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Missing Pregnant Woman's Vehicle Found in Ditch; More Rain, Mudslides in Southern California; Iraqi Politicians Debate Over New Leaders; Secret Bush Tapes Reveal Private Secrets; Hunter S. Thompson Dead by Own Hand

Aired February 21, 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.


TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: Mudslides, torrential rains, sinkholes, tornadoes. And it's not over yet in Southern California.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: Plus, President Bush overseas, hoping to repair the rift over Iraq while some taped revelations are making headlines on the home front. This hour, you'll hear from the man who made those tapes.

HARRIS: Are efforts by airlines to save money putting your safety at risk? Why some industry insiders say a booming business trend could be a big problem.

NGUYEN: And listen to this, Tony: the guest list, it is growing.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: Find out why Charles and Camilla will have to let you and me attend their royal wedding.

HARRIS: That's what I was waiting to hear.

NGUYEN: I'll have to find something to wear for that one.

HARRIS: OK.

NGUYEN: Welcome back to CNN. We're here with LIVE FROM today. I'm Betty Nguyen sitting in for Kyra Phillips.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Miles O'Brien worked the early shift, up before the crack of dawn. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

NGUYEN: Up first this afternoon, we are following a developing story in Texas. Police searching for a missing pregnant woman and her son have just found an important piece of evidence in this investigation. So we want to get right to it and go to CNN's Ed Lavandera live in Dallas.

Ed, what have they found?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, just a short while ago investigators here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area have found what they believe is a car connected to this case, a blue Durango in the town of Denton north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. That Durango partially submerged in a creek area. We understand that investigators are at that -- at that scene right now looking through there. But still there is no sign of 34- year-old Lisa Underwood and her 7-year-old son, Jayden.

Ms. Underwood is also seven months pregnant at this time. She was last seen Friday. Was supposed to have had a baby shower and a birthday party on Saturday, did not show up for those. Her family reported her missing Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday investigators were in her house in the Fort Worth area, where they say they have reason to believe that there might be foul play involved after combing through that house, as well.

The Amber Alert has been issued in this case. Investigators throughout Texas and in the four surrounding states have been alerted to this case. And they are on the search for Ms. Underwood and her 7- year-old son.

But at this point the news that -- you see there -- the investigators at that scene in the creek area in the town of Denton, just north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area -- Betty.

NGUYEN: That can be very important to this case, because the victim was supposed to have headed to a baby shower, as you mentioned, which was in north Fort Worth. Denton is about 30 minutes away. So all indications appear that this exactly was not on the way to this baby shower.

LAVANDERA: No, clearly, Denton is actually much further north of wherever she was supposed to have been going on -- on Saturday. And that's why those investigators are there. And that's also why the investigators have also alerted authorities in the surrounding states, perhaps that these -- that the clues might lead them outside of the state of Texas.

CNN's Ed Lavandera, we thank you for that information -- Tony.

HARRIS: Non-stop rain in the valleys, knee-deep snow in the mountains, tons of mud losing its grip on the mountains, threatening the valleys. Let's just call the whole thing off.

Southern California had all that and more barely a month ago. But another big storm brings another week of misery for many, injury and death for a few.

We get the latest from CNN's Miguel Marquez in Laguna Beach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in the hills of Laguna Beach above the ocean. You can see this house behind me. You can see that red tag right below the house number. That means the -- this house has been evacuated.

The problem is not this house but what's on the other side of it. This is somebody's backyard who's come tumbling down into the street here. The plastic has now been laid out over the hillside, trying to protect the soil below it from getting any more wet. You can see the house just precariously perched up above there.

At one point on the corner you can see right through the subfloor and into the house itself. The people also hanging sand bags off the side, trying to keep those sheets down, those plastic sheets down so that the soil doesn't get more soaked than it already is.

Three deaths are being blamed on this storm so far. And there is only more rain in the forecast.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Laguna Beach, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Let's try to get the big picture on all this now from CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.

Jacqui, I guess the first question is, when might this all stop?

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Jacqui, thank you.

NGUYEN: The weather in Brussels today was less than hospitable. But inside this 19th Century banquet hall that we're about to show you, the atmosphere was warm and the forecast bright as President Bush delivered his first big speech of his first trip abroad since winning re-election.

As you may have seen live here on CNN, Mr. Bush envisioned a new era of transatlantic unity that can be an example to the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In a new century the alliance of Europe and North America is the main pillar of our security. Our robust trade is one of the engines of the world's economy. Our example of economic and political freedom gives hope to millions who are weary of poverty and oppression.

In all these ways, our strong friendship is essential to peace and prosperity across the globe. And no temporary debate, no passing disagreement of governments, no power on earth will ever divide us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: OK. So can the problems between the U.S. and some European governments be solved? And is this the way to do it? Opinions from our guests later this hour as we go in-depth on the president's European trip.

HARRIS: And Betty, in contrast to the president's message, the latest video appearance of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's right- hand man. A snippet from yesterday aired on al Jazeera warns U.S. efforts to spread democracy throughout the world will end in disaster for the west. Western security, al-Zawahiri says, depends on due respect for Muslims and an end to foreign occupation.

There is some indication the tape was made recently, but there is no way to know for sure.

HARRIS: Is the U.S. speaking privately while carrying a big stick in Iraq? Well, "TIME" magazine reports U.S. officials or envoys are reaching out to insurgents whom the U.S. and Iraqi militaries have been unable to pacify.

"TIME" correspondent Michael Ware says the dialogue in its early stages and the goal for Americans is huge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL WARE, "TIME" MAGAZINE: The U.S. embassy has explained the strategy to me by saying that the -- the point is to try and split the insurgency, to -- to cleave away the insurgents, the home-grown guerrillas, from the foreign fighters, the terrorists, the Islamic militants.

Remember, these two groups want entirely different things. The terrorists, or the militants, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, want to fight the infidel west, and they want to create an Islamic state. That's not what the Ba'athists and the guerrillas want. They want a secular democracy.

And as senior embassy officials say, this is a marriage of convenience and they're now hoping about to bring about a divorce.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A U.S. Diplomat in Iraq tells CNN it's Iraqi officials who are undertaking these talks. And he is unaware of any direct U.S. involvement.

HARRIS: In Baghdad today, another roadside bomb killed three G.I.'s who were trying to load an injured comrade onto a helicopter. More on that now and on the emerging face of the new Iraqi government from CNN senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, U.S. officials say the deaths occurred about 8 a.m. in the morning when a medical evacuation was underway. A convoy traveling towards Baghdad just reaching the outskirts of Baghdad was in some kind of traffic accident. It was a medical evacuation of a wounded soldier. Then a roadside bomb went off. That killed three soldiers and wounded eight others.

This has been a day, as well, where the political process has really been stuttering slowly forward. In the early part of the day, there were indications from the United Iraqi Alliance party, the main Shia-Muslim bloc within the new Iraqi International Assembly, indicating that perhaps they were on the verge after a meeting today, on the verge of announcing who would be prime minister or at least who would be their nominations for prime minister and for some of the other key ministries.

There are two prime candidates for prime minister right now: Ibrahim al-Jaafari, seen as a moderate, seen as a unifying figure within the party. His spokesman indicating that they were getting very close to a deal.

Ahmed Chalabi, the other candidate, not viewed quite so favorably by the Iraqi people, not seen as somebody who is as trustworthy as some of the other candidates. At least that's what Iraqi people tell us.

His spokesman saying that Chalabi was very -- had a lot of support within the national assembly, could be a very realistic candidate for the prime minister's job. Indeed, he said that he didn't think that there would be a final outcome -- a final decision on who would be prime minister through the day.

And by end of the day, that seemed to be clear, that there was no agreement. Spokesmen saying it would be at least several days before final agreement was reached.

And the indications at this time, at least, are even when the United Iraqi Alliance has made their nominations, it still has to be -- it still has to be accepted, if you will, by the Kurdish alliance. They still have a say in who will get to be prime minister and who will get to be the other -- who will take up the positions within the other ministries.

Also, we've heard from prime minister -- current Prime Minister Ayad Allawi today, saying that he thinks it's very important that whoever gets into the government at this time is going to be -- is going to be a moderate and is going to be somebody who can help bring in the Sunnis, who have been largely marginalized by this process.

And the current prime minister, Allawi, also saying that he expected the new government to be more Islamist in its views and outlook than the current government at this time.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: In other news, secret tapes of President Bush get a very public airing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG WEAD, FORMER ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BUSH: I didn't want them to become public.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN: Why not?

WEAD: Well, they're personal. They were a personal record for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: As you can see, the author who made them speaks out on CNN. That's just ahead.

Plus, will Charles and Camilla's wedding be legal? A minister plans a formal objection during that ceremony.

And ahead, an icon of the counter culture portrayed in film by Bill Murray and Johnny Depp. Author Hunter S. Thompson apparently takes his own life. We'll look at what an interesting life it was.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, a whole lot of talking going on today about the words of George W. Bush. Doug Wead, a former adviser to the senior President Bush, taped some private conversations he had with Mr. Bush back in the late '90s.

But Wead neglected to tell the then-Texas governor he was recording the comments, which are now included in an upcoming book about presidential childhoods.

In the tapes, Mr. Bush appears to admit to past drug use.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Well, Doug, but it's not, it doesn't matter, cocaine. It'd be the same the marijuana. I wouldn't answer the marijuana question. You know why? Cause I don't want some little kid doing what I'd tried.

WEAD: Yes. And it never stops.

BUSH: But you've got to understand. I want to be president. I want to lead. I want to set -- do you want your little kid to say, "Hey, Daddy, President Bush tried marijuana. I think I will."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So today on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," Wead said he never intended for the tapes to become public.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: This was information used in a book, which is out now. And as I understand it, you didn't expect these recordings to become public? Is that true?

WEAD: I didn't want them to become public.

O'BRIEN: Why not? WEAD: They're personal. They were a personal record for me. I started taking notes on the recordings. At one point he said -- or on the conversations. At one point he said, "You can write a book in 30 days. Can't you?" I'd ghost written a book for his father. I thought that might be coming. I thought I better get started. And he was having me run interference on some news stories, and I wanted a record of that so I could play it back and hear exactly what he wanted.

O'BRIEN: All right. And did you tell at that time Governor Bush that those phone calls were being recorded?

WEAD: No, I didn't.

O'BRIEN: Why not?

WEAD: Well, they were never going to be made public as far as I was concerned, and they were helping me do a better job for him to know exactly what he wanted.

O'BRIEN: Yes, but as a courtesy to him, wouldn't you look say, look, I want to make sure we get this straight? I'll be taping.

WEAD: He would have been afraid that something like this would have happened. And I guess I was pretty naive. But...

O'BRIEN: Naive about what?

WEAD: Naive that they would become public like this.

O'BRIEN: All right. As far as the substance of the tapes, there's not a lot of news broken.

WEAD: No. I think the fact...

O'BRIEN: But you left with the distinct impression that the president of the United States at one time used cocaine or marijuana.

WEAD: Well, it's an irrelevant point to me. Because...

O'BRIEN: Why is that irrelevant?

WEAD: Because he -- he's already said he was young and irresponsible, and that established the point I needed to make in my book about the man in the shadows. And the feeling -- my feeling was that, because of his indiscretions as a young person, it took the pressure off him, the expectations that he would have to achieve and lift up to the -- this Bush image, five generations.

O'BRIEN: So you draw no conclusion, then, on the drug use, and you think that doesn't matter one bit at all?

WEAD: Well, I think it matters that he was young and irresponsible. I think that's a key to his life. I think that's why the spotlight turned to Jeb and all the attention was on Jeb, because he was expected to become this great figure, and George was not. And with the pressure off him...

O'BRIEN: Yes.

WEAD: ... he found Laura. He found his faith. He, in a ten- year period became a millionaire and governor of Texas, president of the United States.

O'BRIEN: Let's listen to another excerpt. This one, once again CNN has obtained this through the good graces of ABC News. Let's listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

WEAD: He's saying you promised you would not appoint gays to office.

BUSH: No, what I said was I wouldn't fire gays. I'm not going to discriminate against people.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. Put that one in context for us. Will you?

WEAD: Well, what he says publicly, he says privately. And there are some pundits that today are saying that will hurt him with conservatives. Well, conservatives -- evangelicals don't want to kick gays. I mean, this isn't going to hurt him politically at all.

O'BRIEN: You don't think this changes anything then?

WEAD: No, I don't. I think he's the same privately as he is publicly, with some differences. There are some differences. I remember during the campaign I called him up and I said, "Governor, you're being parodied on 'Saturday Night Live.' They're portraying you as dumb."

He said, "Good."

So I think the media is beginning to catch up a little bit on his -- how strategic and self-disciplined he is.

O'BRIEN: All right. Final thought here. Final quote in "The New York Times" piece, from you "I just felt the historical point I was making trumped the personal relationship. I will always be friendly toward him."

I suppose somebody watching this would say with somebody with friends like you, Mr. Bush doesn't need enemies.

WEAD: Well, this isn't about money. I could sell the tapes. You've only seen little...

O'BRIEN: It's going to help your book, isn't it?

WEAD: Well, my book could have been released before the election. It would have been a runaway best seller. It would have been driven by partisan...

O'BRIEN: But clearly people are going to look for that book today after seeing this. Right?

WEAD: My publicist said I lost $1 million by delaying the book after the election, where it would have been driven by partisan interest. But I hope it sells. I'm a historian, and he's president. And he has to lead. He has to set an example. I had to write about the Roosevelts, the Kennedys, the Bushes. I attempted to vet the stories with all three families.

O'BRIEN: Is the president your friend still?

WEAD: He's my friend, yes.

O'BRIEN: All right. Douglas Wead, thank you very much. Appreciate your time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: So what do you think about this entire story? Does it bother that you George Bush was secretly taped? Are you at all upset about what he said? Send us your thoughts at LiveFrom@CNN.com. And we'll be checking out your e-mails a little later in the program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, fundraisers in chief. Former presidents take a hands-on approach in the tsunami zone.

Later on LIVE FROM...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I call it execution before prosecution.

HARRIS: ... tasers under fire. Some police departments are putting the use of stun guns on hold following the death of suspects. Are they safe?

Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, countdown to the Oscars. Hollywood insider and former chairman of the Motion Picture Association, Jack Valenti, joins us with his favorite Oscar moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: You know, they say politics makes strange bedfellows. And former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush are proving the point. The foes of the 1992 presidential election are now being called the "Odd Couple" of U.S. tsunami relief efforts.

As they tour South Asia, the former presidents are bonding over a mission that Mr. Bush calls bigger than politics. And in a touching moment, some children gave the former presidents drawings of the December 26 tragedy.

HARRIS: Hunter S. Thompson gave the world gonzo journalism, a genre combining one man's fearless search for the truth with a singularly twisted point of view. Drugs and alcohol accounted for much of that twisting, but it was a gun that took Thompson's life, and it was Thompson himself at the trigger.

The 67-year-old writer, novelist, force of nature was found dead yesterday at his Colorado compound.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS (voice-over): Thompson and guns went together like Thompson and, well pretty much any mind altering compound, if you believe the legend. The legend himself once said he couldn't have reached middle age if all the stories were true.

But exaggeration, alteration, inebriation, perhaps here and there some fabrication, served Thompson well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sky was full of what looked like huge bats.

HARRIS: That's from the C.D. released on the 25th anniversary of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," first seen in the pages of "Rolling Stone" under the authorship of Raoul Duke.

HUNTER S. THOMPSON, WRITER: Well, it was like stepping on a bar of soap, in a way, that that part of this book shot out.

HARRIS: For the record, Thompson was the model for Doonsbury's "Uncle Duke." And yes, he hated it for years. Eventually though, uncharacteristically, he made his peace with it.

Not so what Thompson considered invaders to his beloved Aspen, Colorado. In the early '90s, from his so-called fortified compound in Woody Creek, Thompson unloaded on posters symbolizing the rich and famous who were crowding his mountains.

THOMPSON: That's the way it works. That is good. That really is pleasing.

Subtlety is really the hallmark of my art.

HARRIS: Sure enough, Thompson's art sold in a local gallery for $20,000-plus a pop. Still, he was no Ralph Steadman. And the man who provided the graphic interpretations of four decades of gonzo journalism says Thompson wouldn't have been Thompson without him.

RALPH STEADMAN, ARTIST: You know, that book would never have happened if it had not for my illustrations. Believe me. Because nobody reads a filthy word. Do they?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oscar Wilde says, "I saved my talent for my writing. I save my genius for my lifestyle." And that's Hunter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: President Bush today taking his olive branch to Europe. Or is he? What's happening in these meetings and what will it mean for U.S. and the nations of old Europe? We'll get the pros and cons from a couple of pros. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired February 21, 2005 - 13:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CO-HOST: Mudslides, torrential rains, sinkholes, tornadoes. And it's not over yet in Southern California.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: Plus, President Bush overseas, hoping to repair the rift over Iraq while some taped revelations are making headlines on the home front. This hour, you'll hear from the man who made those tapes.

HARRIS: Are efforts by airlines to save money putting your safety at risk? Why some industry insiders say a booming business trend could be a big problem.

NGUYEN: And listen to this, Tony: the guest list, it is growing.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: Find out why Charles and Camilla will have to let you and me attend their royal wedding.

HARRIS: That's what I was waiting to hear.

NGUYEN: I'll have to find something to wear for that one.

HARRIS: OK.

NGUYEN: Welcome back to CNN. We're here with LIVE FROM today. I'm Betty Nguyen sitting in for Kyra Phillips.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Miles O'Brien worked the early shift, up before the crack of dawn. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

NGUYEN: Up first this afternoon, we are following a developing story in Texas. Police searching for a missing pregnant woman and her son have just found an important piece of evidence in this investigation. So we want to get right to it and go to CNN's Ed Lavandera live in Dallas.

Ed, what have they found?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, just a short while ago investigators here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area have found what they believe is a car connected to this case, a blue Durango in the town of Denton north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. That Durango partially submerged in a creek area. We understand that investigators are at that -- at that scene right now looking through there. But still there is no sign of 34- year-old Lisa Underwood and her 7-year-old son, Jayden.

Ms. Underwood is also seven months pregnant at this time. She was last seen Friday. Was supposed to have had a baby shower and a birthday party on Saturday, did not show up for those. Her family reported her missing Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday investigators were in her house in the Fort Worth area, where they say they have reason to believe that there might be foul play involved after combing through that house, as well.

The Amber Alert has been issued in this case. Investigators throughout Texas and in the four surrounding states have been alerted to this case. And they are on the search for Ms. Underwood and her 7- year-old son.

But at this point the news that -- you see there -- the investigators at that scene in the creek area in the town of Denton, just north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area -- Betty.

NGUYEN: That can be very important to this case, because the victim was supposed to have headed to a baby shower, as you mentioned, which was in north Fort Worth. Denton is about 30 minutes away. So all indications appear that this exactly was not on the way to this baby shower.

LAVANDERA: No, clearly, Denton is actually much further north of wherever she was supposed to have been going on -- on Saturday. And that's why those investigators are there. And that's also why the investigators have also alerted authorities in the surrounding states, perhaps that these -- that the clues might lead them outside of the state of Texas.

CNN's Ed Lavandera, we thank you for that information -- Tony.

HARRIS: Non-stop rain in the valleys, knee-deep snow in the mountains, tons of mud losing its grip on the mountains, threatening the valleys. Let's just call the whole thing off.

Southern California had all that and more barely a month ago. But another big storm brings another week of misery for many, injury and death for a few.

We get the latest from CNN's Miguel Marquez in Laguna Beach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in the hills of Laguna Beach above the ocean. You can see this house behind me. You can see that red tag right below the house number. That means the -- this house has been evacuated.

The problem is not this house but what's on the other side of it. This is somebody's backyard who's come tumbling down into the street here. The plastic has now been laid out over the hillside, trying to protect the soil below it from getting any more wet. You can see the house just precariously perched up above there.

At one point on the corner you can see right through the subfloor and into the house itself. The people also hanging sand bags off the side, trying to keep those sheets down, those plastic sheets down so that the soil doesn't get more soaked than it already is.

Three deaths are being blamed on this storm so far. And there is only more rain in the forecast.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Laguna Beach, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Let's try to get the big picture on all this now from CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.

Jacqui, I guess the first question is, when might this all stop?

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Jacqui, thank you.

NGUYEN: The weather in Brussels today was less than hospitable. But inside this 19th Century banquet hall that we're about to show you, the atmosphere was warm and the forecast bright as President Bush delivered his first big speech of his first trip abroad since winning re-election.

As you may have seen live here on CNN, Mr. Bush envisioned a new era of transatlantic unity that can be an example to the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In a new century the alliance of Europe and North America is the main pillar of our security. Our robust trade is one of the engines of the world's economy. Our example of economic and political freedom gives hope to millions who are weary of poverty and oppression.

In all these ways, our strong friendship is essential to peace and prosperity across the globe. And no temporary debate, no passing disagreement of governments, no power on earth will ever divide us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: OK. So can the problems between the U.S. and some European governments be solved? And is this the way to do it? Opinions from our guests later this hour as we go in-depth on the president's European trip.

HARRIS: And Betty, in contrast to the president's message, the latest video appearance of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's right- hand man. A snippet from yesterday aired on al Jazeera warns U.S. efforts to spread democracy throughout the world will end in disaster for the west. Western security, al-Zawahiri says, depends on due respect for Muslims and an end to foreign occupation.

There is some indication the tape was made recently, but there is no way to know for sure.

HARRIS: Is the U.S. speaking privately while carrying a big stick in Iraq? Well, "TIME" magazine reports U.S. officials or envoys are reaching out to insurgents whom the U.S. and Iraqi militaries have been unable to pacify.

"TIME" correspondent Michael Ware says the dialogue in its early stages and the goal for Americans is huge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL WARE, "TIME" MAGAZINE: The U.S. embassy has explained the strategy to me by saying that the -- the point is to try and split the insurgency, to -- to cleave away the insurgents, the home-grown guerrillas, from the foreign fighters, the terrorists, the Islamic militants.

Remember, these two groups want entirely different things. The terrorists, or the militants, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, want to fight the infidel west, and they want to create an Islamic state. That's not what the Ba'athists and the guerrillas want. They want a secular democracy.

And as senior embassy officials say, this is a marriage of convenience and they're now hoping about to bring about a divorce.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A U.S. Diplomat in Iraq tells CNN it's Iraqi officials who are undertaking these talks. And he is unaware of any direct U.S. involvement.

HARRIS: In Baghdad today, another roadside bomb killed three G.I.'s who were trying to load an injured comrade onto a helicopter. More on that now and on the emerging face of the new Iraqi government from CNN senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, U.S. officials say the deaths occurred about 8 a.m. in the morning when a medical evacuation was underway. A convoy traveling towards Baghdad just reaching the outskirts of Baghdad was in some kind of traffic accident. It was a medical evacuation of a wounded soldier. Then a roadside bomb went off. That killed three soldiers and wounded eight others.

This has been a day, as well, where the political process has really been stuttering slowly forward. In the early part of the day, there were indications from the United Iraqi Alliance party, the main Shia-Muslim bloc within the new Iraqi International Assembly, indicating that perhaps they were on the verge after a meeting today, on the verge of announcing who would be prime minister or at least who would be their nominations for prime minister and for some of the other key ministries.

There are two prime candidates for prime minister right now: Ibrahim al-Jaafari, seen as a moderate, seen as a unifying figure within the party. His spokesman indicating that they were getting very close to a deal.

Ahmed Chalabi, the other candidate, not viewed quite so favorably by the Iraqi people, not seen as somebody who is as trustworthy as some of the other candidates. At least that's what Iraqi people tell us.

His spokesman saying that Chalabi was very -- had a lot of support within the national assembly, could be a very realistic candidate for the prime minister's job. Indeed, he said that he didn't think that there would be a final outcome -- a final decision on who would be prime minister through the day.

And by end of the day, that seemed to be clear, that there was no agreement. Spokesmen saying it would be at least several days before final agreement was reached.

And the indications at this time, at least, are even when the United Iraqi Alliance has made their nominations, it still has to be -- it still has to be accepted, if you will, by the Kurdish alliance. They still have a say in who will get to be prime minister and who will get to be the other -- who will take up the positions within the other ministries.

Also, we've heard from prime minister -- current Prime Minister Ayad Allawi today, saying that he thinks it's very important that whoever gets into the government at this time is going to be -- is going to be a moderate and is going to be somebody who can help bring in the Sunnis, who have been largely marginalized by this process.

And the current prime minister, Allawi, also saying that he expected the new government to be more Islamist in its views and outlook than the current government at this time.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: In other news, secret tapes of President Bush get a very public airing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUG WEAD, FORMER ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BUSH: I didn't want them to become public.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN: Why not?

WEAD: Well, they're personal. They were a personal record for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: As you can see, the author who made them speaks out on CNN. That's just ahead.

Plus, will Charles and Camilla's wedding be legal? A minister plans a formal objection during that ceremony.

And ahead, an icon of the counter culture portrayed in film by Bill Murray and Johnny Depp. Author Hunter S. Thompson apparently takes his own life. We'll look at what an interesting life it was.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, a whole lot of talking going on today about the words of George W. Bush. Doug Wead, a former adviser to the senior President Bush, taped some private conversations he had with Mr. Bush back in the late '90s.

But Wead neglected to tell the then-Texas governor he was recording the comments, which are now included in an upcoming book about presidential childhoods.

In the tapes, Mr. Bush appears to admit to past drug use.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Well, Doug, but it's not, it doesn't matter, cocaine. It'd be the same the marijuana. I wouldn't answer the marijuana question. You know why? Cause I don't want some little kid doing what I'd tried.

WEAD: Yes. And it never stops.

BUSH: But you've got to understand. I want to be president. I want to lead. I want to set -- do you want your little kid to say, "Hey, Daddy, President Bush tried marijuana. I think I will."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So today on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," Wead said he never intended for the tapes to become public.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: This was information used in a book, which is out now. And as I understand it, you didn't expect these recordings to become public? Is that true?

WEAD: I didn't want them to become public.

O'BRIEN: Why not? WEAD: They're personal. They were a personal record for me. I started taking notes on the recordings. At one point he said -- or on the conversations. At one point he said, "You can write a book in 30 days. Can't you?" I'd ghost written a book for his father. I thought that might be coming. I thought I better get started. And he was having me run interference on some news stories, and I wanted a record of that so I could play it back and hear exactly what he wanted.

O'BRIEN: All right. And did you tell at that time Governor Bush that those phone calls were being recorded?

WEAD: No, I didn't.

O'BRIEN: Why not?

WEAD: Well, they were never going to be made public as far as I was concerned, and they were helping me do a better job for him to know exactly what he wanted.

O'BRIEN: Yes, but as a courtesy to him, wouldn't you look say, look, I want to make sure we get this straight? I'll be taping.

WEAD: He would have been afraid that something like this would have happened. And I guess I was pretty naive. But...

O'BRIEN: Naive about what?

WEAD: Naive that they would become public like this.

O'BRIEN: All right. As far as the substance of the tapes, there's not a lot of news broken.

WEAD: No. I think the fact...

O'BRIEN: But you left with the distinct impression that the president of the United States at one time used cocaine or marijuana.

WEAD: Well, it's an irrelevant point to me. Because...

O'BRIEN: Why is that irrelevant?

WEAD: Because he -- he's already said he was young and irresponsible, and that established the point I needed to make in my book about the man in the shadows. And the feeling -- my feeling was that, because of his indiscretions as a young person, it took the pressure off him, the expectations that he would have to achieve and lift up to the -- this Bush image, five generations.

O'BRIEN: So you draw no conclusion, then, on the drug use, and you think that doesn't matter one bit at all?

WEAD: Well, I think it matters that he was young and irresponsible. I think that's a key to his life. I think that's why the spotlight turned to Jeb and all the attention was on Jeb, because he was expected to become this great figure, and George was not. And with the pressure off him...

O'BRIEN: Yes.

WEAD: ... he found Laura. He found his faith. He, in a ten- year period became a millionaire and governor of Texas, president of the United States.

O'BRIEN: Let's listen to another excerpt. This one, once again CNN has obtained this through the good graces of ABC News. Let's listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

WEAD: He's saying you promised you would not appoint gays to office.

BUSH: No, what I said was I wouldn't fire gays. I'm not going to discriminate against people.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. Put that one in context for us. Will you?

WEAD: Well, what he says publicly, he says privately. And there are some pundits that today are saying that will hurt him with conservatives. Well, conservatives -- evangelicals don't want to kick gays. I mean, this isn't going to hurt him politically at all.

O'BRIEN: You don't think this changes anything then?

WEAD: No, I don't. I think he's the same privately as he is publicly, with some differences. There are some differences. I remember during the campaign I called him up and I said, "Governor, you're being parodied on 'Saturday Night Live.' They're portraying you as dumb."

He said, "Good."

So I think the media is beginning to catch up a little bit on his -- how strategic and self-disciplined he is.

O'BRIEN: All right. Final thought here. Final quote in "The New York Times" piece, from you "I just felt the historical point I was making trumped the personal relationship. I will always be friendly toward him."

I suppose somebody watching this would say with somebody with friends like you, Mr. Bush doesn't need enemies.

WEAD: Well, this isn't about money. I could sell the tapes. You've only seen little...

O'BRIEN: It's going to help your book, isn't it?

WEAD: Well, my book could have been released before the election. It would have been a runaway best seller. It would have been driven by partisan...

O'BRIEN: But clearly people are going to look for that book today after seeing this. Right?

WEAD: My publicist said I lost $1 million by delaying the book after the election, where it would have been driven by partisan interest. But I hope it sells. I'm a historian, and he's president. And he has to lead. He has to set an example. I had to write about the Roosevelts, the Kennedys, the Bushes. I attempted to vet the stories with all three families.

O'BRIEN: Is the president your friend still?

WEAD: He's my friend, yes.

O'BRIEN: All right. Douglas Wead, thank you very much. Appreciate your time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: So what do you think about this entire story? Does it bother that you George Bush was secretly taped? Are you at all upset about what he said? Send us your thoughts at LiveFrom@CNN.com. And we'll be checking out your e-mails a little later in the program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, fundraisers in chief. Former presidents take a hands-on approach in the tsunami zone.

Later on LIVE FROM...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I call it execution before prosecution.

HARRIS: ... tasers under fire. Some police departments are putting the use of stun guns on hold following the death of suspects. Are they safe?

Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, countdown to the Oscars. Hollywood insider and former chairman of the Motion Picture Association, Jack Valenti, joins us with his favorite Oscar moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: You know, they say politics makes strange bedfellows. And former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush are proving the point. The foes of the 1992 presidential election are now being called the "Odd Couple" of U.S. tsunami relief efforts.

As they tour South Asia, the former presidents are bonding over a mission that Mr. Bush calls bigger than politics. And in a touching moment, some children gave the former presidents drawings of the December 26 tragedy.

HARRIS: Hunter S. Thompson gave the world gonzo journalism, a genre combining one man's fearless search for the truth with a singularly twisted point of view. Drugs and alcohol accounted for much of that twisting, but it was a gun that took Thompson's life, and it was Thompson himself at the trigger.

The 67-year-old writer, novelist, force of nature was found dead yesterday at his Colorado compound.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS (voice-over): Thompson and guns went together like Thompson and, well pretty much any mind altering compound, if you believe the legend. The legend himself once said he couldn't have reached middle age if all the stories were true.

But exaggeration, alteration, inebriation, perhaps here and there some fabrication, served Thompson well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sky was full of what looked like huge bats.

HARRIS: That's from the C.D. released on the 25th anniversary of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," first seen in the pages of "Rolling Stone" under the authorship of Raoul Duke.

HUNTER S. THOMPSON, WRITER: Well, it was like stepping on a bar of soap, in a way, that that part of this book shot out.

HARRIS: For the record, Thompson was the model for Doonsbury's "Uncle Duke." And yes, he hated it for years. Eventually though, uncharacteristically, he made his peace with it.

Not so what Thompson considered invaders to his beloved Aspen, Colorado. In the early '90s, from his so-called fortified compound in Woody Creek, Thompson unloaded on posters symbolizing the rich and famous who were crowding his mountains.

THOMPSON: That's the way it works. That is good. That really is pleasing.

Subtlety is really the hallmark of my art.

HARRIS: Sure enough, Thompson's art sold in a local gallery for $20,000-plus a pop. Still, he was no Ralph Steadman. And the man who provided the graphic interpretations of four decades of gonzo journalism says Thompson wouldn't have been Thompson without him.

RALPH STEADMAN, ARTIST: You know, that book would never have happened if it had not for my illustrations. Believe me. Because nobody reads a filthy word. Do they?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oscar Wilde says, "I saved my talent for my writing. I save my genius for my lifestyle." And that's Hunter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: President Bush today taking his olive branch to Europe. Or is he? What's happening in these meetings and what will it mean for U.S. and the nations of old Europe? We'll get the pros and cons from a couple of pros. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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