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Mosul Continues to be City on Edge; Term 2: Off & Running; Tragic Ending

Aired January 21, 2005 - 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.


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do think there was probably a -- he did potentially make several other attempts that evening before he picked Megan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, the suspect in this abduction is in custody with a gunshot wound. The 19-year-old victim is dead. And authorities are trying to piece together what happened.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A car bomb goes off at an Iraqi mosque. And within the past hour an exploding ambulance strikes a Baghdad wedding party.

We're live from Iraq.

NGUYEN: Lofty goals and appeals to a higher power on the first full day of the president's second term. We're live from the White House.

From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Kyra Phillips and Miles O'Brien are off. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

NGUYEN: And we begin in Iraq. It seems every public place, every gathering of people is gathering insurgents bent on derailing the country's upcoming elections. And today, mosques and weddings became their latest targets.

An ambulance drove into a wedding party and exploded south of Baghdad today. Officials say a suicide bomber was behind the wheel. Several people were killed in that crash.

In the Iraqi capital itself, a car bomb exploded near a Shiite mosque. It happened just as worshippers were gathered outside after morning prayers. At least 14 people were killed and 42 were wounded.

And a U.S. intelligence official says the voice on a speech posted on an Islamic Web site is likely that of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The speaker hints the battle of Falluja is the beginning of a long war and urges followers to be patient.

HARRIS: Betty, Mosul continues to be a city on edge. For the second day, insurgents shelled a hospital where U.S. and Iraqi forces have taken up positions. It's just the latest unrest in the area, but the city is also getting ready for the upcoming election.

CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joins us now from Mosul via videophone with details on the security preparations -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, perhaps some of the -- some of the best-kept secrets in this city are the security details about how the elections will be handled. Certainly what we have seen is really an increase in the level of both the operations to bring in more troops into the city -- more Iraqi forces have been arriving in the last few days.

They will be positioned in the city. They will be providing security around the polling centers.

Those polling centers have yet to be determined. They're being kept secret because of security concerns that insurgents might decide to attack those -- those locations.

What we are told, though, is that U.S. forces will play a role in providing security on the day of elections, but they will be very much in the background, very much on the outside of the city. Another security procedure has been put into place. There will be no vehicles allowed on the streets of Mosul for the two days before the election and the day of the election. Again, that's designed to stop insurgents making attacks.

But military commanders here are very aware. And they say it's very realistic that the insurgents will try and have attacks in the days and in particularly the hours right before the elections takes place -- Tony.

HARRIS: Nic, 700 election workers, we understand, were intimidated into quitting. How is the effort going in finding new election workers to take those places?

ROBERTSON: It's really beginning to accelerate. Recently, just a few days ago, there was really only one electoral official in this city who knew the real details of how to run the election.

He has been trying to bring in more people. We are told there are hundreds more on their way. But they will all have to be trained, they will all have to be sent out to different polling stations.

The hundreds of thousands of balloting papers, of balloting booths, of the balloting boxes are lying in a warehouse. They will all have to be distributed. And it's really coming down to the wire.

We are told that this absolutely will happen, that they will all be put in place and the elections will take place. But the clock is really ticking and the pressure is mounting on these election officials.

The Iraqi government here is offering over $500 for the people to work just a couple of days around the elections. That's the equivalent of about four months' salary. That's the kind of incentive that's being put out there for people -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. Nic Robertson live from Mosul. Nic, thank you.

Is Iraq ready for an election? It is a question everyone is asking, and we'll try to answer it for you today on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." Tune in at 7:00 p.m., 4:00 Pacific. That's right here on CNN.

NGUYEN: Well, here in the U.S., there are mixed signals about whether President Bush is enjoying a post inauguration day bounce. A CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll interviewed more than 600 people last night. Based on what they read or heard about the inauguration, 43 percent said they were more hopeful about the next four years. However, more than half said they were either less hopeful or the inauguration really didn't make a difference at all.

Sticking to -- tradition, that is, the president began his first full day of his new term with prayer. Senior White House correspondent John King is standing by live with all of that.

Hi, John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Betty.

That polling underscoring the political challenge the president faces. No evidence really of any great post-election honeymoon in the poll. So the president starts his second term with considerable challenges, both at home and abroad.

As you noted, it is tradition the day after the inauguration. This tradition dates back to George Washington for the president to have a national prayer service. Mr. Bush here you see here in the majestic National Cathedral here in Washington with first lady Laura Bush.

The president especially pleased today to be able to take part with the Reverend Billy Graham, longtime counselor to the president. Not only to this president, but to his father, the 41st president of the United States as well.

Reverend Graham, as you see here, leading a prayer at the service today. Standing with the assistance of a walker. The president, the vice president, Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Cheney among those on hand, the former president as well.

No other public events on the schedule today. A day to reflect and perhaps relax a bit after the busy inaugural week ceremonies. But here in Washington and around the world, great discussion about the goals Mr. Bush outlined in his speech yesterday. And you see the president and first lady here coming to the reviewing stand after the inaugural parade.

Now, the president said his top priority in term two will be promoting democracy and liberty around the world. It is a tough challenge. And as Nic Robertson just noted, the first big test of that challenge, of course, a little more than a week away when the elections take place in Iraq.

Mr. Bush not mentioning Iraq specifically in his inaugural address, but, Betty, he is well aware of the political challenge, the cloud, if you will, that Iraq poses over his second term, noting in that speech that the United States has accepted some difficult obligations around the world and that it would be irresponsible to walk away from them.

So the president well aware even as he begins his second term what happens a little more than a week from now in Iraq could well have a significant impact on his political standing here at home.

NGUYEN: No doubt. What else is on his political agenda for the second term?

KING: Well, a great number of domestic initiatives. One is a holdover from last year.

The president wants the Congress to adopt what he would call medical liability reforms, changes in the rules of how you can sue a doctor or who can sue a doctor after treatment that they think doesn't go well. And, of course, the big issue, the big ticket item for the president in his second term is revamping the Social Security system. And there already you hear some rumblings from Republicans, as well as Democrats, that the president at a minimum needs to do a better job selling his plan.

Mr. Bush, of course, makes light of the fact that he is at his best when he is understated. And certainly very tough political challenges ahead. But this president would say they said the same thing four years ago, he got his sweeping tax cuts through, he's going to go at it again this time.

NGUYEN: All right. CNN's John King at the White House for us today. Thank you, John -- Tony.

HARRIS: A tragic ending to an abduction case leaves authorities, families and friends wondering why it happened. Just hours ago, crews found the body of Megan Hoden in west Texas. Earlier, her suspected kidnapper was arrested in a hospital in Arizona.

More on this bizarre case from CNN's Ed Lavandera in Tyler, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Almost 36 hours after 19-year- old Megan Holden was last seen leaving her job as a cashier at the Wal-Mart in Tyler, authorities discovered that suspect they were looking for in this case turned up in the small town of Willcox, Arizona. But unfortunately, a few hours after that, authorities also learned that the body of Megan Holden was found dead in the west Texas town of Stanton. It's a story that stretches out over a thousand miles and started Wednesday night around midnight, when on videotape surveillance cameras, you can see Megan Holden walking toward her car after she called her boyfriend saying that she was leaving work. And you can see a man approaching her from behind, forcing her into her car and then fleeing the parking lot.

Authorities say that the suspect in this case is 24-year-old Johnny Lee Williams, who walked into a hospital in Willcox, Arizona, after he had been involved in an altercation at an RV camp. Apparently, authorities say he was trying to rob a manager of the RV camp there and he was shot.

He went to the hospital to get treatment for that, where authorities noticed that his description and the description of the car he was driving. And as we mentioned, a few hours after that, the bodies of -- two oilfield workers in west Texas discovered the body of Megan Holden.

Authorities say in the two hours before the abduction, that there is videotape evidence suggesting that the suspect in this case, Johnny Lee Williams, was just walking around the parking lot in -- at the Wal-Mart perhaps, looking for a victim.

CHIEF GARY SWINDLE, TYLER, TEXAS, POLICE: The security guard made a couple of contacts with him during approximately a 2.5 hour time period when he was loitering around the Wal-Mart parking lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, can you (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

SWINDLE: I'm not sure at that point in time. I think there was inquiries. And I will say that the security guard has been very helpful in obtaining the composite of the individual and helping us resolve and solve this crime.

LAVANDERA: Authorities here in Tyler say there is no indication that the suspect and the victim knew each other. In the meantime, they have sent a couple of investigators here from Tyler out to Arizona to interview Johnny Lee Williams.

Reporting in Tyler, I'm Ed Lavandera.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Many officials in Raleigh, North Carolina, still blame an inaccurate weather forecast for this wintry mess that you're about to see. Not too much fun out in that snow.

Well, a travel nightmare resulted when an inch of snow fell Wednesday instead of a light dusting that had been predicted. Yes. The cold and snow transformed streets into sheets of ice, and now several areas in the Northeast are bracing for what could be a very bad winter storm.

We want to get the latest on this northeast weather outlook. And for that, we want to go to Rob Marciano in the weather center with all of that.

Hey there, Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: The Supreme Court, Cuba and Iraq, what do those three things have in common? They could be three of the biggest challenges facing President Bush in his second term. We'll talk about it after the break.

And protecting the president one bite at a time. Behind the scenes of defending the commander in chief's foods from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

And later on LIVE FROM, the cartoon character SpongeBob finds himself squeezed in the middle of a controversy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are led by events and common sense to one conclusion. The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: President Bush outlining his vision of spreading democracy around the world in his second inaugural address yesterday. Mr. Bush making the case that freedom in America is linked to freedom in other countries, soaring rhetoric. But does it match the reality on the ground, and can the world and nation fall in line behind this president? Yesterday's inauguration took place amid unprecedented security and taunts from thousands of protesters.

Rick Shenkman is a presidential historian. He joins us from New York to give us his impressions of the inauguration.

Rick, good to see you.

Good to see you.

HARRIS: Well, let's start with perhaps one of the moments of the inauguration, seeing Chief Justice Rehnquist. We weren't sure whether he would be able to walk, whether he would need a wheelchair. But there he was. But seeing him also reminds us that this president may have to replace one or even a couple of justices in this second term, doesn't it?

RICK SHENKMAN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: It sure does. And he'll probably have not just one appointment, but two appointments in the next six months. And all because of Rehnquist gone.

Rehnquist really holds two titles. He's the chief justice, as well as the Supreme Court justice. So President Bush has the option of replacing him as a justice and then appointing one of the others as the chief justice. Both would involve confirmation hearings, so it could get pretty controversial in the Senate.

HARRIS: Yes. The president, in his speech, didn't mention Iraq by name, but we got it. We all got it. What can he hope to accomplish in, his words, in spreading democracy around the world, if Iraq remains as unstable as it is at this moment?

SHENKMAN: Well, that's the problem. You know, it's the problem with no name in that speech.

HARRIS: Yes.

SHENKMAN: And that is a little bit unusual. Abraham Lincoln talking during the Civil War and his second inaugural certainly mentioned the Civil War. And so did Franklin Roosevelt during World War II and Richard Nixon in 1969 during Vietnam.

So it's a little bit unusual. It's striking.

He really can't get much done as president a second term if he cannot get this thing turned around in Iraq. And that's really going to be the chief issue weighing on him and the country over the next couple of years. So Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, it's vital.

HARRIS: If he's looking outside of Iraq for an opportunity maybe to make a difference in this hemisphere, we mentioned Cuba in the tease. Is there an opportunity in Cuba?

SHENKMAN: Well, when I was talking to your producers before this show, I had said, you know, for a couple of years, I'd been thinking that if I was Karl Rove and I was looking for something that might just be a gift that falls into the president's lap...

HARRIS: Yes?

SHENKMAN: ... it may very well be when finally Fidel Castro leaves the scene in Cuba. This could create a great opportunity to establish a real democracy down there.

The president could take the credit for it if he can help smooth along a transition from the dictatorship that's been there. Castro has been in power for over 40 years now.

HARRIS: Yes.

SHENKMAN: So that's a possibility. We might be talking about Cuba in two years from now.

HARRIS: I got to ask you, Rick, as we wrap up here, John King was sort of itemizing the list on the president's agenda for this second term: tort reform, Social Security reform. There are a couple of other big items as well. What does history tell us about big second-term agendas and presidents' ability to get things accomplished?

SHENKMAN: Well, the first thing you have to remember is that when presidents come into power, they always have some agenda. It's either domestic or it's foreign policy. It's usually not both, and they usually can't do both simultaneously.

In the 1930s, FDR, he was Dr. new deal. And then once World War II came along, he had to forget about the new deal and become Dr. win the war.

HARRIS: Yes.

SHENKMAN: And President Bush is going to face the problem of he's either going to really focus his energies on the country on Iraq or he's going to do it on domestic policy. He doesn't, at the moment, have the option of really focusing the country's attention on domestic policy. We're too distracted with what is going on in Iraq.

HARRIS: And we all have a front row seat to watch it all unfold. Rick Shenkman, good to see you.

SHENKMAN: We sure do.

HARRIS: Thank you.

SHENKMAN: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Can President Bush deliver on his inaugural promises? More on this today on "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS." That's at 3:30 Eastern, 2:30 Pacific -- 12:30 Pacific.

NGUYEN: In our "Security Watch," making sure whatever the president drinks and eats anywhere at any time is safe. CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash introduces us to those who perform that task every day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Steve Moore is a caterer, cooked meals for hundreds of guests at inaugural balls. For 10 years as a Navy steward, he prepared food for the president himself, playing a critical role in his personal safety.

STEVE MOORE, CATERER: The Secret Service is more physical security, making sure nobody tries to stab the president or something like that. We make sure that he doesn't get poisoned with food or water or dessert, or something like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Antidote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The poison you just drank!

BASH: After recent drama in the Ukraine, poisoning isn't just "Indiana Jones" fiction. Securing fresh food is no small job. It's carried out by a team of rarely seen stewards like Moore was called Presidential Watch.

MOORE: We never lose control of the food. I mean, we know where it's come from, from the moment we see it until it goes out to the president to eat it. I mean, we keep an eye on the whole chain of events with the food.

BASH: When the president eats at a restaurant like D.C.'s Morton's...

BUSH: I like my steak medium rare, please.

BASH: ... stewards are in the kitchen dressed like chefs to blend in. They had checked it out days earlier.

(on camera): But what about for safety in terms of -- not just in terms of -- you know, in terms of what's in the kitchen, but food safety?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They'll go through just like the health inspector would. And they will check the temperature, make sure the coolers are at the right temperature for the food that's being stored in it. The same thing for the meat up front, make sure it's at the right temperature, make sure there is no signs of any bacteria or anything that is visible.

BASH (voice-over): Or anything else. The key to presidential food safety, keep it random. In a large group, it's a mystery which plate he gets. So it's harder to tamper with.

MOORE: Products that have been specifically labeled for the president, because that is -- that would say that maybe there is something wrong with that.

BASH: Someone tastes the food before he eats it, right?

BRAD BLAKEMAN, FMR. BUSH AIDE: I never heard that there was a taster.

BASH: Former Bush aide Brad Blakeman, like others we talked to, claim testers are a myth, albeit it one they want bad guys believing. But just in case security measures ever failed...

BLAKEMAN: We do take samples of the food in case there were a problem. They would know exactly where it emanated from.

BASH: The safest venue for presidential chowing?

BUSH: This is good!

BASH: Ironically, food his watch team never checked at surprise stops. It's harder to poison him if he just shows up.

Dig in, Mr. President.

Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: So, food aside, on the whole, are we safer than before 9/11? That is the focus of our continuing series, "Defending America." It airs tonight at 8:00 Eastern on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." You'll want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

HARRIS: Well, the people making the best-selling book "The Da Vinci Code" into a movie have a big reason to flash a Mona Lisa file. The film crew gets crucial approval to go on location.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, well, well. SpongeBob Squarepants and some other popular children's characters are caught in a war of words.

Two conservative Christian groups are calling on parents to stay away from a video featuring dozens of characters, including SpongeBob, Barney and Arthur. Incidentally, the video hasn't been released just yet, and it is not what you're seeing on the screen right now.

The group says the maker of the video, the We are Family Foundation, promotes a homosexual agenda. The foundation says the video is aimed at fostering tolerance and diversity. It has nothing to do with sexuality.

HARRIS: SpongeBob drawn into that, huh?

NGUYEN: I know!

HARRIS: OK. Well, he's not going to like this next story much, either. You know, he's a big Hollywood star and Hollywood actor.

NGUYEN: Oh, yes. Got his own movie.

HARRIS: Yes, that's right. Well, they've just signed a new contract, but they didn't gain any headway on one key issue.

NGUYEN: Yes. David Haffenreffer joins us from New York with that story.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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Aired January 21, 2005 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do think there was probably a -- he did potentially make several other attempts that evening before he picked Megan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, the suspect in this abduction is in custody with a gunshot wound. The 19-year-old victim is dead. And authorities are trying to piece together what happened.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A car bomb goes off at an Iraqi mosque. And within the past hour an exploding ambulance strikes a Baghdad wedding party.

We're live from Iraq.

NGUYEN: Lofty goals and appeals to a higher power on the first full day of the president's second term. We're live from the White House.

From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Kyra Phillips and Miles O'Brien are off. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

NGUYEN: And we begin in Iraq. It seems every public place, every gathering of people is gathering insurgents bent on derailing the country's upcoming elections. And today, mosques and weddings became their latest targets.

An ambulance drove into a wedding party and exploded south of Baghdad today. Officials say a suicide bomber was behind the wheel. Several people were killed in that crash.

In the Iraqi capital itself, a car bomb exploded near a Shiite mosque. It happened just as worshippers were gathered outside after morning prayers. At least 14 people were killed and 42 were wounded.

And a U.S. intelligence official says the voice on a speech posted on an Islamic Web site is likely that of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The speaker hints the battle of Falluja is the beginning of a long war and urges followers to be patient.

HARRIS: Betty, Mosul continues to be a city on edge. For the second day, insurgents shelled a hospital where U.S. and Iraqi forces have taken up positions. It's just the latest unrest in the area, but the city is also getting ready for the upcoming election.

CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joins us now from Mosul via videophone with details on the security preparations -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, perhaps some of the -- some of the best-kept secrets in this city are the security details about how the elections will be handled. Certainly what we have seen is really an increase in the level of both the operations to bring in more troops into the city -- more Iraqi forces have been arriving in the last few days.

They will be positioned in the city. They will be providing security around the polling centers.

Those polling centers have yet to be determined. They're being kept secret because of security concerns that insurgents might decide to attack those -- those locations.

What we are told, though, is that U.S. forces will play a role in providing security on the day of elections, but they will be very much in the background, very much on the outside of the city. Another security procedure has been put into place. There will be no vehicles allowed on the streets of Mosul for the two days before the election and the day of the election. Again, that's designed to stop insurgents making attacks.

But military commanders here are very aware. And they say it's very realistic that the insurgents will try and have attacks in the days and in particularly the hours right before the elections takes place -- Tony.

HARRIS: Nic, 700 election workers, we understand, were intimidated into quitting. How is the effort going in finding new election workers to take those places?

ROBERTSON: It's really beginning to accelerate. Recently, just a few days ago, there was really only one electoral official in this city who knew the real details of how to run the election.

He has been trying to bring in more people. We are told there are hundreds more on their way. But they will all have to be trained, they will all have to be sent out to different polling stations.

The hundreds of thousands of balloting papers, of balloting booths, of the balloting boxes are lying in a warehouse. They will all have to be distributed. And it's really coming down to the wire.

We are told that this absolutely will happen, that they will all be put in place and the elections will take place. But the clock is really ticking and the pressure is mounting on these election officials.

The Iraqi government here is offering over $500 for the people to work just a couple of days around the elections. That's the equivalent of about four months' salary. That's the kind of incentive that's being put out there for people -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. Nic Robertson live from Mosul. Nic, thank you.

Is Iraq ready for an election? It is a question everyone is asking, and we'll try to answer it for you today on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." Tune in at 7:00 p.m., 4:00 Pacific. That's right here on CNN.

NGUYEN: Well, here in the U.S., there are mixed signals about whether President Bush is enjoying a post inauguration day bounce. A CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll interviewed more than 600 people last night. Based on what they read or heard about the inauguration, 43 percent said they were more hopeful about the next four years. However, more than half said they were either less hopeful or the inauguration really didn't make a difference at all.

Sticking to -- tradition, that is, the president began his first full day of his new term with prayer. Senior White House correspondent John King is standing by live with all of that.

Hi, John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Betty.

That polling underscoring the political challenge the president faces. No evidence really of any great post-election honeymoon in the poll. So the president starts his second term with considerable challenges, both at home and abroad.

As you noted, it is tradition the day after the inauguration. This tradition dates back to George Washington for the president to have a national prayer service. Mr. Bush here you see here in the majestic National Cathedral here in Washington with first lady Laura Bush.

The president especially pleased today to be able to take part with the Reverend Billy Graham, longtime counselor to the president. Not only to this president, but to his father, the 41st president of the United States as well.

Reverend Graham, as you see here, leading a prayer at the service today. Standing with the assistance of a walker. The president, the vice president, Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Cheney among those on hand, the former president as well.

No other public events on the schedule today. A day to reflect and perhaps relax a bit after the busy inaugural week ceremonies. But here in Washington and around the world, great discussion about the goals Mr. Bush outlined in his speech yesterday. And you see the president and first lady here coming to the reviewing stand after the inaugural parade.

Now, the president said his top priority in term two will be promoting democracy and liberty around the world. It is a tough challenge. And as Nic Robertson just noted, the first big test of that challenge, of course, a little more than a week away when the elections take place in Iraq.

Mr. Bush not mentioning Iraq specifically in his inaugural address, but, Betty, he is well aware of the political challenge, the cloud, if you will, that Iraq poses over his second term, noting in that speech that the United States has accepted some difficult obligations around the world and that it would be irresponsible to walk away from them.

So the president well aware even as he begins his second term what happens a little more than a week from now in Iraq could well have a significant impact on his political standing here at home.

NGUYEN: No doubt. What else is on his political agenda for the second term?

KING: Well, a great number of domestic initiatives. One is a holdover from last year.

The president wants the Congress to adopt what he would call medical liability reforms, changes in the rules of how you can sue a doctor or who can sue a doctor after treatment that they think doesn't go well. And, of course, the big issue, the big ticket item for the president in his second term is revamping the Social Security system. And there already you hear some rumblings from Republicans, as well as Democrats, that the president at a minimum needs to do a better job selling his plan.

Mr. Bush, of course, makes light of the fact that he is at his best when he is understated. And certainly very tough political challenges ahead. But this president would say they said the same thing four years ago, he got his sweeping tax cuts through, he's going to go at it again this time.

NGUYEN: All right. CNN's John King at the White House for us today. Thank you, John -- Tony.

HARRIS: A tragic ending to an abduction case leaves authorities, families and friends wondering why it happened. Just hours ago, crews found the body of Megan Hoden in west Texas. Earlier, her suspected kidnapper was arrested in a hospital in Arizona.

More on this bizarre case from CNN's Ed Lavandera in Tyler, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Almost 36 hours after 19-year- old Megan Holden was last seen leaving her job as a cashier at the Wal-Mart in Tyler, authorities discovered that suspect they were looking for in this case turned up in the small town of Willcox, Arizona. But unfortunately, a few hours after that, authorities also learned that the body of Megan Holden was found dead in the west Texas town of Stanton. It's a story that stretches out over a thousand miles and started Wednesday night around midnight, when on videotape surveillance cameras, you can see Megan Holden walking toward her car after she called her boyfriend saying that she was leaving work. And you can see a man approaching her from behind, forcing her into her car and then fleeing the parking lot.

Authorities say that the suspect in this case is 24-year-old Johnny Lee Williams, who walked into a hospital in Willcox, Arizona, after he had been involved in an altercation at an RV camp. Apparently, authorities say he was trying to rob a manager of the RV camp there and he was shot.

He went to the hospital to get treatment for that, where authorities noticed that his description and the description of the car he was driving. And as we mentioned, a few hours after that, the bodies of -- two oilfield workers in west Texas discovered the body of Megan Holden.

Authorities say in the two hours before the abduction, that there is videotape evidence suggesting that the suspect in this case, Johnny Lee Williams, was just walking around the parking lot in -- at the Wal-Mart perhaps, looking for a victim.

CHIEF GARY SWINDLE, TYLER, TEXAS, POLICE: The security guard made a couple of contacts with him during approximately a 2.5 hour time period when he was loitering around the Wal-Mart parking lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chief, can you (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

SWINDLE: I'm not sure at that point in time. I think there was inquiries. And I will say that the security guard has been very helpful in obtaining the composite of the individual and helping us resolve and solve this crime.

LAVANDERA: Authorities here in Tyler say there is no indication that the suspect and the victim knew each other. In the meantime, they have sent a couple of investigators here from Tyler out to Arizona to interview Johnny Lee Williams.

Reporting in Tyler, I'm Ed Lavandera.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Many officials in Raleigh, North Carolina, still blame an inaccurate weather forecast for this wintry mess that you're about to see. Not too much fun out in that snow.

Well, a travel nightmare resulted when an inch of snow fell Wednesday instead of a light dusting that had been predicted. Yes. The cold and snow transformed streets into sheets of ice, and now several areas in the Northeast are bracing for what could be a very bad winter storm.

We want to get the latest on this northeast weather outlook. And for that, we want to go to Rob Marciano in the weather center with all of that.

Hey there, Rob.

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HARRIS: The Supreme Court, Cuba and Iraq, what do those three things have in common? They could be three of the biggest challenges facing President Bush in his second term. We'll talk about it after the break.

And protecting the president one bite at a time. Behind the scenes of defending the commander in chief's foods from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

And later on LIVE FROM, the cartoon character SpongeBob finds himself squeezed in the middle of a controversy.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are led by events and common sense to one conclusion. The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: President Bush outlining his vision of spreading democracy around the world in his second inaugural address yesterday. Mr. Bush making the case that freedom in America is linked to freedom in other countries, soaring rhetoric. But does it match the reality on the ground, and can the world and nation fall in line behind this president? Yesterday's inauguration took place amid unprecedented security and taunts from thousands of protesters.

Rick Shenkman is a presidential historian. He joins us from New York to give us his impressions of the inauguration.

Rick, good to see you.

Good to see you.

HARRIS: Well, let's start with perhaps one of the moments of the inauguration, seeing Chief Justice Rehnquist. We weren't sure whether he would be able to walk, whether he would need a wheelchair. But there he was. But seeing him also reminds us that this president may have to replace one or even a couple of justices in this second term, doesn't it?

RICK SHENKMAN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: It sure does. And he'll probably have not just one appointment, but two appointments in the next six months. And all because of Rehnquist gone.

Rehnquist really holds two titles. He's the chief justice, as well as the Supreme Court justice. So President Bush has the option of replacing him as a justice and then appointing one of the others as the chief justice. Both would involve confirmation hearings, so it could get pretty controversial in the Senate.

HARRIS: Yes. The president, in his speech, didn't mention Iraq by name, but we got it. We all got it. What can he hope to accomplish in, his words, in spreading democracy around the world, if Iraq remains as unstable as it is at this moment?

SHENKMAN: Well, that's the problem. You know, it's the problem with no name in that speech.

HARRIS: Yes.

SHENKMAN: And that is a little bit unusual. Abraham Lincoln talking during the Civil War and his second inaugural certainly mentioned the Civil War. And so did Franklin Roosevelt during World War II and Richard Nixon in 1969 during Vietnam.

So it's a little bit unusual. It's striking.

He really can't get much done as president a second term if he cannot get this thing turned around in Iraq. And that's really going to be the chief issue weighing on him and the country over the next couple of years. So Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, it's vital.

HARRIS: If he's looking outside of Iraq for an opportunity maybe to make a difference in this hemisphere, we mentioned Cuba in the tease. Is there an opportunity in Cuba?

SHENKMAN: Well, when I was talking to your producers before this show, I had said, you know, for a couple of years, I'd been thinking that if I was Karl Rove and I was looking for something that might just be a gift that falls into the president's lap...

HARRIS: Yes?

SHENKMAN: ... it may very well be when finally Fidel Castro leaves the scene in Cuba. This could create a great opportunity to establish a real democracy down there.

The president could take the credit for it if he can help smooth along a transition from the dictatorship that's been there. Castro has been in power for over 40 years now.

HARRIS: Yes.

SHENKMAN: So that's a possibility. We might be talking about Cuba in two years from now.

HARRIS: I got to ask you, Rick, as we wrap up here, John King was sort of itemizing the list on the president's agenda for this second term: tort reform, Social Security reform. There are a couple of other big items as well. What does history tell us about big second-term agendas and presidents' ability to get things accomplished?

SHENKMAN: Well, the first thing you have to remember is that when presidents come into power, they always have some agenda. It's either domestic or it's foreign policy. It's usually not both, and they usually can't do both simultaneously.

In the 1930s, FDR, he was Dr. new deal. And then once World War II came along, he had to forget about the new deal and become Dr. win the war.

HARRIS: Yes.

SHENKMAN: And President Bush is going to face the problem of he's either going to really focus his energies on the country on Iraq or he's going to do it on domestic policy. He doesn't, at the moment, have the option of really focusing the country's attention on domestic policy. We're too distracted with what is going on in Iraq.

HARRIS: And we all have a front row seat to watch it all unfold. Rick Shenkman, good to see you.

SHENKMAN: We sure do.

HARRIS: Thank you.

SHENKMAN: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Can President Bush deliver on his inaugural promises? More on this today on "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS." That's at 3:30 Eastern, 2:30 Pacific -- 12:30 Pacific.

NGUYEN: In our "Security Watch," making sure whatever the president drinks and eats anywhere at any time is safe. CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash introduces us to those who perform that task every day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Steve Moore is a caterer, cooked meals for hundreds of guests at inaugural balls. For 10 years as a Navy steward, he prepared food for the president himself, playing a critical role in his personal safety.

STEVE MOORE, CATERER: The Secret Service is more physical security, making sure nobody tries to stab the president or something like that. We make sure that he doesn't get poisoned with food or water or dessert, or something like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Antidote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The poison you just drank!

BASH: After recent drama in the Ukraine, poisoning isn't just "Indiana Jones" fiction. Securing fresh food is no small job. It's carried out by a team of rarely seen stewards like Moore was called Presidential Watch.

MOORE: We never lose control of the food. I mean, we know where it's come from, from the moment we see it until it goes out to the president to eat it. I mean, we keep an eye on the whole chain of events with the food.

BASH: When the president eats at a restaurant like D.C.'s Morton's...

BUSH: I like my steak medium rare, please.

BASH: ... stewards are in the kitchen dressed like chefs to blend in. They had checked it out days earlier.

(on camera): But what about for safety in terms of -- not just in terms of -- you know, in terms of what's in the kitchen, but food safety?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They'll go through just like the health inspector would. And they will check the temperature, make sure the coolers are at the right temperature for the food that's being stored in it. The same thing for the meat up front, make sure it's at the right temperature, make sure there is no signs of any bacteria or anything that is visible.

BASH (voice-over): Or anything else. The key to presidential food safety, keep it random. In a large group, it's a mystery which plate he gets. So it's harder to tamper with.

MOORE: Products that have been specifically labeled for the president, because that is -- that would say that maybe there is something wrong with that.

BASH: Someone tastes the food before he eats it, right?

BRAD BLAKEMAN, FMR. BUSH AIDE: I never heard that there was a taster.

BASH: Former Bush aide Brad Blakeman, like others we talked to, claim testers are a myth, albeit it one they want bad guys believing. But just in case security measures ever failed...

BLAKEMAN: We do take samples of the food in case there were a problem. They would know exactly where it emanated from.

BASH: The safest venue for presidential chowing?

BUSH: This is good!

BASH: Ironically, food his watch team never checked at surprise stops. It's harder to poison him if he just shows up.

Dig in, Mr. President.

Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.

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NGUYEN: So, food aside, on the whole, are we safer than before 9/11? That is the focus of our continuing series, "Defending America." It airs tonight at 8:00 Eastern on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." You'll want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

HARRIS: Well, the people making the best-selling book "The Da Vinci Code" into a movie have a big reason to flash a Mona Lisa file. The film crew gets crucial approval to go on location.

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NGUYEN: Well, well, well. SpongeBob Squarepants and some other popular children's characters are caught in a war of words.

Two conservative Christian groups are calling on parents to stay away from a video featuring dozens of characters, including SpongeBob, Barney and Arthur. Incidentally, the video hasn't been released just yet, and it is not what you're seeing on the screen right now.

The group says the maker of the video, the We are Family Foundation, promotes a homosexual agenda. The foundation says the video is aimed at fostering tolerance and diversity. It has nothing to do with sexuality.

HARRIS: SpongeBob drawn into that, huh?

NGUYEN: I know!

HARRIS: OK. Well, he's not going to like this next story much, either. You know, he's a big Hollywood star and Hollywood actor.

NGUYEN: Oh, yes. Got his own movie.

HARRIS: Yes, that's right. Well, they've just signed a new contract, but they didn't gain any headway on one key issue.

NGUYEN: Yes. David Haffenreffer joins us from New York with that story.

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