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World of Military Recruiting About to get Much Busier; President Bush Meets With Soldiers at Fort Benning; Stem Cell Debate; Senior U.S. Official Confirms Gunship Strike In Somalia Did Not Kill al Qaeda Operatives; Zainab Salbi Discusses Iraq; Marine Corporal Jason Dunham Posthumously Awarded Medal of Honor

Aired January 11, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

A hard sell on Capitol Hill. The president's plan for Iraq is getting grilled by Democrats and Republicans.

PHILLIPS: But how is it going over with those who may be called to serve? And what do you have to say?

We're reading your e-mails right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Another major facet of the new military strategy involves not the men and women serving today, but tens of thousands who will serve later. Defense Secretary Robert Gates outlining that in front of the House Armed Services Committee hearing right now.

CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the Pentagon, where the world of military recruiting is about to get much busier.

Hi, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Quite so. Quite so. They're going to be looking for a few good soldiers, Marines, more than a few very soon.

Now, this in influx of new troops, Kyra, is expected to begin almost immediately. Defense Secretary Robert Gates signed the package of deployment orders last night as soon as President Bush finished his speech to the nation.

It calls for in initially five -- or in total five brigades. Five Army brigades will go into the Baghdad area. That's some 17,500 troops.

Four thousand Marines will go into the volatile Al Anbar province. Also, Iraqi troops will be upping their troop levels as well. And very importantly, they will be taking the lead.

U.S. forces, under U.S. command -- very important to point that out as well -- will be providing support for them. U.S. forces will be actually living in these neighborhoods in Baghdad that they are helping to protect.

Now, the big question on everyone's mind today is, what if the Iraqis don't step up to the plate? That was the first question at today's hearing and the first question to Robert Gates this morning at a press conference. And he pointed out that, in his mind, Iraqi troops are already beginning to take responsibility in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The notion that the Iraqis are standing by while we are doing the fighting is really not an accurate statement. In fact, one of our military folks told me the other day that now more than half of the casualties coming into U.S. military hospitals in Iraq are Iraqi military. So they are fighting. And as we saw on the streets of Baghdad just in the last couple of days, they are fighting.

So I think that -- our belief is that they will fulfill these commitments. But if we see them falling short, we will -- we will make sure that they know that and how strongly we feel about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: And Secretary Gates said just a few minutes ago that if they do fall short, American patience is limited, that the U.S. would have to revisit its strategy.

Now, another question is, how long will the additional deployments last? Secretary Gates this morning said it's a temporary surge, but he said right now no one has really a clear idea of how long it will be -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee asking a lot of questions of Pace and Gates. Anything stand out to you at this point?

KOCH: Well, I think it was very interesting a few minutes ago. I think you noticed the exchange by chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace.

He made his opening statement and then he turned directly to the chairman of the committee and said that he believed that with these changes, when it comes to the political changes that the Iraqis are promising and the troop changes, he believes this plan will work. It was very forceful, very direct, and certainly you could see he was trying to convince this committee he believes in what the president has proposed.

PHILLIPS: It's his reputation and in many ways his career on the line by coming forward and saying that.

KOCH: Lots of lives on the line.

PHILLIPS: Absolutely.

Kathleen Koch, appreciate it. KOCH: You bet.

LEMON: And as we mentioned, President Bush is in Georgia this hour visiting some of the soldiers who will carry out this new war plan.

CNN national competent Bob Franken joins us from Ft. Benning.

How is he being received, Bob?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's being received certainly enthusiastically. He is, after all, the commander in chief. At the moment he was on his way to watch training exercises which are ongoing at Ft. Benning.

I should point out there will be some deployments already scheduled that are going to take a few thousand of the troops here back to Iraq for what will be their third deployment. That will be occurring some time this spring.

When the president arrived, he immediately went to a luncheon. A luncheon with troops and a luncheon with members of their families, that type of thing, because, after all, it is the military that is going to be carrying in this new policy the load.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some units are going to have to deploy earlier than scheduled as a result of the decision I made. Some will remain deployed longer than originally anticipated. I will work with you and the Congress to provide all of the resources you need in this war on terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: When it comes to a reaction from military people, I have been talking to quite a few, Don, after the last -- over the last several days. And there's pretty much a consensus that this is going to be tough -- tougher on members of the military. But the view is, is that if this gets the job done and these deployments can stop, then they're all for it -- Don.

LEMON: And we've heard that many of these soldiers, troops will be shipped out by the end of January, early February. Do we know how soon these troops at Ft. Benning will be deployed, Bob?

FRANKEN: Well, there's going to be quite a bit of supplementary work done. But the group that is already scheduled to go is probably going to go some time in April.

LEMON: OK. Do they know where they are going?

FRANKEN: They sort of know. I can only tell you this, that other members of the 3rd Infantry Division, which is the one that is being deployed to Iraq for the third time, are going to the Ramadi area. That's, of course, an intensely dangerous area about 50 miles west of Baghdad.

However, it is probably safe to say that the others might be going in different directions, particularly now since the focus is going to be on the Baghdad area.

LEMON: All right. Bob Franken, in Ft. Benning, thank you so much.

PHILLIPS: Mixed reviews, to put it kindly, in Washington for the president's plan for Iraq. Same story in Iraq.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush's speech aired live on Iraqi state TV, but many Iraqis couldn't watch it because they have no electricity. Still, slowly, the headlines are getting out.

The reaction? After living with growing violence for three years, many Baghdad residents are deeply skeptical that more U.S. troops will help.

"For four years we have seen nothing," says Tariq al-Shaikli, a 55-year-old Sunni. "Bush should present the Iraqis with a more drastic solution. He should have announced a bolder plan that would have included a timetable for withdrawing the existing troops."

A smaller number of Iraqis felt more U.S. troops were the last best option, saying Iraq's own army is too weak and too partial to handle what amount to a sectarian civil war. "It's a good move," says Hamid Selmon (ph). "I hope they can apply it well so that security becomes a normal thing and people can live happily."

One part of the president's speech that seemed popular, a promise to invest more money in Iraq. Unemployment now stands at 40 percent.

"Beautiful," says this 20-year-old Shiite who lives in the poor Sadr City area. "We would be very happy with a plan to create more jobs."

Iraq's armed groups of all stripes have also reacted. From the Sunni extremists, al Qaeda in Iraq predictably called on its followers to step up attacks on American troops. And a representative from Iraq's largest Shiite militia, the Mehdi army, which the U.S. says must be disarmed, told CNN the U.S. should withdraw its troops, not add more.

Iraq's parliament will debate the plan at its next session. One Shiite lawmaker is already making his views very clear.

"The increase of occupation troops is unacceptable and rejected. We are looking forward to the departure of these troops."

(on camera): President Bush also said the U.S. would continue to take action against allegedly Iranian interference in Iraq. Thursday, the Iraqi government announced U.S. troops had raided an Iranian liaison office in northern Iraq, arresting several people. The U.S. military would only confirm that an operation was ongoing in the city of Erbil.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we want to hear from you. What do you think of the president's plan for Iraq/ E-mail us. The address is newsroom@CNN.com.

LEMON: More troops, well, that much we get. But when are they going? And what will their mission be?

We are breaking it down with retired general Don Shepperd.

That's ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: And stem cell stalemate. Democrats vow to pass a bill for more embryonic stem cell research. The president vows to veto again.

We're counting the votes ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The third order of business in the first 100 hours, a measure that passed the Republican-led Congress in 2005 and drew the one and only veto of the Bush presidency, more money for research on embryonic stem cells. Despite their newfound majority, House Democrats still face very long odds, and the clock, you'll note, is ticking.

CNN's Brianna Keilar is watching from our D.C. bureau -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, this bill has bipartisan support. It's expected to cruise through the House here shortly. A debate wrapping up now. And then it's expected to go through the Senate as well.

But President Bush, as you said, vetoed this, this summer. And he's expected to veto this again. This bill would allow federal funding for embryonic research. It would also increase stem cell lines that researchers can use.

Now, experts say stem cells could be the key to treating diseases like spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's, or diabetes, which is exactly what Democratic congressman Zack Space's son suffers from. Here's what he said today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ZACK SPACE (D), OHIO: As Nicholas (ph) approaches adulthood, Mr. Speaker, our family fears for what the future brings, for as difficult as this disease is to live with on a daily basis, most troubling of all is what potentially awaits someone who suffers from this disease -- amputations, blindness, kidney failure, even premature death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: In the opposite corner, the debate is just as emotionally charged. To remove stem cells from embryos, embryos must be destroyed. And that has many conservatives saying it's morally unethical.

Here's what Republican congressman Mike Pence said earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: Proponents of this legislation apparently just don't want to be able to do embryonic stem cell research. They want me to pay for it. And like more than 40 percent of Americans, I have a problem with that.

You see, I believe that life begins at conception and that a human embryo is human life. And I believe it is morally wrong to create human life to destroy it for research.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: The Bush administration released a statement this morning saying they are opposed to this bill. And if President Bush, of course, vetoes this again, both -- or Congress would have to come up with a two-thirds majority to override this.

They weren't able to pull that off this summer, when President Bush vetoed this the first time. Observers saying it's possible there may be enough votes in the Senate, but the House, Don, much more questionable at this point.

LEMON: And Brianna, there was some very interesting research that was announced earlier this week that showed that stem cells taken from amniotic fluid might be used. Have Democrats responded to that?

KEILAR: Yes, they have. In fact, Democratic Congresswoman Diana DeGette, she's a co-sponsor of this bill. She said even though that amniotic research is promising, it doesn't negate the need for research involving embryonic stem cell research. And she also cited a letter from Dr. Anthony Atala.

He is actually the researcher from Wake Forest University. He conducted this research that was announced earlier this week, and he pretty much said the same thing, that even though he did this research, it's supplemental to this embryonic stem cell research that still needs to take place.

LEMON: Brianna Keilar, thank you.

PHILLIPS: And we're continuing to monitor the hearings with the House Armed Services Committee with the new secretary of defense, Bob Gates, right now taking Q&A from members of that committee. We've got Major General Don Shepperd standing by to talk about what's come out of those hearings and the new Iraq plan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GATES: The impetus to add U.S. forces came initially from our commanders there. It would be a sublime, yet historic, irony if those who believe the views of the military professionals were neglected at the onset of the war were now to dismiss the views of the military as irrelevant or wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I have been one who has said frequently, do not send extra troops just to do what the troops there now are already doing. But if there is a defined military mission, and if it is supported and supporting political initiatives and economic initiatives, then it would be useful. In that context, this plan meets those criteria.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: President Bush sending more troops to Iraq, this much we know. But what exactly will they do when they get there?

Joining us now from Washington, CNN military analyst, retired Air Force major general Don Shepperd.

We talked a little bit about it, Shep, within the past 30 minutes, but for the first time we're hearing specifics about how the Iraqis will sort of reform in what they've been doing thus far and they'll work side by side with U.S. troops.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Kyra, we're hearing some definition, and some very important nuances are coming out of this.

You hear -- you get an impression of a little bit of double talk. We heard early on that the commanders over there, General Abizaid, General Casey, were opposed to sending additional troops because that wasn't the answer. Well, and now they're saying that they are in support of it, and General Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is saying they in fact have recommended it.

But what we are getting is that these troops are going to be used in a specific way. And for the first time, we're hearing, that they are going to be used without restrictions.

Many times before we have been prevented from going into the neighborhoods, or started in and been made to leave. We have detained people in those neighborhoods to be suspects and then been forced to release them. Now it appears, if the rhetoric is correct that we are hearing, that they're going to be able to go where they need, for the reasons they need to. And, most important, Iraqi forces will be in the lead.

So, it appears from the rhetoric that we think we have enough Iraqi forces trained and ready to take the lead, and the U.S. forces will be in support and their hands will be untied. It remains to be seen if it's true -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, I remember Senator John McCain coming forward saying he didn't want to see any more National Guard troops having to go over there. He wanted to take the stress off the National Guard and send more active Marines and active Army. But it sounds like a part of this new plan, according to Gates, will be to send National Guard troops over there in units versus individually.

So what is your take on that?

SHEPPERD: Yes, good idea to send them in units because you get the synergy of a unit, as opposed to a bunch of trained people that are broken up and working with people that they aren't familiar with. It's the same thing in the regular Army.

When you send the regular Army over, you send platoons, companies and battalions that have trained together. And it's better than sending individuals and then breaking them up under other commanders and people they haven't worked with. So that's smart.

Now, you simply cannot sustain the level of deployments that we have been seeing over a long period of time unless you use the Guard and the Reserve. The restriction on the Guard and Reserve was they were going to be used one year every five years. Now it appears that's going to be at least double and it's going to be a big burden on them, their families, their employers.

Interestingly enough, I talked to the high -- the top guard leadership, and they basically said that so far, at least, the retention -- in other words, the people resigning and staying in -- is better among the troops that have been to Iraq and Afghanistan than it is those who have not. Interesting twist.

PHILLIPS: That is interesting, because we have heard conflicting stories about those that don't want to sign up, that recruiting has been tough. And now we heard Gates talk about the president is going to authorize an additional 92,000 soldiers to the U.S. military over the next five years, and that is to increase troop strength to the overall military, not just those serving in Iraq.

Are we just going to see a massive recruiting campaign?

SHEPPERD: Yes and no. The number 92,000 is a large number, and basically what you're going to see, that as implemented over a five- year period.

You couldn't do it at one and you couldn't train them at once. And none of these people are going to have any impact, as I see it, certainly not immediately, on what's going on in Iraq. Nor will they be sent. They won't be ready to do that.

What you're going to see is people going out and massive efforts to recruit. You're going to see in cities that are going to be expensive. It's going to be an expensive proposition to expand by this much.

You're going to see more money spent on the military, not only recruiting and retention and personnel, but to rearm and pay for the stuff that we have worn out over the last 10 years, and certainly recently in Iraq.

PHILLIPS: And Shep, Secretary Gates said that another policy change would be within the hardship waiver program. Can you explain to me what that is?

SHEPPERD: Well, the hardship waiver has basically been fairly lenient on people that have family members that they need to take care of and this type of thing. There's a whole list of reasons that people can be excused from duty, not called up, not mobilized, and that's going to be greatly scrutinized and greatly reduced.

So, it's the whole effort. This is a big deal. We are leaning on our troops. The troops are very stressed. And you have got to -- you've got to keep the manpower pools open up there, and this is another part of the effort -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Finally, you and I talked about this last time around, but I just want to reiterate the fact that Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, looked the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee straight into the eye. His final comment was, "I am of conviction, with all of these changes, we can win this war."

He didn't say we will win this war. He said we can win this war.

SHEPPERD: Yes, very important. General Peter Pace, who is a fine man and a fine officer, a fine Marine, basically laid it on the line, because he knows that six months from now if this is not going well, Congress is going to come back, look him in the eye, and say, "General Pace, you told us and now it's not happening. What now? What went wrong?"

So this is a big statement -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: General Don Shepperd, thank you very much.

We're going to go ahead and listen to Peter Pace.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

PACE: ... the kinds of skills and capacity they don't have, like air power. We will do it like we have been doing the last couple days in Baghdad, provided to them. But the U.S. will stay under U.S. command and the Iraqis will be under Iraqi command. And General Casey and his counterpart Iraqi partner will work together on the command -- on the command and control of that.

REP. NEIL ABERCROMBIE (D), HI: How is that any different than what's been done since November of 2005?

PACE: The main difference is the political atmosphere in which they are allowed to operate. There is no number -- there is no number of additional U.S. troops that will make a difference, absent -- long- term difference -- absent the political will of the Iraqi leadership and the religious leadership. And that's what's different.

ABERCROMBIE: Thank you, General Pace.

Secretary Gates, I suggest it won't take you 18 months to figure that out. It won't take you six months to figure that out. I don't think there's going to be any change, I'm sorry to say, that is likely to take place in the next six days, let alone the next six months or 18 months.

Finally, Secretary Gates, if there's time for it, in all of the discussions so far, let's suppose that General Pace's description of this plan works, for conversation's sake. What is the exit strategy?

GATES: The exit strategy is, that as the level of violence goes down and as the Iraqis gain control of the -- restore control in Baghdad, that -- the presence of the United States would diminish.

ABERCROMBIE: If that doesn't occur, is there an exit strategy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Answer the question, and then we go to Ms. Davis.

GATES: I think that it's -- at the outset of the -- at the outset of the strategy, it's a mistake to talk about an exit strategy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

Ms. Davis from Virginia.

PHILLIPS: And we'll just have to monitor how that violence goes forward, of course, in Iraq. The first time we have heard that, actually, from the representatives there on the House Armed Services Committee, asking the secretary of defense straight out, what is the exit strategy?

A little bit of a hesitation there, coming forward saying, once the violence is down, troops will be able to start coming home. Of course, we have to see how this new plans works and if, indeed, the violence can be brought down and that can start to happen.

We're going to continue to monitor these hearings of the House Armed Services Committee, as there's Q&A ongoing with the new secretary of defense and also Joint Chiefs chair Peter Pace.

LEMON: Well, the president has laid out his plan for Iraq, but what do Iraqis say? Next in the NEWSROOM, an Iraqi activist offers her view.

PHILLIPS: Stem cell stalemate. Democrats vow to pass a bill for more embryonic research. The president vows to veto again. The House debate happening now. A vote expected shortly.

Live coverage ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips. Live at the CNN World headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. Plenty of reaction to the president's plan in the U.S., but what do Iraqis make of it? We will get one woman's opinion. That's straight ahead here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And Zainab Salbi has a unique perspective on Iraq. Her father was Saddam Hussein's personal pilot. She wrote a book about growing up in Iraq and the height of Hussein's power and today she is founder and CEO of Women for Women International, which helps women who survive war, rebuild their lives. She joins us now from New York. Thanks for joining us today.

ZAINAB SALBI, CEO, WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL: It's my pleasure, thank you.

LEMON: I'm sure you watched the president's speech last night and just your initial reaction to that speech?

SALBI: Well, I was glad the president mentioned the importance of the economic development in Iraq. We cannot talk about building peace and security in Iraq if we do not address the reality of Iraqis and that reality partially has to do with the security but the other part has to do with economic development.

As we speak today, there's still no electricity in Baghdad. There's one hour of electricity in Baghdad and many neighborhoods go on without electricity.

Schools, hospitals, universities are still not fully functioning. Living expenses are incredibly high and people are still having no employment.

LEMON: So, you're talking about building jobs. Where he talked about building jobs, which would be the Iraqi government, he said, would take care of that. But you're also talking about, as well, splitting the profits from oil reserves and oil money, which is yet to be done.

SALBI: Well, it's not only building of the jobs. It's building of the Iraqi infrastructure. And everyone is accountable for that. The Iraqi government are accountable for that. The Iraqi companies and the U.S. companies and the U.S. government, anybody who is spending the money on building Iraqi infrastructure should be accountable for how you really deliver tangible impact and how do we measure that impact vis-a-vis Iraq.

In terms of the distribution of the oil revenue, there are economic terms calling the oil a curse. We have to make sure that Iraq has an economic system that is sustainable and that does not take its oil revenue for granted.

We also have to make sure the investment happens in the country and its infrastructure before we distribute it to the population. But I just hope that we have an economic system that makes sure there's an economic sustainability for the future of Iraq.

LEMON: You're talking about -- when we were talking about trust, the president talked about trust, at least two or three times last night, getting the Iraqis to trust the Americans and also both the insurgents to trust each other and to work together.

They are saying the opponents of the president's plan are saying that it's not about adding more troops. It's about the policies and it's about negotiations. What do you make of that? It almost seems as if they are trying to establish a community policing-type program in Iraq when he talks about trust.

SALBI: Well, first of all, I'm not a military expert. I can only comment on the fact that almost every single poll of Iraqi population is talking about and showing that the Iraqis want the withdrawal of the U.S. troops.

LEMON: But having lived there, do you think that type of policing would work.

SALBI: I don't know. If we are to build a sustainable future in Iraq, no, we have to have real democracies, accountability, transparency. We have to do some measurements right now to build the security.

That can't be only a military discussion. That has to do with other measurements from building the civil society to building the economy, to really incorporating all other elements of the population.

Unfortunately right now, the most extremists, the ones who are fighting are the ones who are representing Iraqis -- are the ones who are talking business with Iraq and civilians who are not fighting, which is the majority of the population, the ones who really just want stability in their life are not being represented in any of the policy discussion.

So we really need to make sure to hear the civilians and what they have to say and what they are saying is that we really need some jobs, we need to build the country, we need to make sure to move forward in a steady way. And that's the way to rebuild the country.

LEMON: Let's talk about Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Those who oppose the president's plan also say that they don't think Maliki is getting the job done. That he's not the man who can get the job done and people there basically don't trust him. Is that so?

SALBI: I would argue that to a great extent, yes, the government of Iraq, it's credibility is questioned vis-a-vis a lot of Iraqis. That is, I would say that from the Iraqis I have spoken with in Iraq, whether they are representative of the whole country or not, that this is the impression that I get. There's a lot of questioning. There's still hope we may actually, you know, get the country back together. There is still talking about reconciliation and it's importance. But there is also question about the credibility of the Maliki government.

LEMON: And your father, for all of your life, worked for Saddam Hussein. We are talking about Iraq here. Sort of off topic. You did watch the execution video?

SALBI: Yes.

LEMON: And hear it? What did you think of Saddam Hussein being hanged?

SALBI: Well, I thought it was actually most unfortunate. The president yesterday mentioned about building democracy in Iraq and rule of law. Saddam's trial was not necessarily in the best way -- function within the rule of law.

It's transparency, its accountability, it's in ways a lot of its elements have been questioned. Saddam's trial in my opinion was not only about Saddam. It is about the future, it was about the future of Iraq. It's about documenting our past, telling our truth, and seeking our reconciliation.

LEMON: And some people may be surprised by that because you said he made your life a living hell.

SALBI: Absolutely. Saddam for me is the Devil incarnate and he is a criminal. There is no question about his criminality. We have though to account, we have to document his criminal acts. Not only against the 148 Shias that he killed, but against all the Kurds, against all the Shias he deported, against women, against so many of the civilians.

To cut his trial short is the most unfortunate thing in my opinion, vis-a-vis Iraq. And by killing him in such a fast way, we actually did no different than what he had done. He killed and executed people on the spot. He executed and not so much of a different scenario than what he was -- the way he was killed.

And we have to elevate ourselves above Saddam's style and above the norms that Saddam had created in order to rebuild a new Iraq. So, I found his execution and the way his trial was handled most unfortunate.

It was one of the hopes for me that it's about building a good judicial system. It is about building an accountability and transparency for the judicial system in Iraq, so we can make sure we are building a new Iraq.

Never, you know, I still have hope. We have to continue. I agree with the president that the stability of Iraq is important not only for America but the whole region and we've got to build -- we have got to work on that. But not only through the military. By far not through the military. But through really other means, including civilian means and economic developments.

LEMON: Very interesting, fascinating perspective. Zainab Salbi, thank you for joining us.

SALBI: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Take you live to the House floor just for a second. We want to let you know about something else we are monitoring right now and that is the House getting ready to vote on a stem cell research bill.

This is the third piece of legislation the Democrats have taken up within its -- their first 100 hours. At stake is whether research on cells taken from human embryos, considered by scientists to be the most promising approach to developing potential treatments or cures for dozens of diseases like Parkinson's, should be underwritten with taxpayer funds. We are following, you see Barney Frank now speaking live. But, we're going to follow this for you, let you know when the vote happens and what the result is.

Now, just yesterday the House overwhelming approved the first Federal minimum wage increase in nearly a decade. So, what happens now?

Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange tells us exactly how that will play out. Hey Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Kyra, well, it's an important business issue, that is for sure and it now goes to the other branch of Congress, the U.S. Senate, which could consider the issue as early as next week.

Senate Democrats are expected to add billions of dollars in some small business tax breaks, something that many Republicans and the White House have said they favor. Critics of a wage increase say that without tax relief, small businesses would take a big hit and that could trickle down to you and me. Restaurants, for example, might be forced to raise prices.

Yesterday, the House voted to raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour in three increments over about two years. It would be the first increase in nearly a decade, and economists say it could benefit up to six million workers. But the House version does not include any tax cuts -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So what happens if the Senate bill passes with those tax breaks?

LISOVICZ: Right, so what happens is they have to iron out the details. The betting is, Kyra, that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her colleagues will eventually give in to some sort of tax relief to get President Bush to sign off on the bill.

That raises another issue. Budget rules that went into effect last week say that no tax legislation from the House can boost the deficit. So if the House does eventually pass a bill with tax breaks, lawmakers would have to cut spending or raise taxes elsewhere. It's a conundrum.

(MARKET REPORT)

LISOVICZ: Coming up next hour, what's in a name? A lawsuit when it comes to the iPhone. I will have details when NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Live pictures now from Washington. That is the Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, appearing in front of the House Armed Services Committee, talking about the plan for Iraq, really pushing the president -- what the president laid out before the country last night on getting more troops into Iraq to try to secure the country and to try to cut down on sectarian violence.

Now, as predicted, it was renounced, argued over and used by some to launch new comparisons to Vietnam. It is President Bush's latest plan for Iraq, what even a Republican senator calls a hail Mary pass. Here is a bit of the president's primetime address to the nation last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people, and it is unacceptable to me. Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do.

Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me. In our discussions, we all agreed that there's no magic formula for success in Iraq. And one message came through loud and clear: Failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Now, here in broad strokes, some key figures -- 21,500, the size of the so-called troop surge too Iraq, mostly to Baghdad and the violent, lawless Anbar province. November? Well, that's when the president wants the Iraqi government to assume control of all provinces, and he said, without elaborating, that he expects Iraqi leaders to adhere to his plan and timetable.

PHILLIPS: Well, we asked, what do you think of the president's plan for Iraq? Here's what some of you are saying today.

James writes, "It seems to me that the speech last night is little more than promoting more of the same. The one exception is that troop strength is going up and not out."

LEMON: And, Kyra, Christopher says, "Why does it take the president 20 minutes to say what everybody already knows? At the very most, it should have taken not more than five minutes. Please tell me there aren't people out there thinking that the president would withdraw from Iraq."

PHILLIPS: Roger had a bit of a different view. He writes, "I just wish to say I fully and proudly support the president on this, and the Democrats need to wake up. We can't back down now. If we do we will be seen as cowards. Thank you for letting me express my thoughts."

LEMON: And something completely different. Here's Ernie, who writes, "What I would like to hear from Bush are the words I resign."

E-mail us at newsroom@CNN.com.

PHILLIPS: About-face on the fate of three top terror suspects. The latest word, they were not killed as first though in Sunday's U.S. airstrike in southern Somalia. There's some doubt that they were even there too.

CNN's Barbara Starr is the only TV network correspondent in that region. She's in neighboring Kenya.

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BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: A senior U.S. official in Kenya confirmed that the AC-130 gunship strike in southern Somalia did not kill the top three al Qaeda operatives the U.S. had been seeking in connection with the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassies here in East Africa.

The official said, speaking on background, "the three high-value targets are still of intense interest. We are still in pursuit," he said. The official also said to his knowledge there are no special forces in southern Somalia but he would not discuss, due to intelligence concerns, whether there were any special forces, perhaps, in northern Kenya.

The strike came late Sunday into early Monday, a strike against a suspected terrorist camp in southern Somalia. The official said it was targeted against a group of some 20 suspected al Qaeda-affiliated or al Qaeda-connected persons. The official said the U.S. believes they killed eight to 10 people but they do not believe at this point any of them were civilians.

Of course, there were many questions the official said he could not answer due to intelligence concerns.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A Marine's selfless act remembered and honored today in Washington. Up next in the NEWSROOM, the story of Corporal Jason Dunham.

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PHILLIPS: "Undaunted courage," "unwavering devotion to duty" and "ultimate and selfless act of bravery" -- words read aloud at the White House almost three years Marine Corporal Jason Dunham threw himself onto the hand grenade in Iraq, saving the lives of at least two of his fellow Marines. As you may have seen live her on CNN, Corporal Dunham was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor this morning by President Bush. He is only the second recipient of the nation's top military honor from the Iraq war.

LEMON: And those who knew Corporal Dunham are not surprised by his actions.

Our Gary Nurenberg has more on this fallen hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jason Dunham made an immediate impression from his childhood in the little western New York town of Silo (ph).

DAN FLEMING, DUNHAM FAMILY FRIEND: Jason was a wonderful part of this community. He was my son's best friend.

NURENBERG: To firefighters in Iraq.

SGT. MARK EDMUND DEAN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: This is the type -- the kind of guy that you want to be your best friend. This is the guy that you want fighting next to you.

NURENBERG: When he was a kid, Jason wanted to grow up, get muscles. And he did. Joined the Marines, becoming a role model for the men in his platoon.

MAJOR TRENT GIBSON, U.S. MARINE CORPS: He believed in setting a proper example for his men to follow. And that made them want be to be like him and want to follow him.

NURENBERG: In April of 2004, Corporal Dunham threw himself on a grenade seconds before it exploded, saving the lives of fellow Marines. It was the ultimate sacrifice; Dunham was killed. This was all that was left of his Kevlar helmet and vest.

LT. BRIAN ROBINSON, U.S. MARINE CORPS: If he hadn't done that, the blast radius would have been a lot -- a lot greater.

NURENBERG: Friends from his platoon say he treated his men as family.

DEAN: That's exactly what he did. He jumped on the grenade to protect his family.

NURENBERG: His real family understands the heroic and selfless act.

DAN DUNHAM, JASON'S FATHER: There's no greater thing than what Jason did, to be willing to give up his life so that other people could go on and have lives.

NURENBERG: Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Corporal Jason Dunham, one of 3,019 U.S. military men and women killed in Iraq.

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PHILLIPS: Fredricka Whitfield, what are you working for us in the NEWSROOM there?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: South Florida, West Palm Beach. We understand, according to our affiliate WPEC, that the West Palm Beach courthouse has been evacuated.

You're looking at the live pictures right now provided by that affiliate. You're seeing the emergency crews there.

Reportedly, some white powder was found. We don't know where in that building the white powder was found or just how many people had been evacuated, but this is the scene right now. We're working on our sources to try to find out a little more about that story -- Kyra.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll keep following it.

Thanks, Fred.

LEMON: Well, get ready for the Arctic Express. Reynolds Wolf in Weather Center keeping watch on all the chilly conditions.

And Reynolds, we can't blame this one on Canada. It's coming from much further beyond that, right?

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LEMON: The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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