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CNN Live Saturday
Kerry Campaigns In Deep South; Interview with Lynne Cox
Aired May 08, 2004 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is 2:00 pm at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, 10:30 pm in Kandahar, Afghanistan. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters at Atlanta. Ahead this hour, more fall-out from the pictures of Iraqi prisoners. A U.S. commander in Baghdad speaks out.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dana Bash at the White House. The president is at Camp David, but his damage control efforts on the Iraqi abuse scandal continues. More on that in a minute.
WHITFIELD: And new sounds of terror aimed at the peacekeeping effort in Iraq. We'll analyze the latest recording from Osama bin Laden.
For now, here are the latest developments at this hour. The new U.S. commander of detentions in Iraq says new training programs are in place to end prison abuses in Iraq. Miller promises the abuses will never happen again.
In this country, flames engulf a fire training facility at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, but it was only part after training exercise for hundreds of civilian and government workers and law enforcement. The event is required by the FAA to test emergency response plans.
Former Iraqi hostage Thomas Hamill is welcomed home in Macon, Mississippi. For now he's spending time in seclusion with his family, including his wife and two children. More on Hamill in a moment.
With the prison abuse scandal reaching the political boiling point here at home, the fighting for Iraq's future intensifies overseas. We get the latest on that and more from Ben Wedeman in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: British troops in the southern Iraqi city of Basra clashed with supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The clashes occurred during demonstrations in several spots around the city.
Now, according to hospital sources in Basra, at least two people were killed and five wounded in the fighting. Two British soldiers also received injuries.
The clashes follow a call yesterday by a local religious leader associated with Sadr who offered monetary rewards to anyone who kills or captures British soldiers in Basra. And in several towns around southern Iraq, they were running gun battles between coalition forces and members of Sadr's so-called Mehdi army, his private militia.
In Baghdad the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal continues to reverberate with many Iraqis basically brushing aside everything they heard in Friday's congressional testimony by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The new head of Abu Ghraib prison, Major General Jeff Miller told reporters in Baghdad that pledges to clean up house in Abu Ghraib will be followed up with actions.
MAJ. GEN. GEOFFREY MILLER, U.S. ARMY: What we must do now is not only use words, but our actions must demonstrate our continuing focus on this, our adherence to the Geneva Conventions and the principles of dignity to each of those individuals who are protected individuals, under the Geneva Convention. And I give you my personal guarantee that we will continue to do that 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
WEDEMAN: And while the uproar over prisoner abuse shows no sign of abating, special United Nations envoy to Iraq Lakhdar Brahimi is in Baghdad struggling to forge an interim Iraqi government to take power after the June 30 hand over.
Some members of the U.S. appointed governing council have criticized Brahimi for not adequately consulting with them. Brahimi has met with a wide spectrum of Iraqis aiming to put together an interim government as representative as possible of Iraq's diverse societies. I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: President Bush is expressing his out rage again about the prison scandal, this time in his national radio address. Dana Bash is at the White House this afternoon. Hello, Dana.
BASH: Hello, Fredricka. Vice President Cheney was here on a rare Saturday. He was having his regular intelligence briefing with the president who is at Camp David. They did so by secure teleconference.
And as for the president, he is continuing in his damage control efforts on the Iraqi abuse issue. You mentioned his radio address. The president devoted that entire address to the issue and repeated earlier comments from this week that the acts were shameful and a stain on America, as he called it.
But he also tried to address what White House aides say they understand and believe to be the bottom line here when all is said and done, which is, what is the administration, what is the military going to do about it?
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Shortly after reports of abuse became known to our military an investigation was launched. Today, several formal investigations led by senior military officials are underway. Some soldiers have already been charged with crimes. We will learn all the facts and determine the full extent of these abuses. Those involved will be identified, they will answer for their actions. All prison operations in Iraq will be thoroughly reviewed to make certain that similar disgraceful incidents are never repeated.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BASH: Much harder, perhaps, even impossible for the president to continue to make the claim that the war in Iraq was just, for moral reasons. For example, he said Saddam Hussein's torture chambers are no longer.
Democrats for their part, they say that the Iraqi prisoner abuse issue is about much more than just this particular isolated incident, it's about the overall mission in Iraq which they say is in jeopardy.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
WESLEY CLARK, FRM. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We came to free not to imprison. With our character we don't torture or maim or coerce. And if the mission was endangered by the prospects of our use of heavy force against insurgents in Fallujah and Najaf, and it was so endangered, it is no lessen dangered by the loss of credibility caused by the misconduct of a few American soldiers. This is a mission in trouble.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BASH: Now the president for his part did acknowledge that these are difficult days in Iraq, but said that the administration is going to stay the course, going to transfer power back over to the Iraqis, sovereignty at least, on June 30.
But this is a White House, Fredricka, that is bracing itself for perhaps more bad news. As we heard from Secretary Rumsfeld yesterday, they know there is a videotape that exists. More damaging and devastating pictures that exist. They are waiting for that. But they are certainly trying, as we heard from the president today, to try to stem the damage that they understand this is doing around the world.
WHITFIELD: And Dana, speaking of Secretary Rumsfeld, is the White House saying anything more following his testimony yesterday? Perhaps even President Bush reiterating his support of secretary Rumsfeld even though there are still some on the hill who are calling for his resignation or perhaps even firing?
BASH: Well the president didn't do so in public, however the White House certainly gave some signals to the public that the president is standing by the secretary still.
They said he got updates on the secretary's testimony throughout the day. Of course, the president was traveling yesterday in Iowa and Wisconsin on a campaign trip.
And also we were told last night made a phone call to the secretary saying he heard that he did a good job. So the White House was very quick to make sure that the public knew about those phone calls essentially trying to signal that the president is still supporting him at this time.
WHITFIELD: Dana Bash at the White House. Thanks very much.
BASH: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Thomas Hamill's first day back at home is all about getting some well deserved R&R. The former Iraqi hostage is spending the day with his family inside their Mississippi home. It's a long way from the ordeal he faced in Iraq when insurgents attacked his convoy and took him prisoner. Mike Brooks is in Macon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tommy Hamill and his wife Kelli arrived here at their home this morning by private jet. They immediately got into a highway patrol car that brought them to the door of their home.
(on camera): I want to show you a little bit about what's going on outside the Hamill home. The media has set up camp here. They've put up yellow police line tape to keep the media off the front lawn of the Hamill home. On Sunday the volunteer fire department came by and draped the house in an American flag after they found out that Tommy was safe in American hands. Also, friends came by yesterday to spruce up the house. They put up a welcome home sign, red, white and blue ribbons, and used a spray washer to clean the side of the house. But as you can see, they got a little overzealous and plan on coming back today to repaint the damage they did with the spray washer. Now, tommy has not spoken to the media since he returned here to the United States. His media spokesperson, the same spokesperson who represents Jessica Lynch, says that his concern is with the troops in Iraq, and the hostages that have yet to be released.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tommy's very concerned for them. Many prayers are going up for them. Tommy's more concerned for them, probably, than he is his own self.
BROOKS: The town officials at Macon had originally planned a celebration to celebrate Tommy's safe return. They planned a Tommy Hamill day. They planned a parade down Jefferson Street, the main street that runs, through the center of Macon. But for now, those plans are on hold. Some people were disappointed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were a little disappointed. But we still think maybe we'll get to do something.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was looking forward to it.
BROOKS: You were?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I was looking forward to it. I was on the planning committee. I was looking forward to it.
BROOKS: Whether or not the Celebration and parade ever take place, the people of Macon feel that their prayers have been answered.
Mike Brooks, CNN, Macon, Mississippi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: In the headlines around the world, the war on terror claims another American casualty in Afghanistan. A U.S. marine was killed in an overnight gun battle north of Kandahar. A second marine was wounded and airlifted to Germany. Members of the 22nd Expedition Unit were on patrol in an unstable area when they were attacked.
President Bush is reportedly casting some doubt about the possibility of a Palestinian state by next year. In an interview with Egyptian Newspaper, "Al-Haram" the president blames ongoing violence for the delay. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat disagrees. He says the road map for peace timetable is still realistic.
In Hanover, Germany, authorities arrested an 18-year-old high school student in connection with the Sasser computer virus. The virus raced around the world this week infecting hundreds of thousands of computers. It can cause computers to crash and reboot.
The United Nations is beefing up security around Secretary General Kofi Annan. That's in light of this week's recorded death threats. The recording is attributed to Osama bin Laden appeared on Web sites Thursday. They place a bounty in gold on the heads of top U.S. and U.N. officials. David Ensor has more now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The voice claim to be Osama bin Laden offer gold to anyone who kills top American or U.N. officials or citizens of any nation fighting in Iraq.
OSAMA BIN LADEN, AL QAEDA LEADER (through translator): You know that America promised big rewards for those who killed Mujahadeen. We in al Qaeda will guaranteed, God willing, 10,000 grams of gold to whoever kills the occupier Bremer or the American chief military commander or his deputy in Iraq.
ENSOR: In addition to offering rewards to anyone who kills Paul Bremer, the coalition provisional authority chief or the top American generals in the region, generals Abizaid and Sanchez, bin Laden also offers the same sum for killing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan or his special representative for Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: It's very specific, telling the United Nations and the people who lead it. I think it's bin Laden's sort of way of saying, OK, the American handover is coming soon. The United Nations is going to take over, but we're also calling for attacks on the United Nations because we don't want a stable Iraq.
ENSOR (on camera): Ten thousand grams of gold is currently worth about $137,000. By contrast, the price on bin Laden's head, the U.S. reward, is $50 million.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The race for the White House President Bush and Democratic John Kerry both on the campaign trail this week promoting similar scenes. We'll examine the strategy in the political roundtable.
Also, extending the envelope big time. One woman who made history during a frigid dip near the South Pole.
Or was it good business or bad judgment? Has advertising in sporting events gone just too far? So much more ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: On the campaign trail, Senator John Kerry's focus today is on the deep south. The Democratic nominee is visiting Louisiana. During a stop last night in Baton Rouge he touched on issues including job creation and education. A few hours from now, he delivers the commencement address at Southern University in New Orleans.
One day after a trip to the nation's heartland, President Bush is spending a weekend at Camp David in Maryland. At a campaign rally yesterday in Iowa Bush rallied supporters with talk of an improving U.S. economy.
Well, Americans are split right down the middle on how President Bush is handling the job. Taht's the finding of a new Gallup Poll, 49 percent of respondents approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 48 percent disapprove. In a head to head match-up Senator John Kerry leads the president of likely voters by just 1 percentage point.
When asked how things are going on in the United States, 36 of the respondents say they are satisfied with 62 percent are dissatisfied.
Democratic Strategist Margie Omero is in Washington. And in Miami Republican Tara Setmayer. Good to see both of you ladies.
Well, no doubt, the polls are being influenced by what we have seen this past week with both candidates on the campaign trail and as well as a leading cabinet member on Capitol Hill testifying. So that given the case, Tara, is it our expectation that the White House strategy as it's got about five months more just might change, particularly, try to deflect some of the attention that is on Secretary Donald Rumsfeld?
TARA SETMAYER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think what we need to do, we need to keep these polls in perspective. The good news about this poll is that the -- Bush is still within the margin of error. He hasn't dramatically lost support in the last two to three months. What is interesting is that Kerry has been unable to surge forward and take advantage of a couple of pretty tough weeks for the Bush administration. Do we have a 9/11 commission hearing. Now we have the Iraqi prisoner issue. Rumsfeld is testifying. And all of these questionable issues in Iraq, and yet the president still seems to be maintaining a steady amount of support.
John Kerry is running into problems because he has -- there's a likability factor. There are only 38 percent of the American people have a positive image of John Kerry.
WHITFIELD: Let me bring you in, Margie. That has been expressed by even some Democrats who say it seems like John Kerry has an identity problem. People aren't sure where he is on certain situations. Perhaps the Bush White House is successful in labeling him as a flip flopper.
MARGIE OMERO, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I would much rather be the Kerry campaign right now than the Bush campaign. The Bush campaign doesn't even have time for the Bush campaign, because they are so embroiled in the serious issues, what the people see as America being bogged down in Iraq.
So I would much rather be the Kerry campaign. They have great ads going on right now. They are playing in some new states that are beyond the battleground states. States that are more likely to be Democratic. Colorado and Louisiana even just a couple months ago. And the Kerry campaign is doing a great job, while the Bush administration is really having a hard time.
The fact the polls are even. Yes, it is the margin of error. That's bad news for an incumbent president. People are not happy with the direction of the country. That's bad news for an incumbent present. I'm not concerned that Kerry doesn't have a 20 point lead. That's what I would expect -- this is best we would expect at this point so many months out of the election.
SETMAYER: In May of 1996, Bob Dole had the same polling numbers that Kerry has and Bob Dole had the same likability problems that Kerry does. And we all know what happened to Bob Dole in November. So, I wouldn't be as confident as you think in the Kerry campaign.
The problem with the Kerry campaign is that they have a product they can't sell. So, the only thing they can do is try to destroy the competitor. That's not going to be successful. The Bush administration was successful in bringing his...
WHITFIELD: Let me bring you up to date and talk a little bit about some of the more pressing issues that are making headlines right now. That both candidates have, at least, responded to. And we're talking about Secretary Rumsfeld taking to the Hill and testifying. You know, John Kerry came out rather quickly earlier in the week, Margie, saying that as president I will not be the last to know what is going on under my command. Is that a smart campaign move to make? Or is that possibly borderlining being unpatriotic from the viewpoint of some of the voters out there? OMERO: Absolutely not. This is a serious issue. The Kerry campaign, anybody who wants to become president needs to have some comments. I think Kerry's comment was perfectly appropriate, not at all unpatriotic.
What is unpatriotic is the soldiers who -- or the people who encouraged these soldiers and gave them no rules and didn't teach them to read the Geneva Convention. Rumsfeld who is just says I'm sorry, but is not actually doing anything about it.
WHITFIELD: Now we're at the issue of some pressure coming from other Republicans and Democrats who are saying Donald Rumsfeld consider resigning or President Bush firing him. If either one of those options take place, with 5 months go before election day, how much further harm are you seeing the White House taking on if, indeed, the cabinet is reshuffled at this last minute?
SETMAYER: Well, Bush has already expressed his confidence in Secretary Rumsfeld. And I think that it's unfair and awfully hypocritical of John Kerry, by his own self-admission, participated in more heinous acts and crimes in Vietnam than what took place with this very small amount of soldiers in Iraq.
And it's unpatriotic, in my opinion, to label the entire 140,000 troops that we have in Iraq and the fabulous job they are doing there, it's unpatriotic to insinuate that we are by any means, not handling the situation in Iraq properly. This is a small isolated incident.
OMERO: Then a majority of Americans are unpatriotic?
WHITFIELD: You are still not answering the question, though, on how much further damage it might cause the White House if there's a reshuffling in the cabinet with five months before election day.
SETMAYER: Well, I think that -- I think that would -- if it came down to that, which I don't think it will, because Secretary Rumsfeld and the chain of command in this situation has been taking place, the investigation started, the chain of command is properly been followed, and I don't think that there's a big scandal where Rumsfeld covered something up. That would be the only thing that would constitute a removal or resignation.
WHITFIELD: Margie, I'll let you have the last word, can the White House afford not to take some action whether it be a resignation or firing of Donald Rumsfeld before election day?
OMERO: I think Rumsfeld is going to go, whether he gets impeached, whether he resigns, whether he's fired, he's going to go. I don't really think a that's even going to make a difference for the Bush administration. It's going to be harmful to them, this whole scandal, for Tara to not call it a scandal is kind of crazy, it is going to be...
SETMAYER: It's too premature to call it a scandal. The poll numbers show the support for Rumsfeld.
WHITFIELD: OK, we are out of time. Margie Omero and Tara Setmayer thanks very much, ladies.
Well, pushing the human body to the limit. Up next we'll meet an adventurer who made history with a record breaking swim in some of the coldest water on Earth. And speaking of records, it was the catch that couldn't get away. And it made one man a local hero. Scales and tales straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well if you think a lap around the pool or a walk around the track is an amazing human feat. You thought wrong. In CNN's "Life Beyond Limits" Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on people who redefine human ability. You can see that for tomorrow night.
For now though, Lynne Cox is one of those people. In her book "Swimming to Antarctica" she recounts her dip in freezing waters wearing only a bathing suit. Aquatic wonder, Lynn Cox, is in a much warmer Los Angeles with us right now. Good to see you, Lynne.
LYNNE COX, SWAM TO ANTARCTICA: Good to see you Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well this book is really about a compilation of you swimming in various waters, really pushing various limits, isn't it?
COX: It is. It is.
WHITFIELD: What are you most proud of as you kind of reflect on all of these things that you've done, most people would say, I am not doing that or why would I do that.
COX: Well, think that it's really become a culmination of experiences. I swam the English Channel when ways 15 and 16 and broke the world records for the men and women. And I went on to swim across the Bering Strait as the well to open the border between the United States and Soviet Union.
I think the swim in Antarctica was something that was just beyond my imagination. And the goal was to figure out how to do it? How do you, as a human, swim in 32 degree water in a bathing suit, cap and goggles. How do you train for ? How do you prepare? How do you get a group of people around you who are experts in hypothermia that can pull you out when you need be when you make the attempt?
WHITFIELD: Why wouldn't you wear, say, a wet suit or something then it would not be considered a record? Or you know reaching as great a height as you did without a wet suit?
COX: Exactly. I really felt that this was really about the human reach. About what human beings can do if they train, prepare and set their mind to it. And you know, swimming in 32 degree water is really tough.
WHITFIELD: No kidding!
COX: It was amazing to be able to do it. Then, also, swimming along and seeing penguins swimming under the water beneath me. COX: They are looking in the water thinking, are you crazy?
WHITFIELD: Well, actually, they were amazing, because they swam right around. And they were flapping their wings as if they were flying. So the only time you get realy get to see a penguin fly is when it swims.
WHITFIELD: Wow, so you had some great company. These journeys are not just about your journeys are they. But in fact you are surround bid a team of folks who are just as engaged in the cause as you are. Tell me a little bit about the people who accompany you on some of these journeys.
COX: A lot of the swims I have people who are exercise physiologist or physicians who are studying my ability to handle the cold. And what they are trying to do is figure that out and in return be able to take that information and apply it to human beings in general.
Some of the stuff we figured out I'm able to rewarm really well by using hot packs around my neck under my arms and the femoral (ph) arteries right by the hip bones. And the by warming from the inside out it's a much more effective and efficient way of rewarming.
WHITFIELD: And these are some of the things you relearned and a lot of the things that have gone right. But I understand you also highlight a lot of the things that have gone wrong. For example...
COX: Well, I did a swim in the Nile River. I was invited by the Egyptian government to compete in the race. I was told the water was beautiful. It really wasn't. I got very sick before I even started the swim and got sicker as I did it. Not a good thing.
WHTIFIELD: Not a good thing at all.
We're glad you're able -- you're feeling well enough to tell us all about it.
COX: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Lynne Cox and the book is "Swimming to Antarctica." Thanks very much for joining us from Los Angeles.
And don't miss the amazing human feats and watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta test his own limits as well as profiling a little bit more about what Lynne Cox has done. That's tomorrow at 9:00 pm Eastern right here on CNN.
Well, they've heard from the rest of the world, now families of the soldiers accused of abuse are having their say.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elaine Quijano, live at the Pentagon. Yet another soldier has been charged in connection with the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. I'll have details coming up.
WHITFIELD: And more problems for a family already effected by tragedy. This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired May 8, 2004 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is 2:00 pm at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, 10:30 pm in Kandahar, Afghanistan. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters at Atlanta. Ahead this hour, more fall-out from the pictures of Iraqi prisoners. A U.S. commander in Baghdad speaks out.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dana Bash at the White House. The president is at Camp David, but his damage control efforts on the Iraqi abuse scandal continues. More on that in a minute.
WHITFIELD: And new sounds of terror aimed at the peacekeeping effort in Iraq. We'll analyze the latest recording from Osama bin Laden.
For now, here are the latest developments at this hour. The new U.S. commander of detentions in Iraq says new training programs are in place to end prison abuses in Iraq. Miller promises the abuses will never happen again.
In this country, flames engulf a fire training facility at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, but it was only part after training exercise for hundreds of civilian and government workers and law enforcement. The event is required by the FAA to test emergency response plans.
Former Iraqi hostage Thomas Hamill is welcomed home in Macon, Mississippi. For now he's spending time in seclusion with his family, including his wife and two children. More on Hamill in a moment.
With the prison abuse scandal reaching the political boiling point here at home, the fighting for Iraq's future intensifies overseas. We get the latest on that and more from Ben Wedeman in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: British troops in the southern Iraqi city of Basra clashed with supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The clashes occurred during demonstrations in several spots around the city.
Now, according to hospital sources in Basra, at least two people were killed and five wounded in the fighting. Two British soldiers also received injuries.
The clashes follow a call yesterday by a local religious leader associated with Sadr who offered monetary rewards to anyone who kills or captures British soldiers in Basra. And in several towns around southern Iraq, they were running gun battles between coalition forces and members of Sadr's so-called Mehdi army, his private militia.
In Baghdad the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal continues to reverberate with many Iraqis basically brushing aside everything they heard in Friday's congressional testimony by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The new head of Abu Ghraib prison, Major General Jeff Miller told reporters in Baghdad that pledges to clean up house in Abu Ghraib will be followed up with actions.
MAJ. GEN. GEOFFREY MILLER, U.S. ARMY: What we must do now is not only use words, but our actions must demonstrate our continuing focus on this, our adherence to the Geneva Conventions and the principles of dignity to each of those individuals who are protected individuals, under the Geneva Convention. And I give you my personal guarantee that we will continue to do that 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
WEDEMAN: And while the uproar over prisoner abuse shows no sign of abating, special United Nations envoy to Iraq Lakhdar Brahimi is in Baghdad struggling to forge an interim Iraqi government to take power after the June 30 hand over.
Some members of the U.S. appointed governing council have criticized Brahimi for not adequately consulting with them. Brahimi has met with a wide spectrum of Iraqis aiming to put together an interim government as representative as possible of Iraq's diverse societies. I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: President Bush is expressing his out rage again about the prison scandal, this time in his national radio address. Dana Bash is at the White House this afternoon. Hello, Dana.
BASH: Hello, Fredricka. Vice President Cheney was here on a rare Saturday. He was having his regular intelligence briefing with the president who is at Camp David. They did so by secure teleconference.
And as for the president, he is continuing in his damage control efforts on the Iraqi abuse issue. You mentioned his radio address. The president devoted that entire address to the issue and repeated earlier comments from this week that the acts were shameful and a stain on America, as he called it.
But he also tried to address what White House aides say they understand and believe to be the bottom line here when all is said and done, which is, what is the administration, what is the military going to do about it?
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Shortly after reports of abuse became known to our military an investigation was launched. Today, several formal investigations led by senior military officials are underway. Some soldiers have already been charged with crimes. We will learn all the facts and determine the full extent of these abuses. Those involved will be identified, they will answer for their actions. All prison operations in Iraq will be thoroughly reviewed to make certain that similar disgraceful incidents are never repeated.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BASH: Much harder, perhaps, even impossible for the president to continue to make the claim that the war in Iraq was just, for moral reasons. For example, he said Saddam Hussein's torture chambers are no longer.
Democrats for their part, they say that the Iraqi prisoner abuse issue is about much more than just this particular isolated incident, it's about the overall mission in Iraq which they say is in jeopardy.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
WESLEY CLARK, FRM. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We came to free not to imprison. With our character we don't torture or maim or coerce. And if the mission was endangered by the prospects of our use of heavy force against insurgents in Fallujah and Najaf, and it was so endangered, it is no lessen dangered by the loss of credibility caused by the misconduct of a few American soldiers. This is a mission in trouble.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BASH: Now the president for his part did acknowledge that these are difficult days in Iraq, but said that the administration is going to stay the course, going to transfer power back over to the Iraqis, sovereignty at least, on June 30.
But this is a White House, Fredricka, that is bracing itself for perhaps more bad news. As we heard from Secretary Rumsfeld yesterday, they know there is a videotape that exists. More damaging and devastating pictures that exist. They are waiting for that. But they are certainly trying, as we heard from the president today, to try to stem the damage that they understand this is doing around the world.
WHITFIELD: And Dana, speaking of Secretary Rumsfeld, is the White House saying anything more following his testimony yesterday? Perhaps even President Bush reiterating his support of secretary Rumsfeld even though there are still some on the hill who are calling for his resignation or perhaps even firing?
BASH: Well the president didn't do so in public, however the White House certainly gave some signals to the public that the president is standing by the secretary still.
They said he got updates on the secretary's testimony throughout the day. Of course, the president was traveling yesterday in Iowa and Wisconsin on a campaign trip.
And also we were told last night made a phone call to the secretary saying he heard that he did a good job. So the White House was very quick to make sure that the public knew about those phone calls essentially trying to signal that the president is still supporting him at this time.
WHITFIELD: Dana Bash at the White House. Thanks very much.
BASH: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Thomas Hamill's first day back at home is all about getting some well deserved R&R. The former Iraqi hostage is spending the day with his family inside their Mississippi home. It's a long way from the ordeal he faced in Iraq when insurgents attacked his convoy and took him prisoner. Mike Brooks is in Macon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tommy Hamill and his wife Kelli arrived here at their home this morning by private jet. They immediately got into a highway patrol car that brought them to the door of their home.
(on camera): I want to show you a little bit about what's going on outside the Hamill home. The media has set up camp here. They've put up yellow police line tape to keep the media off the front lawn of the Hamill home. On Sunday the volunteer fire department came by and draped the house in an American flag after they found out that Tommy was safe in American hands. Also, friends came by yesterday to spruce up the house. They put up a welcome home sign, red, white and blue ribbons, and used a spray washer to clean the side of the house. But as you can see, they got a little overzealous and plan on coming back today to repaint the damage they did with the spray washer. Now, tommy has not spoken to the media since he returned here to the United States. His media spokesperson, the same spokesperson who represents Jessica Lynch, says that his concern is with the troops in Iraq, and the hostages that have yet to be released.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tommy's very concerned for them. Many prayers are going up for them. Tommy's more concerned for them, probably, than he is his own self.
BROOKS: The town officials at Macon had originally planned a celebration to celebrate Tommy's safe return. They planned a Tommy Hamill day. They planned a parade down Jefferson Street, the main street that runs, through the center of Macon. But for now, those plans are on hold. Some people were disappointed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were a little disappointed. But we still think maybe we'll get to do something.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was looking forward to it.
BROOKS: You were?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I was looking forward to it. I was on the planning committee. I was looking forward to it.
BROOKS: Whether or not the Celebration and parade ever take place, the people of Macon feel that their prayers have been answered.
Mike Brooks, CNN, Macon, Mississippi.
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WHITFIELD: In the headlines around the world, the war on terror claims another American casualty in Afghanistan. A U.S. marine was killed in an overnight gun battle north of Kandahar. A second marine was wounded and airlifted to Germany. Members of the 22nd Expedition Unit were on patrol in an unstable area when they were attacked.
President Bush is reportedly casting some doubt about the possibility of a Palestinian state by next year. In an interview with Egyptian Newspaper, "Al-Haram" the president blames ongoing violence for the delay. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat disagrees. He says the road map for peace timetable is still realistic.
In Hanover, Germany, authorities arrested an 18-year-old high school student in connection with the Sasser computer virus. The virus raced around the world this week infecting hundreds of thousands of computers. It can cause computers to crash and reboot.
The United Nations is beefing up security around Secretary General Kofi Annan. That's in light of this week's recorded death threats. The recording is attributed to Osama bin Laden appeared on Web sites Thursday. They place a bounty in gold on the heads of top U.S. and U.N. officials. David Ensor has more now.
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DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The voice claim to be Osama bin Laden offer gold to anyone who kills top American or U.N. officials or citizens of any nation fighting in Iraq.
OSAMA BIN LADEN, AL QAEDA LEADER (through translator): You know that America promised big rewards for those who killed Mujahadeen. We in al Qaeda will guaranteed, God willing, 10,000 grams of gold to whoever kills the occupier Bremer or the American chief military commander or his deputy in Iraq.
ENSOR: In addition to offering rewards to anyone who kills Paul Bremer, the coalition provisional authority chief or the top American generals in the region, generals Abizaid and Sanchez, bin Laden also offers the same sum for killing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan or his special representative for Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: It's very specific, telling the United Nations and the people who lead it. I think it's bin Laden's sort of way of saying, OK, the American handover is coming soon. The United Nations is going to take over, but we're also calling for attacks on the United Nations because we don't want a stable Iraq.
ENSOR (on camera): Ten thousand grams of gold is currently worth about $137,000. By contrast, the price on bin Laden's head, the U.S. reward, is $50 million.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
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WHITFIELD: The race for the White House President Bush and Democratic John Kerry both on the campaign trail this week promoting similar scenes. We'll examine the strategy in the political roundtable.
Also, extending the envelope big time. One woman who made history during a frigid dip near the South Pole.
Or was it good business or bad judgment? Has advertising in sporting events gone just too far? So much more ahead.
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WHITFIELD: On the campaign trail, Senator John Kerry's focus today is on the deep south. The Democratic nominee is visiting Louisiana. During a stop last night in Baton Rouge he touched on issues including job creation and education. A few hours from now, he delivers the commencement address at Southern University in New Orleans.
One day after a trip to the nation's heartland, President Bush is spending a weekend at Camp David in Maryland. At a campaign rally yesterday in Iowa Bush rallied supporters with talk of an improving U.S. economy.
Well, Americans are split right down the middle on how President Bush is handling the job. Taht's the finding of a new Gallup Poll, 49 percent of respondents approve of the way Bush is handling his job, 48 percent disapprove. In a head to head match-up Senator John Kerry leads the president of likely voters by just 1 percentage point.
When asked how things are going on in the United States, 36 of the respondents say they are satisfied with 62 percent are dissatisfied.
Democratic Strategist Margie Omero is in Washington. And in Miami Republican Tara Setmayer. Good to see both of you ladies.
Well, no doubt, the polls are being influenced by what we have seen this past week with both candidates on the campaign trail and as well as a leading cabinet member on Capitol Hill testifying. So that given the case, Tara, is it our expectation that the White House strategy as it's got about five months more just might change, particularly, try to deflect some of the attention that is on Secretary Donald Rumsfeld?
TARA SETMAYER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think what we need to do, we need to keep these polls in perspective. The good news about this poll is that the -- Bush is still within the margin of error. He hasn't dramatically lost support in the last two to three months. What is interesting is that Kerry has been unable to surge forward and take advantage of a couple of pretty tough weeks for the Bush administration. Do we have a 9/11 commission hearing. Now we have the Iraqi prisoner issue. Rumsfeld is testifying. And all of these questionable issues in Iraq, and yet the president still seems to be maintaining a steady amount of support.
John Kerry is running into problems because he has -- there's a likability factor. There are only 38 percent of the American people have a positive image of John Kerry.
WHITFIELD: Let me bring you in, Margie. That has been expressed by even some Democrats who say it seems like John Kerry has an identity problem. People aren't sure where he is on certain situations. Perhaps the Bush White House is successful in labeling him as a flip flopper.
MARGIE OMERO, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I would much rather be the Kerry campaign right now than the Bush campaign. The Bush campaign doesn't even have time for the Bush campaign, because they are so embroiled in the serious issues, what the people see as America being bogged down in Iraq.
So I would much rather be the Kerry campaign. They have great ads going on right now. They are playing in some new states that are beyond the battleground states. States that are more likely to be Democratic. Colorado and Louisiana even just a couple months ago. And the Kerry campaign is doing a great job, while the Bush administration is really having a hard time.
The fact the polls are even. Yes, it is the margin of error. That's bad news for an incumbent president. People are not happy with the direction of the country. That's bad news for an incumbent present. I'm not concerned that Kerry doesn't have a 20 point lead. That's what I would expect -- this is best we would expect at this point so many months out of the election.
SETMAYER: In May of 1996, Bob Dole had the same polling numbers that Kerry has and Bob Dole had the same likability problems that Kerry does. And we all know what happened to Bob Dole in November. So, I wouldn't be as confident as you think in the Kerry campaign.
The problem with the Kerry campaign is that they have a product they can't sell. So, the only thing they can do is try to destroy the competitor. That's not going to be successful. The Bush administration was successful in bringing his...
WHITFIELD: Let me bring you up to date and talk a little bit about some of the more pressing issues that are making headlines right now. That both candidates have, at least, responded to. And we're talking about Secretary Rumsfeld taking to the Hill and testifying. You know, John Kerry came out rather quickly earlier in the week, Margie, saying that as president I will not be the last to know what is going on under my command. Is that a smart campaign move to make? Or is that possibly borderlining being unpatriotic from the viewpoint of some of the voters out there? OMERO: Absolutely not. This is a serious issue. The Kerry campaign, anybody who wants to become president needs to have some comments. I think Kerry's comment was perfectly appropriate, not at all unpatriotic.
What is unpatriotic is the soldiers who -- or the people who encouraged these soldiers and gave them no rules and didn't teach them to read the Geneva Convention. Rumsfeld who is just says I'm sorry, but is not actually doing anything about it.
WHITFIELD: Now we're at the issue of some pressure coming from other Republicans and Democrats who are saying Donald Rumsfeld consider resigning or President Bush firing him. If either one of those options take place, with 5 months go before election day, how much further harm are you seeing the White House taking on if, indeed, the cabinet is reshuffled at this last minute?
SETMAYER: Well, Bush has already expressed his confidence in Secretary Rumsfeld. And I think that it's unfair and awfully hypocritical of John Kerry, by his own self-admission, participated in more heinous acts and crimes in Vietnam than what took place with this very small amount of soldiers in Iraq.
And it's unpatriotic, in my opinion, to label the entire 140,000 troops that we have in Iraq and the fabulous job they are doing there, it's unpatriotic to insinuate that we are by any means, not handling the situation in Iraq properly. This is a small isolated incident.
OMERO: Then a majority of Americans are unpatriotic?
WHITFIELD: You are still not answering the question, though, on how much further damage it might cause the White House if there's a reshuffling in the cabinet with five months before election day.
SETMAYER: Well, I think that -- I think that would -- if it came down to that, which I don't think it will, because Secretary Rumsfeld and the chain of command in this situation has been taking place, the investigation started, the chain of command is properly been followed, and I don't think that there's a big scandal where Rumsfeld covered something up. That would be the only thing that would constitute a removal or resignation.
WHITFIELD: Margie, I'll let you have the last word, can the White House afford not to take some action whether it be a resignation or firing of Donald Rumsfeld before election day?
OMERO: I think Rumsfeld is going to go, whether he gets impeached, whether he resigns, whether he's fired, he's going to go. I don't really think a that's even going to make a difference for the Bush administration. It's going to be harmful to them, this whole scandal, for Tara to not call it a scandal is kind of crazy, it is going to be...
SETMAYER: It's too premature to call it a scandal. The poll numbers show the support for Rumsfeld.
WHITFIELD: OK, we are out of time. Margie Omero and Tara Setmayer thanks very much, ladies.
Well, pushing the human body to the limit. Up next we'll meet an adventurer who made history with a record breaking swim in some of the coldest water on Earth. And speaking of records, it was the catch that couldn't get away. And it made one man a local hero. Scales and tales straight ahead.
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WHITFIELD: Well if you think a lap around the pool or a walk around the track is an amazing human feat. You thought wrong. In CNN's "Life Beyond Limits" Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on people who redefine human ability. You can see that for tomorrow night.
For now though, Lynne Cox is one of those people. In her book "Swimming to Antarctica" she recounts her dip in freezing waters wearing only a bathing suit. Aquatic wonder, Lynn Cox, is in a much warmer Los Angeles with us right now. Good to see you, Lynne.
LYNNE COX, SWAM TO ANTARCTICA: Good to see you Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well this book is really about a compilation of you swimming in various waters, really pushing various limits, isn't it?
COX: It is. It is.
WHITFIELD: What are you most proud of as you kind of reflect on all of these things that you've done, most people would say, I am not doing that or why would I do that.
COX: Well, think that it's really become a culmination of experiences. I swam the English Channel when ways 15 and 16 and broke the world records for the men and women. And I went on to swim across the Bering Strait as the well to open the border between the United States and Soviet Union.
I think the swim in Antarctica was something that was just beyond my imagination. And the goal was to figure out how to do it? How do you, as a human, swim in 32 degree water in a bathing suit, cap and goggles. How do you train for ? How do you prepare? How do you get a group of people around you who are experts in hypothermia that can pull you out when you need be when you make the attempt?
WHITFIELD: Why wouldn't you wear, say, a wet suit or something then it would not be considered a record? Or you know reaching as great a height as you did without a wet suit?
COX: Exactly. I really felt that this was really about the human reach. About what human beings can do if they train, prepare and set their mind to it. And you know, swimming in 32 degree water is really tough.
WHITFIELD: No kidding!
COX: It was amazing to be able to do it. Then, also, swimming along and seeing penguins swimming under the water beneath me. COX: They are looking in the water thinking, are you crazy?
WHITFIELD: Well, actually, they were amazing, because they swam right around. And they were flapping their wings as if they were flying. So the only time you get realy get to see a penguin fly is when it swims.
WHITFIELD: Wow, so you had some great company. These journeys are not just about your journeys are they. But in fact you are surround bid a team of folks who are just as engaged in the cause as you are. Tell me a little bit about the people who accompany you on some of these journeys.
COX: A lot of the swims I have people who are exercise physiologist or physicians who are studying my ability to handle the cold. And what they are trying to do is figure that out and in return be able to take that information and apply it to human beings in general.
Some of the stuff we figured out I'm able to rewarm really well by using hot packs around my neck under my arms and the femoral (ph) arteries right by the hip bones. And the by warming from the inside out it's a much more effective and efficient way of rewarming.
WHITFIELD: And these are some of the things you relearned and a lot of the things that have gone right. But I understand you also highlight a lot of the things that have gone wrong. For example...
COX: Well, I did a swim in the Nile River. I was invited by the Egyptian government to compete in the race. I was told the water was beautiful. It really wasn't. I got very sick before I even started the swim and got sicker as I did it. Not a good thing.
WHTIFIELD: Not a good thing at all.
We're glad you're able -- you're feeling well enough to tell us all about it.
COX: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Lynne Cox and the book is "Swimming to Antarctica." Thanks very much for joining us from Los Angeles.
And don't miss the amazing human feats and watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta test his own limits as well as profiling a little bit more about what Lynne Cox has done. That's tomorrow at 9:00 pm Eastern right here on CNN.
Well, they've heard from the rest of the world, now families of the soldiers accused of abuse are having their say.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Elaine Quijano, live at the Pentagon. Yet another soldier has been charged in connection with the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. I'll have details coming up.
WHITFIELD: And more problems for a family already effected by tragedy. This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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