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North Korea Pulls Out of Talks, Claims to Have Nukes; U.S. Military Says it Could Manage Attack on Iran; Prince Charles, Camilla Announce Plans to Marry

Aired February 10, 2005 - 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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Explosive admission, North Korea says it has nuclear weapons and is pulling itself out of international talks. How will the U.S. respond?
TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: Word of warning. A family loses a daughter and wants you to know why. The human story behind a rare but often fatal reaction to an over the counter pain medication.

PHILLIPS: Going to the castle and going to get married. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles -- I thought you were going to sing, Tony -- yes, it's finally going to happen.

HARRIS: Oh, no.

PHILLIPS: And one of England's top planners gives us the inside scoop on the royal wedding.

HARRIS: What really goes on at the Grammys, he asked. We'll peek under the red carpet at the biggest night in the music industry with a guy who has been there.

From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris in for Miles O'Brien.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

But quickly, live pictures out of Rome, Pope John Paul II set to be released soon from hospital and returned to the Vatican. We'll keep you informed as we get the pictures.

Call it warning or boasts, declaration or unproved assertion. The mere combination of the words North Korea and nuclear weapons is setting off alarm bells in capitals around the world.

A statement from the North Korea News Service says the reclusive Stalinist government will bolster its nuclear arsenal and drop out of six-party talks aimed at keeping the peninsula nuke-free. Characteristically, Pyongyang blames the U.S. for, quote, "compelling that decision."

We get some context, not to mention fallout, from CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Bush today spending his time on the road in North Carolina, as well as Pennsylvania, to sell his Social Security reform plan. But of course, the White House is definitely keeping its eye on the developments in the so-called members of the axis of evil, North Korea as well as Iran.

Now, really, this has attracted attention from around the globe, North Korea's statements. We are talking about from Russia, China, Britain, as well as the United States. All of them saying they're engaged and want North Korea to be engaged in the six-party talks to give up its nuclear weapons programs.

The White House, of course, and other administration officials, however, are downplaying the significance of this. They are saying that they are used to hearing this kind of provocative language from North Korea, that this is not the first time it has said the walking away from the six-party talks.

But having said this, this is the first time that North Korea has explicitly and publicly admitted and acknowledged that it has a nuclear weapons program. Privately, it had said so last year to U.S. officials, but the Bush administration has been engaged and it continues to be engaged in these multiparty talks.

They say that North Korea is not going to get what it wants. That is a face-to-face one-on-one meeting with President Bush. Mr. Bush has not agreed to that. He believes that it is better to work within the group, that they'd be more effective.

And earlier today, we heard from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in her last leg of her European trip, explaining why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The North Koreans have been told by the president of the United States himself that the United States has no intention to attack or invade North Korea. The North Koreans have been told that they can have security assurances on a multilateral basis. Those security assurances would, of course, include the United States. If they are prepared to take a definitive decision to dismantle their nuclear weapons programs and to do so in a way that is verifiable.

So there is a path ahead for the North Koreans that will put them into a more reasonable relationship with the rest of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Kyra, of course, there is an active debate here in Washington whether or not the United States and President Bush in particular, should engage North Korea more, perhaps offer a carrot to renegotiate, to get back in those talks.

However, some White House officials believe that this is, in fact, a good sign. Because usually what they do is they'll pull out -- they'll threaten to pull out of these talks, really kind of strengthen their hand in negotiations, before they go back to the table -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Suzanne Malveaux, live from the White House, thanks so much.

And NATO is taking note of North Korea's bombshell at a meeting of the allied defense chiefs in the south of France. Participants include U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld who says he can't vouch for the truth of Pyongyang's declaration, but he isn't taking it lightly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Given their dictatorial regime and the repression of their own people, one has to worry about the weapons of that power in the hands of leadership of that nature. I don't think that anyone would characterize the leadership in that country as being restrained.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, it seems like only yesterday, because it was, that Iran was ticking loudest on the geopolitical Geiger counter and the Bush administration was looking to separate and distinct responses. Diplomacy is much preferred, officials say, but military action is never, never off the table.

And that brings us to CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

Hi, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Tony.

Well, in fact, diplomacy is first on the list. But in the unlikely event that there was some sort of military action against Iraq, excuse me, against Iran, and the U.S. troops had to face them on the battlefield, how would it all work?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): Iran's military has long made a show of training. Bold moves with land and Air Forces. The U.S. has thousands of troops it could send to invade Iran. How would they match up?

Top U.S. generals are facing the question of whether the Bush administration is planning for war. It is said just to be routine planning.

LT. GEN. LANCE SMITH, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: I haven't been called into any late-night meetings at, you know, 8 p.m. at night saying, "Holy cow, we've got to sit down and go plan for -- for Iran."

STARR: Iran has 540,000 troops, some 3,000 tanks and armored vehicles, another 3,000 artillery weapons and 300 combat aircraft. If there was war, what threat would Iranian forces pose? KENNETH KATZMAN, CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE: The Iranian military is not particularly capable. It's using generally old equipment. Their training, their expertise is not that proficient.

STARR: Experts say while Iran may be able to threaten its neighbors and briefly shut down Persian Gulf shipping, it would be no match for the U.S. military, which believes Iran would be unable to sustain a fight.

Experts say there are more than 100,000 revolutionary guard troops, but the rest are conscripts, poorly trained, without high motivation. The Air Force also has Russian and old U.S. fighters, but pilots have minimal proficiency.

But could the U.S. military, already stretched thin in Afghanistan and Iraq, really ever, if ordered, invade Iran, as it did in Iraq?

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You don't truly control any land, any capital, any regime, unless you put troops on the ground. And so if you go to that phase, it would require a robust capability from our military.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Tony, the bottom line here at the Pentagon, the top military officials say they are always prepared to carry out any options they are ordered to do, if they are ordered to do so, but they certainly hope it will not come to that -- Tony.

HARRIS: Barbara, I have to ask you, when we started to talk about another country's military capabilities, boy, doesn't it all begin to sound familiar all over again?

STARR: It always does. Here's the real bottom line at the Pentagon. The United States military, clearly, the reigning superpower in the world. Basically, the firepower to do whatever they are ordered to do. But all of it comes at a cost, and that's probably the big lesson of the war in Iraq.

HARRIS: Yes. OK, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, Barbara, thank you.

PHILLIPS: Live pictures again, once again, from Rome. You're looking at the pope's carriage, I guess you could say, that's getting ready to pick him up from the hospital. They're putting plastic over it to keep it -- keep the pope from getting cold, we are told.

As you know, Pope John Paul II will be released, since he's been checked in to Gemelli Hospital here in Rome on February 1 because of his breathing problems relating to a respiratory infection. He is set to leave about 1:30 Eastern Time, in about 20 minutes or so.

And according to a Vatican spokesperson, they say that the pope is cured of his breathing problems, and he also plans to send a letter of thanks to those who have cared for him while staying at the hospital. We'll continue to follow the live pictures, bring you more as we get them.

HARRIS: If you've had on the television, or radio or computer today, you've answered the phone, perhaps, or stuck your head out of the door, you already know the other story that's sending shockwaves around the world. Jump coming nuptials of two British middle-aged divorcees: Prince Charles and longtime companion, Camilla Parker Bowles.

A storybook romance it is not, but it's kept the tabloids in beer and crumpets for decades.

Paul Davies of Britain's Independent Television News takes us back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL DAVIES, ITV NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It was 35 years ago Charles and Camilla first met at a polio match at Windsor. Both were 23. But despite their mutual attraction, their road to the altar would be long and controversial.

First, of course they both married other people. In 1973, Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles became the then Camilla Shand's first husband.

Eight years later, the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer. This was not, however, the end of the relationship between Charles and Camilla.

Sensational newspaper stories based on taped telephone conversations between the two, the so-called "Camilla-gate" tape, exposed a continuing relationship.

After those revelations and Princess Diana's death, Camilla's name was known around the world. Even on a trip to Chile, she was asked about the relationship.

She learned to keep a diplomatic silence.

And at home, for years, she kept a diplomatic distance in public, at least. Until the night it was considered the country was ready to see the two as a couple, at the 50th birthday party of Camilla's sister at London's famous Ritz Hotel. That was 1999.

And since then, cautiously, step by step, they've moved to point where they feel ready to make today's announcement.

Paul Davies, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So what will this royal ceremony look like? Britain's most well known celebrity wedding planner says don't expect it to look like Prince Charles' first elaborate wedding. She's going to join us live from our London bureau to give us the scoop on a more low-key affair. Also ahead, they're backing up the pope mobile at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. Pope John Paul II set to go home in about 20 minutes. We're going to take you to Rome live.

And later, as we count down to the Grammys, we're going to talk with a musician who's been there, done that, and he lived to tell about it.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Live pictures once again from Rome. You're seeing the pope's staff get the pope mobile ready for the chance to him -- for him to finally come home from the hospital.

They're putting up the plastic just to make it warm and comfortable. It's quite cool right now outside the hospital grounds. So they're just preparing it to be warm and comfortable as the pope leaves the hospital.

As you know, Pope John Paul II had checked into the hospital on February 1 because of breathing problems relating to a respiratory infection. We're told he's supposed to leave within just a couple of minutes. You can see outside the hospital, the press and the supporters waiting to just get a glimpse of the pope as he is going to take a little bit of a vacation, I understand, after leaving hospital.

Alessio Vinci live from outside the hospital, he's with all the other journalists there, waiting to see the pope as he leaves.

Alessio what do you know about the time? Will it happen soon? And is he really going to take a two-week vacation?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

Well, we do expect the pope to emerge from the hospital any moment now. We heard no more than five minutes away. As you can see, everything is ready. The famous pope mobile is being warmed up.

As you can see, they put a plastic sheeting, as you were saying here. Obviously, Vatican officials and those organizing the logistical transfer of the pope, taking no chance here to leave even just a few seconds, the pope, outside.

As you know, he was hospitalized here 10 days ago with a serious and acute infection of his larynx. And that, we understand, according to a Vatican statement earlier today, was completely -- he's completely healed from that infection.

But of course, the pope remains extremely frail. He is a man; he's 84 years old. He's got a lot of ailments, including Parkinson's Disease. And therefore here, doctors and the Vatican officials organizing his transfer, are taking no chance, as well.

The pope is not going on a holiday, as a matter of fact. He's going to return to the Vatican. And we do expect to see him next time publicly on Sunday at 12 p.m. local time here in Rome, as he does every Sunday, delivering a prayer and a speech from the study, from the window of his private study at the apostolic palace.

However, as he does every year the beginning of Lent, he's going to go into a weeklong retreat. It's a spiritual retreat the pope takes every year at the beginning of Lent.

As you know, after 40 days of prayers and fasting, observed by all Christians around the world, we have Easter, which is an incredible taxing time. Pope John Paul II, who has a series of public events. So we do expect the pope taking his time between now and Easter, at the end of March, to recover, to gain some strength perhaps, because he's going to have a very, very, very difficult time ahead of himself.

You can see here now, I think, the pope being lifted up into the pope mobile. As you know, he no longer walks or stands on his own. He has to move around on a wheelchair, basically. And as you can see, there is a lot of people trying to help him out to do so. The plastic sheeting now has been removed.

The pope, sitting in his-- in his wheelchair, something that actually Vatican officials call a throne with wheels. It is quite cold here in Rome at this time, as you can see again...

PHILLIPS: Well, Alessio...

VINCI: Vatican officials taking no change here.

PHILLIPS: One thing you notice, Alessio, it doesn't look like he's, you know, hooked up to any oxygen or anything of that sort. I mean, I'm trying to get a pretty tight look. But he looks good. He's talking with folks. He's smiling, shaking hands. He actually looks like he's in really good condition, considering what he's been through.

VINCI: Absolutely. Absolutely. And considering that only on Sunday he could barely pronounce a few words, the pope, we are told, has regained completely his voice, normally. He celebrated a mass yesterday on Ash Wednesday. That means that he can speak. He can communicate with the outside world.

You can see him moving now away from the hospital. He does look in good spirits. He's well rested, obviously. He looks like he usually does. And -- and we have to believe what the Vatican is telling us, that he has completely -- that he has completely recovered from at least this respiratory infection.

We also understand that he went through some extensive medical tests in the last two days, including a CAT scan, which is a three dimensional x-ray. And we understand that that did not show up any other ailments, or new ailments. So Vatican officials and the doctors extremely confident that the pope, at least from this infection that he had in his larynx, has recuperated.

And as you can see, you would imagine that it's not the pope but royalty or a pop star is leaving the hospital. There are hundreds and hundreds of cameras and photographers around it, as well as many well wishers here. You can hear clapping.

Let's pause for a second to see this moment. Let's pause here a second.

PHILLIPS: Alessio, not only everybody outside of the hospital there is cheering him on and waving, but you told an incredible story from within the hospital, a little boy with cancer that came to visit the pope. Tell our viewers that story again. It was so wonderful.

VINCI: Kyra, it was a wonderful story yesterday. The pope was admitted to the 10th floor of the Gemelli Hospital, which is a public hospital here. Very near his room there is a pediatric ward for the young children undergoing cancer treatment. And the pope's personal secretary toured that ward, distributing some rosaries.

And one of the kids approached -- one of the children approached the secretary and asked if it was true that the pope was in the room next to his, because he had been knocking on the door all morning and nobody answered.

And so the secretary took the kid, brought him to the bed where the pope was, and he actually talked to the pope. He said, "Pope, make me feel well." And the pope delivered a special blessing to the little kid, telling him, "Bring back this blessing to the room and to all the children who are admitted in this hospital."

It was a really, really wonderful story. We understand that this kid is from southern Italy. He has already left the hospital. He was only here for a day with his parents. We've been trying to get a hold of his parents. But when we were there, they asked for -- you know, to be left alone. It's obviously a very difficult moment for that family, as well, to have a young kid, a young child, suffering from cancer. And therefore, we had to respect that.

But nevertheless, it was a very, very positive, beautiful story for us to tell in the last ten days, ever since the pope was admitted here, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Absolutely, Alessio. Stay with us, Alessio Vinci, just outside the hospital.

If you're just tuning in, Pope John Paul II leaving the hospital after a 10-day stay at Gemelli Hospital there in Rome. Quite an entourage.

John Allen, you know, there was so much talk about who would replace the pope and who would take over his responsibilities. There was a lot of controversy about that. He's leaving. He looks good. Do we just don't -- do we not even address that issue anymore?

JOHN ALLEN, VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, I don't think you can help but address it. I mean, every papal health crisis tends to beckon thoughts about what if, you know. What might happen if this were the end and who might step in?

But on the other hand, you know, they like to say around Rome that John Paul has outlived most of his potential successors. I mean, this is a remarkably resilient man. And despite his 84 years of age, despite his very difficult medical history, you know, this a very determined pope.

On the other hand, you know, the other note we ought to strike is that there is a tendency to over-interpret both John Paul's highs and lows. That is, when he catches cold, we start talking about the succession. When he has a good day, we start talking about his miraculous recovery.

You know, we shouldn't kid ourselves about the reality. The reality is that, despite the fact he appears to have pulled through here, this is a frail, this is a weak pope. And undoubtedly, the question of his capacity to do the things we normally associate with the papacy, things like traveling, things like presiding at ceremonies, things like speaking in public, all of that is going to remain a question mark in the days ahead.

PHILLIPS: Vatican correspondent John Allen, also, our Alessio Vinci, just outside the hospital there.

You're now looking at tape turned around just within the few seconds, Pope John Paul II leaving the hospital, waving to hundreds of supporters outside there, as he heads back to the Vatican.

What's next? Well, he's going on a spiritual retreat. We're going to continue to follow the pope, his release. We've got more LIVE FROM right after this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, the red carpet. The music. The Grammys. A musician who experienced it all. He gives us the inside scoop.

Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, a tribute to musical genius Ray Charles. Musician Billy Preston joins us live to talk about his upcoming Grammy tribute.

Later on LIVE FROM, you've seen the devastating genocide in the movie "Hotel Rwanda." Now, meet a doctor who is asking for your help to heal that country's deep wounds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: In business news now, Wal-Mart is facing some more heat in its long-running battle with organized labor. Susan Lisovicz joins us now from the New York Stock Exchange with that story.

Hi, Susan.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired February 10, 2005 - 13:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Explosive admission, North Korea says it has nuclear weapons and is pulling itself out of international talks. How will the U.S. respond?
TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: Word of warning. A family loses a daughter and wants you to know why. The human story behind a rare but often fatal reaction to an over the counter pain medication.

PHILLIPS: Going to the castle and going to get married. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles -- I thought you were going to sing, Tony -- yes, it's finally going to happen.

HARRIS: Oh, no.

PHILLIPS: And one of England's top planners gives us the inside scoop on the royal wedding.

HARRIS: What really goes on at the Grammys, he asked. We'll peek under the red carpet at the biggest night in the music industry with a guy who has been there.

From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris in for Miles O'Brien.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

But quickly, live pictures out of Rome, Pope John Paul II set to be released soon from hospital and returned to the Vatican. We'll keep you informed as we get the pictures.

Call it warning or boasts, declaration or unproved assertion. The mere combination of the words North Korea and nuclear weapons is setting off alarm bells in capitals around the world.

A statement from the North Korea News Service says the reclusive Stalinist government will bolster its nuclear arsenal and drop out of six-party talks aimed at keeping the peninsula nuke-free. Characteristically, Pyongyang blames the U.S. for, quote, "compelling that decision."

We get some context, not to mention fallout, from CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, President Bush today spending his time on the road in North Carolina, as well as Pennsylvania, to sell his Social Security reform plan. But of course, the White House is definitely keeping its eye on the developments in the so-called members of the axis of evil, North Korea as well as Iran.

Now, really, this has attracted attention from around the globe, North Korea's statements. We are talking about from Russia, China, Britain, as well as the United States. All of them saying they're engaged and want North Korea to be engaged in the six-party talks to give up its nuclear weapons programs.

The White House, of course, and other administration officials, however, are downplaying the significance of this. They are saying that they are used to hearing this kind of provocative language from North Korea, that this is not the first time it has said the walking away from the six-party talks.

But having said this, this is the first time that North Korea has explicitly and publicly admitted and acknowledged that it has a nuclear weapons program. Privately, it had said so last year to U.S. officials, but the Bush administration has been engaged and it continues to be engaged in these multiparty talks.

They say that North Korea is not going to get what it wants. That is a face-to-face one-on-one meeting with President Bush. Mr. Bush has not agreed to that. He believes that it is better to work within the group, that they'd be more effective.

And earlier today, we heard from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in her last leg of her European trip, explaining why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The North Koreans have been told by the president of the United States himself that the United States has no intention to attack or invade North Korea. The North Koreans have been told that they can have security assurances on a multilateral basis. Those security assurances would, of course, include the United States. If they are prepared to take a definitive decision to dismantle their nuclear weapons programs and to do so in a way that is verifiable.

So there is a path ahead for the North Koreans that will put them into a more reasonable relationship with the rest of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Kyra, of course, there is an active debate here in Washington whether or not the United States and President Bush in particular, should engage North Korea more, perhaps offer a carrot to renegotiate, to get back in those talks.

However, some White House officials believe that this is, in fact, a good sign. Because usually what they do is they'll pull out -- they'll threaten to pull out of these talks, really kind of strengthen their hand in negotiations, before they go back to the table -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Suzanne Malveaux, live from the White House, thanks so much.

And NATO is taking note of North Korea's bombshell at a meeting of the allied defense chiefs in the south of France. Participants include U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld who says he can't vouch for the truth of Pyongyang's declaration, but he isn't taking it lightly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Given their dictatorial regime and the repression of their own people, one has to worry about the weapons of that power in the hands of leadership of that nature. I don't think that anyone would characterize the leadership in that country as being restrained.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, it seems like only yesterday, because it was, that Iran was ticking loudest on the geopolitical Geiger counter and the Bush administration was looking to separate and distinct responses. Diplomacy is much preferred, officials say, but military action is never, never off the table.

And that brings us to CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

Hi, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Tony.

Well, in fact, diplomacy is first on the list. But in the unlikely event that there was some sort of military action against Iraq, excuse me, against Iran, and the U.S. troops had to face them on the battlefield, how would it all work?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): Iran's military has long made a show of training. Bold moves with land and Air Forces. The U.S. has thousands of troops it could send to invade Iran. How would they match up?

Top U.S. generals are facing the question of whether the Bush administration is planning for war. It is said just to be routine planning.

LT. GEN. LANCE SMITH, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: I haven't been called into any late-night meetings at, you know, 8 p.m. at night saying, "Holy cow, we've got to sit down and go plan for -- for Iran."

STARR: Iran has 540,000 troops, some 3,000 tanks and armored vehicles, another 3,000 artillery weapons and 300 combat aircraft. If there was war, what threat would Iranian forces pose? KENNETH KATZMAN, CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE: The Iranian military is not particularly capable. It's using generally old equipment. Their training, their expertise is not that proficient.

STARR: Experts say while Iran may be able to threaten its neighbors and briefly shut down Persian Gulf shipping, it would be no match for the U.S. military, which believes Iran would be unable to sustain a fight.

Experts say there are more than 100,000 revolutionary guard troops, but the rest are conscripts, poorly trained, without high motivation. The Air Force also has Russian and old U.S. fighters, but pilots have minimal proficiency.

But could the U.S. military, already stretched thin in Afghanistan and Iraq, really ever, if ordered, invade Iran, as it did in Iraq?

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You don't truly control any land, any capital, any regime, unless you put troops on the ground. And so if you go to that phase, it would require a robust capability from our military.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Tony, the bottom line here at the Pentagon, the top military officials say they are always prepared to carry out any options they are ordered to do, if they are ordered to do so, but they certainly hope it will not come to that -- Tony.

HARRIS: Barbara, I have to ask you, when we started to talk about another country's military capabilities, boy, doesn't it all begin to sound familiar all over again?

STARR: It always does. Here's the real bottom line at the Pentagon. The United States military, clearly, the reigning superpower in the world. Basically, the firepower to do whatever they are ordered to do. But all of it comes at a cost, and that's probably the big lesson of the war in Iraq.

HARRIS: Yes. OK, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, Barbara, thank you.

PHILLIPS: Live pictures again, once again, from Rome. You're looking at the pope's carriage, I guess you could say, that's getting ready to pick him up from the hospital. They're putting plastic over it to keep it -- keep the pope from getting cold, we are told.

As you know, Pope John Paul II will be released, since he's been checked in to Gemelli Hospital here in Rome on February 1 because of his breathing problems relating to a respiratory infection. He is set to leave about 1:30 Eastern Time, in about 20 minutes or so.

And according to a Vatican spokesperson, they say that the pope is cured of his breathing problems, and he also plans to send a letter of thanks to those who have cared for him while staying at the hospital. We'll continue to follow the live pictures, bring you more as we get them.

HARRIS: If you've had on the television, or radio or computer today, you've answered the phone, perhaps, or stuck your head out of the door, you already know the other story that's sending shockwaves around the world. Jump coming nuptials of two British middle-aged divorcees: Prince Charles and longtime companion, Camilla Parker Bowles.

A storybook romance it is not, but it's kept the tabloids in beer and crumpets for decades.

Paul Davies of Britain's Independent Television News takes us back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL DAVIES, ITV NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It was 35 years ago Charles and Camilla first met at a polio match at Windsor. Both were 23. But despite their mutual attraction, their road to the altar would be long and controversial.

First, of course they both married other people. In 1973, Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles became the then Camilla Shand's first husband.

Eight years later, the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer. This was not, however, the end of the relationship between Charles and Camilla.

Sensational newspaper stories based on taped telephone conversations between the two, the so-called "Camilla-gate" tape, exposed a continuing relationship.

After those revelations and Princess Diana's death, Camilla's name was known around the world. Even on a trip to Chile, she was asked about the relationship.

She learned to keep a diplomatic silence.

And at home, for years, she kept a diplomatic distance in public, at least. Until the night it was considered the country was ready to see the two as a couple, at the 50th birthday party of Camilla's sister at London's famous Ritz Hotel. That was 1999.

And since then, cautiously, step by step, they've moved to point where they feel ready to make today's announcement.

Paul Davies, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So what will this royal ceremony look like? Britain's most well known celebrity wedding planner says don't expect it to look like Prince Charles' first elaborate wedding. She's going to join us live from our London bureau to give us the scoop on a more low-key affair. Also ahead, they're backing up the pope mobile at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. Pope John Paul II set to go home in about 20 minutes. We're going to take you to Rome live.

And later, as we count down to the Grammys, we're going to talk with a musician who's been there, done that, and he lived to tell about it.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Live pictures once again from Rome. You're seeing the pope's staff get the pope mobile ready for the chance to him -- for him to finally come home from the hospital.

They're putting up the plastic just to make it warm and comfortable. It's quite cool right now outside the hospital grounds. So they're just preparing it to be warm and comfortable as the pope leaves the hospital.

As you know, Pope John Paul II had checked into the hospital on February 1 because of breathing problems relating to a respiratory infection. We're told he's supposed to leave within just a couple of minutes. You can see outside the hospital, the press and the supporters waiting to just get a glimpse of the pope as he is going to take a little bit of a vacation, I understand, after leaving hospital.

Alessio Vinci live from outside the hospital, he's with all the other journalists there, waiting to see the pope as he leaves.

Alessio what do you know about the time? Will it happen soon? And is he really going to take a two-week vacation?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

Well, we do expect the pope to emerge from the hospital any moment now. We heard no more than five minutes away. As you can see, everything is ready. The famous pope mobile is being warmed up.

As you can see, they put a plastic sheeting, as you were saying here. Obviously, Vatican officials and those organizing the logistical transfer of the pope, taking no chance here to leave even just a few seconds, the pope, outside.

As you know, he was hospitalized here 10 days ago with a serious and acute infection of his larynx. And that, we understand, according to a Vatican statement earlier today, was completely -- he's completely healed from that infection.

But of course, the pope remains extremely frail. He is a man; he's 84 years old. He's got a lot of ailments, including Parkinson's Disease. And therefore here, doctors and the Vatican officials organizing his transfer, are taking no chance, as well.

The pope is not going on a holiday, as a matter of fact. He's going to return to the Vatican. And we do expect to see him next time publicly on Sunday at 12 p.m. local time here in Rome, as he does every Sunday, delivering a prayer and a speech from the study, from the window of his private study at the apostolic palace.

However, as he does every year the beginning of Lent, he's going to go into a weeklong retreat. It's a spiritual retreat the pope takes every year at the beginning of Lent.

As you know, after 40 days of prayers and fasting, observed by all Christians around the world, we have Easter, which is an incredible taxing time. Pope John Paul II, who has a series of public events. So we do expect the pope taking his time between now and Easter, at the end of March, to recover, to gain some strength perhaps, because he's going to have a very, very, very difficult time ahead of himself.

You can see here now, I think, the pope being lifted up into the pope mobile. As you know, he no longer walks or stands on his own. He has to move around on a wheelchair, basically. And as you can see, there is a lot of people trying to help him out to do so. The plastic sheeting now has been removed.

The pope, sitting in his-- in his wheelchair, something that actually Vatican officials call a throne with wheels. It is quite cold here in Rome at this time, as you can see again...

PHILLIPS: Well, Alessio...

VINCI: Vatican officials taking no change here.

PHILLIPS: One thing you notice, Alessio, it doesn't look like he's, you know, hooked up to any oxygen or anything of that sort. I mean, I'm trying to get a pretty tight look. But he looks good. He's talking with folks. He's smiling, shaking hands. He actually looks like he's in really good condition, considering what he's been through.

VINCI: Absolutely. Absolutely. And considering that only on Sunday he could barely pronounce a few words, the pope, we are told, has regained completely his voice, normally. He celebrated a mass yesterday on Ash Wednesday. That means that he can speak. He can communicate with the outside world.

You can see him moving now away from the hospital. He does look in good spirits. He's well rested, obviously. He looks like he usually does. And -- and we have to believe what the Vatican is telling us, that he has completely -- that he has completely recovered from at least this respiratory infection.

We also understand that he went through some extensive medical tests in the last two days, including a CAT scan, which is a three dimensional x-ray. And we understand that that did not show up any other ailments, or new ailments. So Vatican officials and the doctors extremely confident that the pope, at least from this infection that he had in his larynx, has recuperated.

And as you can see, you would imagine that it's not the pope but royalty or a pop star is leaving the hospital. There are hundreds and hundreds of cameras and photographers around it, as well as many well wishers here. You can hear clapping.

Let's pause for a second to see this moment. Let's pause here a second.

PHILLIPS: Alessio, not only everybody outside of the hospital there is cheering him on and waving, but you told an incredible story from within the hospital, a little boy with cancer that came to visit the pope. Tell our viewers that story again. It was so wonderful.

VINCI: Kyra, it was a wonderful story yesterday. The pope was admitted to the 10th floor of the Gemelli Hospital, which is a public hospital here. Very near his room there is a pediatric ward for the young children undergoing cancer treatment. And the pope's personal secretary toured that ward, distributing some rosaries.

And one of the kids approached -- one of the children approached the secretary and asked if it was true that the pope was in the room next to his, because he had been knocking on the door all morning and nobody answered.

And so the secretary took the kid, brought him to the bed where the pope was, and he actually talked to the pope. He said, "Pope, make me feel well." And the pope delivered a special blessing to the little kid, telling him, "Bring back this blessing to the room and to all the children who are admitted in this hospital."

It was a really, really wonderful story. We understand that this kid is from southern Italy. He has already left the hospital. He was only here for a day with his parents. We've been trying to get a hold of his parents. But when we were there, they asked for -- you know, to be left alone. It's obviously a very difficult moment for that family, as well, to have a young kid, a young child, suffering from cancer. And therefore, we had to respect that.

But nevertheless, it was a very, very positive, beautiful story for us to tell in the last ten days, ever since the pope was admitted here, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Absolutely, Alessio. Stay with us, Alessio Vinci, just outside the hospital.

If you're just tuning in, Pope John Paul II leaving the hospital after a 10-day stay at Gemelli Hospital there in Rome. Quite an entourage.

John Allen, you know, there was so much talk about who would replace the pope and who would take over his responsibilities. There was a lot of controversy about that. He's leaving. He looks good. Do we just don't -- do we not even address that issue anymore?

JOHN ALLEN, VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, I don't think you can help but address it. I mean, every papal health crisis tends to beckon thoughts about what if, you know. What might happen if this were the end and who might step in?

But on the other hand, you know, they like to say around Rome that John Paul has outlived most of his potential successors. I mean, this is a remarkably resilient man. And despite his 84 years of age, despite his very difficult medical history, you know, this a very determined pope.

On the other hand, you know, the other note we ought to strike is that there is a tendency to over-interpret both John Paul's highs and lows. That is, when he catches cold, we start talking about the succession. When he has a good day, we start talking about his miraculous recovery.

You know, we shouldn't kid ourselves about the reality. The reality is that, despite the fact he appears to have pulled through here, this is a frail, this is a weak pope. And undoubtedly, the question of his capacity to do the things we normally associate with the papacy, things like traveling, things like presiding at ceremonies, things like speaking in public, all of that is going to remain a question mark in the days ahead.

PHILLIPS: Vatican correspondent John Allen, also, our Alessio Vinci, just outside the hospital there.

You're now looking at tape turned around just within the few seconds, Pope John Paul II leaving the hospital, waving to hundreds of supporters outside there, as he heads back to the Vatican.

What's next? Well, he's going on a spiritual retreat. We're going to continue to follow the pope, his release. We've got more LIVE FROM right after this.

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PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, the red carpet. The music. The Grammys. A musician who experienced it all. He gives us the inside scoop.

Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, a tribute to musical genius Ray Charles. Musician Billy Preston joins us live to talk about his upcoming Grammy tribute.

Later on LIVE FROM, you've seen the devastating genocide in the movie "Hotel Rwanda." Now, meet a doctor who is asking for your help to heal that country's deep wounds.

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HARRIS: In business news now, Wal-Mart is facing some more heat in its long-running battle with organized labor. Susan Lisovicz joins us now from the New York Stock Exchange with that story.

Hi, Susan.

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