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Gates: U.S. To Hand Over Lead in Libyan Military Activities; Japan Tries to Protect Food Supply

Aired March 21, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, U.S. officials say they are getting ready to hand over operational control of the military commission. The coalition says Gadhafi's troops are not adhering to ceasefire mandated by the United Nations. In fact, there are chilling reports today from the western city of Misrata. A witness there says Gadhafi's forces are carrying out a mission of "absolute destruction and carnage."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: On the east, west and south, his troops are going almost door-to-door searches, terrorizing people and rounding up young men and terrorizing old men and women. We have reports of shooting. We have reports of moving people's homes in the outskirts by his troops. He is terrorizing Misrata right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to check in with our very own Nic Robertson who is in Tripoli, in just a moment. But first, we want to share some of the extraordinary reporting he did over the weekend as the skies exploded overhead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): That's the sounds of heavy anti-aircraft gunfire erupting over the city of Tripoli here. We heard it sporadically, several hours ago. Now, hearing it much more and much more sustained fashion. Hearing the loud gunfire and explosions in the city, there's gunfire seems to have followed on from several loud explosions which could have been missile explosions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Well, one of the allied targets, Moammar Gadhafi's compound there in Tripoli. Nic arrived on the scene to find much of it in ruins and the smoke still rising from the rubble.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (on camera): From what she's saying, look at this, for them, this is proof this building was struck by some kind of a missile. Can I have a look? OK. Can I have a look? This is still warm. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Let's bring in Nic. He joins us now from Tripoli. Nic, just bring us up to speed with the latest there in the capital.

ROBERTSON: It's been very quiet today so far, Isha. In fact, strangely, eerily quiet given the sort of activity last night, the missile strikes, the anti-aircraft gunfire. You can hear the traffic out on the roads and occasionally from where we are, you can hear strange pro-Gadhafi music drifting over. I guess from whatever sort of small pro-Gadhafi gatherings, demonstrations that happened not far from where we are located. Isha.

SESAY: Nic, you were in Baghdad for the start of both wars there. How does the beginning of this campaign compare to your experiences then?

ROBERTSON: There are far fewer missiles falling on this city than it fell in Baghdad in '91 and 2003. The air defense systems in Baghdad in both 1991 and 2003 were appeared much bigger, much more sophisticated, worked at least until the air defense control systems were destroyed. Worked as a sort of in a coordinated pattern here. A couple of sporadic heavy anti-aircraft guns (INAUDIBLE) firing in the skies. So fewer strikes. And a less defective defense system in place in this capital. Of course, Baghdad had been at war with Iran in the previous decade. Libya has not been at war in that sense with any country. Isha.

SESAY: Nic, we know from U.S. officials the hope is that as he launches intense air strikes on Gadhafi and his regime, some schism will be created between him and his military forces and the hope is there will be defections. Have we seen any indication of any kind of schism between Gadhafi and his military forces?

ROBERTSON: Not since we have been here in the past three weeks. And certainly, we haven't seen any evidence of it since these air strikes began. However, we are in the capital. The heavier air strikes and particularly those against the military have been in the east. The forces around Benghazi. The forces there around (INAUDIBLE) where a truce, where sort of the thrust of his army was. They've been -- what's happening there isn't clear. Are there defections there? We don't know. And he may not even know himself. Communications across the country have been degraded sufficiently. For us, it's not clear and it may not even be clear at this stage, the regime either. Isha.

SESAY: Indeed. It's a fast moving situation. Nic Robertson joining us there from Tripoli. Nic, we appreciate it, thank you. Carol.

COSTELLO: The allies say their main targets have been Libya's air defense sites. Taking those out allowed coalition war planes to seize the skies and establish that no fly zone. So let's get more on the military perspective with CNN's Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence.

And Chris, it was no oops factor. I mean, coalition forces meant to target Gadhafi's compound, why was that?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's correct, Carol. Coalition officials confirmed that they did target the compound, but they make the distinction that they were not personally targeting Moammar Gadhafi himself. In fact, they say, right now, they don't have a good idea of exactly where he is. They say the reason they hit that compound was because it contains some certain command in control capabilities there.

In other words, part of it, they say, is an area where Gadhafi can then control his troops, give directions to his troops. And it's one of the capabilities they have been trying to degrade, sort of cut off his ability to really take total command of all his forces spread out from Tripoli all the way to Benghazi.

COSTELLO: And another question for you, Chris, French and British forces did their thing. And then the United States seemed to take over the mission. But Secretary Gates said "no, our lead role will end in a couple of days." So kind of sort that out for us. What exactly does that mean?

LAWRENCE: Well, in one key area, Carol, the U.S. mission may have already hit its peak. I spoke with a coalition official in that region, a military official who said U.S. aircraft participation has at most plateaued and may have been reduced somewhat. So the U.S. participation may already be on the downwards slope. They hit with over 100 tomahawk missiles on Saturday. That took out one of the most, probably the most feared capability Moammar Gadhafi had which is his surface to air missiles. Missiles that had a range of anywhere from 150 to maybe even 170 miles offshore.

They wanted to knock those out and also to degrade his ability to shoot down the airplanes that would come after. Then you saw massive bombing runs by both British jets, American jets, knocking back some of Gadhafi's forces from the are of Benghazi, also hitting Tripoli. So now, what you are seeing and what we have been described as the action phase is pretty much over.

Now, they are moving into what they're calling the patrolling phase. And that's a phase that the U.S. hopes and expects to have a much, much less role than they had in the first 48 hours.

COSTELLO: We'll see what happens. Chris Lawrence reporting live from the Pentagon.

The turmoil in Libya and in the Middle East just caused fuel prices to surge. But drivers in the United States may be getting a bit of a reprieve. The average cost of a gallon of gas now stands at is $3.54. That's actually down a few cents from last week but it's still much higher than a year ago.

SESAY: And in Japan, the government is scrambling to limit exposure to high levels of radioactivity in the food supply. Japan's health ministry says it has banned the sale of raw milk from Fukushima prefecture. Tainted milk has been found only 18 miles from the crippled nuclear plant. Health officials have also banned the sale of spinach grown in nearby Tsibo prefecture. Spinach collected 65 miles the south of the nuclear accident was found to be contaminated. The World Health Organization says radiation in the Japanese food supply is much more serious than first thought.

COSTELLO: Now to Haiti where violence erupts during a crucial election. Two people were shot and killed Sunday as voters cast their ballot in a presidential run-off. Haitians are choosing between a former first lady and a singer. Results will be released on April 16th.

Also hip-hop star Wyclef Jean who was in Haiti for the election was shot himself. He was shot in the hand. He says a bullet grazed his hand after he stepped out of his car. Jean was treated at a hospital in Port-au-Prince and is said to be doing well. He would not say whether he thought he was the target.

SESAY: Well, breaking news on Wall Street. Let's bring in Stephanie Elam, who joins us now from New York. Stephanie, I believe there's a bit of a rally going on.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: There is a bit of a rally. We kind of expected to see this one today, Isha. In the sense that when you look at the markets overseas in Asia, their markets were moving higher. The Japanese markets closed today for a national holiday. But taking a look at the European markets moving higher today as well. They are still open there and you see here, we are up over 200 points, 12,070 is where we stand right now.

We have a few things going on. There's a broad base rally here but there's this merger that we've heard about. There's so much going on today. Maybe you haven't heard a lot about it but AT&T has agreed to buy T-Mobile in a $39 billion deal. That is being received well. Both of those stocks up around three percent on that news coming out today. I think AT&T is now up two percent on this news.

Also the fact that there was some progress over the weekend in Japan and cooling those nuclear reactors. It's also making investors feel a little bit better here as well. So we're seeing the markets move on that. But overall, we have seen the rest of the world today looking a little bit higher today, Isha. And it seems like we are following suit here. Of course, as we know, there's something else that could happen. It could change on a dime. But right now, things are looking a lot better this morning.

SESAY: Yes, absolutely. And upward trend right now but we'll continue to watch closely. Stephanie, thank you.

Now, what's the strategy behind the coalition strike in Libya and will the Arab League continue to support the effort? We're talking with Retired General Wesley Clark when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Efforts to establish a no-fly zone over Libya appeared to be working. Let's head to Benghazi, Libya right now. And Arwa Damon -- that was a rebel stronghold there. Those people were begging for help with this no-fly zone. They've got it. So what was it like there now?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Well, the city of Benghazi itself appears to be quite calm. Of course, the no-fly zone, the international assistance, the bombing carried out by foreign fighter jets very much viewed here with gratitude. In fact, (INAUDIBLE) people they fully expected a massacre to be carried out at the hands of Gadhafi's forces. The opposition effectively carried the fight as far as they could. But given the fact that they were poorly trained and poorly equipped, they would not have been able to (INAUDIBLE) an attack by Gadhafi forces in the long term.

What we did see outside of the city of Benghazi was the sheer firepower that was used against Gadhafi's forces. An eyewitness reporting at least eight bombs falling on Gadhafi's military (INAUDIBLE) there on Sunday. The debris stretching out for about as far as the eye could see ranging from armored personnel carriers to tanks (INAUDIBLE). We ourselves count at least 70 damaged vehicles. Many eyewitnesses expressing their gratitude to France, and also now to the U.S. and to Britain for these strikes against Gadhafi. Of course, the question now is, what happens next. Carol.

COSTELLO: Exactly. I'm just curious, Arwa, I mean, when you ask the Libyan rebels there in Benghazi who is in charge of this mission, who do they say?

DAMON: Well, they've set up this national council that is acting as a de factor transitional government. They are the ones that are trying to handle the political side of things. They are the ones who send envoys out to meet with various members of the international community and then they also set up a military council that is headed by an individual who underneath him also has the former minister of interior who is now the chief of staff for the opposition armed forces. They have been really trying to organize their fighters on the battlefield. Because they are by and large ordinary civilians who up until a few weeks ago did not know how to carry a weapon, never mind fire it.

And we have been seeing them getting more organized on the battlefield. Or hearing that the opposition is now advancing in the city of (INAUDIBLE) around 100 miles, 160 kilometers to the west of Benghazi. But this time, instead of charging through like we've seen them in the past, they are taking it very slowly, capitalizing on the military (INAUDIBLE) that have gathered. But also, we are hearing that the young fighters are taking guidance from former military officers who have now joined the opposition, trying to make sure that this when they enter into battle, given the fact that they do feel like they do have a better chance for foreign intervention, making sure that this time, when they do go into battle, they do it wisely and that they are able to hold ground that they eventually end up taking. Carol.

COSTELLO: Arwa Damon, reporting live from Benghazi. Many thanks.

SESAY: Well, in these early moments of the offensive against Moammar Gadhafi's military strength, General Wesley Clark says "major questions are less about military feasibility and more about the political goals.

First, let me welcome General Clark. General, before you said Libya did not meet the test for U.S. military intervention. Now it does. What changed in your opinion?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FMR. NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: When I wrote the piece at the "Washington Post" about 10 days ago, the Arab League had not called for intervention. There was no U.N. security council resolution. The objectives have not been articulated, the forces have not been gathered. And so there was a lot of talk. But it (INAUDIBLE) brought together. Now, since that time. An op-ed was published. I think Friday night, so about 10 days ago. So the Arab League spoke out. The U.N. security council resolution adopted. It was quite broad. It's more than a no-fly zone. It does authorize the strikes on the ground. It does call for a cease-fire.

And it was implemented and the coalition of forces came together, so it move forward, now what remains though is the tough part, which is how does the military action lead to the political goal? It's one thing if it's a direct intervention and you go after a government or try to destroy an army. That's pretty clear. It's another thing when you are going in to stop fighting for the purpose of protecting innocent civilians and you're calling for a ceasefire but there's an on-going civil war between the two and it's not clear exactly where this goes. The political statements from the United States have been -- they made -- our political leaders have made very clear in the United States that it's not an American operation. It's not going to be led by Americans and it's not necessarily directed at getting rid of Moammar Gadhafi. Even though there have been earlier calls saying that he lost his legitimacy and should leave. This operation is directed at protecting innocent civilians.

SESAY: So General Clark, let me ask you this -- does that mean we are looking at the prospect of Libya being split in two? Is that your fear?

CLARK: It's certainly one of the possible outcomes. Another possible outcome is that the diplomatic negotiations will broker some kind of an arrangement in which there's substantial self-government and the Libyan state is disassembled. Another would be that Gadhafi would simply find asylum and leave. Another would be that the international criminal court would charge Gadhafi. He would be arrested somehow and a constitutional reform throughout all of Libya. There are many difference alternatives. But the point is, the military action has made these alternatives feasible politically. It's up to the diplomats now using the leverage of the military and international law and economics to get something done here.

SESAY: General Wesley Clark, great to have you this morning and hear your insights. Thank you so much.

To read more, on General Clark's view on the crisis in Libya, visit CNN.com/opinion.

Buried alive for nine days. The unbelievable rescue out of Japan that some are calling a miracle. That's coming right up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Now to the crisis in Japan. We are just hearing the U.S. is moving the "USS George Washington" carrier from its port in Japan farther away to avoid radiation exposure. The death toll in the earthquake and tsunami has now risen to more than 8,600 and more than 13,000 remain missing.

New troubles at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. Today, smoke could be seen billowing from both the number two and number three reactors. The U.S. government is making potassium iodide pills available to U.S. military families in Japan. The pills block the harmful effects of radiation on the thyroid.

And the Japanese government has banned the sale of some milk and spinach products because of high levels of radiation. The World Health Organization says the food situation in Japan is more serious than at first thought.

SESAY: Well, CNN's Anna Coren is live in Tokyo with more on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Anna, have we had anymore clarity from those in control of the plant, as to what is causing that smoke?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, we haven't, Isha. I think that's a real concern. People want to know where this smoke is coming from, what is causing it and what is actually within it. What is being emitted into the atmosphere? Where this actually signals a nuclear meltdown. A lot of questions remain unanswered despite our calls to (INAUDIBLE), of course, is the company that runs the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

But we can report that late this afternoon, around 4:0 p.m., smoke became visible from reactor three. Within 15 minutes workers were evacuated. A short time later, reactor two, that's where they found smoke coming from it. so both reactors believed to be spewing smoke. And all 420 workers at the site have been evacuated, moved into the main building. No reports of any injuries or severe exposure to radiation at this stage. Isha.

SESAY: As we watch on here, the news about the smoke coming out of those reactors, also they are also trying to take in the news about radiation levels being found, traces being found in food. Give me a sense of how people are reacting to that in a country where they are already dealing with food shortages certainly in the northeastern part of the country.

COREN: That's exactly right. This sort of thing only creates alarm. I mean, these bans that been now put in place by the government to stop the sale and shipments of both milk and spinach. They were the two food products in which higher levels of radiation were detected. Those bans go through some 250 kilometers from where the plant is located. That is the extent of this ban and the people who certainly are affected. We also know that iodine levels have risen in drinking water close to the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The government is basically telling people to refrain from drinking it. They have said that they continue to bathe with it that it's not that harmful. But of course, Isha, we would err on the side of caution.

SESAY: Yes, we certainly would. Anna Coren, joining us there from Tokyo.

Anna, appreciate it. Thank you.

COSTELLO: We are learning new details about a miraculous rescue in Japan. Yesterday, rescue workers pulled a 16-year-old boy and his grandmother to safety. They have been trapped in their collapsed home for nine days. The teenager says they were trapped in a dark space, barely large enough for two people to lay down. He says they survived by drinking water and snacks they found inside the house.

SESAY: While those cruise missiles were going up in Libya, what was the cost of a barrel of crude oil. And you know what that means when you fill up your gas tank. Details up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We'll get back to our coverage on the ground in Libya and Japan in just a moment. We want to check on some other stories that we're following today. Hundreds of people gathered outside the gates of Quantico Marine Base, to protests the treatment of Private Bradley Manning. He is being held at the base on charges that he released classified government documents to WikiLeaks. There are reports Manning has been kept in mere total isolation and forced to sleep without clothing.

SESAY: Final results from a presidential runoff in Haiti, weeks away but police are linking two shooting deaths to Sunday's vote. Haitians are choosing between a former first lady and a singer. Elections officials say there were some irregularities in the voting, but they have been resolved.

COSTELLO: And the Arab League secretary general says what is happening in Libya is different than what was intended by imposing a no-fly zone. (INAUDIBLE) says what we want is the protection of civilians, not the shelling of more civilians.

SESAY: While staying with events in Libya. The U.S. says it's ready to change the mission or at least its role in it. (INAUDIBLE) they will hand over operational control of the mission within days.

Meanwhile, embattled leader Moammar Gadhafi is nowhere to be seen and for good reason.

CNN's Nic Robertson is in Tripoli amid the rubble of Gadhafi's compound.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: What the lady is saying there is saying, this is the proof. This is the proof. They're holding up bits of what looks - from what I've seen before -- look like pieces of a cruise missile. It's hard for us to confirm what sort of weapon or missile this might be. It's also hard for us to confirm anything that we are told about what this building was being used for. Certainly the people here have just gone inside the building. This lady pulling out more bits of debris. And what's she's saying is look at this. For them, this is proof the building was struck by some kind of missile.

Can I have a look? Can I have a look? Can I have a look? OK. This is still warm. The writing on it says this equipment contains parts and assemblance sensitive to damage by electrostatic discharge, ESD. Precaution when using. And over here, it's hard to read. It looks like a serial number on the other side. Let's have a look over here. Control-wise it would be hard to know exactly what it is.

There's something else over here. A heavy part of something.

This is what people here are telling us. Showing us, this part of a missile system. Another part. Let me have a look at this. This is from the outside. Certainly seeing a few cruise missiles before. This certainly had the look of a weapon of a missile about it. Again, can't confirm exactly what it is. On this side, serial numbers. Seems to have been made on November 29, '06. And a serial number. But impossible to know what it really is.

So, a lot of anger here that this building has been hid inside the compound that the Pentagon had earlier said wasn't a target, hearing that from the government spokesman there. People very frustrated about why this is happening and apparently hitting targets that were, they understood, were off limits. Frustration too, they say, because not long before this missile hit, an hour-and-a-half before, they'd reannounced the cease-fire.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Tripoli, Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: More than a third of the world's oil is pumped out of the Middle East. And as we all know, oil drives the global economy.

So, I'm joined by CNN business news correspondent, Stephanie Elam in New York. And Stephanie, the stock market and oil prices have been extremely volatile over the past few weeks with what's happening in Japan and Libya. Where are things now?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, that volatility is not going to go away anytime soon, Carol. But you take a look at oil right now, it is over $103 a barrel. Up two bucks just about as you look at it today.

And a lot of that has to do with what's going on in Libya. The uncertainty there, the markets do not like uncertainty. The fact that there have been strikes, the fact that there's been this unrest. All of that adding into the fact that we're seeing oil prices going up.

Now, if you look at oil prices over the past month, you will see that it's been volatile. But you'll see after March 11, which is the day of the quake and tsunami in Japan, there actually was a dip. Think about it. Japan is the third largest economy in the world. We saw that dip there. But now as Libya has taken front and center with the unrest there, we've seen the prices go back up.

So, you look at that all together. The fact that Libya is Africa's third-largest oil producer there. It does make people concerned about what is going to happen going forward. Overall, people look at Japan and say this is an awful time. There's there graph I was telling you about, so you can see there's a little bit of a dip toward the end there and then it came back a bit.

If you ask about Japan and how things are looking for Japan, overall, analysts believe Japan will be able to come back. It's going to take time for them to the companies to get back on their feet. The unrest in Libya doesn't have that same certainty, Carol.

COSTELLO: Stephanie Elam, many thanks. Live in New York.

Unlikely alliance. Find out how a left-wing French philosopher spurned his conservative president and global powers to action in Libya.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Well, France has taken a major role in the coalition efforts to enforce a no-fly zone. Its planes were first in the skies over Libya Saturday. And many say French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy moved French president Nicolas Sarkozy to action. France already recognizes the Opposition Transitional National Council as a legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

Mr. Levy recently returned from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and has been liaisoning between Mr. Sarkozy and the rebels. He joins us now from Paris. And Mr. Levy, you met with Libyan opposition envoy today. What is the opposition view of the coalition offensive?

BERNARD-HENRI LEVY, FRENCH LIAISON TO LIBYAN OPPOSITON: Number one, they are, of coruse, very happy and grateful to Mr. Sarkozy and Mr. Obama for this intervention. It was really a life or death question. It was a matter of powers. If the allied forces hadn't intervened on Saturday, it would have been a bloodbath. It would have been a massacre. And they are grateful for that.

Now this morning, we spoke about the future of Libya. What will Libya of tomorrow look like? How will it emerge from this huge nightmare? And that received some replies, some answers to my questions, which were rather satisfactory. I think that the National Council for Libya -- yes?

SESAY: Let me ask you this question. Because this is a big one here in the United States. Let me just jump in there. Many people in the United States, as you talk about the future in Libya, they wonder whether this Transitional National Council, whether these people, this group, is a group that can be trusted.

They say we don't know much about them. You have been to Benghazi, you talked to them. Tell the people here in the United States and around the world about this group. Can they be trusted with the future of Libya?

LEVY: OK. I went in Benghazi. I went in (INAUDIBLE). I went in Brega. I went to a lot of places and listened to them in a very humble and modest way. And my belief is that they can be pressured. They are not radical Islamists for sure, at least not the majority. They is a minority of (INAUIDBLE) Islamists, but there are a little minority. They are not anti-Western world. They are not anti- American, which is, as you know, for me, a definition of fascism. Anti-Americanism is a nickname for fascism. They are not -- they don't buy the theory at all.

On the question of Israel, they are in a position, which is opposite to the Hamas or Muslim Brothers. And I think we can trust when they get in power, they will organize -- of course it will be improvised, but short of Democratic elections, transparent, free and (INAUDIBLE). Anti -(INAUDIBLE), which I know run in America, in Europe. The idea could split off, could be divided into two or three.

I don't think so, either. You have contacts between the tribes of the West and the Benghazi people and the people of the south, which are the reclused. The population is much more mixed that we believe from the ground. We don't know a lot about Libya. So, I think we can definitely trust them. Yes.

SESAY: Mr. Levy, do you believe this National Transitional Council, they have the know-how, they have the organization, to fill the void left by a man like Gadhafi if indeed he was ousted from power?

LEVY: The real question today is the question of their military power. Of this, I am doubtful. The shebabs (ph), the young guys going to confront the tanks and (INAUDIBLE), of this, I don't know. Politically, you have a real know-how coming from the people who lived in exile and coming from the people who lived in America, in Europe. There is a real democratic know-how inside the democratic council. Of this, I am pretty and definitely sure.

(CROSSTALK)

LEVY: -- more military than political.

SESAY: Do you think the international community should ask -- let me ask you this last question before I let you go. Do you think they should arm the rebels?

LEVY: I think that the international community should do and does already a lot. All that is possible to put -- kick Gadhafi out. Because, you know, should we trust or not? Nothing can be worse than Gadhafi. Gadhafi was the biggest organizer of terrorist acts. Even a few days ago, when the coalition decided to bomb his tanks, military tanks, he replied saying he would bomb Syria planes, which is a very proper definition of terrorism -

SESAY: Bernard - LEVY: Nothing can be worse. And this guys should be kicked out of power --

SESAY: I must jump in. I really appreciate you joining us today and giving us your perspective on events playing out. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

LEVY: Thank you.

SESAY: Carol.

COSTELLO: This bit of news just in to CNN. Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty is expected to announce the formation of a presidential exploratory committee. Two sources confirm that to CNN. The Republican from Minnesota expected to make the formal announcement about that -- where else -- on Facebook. If you want to read about it, it'll be on his Facebook page at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.

SESAY: Facebook.

COSTELLO: I know.

SESAY: A political war of words in the U.S. as missiles rain down on Libya. President Obama today facing criticism from both sides of the aisle. What's his strategy ahead? That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Sunday, coalition air strikes reign down on Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli. Coaltion officials say the strategy was to strike military components there, not Gadhafi himself. But what is the U.S. strategy in democracy's latest battle?

David Gergen is CNN's senior political analyst. And thanks for joining us, David.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you.

COSTELLO: So, the United States is not exactly united as nation in what the United States is actually doing over Libya. Senator McCain says we waited too long. Senator Lugar is questioning America's involvement. And I'll just throw this in, too. The filmmaker Michael Moore essentially said take away Obama's Noble Peace Prize. It doesn't sound like the United States has any sort of coalition here as we America joins the coaltion over there.

GERGEN: That's a good point. There is a cacophony of voices, as there is anytime America goes to war. But the administration does speak with a single voice on one point. And that is the purpose, the first and foremost purpose of the coalition, is to stop Gadhafi from killing the rebels and also halt his advance on Benghazi. And we seem to be well along on both of those objectives.

But where the disarray occurs is what beyond that? Should the purpose of this whole exercise be to get Gadhafi out of power? On that, the president has been notably silent. The secretary of state says yes. The commander of his military forces, chairman of the joint chiefs said, well, maybe we are going to have to learn to live with Gadhafi --

COSTELLO: And I think that's a good point. Because --

GERGEN: Nobody knows what the end game is.

COSTELLO: Exactly. But isn't part of a president job, essentially, is to kind of be America's pitchman? But Americans didn't hear a pitch, at least in primetime. There was no nationwide address spelling our exact mission in Libya. Why was that?

GERGEN: You know, I think we are all going to puzzle over that for a long time. The administration followed a tortured path to get to where we are now. For days and days, it appeared they did not want to use military force. They were very reluctant and they were sort of dragged into it. And then we had, within 24 hours, this sort of head- snapping turn and policy without the president going on television to explain to the public what it was exactly we were doing. In effect, to unite the country behind him. That's normally what a commander in chief does.

When the tomahawks started ringing down on Libya over the weekend, the president in fact was not in Washington, at the White House. He was in Brazil.

So, there's been an unusual quality. We have a man who said he wanted to be different and is different in the office. And you know, some people like that, others do not. But it has left, I think, confusion about what his end game is. And I do think it's the president's responsibility to take the microphone and make it clear what we are trying to do.

He has said, by the way, there'll be no American ground forces there. No boots on the ground was a very important commitment on his part. He clearly wants to hand this over to the coalition. But usually, American presidents are leading in front or leading from behind toward an end point. And here, it's unclear what the end point is.

COSTELLO: Well, I expect the debate to become much louder over the next several days.

GERGE: It will. It will unless Gadhafi gets knocked over. You know-- his own people could turn against him.

COSTELLO: Well, that's what everyone is hoping, right? Military --

GERGEN: Everybody is hoping. It's what everybody is hoping.

COSTELLO: David Gergen, many thanks!

GERGEN: Thank you.

COSTELLO: If you want to read more on David's view of the crisis in Libya, visit CNN.com/opinion.

SESAY: And to matters in Japan, some milk and spinach are taken off the shelves in that country because of radiation contamination. How safe is the U.S. food supply? We'll check in with senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

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COSTELLO: Japan is imposing food restrictions on areas near the damaged nuclear plant. High levels of radiation were found in milk and spinach some distance from the plant. Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, joins us this morning from New York. And Elizabeth, when you talk about food safety, a lot of people get worried. So, how worried should we be?

You know, I feel guilty for even asking that. Let's talk about Japan first of all. How worried should they be?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think the people living near the plant should be concerned because they're being told by their government don't drink the tap water, don't drink the milk, don't eat the spinach. There's other produce involved. They obviously need to listen to what they are being told. But I think it's important to remember, there's a huge difference between the people who are living in Japan near the plant and those of us living in the United States.

COSTELLO: And even the amounts of radiation found in the spinach and milk there aren't terribly high, right?

COHEN: No. I think people sometimes have the idea that someone living near the plant would drink a glass of tap water and keel over. That is not the case. You would have to eat spinach grown in this area every single day for a year to get the amount of radiation in a CAT scan. Now, is that a good thing? Do you want to be eating spinach from there everyday? Of course you don't. But it is going to kill you immediately or even over time? No, likely wouldn't.

So, this is all about what public health folks call minimizing risk, which is a fancy way of saying why do something unless you have to.? If there's radiation in these foods, why eat it if you don't have to?

COSTELLO: And please tell me that people who live on the West coast of the United States aren't worried about this.

COHEN: You know, I must say, I have spoken with some people who are concerned, because of course, all over the country, we get much of our produce from the West coast. And I have some friends who are totally panicked. And then there are other people who are like, are eh, I'm sure it's fine. So, I think a lot of this is very personal and very personal about how we feel about taking risks in our lives.

But I'm here to tell you that experts say there's absolutely, positively no reason to worry. The amount of radiation that hit the West Coast from Japan is miniscule. And it's not going to harm you if you eat the produce that is grown out there.

COSTELLO: I definitely hear you. Thank you. Elizabeth Cohen, live in New York.

COHEN: Thanks.

SESAY: We want to remind you to stay with CNN for in-depth coverage of the coalition military operation that's ongoing in Libya. CNN, of course, will bring you every angle of this fast developing story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, let's talk about something mindless and fun now, shall we? We are down to the Sweet 16 in men's college basketball. Jeff Fischel is here. So, Jeff, there were some really big surprises and exciting finishes!

JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: There were, and I assume by mindless and fun, you're not discussing me specifically --

COSTELLO: No!

FISCHEL: Number one seed, two and three seeds all gone. Five Cinderellas remain. No team more surprising perhaps than Virginia Commonwealth. So, many experts said they shouldn't be in the tournament. Joey Rodriguez, nice pass to Bradford Burgess. VCU destroys Purdue yesterday. Rodriguez, 12 points, ten assists, including this three by Ed Nixon. VCU has also beat USC and Georgetown.

Next up for the Rams in the Sweet 16, Florida State. The Noles shocked number two seed voters (INAUDIBLE) easily. Bernard James with the slam-dunk. Florida State wins 71-57. They are moving on.

Duke up two against Michigan. Final seconds. The missed free throw gives Michigan a chance. Darius Morris pushes it up court. The Blue Devils just trying to escape. And they do when he misses this shot. If Duke gets two more wins and gets into the Final Four, Coach K. will tie his mentor, Bob Knight, for number one on the all-time win list.

Big East rivals Syracuse and Marquette tied with under 30 to go. Marquette's Darius Johnson, Odom to three. Number 11 golden eagles (ph) upset Syracuse. Marquette faces North Carolina next.

The number one overall seed in the tournament, Ohio State keeps on rolling. They blew out George Mason. The Buckeyes' John Deidler (ph), the three and the foul. They made 16 frees. Ohio State wins easy by 32. But Carol, they will be tested in the next round. Sweet 16, they take on Kentucky. That's probably the best match-up you are looking at. This next upcoming Sweet 16 round.

COSTELLO: I'm still pulling for the Buckeyes, though!

FISCHEL: That's right! Don't give up on them. I picked them as well. So, we have that going together.

COSTELLO: Cool. Thanks, Jeff.

SESAY: All right. Well, looking ahead to stories making news later today.

President Obama is headed to Chile this morning after a weekend stop in Brazil. The president will hold a bilateral meeting with the Chile's president, Sebastian Pinera, then give a speech scheduled for 3:30 Eastern time from Santiago.

A major tribute tonight for George H. W. Bush. The 41st president is being honored for his lifetime of public service at a Kennedy Center gala in Washington. Presidents Clinton, Carter and son, George W. Bush, will all be in attendance.

In California, jury selection will begin this morning in the trial for Barry Bonds. Baseball's all-time homerun leader is charged for lying to a federal grand jury three years ago, when he denied knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And we want to thank Isha for being with us.

Thank you so much.

SESAY: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: And for our CNN International viewers, Jim Clancy is coming up next. For our domestic viewers, Suzanne Malveaux is in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'll see you in about 10 minutes.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks.