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Jailed Afghan Rape Victim Free; Jobless Benefits on the Line; Mug Shot or Snapshot?; Obama At Ft. Bragg; What Has/Hasn't Been Accomplished in Iraq; Tax Breaks in Place for Businesses Hiring Returning Iraq Soldiers; Ron Paul Closing Gap in Iowa

Aired December 14, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Let's get you up to speed for this Wednesday, December 14th.

U.S. troops get a message of thanks from their commander-in-chief as the war in Iraq winds down. President Obama visits troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, later on this hour to thank them for their service and sacrifice. And many of them have just returned from Iraq. Virtually all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year.

And we'll take you live to Fort Bragg for the president's speech, expected at around 11:55 a.m. Eastern Time.

The U.S. House is sending a payroll tax cut extension over to the U.S. Senate, but it looks like this version of the bill is dead on arrival. House Republicans attached unrelated projects to the bill that Democrats don't want. The cut expires December 31st, and without an extension, the typical worker will get hit with $1,000 tax increase in the new year.

Newt Gingrich has lost his Iowa campaign director. Craig Bergman has stepped down over some comments he reportedly made about Mormons. "The Des Moines Register" says Bergman called Mormonism a cult while talking to a focus group. Two of Gingrich's rivals in the Republican presidential race, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, are Mormons.

The FAA says starting Friday, American Airlines pilots can use iPads in the cockpit. The devices will replace hard copies of flight manuals and navigation charts. American says cutting out about 50 pounds of paper on every flight will save massive amounts of fuel across the airline.

And don't worry about distracted pilots. The iPads will not have Internet access during flight.

A federal safety board is calling for a nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving. That means no texting or talking. It's the National Transportation Safety Board's most far-reaching recommendation on cell phones to date, but it would be left up to the states to adopt the ban.

An Afghan woman who was imprisoned for adultery after being raped has been freed. Afghan President Hamid Karzai intervened on her behalf and ordered her released after the story gained international attention. She was sentenced for 12 years in prison after reporting that she had been raped by her cousin's husband two years ago.

"TIME" magazine picks "The Protester" as its 2011 Person of the Year. From the Arab Spring to the Occupy Wall Street movement, the magazine says protesters are reshaping global politics. Admiral William McRaven, the overall commander of the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, came in second on TIME's list.

And we have another list to tell you all about. The Screen Actors Guild announced its award nominees for the year in Los Angeles, listing the best actress in a TV movie or miniseries. Nominees Diane Lane, Maggie Smith, and Emily Watson are among them. Overall, "The Help" and French film "The Artist" led with three nominations each. The SAG Awards will be handed out January 29th.

All right. Now your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. And today we're talking marriage. It turns out it's not so popular anymore, at least here in the U.S.

Carol Costello joins me now from New York.

So, Carol, why are Americans not feeling the love for marriage?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, that is the million-dollar question, Fredricka.

I mean, who needs a spouse? It turns out not many of us.

According to the Pew Research Center, just over half of Americans are married. That's down from 72 percent in the 1960s. It seems "I do" is fast becoming "I don't" -- ever. The question is, why?

Ah, Kim Kardashian, married for 72 days. Certainly a sign of how our culture views marriage. Or is it?

We could point to so many examples of how little marriage means. Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times. I mean, God rest her soul, but why did she bother?

Some conservatives blame gay marriage and lament the fact the Defense of Marriage Act was found unconstitutional. That act defined marriage as between a man and a woman.

Others say the feminist movement killed "I do." Who needs a man anyway when a girl can make her own money and buy her own sperm?

Others blame men, who some say never liked marriage much anyway. Maybe it's more simple than that.

In 2011, maybe we just don't need to be married anymore.

So the "Talk Back" question today: Is marriage becoming obsolete?

Instead of going to my Facebook page today, since it seems to be down -- I don't know what the problem is, but please go to Suzanne's Facebook page. So that is Facebook.com/SuzanneCNN, and answer the question. And I'm going to invade Suzanne's page until mine gets fixed.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

COSTELLO: And we'll read some of your responses later.

WHITFIELD: Well, maybe your page kind of blew up, people knowing that you were going to be asking that question. And so there is, like, this deluge on to Carol's Facebook page.

COSTELLO: Wait. My page just went back up. I'm being informed right now.

WHITFIELD: No way.

COSTELLO: Breaking news.

WHITFIELD: Really? OK. Good. Well, then now people know where to go.

COSTELLO: Right. Facebook.com/CarolCNN, and I will read some of your responses. Has marriage become obsolete? I'll see you later.

WHITFIELD: Great. OK. We'll look forward to that. Thanks so much, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right. Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on.

As the war in Iraq winds down, President Barack Obama is visiting troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. We'll have live coverage as the president thanks the troops for their service.

Then, an Afghan woman in jail for adultery after she was raped is finally free. We'll hear what she has to say about her ordeal.

Plus, if the U.S. Congress fails to extend benefits for the long-term unemployed, millions of Americans could lose their unemployment checks in just a couple of weeks.

And remember this arrest photo? Actor Nick Nolte is now claiming it wasn't really a mug shot at all.

And you probably see it every day, drivers who are talking or texting and not watching the road. Well, now a move is under way to ban cell phone use behind the wheel altogether.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you text and drive?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do. Unfortunately, I have to confess what I do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Call with a earpiece. No texting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Idiots that can't drive are the ones that are talking on the phone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Now to a story that has gained international attention.

An Afghan woman who was in prison for adultery after being raped has been freed. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison after reporting that she had been raped by her cousin's husband. Well, this morning, Afghan President Hamid Karzai intervened on her behalf and ordered her released.

Our Nick Paton Walsh just spoke to her.

So, Nick, what did she say?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, she's obviously delighted to have been released. Senior officials went to her jail last night after President Hamid Karzai issued a pardon demanding her release and took her to a woman's shelter somewhere in Kabul. Now, obviously, we're not revealing the location.

But she was sat there, a little confused, I think. Her 8-year-old daughter equally confused and crying quite a lot of the time during the interview, but clearly delighted to be free from jail. And clear on two things.

There's been a lot of controversy around this about the nature of her assault. And she's absolutely clear now that she was in freedom that she was raped by her cousin's husband.

Secondly, on top of that, she is absolutely clear that if she had full freedom of choice for her future, she would not marry this man, as some parts of society here are suggesting she should. Great pressure on her to do that to absolve her family of the dishonor in society for what happened to her. Delighted indeed -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, what about the other forms of pressure that society or culturally might be imposed on her even though she has been freed?

WALSH: Well, she still has many issues ahead of her.

First of all, is how does her family react to her? There have been suggestions they've been a little distant since she was put in jail. The dishonor, as I mentioned, perhaps reflected upon them as well in the conservative society I referred to. She is Pashtun, one of the more conservative branches of Afghan society here. Secondly, there is, of course, this ongoing pressure for her to marry her attacker, something she's clear she does not want to do. A degree of confidence, because she is in a shelter run by experienced people who know how to advise her in the future ahead.

But the real issue is, where is she going to live in the long term? How is she going to support her 8-month-old daughter? Needing, of course, family support for that to happen.

But at the end of the day, delighted at the presidential intervention here which has taken her out of jail and perhaps, says her lawyer, sets a precedent for many other women who are convicted for adultery when what's really happened is they've actually been sexually assaulted -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Paton Walsh, thanks so much, from Kabul.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The U.S. House has approved new benefits for the long-term unemployed, but the bill appears to have little chance in the U.S. Senate. It cuts maximum benefits from 99 weeks to 59 weeks, and if there's no extension, five million Americans will lose their unemployment check in a couple of weeks.

Earlier, on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," Christine Romans looked at the pros and cons of extending these benefits.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Stephen, you say that all of these unemployment benefits extensions and 99 weeks of being on jobless checks, it is discouraging to getting work. Why?

STEPHEN MOORE, SR. ECONOMICS WRITER, WSJ EDITORIAL PAGE: Well, because you're essentially giving -- sending a check to people who aren't working, and the condition of getting that check is that they not find a job. So, look, I'm an economist, Christine. I do believe incentives matter. And when you pay people not to work, you know, you're going to find that they're not going to be as eager to find a job.

And by the way, that's not just my opinion. The vast majority of the economic evidence shows that, that people who are unemployed, Christine, they find jobs right about the time when their unemployment insurance runs out.

And so what I'm saying, I guess, is, look, I don't have a problem with giving people three months or six months or even nine months of benefits if they lose their jobs. This is a tough job market, no question about it. But I do think you have to ask, is two years of benefits too long? And my answer to that is, yes.

ROMANS: All right. So, Bob, I want to ask you this. The unemployment rate for men is 8.3 percent right now. And there's a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia who earlier this year said the unemployment rate for men is probably 1.2 percentage points higher because of the fact that they have these extended unemployment benefits.

So is that evidence that we should get rid of those benefits and then the unemployment rate will fall?

BOB HERBERT, DISTINGUISHED SENIOR FELLOW, DEMOS: No, it's not. I mean, I do think that extended unemployment benefit has a modest effect on the jobless rate. In other words, people do, to some extent, hold off on accepting jobs if they're getting extended benefits, but it's very modest. I would not characterize it as paying people not to work.

The point of unemployment benefits is to help out people who are really struggling in an economy that has been atrocious for a long time. So you have to decide on which way the balance should go.

ROMANS: And where does that money go? So that money goes right into the economy too, right?

HERBERT: It goes right into the economy. It has modest benefits for the economy. But the question becomes, do you want to help these people who are hurting so badly? I would say yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. Labor Department says the average jobless worker gets an unemployment check for 17.5 weeks these days. That's down from a recession peak of 20 weeks back in April of 2010.

It may be the most famous mug shot in history. You know which one I'm talking about, Nick Nolte's picture. Well, it's inspired Halloween costumes and it's given plenty of material to the late-night comedians. But now the actor is claiming that his arrest photo wasn't a mug shot after all.

Jeanne Moos explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the Mona Lisa of mug shots enshrined on T-shirts. So famous, all it takes to recognize it is the outline.

Ridiculed in song --

(MUSIC)

MOOS: -- imitated --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your hands like this, Nick.

MOOS: -- worn as Halloween costume, as seen here in "People." Someone even put it on his credit card.

Almost a decade after its release, Letterman is still making jokes about Nick Nolte like the one about how the U.S. didn't release a death photo of Bin Laden --

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": Right? They didn't release any pictures. So the White House released this instead. Take a look at that.

(LAUGHTER)

MOOS: The mug shot connoisseurs at "The Smoking Gun" --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's probably the best celebrity mug shot ever taken.

MOOS (on camera): But now Nolte is talking, and he's saying a mug shot it was not.

(voice-over): In an interview with "GQ" magazine, Nolte explains he was high on a drug called GHB, Liquid Ecstasy, when he swerved off the Pacific Coast Highway. "At the hospital Nolte was taken for a blood test, a young officer asked him if he could take a Polaroid. 'I said, 'Come on. You don't really want to ask that, do you?' Nolte recalls. But he did."

"Nolte made him agree that, if he posed, the young officer would share any proceeds with his colleagues. 'And I let him shoot the Polaroid.'"

The rest is history. It's the gold standard against which mothers compare their baby's hair.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which reminds me a lot of Nick Nolte mug shot hair.

STEPHEN COLBERT, "THE COLBERT REPORT": He was 1992's "Sexiest Man." And look at him now -- still sexy.

MOOS: One guy posted that on his local TV weather forecast, "When we are expecting heavy wind, this picture of Nolte is what they used for bad hair day."

But police may be tearing out their hair, because the California Highway Patrol spokesman who originally released this picture says it is a mug shot, one of several that they took, not a Polaroid taken at the hospital.

ANDREW GOLDBERG, TSG MANAGING EDITOR: Maybe that's how he perceived it on GHB, that maybe they were saying, please stand for a picture, maybe he thought here's a fan who wants a picture. Maybe that's one of the things that GHB does to you.

MOOS (on camera): It makes you think everybody's a fan.

GOLDBERG: Everybody's a fan. Who doesn't want my picture? MOOS (voice-over): Mel Gibson has reportedly said that he made sure his hair was groomed in his mug shot so he wouldn't end up like Nolte.

(on camera): The moral of the mug shot, or whatever it was, comb your hair.

(voice-over): But even if this kid didn't, at least he wasn't wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nick Nolte mug shot hair, Hudson's (ph) hair.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And President Barack Obama is marking the end of the Iraq War with a visit to U.S. troops. He is going to be -- he, along with the first lady, Michelle Obama, are actually going to be in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Air Force One right now landing momentarily. And then the president and the first lady will be emerging and they'll be making their way to visit with the troops there at Fort Bragg to say thank you for their service and their sacrifice.

This, as the U.S. wraps up its deployment in Iraq. The goal set by this president of the United States, that all would be out of Iraq by December 31st. And you know all week long there have been a number of images of troops reuniting with their families all across the nation. Well, it continues.

This, as the president makes his arrival at Fort Bragg. And of course we'll have live coverage of the president's visit with the troops at Fort Bragg roughly about -- maybe about 35 minutes or so from now, when he actually is to begin his speaking

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Live pictures one more time of Air Force One arriving at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The president and the first lady are planning to actually meet and talk with the troops and the families there at Fort Bragg to thank them for their service and their sacrifice.

The president making these comments as the U.S. draws down its U.S. troop deployment in Iraq just under about two weeks away before meeting that deadline of December 31st. The president has pledged that while U.S. troops in large numbers will no longer be in Iraq, the U.S. will continue in its support of what will be a volatile rebuilding of that nation.

This Fort Bragg, North Carolina, base has certainly seen its share of sacrifices. Some 200 deaths of U.S. troops based at Fort Bragg have taken place over this nine-year war in Iraq.

So the president and first lady are hoping to be able to offer some comfort, as well as encouragement to the troops, the service members, and their families here at Fort Bragg. And in about 30 minutes or so, after the president and first lady emerge there from Air Force One and make their way to the building in which the speeches will take place and the greetings will take place, the president will be -- and there you go.

Live pictures right there of what appears to be a hangar there at Fort Bragg, where a number of the troops will get a chance to see first hand and listen first hand to the president's remarks, his ongoing commitment that he'll spell out to the U.S. troops, their families, and as well as to the country of Iraq, which will continue to rebuild at the close of this war.

We'll monitor the remarks and the movement there at Fort Bragg.

All right. Let's just admit it. Most of you have made a call or sent a text message while driving. We take our eyes off the road for a few seconds, or even longer, and it's just fate that you don't hit someone.

Well, now the National Transportation Safety Board wants to ban using cell phones while driving altogether. Texting, calling, all of it.

Watch this anti-texting campaign that AT&T launched last year after some high-profile deadly accidents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first thing I noticed about her was her shoes lying in the roadway in a large pool of blood. I noticed her shoes, and I thought, this is a young girl. That's the first thing I thought when I saw this.

And at that point is when I noticed her cap and gown was still in her car. She was going to graduate the next day. It was just a really horrific scene, all because of a senseless text message.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So why is the NTSB making this recommendation now?

CNN's Christine Romans spoke with NTSB spokeswoman Debbie Hersman about that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBBIE HERSMAN, NTSB SPOKESWOMAN: Distractions have been around as long as the Model T has been around. People are distracted, but this is a new type of distraction.

And what we see is that people are bringing more and more electronic devices into the car. There's devices that are in the car as part of their infotainment, and they really are creating more distractions. We're seeing more people texting behind the wheel and people being distracted by the cognitive conversations that they're having with people, where it's taking their attention away from the driving task.

ROMANS: Has the research shown that talking to someone who is sitting next to you in the car is different than talking to someone on the phone, who's not in the car?

HERSMAN: It is. The person who's sitting next to you in the car, think of them as like a co-pilot. They know what is going on in the environment. They're aware of the traffic, aware of stops, aware of situations that might become complicated.

And they don't always expect you to respond when you're dealing with a complicated merge situation. But the person on the other end of the phone, they aren't helping you and they don't know that.

ROMANS: Some state lawmakers, Debbie, have already come out against this. A state senator in Georgia said that lawmakers there would oppose it. He said it's government pushing its nose too far into people's lives.

How do you respond to those critics who say this is big brother trying to fix a bad habit with a new law?

HERSMAN: Well, what we do in our business at the NTSB is we investigate accidents, we learn from them, and we make recommendations. I know that this isn't the popular thing, but it is the safe thing, and it's the right thing to do. We fully respect that everyone else has different views about this, but no call, no text, no post is worth a human life.

ROMANS: And there are those who are also e-mailing me saying that this is like the old days when you thought it was sacrilege to say you can only drive 55 miles an hour. That's one of those rules that people didn't like in the beginning, but that ended up saving lives.

HERSMAN: Well, and the same thing with drunk driving, with putting your children in child restraints, with wearing your seat belt or even smoking. These are all things that were societal norms that it took some time to change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Here's what's ahead on the rundown. Next, President Obama speaks directly to U.S. troops thanking them for their service in Iraq. We'll bring you those remarks live.

And then thousands of U.S. troops are heading home, but will they have jobs when they get here?

And a new survey finds more and more people are saying, "I don't," when it comes to marriage. We'll give you a chance to "Talk Back" and tell us what you think.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Live pictures right now, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. The president and first lady arriving. In about 25 minutes or so from now, President Obama will be going to what appeared to be a big hanger filled with U.S. troops there. He will apparently be giving thanks as they wrap up a nine-year war in Iraq. He'll also be reiterating a commitment that he has made to help veterans find jobs and be sure to get -- that they get all the resources they need as they are re-integrating following their tour of duty in Iraq.

The president making it his goal that all troops will be out of Iraq by December 31st. You've been seeing for the past week or so and into this week, constant reunions of troops with their families back on U.S. soil. We'll be bringing you the president's comments, live, roughly 22 or so minutes from now.

A war that lasted almost nine years and spanned two presidencies is winding down. That assurance being made by the president there. He's in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, to mark the end of the war thanking the troops for their service and sacrifice. So for many, the sacrifice started in March of 2003.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So with those words from then-President George W. Bush, the war in Iraq was underway. The initial invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein was followed by years of insurgency and sectarian violence.

In January of 2007, the U.S. began a troop surge to combat the rising violence there. During that same year, Candidate Obama was promising to end the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will bring our troops home. It is time to bring this war to a close. It is time to recognize there's no military solution to the problems in Iraq.

(APPLAUSE)

It is time to turn the page.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In November of 2008, President Bush and the Iraqi parliament negotiated a time line, calling for U.S. troops to withdraw by the end of 2011. The U.S. had planned to leave several thousand troops in Iraq to help with training and security, but the terms of that agreement fell apart. In October this year, President Obama announced that the U.S. would complete its withdrawal by the end of this year.

So in his speech at Ft. Bragg, the White House says President Obama will talk about the extraordinary milestone of bringing the war in Iraq to an end. He is scheduled to speak at around 11:55 a.m. eastern time. We'll bring you those remarks live.

Live pictures right now of what appears to be a big hanger where a number of the troops will be hearing the president and seeing him firsthand.

Right now, let's bring in some experts now to talk about what has or has not been accomplished in Iraq, the political implications from it. CNN chief political analyst, Gloria Borger, and senior political analyst, David Gergen.

Good to see both of you.

First, let's talk about the accomplishments or the lessons learned.

What are some of those accomplishments, Gloria?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think you could say that there is a more stable Iraq, that there's a more Democratic Iraq, but I don't think you're going to see this president march on this stage with a "mission accomplished" banner.

I think the lessons learned are what's really, really telling here, and that is that it's easier to go in somewhere with the American military than it is to get out. So when you talk about nation building and all that that requires, you have to understand -- and I think this is something that we've all learned -- that once you're in, you can't just turn around and leave, that nation building requires an awful lot of manpower, an awful lot of blood, and an awful lot of money. And --

(CROSSTALK)

BORGER: Go ahead.

WHITFIELD: I was going to say, we're going to talk a little bit more about that nation building in a moment.

David, what do you see as the accomplishments from this war?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think we have a more hopeful future in Iraq. A dictator who murdered tens of thousands of people is now gone. Yes, there's continuing violence, but at a much, much lower level. There's promise that Iraq could become a more democratic society. I don't think we should assume -- I think, Gloria is right. The president is not going to be dancing today because there are a lot of shadows over Iraq's future.

By the way, the American presence, while our combat troops coming out, we'll maintain an enormous presence there. We're building a complex there. Our diplomatic complex there is going to be on 104 acres, 22 buildings. We're going to have over 10,000 Americans, half diplomats, half contractors, many who are security forces, paramilitary. We'll have 40,000 troops in the area nearby in case anything breaks out. So we are not necessarily leaving Iraq. But we are putting -- we're coming to -- this is an important milestone to have combat troops come out.

WHITFIELD: Those diplomats, contractors, yes, indeed, will be there to try to stay the course or help the U.S. and Iraq kind of stay the course on what it believes to be the best approach for that nation rebuilding.

But, Gloria, back to that point that you were making on that commitment to rebuild, did this White House feel like it got some real assurances from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki earlier in the week when they met --

(CROSSTALK)

BORGER: Well, look --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: -- that, indeed, once U.S. troops do pull out that Iraq will continue on what that agreed-upon course for rebuilding is?

BORGER: Look, the relationship with Maliki has never been easy. There's been lots of mistrust both ways. What they've agreed is that, in fact, there will be no residual military force there. And that's because the United States could not get an agreement to provide those forces with immunity. That was a problem for the United States.

But are we selling them a fleet of F16s? Yes, we are. Are we going to have what David is talking about, a large complex there? Yes, we are. Are we going to continue a diplomatic -- important diplomatic relationship with Iraq? Of course. That's going to be very important and that's what both of these men pledged to do this week. Again, it's still not an easy relationship.

WHITFIELD: So, David, Americans are feeling pretty confident or convinced that come December 31st, the majority, if not all of U.S. troops are going to be gone from Iraq. But are there still pretty good chances or opportunities that some U.S. troops may find themselves deployed to Iraq to assist or to help out in continued security struggles in that nation or anything else?

GERGEN: Well, that's the jackpot question. That's the reason why American military commanders wanted to keep a larger military presence on the ground, because they didn't think the Iraqi army was quite ready yet. They are going to be re-emerging tensions between Sunnis and Shias, between Kurds and Shias. A question of whether Iran has an overly large influence. Iraq hasn't been following our diplomatic lead necessarily when it comes to dealing with Syria. Iraq has been on -- Maliki has been on the side of Assad and we've been trying to get Assad out of there. So we're going to have some tensions and difficulties.

Iraq may well be on the course, interestingly enough, to sort of breaking up some and becoming more of a federation of exactly the same kind of thing Joe Biden ironically was calling for or thought should be the outcome some time ago.

Let me go back to the size of our presence here. You've been to Rome. You see what a massive structure the Vatican is, and what a massive presence it is in Rome. This new complex we're building in Iraq is expected to be larger than the Vatican.

WHITFIELD: Huge.

OK. So this commitment to end this war, 2011, was made by the Bush administration. It was made again by the Obama administration. Gloria, who gets credit for this? Is it a shared accomplishment by these administrations?

BORGER: I don't think anybody gets credit in particular because Americans are completely divided down the middle about whether we were successful in any way, shape or form in Iraq. It's been such a long- standing war, nine years, that, at this point, Americans just want to leave.

I think Barack Obama gets a certain amount of credit from his Democratic base, which he needs to get re-elected, for saying, look, I made this pledge to you when I ran in 2008 and I'm keeping it. But as you pointed out in your piece earlier, this is also a time line that was established by President Bush. I don't think the American public is sort of going to say this goes to Bush or this goes to Obama. They just want out.

WHITFIELD: OK. Gloria, David, thanks so much. We're going to talk with you again after we begin to hear from the president in roughly about 10 minutes or so, 12 minutes away from the president entering that hanger. A little meet and greet with the troops who are waiting. Then we'll hear from the president. We'll talk again about some of the remarks that he is expected to make.

Meantime, we're going to be also checking with our Joe Johns, who's going to give us an idea of what's on the "Political Ticker." Joe Biden is defending Mitt Romney? What's going on? We'll find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: With thousands of American troops packing up and leaving Iraq, a lot of them will be looking for jobs. President Obama will be speaking to troops at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, in just about maybe five or 10 minutes from now. He has already put in place tax breaks for businesses that hire veterans.

Alison Kosik is with us now from the New York Stock Exchange.

Alison, just how serious is the jobless rate, particularly among veterans?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is serious, Fredricka, because it's higher than the national unemployment rate by a long shot. You look at the latest Labor Department figures from November. They show that the jobless rate for Iraq and Afghanistan vets is just over 11 percent. That amounts to about 220,000 vets who are out of work. In most cases, federal laws, they're supposed to make sure that military members get their old positions back when their tours of duty are over.

We're seeing there are some exceptions here. Not everybody is qualifying to return to those jobs. I want to give you some examples. With the way the economy has been, some vets' old jobs, their companies altogether have gone belly up while they've been overseas. Some servicemembers are deemed no longer qualified to perform their job. It can make for an even tougher transition back into civilian life -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Remind us what the tax breaks are for businesses that do extend jobs to vets?

KOSIK: After President Obama last month called the jobless rate among veterans unacceptable, what he did was institute the Returning Heroes Tax Credit as part of the American Jobs Act. What it does is it offers up to $2400 to businesses who hire back veterans. They get up to $5600 for hiring veterans who haven't had a job for six months. Finally, businesses can get a tax credit for up to $9600 for hiring a service vet with a disability. He signed into law other reforms including education, training and job search assistance. It's all an effort to help those men and women who have done so much for the country -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Alison Kosik.

Time to talk politics, one of our favorite subjects here at CNN.

Joe Johns is live from the political desk in Washington.

Joe, let's talk about Ron Paul. He's closing the gap in Iowa. What's happening there?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I tell you, this is American Research Group poll. There's a whole bunch of story lines in it. 22 percent of likely Republican caucus goers in Iowa say they are, you know, supporting House Speaker Newt Gingrich. That's one story line. 17 percent say they support Mitt Romney. 17 percent say they support Ron Paul.

So, yes, that would put Mitt Romney and Ron Paul tied. A lot of people have said, well, yes. I can see Ron Paul doing pretty well out there for a variety of reasons. Texas Governor Rick Perry at 13 percent, which would mean he's picked up about 8 percentage points in this poll. He's been pushing hard out there, running a lot of TV ads and so on.

Probably one of the things you want to watch most in this poll, just one poll, just one snapshot, Newt Gingrich has dropped about 4 or 5 points. He was at 27 percent in the November poll. And we do know that Mitt Romney's been going hard after Gingrich's negatives. But other polls aren't showing this drop in Gingrich support. He's sort of hovered low 30s, mid 20s, depending on which poll you look at. We have to take a long look and see if it's a trend or if it's just an outlier poll, if you will. WHITFIELD: I'm sure his staffers are trying to figure -- all of their staffers are trying to figure out the meaning behind those numbers as well.

Joe Johns, thanks so much.

For the latest political news, you know exactly where to go, CNNpolitics.com.

President Barack Obama, about to say his thank yous to the U.S. troops as the war in Iraq winds down. He's actually being introduced right now and, of course, right on cue. The rousing applause for the commander-in-chief.

(APPLAUSE)

(MUSIC)

(CHEERING)

WHITFIELD: As you can see, they're all waiting, cameras ready, smartphones poised for the perfect picture upon the president's arrival. You saw his advance crew coming in with the scripts, putting on the podium and secret service getting into place. Now, if only the president and first lady would arrive. When they do, momentarily, the president is expected to thank the troops there for their service, for their sacrifice. Ft. Bragg getting hit pretty hard during the nine year war in Iraq, losing 200, roughly 200 troops from Ft. Bragg during this war.

The president will be arriving. Oh, let's listen. Maybe they've got some instruction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen --

(CHEERING)

WHITFIELD: There we go.

(BEGIN LIVE SPEECH)