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Terms of Endangerment; Ohio Mourns

Aired August 04, 2005 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Message from a terrorist: it will get worse for America. Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant speaks out.
Deadly attacks in Iraq inflicting a heavy toll. Will U.S. forces be able to keep up with changing tactics?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nathan was always a giver. He was never a taker. And, as always, he's made the ultimate sacrifice, just like always.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And this hour, saluting the service men and women making that ultimate sacrifice.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Terms of endangerment? Well, the vitriolic second in command to Osama bin Laden is back on the air waves with grim new threats and prophesies against the U.S. and Britain. Ayman al-Zawahiri says that the attacks of 9/11 will seem like nothing compared to what's in store, and he blames the British prime minister, Tony Blair, for the bombings last month in London.

He does not claim responsibility for those attacks, in so many words for al Qaeda. Nor does the mention -- nor does he mention, rather, the recent bombings in Egypt, his own native land, leading experts to speculate the tape was made before July 23.

From his working vacation in Texas, President Bush vows to stay on the offense against al-Zawahiri, and all that he represents.

CNN's Elaine Quijano joins me now from Crawford -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra.

That's right, President Bush today did repeat his vow to stay on the offense, as you mentioned, in the war on terror. And the president today pointed to the comment of al Qaeda's number two man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, as part of the reason why.

Now, the president made his remarks during a visit with the Colombian president, Alvaro Uribe, at the Bush ranch here in Texas. The president reiterating his commitment to fighting insurgents. And he left little doubt he views the conflict as a war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're defeating the terrorists in a place like Iraq so we don't have to face them here at home. And as well, we're spreading democracy and freedom to parts of the world that are desperate for democracy and freedom. The comments by the number two man of al Qaeda make it clear that Iraq is a part of this war on terror. And we're at war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, Mr. Bush also said that people like Zawahiri have an ideology that he called dark, dim and backwards. The president saying Zawahiri was part of the group that attacked the United States on September 11, and that part of the goal is to drive the U.S. out of the broader Middle East. But the president remaining firm and remaining defiant in the face of these latest comments.

The president, though, also striking a much softer tone, taking the opportunity to offer words of comfort to the families of fallen U.S. troops. In particular, the president today reaching out to people of Brook Park, Ohio, a community that President Bush said has suffered mightily in recent days -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano, live from Crawford, Texas. Thank you.

Similar, if not identical, targets. Similar, if not identical, intended victims, two weeks apart to that day. Copycat, maybe. But Scotland Yard tells CNN there's no apparent connect, at least not yet, between the catastrophic attacks of 7/7 and the failed attacks of 7/21.

A suspect in the latter plot currently being held in Italy reportedly told investigators the same thing. Police add they can't say anything categorically this early in the process.

A civil liberties group is challenging security measures in New York after the recent transit bombings in London. New York -- New York, rather -- police have begun searching bags and packages in the city's subway system. And today, the New York Civil Liberties Union charged million of people are being subjected to searches without proper suspicion.

The group is now filing suit in federal court. We're going to follow it.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

The growing threat to American forces on the ground in Iraq has become painfully clear. In the last five days, 27 American troops have been killed there. A majority of them were Marines.

Nowhere is the tragedy being felt deeper than in Ohio right now. A battalion based in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park lost more than a dozen members just this week.

CNN's Keith Oppenheim has been talking to many of the victim's families -- Keith.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

And first, I'm going to show you this makeshift memorial at the Marines Reserve Center here in Brook Park, outside of Cleveland. It is a memorial that continues to grow, with balloons and flags and flowers. Down here you can see that there are a bunch of wreaths that people have put down here. All really an expression of the sorrow that a lot of folks are feeling because of what has happened in Iraq.

I spoke to one family, Kyra, that was quite upset. And not just about the loss of their son, a Marine, but also quite upset about continued presence of U.S. troops in Iraq.

This family lost Edward August Schroeder, a 23-year-old Marine from the Cleveland. And he was nicknamed Augie.

Augie Schroeder was one of 14 Marines killed by a roadside bomb near the city of Hadithah on Wednesday. His parents, Paul Schroeder and Rosemary Palmer, as well as his sister Amanda, talked to us about their emotional devastation, as well as why these fatalities are prompting them to speak out against U.S. strategy in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSEMARY PALMER, MOTHER OF MARINE KILLED: You know, we have to stop. You know, like, we can't just continue throwing the kids away. And that's what we're doing. We're just throwing bodies at them, and it's time to stop that, and, you know, to start -- start looking at what we're doing. Let's open our eyes.

PAUL SCHROEDER, FATHER OF MARINE KILLED: Where do you cut your losses? If you know you've made a mistake, then you should cut your losses no matter what sacrifice has been made. You're not dishonoring those who have made the sacrifice.

AMANDA SCHROEDER, SISTER OF MARINE KILLED: It's not real to me yet. I mean, to me, like, he's still over there and he's going to call, and this is all going to be a nightmare, you know. But it's going to be really bad, and it's going to be really hard. And, I mean, I think that we'll get through it, but none of us are ever going to be the same.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OPPENHEIM: The Schroeder-Palmer family, Kyra, is quick to point out that they have no gripe with the U.S. Marines. They've been very supportive of their son's involvement with the Marines. Their gripe really is more with U.S. policy.

A couple of other things I should mention is that there are a number of memorial-type services that are coming up. In fact, in an hour here, Brook Park officials will be having a wreath-laying ceremony.

Tomorrow in Cleveland, at noon, there's going to be another similar type event in a park in Cleveland.

And then on Monday, also in Brook Park, there's going to be a rather large event. We're told it could be attended between 5,000 and 10,000 people at a large center near here. Again, memorializing what's taken place.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Keith, I tell you what, let us know when that wreath- laying ceremony starts, and we'll try to take a look at a little bit of that live. So just let us know, OK?

OPPENHEIM: OK, sure.

PHILLIPS: Great. Keith Oppenheim. Thank you so much.

Well, 11 of the dead were a part of the Lima Company unit. Among the other members of the company still in Iraq is Lance Corporal John David Coleman. Well, he's the son of Columbus, Ohio, mayor Michael Coleman.

The mayor join us now live.

Good to see you, sir.

MAYOR MICHAEL COLEMAN (D), COLUMBUS, OHIO: Yes, good to be here. Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, I tell you what. You have two things to deal with here. You have your son in Iraq, in the military. I can just imagine how you think about him every day and worry about him.

Then you have your constituents that you have to talk to on a regular basis. And now, visit these families who have lost a child overseas.

How are you dealing with that double-duty role?

COLEMAN: Well, it's difficult. You think about your son who's in harm's way. I want him home. We all want our children home.

And every single Marine that's over there, I love them to death. They're sacrificing their lives and risking their lives for the benefit of their country. And each and every one of them is a hero.

But we have to put our arms around those families that have lost their children, their husbands, their wives, to let them know that we love them, that we care for them, that we honor their time as a Marine, and that we hold them up as heroes. And we appreciate their service to our country.

PHILLIPS: Mayor, have you had a chance to visit some of those families since these names have been released? And if so, what have you said to them?

COLEMAN: Not yet. I mean, I just found out my son was not on that list. But my intention is to reach out to every member of -- that has had a tragedy, the 14 families, in one form or another. And we've had our tragedy with Lima Company.

They've lost many soldiers over the past several months, and I have been to many funerals for those who died serving their country -- right here in Columbus. And my heart and my soul, everything, goes out to these families. And I know what they feel like because I feel the same. And at any moment, someone could be knocking on my door...

PHILLIPS: How often do you get...

COLEMAN: ... ringing my phone.

PHILLIPS: I'm sorry. I just -- as you were saying that, I was just thinking, you could receive that knock on the door...

COLEMAN: Yes.

PHILLIPS: ... that chaplain walking up to your front steps. I mean, how often do you talk to your son? And do you get into political discussions with your son?

I mean, you're the mayor. He's the Marine. It must be -- you must have fascinating conversations, the two of you.

COLEMAN: Well, first of all, I'm a father. That's first and foremost. And we don't have political discussions.

I talk about his welfare and he talks about what's going on at home with his mom, Frankie (ph), and his brother and sister, and everything that's going on. I ask him what's happening, and he can only say but so much.

But he knows that I love him, his mother loves him, his brother and sister love him. And this whole city has wrapped their arm around my family and every other family that's engaged.

We do not have political discussions. We talk about his safety, and we talk about his welfare, his health. We talk about what's going on here, and what does he want to do once he comes home. No, we don't have political discussions.

PHILLIPS: Mayor, what about your constituents? When you go -- you're planning on visiting these families. Even before what has happened now, have you felt like you've had to justify this war?

COLEMAN: No, I can't -- I haven't justified that war. That is not -- not my job. That's someone else's job, and they're in the White House.

But I can tell you, I go to some of these families, particularly the ones that have had the tragedies, and, you know -- and it's not about politic. It's about what's happening with their children, what happened to their children, and the families and the support that we have to give every family that has a child over there in Iraq.

Not just me, not just my family, but every single family that has a child over in Iraq. We need to put our arms around these people and let them know that we're with them and we support them. We love them. And we'll be with them all the way through.

PHILLIPS: Columbus, Ohio, Mayor Michael Coleman. Thanks for your time, sir.

COLEMAN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, as we talk about Iraq and the lives lost, I just want to thank so many of you for your e-mails yesterday. A lot of you may remember in the middle of our newscast I received an e-mail from the Department of Defense listing the names of the most recent Marines killed in Iraq.

Well, we weren't sure if we should have read the names or not, but I did. And I think it affected all of us equally.

Here's what some of you wrote.

"When you started to read those names, I had to suck in my breath, hoping that my surviving grandson would not be on your lips." Dan from Vista, California.

"I think we need some names instead of just numbers. As a Vietnam-era veteran, all you ever got on the news was numbers, usually in the 200-plus range on many weeks. Thanks for reading the names. And it doesn't hurt one bit to show feeling for those lost and their families." Harold, Lexington, North Carolina.

"Thank you for putting a human face on the death of the six Marines killed yesterday. I think we need to see and hear more about our troops. They all are human and they all had families." Duke, from Reno, Nevada.

I want to thank every one of you for your passionate e-mails. And I promise I'll do my best to not just name numbers, but name names as we continue to lose so many brave men and women overseas.

May the pictures and the names you see now represent the more than 1,800 soldiers, sailors and Marines that have been killed since this war began.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Back to the war in Iraq and the deadly week there for Americans. Since Sunday, 27 U.S. troops have lost their lives in combat, including 14 Marines in a single bombing yesterday. The sheer size of the bomb that killed those Marines has served to highlight concerns about the insurgents' evolving capabilities.

Joining us now live from Tucson, Major General Don Shepperd, U.S. Air Force retired. He's also a CNN military analyst.

Great to see you, General.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): My pleasure, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So what's going on? In the past couple of days, the death toll tremendous in this one area. Is it because these insurgents are becoming more technologically savvy, is it because we don't have enough people there? What's your take?

SHEPPERD: Well, it's a little bit of the -- of the former there. What you're seeing is increased offensive operations in the northwest sector, north of the Euphrates. That's where the Marines are located.

This is the wild west that we talk about. You can think of it as Falluja spread over a very large area of many towns. And the Marines are the ones that are doing it in that particular sector, and they're the ones that are taking the brunt.

Also, the insurgents are becoming more and more sophisticated the longer this war goes on. And they are using bigger and bigger explosive materials.

In this case, we believe a 500-pound bomb. And it's very, very hard to detect these things. We've done lots about figuring out how to set them off, but sometimes you're going to miss. And in this case, the IED was missed, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So how are they becoming more sophisticated? Is it going on the Web? Is it certain individuals that are training them? Is it getting new types of materials from other countries?

SHEPPERD: All of it. What you're seeing, basically, is the worldwide terrorist network has a lot of bomb makers out there. And they're supplying a lot of know-how and a lot of training to these people around the world.

These people have essentially a free transit through Syria, where most of them are coming through, at least, to join the war in the western sector there. The insurgents that were former Ba'athists in Iraq are never going to run out of munitions, and they're never going to run out of money. They're very, very smart, they're a wily enemy, and we're facing it now as we conduct these offensive operations, trying to get the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police force up to speed so they can do the offensive operations themselves.

PHILLIPS: Now, a number of these Marines that were killed, they were snipers. I mean, these are -- these are the guys that are -- they've got the eyes on the target in ways that others are not trained to do. They've got incredible -- they're a great shot.

So does that tell us anything else? I mean, this isn't just a convoy cruising down that gets blown up. I mean, these are -- now we're getting tactical. Tactical guys are getting killed.

SHEPPERD: Yes. Not really. The fact that they were snipers has very little to do with this. And as you were playing those pictures, I had a real lump in my throat and a lot of memories there. Thanks for playing those pictures, by the way, and putting a face on this war.

PHILLIPS: It's my honor.

SHEPPERD: These Marines were in a light amphibious vehicle. It's not a tank. It's not even a heavily-armored Humvee. It's a transport vehicle that transport these people during offensive operations.

It give them some protection against light small arms fire, like 14.5 millimeter, that type of thing. But it doesn't protect them against these large explosive devices that are buried.

And you can't watch all -- every place that you're going to go. You can't watch every mile of every road all the time. And you can't predict when you're in an offensive operation where you're going to have to go. Now, these folks got caught in an unpredictable situation, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Retired Major General Don Shepperd. Thanks so much.

SHEPPERD: Pleasure.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Martha Stewart will have to wear her special anklet a little while longer. Details on that straight ahead.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. Electricity use is heating up as the mercury rises. I'll tell you how power suppliers are keeping up.

More LIVE FROM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All that concern for nothing. NASA says it won't be necessary to send a space-walking astronaut on another shuttle repair mission. At issue: was a torn insulation blanket that's near a cockpit window an issue?

NASA officials are concerned that blanket could rip off and strike Discovery during reentry. Now they say it won't pose a threat after all.

Martha Stewart will have more time to stuff her tarts and marinate her meat. The homemaking maven will be spending another three weeks under home confinement. Stewart's ankle bracelet was supposed to come off next week.

Days ago, "The New York Post" reported that Stewart was seen riding an off-road vehicle around her estate and at a yoga class. No word on whether that's the reason for the extension.

New troubles for Baltimore Orioles slugger Rafael Palmeiro. Congress will now investigate whether he lied under oath. A lawmaker has called on Major League Baseball to turn over all documents relating to his drug test. Among other things, Congress wants to know the dates of those tests.

In March, Palmeiro emphatically denied ever using steroids in testimony before Congress. He's currently on a 10-day suspension after testing positive for a powerful steroid.

Soaring temperatures in many parts of the country mean soaring electricity use as well. Susan Lisovicz has the steamy details, live from the New York Stock Exchange.

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