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General Carter Ham Updates Libya Mission; Historic Tensions With Gadhafi; Impact of Radiation on U.S. Food; Talk Back Question

Aired March 21, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to Get you up to speed.

A U.S. Military spokesman says that the coalition carried out fresh air strikes on Libyan military targets overnight. Now, he didn't specify what was hit. The spokesman says that the U.S. role will now transition from an action phase to a patrolling phase.

Libyans showed journalists around Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli early today. The U.S. says it took out a military control and command facility and Gadhafi was not targeted.

Our CNN's Nic Robertson saw pieces of what appeared to be a cruise missile.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they latest saying there, they're saying this is the proof, this is the proof. They're holding out bits of what looks like, from what I've seen before, look like pieces of a cruise missile. It's hard for us to confirm exactly what sort of weapon or missile this might be. It's also hard for us to confirm anything that we're being told about what this building was being used for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the coalition should stick to its United Nations mandate. He says that air strikes to enforce a no-fly zone should not be widened to take out Gadhafi. British Prime Minister David Cameron echoed that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And we must be clear what our role is, and our role is to enforce that U.N. Security Council resolution. Many people will ask questions, I'm sure, today about regime change and Gadhafi and the rest.

I've been clear. I think Libya needs to get rid of Gadhafi. But in the end, we are responsible for trying to enforce the Security Council resolution. The Libyans must choose their own future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Prime Minister Cameron went on to say that Libya's air defenses have largely been neutralized.

Well, Libya freed four "New York Times" journalists today. At last word, the group was at the Turkish Embassy in Tripoli. The four crossed into rebel-controlled eastern Libya from Egypt without visas. Pro-Gadhafi forces held them for six days.

Protesters in Yemen chip away at President Ali Abdullah Saleh's power base.

We want to go straight to the Department of Defense news conference that is taking place out of Stuttgart, Germany. We are listening to General Carter Ham. He's commander of the U.S.-Africa command, giving an update on the situation in Libya.

Let's take a listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GEN. CARTER HAM, COMMANDER, U.S.-AFRICA COMMAND: -- military operations.

Libya naval vessels have returned to or have remained in port. Since the initial strikes, we have detected no emissions from regime long-range air defense radars. Air attacks have succeeded in stopping regime ground forces from advancing to Benghazi, and we are now seeing ground forces moving southward from Benghazi.

We will, of course, watch these ground force movements closely. And through a variety of reports, we know that regime ground forces that were in the vicinity of Benghazi now possess little will or capability to resume offensive operations.

I would note the commitment of all in the coalition to conduct our operations with precision, with very high concern for civilian casualties, and with positive control of all of our forces. Our actions today are focused on extending the no-fly zone southward, then westward from Benghazi. With the growing capabilities of the coalition, I anticipate the no-fly zone will soon extend to Brega and Misrata, and then to Tripoli. That's about 1,000 kilometers, so it's a pretty wide area.

In addition to the forces I mentioned previously, we welcome Canadian and Belgian forces as they conduct operations today in the area. And I would note the presence of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and the Italian carrier Garibaldi add significant capability in the region.

Finally, we are developing the process by which we will transition the lead for military operations to a designated headquarters. This is a very complex task under the best of conditions, so my goal is to not cause disruption to the ongoing operation while we effect the headquarters transition.

I would now welcome your questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bob? BOB BURNS, ASSOCIATED PRESS: General Ham, this is Bob Burns from AP.

To what extent is the U.S. military communicating with rebel- force leaders in order to coordinate action on the ground? You mentioned the Benghazi area and Misrata as well. And also, what do you know about the whereabouts of Gadhafi and the extent to which he's still in control of his forces?

HAM: I don't know much about the location of the Libyan leader, nor have we expended any military effort in that regard. We have expended considerable effort to degrade the Libyan regime's military command and control facility -- capability, and I think we've had some fairly significant effect in that regard.

Our mandate, again -- our mission -- is to protect civilians from attack by the regime ground forces. Our mission is not to support any opposition forces. So while we have reports from people who are reported to be in the opposition, there is no official communication or formal communication with those in this so-called opposition that are opposing the regime's ground forces.

TOM BOWMAN, NPR: General, Tom Bowman with NPR.

You talked about the no-fly zone moving toward Misrata. There are reports today that Libyan soldiers are shooting civilians in Misrata. And I'm wondering, along those lines, do you fear mission creep here?

U.N. resolutions specify Benghazi, but might this move on to other cities as well? And, also, as a ground guy like yourself, talk about the difficulty protecting civilians by air when the Libyan troops are in and among the population.

HAM: The first step toward countering the regime from attacking civilians, whether it's in Misrata or anyplace else, is to ensure that we have freedom of air movement. So, the first step is necessarily ensuring that we are able to extend the no-fly zone and operate our aircraft with a low level of risk. So, as we extend the no-fly zone westward, I think it is likely that we may encounter some of these regime's mobile air defense systems, and where we encounter them, we will certainly attack them.

The larger point of, how do you apply air power, particularly in very close combat, is a very, very difficult situation for us. And the identification and the distinction of forces in very close quarters is a particular challenge for us.

So we've been very precise in our instructions to the air crews about what they may and may not do, and we are very, very conscious, obviously, in limiting civilian casualties. So it is always this balance that we, as commanders, try to apply, and ultimately these very well-trained, very well-disciplined air crews in this case from many nations that apply when they have observation on regime ground forces attacking civilians. Where we can and where we can safely, without risk to other civilians and causing collateral damage, we have a capability to engage in those kinds of missions. Right now, over Misrata, the first effort though is to establish the no-fly zone, and that process is under way. And until we do that, our ability to influence activities on the ground remain somewhat limited.

BOWMAN: Mission creep, do you worry about that?

HAM: I'm sorry. Could you say again, please?

BOWMAN: Mission creep, do you worry about that?

HAM: No. I don't worry too much about mission creep. The military mission here is pretty clear. It's very clear, frankly, and what is expected of us to do -- to establish this no-fly zone, to protect civilians, to cause -- to get the withdrawal of regime ground forces out of Benghazi. And so I don't have a sense at all that there is mission creep.

What we are looking forward to is the transition from a U.S.-led effort to the designated headquarters. But again, I'm not concerned at this point about mission creep. I think our mission is clear and we are moving forward. And as I say, I think we are so far achieving our military objectives consistent with our mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir?

SPENCER ACKERMAN, "WIRED": General, Spencer Ackerman with "Wired."

As you go after the regime's ground forces, to what degree can it really be said that you're not providing close air support for the opposition, even if you're not in contact with them?

HAM: We do not provide close air support for the opposition forces. We protect civilians. Some -- I suspect some would argue that some within the opposition may be civilians. And if they are attacked by regime forces, then we would be obliged, if we possessed the capability, to try to protect them from attack. But we have no mission and no intent to provide close air support to the opposition.

ELISABETH BUMILLER, "NEW YORK TIMES": Can I just follow on that, General Ham? Elisabeth Bumiller from "The New York Times."

You said there was no official communication or formal communication with the rebels. Can you say there are no Americans on the ground, period, with the rebels, or on the ground, period, Americans of any kind?

HAM: It's been very clear to me and I think anyone who has heard the president or the secretary of defense speak to this, you know, no American boots on the ground. There are no American boots on the ground from this coalition.

You know, I think there are -- frankly, I think there are some American citizens who were in Libya who chose not to leave, but no one who's associated -- no one who's a part of this coalition is on the ground. I don't know how to be more clear than that. No military boots on the ground.

DAVID CLOUD, "L.A. TIMES": General, hi. It's David Cloud with the "L.A. Times."

I know you said that you're not providing close air support to the opposition. But if the opposition were to leave Benghazi, were to resume essentially offensive military operations and were to get into a clash with Libyan forces, what role, if any, would coalition aircraft or coalition forces play in supporting that?

HAM: I'm not real comfortable going down the path of hypothetical questions. I would just tie this back down to our mission.

The mission is to protect civilians. If civilians are attacked, we have an obligation of the Security Council resolution and the mission that's been given to me to protect those civilians. We have no mission to support opposition forces if they should engage in offensive operations --

MALVEAUX: You've been listening to a Pentagon press briefing there out of Stuttgart, Germany. This is General Ham. And a couple of important points that he made.

First, no American U.S. boots on the ground there in Libya. Secondly, some success, he says, from those air strikes stopping ground forces, Gadhafi ground forces, from any movement in Benghazi. Saying that they're going to now extend this no-fly zone westward, as well as southward.

A couple of other interesting points that he says, the U.S. and allied forces have not been looking for Moammar Gadhafi, nor do they know his location, that that has not been a priority. And that there have been no formal communications, he said, with opposition or rebel leaders on the ground there, prompting a number of questions about just whether or not they can prevent, while they protect civilians, if they can actually prevent casualties from happening. Because these are, after all, air strikes, and General Ham emphasizing that there are no American boots that are on the ground.

Well, we want you to weigh into this and "Talk Back" on the U.S. role, specifically its involvement in Libya.

Carol Costello, back with that question -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And you heard General Ham, and he made the mission sound very clear, right. But I think many Americans are still quite confused.

The strikes keep coming in, not just against Gadhafi's forces, but against President Obama's handling of Libya.

Critics are asking, why was there no presidential speech to the nation, or any real explanation of American goals? Republican House Speaker John Boehner put it bluntly: "Before any further military commitments are made, the administration must do a better job of communicating to the American people and to Congress about our mission in Libya."

So, what exactly is America's end game? You can't say there haven't been some mixed messages out there.

Here is President Obama earlier this month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Colonel Gadhafi needs to step down from power and leave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK. That's some tough talk, a clear message about Gadhafi.

Now fast forward to last Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We are not going to use force to go beyond a well-defined goal, specifically the protection of civilians in Libya.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: President Obama may have softened his stance because of the U.N. resolution and the need for a coalition. But is it realistic to assume the United States' mission will end quickly if Gadhafi remains in power? Remember, in Iraq, the U.S. policed a no- fly zone for 12 years, but it became a full-scale war with U.S. ground troops that eventually toppled Saddam Hussein.

So, "Talk Back" today: Does the U.S. have a clear mission in Libya?

Write to me on Facebook.com/CarolCNN, and I will read your answers later this hour.

MALVEAUX: One thing that was important, the general said that the Canadians, as well as the Belgians, are now taking a more active role in those air strikes. But it still does not resolve the matter of just what the U.S. role is going to be.

COSTELLO: It was confusing, because the president said Friday that America would not have a lead role. So British and French warplanes started the mission. And then, in the blink of an eye, the United States took over the mission.

And General Ham, he's the spokesperson. He would be an American general. So it does make you wonder.

MALVEAUX: Right. And they're saying it's going to last days, not weeks. But who knows? It all depends on what's happening on the ground.

COSTELLO: And where Gadhafi is. Because where is he? Nobody knows.

MALVEAUX: We don't even know.

OK. Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Here's what's ahead "On the Rundown."

First, a timeline of the troubled history between the U.S. and Moammar Gadhafi.

Plus, a live update from Japan on new problems at that nuclear plant.

Also, radiation found in some foods in Japan. Was does this mean for the U.S. food supply?

And, finally, how the proposed deal between AT&T and T-Mobile could affect you.

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MALVEAUX: Once again, the United States finds itself involved in a war in an Arab nation, but this is not the first time that the West has grappled with Moammar Gadhafi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Since 1969, Moammar Gadhafi has controlled nearly everything in his country -- business, media, military and oil. As he grabbed more power, he expelled American and Western gas companies and investors, tortured and assassinated Libyan opposition.

By 1980, the U.S. had severed all diplomatic ties.

JAMES CARTER, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Moammar Gadhafi is an irresponsible animal who has no scruples, he has no morals.

MALVEAUX: In the early '80s, tension between the U.S. and Libya intensified.

RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We know that this mad dog of the Middle East has a goal of a world revolution, Muslim fundamentalist revolution, which is targeted on many of his own Arab compatriots.

MALVEAUX: After years of minor skirmishes between U.S. and Libyan aircraft, Gadhafi turned into public enemy number one. Bombings in Rome, Vienna, and then a disco in West Berlin frequented by Americans, all linked to Libya.

The U.S. retaliates.

REAGAN: At 7:00 this evening Eastern Time, air and naval forces of the United States launched a series of strikes against the headquarters, terrorist facilities, and military assets that support Moammar Gadhafi's subversive activities.

MALVEAUX: That attack left 100 Libyans dead, including Gadhafi's daughter. Some believe for revenge, Gadhafi responded with a bomb aboard Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, leaven 270 dead. The U.N. Security Council answered with crippling sanctions.

After years of refusing, in 1999 Gadhafi finally relented, handing over the Lockerbie suspects. Following the September 11th attacks and the Iraq War, Gadhafi went even further. Libya took responsibility for the bombing and agreed to compensate the victims' families.

The U.N. lifted sanctions. And that same year, Gadhafi abandoned his efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Colonel Gadhafi correctly judged that his country would be better off and far more secure without weapons of mass murder.

MALVEAUX: The U.S. eased travel restrictions and Western oil companies returned. The U.S.' closest ally, Great Britain, took the lead.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I am conscious of the pain of that people who have suffered as a result of terrorist actions in the past must feel, but the world is changing.

MALVEAUX: In September of 2008, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Gadhafi in Libya, the first such meeting between Libya and a high-ranking U.S. official in over half a century.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, I thought he was serious. He said at one point that it has taken too long, that the lessons of history had to be learned.

MALVEAUX: But the very next year, with Great Britain's cooperation, Scotland released one of the Lockerbie bombers on humanitarian grounds which sparked outrage. Scotland allowed the bomber who was said to be terminally ill to go home to Libya die, but he is still alive today. His release has raised questions about if there was something else at play behind the deal, further complicating the thawing relationship between Libya and the West.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now, the allied forces are striking Gadhafi's military installations. They're trying to end weeks of civil war between this enigmatic leader and his own people.

Well, we want to bring in exactly what the end game is for the U.S. and the coalition forces in Libya. And really, what is the strategy now of the Obama administration?

Joining us to give some perspective on all this, our CNN senior political analyst, David Gergen.

David, thanks for being here.

And this is the third Muslim country now that the U.S. is engaged in a war. Is this good, sound policy or strategy on our part?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Suzanne, I think that the United States had little choice but to join this coalition and to stop Gadhafi before he butchered more people in his own country. And that part of this effort seems to be succeeding well. We've not only knocked out most of his air defenses, but we've crippled the effort to take Benghazi from the rebels, and that would have meant the complete routing of the rebels. So that part has worked well.

What the administration has left closed in ambiguity, and I think unfortunate ambiguity, is about what their end game really is. We just heard from General Ham, and each day we learn something more.

I mean, he made a really important distinction, and that is the military mission here is to protect civilians, but it is not to help the rebels. So that if the rebels were to go on offensive, if they could now turn things around and go on offensive, the U.S. mission, the coalition mission is not to help them. You know, there are many who quietly had hoped that the overall mission would be not only to stop Gadhafi, but to get him out of there.

MALVEAUX: So, David, one of the things that the general also mentioned as well is there are no direct or official communications with those on the ground, with the rebels. So how do we know who we're even dealing with?

GERGEN: I think that's a hard question. He made it clear that from the air, especially when they're in close quarters, you can't distinguish between who's a rebel and who's a loyalist.

And Elisabeth Bumiller pushed him on that point. She's from "The New York Times." And he said there are no boots on the ground, so that tells you there are no military people there. That does not exclude the possibility of U.S. intelligence being there.

He didn't address that, and nor did she. But she certainly implied, is that possible?

So we don't know exactly how this is happening, but I think what we are seeing, Suzanne, is a very clear pattern that the U.S. military is being extremely cautious about this whole enterprise. They keep on drawing distinctions, we are only in for defensive purposes, we're not there to help the rebels, we're not there to knock off Gadhafi.

Admiral Mullen, the head of the Joint Chiefs, said yesterday there is a possibility that Gadhafi will survive all this and will still be in power, whereas on the civilian side, say, take Hillary Clinton, the people around her, she has said pretty clearly there are two objectives here. One is to stop him, and the second one is to get rid of him.

So the civilian side of the house in the Obama administration seems to be leaning more toward getting rid of him. They don't want a long war, nor do they want Libya divided. And the president -- and the president's remained silent.

MALVEAUX: Right. Does he face a credibility problem here if he says Gadhafi must go and there is no such action where he's actually forced to leave?

GERGEN: Well, of course, it may well be, Suzanne, what they may be privately hoping for is that Gadhafi just falls just under the weight of things. You know, when Reagan attacked in 1986 -- you just had that piece preceding this -- when the U.S. attacked in 1986, we somehow had bombs fall on the Libyan compound where Gadhafi was supposed to live, and it did kill -- allegedly killed an adopted daughter. There's some dispute about that.

But Gadhafi did seem to behave himself more. And it's not -- I don't think it was totally coincidental that there's been an explosion inside his compound in the last 48 hours.

So there may be some quiet effort here that's not apparent, but if it continues the way it's continuing, Suzanne, what I would say is when the president comes back from Latin America -- and he'll be back soon -- and we, in effect, begin to hand off to the rest of the coalition, I think it's imperative that the president come to the American people and say what this is all about, what our continuing role would be, what the end game is, so that everybody understands and we don't have this continuing uncertainty about what it is we're pursuing and where this is all going in the greater Middle East.

MALVEAUX: David, appreciate that.

And we want to bring our viewers here, because you've been talking about the president and what kind of statement he needs to make to the American people, as well as to the world. We're now looking at arrival pictures here. Air Force One arriving in Santiago, Chile.

The president arriving -- he will be visiting the presidential palace and participate in an arrival ceremony. The president, making a trek through Latin America to talk about the importance of the economy, of energy, and the important ties that the United States has with its neighbors, with its Latin-American neighbors.

You can see everyone gathered there at attention as they look to the door of Air Force One, waiting for the president to arrive. It's a red carpet ceremony. You can see that it is there on the tarmac as people begin to gather for his arrival.

And the president has been making statements as he travels throughout Latin America. Very brief statements, however, when it comes to the situation and the U.S. involvement in Libya.

We'll have more of the president's trip when we see him actually getting out of Air Force One and whether or not he will speak.

Well, experts are now scrambling to prevent another radiation leak after yet another setback at the damaged nuclear plant. We're going to take you live to Japan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Looking at live pictures there. President Obama arriving in Santiago, Chile. There red carpet ceremony there at the airport as officials greet him.

This is a presidential trip. He'll be visiting the presidential palace there in Chile after he participates in the official ceremony there at the airport. The trip itself is meant to show the close ties between the United States and Latin America to demonstrate as well and hold up Chile as a model for economic reform and political stability in Latin America. And as you see the president walking down the red carpet - be officially greeted.

He'll be making a statement. You see the first lady as well. Both of the first ladies. The first lady of Chile as well as Michelle Obama. They'll be making a formal statement later this afternoon with the president of Chile to talk about the important relationship. You see him waving to those who are watching his arrival, and he will be escorted into the presidential limousine, the beast.

And the motorcade will take off to the presidential palace and later, he'll be making more formal states. But they're being greeted by the leader and the first lady.

We'll also be keeping an eye on Libya as well to see if he makes any further statements about U.S. military action that is taking place as part of an international coalition. The United Nations involved in air strikes, a no-fly zone -- enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya. We expect he will probably address that as well.

The U.S. is involved in another war. What is the end game in Libya? We're going to talk to former NATO commander General Wesley Clark about that.

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MALVEAUX: Here's a look at what we have on "The Rundown." What is the real mission in Libya? Former NATO supreme allied commander Wesley Clark provides some perspective.

And watching what you eat in Japan. Fears of contaminated food keep rising.

Plus, are T-Mobile customer getting the iPhone or iPad? The big merger with AT&T everyone is talking about.

And next up, Santiago. President Obama in Chile, continuing his tour of Latin America.

The U.S. carried out a new round of air strikes on Libya overnight. It's part of the coalition enforcing a no-fly zone. And in Benghazi, rebels now are celebrating.

Our CNN's Arwa Damon is there. Arwa, we heard from General Ham saying essentially those air strikes were successful. That the ground forces, Gadhafi ground forces no longer moving forward. They don't have the will or capacity to do so. What are you seeing on the ground from your vantage point?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Well, Suzanne, I most certainly would say that the air strikes were launched just outside of Benghazi were successful. We went down to the site on Sunday, which is when the air strikes took place, and it was around 20 miles to the west of Benghazi. And it was there that Gadhafi had massed his military. Remember, on Saturday, he already launched and attack on Benghazi that killed, according to hospital officials, 95 people.

The air strikes that took place the following day, Sunday, really brought his military regime to a grinding halt. The carnage stretched for about as far as the eye could see. We ourselves counted 70 burned, damaged military vehicles, ranging from armored personnel carriers to tanks that had their turrets blown off.

Many residents of Benghazi had actually flooded the area, were surveying the damage and everybody expressing gratitude to the international community. Many people telling us they firmly believe had there not been this type of intervention, they would have all been massacred, eventually massacred by Gadhafi's continuously advancing forces. Now, the residents of Benghazi are telling us they feel they can finally sleep at night.

That being said, the city is calm, but it still remains tense. A lot of the shops are still shut. We've seen an increase in opposition checkpoints, searches much more diligent. But people at least now feel significantly safer and to a certain degree, many of them feel safe and want the world to know how grateful they are, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Arwa Damon out of Benghazi, Libya. Appreciate that.

We're going to have a discussion with General Wesley Clark after this quick break about the end game.

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MALVEAUX: What's the end game in Libya? How far will the U.S. go to stop Gadhafi? Joining me from Little Rock, Arkansas, CNN contributor Retired General Wesley Clark.

General, thank for being with us here. The U.S. now, you know, engaged in war number three. You have Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya. We heard from General Ham just moments ago in that press conference. And he said there was no communication, no American boots on the ground, no official communication with the rebels in Libya.

Do we know who we're working with here? When you think about a post-Gadhafi regime, do we even know who these folks are who might be open to discussions to a new government, to a new future in Libya?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (ret.), CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, we know some of them, Suzanne, because Secretary of State Clinton met with them. There is some Libyan opposition headquarters setting up in Washington, for example. So, these people are available, but we're not exactly sure who they represent or what their real agenda is.

And it may be a mixed agenda. There may be some very reputable people in there. And others we would have concerns about. We don't know that.

But what we do know is that the military action is accomplished its major purpose. It stopped Gadhafi. Now, I'm concerned about what's happening in Misrata because we've heard that his security forces are going house to house terrorizing people and pulling them out and so forth. Of course, he's going to consolidate his gains.

So, I believe a U.N. Security Council special representative to the secretary-general has been appointed. I'm told this was the former foreign minister of Jordan. We should be hearing from him. It's really a U.N. problem at this point, and they should be addressing this with Mr. Gadhafi. I would like to see the U.N. in on the ground, talking to Gadhafi, stopping this internal security effort that's going on in these cities to eliminate his opposition. And then we should looking at both a war crimes investigation of Gadhafi and his forces and a movement for democratic elections for all of Libya.

That's the right end game. If Gadhafi says his people love him, well, good. If he's not criminal, maybe they can vote for him.

MALVEAUX: Well, one of the things that concerned me when I heard General Ham, he said that they don't know where Gadhafi is and that hasn't really been their priority. Should that be a priority? Should the United Nations, should the U.S. be looking for him and figuring out what his next move is?

CLARK: We should be thinking what could go wrong with the operation. But no, we don't care where Gadhafi is. Really, we're not trying to bomb him. We're not trying to take him out. It's not personal against him. The U.N. Security Council resolution said protect innocent civilians.

But you know, I think we need some more leadership out of the United Nations and in the United Nations. And really, we have to really pay attention to that, because that's really the cockpit of decision here. It's what's the next step? Okay, you've got the major military movements halted. You need to halt the internal security, clean up effort that Gadhafi has underway.

A strong message from the U.N. secretary-general special representative could probably help in that regard. And then you need figure out, what's the end game? Is it two Libyas? Surely not. So, why not transition this through, first of all, vetting the people who are there to see if they've been involved in war crimes? And if not, they're eligible to stand for office and help Libya construct a representative government. It doesn't have to be our form of democracy.

MALVEAUX: Sure. General Clark, just real quickly here, if I could. The United States, I mean, we have attacked earlier before. There were air strikes that reportedly had killed one of Gadhafi's adopted daughters. Since that moment, he did become a strong -- he was weakened, but then became stronger. How do we know these kind of air strikes this go-round isn't going to produce the same result, say five, ten later, and becomes another very powerful leader again?

CLARK: This is always a concern. And the point is that many world leaders have said he's lost his legitimacy. His people have risen up in arms. That's prima facie evidence he's lost his legitimacy. So, I think it is the responsible of the United Nations under the responsibility to protect agreement that was endorsed to go in there and sort this out.

MALVEUAX: OK. General Clark, thank you for your perspective. We'll be following this very closely. Thank you, General.

Japanese officials find trace radiation in spinach and milk. We're going to tell you what that means for the safety of U.S. food supplies.

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MALVEAUX: The World Health Organization says the discovery of radiation in the food and water supply near Fukushima is a serious problem. The government has banned the sale of spinach and milk produced near that nuclear plant and some tap water is also contaminated.

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YUKIE UCHIDA, CHIBA PREFECTURE RESIDENT (through translator): Up until now, I thought everything was fine. But to hear that some radiation has been found here, that's pretty upsetting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So how, if at all, is the U.S. food supply affected by the radiation? Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, she's joining us from New York.

And, Elizabeth, tell us, is there any cause for us to be concerned here?

MALVEAUX: You know what, there isn't cause for us to be concerned, Suzanne. And let me break it down a little bit between U.S. food and food that we import from Japan. Yes, it is true that radiation has reached the West Coast, but it is in such teeny, tiny amounts that even if it were to get into produce here, and that's a big if, it still would not cause any health problems. We're talking, again, about teeny, tiny amounts. Now, Suzanne, I also mentioned imports from Japan. We're told by experts that very small amounts of food are imported from Japan. It makes up only 4 percent of the types of food of all the food that's imported from other countries into this country. And even if, let's say -- let's just say that you were to eat some of the spinach that's made right near that plant, you would have to eat that spinach every single day for a year to get the amount of radiation that you get in one CAT scan. Is that a good thing to do? No. But it certainly is not going to kill you.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: So as the days go on, how will we know if the radiation does reach dangerous levels in the food?

COHEN: Right. This is a very fluid situation and so people are wondering, what if it gets worse? The U.S. does monitor radiation in food. They have all these different monitors all around the country and so they're going to be keeping an especially close look on West Coast produce and on West Coast liquids, like milk and water, and they will let people know if it does get dangerously high. But no one expects that to happen, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And do you think that consumers should be avoiding the food just to be extra careful?

COHEN: You know, I think people have different levels of risk. So if you're someone who is often worried about things that are wrong with your food and you avoid certain things anyhow, you know, go ahead, if you want to, and avoid imported food from Japan. First of all, there's not much of it in this country. It's very easy to avoid. Go ahead and do it. But certainly there's no one saying that you should.

I mean, they're going to check it when it comes in. If it has any radiation, they're not going to allow it into the country. And even if, you know, God forbid it were allowed in, it's such tiny amounts that it's not going to cause you health problems. But if it scares you, just don't eat it.

MALVEAUX: OK, sounds like there's not really a lot of cause for concern. That's good news. Thank you, Elizabeth.

COHEN: There certainly isn't. OK. Thanks.

MALVEAUX: We're getting a lot of responses to today's "Talk Back" question. We asked, does the United States have a clear mission in Libya? Sue Kaufman says, "it's the U.N., not America. It's not President Obama's role to take the lead." Carol Costello is back with more of your responses up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We are bringing you live picture there. This is President Obama. He is at the presidential palace, La Moneda. This is in Santiago, Chile, where he has stopping off, part of his Latin America tour, to emphasize the important relationship between the United States and many Latin American countries.

You can see there, President Obama with the elder of the two daughters there as he makes his way down the steps just moments ago. And the first lady as well. The whole family part of this trip.

This is a trip that the president is trying to highlight the economic and diplomatic relationships between the United States and important Latin American allies. This is his second stop after Brazil. This is now in Santiago, Chile. This is just moments ago. An official greeting there, arriving ceremony.

The president also will be making remarks later this afternoon, 2:00, with the president of Chile. And we are told that he will be talking about energy and economics. And we'll be looking to see if he also makes some remarks about the U.S. role in the air strikes and the no-fly zone that is taking place in the lead in an international coalition to put down the forces of Moammar Gadhafi in Libya.

Now, your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. One of the stories we were just mentioning. The U.S. conducting missile strikes overnight in Libya. It is part of a no-fly zone in Libya that's approved by the U.N. last week. What are the long term goals for the United States? For our country? Carol Costello weighing in on that.

And you've got a lot of responses in the "Talk Back."

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of responses. A lot of Americans are kind of confused right at the moment. The "Talk Back" question today, does the U.S. have a clear mission in Libya?

This from Elizabeth. "The U.S. has a clear mission now, but who knows when or if that will change. There is no telling what Gadhafi might do to his people or against our country. If he ordered acts of terror, the plan will change."

This from Jeremy. "Of course we have a clear agenda in Libya. Our goal is to show the Arab nation that other nations are willing to join in policing the region, to be able to drive from the backseat while nations like France play the dominant role."

This from Kevin. "If we took all of the money we spent on all of our wars, we would probably have already cured cancer and AIDS. Why not focus on our own quality of life instead of interfering with the rest of the world?"

And this from Jason. "Unlike Bush, Obama isn't trying to use fear to fight this war. He's using his head and the collective heads of the international community to make sure we don't have another Iraq fiasco on our hands."

Please, keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carolcnn. Facebook.com/carolcnn.

MALVEAUX: Great question. Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Well, there are more than 8,000 dead in Japan. Very little time to grieve. With so much at stake, there is no time for proper funerals.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: You're looking at live pictures out of Santiago, Chile. This is part of an official welcoming ceremony of President Obama, the first lady, as well as the daughters, Sasha and Malia, who are all here. This is the second stop of a Latin American tour that the president is engaged in. The first stop was Brazil.

But you can see all of them lined up in attention there. This is the presidential palace, La Moneda. This is where the president, as well as the president of Chile, will be walking down that red carpet.

Both leaders as well will be making formal statements to the press, and to the world. We'll be listening intently. That's going to happen at 2:00 Eastern here on CNN. President Obama will be listening for any remarks that he makes with the U.S. role, the air strikes, the U.S. mission, part of an international coalition in Libya to take on Moammar Gadhafi's force there.

And you're taking a look at -- that's the door. And we are waiting for the president to arrive. The motorcade to arrive very shortly. Obama in Chile.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Randi Kaye, in for Ali Velshi.

Hey, Randi.