Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Rumsfeld Announces Troop Reductions; Wife, Lover Charged with Killing Navy Officer; Brother Surprises Sister with House for Staying Sober; Iraq Veterans Running for Office; Les Paul Make New Album

Aired December 23, 2005 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: From CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's the stories that we're working on for you right now.
They won't be home for this Christmas, but some American troops will be pulling out of Iraq. New announcements from the Pentagon.

Heading home for the holidays. Millions of Americans taking planes, trains and automobiles, we're tracking all the travelers.

And season's screamings. Why does the jolly old elf make some kids cry? We're exploring cases of Santa phobia.

All that and more, straight ahead. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Not a surprise but glad tidings from Donald Rumsfeld in Fallujah. On a yuletide visit to U.S. troops in Iraq, the defense secretary made official the administration's plan to draw down U.S. troop strength, not just below the ramped up numbers surrounding this month's elections but below the pre-election norm.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr fills in the blanks from there -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the defense secretary on a trip to Iraq to meet with the troops wished them a happy holidays and meet with Iraqi government officials. He finally made it official. He made it crystal clear. Two brigades that were set to go to Iraq early in the new year have now had their deployment orders canceled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Because the conditions here in Iraq have evolved favorably, we've made a decision to reduce our brigades from 17 to 15. And to increase some of our assistance to the training and equipping, and of the Iraqi security forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And Kyra, what does that mean? That means two Army brigades, about 7,500 soldiers, that thought they would be spending early 2006 in Iraq now will not be. Their orders canceled. But the secretary saying something very important there, that much of the shift now will be away from trying to have so many troops in direct combat and have more troops devoted to helping train those Iraqi security forces, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So how does the secretary rate that progress? I've talked with commanders on the ground even within the past week saying we need those troops, we don't want them to leave because we're just getting a hold on the insurgency, and without those boots on the ground, we can't do it.

STARR: Well, you know, it's going to be a very careful calculation, commanders say. What they say is, they believe they can bring down that overall number below 138,000. But in some of these specialized Army units that work at training those Iraqi security forces, those numbers may increase a little as they put more troop strength into training those forces.

But what General George Casey, the U.S. commander in Iraq, is saying behind the scenes is they have to keep pressuring the Iraqis to make them understand that the U.S. troops will not stay there forever. And so they are going to continue to pressure on those Iraqi security forces, get them trained up.

But still you are absolutely right. Even for a U.S. Soldier or Marine who is training the Iraqis, Iraq remains a very dangerous place, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr, live from the Pentagon. Thanks, Barbara.

Eight days after going to the polls Iraqis by the thousand hit the streets claiming fraud in the voting or vote counting or both. The final results are a long way off, a 400-plus seat parliament far from seated.

Sunni groups and secular Shiites are disputing what they see as implausible early returns favoring the Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance. Some protesters want a revote. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad said Iraq's electoral commission and a U.N. team will investigate.

When Congress gets back from the holidays it will return to work on the Patriot Act. Refusing to back a half-year extension they deemed too weak, a small group of House Republicans approved a one- month band-aid to force immediate action when Congress returns, and Senate Democrats say they want more balance between the measure's terror fighting weapons and individual liberties.

What they're not saying, at least publicly, is that they are thrilled to have an issue that appears to be dividing Republicans.

And an update now on the wiretapping approved by President Bush without judicial warrants. In a written explanation to Congress, the Justice Department says the need to seek court approval in terrorism cases went away when Congress authorized military force after September 11. But in today's "Washington Post," former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle writes that Congress specifically denied such powers within the United States, when the Bush administration requested them. President Bush says the eavesdropping program continues. He says the national security demands it.

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

Developments today in the case of a love triangle that shattered with the death of a Navy reservist. Paul Berkley died of a gunshot wound last week in North Carolina. He was on leave from a Persian Gulf deployment. Berkeley's wife is in jail, charged with hatching a plot that allegedly included collecting his military insurance benefits.

CNN's Mary Snow reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MONIQUE BERKLEY, SUSPECTED IN HUSBAND'S MURDER: I've been shot and my husband, he's...

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty-six-year-old Monique Berkley made a frantic call to 911 for help early Sunday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is that, who is that I heard in the background?

BERKLEY: My husband.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is he, has he been shot?

BERKLEY: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who shot him?

BERKLEY: I don't know.

SNOW: Police now believe she did know, and they've released the 911 tapes. Monique's husband, 46-year-old Navy Reservist Paul Berkley had just returned home to North Carolina after an eight-month tour of duty in Bahrain.

The day before he was murdered, an unsuspecting Berkley wrote about the comforts of home on his blog. "I have been home a few days now, shopping and hanging out with the family."

But family life appeared to have changed while he was away. His young wife, Monique, had allegedly become romantically involved with 18-year-old Andrew Canty. Andrew had a friend, 18-year-old Latwon Johnson. All three have been charged with murder. They made a brief appearance in court and were appointed public defense lawyers, who had no comment on the case.

Also tight-lipped are police from Raleigh, North Carolina, who responded to Monique Berkley's call early Sunday morning from a park where she said someone fired on her and her husband.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you see them?

BERKLEY: No, there were two people, though.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were two people. How old are you?

BERKLEY: I'm 26.

SNOW: The call went on for several minutes until police finally found the husband and wife.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which way did they go? Are they still near here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where did they go?

BERKLEY: I think they left. They're not here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, are you hurt?

BERKLEY: Uh-huh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you shot? Were you shot at?

BERKLEY: The shoulder.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shoulder. All right. Hold tight.

SNOW: Police say Paul Berkley was shot in the head and died about 15 hours later. Monique was shot in the shoulder and taken to the hospital. Exactly what happened is still unknown. Police would not comment on whether Paul Berkley was conscious and speaking before he died.

By Sunday afternoon, police started putting together more of the story, arresting the two teens. And a day later, Monique Berkley was taken from the hospital and charged. She's been held without bail.

As for Paul Berkley, the Navy will hold a memorial service in Bahrain.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Appearing today before a New York judge, Peter Bronstein is the man accused of posing as a fireman, persuaded a woman to let him in to her apartment and sexually attacked her for more than 12 hours. The list of charges is long: kidnapping, robbery, burglary and sexual abuse. He eluded capture for more than a month. Bronstein is being held without bond.

The problems are stacking up for a Georgia physician accused, among other things, of injecting cancer patients with commercial-grade weed killer. The state medical board convened today to discuss the license of Dr. T.R. Shantha, who also faces federal indictment for health care fraud and money laundering. The doctor has a hearing on Tuesday. His office remains open.

Security camera footage here capturing the theft of two valuable pieces of art from a California gallery. According to the police the thieves knew exactly what they were after, knew exactly what they were doing, and were in and out in less than 30 seconds. So far few clues and only a witness description of the suspect's car. They stole a Chagall lithograph and linoleum cut by Picasso.

New Yorkers get a ride in time for the holidays, as millions of other Americans hit the road. Will the weather cooperate this Christmas? We'll get an update.

The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Two days before Christmas, New York transit riders are getting what they wanted. For the first time in four days, bus and subway service is up and running. Buses began picking up passengers shortly before 11 last night just hours after the transport union agreed to end its strike. Subway trains began rolling about an hour later, and the transit authority says service was back up to normal levels just in time for the morning rush.

While millions of New Yorkers are happy to return to commuting as usual, there's one dark cloud: contract negotiations continue, and the union hasn't ruled out another strike if those talks fail.

People are on the go all over the country today. Many folks already have reached their holiday destinations. But many other people are spending the day on airplanes, buses and trains. Millions of Americans are hitting the highways despite gas prices that are up about 40 cents a gallon compared to this time last year.

Here's a look at holiday travel by the numbers. The AAA motor club has come up with these figures for us.

An estimated 63.5 million Americans are traveling 50 miles or more from home this holiday.

The vast majority, about 51.5 million of them, will go by car. Thirty-seven percent of those travelers were heading to small towns or rural areas.

But not everyone was heading to grandmother's house. Hotels in Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York book the most rooms during December.

With so many travelers on the road and in the air weather is always a concern. Let's check in with meteorologist Chad Myers in the CNN weather center.

Chad, how do things look on the roads and the airports today? (WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: You traveling, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I am.

PHILLIPS: Where you going?

MYERS: I'm going to Cincinnati.

PHILLIPS: All right. That's hometown, right?

MYERS: That's my wife's hometown. I have a picture here...

PHILLIPS: You do?

MYERS: ... of the Atlanta airport.

PHILLIPS: Oh, boy.

MYERS: Planes coming in, planes coming out. In really good shape. The only delay so far on all the airports, Newark because of a tail wind. You're about 45 minutes delayed coming into Newark from some of the destinations across the northeast. Everybody else, perfect so far.

PHILIPS: That doesn't look so bad. My Mom and Pop coming in. Good. That's good news. Thanks, Chad.

Well, it's also a very busy travel season for the world's Islamic faithful. Muslims from every corner of the world are either planning or beginning a trip to Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca called the Hajj. For the first time in decades, Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank are making the journey without first passing through Israeli security checkpoints. Hajj events begin in early January.

Holiday gift that keeps on giving. This woman's joy is contagious as she walks around inside a surprise Christmas gift. A gift from a somewhat shady Santa who just happens to be her brother. LIVE FROM goes from naughty to nice straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: When we first watched this next story we were struck by two things: that Santa chose to be interviewed in sunglasses, and that his own sister didn't recognize him, even without the shades.

Prepare to be heart-warmed and house warmed by this report from Mike Anderson of CNN affiliate WISN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAT MCKEE, BROTHER OF LAURIE MCKEE: Merry Christmas, everybody.

MIKE ANDERSON, WISN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Santa Claus is about to deliver one of the nicest Christmas gifts ever, to 50-year- old Laurie McKee.

P. MCKEE: One more thing, here's a key to this house. This is your house, merry Christmas. You own it. It's your house. Ho, ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas.

LAURIE MCKEE, RECEIVED HOUSE AS GIFT: Are you kidding me?

P. MCKEE: Oh, it's your brother, pat. It's your brother pat.

ANDERSON: Santa revealed himself to be Laurie's older brother, Pat, who flew in from Georgia to fulfill their mother's wishes as she passed away 10 years ago. He's giving Laurie a three bedroom, two- full bathroom home to celebrate her 10-year anniversary of staying sober, and dedicating her life to helping other recovering addicts.

L. MCKEE: Woo!

P. MCKEE: She was on drugs, and had all kinds of problems. It was the end of her life.

ANDERSON: These are Laurie's friends and colleagues from the faith based program Teen Challenge. They specialize in helping people recover. It's the organization that helped Laurie and the organization Laurie has given her life to.

She's been good. No longer naughty. And after 10 years, Santa thought she deserved a reward befitting one who has been so nice.

P. MCKEE: A wonderful Christmas present. It will be her home. She won't have any debt. In fact I'm going to take care of the utilities and everything in this house for the rest of her life.

ANDERSON (on camera): What's the first thing you're going to do in your new house?

L. MCKEE: Turn up the heat. It's freezing in here. I'm going to be praising the lord. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Once again that report from WISN. Thanks, Mike.

Well, the deal's done and baseball's evil empire is ready to strike back at the American League East. But before Johnny Damon was introduced as a New York Yankees $52 million center fielder, he had to do something about this look. Remember this look?

Well the former star of 2004 World Series champions Boston Red Sox stopped by Ishi (ph) Salon in Manhattan for his regulation Yankee haircut. Check this out. Oh, yes. After a few snips and clips, the self-described idiot sported a new look. Wait till you see this. Look at his wife, wow, Michelle. She's a hotty.

Damon was ready for his first official news conference with the team just a short time ago. Damon joins a team with baseball's fattest payroll. The Yankees were hit with a $34 million luxury tax penalty by the league this week for going over the salary cap. Love that haircut.

Well, they say that there are no free lunches. But some Wal-Mart employees in California took issue with that and are now getting a big payout. Allan Chernoff live from the New York Stock Exchange with all the details.

Allan, tell us about it.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Carl Ed Daniels (ph), commander, Sub (ph) Air Base, Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'm Chief Master Sergeant Dave Perez (ph), command chief of the 506th Air Expeditionary Crew (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On behalf of all the men and women of the 506, we'd like to wish all our friends and family back home...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy holidays. We'll be home soon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy holidays. We'll be home soon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy holidays. We'll be home soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: I guess that's the question, when will they be home?

Military service and public service have been a good fit since General George Washington went into politics after the war. Today we know of at least a dozen veterans of the ongoing war in Iraq who are running for seats in the 110th Congress next November.

Van Taylor is one of them. A decorated Marine captain, Harvard MBA who's running as a Republican for the 17th congressional seat in Texas. Tim Dunn, another. He's a Marine reserve lieutenant colonel, civilian lawyer and Democrat who seeks the eighth congressional seat in North Carolina. He joins me from Raleigh. Taylor's in New York City.

Gentlemen, great to have you both.

TIM DUNN, CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Good to be here.

VAN TAYLOR, CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: I thought the military and politics don't mix, guys.

DUNN: I think they absolutely do. I think particularly in this environment you have -- you need to have someone with a military background to be able to address some of the issues that we're dealing with in our country today.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's get specific, Tim. Well, first of all, tell me what you did, tell me what your duty was when you were serving in Iraq, Tim.

DUNN: Sure, I was in Iraq from May of 2004 to the end of November. And I served with an organization called the Regime Crimes Liaison Office. I was assigned there as a Marine, and we assisted the Iraqi special tribunal, in the investigation and helped with the prosecution with the senior -- the former senior members of the regime, including Saddam Hussein and his henchmen.

And in doing that, we were investigating the crimes that took place there from 1968 through to the spring of 2003, when we invaded the country. And in doing that, of course, it was a very challenging environment to work in and move around -- in and around Baghdad, and in and around Iraq because of the ongoing insurgency.

PHILLIPS: Van, you're a decorated captain. Tell me what your duty was in Iraq.

TAYLOR: I had the pleasure and privilege of leading 28 outstanding U.S. Marines and I'm proud to say we were all Texans, and we participated in the rescue of Jessica Lynch.

I also had the honor of leading the very first platoon from the Marine Force Task Force Tarwa (ph), 4,500-Marine task force, into Iraq. And we were ordered in two days before the main invasion, defeated several ambushes, accomplished every mission. And I'm proud to say, working together, we brought every man home back to their families here in Texas.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, both of you in the fight both dealing with pretty fascinating subject matter. So now I'm curious. You're both now running for an office. You both served in the Iraq war.

Tim, did your views change at all once you went to Iraq and served? And now here you are, sort of dealing in the political world, getting ready to run for office. Anything stand out that changed your mind surprised you? You think differently now about the military or about the war?

DUNN: Well, Kyra, I have every confidence in our military, in our -- the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen to accomplish the mission and the objectives they're given. I have questions, though, concerning our civilian leadership and the direction that they're giving.

I was on my knees praying in the spring of 2003. I was mobilized twice, once in 2003 and once in 2004. Did not go to Iraq in 2003, but certainly, I was responsible for helping train some Marines that were heading to Iraq with a unit called Anglico (ph).

The bottom line is the reasons that we were given for going in to Iraq were not the reasons that we ultimately discovered. When I was there, certainly it was a very challenging place, a very dangerous place. And with the work that I was doing, I had the privilege of seeing much information that many of my colleagues would not be able to see, with reference to any links to Al Qaeda, with reference to any weapons of mass destruction.

And so I was concerned when looking at that information, and finding that there were no links, that there were no weapons of mass destruction.

PHILLIPS: So you were there questioning the purpose of the war, then?

DUNN: Excuse me?

PHILLIPS: You were there questioning the purpose of the war?

DUNN: Well, as I was going through the duties and responsibilities I had, I was -- had information that was made available through my investigation and research, that, in my mind, questioned exactly the reasons that we were given for being there.

Now, having gone there and having invaded, certainly we need to accomplish the mission that we were there. We could not -- and I do not facilitate a wholesale withdrawal at this particular point.

But now we have to question the authorities that sent us there to make sure that the information we're getting now is accurate, and that we're making the right decisions to do everything we can to give our servicemen and women the tools they need to accomplish their mission, and to get them home at the appropriate time.

PHILLIPS: All right, Ben, what about you? When you were there did you come across information, intel, any type of situation where you thought, yep, we need to be here, or wow, this was a bad move?

TAYLOR: No, I absolutely -- my patriotism for our country and for our cause of Iraq was reinforced many fold by my being there. Seeing the joy in people's faces and their hope and aspirations to create a new and stronger Iraq, an Iraq that would no longer be a place where terrorists can come and use it as a safe haven, or a launching pad for attacks in the Middle East or perhaps even on the United States. There's very little question in my mind that we need to continue to finish the job that we began in Iraq.

We started there with one purpose, but Al Qaeda has come there and provided us with a new challenge. Al Qaeda seeks to use Iraq as a launching pad or an attack point for terrorists attacks. We just can't let that happen. There's no question in my mind that what we're doing in Iraq is something that needs to be completed, that needs to be finished. We can't leave the job half done.

And the good news is a lot of the hard work has been done. We've conducted three successful elections. We have done a phenomenal job of training literally hundreds of thousands of Iraqis to build a new Iraqi army, and there's a lot of work left to be done. Colonel Dunn and I both know as Marines, and I know as a businessman, building an organization is something that's difficult to do. And it's going to take a long time to build an Iraqi military that is capable of protecting and defending their country against terrorists who are seeking to take it over.

PHILLIPS: Well, I want to ask you both this next question, because you've had firsthand experience serving over there, and now both of you are trying to get in to the political system. Does it bother the two of you that I think it's less than a handful of members of Congress, of the senators, have a son or daughter that's actually serving in the military.

Let's start with you, Tim.

DUNN: Well, I think it's crucial to look at the numbers of actual congressmen and women that have actually donned the uniform and served. I think we that have served, that have made the sacrifices of being mobilized, deployed, serving in a combat zone, have a very unique appreciation for what it takes to do that and the sacrifices, not just that the individuals make that serve, but also their families.

So I think it's important to have more members of Congress that have served not only in the military, but also in combat zones as well, to understand what it is to send someone in that area.

Now the fact that their sons and daughters may or may not serve doesn't necessarily concern me as much. But we certainly need more veterans, more combat veterans, serving in Congress, that I think have instant credibility, that can bring to the table the solutions to some of the important problems that we have in America. And even if we don't have all the solutions, we can raise our hands, hold this current Congress accountable, and ask the hard questions and demand the answers. And I think that's what our new veterans now, or the veterans that are running for Congress will bring to the 110th Congress.

PHILLIPS: Van, fellow marine, John Murtha, 37 years in the Marine Corps, obviously standing up making a lot of news for himself and across the globe about whether troops need to stay there or troops need to come home. How do you feel about what he's saying, and also the fact, like I addressed with Tim, that not many of our politicians even have the background or have a son or daughter serving in the military?

TAYLOR: Well, let me first say I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Colonel Murtha for his tremendous honorable, and courageous service in Vietnam, and the United States Congress.

But that being said, I think it's extremely important that we stay on in Iraq and continue the mission. And as I go around central Texas in my little white pickup truck talking to people, what they tell me is that they want to see us secure Iraq to ensure that it doesn't become a security threat for the United States in the future. And I think it's extremely important that we finish the job, that we secure Iraq and that we ensure that we're successful there. And I believe that leaving early or prematurely is foolish. And another thing that people tell me is that they are excited about the prospect of sending someone to Washington who has direct experience about the problems that challenge our nation. As a businessman, I have experience in dealing with economic issues and I understand how to manage finances and balance a budget, something that seems to be sorely missing in Washington these days.

And as a Marine, I've experienced fighting the war on terror. I understand today's military, which is a very different military than it was 20 years ago. And also I have experience on the U.S./Mexican border. So people are excited for the experiences we bring to the table to address really what is perhaps the greatest challenge of our generation, which is defeating the war on terror and ensuring that we hand a secure, stable democracy, a secure democracy to future generations.

PHILLIPS: Tim, knowing what you know, and, Van, I'm going to ask you the same question, if your son or daughter came up to you tomorrow and said, dad, I want to go serve in Iraq, what would you tell him or her?

DUNN: I couldn't be prouder. I would be proud for my son or daughter to want to serve in the military. Certainly I have questions concerning our mission in Iraq. I certainly want to hold the senior leaders of our government accountable. I've dedicated my life to serving others, through my legal practice, through my faith, and certainly in the United States Marine Corps.

So I would support their decision, whatever it may be. But certainly I would also encourage them to look closely at the decisions that are being made, and why the decisions are being made, and to hold the senior leaders accountable.

PHILLIPS: Colonel Tim Dunn, Captain Van Taylor, I'll be curious to see if I'll be calling you both congressmen, members of congress soon.

DUNN: Thank you.

TAYLOR; Thank you.

DUNN: Keep in touch. We'll follow both of your campaigns.

Thanks, gentlemen.

DUNN: Thank you, Kyra. Appreciate it.

TAYLOR: Bye now.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's probably one of the most dangerous places in the world right now, but Christians in Baghdad were out doing their Christmas shopping today. Apparently undeterred by the threat of terrorism in that city. A shoekeeper on one street was selling Christmas trees and statues of Father Christmas. As one Christian leader put it, if we don't celebrate this occasion, we'll be giving in to terrorism. Coming up, he's a music legend, and he turned 90 this year. His album debuted on billboard top 200. Who are we talking about? Stay tuned if you don't know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, big changes could soon be in store for the civil rights landmark the Martin Luther King Jr. Center. According to the former Atlanta mayor, Andrew Young, the center's board is exploring the possible sale of the center to the National Park Service.

Young is a member of the board and was one of King's key lieutenants in the civil rights movement. And if the deal goes through, it could resolve expensive upkeep issues at the center. But the King family would keep control of King's tomb.

King's Widow, Coretta Scott King, founded that center in Atlanta after his assassination in 1968. The new president and CEO of the center and nephew of King's says that the change could let them focus on putting out Dr. King's message of non-violent social change.

Well, he's an American music legend. His name is Les Paul, AKA "the Wizard of Waukesha." Paul turned 90 this year, and his new album has debuted on Billboard's Top 200. If you don't know his name, that's OK. It may just be inscribed somewhere on your guitar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Les Paul.

PHILLIPS: On any given Monday night in Manhattan, you'll find Les Paul doing what he's been doing for the last 20 years: playing the electric guitar, the instrument he practically invented. Entertaining the crowd with jokes, some a little too blue for cable.

LES PAUL, GUITARIST: I took my Viagra.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You did?

PAUL: But it stuck in my neck and I've had a sore neck for three days.

PHILLIPS: People in this nightclub know Les Paul the legend. Millions of records sold, songs turned into standards, and innovation that forever changed pop music. Breakthroughs, he says, that were driven by need.

PAUL: I do know what I did, but I don't go around reminding people about it, or writing about it or thinking about it. I just did it, mostly because I had to have something, and it wasn't there, so I couldn't go down the street and buy it, so I built it.

PHILLIPS: Begin with this -- because his acoustic guitar couldn't be heard well in the honky tonks, he played across the Midwest. He put guitar strings and electric pickups on a 2x4. He called it the log. The Gibson Guitar Company called it a joke. PAUL: For ten years, I was a laugh. I kept pounding at them and pounding at them saying hey, here's where it's at. Here's where tomorrow, this is it. You can drown out anybody with it. And you can make all these different sounds that you can't do with a regular guitar.

PHILLIPS: Paul's guitar sounds hit the airwaves on radio shows and on hit records with Bing Crosby in California, where he met a young singer named Mary Ford. That became his most promising partnership.

It was on Route 66, driving cross-country, when their dreams were nearly derailed, their car skidding off the road in an ice storm. Paul's crushed arm almost had to be amputated.

PAUL: They fought like mad to save this arm, and they did save it for me. They turned to me and says you have to make a decision, your arm is only going to be in one place. And I just quickly told them, aim it at my naval.

PHILLIPS: So doctors set his arm in a 45 degree angle cast so he could still hold a guitar. When the Fender company produced an electric guitar in the early '50s, Gibson tracked down Les Paul, and finally manufactured his. The Les Paul Gibson was born.

Les Paul and Mary Ford got married, hosted a TV show, and put out hit after hit.

(MUSIC)

PAUL: Songs that I wrote were just written because I needed a song. And none of them did I spend more than 10 minutes or a half hour to write.

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: "How High the Moon" was one of those number ones made with another Les Paul invention, the multi-track tape recorder.

PAUL: This is my baby. This is where it started.

PHILLIPS: The eight track machine allowed musicians to record each part, one at a time, and mix them later. A constant tinkerer, Paul spent hours developing recording tricks like over-dubbing and guitar effects like reverb.

PAUL: It's just machine after machine after machine.

PHILLIPS: Some consider Paul the Edison of pop music. He's not just in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, but the National Inventor's Hall of Fame as well.

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: To celebrate Paul's 90th birthday, a roster of recording artists shared the stage with him at New York's Carnegie Hall, a salute by soloists ...

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: ... who have put their stamp on his guitar.

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: To this day, Les Paul remains the guitar hero's hero.

PAUL: Paul was very nice. He said if it wasn't for Les Paul, there would be no Beatles. And he went on to explain that his first job which he and John Lennon had -- he says I went in for a job and they had the original songs and they played them and the boss says, hey, you guys go home and learn "World's Waiting For the Sunrise" and "How High the Moon" and come back and let me hear you. And he says we got the job.

PHILLIPS: These days his hands, weakened by arthritis, don't pluck the guitar strings as quickly as they used to. And Paul doesn't practice anymore.

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: He lives for the performance. The banter. And he lives for the applause.

PAUL: You let yourself get old, that's bad news. The best thing to do is keep going. And that may not be easy but that's what you have to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And Les Paul's new album right here, "Les Paul and Friends." It debuted in Billboard's Top 200. It marked Paul's first return to the charts in 50 years and also made him the eldest charting artist ever.

Coming up on LIVE FROM, a guaranteed laugh. Some kids are just fine with a visit to Santa but for others, he's a big, scary guy. Severe cases of Claus-trophobia coming your way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: 'Tis the season for Old Saint Nick to make his rounds. And the guy gets around, let me tell you. Visitors to an aquarium in Tokyo this week get to see Santa passing out goodies to the fish and stingrays. Mr. Claus would be smart to watch out for Mr. Jaws in this situation.

And why, we don't know exactly, but an orangutan dressed as Santa thrilled some tots in Seoul, South Korea, this week. The simian Santa passed out goodies, posed for photo-ops, along with a pink poodle reindeer and the rest of his good time gang. Well here, we think this definitely is the video of the day. This exact shot right here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CROWD: Merry Christmas!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Doesn't get better than that, does it? Well, I don't know, take a look at these next pictures.

While you're having yourself a merry little Christmas, one of the songs you might often hear is a recent classic, a song whose author waited 20 years for the right student to put his music to words.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): They were the brother and sister act of the '70s,sometimes criticized for sings for singing fluffy soft pop. But Richard and Karen Carpenter had legions of fans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): Greeting cards have all been sent. The Christmas rush is through

PHILLIPS: Their song, "Merry Christmas, Darling," is a holiday favorite. Carpenters friend and California state Long Beach choir director Frank Pooler wrote the lyrics in the mid-1940s. Some 20 years later Richard and Karen were part of the college's choir. Pooler asked Richard to set the words to music. He did.

The choir sang the song at holiday performances and the Carpenters recorded it. The song's popularity expanded, and a Christmas classic was born. It's since been sung by many performers over the decades.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): Merry Christmas, darling. We're apart, that's true. But I can dream and in my dreams, I'm Christmasing with you.

PHILLIPS: But the deep, husky sound of Karen Carpenter's voice on the original...

KAREN CARPENTER (singing): I've just one wish on this Christmas Eve...

PHILLIPS: ... remains a perennial favorite.

CARPENTER (singing): I wish I were with you. The logs on the fire fill me with desire to see you and to say that I wish you Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, as the Christmas song goes , you better watch out, you better not cry, because Santa Claus is coming to town. Well, apparently, a lot of kids did not get the message because Santa is inspiring tears. My best friend from the ninth grade, this is her kids. She sent this picture in. I think it should have been her Christmas card. Poor Gavin, (ph) giving into the fear, while sister Addie (ph) is thinking what the heck is not to love about Santa?

And this one of baby Grace (ph) wailing away was sent to us by her Aunt Maureen (ph). Poor kid. But her aunt pointed out that Grace kind of looks like those choirs dolls. And after seeing this, well, we agree. Isn't that perfect?

All right, and some of your -- oh, we've got more stuff? OK. Here we go. Here Santa phobia has crossed generational lines. Note little Laura (ph) right there in the front. That's right. She's not exactly relishing her time with Mr. Claus back in 1979.

And then, like mother, like daughter here's Laura's daughter Hannah (ph) just this year.

More of LIVE FROM right after a quick break and a few more photos.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: ... lower base line for the new Iraq. A holiday visit to U.S. forces in Fallujah today. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made official the long expected drawdown of U.S. forces. In the wake of this month's parliamentary elections, Rumsfeld told them two U.S. combat brigades who had been tapped for Iraq's duty won't be coming after all.

That's 75,000 soldiers, give or take, who will either stay stateside or at a staging area in Kuwait. U.S. troop strength stands to fall sharply below the inflated levels surrounding the elections, lower even than the pre-election base figure of 138,000. It should all take effect by spring.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com