war on heroin. The president of Afghanistan declares jihad on opium. But is it a losing battle?
First let's check our top stories in Tonight's "Reset."
Troop strength in Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today says U.S. Troops scheduled to leave Iraq soon may have to hang in longer to help quell the worsening violence there. Forty-six troops have died fighting in Iraq in the past week alone.
Washington, D.C., ready to testify under oath, this woman, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, one of President Bush's closest confidants, will testify before the 9/11 commission tomorrow morning. Her top priority is to answer the charges made by Richard Clarke that had the Bush administration taken al Qaeda more seriously perhaps the September 11th attacks could have been prevented. That was his charges.
New York now. History rechanneled. Don't look for that documentary accusing Lyndon Johnson of having a hand in the assassination of JFK to show up on the History Channel again. The cable network is apologizing for airing the program last November, admitting it quote, wasn't vetted as properly and thoroughly as it should have been. Apparently not.
That's a look at "The Reset" tonight.
More now on the insurgent uprising in Iraq. In Fallujah right now the epicenter of anti-U.S. violence. "Los Angeles Times" reporter Tony Perry has been with the Marines as they fight insurgents in Fallujah, hunting them down literally door-to-door, street by street, trying to flush them out of a mosque. It's been a tough day of fighting.
Here are some of the highlights from his latest report from inside Fallujah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TONY PERRY, "L.A. TIMES": The Marines are actively engaged in firefights in at least two locations with insurgents. In the major location it's a fight that began about 24 hours ago, and has been off and on, went on through the night. Picked up in the morning. And the marines are pushing the insurgents out of a neighborhood. They're going door to door, finding insurgent locations. They've engaged them in firefights. One of the main locations where the insurgents have been firing from is a mosque. The mosque has now been surrounded. The marines are using tanks, they have infantry and air power overhead as they did all night. This all began 24 hours ago, when the insurgents attacked a Marine patrol that had only ventured maybe two dozen yards beyond the checkpoint into the city. They were attacked. The three Marines were wounded, and the Marines counterattacked very ferociously with tanks and infantry and cobra helicopters. And then the battle was on and the insurgents used at least rudimentary strategy. There were platoon sized groups. They brought in buses, they blocked off streets. They hit the Marines with counterfire. They had some anti-aircraft facilities that were shooting at the helicopters. And the Marines responded, and took I think three additional casualties but have killed dozens of the insurgents, and are pushing them out of this neighborhood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Fallujah remains the seen of pitched battles. I talked today with two of the coalition political and military officials in Iraq. Dan Senor and Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt.
I started by asking Kimmitt he was personally surprised by the current level of violent in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: We were initially surprised at how wide read the number of contacts were. It ranged all the way from Baghdad down to Basra, out To Ramadi and some of the other towns, as well. But after that initial surprise I think the coalition forces have done an admirable job in going after the problem and going after the enemy. We are going to destroy the Mehdi Army. We're going (AUDIO GAP) and its planners.
COOPER: At this point, does it feel like things have changed significantly from a military standpoint, from your perspective, over the last several days?
KIMMITT: We are and do remain concerned about the Shia Mehdi Army elements that are trying to take over a number of the cities in the south. That is a potential problem. I think we're addressing it well. We've got some work to do to finish it up, and it may still take some time. But I think we've got our feet underneath us and we're addressing the problem quite well.
COOPER: Dan, can the military solve the problems of Iraq today or does it have to be a political solution?
DAN SENOR, COALITION SPOKESMAN: You know, Anderson, I think it has to be both. On the one hand we need to do the sorts of things General Kimmitt and his colleagues are talking about, hunting down and confronting those elements, those individuals that have a dangerous vision for the future of Iraq. The political strategy is to empower the Iraqi people. Because if we empower the Iraqi people with political power, with economic power, we will isolate these individuals. We will make it that much more difficult for them to capitalize on any sense of frustration, or despair.
COOPER: General Kimmitt, let me bring you in here. 134,000 U.S. Military personnel on the ground in Iraq today. Is that enough?
KIMMITT: We're taking a look at that. We certainly think it's enough. But, as a matter of course we regularly and routinely review our force structure. If we determine we need more forces or different types of forces, we send those recommendations up, and but at this point I don't think we've either reached a decision, nor do we think at this point that we need an extensive increase in forces on the ground.
COOPER: Dan Senor, appreciate you joining us. And Brig. General Mark Kimmitt, thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: To Afghanistan now and a crackdown on the country's lucrative opium trade jihad style. Afghan President Hamid Karzai calling for a holy war against the rampant drug economy saying it threatens the government's stability.
Is there really a will and a way however to cut down poppy production?
Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson went to see for himself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Starting the first faltering furrow an Afghan farmer begins destroying a field of opium producing poppies. Soon, bogging down as the narcotic crop flooded only hours earlier. This is the opening salvo if the Afghan government's drive to eradicate 25 percent of all poppies. Miring in more than just mud.
RAJI MOHAMMAD SALEM, VILLAGE REPRESENTATIVE: People will rebel against the government if they destroy all the poppies and don't help us solve our problems.
ROBERTSON: Another farmer complains poverty drove him to poppy cultivation for the first time this year. He's not alone. This year, Afghan and international officials say production is up, 28 out of the country's 32 provinces growing the narcotic, some for the first time. Turning over these fields is really a drop in the ocean. These tractors will destroy about 10 kill grams of opium. That's about 20 pounds in this field. Last year, Afghan farmers produced a massive 3,600 metric tons of opium. Selling for between $200 and $800 a kilo, opium is big business. An estimated $30 billion a year, half of Afghanistan's GDP.
ABDUL HALIQ, REGIONAL DIRECTOR COUNTER NARCOTICS: Last year I came here after the eradication with teams from the international community. And we promised to help the farmers, but we did nothing. And now our reputation is damaged.
ROBERTSON: The next month is going to be critical if eradication targets are to be met this year. From what we've seen in this Afghanistan's biggest poppy producing province, significant destruction is still far from a reality.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: That was Nic Robertson reporting from Afghanistan. An interesting and ironic fast fact about opium production for you. The removal of the Taliban in Afghanistan is one of the main reasons the opium trade is flourishing. The hardline regime had suppressed the cultivation of the poppy, along with just about everything else. Afghanistan produced more opium in 2003 than in any year since 1999. That is a fast fact.
Plastic surgery make over madness. Have you seen what they're doing on TV these days?
Have surgeons and TV producers gone too far?
It is our cultural "Midweek crisis."
Plus a big scare under the big top. No net below, a high wire performer falls 30 feet as kids and parents look on.
And coming to stores soon, the wonder butt? a pair of pants makers claim makes your posterior well, you know, whatever. We'll talk about that. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, tonight Fox Television premieres yet another extreme makeover show. 17 women, ugly ducklings Fox calls them, are carved up, sliced, pulled, nipped and tucked into what producers believe are more appealing packages, then they compete in a beauty pageant. extreme makeovers are certainly compelling television, no bout about it, but have these shows gone too far?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be a new woman when I come back.
COOPER (voice-over): Fox's "The Swan" is just the latest example of nip and tuck reality TV. 17 women eagerly agree to undergo total body transformation. Three months of nips and tucks, lifts and cuts, collagen and botox and chemical peels, and anything else doctors and producers order. The idea, of course, is nothing new, ABC's "Extreme Makeover" has already been a big ratings success.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like I'm a different person.
COOPER: So has MTV's "I Want A Famous Face," where young people unhappy with who they are, use plastic surgery to become clones of celebrities, like Brad Pitt, or Pamela Anderson. This 21-year-old student wanted a full body tuck so she would look like the actress Kate Winslet.
"I Want A Famous Face" has been a big ratings winner for MTV, but ask network executives to discuss the show and they decline. In a press release, MTV insists they're just documenting what these young people have already decided to do. And what about those scalp scalpel wielding surgeons? The president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons says he is concerned.
"Patients on these shows, he says, "have unrealistic, and frankly, unhealthy expectations. I've witnessed plastic surgery disasters where someone tried to look like someone else."
We can all witness that now every week, thanks to this TV trend. The question is, how far will TV producers and doctors go before someone says, enough?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Joining me from Los Angeles, Dr. Randal Hayworth, the cosmetic surgeon who appears on Fox's new makeoever and beauty pageant, "The Swan." Dr. thanks very much for being on the program.
What about these concerns? This president of this Society for Plastic Surgeons says she's shows are a serious cause of concern. The program you're on starting tonight, women undergo huge amounts of plastic surgery and then they compete in a beauty pageant. Do you not have any concerns?
DR. RANDAL HAYWORTH, COSMETIC SURGEON, "THE SWAN": Well, of course we always treat patients as individuals. And I treat my patients with the utmost confidence and respect, and provide the ultimate in medical safety.
But, the Dr Rohrich concern is based upon the fact that he hasn't really seen the show yet. And I do certainly agree that what we've been trying to do with "The Swan" show is to provide more of a three dimensional outlook upon plastic surgery. Where other shows have sort of left certain loopholes. For example...
COOPER: But a three dimensional show. First of all, we tried to get a copy of the show. They're not sending out full copies, I'm not sure why. But of what we've seen, basically these people are being asked to be in a beauty pageant after undergoing serious surgery and Fox is calling them ugly ducklings. I mean is that something you would call your patients?
HAYWORTH: No, I wouldn't. Unfortunately, you know, I'm the plastic surgeon here to provide exemplary care and do what we do best, and being very passionate about plastic surgery. And what unfortunately I didn't have much input into the creative, or the artistic side of the actual show itself.
COOPER: Well, then do you feel you're being taken advantage of at all or that these women are being taken advantage of at all?
HAYWORTH: No, I don't think so. I found it an absolute privilege. I felt it a privilege to be able to give these girls a selfconfidence to go forward and achieve things in their life that they may not have thought possible otherwise.
COOPER: As a doctor, whose sworn a strict code of ethics and medical code, where do you draw the line? There's this show on MTV, where people want to look like celebrities, so they cut themselves to look like Brad Pitt or Kate Winslet or whomever. Is there a line that you will not cross?
HEYWORTH: No, there are lines that I won't cross. I feel that when patients come in wanting to look like celebrities, that would venture onto the fact that certain patients, you will not be able to meet patient's expectations. And therefore, what will happen, is that you'll have a very disappointed patient.
To get a patient to look like a celebrity. Everybody has different bone structure. Skin types. Skin elasticity. And so you're going to be met with a lot of unmet results. And as a result, a lot of un -- sort of unfulfilled expectations and disappointed patients.
COOPER: But do you ever want to say, you know, you're not so bad? You're not an ugly duckling. You know, you're kind of nice as you are?
HAYWORTH: Well, that's very true. Plastic surgery is not for everybody. These patients had certain concerns about their looks. In addition, certain patients that we dealt with did not really need too much plastic surgery at all. And it was a very highly individualized process and decision making process for the patient.
COOPER: I guess we'll see how they do in the beauty pageant. Dr. Randal Hayworth, thank you very much for being on the program.
HAYWORTH: Thank you very much.
COOPER: Let's put plastic surgery in perspective for a moment: 8.3 million Americans underwent surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in 2003. Here's the interesting part, that is up 20 percent from the previous year alone. The three most popular surgical procedures, liposuction, breast augmentation and eyelid surgery.
Well, a makeover of a decidedly different kind is going on in Texas right now. The story involves two candidates, accusations of blackmail and cross dressing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): Johnson County has never seen a political campaign quite like this. 64-year-old Sam Walls is in the Republican primary runoff for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. Walls is a prominent businessman, Baptist, and former Republican party chairman.
He seemed like a shoo-in until last week. That's when, according to the "Fort Worth Star Telegram," pictures appeared of Walls wearing a dress, makeup and high heels. The paper reports that Walls doesn't deny the pictures are authentic, but he calls them black mail from his rival Rob Orr.
Saying in a statement printed in the newspaper, "through intermediaries, my opponent told me drop out of the campaign, or private information will be released. Now my opponent is using the private information in an attempt to intimate that I am a homosexual, which I am not."
The Fort Worth paper reports that Orr's political consultant denies involvement in a smear campaign, adding, Mr. Walls' unique lifestyle is a matter that he needs to address with the voters of House District 58.
The cross-dressing controversy has surprised and divided the local GOP leadership. The incoming Republican county chairman sounds supportive.
DAVID KERCHEVAL, (R) INCOMING PARTY CHAIR: An honorable person must stand up to someone who tries to threaten, blackmail, or extort him, simply to win a race because they cannot do so on its own merit.
COOPER: But the current chairman feels Walls should drop out.
JEFF JUDO, (R) REP. PARTY CHAIRMAN: Under normal circumstances that there wouldn't be much chance of a Democrat coming out of the November election with a victory. But, certainly, you know, this changes -- this is not normal circumstances.
COOPER: According to the "Star Telegram," Walls is vowing to stay in the race. He says his family has dealt with the issue and he's asked them for forgiveness. Can a lawmaker who cross-dressed win in Texas? We won't know until April 14. That is when voters go to the polls.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Coming up, a death defying stunt at the circus goes horribly wrong. A tight rope walker plunges to the ground, lives to tell the tale, though, thankfully.
Also, for everyone craving a perkier posterier, your dreams have been answered. You don't need surgery, apparently there's something -- it's called -- I don't even want to say that. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: A terrifying scare at the circus. A Ringling Brothers tightrope walker cheats death. He plunged 30 feet to the ground below, lived to tell his tale. Adaora Udoji has the lucky daredevil's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the saying goes, the show went on. Acrobats twisted, elephants strutted their stuff at the Ringling Brothers circus. And the daredevils took to the high wire just a quarter inch thick. But this was an unusual performance. One member was missing. Ernando Amaya last performance landed him in the hospital. Having performed hundreds, if not thousands of times before, to the horror of all at Tuesday's matinee, he plunged 30 feet, landing on his head.
One partner, Wilson Dominguez, says he immediately looked down, hoping Amaya had fallen on the safety mats. He had. Even so, circus officials say miraculously, Amaya did not break a single bone suffering only a bruised elbow and hip. Doctors say he came in talking about it.
DR. DANIEL ROSA, ST. VINCENT HOSPITAL: He has very good recollection of the events. It was fast, but, I mean, he remembers falling.
UDOJI: Dominguez says they love their work despite the risks. True to their word, circus officials say Amaya can't wait to get back to work.
JENNIFER MANIRGER, RINGLING BROTHERS: He wants to get back up there and do what he loves to do and thrill audiences like he has done his entire life.
UDOJI: It's a job well worth watching though few would ever dream of doing. Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: All right. Some lighter stuff now. Let's check on some pop news in the current. Pierce Brosnan's days of playing 007 are finished. Brosnan says the new -- by the way, he's wearing exactly what I'm wearing. Brosnan says the new James Bond will be from Australia sparking rumors that next 007 could be Guy Pierce, Hugh Jackman or a dingo. Possible.
"CSI" and "Law & Order" which (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are churning out another round of spinoffs for next season. And if those prove successful more may follow. That's right get ready for "CSI Skranton (ph)" and "Law & Order Paralegal." Maybe. Sadly, I would probably watch those.
A special honor for Ted Turner, the founder of CNN today was given his own star on the Hollywood walk of fame. I'm proud to say that I've also been honored, not in Hollywood, of course, but by another place, but on Poughkeepsie, a strip mall of stars alongside such luminaries as Mickey Rourke and that guy from "Flock of Seagulls." I'm very proud of that. Thank you, Poughkeepsie.
In case you hadn't noticed we here at 360 pride ourselves, you should pardon the expression on being a bit cheeky. Get it? This next story is no exception. Jeanne Moos takes a look at pants that promise to accentuate your -- your assets.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You've heard of wonder bra, and wonder bread. But wonder butt?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sort of like a push-up bra for your butt?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.
MOOS: Here's Jackie (ph) before she donned wonder butt pants. And here she is after. Wonder butt is being trademarked by the designer some call the lord of the pants. Alvin Valley.
ALVIN VALLEY, DESIGNER: They were actually christened the wonder butt by Kate Winslet.
MOOS: The actress was trying on the pants when she came up with the name. But do they live up to it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Low butt is beautiful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Embrace the rear end.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's nice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Curvaceous. Complete.
MOOS: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I touch?
MOOS: No. But you can check out the secret behind wonder butt.
VALLEY: A bubble at the butt by creating these darts.
MOOS: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and they're all kind of pushing...
VALLEY: Pushing the buttocks together.
MOOS: Valley says he was inspired by the derriere of model Naomi Campbell. His background in architecture helped develop the darts.
VALLEY: There's not added padding.
MOOS: Oh, no. It's all her.
VALLEY: Oh, great.
MOOS: But when the before is not bad, it's hard to gauge the after.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, they don't feel different at all.
MOOS: Wonder butts won't be in stores till fall. You better be rich. Prices range from $350 to $800. Cheaper line of wonder butt denim will sell for $130. Love saying that name. Wonder butt.
VALLEY: Wonder butt. Alvin Valley's wonder butt.
MOOS: No wonder Valley is developing a line of wonder butts for men. No ifs, ands or wonder butts about it. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Alvin Valley. Lord of the pants. Crossroads of America coming up. Time Square turning 100. We'll take its flashy history to the nth degree. Just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Tonight Times Square to the nth degree. So Times Square is turning 100. If you ask me the old girl looks pretty good. Back in the '70s us New Yorkers complained she was getting kind of seedy. Too many peep shows and porn palaces. In the '90s Disney moused her up a bit and we complained about that, as well. New Yorkers are like that. Today Times Square has hit her stride. The place has always been full of crabs but now there's a big plastic one. Mega stores, mega signs just a hint of danger. That's Times Square. Just how we like her.
I'm Anderson Cooper. Coming up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 7, 2004 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Heavy fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi but how strong really is the support for Sadr?
Tough talk from the U.S. on Iraq. Rumsfeld says this is a test the U.S. will meet.
Washington readies for Condoleezza Rice, the most anticipated testimony of the year.
Heroin and Afghanistan, the poppy fields are blooming, the illegal industry booming. Can Afghans really crack down?
The power of forgiveness, tonight forgiving infidelity but not forgetting, how your marriage can survive a cheating spouse.
And what's with all the extreme makeovers? Nips and tucks have become cuts and cuts and cuts. Have reality show doctors finally gone too far?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COOPER: And a good evening to you.
Right now an intense battle against insurgents raging in Iraq. Tonight, Fallujah still the number one hot spot for coalition forces. Fighting in the city, street to street. U.S. forces drop two 500- pound bombs on a mosque complex in a battle against insurgents. Witnesses say 40 people were killed. Just about ten miles away to the north, Marines also battled insurgents in nearby Ramadi, killing 18, arresting eight others.
On the story for us tonight in Baghdad, CNN's Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers, at the Pentagon Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre. We begin in Baghdad. Walter, what's the latest?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Anderson.
There's been an appeal for calm here from the country's leading cleric, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. He called on both the United States and the insurgents to ratchet down the violence of which there's been more than a little.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RODGERS (voice-over): Day three, Fallujah, the dogs of war let loose. U.S. Marines battle inspired Iraqi insurgents to regain control of a city lost after four American civilian contractors were massacred there a week ago.
In the fighting, bombs fell within a mosque compound infuriating, electrifying and unifying Muslims but an American general said insurgents have turned the mosque into a fortress.
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: They can be attacked when there is a military necessity brought on by the fact that the enemy is storing weapons, using weapons, inciting violence, executing violence from its grounds.
RODGERS: (Unintelligible) no longer just ambushes but battles for cities, an-Najaf fell largely in the hands of Muqtada al-Sadr's rebels. Ukrainian coalition troops pulled out of Kut, outnumbered by insurgents and Bulgarians in Karbala called for reinforcements. In Baghdad's Sadr City, scene of bloody fighting since Sunday, U.S. armor took up positions to crush the Shiites' Mehdi Army.
KIMMITT: We will attack to destroy the Mehdi Army.
RODGERS: Iraqi hospitals filled but accurate death tolls were difficult. Baghdad mosques issued calls for food and medicine for beleaguered cities. The message for Americans was different.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Life is improving for Iraqis. Things are getting better for them.
RODGERS: But, Iraqis say the bloodshed turns people against the Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Americans will not -- didn't know what -- how to deal with the Iraqis.
RODGERS: This man said the situation goes from bad to worse every day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RODGERS: Privately, many Iraqis will tell you the promised American freedoms have left a bitter taste in their mouths. Their country, they say, is bleeding under the American occupation -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Walter Rodgers live in Baghdad, thanks Walter.
A fast fact for you about U.S. casualties, in the past week alone 46 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq. That brings the total U.S. death toll to 637. Of those deaths, 498 have occurred since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations.
Despite mounting U.S. casualties, the Pentagon today insisted the situation in Iraq is not spinning out of control. At a news conference this afternoon, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his top general were clearly on the defensive following the events of the past several days.
Our Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Along with insurgents on the ground, the Pentagon is now fighting a battle of perceptions. After several days of heavy losses, Pentagon officials are struggling to explain why they believe the U.S. is still winning.
You yourself said that it was a test of wills today.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It is.
MCINTYRE: Is this a turning point, a critical junction?
RUMSFELD: I wouldn't use that phrase. I thought the way I phrased it is about right. It's a moment on the path towards a free Iraq.
MCINTYRE: Sources say that in a video conference with his national security team, President Bush was assured by top U.S. Commander General John Abizaid that the U.S. military's plan to aggressively attack anti-American forces will work and, while Abizaid has not asked for additional troops to be sent to Iraq, sources say he is planning to delay the departure of units that had been scheduled to rotate out after one year.
Sources say quick reaction forces from the Army's 1st Cavalry Division and elements from the 1st Armored Division are being shifted to hot spots in Iraq instead of packing for home. The Pentagon says military necessity trumps its promise of limiting tours in Iraq to just one year.
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I think one thing we've always said from day one before major combat began is that what the combat commander on the ground needs in terms of resources, men, women, material, he'll get.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: The Pentagon insists the situation in Iraq is not out of control but they say relatively few Iraqis are supporting the forces opposing the United States -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Jamie McIntyre thanks from the Pentagon.
We'll talk with a top military commander in Iraq later on, on 360. In addition to monitoring the situation in Iraq, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is preparing for her testimony before the 9/11 commission. After months of refusing to testify in public, Rice will appear tomorrow under oath.
For a preview and a look at how the White House responded to today's developments in Iraq, let's go to Suzanne Malveaux with the president in Crawford, Texas. Suzanne, the White House very much staying on message today.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely Anderson.
White House Spokesman Scott McClellan, despite seeing the uprising from Sunni as well as Shia sects in Iraq saying that -- he downplayed the significance saying those responsible are really a bunch of radical element of thugs and terrorists.
At the same time, the White House is preparing for a very important day tomorrow. That is the testimony of National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice before the 9/11 commission.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I'm looking forward to Condy testifying.
MALVEAUX (voice-over): And Thursday she will. After initial objections from the president over executive privilege and tremendous pressure from Republicans and Democrats alike, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice will become the face of the Bush administration besieged by questions over September 11. Aides say Rice has been preparing for days in mock testimony sessions with her staff firing questions at her.
Officials say Thursday she will make a 20-minute opening statement, address the survivors of September 11, and will not make a formal apology for the terrorist attacks. Instead, she will say while the country still grieves the best way to honor the victims is to pursue the terrorists and bring them to justice.
Rice's top priority is to answer the charges made by her deputy Richard Clarke that had the Bush administration taking al Qaeda seriously, perhaps the September 11 attacks could have been prevented.
RICHARD CLARKE, FMR. COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISER: It would have been shaken out in the summer of 2001 if she had been doing her job.
MALVEAUX: Rice will argue that the administration did see al Qaeda as a serious threat and had a plan to eliminate it among their priorities but that the September 11 attacks brought that threat to the forefront but Bush and Clinton administration officials who have testified say they couldn't have imagined the gravity of the threat.
RICHARD ARMITAGE, DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: I just don't think we had the imagination required to consider a tragedy of this magnitude.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now whatever the outcome of Rice's testimony, the Bush campaign certainly hopes that the American people focus more on the president's actions in the three years after the September 11 attacks than the eight months before -- Anderson.
COOPER: Suzanne Malveaux in Crawford, thanks Suzanne.
The president's likely contender in November, Senator John Kerry, is back on the campaign trail after a vacation and shoulder surgery. His shoulder must be better because today he took swings at administration policy in Iraq, outlined his own economic plans as well.
Here's Judy Woodruff.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): He left one trail and returned to another.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That is good.
WOODRUFF: John Kerry revving up his campaign after a period under the radar, rolling out an economic agenda.
KERRY: Under my plan, 99 percent of American businesses and 98 percent of Americans will get a tax cut and I believe that will advance the economy of our country.
WOODRUFF: Taking George W. Bush to task on Iraq.
KERRY: The president needs to step up and acknowledge that there are difficulties and that the world needs to be involved.
WOODRUFF: But did Kerry fritter away precious time on the slopes and behind closed doors? With his absence, team Bush saw an opening to paper the airwaves with negative ads.
ANNOUNCER: Though John Kerry voted in October, 2002 for military action in Iraq he later voted against funding our soldiers.
WOODRUFF: And national polls show the attacks may have chipped away at the candidate.
CLARKE: By invading Iraq, the president of the United States has greatly undermined the war on terrorism.
WOODRUFF: On the flipside a flurry of events pounded the president during Kerry's down time. The Democrat has returned with a message to hone, a base to rally and, of course, a running mate to select. John Kerry back in the saddle again.
Judy Woodruff, CNN reporting. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, right now we are back in the saddle following a number of developing stories "Cross Country." Let's take a look.
Atlanta airport explosive scare, authorities are trying to determine whether a hand grenade found taped to a cell phone at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was live or a hoax. They don't know at this point. Officials evacuated a small section of the airport this morning after the device turned up in a men's restroom.
Yazoo County, Mississippi, fatal Amtrak wreck, federal investigators are looking into the cause of a passenger train derailment that killed one rider, injured 58 others last night.
In Los Angeles, landslide vote against Wal-Mart. We told you about this story last night. Just over 60 percent of voters in the L.A. suburb of Inglewood denied Wal-Mart an exemption from environmental and zoning rules other commercial developers have to follow.
In Salt Lake City, Utah, C-section plea, this woman accused of putting off a Cesarean section that might have saved one of her twins is pleading guilty to child endangerment. Prosecutors agreed to drop murder charges against Melissa Ann Rowland because of her mental health history.
Also in Salt Lake City tonight, making up with Mormons, a delegation of Illinois officials today apologized in person to the leaders of the Church of Latter Day Saints for the ugly events of 1844. That year a mob murdered Mormon founder Joseph Smith, Jr. setting off a wave of violence that drove his followers from the state. That's a look at stories "Cross Country" for you tonight.
Rush Limbaugh fights back in court today. Did police cross the line when they seized his medical records? That's ahead.
Also, "The Power of Forgiveness," that's our special series. Could you forgive a cheating spouse? One woman who has, we'll also talk to one doctor who will tell you how, part of our weeklong series.
And plastic surgery to the extremes, how far will TV execs and doctors go? Have they already gone too far?
First, all that ahead, but let's take a look right now "Inside the Box" at the top stories on tonight's network newscasts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, in Florida today, Rush Limbaugh's attorneys trying hard to keep his medical records under wraps now. If they succeed the investigation into whether Limbaugh illegally bought prescription pain pills could very well collapse. Will justice be served?
Susan Candiotti is covering the case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROY BLACK, LIMBAUGH'S ATTORNEY: First of all there is no right of seizure.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If Rush Limbaugh has his way, a Florida Appeals Court would stop investigators from using his own medical records against him.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, TALK SHOW HOST: We're trying to stand up and oppose this and stop this kind of wanton abuse of privacy from taking place.
CANDIOTTI: Prosecutors insisted a search warrant was the common sense way to get his medical records to avoid tipping off Limbaugh.
JAMES MARTZ, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Has it now been reduced to we have to notice the target of an investigation that we want to look at the evidence of the felonies he's committed?
CANDIOTTI: Investigators claim to have a three year history, including statements from a former Limbaugh housekeeper of possible illegal use of prescription painkillers.
MARTZ: It's not like an innocent person. It's not like you and me out there and they're just pulling records to try and go after you politically.
CANDIOTTI: Limbaugh's attorney tried to convince the court prosecutors should have and could have used an advance notice subpoena before barging into doctors' offices.
BLACK: With a search warrant you go in with police. You can search every document in the office to find the one you want.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't follow it at all.
CANDIOTTI: Judges asked pointed questions of both sides and all this without one charge being filed against Limbaugh.
MICHAEL MCAULIFFE, LEGAL ANALYST: Usually you wouldn't be airing the dirty laundry, so to speak, of addiction, of prescription drug fraud potentially and people's personal circumstances during the investigative stage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: But this isn't just any investigation to hear Limbaugh tell it. He sees it as a political battle of the left versus the right and a constitutional right to keep his medical records private. A decision is expected within a few weeks -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Susan thanks a lot from West Palm Beach.
We're tracking a number of developing stories around the globe right now. Let's check the "Up Link" for you quickly. In Hamburg, Germany, 9/11 plotter walks. The only person convicted in connection with the 9/11 attacks is free. The 30-year- old Moroccan released from prison after a judge says he didn't get a fair trial. He's accused of aiding a German-based terror cell that included some of the 9/11 hijackers.
Kigali, Rwanda, genocide anniversary, a somber ceremony, three minutes of silence marking ten years since Hutu extremists went on a murderous rampage killing nearly a million people in just 100 days, hard to imagine. A memorial site was inaugurated today, the beginning of a week of mourning and remembrance.
In the West Bank, fighting for their livelihood, both sides of a controversial wall, you see it right there, Israeli workers cut down a Palestinian farmer's olive grove to make way for the controversial West Bank wall. Then in the clashes that followed, at least 15 Palestinian villagers and two Israeli policemen were hurt.
Tokyo, Japan, symbolic slap, a district court declares the prime minister's visit to a war shrine unconstitutional. The premier has made several visits to the shrine where Japan's war dead are honored, including convicted war criminals. The visits have sparked debate in the region but this is the first time he gets a rebuke at home.
And London fuming over an anti-smoking proposal. The owner of one of Britain's top pub chains is calling for a total government ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. Industry rivals condemned the idea. They say it could ruin their businesses, especially in small rural areas. That's a quick look at tonight's "Up Link."
Infidelity and forgiveness, meet one couple who saved their marriage by forgiving but not forgetting. "The Power of Forgiveness," that is coming up in our special series.
Also tonight, plastic surgery to the extreme, young people under the knife who want to look like celebrities. A plastic surgery beauty contest? How far is too far?
Also a little later tonight a politician with a secret. Was he being blackmailed? A Texas tale you will not believe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: All during this Holy Week and Passover, we've been focusing our attention on "The Power of Forgiveness." Tonight in this special series, forgiving infidelity, is it possible, a question nearly half of all couples are likely to face?
In a moment we'll talk to an expert who gives tips about how to deal with infidelity in your marriage but first CNN's Adrian Baschuk with a couple who managed to stay together despite 15 years of betrayal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Susan McIntyre thought she had a picture perfect 17-year marriage to her husband but three years ago Susan found an unsent e-mail by Rob to another woman.
SUSAN MCINTYRE, FORGAVE SPOUSE'S INFIDELITY: I confronted him, you know, what is this? Who is this?
BASCHUK: This wasn't the only woman though. Rob says he cheated on and off for 15 years and, as a police officer working undercover, thought he could hide it.
ROB MCINTYRE, COMMITTED ADULTERY: It was never my idea to destroy her in our marriage, you know. When I made my vows I meant them.
BASCHUK: Rob is not alone. Experts suggest half of all marriages have to deal with infidelity. Susan fought to save their marriage for the sake of their three sons. The lovers quarreled sleeping in separate beds for six months. Susan then "sentenced herself to nine years." That's when her youngest would turn 18 and she would divorce Rob but then the tune of another son chimed in.
S. MCINTYRE: Our middle boy was very angry at me and he, you know, said mom you're supposed to forgive.
BASCHUK: The cue sent the California couple to therapist Dr. Doug Weiss. He prescribed Rob to two years of polygraph tests to provide hard evidence of his love, trust and fidelity.
DOUGLAS WEISS, PH.D., HEART TO HEART COUNSELING CENTER: Rob was able to measure through polygraph that he is being faithful.
BASCHUK: Five polygraph tests later, intense counseling and...
S. MCINTYRE: Yes, I've forgiven him.
R. MCINTYRE: It takes time.
S. MCINTYRE: It takes time.
BASCHUK: Forgiveness some studies have shown leads to a happier marriage five or ten years down the road and is helping the McIntyre's celebrate their 20th anniversary.
Adrian Baschuk CNN, Colorado Springs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Forgiveness certainly not an easy thing to do.
Dr. Jane Greer is a marriage and family therapist joins me. She's the author of "How Could you do This to me, Learning to Trust After Betrayal." I asked her if you're in a marriage where infidelity has occurred, how important is it to forgive?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE GREER, PH.D., MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST: Forgiveness is essential. It's basically the foundational block to rebuilding trust. Without it you can't go forward and both people are going to be locked in anger ongoing.
COOPER: And yet forgiveness does not necessarily mean forgetting.
GREER: No, absolutely not. In fact, if you think that you're going to apologize and that you're going to forgive your partner and then that's it, it's over, that's a mistake because you can't get through it. Basically, it's forgive and remember because you have to hold your partner accountable.
COOPER: And you say both partners, both the person who has committed the infidelity and the other partner have to take steps together.
GREER: Exactly because the person who has been betrayed is so angry and hurt. Once they start to take in the apology then they still have to feel that there's room for their anger and their pain. Their partner is going to listen to them.
COOPER: Let's talk about the steps that you say the betrayer needs to go through. You name three sort of main steps, the first one being apologize.
GREER: The apology is so essential to let your partner know you know how much pain you caused them and you understand the impact of it.
COOPER: The second step for the betrayer, listen to your partner's anger.
GREER: Yes. People start to get upset. They say I apologize. It's over. Forget about it and you can't forget about it.
COOPER: Right. You sometimes hear people say like how many times do I have to apologize?
GREER: All the time and they get angry and then they start to pull back, which is why the person who has been betrayed has to really start to take in the efforts on the betrayer's part to make amends.
COOPER: The third step for the betrayer, demonstrate trustworthy behavior.
GREER: Without showing your partner that you can be trusted that if you say you'll be home at a certain time you come home. If you say you're going to call that you call. Without those steps on a behavioral level so that your partner really knows what you say and what you do are in line there's no rebuilding of the trust.
COOPER: It's interesting though because you say it's not just the betrayer who has to do work. It's the person who has been betrayed has to take steps too.
GREER: Yes. COOPER: The first step you recommend forgive but hold your partner responsible.
GREER: Yes, because if you don't make your partner accountable to you, meaning that you want to be able to find out where they've been, what they've been up to, where they're going. You don't know what's going on and you wind up feeling that they could be out and doing it again.
COOPER: And the second step for the person who has been betrayed is work through your anger.
GREER: You know you tell them I'm upset. I'm hurt. How could you have done this to me? How could you do this to me? And if your partner says I understand and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to regain your trust that becomes the healing step in and of itself.
COOPER: And through forgiveness you can rebuild a relationship, you can regain that trust?
GREER: Absolutely and you know what, most importantly, it takes time. It's a process. You don't get over it in two, three months. You really need sometimes a year to three years because it's the kind of thing that really can linger.
COOPER: All right. Dr. Jane Greer, thank you, interesting.
GREER: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Our series on forgiveness continues tomorrow night with overcoming the pain of sexual abuse. Is it always a good idea to forgive? Maybe not. We're going to hear from both sides.
And, on Friday, what does it take to forgive yourself? You're going to meet a woman who sent an innocent man to jail and cannot let go of the guilt. That's on Friday on 360.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): Heroin and Afghanistan, the poppy fields are blooming, the illegal industry booming. Can Afghans really crack down?
And what's with all the extreme makeovers? Nips and tucks have become cuts and cuts and cuts. Have reality show doctors finally gone too far? 360 continues.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: In the next half hour on 360, the death toll rising in Iraq. More bloodshed as the fighting heats up.
Will it change the U.S. strategy on the ground?
We're going to talk to the top general in Baghdad.
Plus a holy war on heroin. The president of Afghanistan declares jihad on opium. But is it a losing battle?
First let's check our top stories in Tonight's "Reset."
Troop strength in Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today says U.S. Troops scheduled to leave Iraq soon may have to hang in longer to help quell the worsening violence there. Forty-six troops have died fighting in Iraq in the past week alone.
Washington, D.C., ready to testify under oath, this woman, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, one of President Bush's closest confidants, will testify before the 9/11 commission tomorrow morning. Her top priority is to answer the charges made by Richard Clarke that had the Bush administration taken al Qaeda more seriously perhaps the September 11th attacks could have been prevented. That was his charges.
New York now. History rechanneled. Don't look for that documentary accusing Lyndon Johnson of having a hand in the assassination of JFK to show up on the History Channel again. The cable network is apologizing for airing the program last November, admitting it quote, wasn't vetted as properly and thoroughly as it should have been. Apparently not.
That's a look at "The Reset" tonight.
More now on the insurgent uprising in Iraq. In Fallujah right now the epicenter of anti-U.S. violence. "Los Angeles Times" reporter Tony Perry has been with the Marines as they fight insurgents in Fallujah, hunting them down literally door-to-door, street by street, trying to flush them out of a mosque. It's been a tough day of fighting.
Here are some of the highlights from his latest report from inside Fallujah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TONY PERRY, "L.A. TIMES": The Marines are actively engaged in firefights in at least two locations with insurgents. In the major location it's a fight that began about 24 hours ago, and has been off and on, went on through the night. Picked up in the morning. And the marines are pushing the insurgents out of a neighborhood. They're going door to door, finding insurgent locations. They've engaged them in firefights. One of the main locations where the insurgents have been firing from is a mosque. The mosque has now been surrounded. The marines are using tanks, they have infantry and air power overhead as they did all night. This all began 24 hours ago, when the insurgents attacked a Marine patrol that had only ventured maybe two dozen yards beyond the checkpoint into the city. They were attacked. The three Marines were wounded, and the Marines counterattacked very ferociously with tanks and infantry and cobra helicopters. And then the battle was on and the insurgents used at least rudimentary strategy. There were platoon sized groups. They brought in buses, they blocked off streets. They hit the Marines with counterfire. They had some anti-aircraft facilities that were shooting at the helicopters. And the Marines responded, and took I think three additional casualties but have killed dozens of the insurgents, and are pushing them out of this neighborhood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Fallujah remains the seen of pitched battles. I talked today with two of the coalition political and military officials in Iraq. Dan Senor and Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt.
I started by asking Kimmitt he was personally surprised by the current level of violent in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: We were initially surprised at how wide read the number of contacts were. It ranged all the way from Baghdad down to Basra, out To Ramadi and some of the other towns, as well. But after that initial surprise I think the coalition forces have done an admirable job in going after the problem and going after the enemy. We are going to destroy the Mehdi Army. We're going (AUDIO GAP) and its planners.
COOPER: At this point, does it feel like things have changed significantly from a military standpoint, from your perspective, over the last several days?
KIMMITT: We are and do remain concerned about the Shia Mehdi Army elements that are trying to take over a number of the cities in the south. That is a potential problem. I think we're addressing it well. We've got some work to do to finish it up, and it may still take some time. But I think we've got our feet underneath us and we're addressing the problem quite well.
COOPER: Dan, can the military solve the problems of Iraq today or does it have to be a political solution?
DAN SENOR, COALITION SPOKESMAN: You know, Anderson, I think it has to be both. On the one hand we need to do the sorts of things General Kimmitt and his colleagues are talking about, hunting down and confronting those elements, those individuals that have a dangerous vision for the future of Iraq. The political strategy is to empower the Iraqi people. Because if we empower the Iraqi people with political power, with economic power, we will isolate these individuals. We will make it that much more difficult for them to capitalize on any sense of frustration, or despair.
COOPER: General Kimmitt, let me bring you in here. 134,000 U.S. Military personnel on the ground in Iraq today. Is that enough?
KIMMITT: We're taking a look at that. We certainly think it's enough. But, as a matter of course we regularly and routinely review our force structure. If we determine we need more forces or different types of forces, we send those recommendations up, and but at this point I don't think we've either reached a decision, nor do we think at this point that we need an extensive increase in forces on the ground.
COOPER: Dan Senor, appreciate you joining us. And Brig. General Mark Kimmitt, thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: To Afghanistan now and a crackdown on the country's lucrative opium trade jihad style. Afghan President Hamid Karzai calling for a holy war against the rampant drug economy saying it threatens the government's stability.
Is there really a will and a way however to cut down poppy production?
Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson went to see for himself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Starting the first faltering furrow an Afghan farmer begins destroying a field of opium producing poppies. Soon, bogging down as the narcotic crop flooded only hours earlier. This is the opening salvo if the Afghan government's drive to eradicate 25 percent of all poppies. Miring in more than just mud.
RAJI MOHAMMAD SALEM, VILLAGE REPRESENTATIVE: People will rebel against the government if they destroy all the poppies and don't help us solve our problems.
ROBERTSON: Another farmer complains poverty drove him to poppy cultivation for the first time this year. He's not alone. This year, Afghan and international officials say production is up, 28 out of the country's 32 provinces growing the narcotic, some for the first time. Turning over these fields is really a drop in the ocean. These tractors will destroy about 10 kill grams of opium. That's about 20 pounds in this field. Last year, Afghan farmers produced a massive 3,600 metric tons of opium. Selling for between $200 and $800 a kilo, opium is big business. An estimated $30 billion a year, half of Afghanistan's GDP.
ABDUL HALIQ, REGIONAL DIRECTOR COUNTER NARCOTICS: Last year I came here after the eradication with teams from the international community. And we promised to help the farmers, but we did nothing. And now our reputation is damaged.
ROBERTSON: The next month is going to be critical if eradication targets are to be met this year. From what we've seen in this Afghanistan's biggest poppy producing province, significant destruction is still far from a reality.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: That was Nic Robertson reporting from Afghanistan. An interesting and ironic fast fact about opium production for you. The removal of the Taliban in Afghanistan is one of the main reasons the opium trade is flourishing. The hardline regime had suppressed the cultivation of the poppy, along with just about everything else. Afghanistan produced more opium in 2003 than in any year since 1999. That is a fast fact.
Plastic surgery make over madness. Have you seen what they're doing on TV these days?
Have surgeons and TV producers gone too far?
It is our cultural "Midweek crisis."
Plus a big scare under the big top. No net below, a high wire performer falls 30 feet as kids and parents look on.
And coming to stores soon, the wonder butt? a pair of pants makers claim makes your posterior well, you know, whatever. We'll talk about that. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, tonight Fox Television premieres yet another extreme makeover show. 17 women, ugly ducklings Fox calls them, are carved up, sliced, pulled, nipped and tucked into what producers believe are more appealing packages, then they compete in a beauty pageant. extreme makeovers are certainly compelling television, no bout about it, but have these shows gone too far?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll be a new woman when I come back.
COOPER (voice-over): Fox's "The Swan" is just the latest example of nip and tuck reality TV. 17 women eagerly agree to undergo total body transformation. Three months of nips and tucks, lifts and cuts, collagen and botox and chemical peels, and anything else doctors and producers order. The idea, of course, is nothing new, ABC's "Extreme Makeover" has already been a big ratings success.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like I'm a different person.
COOPER: So has MTV's "I Want A Famous Face," where young people unhappy with who they are, use plastic surgery to become clones of celebrities, like Brad Pitt, or Pamela Anderson. This 21-year-old student wanted a full body tuck so she would look like the actress Kate Winslet.
"I Want A Famous Face" has been a big ratings winner for MTV, but ask network executives to discuss the show and they decline. In a press release, MTV insists they're just documenting what these young people have already decided to do. And what about those scalp scalpel wielding surgeons? The president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons says he is concerned.
"Patients on these shows, he says, "have unrealistic, and frankly, unhealthy expectations. I've witnessed plastic surgery disasters where someone tried to look like someone else."
We can all witness that now every week, thanks to this TV trend. The question is, how far will TV producers and doctors go before someone says, enough?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Joining me from Los Angeles, Dr. Randal Hayworth, the cosmetic surgeon who appears on Fox's new makeoever and beauty pageant, "The Swan." Dr. thanks very much for being on the program.
What about these concerns? This president of this Society for Plastic Surgeons says she's shows are a serious cause of concern. The program you're on starting tonight, women undergo huge amounts of plastic surgery and then they compete in a beauty pageant. Do you not have any concerns?
DR. RANDAL HAYWORTH, COSMETIC SURGEON, "THE SWAN": Well, of course we always treat patients as individuals. And I treat my patients with the utmost confidence and respect, and provide the ultimate in medical safety.
But, the Dr Rohrich concern is based upon the fact that he hasn't really seen the show yet. And I do certainly agree that what we've been trying to do with "The Swan" show is to provide more of a three dimensional outlook upon plastic surgery. Where other shows have sort of left certain loopholes. For example...
COOPER: But a three dimensional show. First of all, we tried to get a copy of the show. They're not sending out full copies, I'm not sure why. But of what we've seen, basically these people are being asked to be in a beauty pageant after undergoing serious surgery and Fox is calling them ugly ducklings. I mean is that something you would call your patients?
HAYWORTH: No, I wouldn't. Unfortunately, you know, I'm the plastic surgeon here to provide exemplary care and do what we do best, and being very passionate about plastic surgery. And what unfortunately I didn't have much input into the creative, or the artistic side of the actual show itself.
COOPER: Well, then do you feel you're being taken advantage of at all or that these women are being taken advantage of at all?
HAYWORTH: No, I don't think so. I found it an absolute privilege. I felt it a privilege to be able to give these girls a selfconfidence to go forward and achieve things in their life that they may not have thought possible otherwise.
COOPER: As a doctor, whose sworn a strict code of ethics and medical code, where do you draw the line? There's this show on MTV, where people want to look like celebrities, so they cut themselves to look like Brad Pitt or Kate Winslet or whomever. Is there a line that you will not cross?
HEYWORTH: No, there are lines that I won't cross. I feel that when patients come in wanting to look like celebrities, that would venture onto the fact that certain patients, you will not be able to meet patient's expectations. And therefore, what will happen, is that you'll have a very disappointed patient.
To get a patient to look like a celebrity. Everybody has different bone structure. Skin types. Skin elasticity. And so you're going to be met with a lot of unmet results. And as a result, a lot of un -- sort of unfulfilled expectations and disappointed patients.
COOPER: But do you ever want to say, you know, you're not so bad? You're not an ugly duckling. You know, you're kind of nice as you are?
HAYWORTH: Well, that's very true. Plastic surgery is not for everybody. These patients had certain concerns about their looks. In addition, certain patients that we dealt with did not really need too much plastic surgery at all. And it was a very highly individualized process and decision making process for the patient.
COOPER: I guess we'll see how they do in the beauty pageant. Dr. Randal Hayworth, thank you very much for being on the program.
HAYWORTH: Thank you very much.
COOPER: Let's put plastic surgery in perspective for a moment: 8.3 million Americans underwent surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures in 2003. Here's the interesting part, that is up 20 percent from the previous year alone. The three most popular surgical procedures, liposuction, breast augmentation and eyelid surgery.
Well, a makeover of a decidedly different kind is going on in Texas right now. The story involves two candidates, accusations of blackmail and cross dressing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): Johnson County has never seen a political campaign quite like this. 64-year-old Sam Walls is in the Republican primary runoff for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. Walls is a prominent businessman, Baptist, and former Republican party chairman.
He seemed like a shoo-in until last week. That's when, according to the "Fort Worth Star Telegram," pictures appeared of Walls wearing a dress, makeup and high heels. The paper reports that Walls doesn't deny the pictures are authentic, but he calls them black mail from his rival Rob Orr.
Saying in a statement printed in the newspaper, "through intermediaries, my opponent told me drop out of the campaign, or private information will be released. Now my opponent is using the private information in an attempt to intimate that I am a homosexual, which I am not."
The Fort Worth paper reports that Orr's political consultant denies involvement in a smear campaign, adding, Mr. Walls' unique lifestyle is a matter that he needs to address with the voters of House District 58.
The cross-dressing controversy has surprised and divided the local GOP leadership. The incoming Republican county chairman sounds supportive.
DAVID KERCHEVAL, (R) INCOMING PARTY CHAIR: An honorable person must stand up to someone who tries to threaten, blackmail, or extort him, simply to win a race because they cannot do so on its own merit.
COOPER: But the current chairman feels Walls should drop out.
JEFF JUDO, (R) REP. PARTY CHAIRMAN: Under normal circumstances that there wouldn't be much chance of a Democrat coming out of the November election with a victory. But, certainly, you know, this changes -- this is not normal circumstances.
COOPER: According to the "Star Telegram," Walls is vowing to stay in the race. He says his family has dealt with the issue and he's asked them for forgiveness. Can a lawmaker who cross-dressed win in Texas? We won't know until April 14. That is when voters go to the polls.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Coming up, a death defying stunt at the circus goes horribly wrong. A tight rope walker plunges to the ground, lives to tell the tale, though, thankfully.
Also, for everyone craving a perkier posterier, your dreams have been answered. You don't need surgery, apparently there's something -- it's called -- I don't even want to say that. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: A terrifying scare at the circus. A Ringling Brothers tightrope walker cheats death. He plunged 30 feet to the ground below, lived to tell his tale. Adaora Udoji has the lucky daredevil's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the saying goes, the show went on. Acrobats twisted, elephants strutted their stuff at the Ringling Brothers circus. And the daredevils took to the high wire just a quarter inch thick. But this was an unusual performance. One member was missing. Ernando Amaya last performance landed him in the hospital. Having performed hundreds, if not thousands of times before, to the horror of all at Tuesday's matinee, he plunged 30 feet, landing on his head.
One partner, Wilson Dominguez, says he immediately looked down, hoping Amaya had fallen on the safety mats. He had. Even so, circus officials say miraculously, Amaya did not break a single bone suffering only a bruised elbow and hip. Doctors say he came in talking about it.
DR. DANIEL ROSA, ST. VINCENT HOSPITAL: He has very good recollection of the events. It was fast, but, I mean, he remembers falling.
UDOJI: Dominguez says they love their work despite the risks. True to their word, circus officials say Amaya can't wait to get back to work.
JENNIFER MANIRGER, RINGLING BROTHERS: He wants to get back up there and do what he loves to do and thrill audiences like he has done his entire life.
UDOJI: It's a job well worth watching though few would ever dream of doing. Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: All right. Some lighter stuff now. Let's check on some pop news in the current. Pierce Brosnan's days of playing 007 are finished. Brosnan says the new -- by the way, he's wearing exactly what I'm wearing. Brosnan says the new James Bond will be from Australia sparking rumors that next 007 could be Guy Pierce, Hugh Jackman or a dingo. Possible.
"CSI" and "Law & Order" which (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are churning out another round of spinoffs for next season. And if those prove successful more may follow. That's right get ready for "CSI Skranton (ph)" and "Law & Order Paralegal." Maybe. Sadly, I would probably watch those.
A special honor for Ted Turner, the founder of CNN today was given his own star on the Hollywood walk of fame. I'm proud to say that I've also been honored, not in Hollywood, of course, but by another place, but on Poughkeepsie, a strip mall of stars alongside such luminaries as Mickey Rourke and that guy from "Flock of Seagulls." I'm very proud of that. Thank you, Poughkeepsie.
In case you hadn't noticed we here at 360 pride ourselves, you should pardon the expression on being a bit cheeky. Get it? This next story is no exception. Jeanne Moos takes a look at pants that promise to accentuate your -- your assets.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You've heard of wonder bra, and wonder bread. But wonder butt?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sort of like a push-up bra for your butt?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly.
MOOS: Here's Jackie (ph) before she donned wonder butt pants. And here she is after. Wonder butt is being trademarked by the designer some call the lord of the pants. Alvin Valley.
ALVIN VALLEY, DESIGNER: They were actually christened the wonder butt by Kate Winslet.
MOOS: The actress was trying on the pants when she came up with the name. But do they live up to it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Low butt is beautiful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Embrace the rear end.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's nice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Curvaceous. Complete.
MOOS: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I touch?
MOOS: No. But you can check out the secret behind wonder butt.
VALLEY: A bubble at the butt by creating these darts.
MOOS: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and they're all kind of pushing...
VALLEY: Pushing the buttocks together.
MOOS: Valley says he was inspired by the derriere of model Naomi Campbell. His background in architecture helped develop the darts.
VALLEY: There's not added padding.
MOOS: Oh, no. It's all her.
VALLEY: Oh, great.
MOOS: But when the before is not bad, it's hard to gauge the after.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, they don't feel different at all.
MOOS: Wonder butts won't be in stores till fall. You better be rich. Prices range from $350 to $800. Cheaper line of wonder butt denim will sell for $130. Love saying that name. Wonder butt.
VALLEY: Wonder butt. Alvin Valley's wonder butt.
MOOS: No wonder Valley is developing a line of wonder butts for men. No ifs, ands or wonder butts about it. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Alvin Valley. Lord of the pants. Crossroads of America coming up. Time Square turning 100. We'll take its flashy history to the nth degree. Just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Tonight Times Square to the nth degree. So Times Square is turning 100. If you ask me the old girl looks pretty good. Back in the '70s us New Yorkers complained she was getting kind of seedy. Too many peep shows and porn palaces. In the '90s Disney moused her up a bit and we complained about that, as well. New Yorkers are like that. Today Times Square has hit her stride. The place has always been full of crabs but now there's a big plastic one. Mega stores, mega signs just a hint of danger. That's Times Square. Just how we like her.
I'm Anderson Cooper. Coming up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."
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