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Congress Receives Iraqi Interim Leader Iyad Allawi Warmly; Shocking Number of Explosives Get Through Airport Screeners

Aired September 23, 2004 - 13:00   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.


IYAD ALLAWI, IRAQ INTERIM PRIME MINISTER: Today, we are better off, you are better, and the world is better off without Saddam Hussein.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq's leader feels the love in Congress as he talks about the successes, the disappointments, and ending the violence in his country.

SENATOR JOHN KERRY, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The prime minister and the president are here, obviously, to put their best face on the policy.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: The Democratic presidential contender paints a very different picture of the war in Iraq, while touting his plan for quicker success on the ground.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. More trips for Iraq -- I'll have that story.

PHILLIPS: A shocking number of explosives making their way past screeners. We'll x-ray airport security today on LIVE FROM.

GRIFFIN: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Drew Griffin. Miles, off today.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. It's Thursday, September 23rd. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now. It wasn't easy, but it was right, the Iraqi prime minister's bottom line on the war delivered in person to his patrons and protectors in Washington. Few would dispute the not easy part, but Iyad Allawi still was showered with applause throughout his address today to a joint meeting of Congress.

Later, he met with President Bush and the White House press corps. We have several reports -- Dana Bash at the White House, Bob Franken with the Kerry campaign, and Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Dana, let's start with you.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The words "optimism" and "hope" were used so many times it was hard to count them. And the whole idea of this press conference, of having the president with the interim Iraqi prime minister, in the Rose Garden, was essentially the symbolism of it, but also to send the message that you heard from the president, that if you don't believe what I'm telling you on the campaign trail, what I said at the United Nations, believe him. He is the leader of Iraq. Now, the president did say point blank that you can be optimistic and still think it is hard, and he said it is hard, what's going on in Iraq, but went through the whole question of Iraqis' will, of the elections, whether or not they will go forward, of the training of Iraqi troops, all saying that everything is on track, and again, pointing to the Iraqi interim prime minister.

He even was asked a question about the feeling on the ground in Iraq among the Iraqis. And the president had what Democrats are already pointing out what they think was an extraordinary statement, which is that he thinks that Iraqis feel even better about the way things are going there than Americans feel about the way the United States is going.

Now, the other issue is, of course, that Democrats say that this is all painting a rosy picture that really doesn't exist on the ground. One of the things that Senator Kerry pointed to earlier today was the fact that the president sort of dismissed an intelligence report that said that things really aren't going well, and likely won't go that well on the ground in Iraq. The president was asked about that and tried to clarify it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I used an unfortunate word, "guess." I should have used "estimate." And the CIA came and said, "This is a possibility, this is a possibility, and this is a possibility." But what's important for the American people to hear is reality, and the reality's right here in the form of the prime minister, and he is explaining what is happening on the ground. That's the best report.

And this report was written in July, and now we are here in September, and as I said, "estimate" would have been a better word here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now again, the president trying to clarify that he didn't mean that his intelligence agencies were guessing at the situation on the ground. Now, the other interesting thing to note was that the prime minister said that he doesn't necessarily need outside troops to come in and help with the growing insurgency. The point he was trying to make, and the president emphasized this again and again, is that the strategy is for the Iraqis to do it themselves.

And he was trying to say that things are moving that way, that there are more than 100,000 troops being trained in Iraq, and that is certainly the name of the game at this press conference. We certainly are expecting to hear from Democrats, who will likely say that we heard too much optimism based on what's really going on on the ground. Kyra...

PHILLIPS: Dana Bash, live from the White House, thanks. Drew...

GRIFFIN: Kyra and Dana, we're going to hear from Democrats right now. John Kerry says the Iraqi leader himself has contradicted the Bush administration's rosy scenario. CNN's Bob Franken covering the Kerry campaign in Columbus, Ohio... and Bob, a campaign that's putting a lot of Iraq in its message these days.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, this is a run up to the debate that is going to be held a week from today, the evening of next Thursday. John Kerry had lost his voice so much so that he had cancelled part of the day's political events, the part in Iowa. But he kept his appointment here in Columbus, so he'd be in a position to respond to the speech by the interim Iraqi prime minister before Congress. And his voice had recovered enough that he could offer what amounted to a contradiction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY: We have an administration in disarray, the secretary of defense saying one thing and being corrected, the president saying one thing and being contradicted by the prime minister, the secretary of state saying one thing and being contradicted by the president. America needs leadership that tells the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: As I said, all of this a run up to the debate that's coming next Thursday. Kerry is now going to sort of pull back his activities. He goes to battleground Pennsylvania, then to Boston and Wisconsin, where there will be few if any political appearances, where he starts practicing for a debate that could be the be all, end all of this campaign. Drew...

GRIFFIN: Bob Franken, Columbus, Ohio, with the Kerry campaign, thank you, sir. Kyra...

PHILLIPS: In the past few minutes, we've gotten word of a large explosion in Baghdad, and when we get some more details, we'll pass them on to you. In the meantime, we get some real time, in-country insights from the governor of Iraq's Diallah (ph) province. That's just northeast of Baghdad. That includes a portion of the so-called Sunni Triangle, and the sometimes restive city of Baquba.

Abdulla Rasheed el-Juburi is a dentist by trade, now a politician by choice, and he joins us via videophone from Baquba. Governor, can you hear me OK? All right, we're having a little bit of a technical... OK, we're working to get the governor back up. We'll fix that, and we'll get back to that in just a few minutes, I hope. Drew...

GRIFFIN: Kyra, we'll continue with Iraq. Some of the lawmakers who listened to Iraq's prime minister this morning also heard the top gun in the U.S. Central Command predict he may need more reinforcements before Iraqis go to the polls. Here's CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

STARR: Well, Drew, here at the Pentagon, military officials increasingly are very sober-minded, of course, about the state of the insurgency. They generally agree it is growing. It is growing more violent and more lethal. So the question now on the table, does the U.S. military need more capability inside Iraq?

As Dana Bash said a few moments ago, the strategy essentially remains the same: get enough Iraqi forces trained and equipped so they can take over control in the majority parts of Iraq by January, when those elections take place. But will they be ready? General John Abizaid, head of the U.S. Central Command, spoke on Capitol Hill yesterday, and he offered a pretty complex assessment of the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL JOHN ABIZAID, CMDR., U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: I think we will need more troops than we currently have to secure the elections process in Iraq that will probably take place in the end of January. But it is our belief that those troops will be Iraqi troops, and they may be additional international troops that arrive to help out as well as part of the United Nations mission. And so, I don't foresee a need for more American troops, but we can't discount it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: General Abizaid, one of the most cautious generals there is in the military, at this point, not fully ruling out the possibility that some U.S. troops would be sent to Iraq for election security. But the U.S. is also asking, looking again for other nations to provide security forces in Iraq for the January elections, specifically to help protect United Nations personnel, United Nations election monitors.

Pentagon sources say so far, they're not exactly having the door beaten down here with other nations willing to provide those troops to Iraq. So the strategy remains stick with the Iraqi forces, hope they can be ready by January, but still holding out quite a note of caution about the entire matter, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Barbara, a lot of talk about troop strength. The Army National Guard, there's a report out that it's going to fall below its recruiting level, or recruiting goal, I should say, for this year. Senator John Kerry even floated the idea that President Bush may have a draft if he's reelected. What is the actual state of troop strength in this Army?

STARR: Well, the actual state of troop strength in the National Guard is, indeed, they are going to be about 5,000 people short in their recruiting goal this year, the end of the fiscal year in September. It's quite interesting. This is a very small number, about one and a half percent of the total Army National Guard of 350,000. But where they're falling short is they're not getting enough people leaving the active duty force, turning around and signing up for the National Guard.

They think it's because with so many people serving in the war in Iraq, people don't want to turn around and sign up for the National Guard and be sent right back to Iraq. So that's a situation that they're watching quite closely at the moment. They don't think it's a crisis, but it's an interesting statistic that has emerged in the last few days, Drew.

GRIFFIN: All right, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you. Kyra...

PHILLIPS: All right, as we told you a little earlier, that we've been monitoring word that we just received of a large explosion, rather, in Baghdad. Meanwhile, as our bureau was working that, we want to take you to a unique place, part of the Sunni Triangle, an area called Baquba... governor of Iraq's Diallah (ph) province is joining us, and that's just northeast of Baghdad, if you're not familiar with that area. Abdulla Rasheed el-Juburi is a... all right, we apologize.

We are trying so hard to connect with the governor there... a unique interview, a very unique individual, to give us some insight to what's happening in that area. He's going to talk about the successes that he's had in that province and also respond to what's been happening recently in Baghdad. Drew...

GRIFFIN: It's been a week since U.S. engineers Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong and their British colleague Ken Bigley were taken hostage in Baghdad by a local offshoot of al-Qaeda. As you may know, Armstrong and Hensley have both been executed. Now, Bigley's life apparently hinges on the kidnappers' demands that U.S. forces release all Iraqi women in their custody.

The U.S. says there are only two that fit the category, and they're not going anywhere soon. But all of Britain fears for Bigley, including Muslim and Western clerics in Liverpool.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AKBAR ALI, LIVERPOOL MUSLIM LEADER: In the name of god, the merciful one, we, as Muslim and Christian leaders in Liverpool, appeal to you, as believers, to have mercy on Kenneth Bigley.

MOST REV. JAMES JONES, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF LIVERPOOL: We're appealing to them on the grounds of their own faith, and their own faith in the god of mercy, to be merciful, to show mercy, to have compassion in this situation, and to release Mr. Bigley.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: In a video clip that surfaced yesterday, Bigley himself made an emotional appeal to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, but Blair insisted, "We'll not make any deals with terrorists."

Well, they say money can't buy happiness, but can it buy safer skies? Explosives going undetected in an undercover test of airline security. And horror in the wake of Tropical Storm Jeanne -- thousands buried today in Haiti. Is Florida next? Tracking Jeanne's deadly path, later on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Three years have passed, and millions of federal dollars spent since 9/11 to make air travel safe. But a new government report shows despite all the time and money dedicated to improving airport security, undercover inspectors have repeatedly smuggled weapons and explosives past the screening gauntlet that's supposed to be our safety net.

CNN's Mike Brooks joins us with the disturbing details. He brings a fair amount of insight to the table. Mike, 26 years in law enforcement, plus a stint as the manager of Delta Airlines corporate security. Anybody who has been strip searched down at the airport or has stood in those lines must be infuriated with this report. Are we any safer today than we were on September 10th?

MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Drew, I was with Delta Airlines both before and after 9/11. And I can tell you right now, I think that -- and many, many other security professionals and law enforcement think that we're safer now than we ever have been when it comes to airport security. But there's still a lot more to be done.

GRIFFIN: We're talking about 15 airports, large airports. The Congress won't single out which ones failed, but we're told all 15 performed just about the same. Is the system broke?

BROOKS: I don't think it's broke. There have been many, many improvements, both on the technology side and also with the transportation security administration. But some people are still not happy with the TSA, Drew. They're not happy with the screeners. There are some airports that are talking about going back to privatizing the screeners so they have better control over the training, and also, their recurrent training.

And that was one of the things that was pointed out in this report, that the screeners, they receive an initial amount of training, and then on the job training, but they're not getting any recurrent training to keep their skills fresh. That's why a lot of people want to go back to the private screeners.

GRIFFIN: You were the head of the security, Mike. I mean, private screeners, would they be better, in your opinion, than government workers?

BROOKS: It depends on the hiring requirement. There were many screeners, because they came under the airlines. For instance, Delta Airlines here in Atlanta, at the main checkpoint, those screeners basically were contractors of Delta Airlines. So Delta was very, very vigilant in making sure that they received the right amount of training and kept up on their training.

But some of the other airports, and some of the other airlines, you know, didn't do quite as good a job. But I think that some of the airports, now, think that they can handle it better than the government can. That remains to be seen. I think the government has done a fair job, but there's lots more that could be done.

GRIFFIN: And what can be done, Mike? What's going to be done to fix this? New technology? BROOKS: New technology is coming along all the time. We just saw last week, dealing with specifically with explosives, that everyone has to take off their coat when going through checkpoints. There are also new machines that are being tried at five different airports around the country, where they can actually detect explosive residue on documents.

There's also new technology coming out that they're talking about trying out at different airports also... they call a puffer machine, where you walk through, almost like the magnetometers that you have now. You walk through; a puff of air blows particles off of your clothing... that also can detect whether or not you have explosives on you.

There's also... everyone has, when they walk into the airport and they have to take their luggage, their carryon luggage over to these dumpster type machines, these CTX machines, they are screening onboard domestic luggage and international luggage that has never been done before.

I think it's a lot safer than what it used to be, but we still have a long ways to go, both technology-wise... and a lot of people think, though, it's intrusive to have the pat down searches. But if someone sees a bulge on someone when you're walking through the magnetometers, you're going to be patted down, and people are going to have to live with it.

GRIFFIN: All right, Mike Brooks on the security issue, with a disturbing report out on airlines. Thank you, Mike.

BROOKS: Thank you, Drew.

PHILLIPS: Next on LIVE FROM, support that is his to lose. The black vote is traditionally locked up by Democrats. But is Kerry locking himself out of favor?

Donald Rumsfeld live on the Hill as he and the top military brass review America's global posture.

We had to move this back a day, but get an inside look at the controversial new faux documentary that will have everyone talking. The story behind "The September Tapes" Friday on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Election 2004, John Kerry's campaign stepping up efforts to boost minority voter turnout. In this tight race, a strong showing among African Americans is considered crucial for Kerry. But igniting enthusiasm is not necessarily easy. CNN's Joe Johns visited one neighborhood where passions run shallow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): East Cleveland, Ohio... 95 percent black, unemployment knocking 15 percent, almost triple the national average, the kind of neighborhood John Kerry needs to win big if he's going to take the state. Times are hard, and some people blame the president.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: George Bush... he's the devil.

JOHNS: At the Noble Road Barber Shop, they don't think much of George Bush, but nor is there much passion for John Kerry.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Not a lot of excitement. It seems like it's just a race against G.W. That's about it.

JOHNS: Next door at the Headline Styling Salon, women still get done up. But business has taken a hit. In a tough economy, hairstyles just aren't a priority.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: As far as Bush, I don't think he's really looking out for us, especially blacks. And John Kerry, I'm not too sure about him, but I'm going to give him a chance.

JOHNS: Across the country, African American leaders say Kerry can count on the black vote, but they worry there just isn't the same intensity that there was for Bill Clinton. Trying to generate a little more passion falls to local leaders like Ohio Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. It's her birthday. Time for a quick cake at an airport hanger before resuming a swing state fly around with colleagues from the Congressional Black Caucus.

There are people who say John Kerry needs to play the dozens. He needs to swagger more. He needs to throw harder punches, and that he's not connecting for that reason. Are you trying to fill that gap?

REP. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES, (D), OHIO: It doesn't matter whether he's Clintonesque. The issues are too important. What we're trying to say is get past that. You know, get past whether he looks good, whether he talks good, and if he's talking about the issues that play into your daily life. And I believe that's getting to them.

JOHNS: Are African American voters... are they sufficiently energized, at this stage, to assure that they won't sit on their hands on election day?

JONES: I will say the majority of them are, and there are those that we still have to work on.

JOHNS: Tubbs Jones has her work cut out for her. At a meeting with activists in Cleveland, there is support for Kerry, but also reservations about him.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Kerry has not conveyed his message like, or as effectively, as a Bill Clinton or a John F. Kennedy. That's what needs to be done in order for the African American voter to come out in droves to vote for him.

JOHNS: Democrats are leaving nothing to chance. They'll work the phones and canvass the neighborhoods, and on election day, they'll send flushers out to drag voters to the polls. If the feeling for Kerry doesn't pick up, the flushers will likely have a busy day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And for prime time politics, tune in to "PAULA ZAHN NOW" tonight. As election day nears, Florida could tip the scales again. We're going to look at how the candidates are getting the attention of Florida voters. That's at 8 Eastern, right here on CNN.

DREW: Let's talk money now, Kyra. Many big companies making more of it, but paying less in taxes. Rhonda Schaffler joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with that story...

(MARKET REPORT)

GRIFFIN: Florida Supreme Court strikes down Terry's Law, named after Terry Schiavo. She has brain damage, was removed from a feeding tube last fall, but a quickly passed law in Florida, with the governor's backing, called Terry's Law, was used to have that tube reinserted, against her husband's wishes. An attorney for Florida Governor Jeb Bush says he may appeal today's ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Alleged wife killer Mark Hacking in court today, in Salt Lake City. Hacking, wearing a bulletproof vest as he waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Hacking's accused of killing his wife Lori, dumping her body in a garbage bin, then reporting her missing. A trial date could be set...

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Aired September 23, 2004 - 13:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
IYAD ALLAWI, IRAQ INTERIM PRIME MINISTER: Today, we are better off, you are better, and the world is better off without Saddam Hussein.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq's leader feels the love in Congress as he talks about the successes, the disappointments, and ending the violence in his country.

SENATOR JOHN KERRY, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The prime minister and the president are here, obviously, to put their best face on the policy.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: The Democratic presidential contender paints a very different picture of the war in Iraq, while touting his plan for quicker success on the ground.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. More trips for Iraq -- I'll have that story.

PHILLIPS: A shocking number of explosives making their way past screeners. We'll x-ray airport security today on LIVE FROM.

GRIFFIN: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Drew Griffin. Miles, off today.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. It's Thursday, September 23rd. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now. It wasn't easy, but it was right, the Iraqi prime minister's bottom line on the war delivered in person to his patrons and protectors in Washington. Few would dispute the not easy part, but Iyad Allawi still was showered with applause throughout his address today to a joint meeting of Congress.

Later, he met with President Bush and the White House press corps. We have several reports -- Dana Bash at the White House, Bob Franken with the Kerry campaign, and Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Dana, let's start with you.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The words "optimism" and "hope" were used so many times it was hard to count them. And the whole idea of this press conference, of having the president with the interim Iraqi prime minister, in the Rose Garden, was essentially the symbolism of it, but also to send the message that you heard from the president, that if you don't believe what I'm telling you on the campaign trail, what I said at the United Nations, believe him. He is the leader of Iraq. Now, the president did say point blank that you can be optimistic and still think it is hard, and he said it is hard, what's going on in Iraq, but went through the whole question of Iraqis' will, of the elections, whether or not they will go forward, of the training of Iraqi troops, all saying that everything is on track, and again, pointing to the Iraqi interim prime minister.

He even was asked a question about the feeling on the ground in Iraq among the Iraqis. And the president had what Democrats are already pointing out what they think was an extraordinary statement, which is that he thinks that Iraqis feel even better about the way things are going there than Americans feel about the way the United States is going.

Now, the other issue is, of course, that Democrats say that this is all painting a rosy picture that really doesn't exist on the ground. One of the things that Senator Kerry pointed to earlier today was the fact that the president sort of dismissed an intelligence report that said that things really aren't going well, and likely won't go that well on the ground in Iraq. The president was asked about that and tried to clarify it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I used an unfortunate word, "guess." I should have used "estimate." And the CIA came and said, "This is a possibility, this is a possibility, and this is a possibility." But what's important for the American people to hear is reality, and the reality's right here in the form of the prime minister, and he is explaining what is happening on the ground. That's the best report.

And this report was written in July, and now we are here in September, and as I said, "estimate" would have been a better word here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now again, the president trying to clarify that he didn't mean that his intelligence agencies were guessing at the situation on the ground. Now, the other interesting thing to note was that the prime minister said that he doesn't necessarily need outside troops to come in and help with the growing insurgency. The point he was trying to make, and the president emphasized this again and again, is that the strategy is for the Iraqis to do it themselves.

And he was trying to say that things are moving that way, that there are more than 100,000 troops being trained in Iraq, and that is certainly the name of the game at this press conference. We certainly are expecting to hear from Democrats, who will likely say that we heard too much optimism based on what's really going on on the ground. Kyra...

PHILLIPS: Dana Bash, live from the White House, thanks. Drew...

GRIFFIN: Kyra and Dana, we're going to hear from Democrats right now. John Kerry says the Iraqi leader himself has contradicted the Bush administration's rosy scenario. CNN's Bob Franken covering the Kerry campaign in Columbus, Ohio... and Bob, a campaign that's putting a lot of Iraq in its message these days.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, this is a run up to the debate that is going to be held a week from today, the evening of next Thursday. John Kerry had lost his voice so much so that he had cancelled part of the day's political events, the part in Iowa. But he kept his appointment here in Columbus, so he'd be in a position to respond to the speech by the interim Iraqi prime minister before Congress. And his voice had recovered enough that he could offer what amounted to a contradiction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KERRY: We have an administration in disarray, the secretary of defense saying one thing and being corrected, the president saying one thing and being contradicted by the prime minister, the secretary of state saying one thing and being contradicted by the president. America needs leadership that tells the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: As I said, all of this a run up to the debate that's coming next Thursday. Kerry is now going to sort of pull back his activities. He goes to battleground Pennsylvania, then to Boston and Wisconsin, where there will be few if any political appearances, where he starts practicing for a debate that could be the be all, end all of this campaign. Drew...

GRIFFIN: Bob Franken, Columbus, Ohio, with the Kerry campaign, thank you, sir. Kyra...

PHILLIPS: In the past few minutes, we've gotten word of a large explosion in Baghdad, and when we get some more details, we'll pass them on to you. In the meantime, we get some real time, in-country insights from the governor of Iraq's Diallah (ph) province. That's just northeast of Baghdad. That includes a portion of the so-called Sunni Triangle, and the sometimes restive city of Baquba.

Abdulla Rasheed el-Juburi is a dentist by trade, now a politician by choice, and he joins us via videophone from Baquba. Governor, can you hear me OK? All right, we're having a little bit of a technical... OK, we're working to get the governor back up. We'll fix that, and we'll get back to that in just a few minutes, I hope. Drew...

GRIFFIN: Kyra, we'll continue with Iraq. Some of the lawmakers who listened to Iraq's prime minister this morning also heard the top gun in the U.S. Central Command predict he may need more reinforcements before Iraqis go to the polls. Here's CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

STARR: Well, Drew, here at the Pentagon, military officials increasingly are very sober-minded, of course, about the state of the insurgency. They generally agree it is growing. It is growing more violent and more lethal. So the question now on the table, does the U.S. military need more capability inside Iraq?

As Dana Bash said a few moments ago, the strategy essentially remains the same: get enough Iraqi forces trained and equipped so they can take over control in the majority parts of Iraq by January, when those elections take place. But will they be ready? General John Abizaid, head of the U.S. Central Command, spoke on Capitol Hill yesterday, and he offered a pretty complex assessment of the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL JOHN ABIZAID, CMDR., U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: I think we will need more troops than we currently have to secure the elections process in Iraq that will probably take place in the end of January. But it is our belief that those troops will be Iraqi troops, and they may be additional international troops that arrive to help out as well as part of the United Nations mission. And so, I don't foresee a need for more American troops, but we can't discount it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: General Abizaid, one of the most cautious generals there is in the military, at this point, not fully ruling out the possibility that some U.S. troops would be sent to Iraq for election security. But the U.S. is also asking, looking again for other nations to provide security forces in Iraq for the January elections, specifically to help protect United Nations personnel, United Nations election monitors.

Pentagon sources say so far, they're not exactly having the door beaten down here with other nations willing to provide those troops to Iraq. So the strategy remains stick with the Iraqi forces, hope they can be ready by January, but still holding out quite a note of caution about the entire matter, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Barbara, a lot of talk about troop strength. The Army National Guard, there's a report out that it's going to fall below its recruiting level, or recruiting goal, I should say, for this year. Senator John Kerry even floated the idea that President Bush may have a draft if he's reelected. What is the actual state of troop strength in this Army?

STARR: Well, the actual state of troop strength in the National Guard is, indeed, they are going to be about 5,000 people short in their recruiting goal this year, the end of the fiscal year in September. It's quite interesting. This is a very small number, about one and a half percent of the total Army National Guard of 350,000. But where they're falling short is they're not getting enough people leaving the active duty force, turning around and signing up for the National Guard.

They think it's because with so many people serving in the war in Iraq, people don't want to turn around and sign up for the National Guard and be sent right back to Iraq. So that's a situation that they're watching quite closely at the moment. They don't think it's a crisis, but it's an interesting statistic that has emerged in the last few days, Drew.

GRIFFIN: All right, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you. Kyra...

PHILLIPS: All right, as we told you a little earlier, that we've been monitoring word that we just received of a large explosion, rather, in Baghdad. Meanwhile, as our bureau was working that, we want to take you to a unique place, part of the Sunni Triangle, an area called Baquba... governor of Iraq's Diallah (ph) province is joining us, and that's just northeast of Baghdad, if you're not familiar with that area. Abdulla Rasheed el-Juburi is a... all right, we apologize.

We are trying so hard to connect with the governor there... a unique interview, a very unique individual, to give us some insight to what's happening in that area. He's going to talk about the successes that he's had in that province and also respond to what's been happening recently in Baghdad. Drew...

GRIFFIN: It's been a week since U.S. engineers Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong and their British colleague Ken Bigley were taken hostage in Baghdad by a local offshoot of al-Qaeda. As you may know, Armstrong and Hensley have both been executed. Now, Bigley's life apparently hinges on the kidnappers' demands that U.S. forces release all Iraqi women in their custody.

The U.S. says there are only two that fit the category, and they're not going anywhere soon. But all of Britain fears for Bigley, including Muslim and Western clerics in Liverpool.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AKBAR ALI, LIVERPOOL MUSLIM LEADER: In the name of god, the merciful one, we, as Muslim and Christian leaders in Liverpool, appeal to you, as believers, to have mercy on Kenneth Bigley.

MOST REV. JAMES JONES, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF LIVERPOOL: We're appealing to them on the grounds of their own faith, and their own faith in the god of mercy, to be merciful, to show mercy, to have compassion in this situation, and to release Mr. Bigley.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: In a video clip that surfaced yesterday, Bigley himself made an emotional appeal to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, but Blair insisted, "We'll not make any deals with terrorists."

Well, they say money can't buy happiness, but can it buy safer skies? Explosives going undetected in an undercover test of airline security. And horror in the wake of Tropical Storm Jeanne -- thousands buried today in Haiti. Is Florida next? Tracking Jeanne's deadly path, later on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Three years have passed, and millions of federal dollars spent since 9/11 to make air travel safe. But a new government report shows despite all the time and money dedicated to improving airport security, undercover inspectors have repeatedly smuggled weapons and explosives past the screening gauntlet that's supposed to be our safety net.

CNN's Mike Brooks joins us with the disturbing details. He brings a fair amount of insight to the table. Mike, 26 years in law enforcement, plus a stint as the manager of Delta Airlines corporate security. Anybody who has been strip searched down at the airport or has stood in those lines must be infuriated with this report. Are we any safer today than we were on September 10th?

MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Drew, I was with Delta Airlines both before and after 9/11. And I can tell you right now, I think that -- and many, many other security professionals and law enforcement think that we're safer now than we ever have been when it comes to airport security. But there's still a lot more to be done.

GRIFFIN: We're talking about 15 airports, large airports. The Congress won't single out which ones failed, but we're told all 15 performed just about the same. Is the system broke?

BROOKS: I don't think it's broke. There have been many, many improvements, both on the technology side and also with the transportation security administration. But some people are still not happy with the TSA, Drew. They're not happy with the screeners. There are some airports that are talking about going back to privatizing the screeners so they have better control over the training, and also, their recurrent training.

And that was one of the things that was pointed out in this report, that the screeners, they receive an initial amount of training, and then on the job training, but they're not getting any recurrent training to keep their skills fresh. That's why a lot of people want to go back to the private screeners.

GRIFFIN: You were the head of the security, Mike. I mean, private screeners, would they be better, in your opinion, than government workers?

BROOKS: It depends on the hiring requirement. There were many screeners, because they came under the airlines. For instance, Delta Airlines here in Atlanta, at the main checkpoint, those screeners basically were contractors of Delta Airlines. So Delta was very, very vigilant in making sure that they received the right amount of training and kept up on their training.

But some of the other airports, and some of the other airlines, you know, didn't do quite as good a job. But I think that some of the airports, now, think that they can handle it better than the government can. That remains to be seen. I think the government has done a fair job, but there's lots more that could be done.

GRIFFIN: And what can be done, Mike? What's going to be done to fix this? New technology? BROOKS: New technology is coming along all the time. We just saw last week, dealing with specifically with explosives, that everyone has to take off their coat when going through checkpoints. There are also new machines that are being tried at five different airports around the country, where they can actually detect explosive residue on documents.

There's also new technology coming out that they're talking about trying out at different airports also... they call a puffer machine, where you walk through, almost like the magnetometers that you have now. You walk through; a puff of air blows particles off of your clothing... that also can detect whether or not you have explosives on you.

There's also... everyone has, when they walk into the airport and they have to take their luggage, their carryon luggage over to these dumpster type machines, these CTX machines, they are screening onboard domestic luggage and international luggage that has never been done before.

I think it's a lot safer than what it used to be, but we still have a long ways to go, both technology-wise... and a lot of people think, though, it's intrusive to have the pat down searches. But if someone sees a bulge on someone when you're walking through the magnetometers, you're going to be patted down, and people are going to have to live with it.

GRIFFIN: All right, Mike Brooks on the security issue, with a disturbing report out on airlines. Thank you, Mike.

BROOKS: Thank you, Drew.

PHILLIPS: Next on LIVE FROM, support that is his to lose. The black vote is traditionally locked up by Democrats. But is Kerry locking himself out of favor?

Donald Rumsfeld live on the Hill as he and the top military brass review America's global posture.

We had to move this back a day, but get an inside look at the controversial new faux documentary that will have everyone talking. The story behind "The September Tapes" Friday on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Election 2004, John Kerry's campaign stepping up efforts to boost minority voter turnout. In this tight race, a strong showing among African Americans is considered crucial for Kerry. But igniting enthusiasm is not necessarily easy. CNN's Joe Johns visited one neighborhood where passions run shallow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): East Cleveland, Ohio... 95 percent black, unemployment knocking 15 percent, almost triple the national average, the kind of neighborhood John Kerry needs to win big if he's going to take the state. Times are hard, and some people blame the president.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: George Bush... he's the devil.

JOHNS: At the Noble Road Barber Shop, they don't think much of George Bush, but nor is there much passion for John Kerry.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Not a lot of excitement. It seems like it's just a race against G.W. That's about it.

JOHNS: Next door at the Headline Styling Salon, women still get done up. But business has taken a hit. In a tough economy, hairstyles just aren't a priority.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: As far as Bush, I don't think he's really looking out for us, especially blacks. And John Kerry, I'm not too sure about him, but I'm going to give him a chance.

JOHNS: Across the country, African American leaders say Kerry can count on the black vote, but they worry there just isn't the same intensity that there was for Bill Clinton. Trying to generate a little more passion falls to local leaders like Ohio Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. It's her birthday. Time for a quick cake at an airport hanger before resuming a swing state fly around with colleagues from the Congressional Black Caucus.

There are people who say John Kerry needs to play the dozens. He needs to swagger more. He needs to throw harder punches, and that he's not connecting for that reason. Are you trying to fill that gap?

REP. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES, (D), OHIO: It doesn't matter whether he's Clintonesque. The issues are too important. What we're trying to say is get past that. You know, get past whether he looks good, whether he talks good, and if he's talking about the issues that play into your daily life. And I believe that's getting to them.

JOHNS: Are African American voters... are they sufficiently energized, at this stage, to assure that they won't sit on their hands on election day?

JONES: I will say the majority of them are, and there are those that we still have to work on.

JOHNS: Tubbs Jones has her work cut out for her. At a meeting with activists in Cleveland, there is support for Kerry, but also reservations about him.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Kerry has not conveyed his message like, or as effectively, as a Bill Clinton or a John F. Kennedy. That's what needs to be done in order for the African American voter to come out in droves to vote for him.

JOHNS: Democrats are leaving nothing to chance. They'll work the phones and canvass the neighborhoods, and on election day, they'll send flushers out to drag voters to the polls. If the feeling for Kerry doesn't pick up, the flushers will likely have a busy day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And for prime time politics, tune in to "PAULA ZAHN NOW" tonight. As election day nears, Florida could tip the scales again. We're going to look at how the candidates are getting the attention of Florida voters. That's at 8 Eastern, right here on CNN.

DREW: Let's talk money now, Kyra. Many big companies making more of it, but paying less in taxes. Rhonda Schaffler joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with that story...

(MARKET REPORT)

GRIFFIN: Florida Supreme Court strikes down Terry's Law, named after Terry Schiavo. She has brain damage, was removed from a feeding tube last fall, but a quickly passed law in Florida, with the governor's backing, called Terry's Law, was used to have that tube reinserted, against her husband's wishes. An attorney for Florida Governor Jeb Bush says he may appeal today's ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Alleged wife killer Mark Hacking in court today, in Salt Lake City. Hacking, wearing a bulletproof vest as he waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Hacking's accused of killing his wife Lori, dumping her body in a garbage bin, then reporting her missing. A trial date could be set...

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