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Richard Myers Gives Final Press Briefing; Michael Brown Answers Questions on Capitol Hill

Aired September 27, 2005 - 13:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL BROWN, FORMER DIRECTOR OF FEMA: My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional.

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KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: Disaster dysfunction. FEMA's former director dishes out blame for the response to Hurricane Katrina.

Cut the red tape. Storm victims come home and say they are bound by bureaucracy. Why aren't they getting the need that they help -- or the help they need?

And al Qaeda killing. The U.S. military says a top al Qaeda operative in Iraq is dead. We expect a live briefing from the Pentagon to begin any minute.

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

In the disaster zones, President Bush returns to the gulf region, his seventh visit this month. From the air and on the ground he's seeing for himself some of the worst of what hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought. Much of it in small, rural communities in both Louisiana and his home state of Texas.

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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've got some priorities that we're in the process of working together to achieve. First is food and water. Second is electricity, generators, moving this way. There's a plan for generators. Thirdly, there's fuel. Fully understand that it's hard to maintain order if you don't have fuel for your cars and first responders.

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PHILLIPS: Right now, Mr. Bush is meeting with Louisiana leaders in hard-hit areas like Lake Charles. And just a few hours ago, he visited Beaumont, Texas, a refinery town still deemed unsafe for residents there to return.

And back on Capitol Hill, the man in charge of the government's response to Hurricane Katrina takes some heat from lawmakers. But he stands his ground. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: I've overseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. I know what I'm doing. And I think I do a pretty darn good job of it.

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PHILLIPS: So who does Michael Brown blame for the emergency response failings? CNN's Kimberly Osias joins us now live from Washington with more on that -- Kimberly.

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, clearly, he is going to shoulder some of that blame. And if you can believe, it's been three hours and still going strong. I believe Michael Brown is facing some questions right now from Republican Congressman Mack Thornberry from Texas.

Earlier this morning, he admitted to making mistakes, specifically, Brown saying he should have funneled information to the media more expeditiously and pushed for better cooperation between New Orleans Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco.

But Brown's defending his record, too. Here's just one of the heated exchanges with Connecticut Republican Christopher Shays for what Shays says was a lack of coordination.

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REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS (R), CONNECTICUT: That's why I'm happy you left, because that kind of, you know, look in the lights like a deer tells me that you weren't capable to do the job. I would have liked to do a lot of things...

BROWN: I take great umbrage to that comment, Congressman.

SHAYS: Why?

BROWN: Because FEMA did -- what people are missing in this entire conversation is the fact that FEMA did more in Hurricane Katrina than it did in Charley in Florida and the others.

SHAYS: Why is that relevant?

BROWN: We moved all of those in there. We did all of those things.

SHAYS: Why is that relevant?

BROWN: And things were working in Mississippi, and things were working in Alabama.

SHAYS: No, but see, why I don't...

BROWN: And so I guess you want me to be this superhero that is going to step in there and suddenly take everybody out of New Orleans. SHAYS: No, what I wanted you to do was do your job of coordinating. And I want to know what you did to coordinate. Those are your words, sir, I didn't...

BROWN: Coordinating is talking to the governor and the mayor, encouraging them to do their obligation to their citizens. I am not a dictator, and I'm not going and cannot go in there and force them to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OSIAS: It's hot in there. While some Republicans are trying to put the blame on state and local officials, Democrats say the buck stops with the administration. The responsibility, they say, lies with President Bush and Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff.

The Democrats are also calling for an independent commission to investigate, tantamount to the 9/11 Commission. How much of a reality that will be, of course, remains to be seen -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Kimberly Osias, thank you so much.

And for many Louisiana residents dismay and disbelief as they're finally allowed to go home and see for themselves what, if anything, is left. Some of them are determined, though, to rebuild. It's the same in New Orleans' business district, where store owners are eager to get up and running again.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien talked with two of them intent on staying on Magazine Street with some help from the government.

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SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": So what would you like the mayor to do? I mean, is it just a matter of let's get some information or is it -- because I mean, you're asking for things that actually are going to take awhile.

ROUX MERLO, OWNER, ALL AMERICAN TEES: Right.

O'BRIEN: Potable water is going to take awhile. Power is going to take a little bit...

CATHERINE COTTRELL, OWNER, INTERIOR DESIGN ANTIQUES: It's going to be a few more weeks.

MERLO: I'd like to see the mayor come to Magazine Street and talk to us and help, you know. Let's get -- he says he wants to get the grocery stores open. I'd like to see him come down. I've never met the mayor. But come down and show them. Show the city we're up, we're ready to get started here.

O'BRIEN: Do you ever think that, you know what? Maybe this is a sign that you should pack up and start somewhere else?

COTTRELL: No. O'BRIEN: Really?

COTTRELL: No.

O'BRIEN: I didn't even finish my question before you said no. Why not?

COTTRELL: All that we were talking -- it was a very close little society here with designers and vendors. And we talked about it yesterday. And every -- not one person I talked to said that they were going to go somewhere else. Temporarily, a lot people are going to Baton Rouge with the intention of coming back, as soon as they can, you know, have a shop with lights and...

MERLO: Also -- I'll cut you off.

COTTRELL: Yes, go ahead.

MERLO: Soledad, I talked to two business owners that said they're going to pack up and leave. One guy who's been here -- he inherited the auto repair shop from his father. He said he's leaving. He's taking this opportunity to go. That doesn't sound good to me, but I feel he's going to be replaced by another business owner.

COTTRELL: Yes, yes.

MERLO: I'm trying to think positive. It's hard. My house is under water. My car is under water. I'm got to be positive. I'm ready to get started. Open up the doors. I'm used to doing business every morning. Wake up, I've got commitments with my customers.

O'BRIEN: I hope you can get...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: We're going to it quickly to the Pentagon now. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld addressing reporters in the briefing, side by side, of course with chairman Dick Myers. Let's listen in.

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DONALD H. RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: His country has some 170 independent news publications. Reporters now have the freedom to ask their leaders questions without fear of a visit from the secret police.

I mention this because it sometimes seems that we've forgotten what Iraq was really like before Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March of 2003. The new Iraq, for all its difficulties -- and it does have difficulties -- is on a path toward freedom and democracy where it once pursued tyranny and terror.

As that Iraqi journalist put it, "We'll never go back to that, because now, yes, it's dangerous, but we have promise, we have possibilities, we have a future." In the coming days, General John Abizaid and General George Casey, the commanders of the CENTCOM and the multinational forces in Iraq will be in Washington for the combatant commanders conference, which I guess we're doing it now about three times a year.

GENERAL RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Yes, sir.

RUMSFELD: And they'll also have a chance to update the president and the Congress and the American people on the challenges they see ahead.

They've been entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out our missions in that region, and they're performing their responsibilities exceedingly well, as are the forces under their command.

RUMSFELD: They'll report on the progress over the past year in the efforts to help create conditions for self-government in Iraq and Afghanistan. In particular, they will focus on the growing responsibilities of the Afghan and the Iraqi security forces.

Though the terrorists have been trying to intimidate Iraqis and Afghans from volunteering to defend their newfound freedoms, they've failed.

As Iraqi president, Talabani, noted recently, "Every terrorist attack on Iraqi forces leads to a surge in recruitment for these local security forces."

But as the coalition moves forward with its strategy, it's worth mentioning that the enemy has a strategy as well. They have brains. To make their pattern of defeats look like progress, to hold on long enough and to inflict enough damage, often to innocent men, women and children, Iraqis, in the hope that the coalition decides that the cause isn't worth the price and that the U.S. and coalition will abandon the millions who have put their faith in democracy and risked their lives for freedom.

I believe that the coalition will prove the enemy wrong and that we'll persevere with patience and steady necessary and resolve.

As it happens, each of those attributes can be found in the man standing to my right. This will be his last press conference as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

For four decades -- not his last press conference possibly in his life but just as chairman, you know, who knows what he might do -- for four decades Dick Myers has served, and for the past six years he's been a powerful presence in the Department of Defense.

Look at that.

Two years as vice chairman, four years as chairman. He's been a wise and a valued counselor to the president, to the National Security Council, to me, and to the leadership of the department. When the history of this time is written, an era of tragedy and turmoil and triumph, I believe it will be said of Dick Myers that he was one of the most consequential chairman of the joint chiefs in our history. No chairman has been more deeply involved in more critical decisions involving our country and our security and certainly involving the men and women in uniform. At a time of historic challenges and opportunities, our country needed the best, and America found it in Dick Myers, whose courage I've seen, whose counsel I will miss, and whose friendship I value.

Dick Myers.

MYERS: Well, thank you, Mr. Secretary, and good afternoon.

MYERS: Thank you for the kind words. Hopefully this is my last press conference, and I would like to, one last time from this podium, first of all express my condolences to the families and friends of those who have been killed or wounded in this war on terrorism.

I know these words may fall short of conveying the depth of pain and sacrifice that these families have endured, but it's a genuine and sincere attempt to try to recognize and remember those who have made such sacrifices for our country -- such important sacrifices.

As the secretary mentioned, the terrorists, the violent extremists, are determined to commit despicable acts of violence in an effort to shatter the will of the United States and our coalition partners.

They want to see us leave Iraq without completing the mission.

The enemy knows very clearly they cannot defeat us militarily. So they rely on acts of terrorism to chip away at our resolve to win, our resolve to win -- of which Iraq is a part, but it's not the only part, because we're talking about the long war against terrorism.

So, consequently, we must remain steadfast in our fight against this very determined enemy.

As a nation, our best weapons are patience and resolve or, in one word, our will. We simply cannot afford the lose the will to finish the job at hand. We have the people, we have the plans, and we have the leadership to see this to the end and to see victory.

As I conclude my tenure as chairman of Joint Chiefs and 40 years of service -- a little over 40 years -- I have to say that I am most proud of the accomplishments of our military servicemembers: their determination, their dedication, their courage and their professionalism -- and I know General Pete Pace feels exactly the same way.

Mr. Secretary, I would like to thank you for your service and your dedicated leadership. I treasure the candid and professional relationship that we've had over these years and I value the opportunity to come into this room and stand beside you and try to tell the American people and the international community about their military, about our operations, and about the war on terrorism. It's been a real honor, sir.

To the Pentagon press corps, it's also within an honor work with you. We've talked about this before. In this war on terrorism where there are no front lines, then accurate information is as important a part of the landscape as anything we do.

Essentially, your words replace those front lines that we draw on a map in more traditional warfare.

MYERS: So you have a very important job. And I appreciate your daily efforts to getting the story right and to offering context that helps the audience understand the complex nature of this business that we're involved in. And I've traveled with most of you and have talked with all of you -- only left one of you behind. Well, I didn't actually leave him behind. He got left. But we can talk about that later.

RUMSFELD: You could have waited.

MYERS: It was almost impossible, sir. We were in a combat zone. Could have, actually, if we'd known he was missing.

And talked with all of you, traveled with you. And it's actually been a pleasure most of the time to work with such a fine group of professionals.

Thank you for all you do to do your job and to communicate with the American public and the international community.

And with that, we'll take your questions.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, Mr. Chairman, the president has suggested in the wake of problems with Katrina an increased role for the military in initial response to major national disasters, and this building is studying lessons learned. And Congress and other agencies of government are now beginning to study that.

I would ask you, how do you all involved, how do you see such an increased involvement by the military, and perhaps even law enforcement by active duty troops, which is somewhat controversial unless Posse Comitatus is changed. How do you all see such an increased role?

RUMSFELD: Well, I think it's a bit early to say. The president has made some statements that he is interested in discussing lessons learned in the executive branch and then thinking about how our country can best be arranged to best serve the American people.

What we saw in the case of Katrina was a situation where our federal system -- the federal government relies on the state and local governments to be the first responders, under the Constitution and under our current arrangements.

The reality was that the first responders at the state and local level were in large measure victims themselves and as such somewhat overwhelmed by the catastrophic nature of the Hurricane Katrina and the floods that followed.

So we had a situation that was distinctively different than the normal situation, which works pretty well for a normal natural disaster, or even a normal manmade disaster.

RUMSFELD: And the president's point was there are some things that are of sufficient magnitude that they require something to substitute for the overwhelmed first responders at the state and local level -- and that's the issue that he's thinking about.

There's a great deal that, of course, the National Guard can do and has done in each of these instances, Katrina and Rita. There's a great deal that active duty forces can do even apart from law enforcement. I mean, that's a very narrow piece of the task of dealing with a catastrophic difficulty or problem, a disaster of that nature.

Even in the security area there's a great deal that active forces can do that would not be considered law enforcement, by way of assisting and filling a need that exists.

The reality is that the Department of Defense has capabilities. Now, we're not organized, trained or equipped or resourced to step in and to do domestic events of that type.

On the other hand, because we are organized, trained and equipped to do a vast variety of other things, there is a certain parallel capability that can be brought to bear, as we've seen in Katrina and Rita.

We've ended up with 72,000 people down on Katrina, and I've forgotten the number in Rita, but it's a large number -- very rapidly with all kinds of ability to move debris, to assist with clearing harbors and fixing levees, the Corps of Engineers and providing food and medical assistance and all the things that have been done -- rescuing people by helicopter.

We went from up to 72,000 people and something like 350 helicopters and 20 ships.

So these capabilities exist. And I think that it's up to the country, the government, to think that through and decide how they want to be arranged for a catastrophic event of that type and how the responsibilities and relationships ought to be laid out.

And, of course, it will be these lessons learned that will help to inform those discussions and deliberations that are currently under review.

QUESTION: Mr. Chairman, the idea -- just a brief -- the idea, to most senior officers I think, alarms them a bit that active duty troops might be used to arrest, perhaps even shoot looters.

Do you think that posse comitatus needs to be changed? Or to you think that, perhaps by increasing the role of active duty troops in other areas, that it would free up, say, the National Guard under state control or local law enforcement to handle that job?

MYERS: I'm sorry. It's a good point, because you bring up the fact that the National Guard has those authorities today. And as we know, in Katrina there were over 50,000 National Guard troops involved with Katrina operations and 22,000 active duty, if you will.

And so, it does beg the question: Do you need that kind of authority? And that's going to have to be part of the long discussion.

You know, I wouldn't say that senior officers feel one way or the another about this in particular. It's something we've thought about.

We thought we could do the job in terms of the responsibilities of Northern Command and the troops that support it and the support role we've had without it. If we had a more prominent role, we would have to look at that again, I think, and decide whether we have the proper authorities or not.

But certainly, there are a lot of ways to go to before you get to the point where you -- as the secretary said, before you decide you want to give active duty forces law enforcement authority.

QUESTION: General Myers, I just wanted to ask you to take a look back and a step back for a minute to perhaps a much broader question.

You began your military service during the Vietnam years when life was a little more simple. The military goal was the military defeat of that stated enemy.

You came to office right after 9/11. You leave during Iraq. And in both the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq, you've spoken many times that it's not a sole military victory. You need political and economic progress and that contributes to the victory, if I understand everything correctly.

What I'm interested in is your long-term views. What does it mean to have soldiers -- is that where life is headed, into conflicts where it's no longer a military victory solely? Is it more complex now? What does it mean to ask a soldier to go into combat and perhaps die, but not to have the goal of clear military defeat of his enemy?

MYERS: Well, I hope nothing I've said has been misconstrued as...

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) you've said against the insurgency.

MYERS: It's more complex. It requires -- I think the modern security environment requires all instruments of national power, of which the military is one. But it doesn't mean that you don't have to be victorious. I think we were clearly victorious in Afghanistan. The United States military was victorious in Afghanistan, speaking about my current term.

I think we will be victorious and we'll help with victory in Iraq, but Iraq's going to be perhaps a longer-term issue. It's an insurgency that has to be dealt with probably over a longer period of time in which the political and economic instruments of power are going to play a major, major role.

And then if you go to the long war, and the long war is to get to the point where young men and women don't want to join jihad, that they have other opportunities, be they political or economic or combinations of those, the military will certainly have a role, but maybe not even the predominant role in the long war.

But in the end, when victory is achieved -- and I believe we have to win in a very traditional sense the long war, the war against terrorism. It has to be won. Otherwise, our future and our way of life is truly at stake, and the military will play a role in that.

PHILLIPS: Joint Chiefs Chair Richard Myers there in his final press briefing. As you know, Peter Pace going to be taking his place there as the joint chiefs chair.

Richard Myers, just kind of giving a final wrap on how he felt with regard to the war on terror. Afghanistan was a definite win. Iraq, still a long way to go.

But warm feelings there between Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Richard Myers. Of course, he gave a final farewell to the press corps and now going on with business as usual, probably for the next 20 minutes or so. We'll keep monitoring it.

We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.

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PHILLIPS: Later on LIVE FROM, red tape and little relief.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish for once FEMA would cut all the red tape and expedite this, the supplies.

PHILLIPS: Frustrations for hurricane victims.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the matter with these people? Jefferson Parish needs help.

PHILLIPS: Why are some people not getting what they need?

Also ahead, should taxpayer money repay churches and religious organizations for helping hurricane victims? We'll talk about FEMA's reported new plan.

Also ahead...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The wind picked up. The water was already four foot in the house.

PHILLIPS: Calm during the ultimate crisis.

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