Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

President Bush's Offensive; Hamas Wins in Palestine; Is Yemen Safe?; Laura Bush Visits New Orleans Schools

Aired January 26, 2006 - 13:59   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's legal, it's necessary, it's protecting the American people. That's President Bush, again defending his policy on domestic spying, one of several key issues at a spirited White House news conference today.
CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House with that and a lot more.

Spirited. Maybe we should define that a little bit more.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Spirited and a little bit more on the informal side, if you will. Of course it's sort of rare to see the president in the briefing room himself. Usually we've seen, at least recently, the news conferences taking place at a very formal setting, the East Room of the White House, for example. But the president getting questions on a range of issues.

Let's start with the very first one out of the gate. That had to do with the Palestinian elections and what White House reaction there might be to that.

Now, President Bush essentially is trying to cast the election results as more of a vote against the old Palestinian leadership, not necessarily a vote for Hamas. Now, in his news conference today, President Bush said that if there was corruption in the old Palestinian leadership, that he's not surprised people would want to do away with that corruption. The president, though, also said that until Hamas renounces its pledge to destroy Israel, that the U.S. will not deal with that group.

Here's what President Bush had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't see how you can be a partner in peace if you advocate the destruction of a country as part of your -- of your platform. And I know you can't be a partner in peace if you have a -- if your party has got an armed wing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: So a difficult diplomatic problem for the White House, if you will, how to deal with a democratically-elected government that includes Hamas member. And Kyra, as you know, the United States has labeled Hamas a terrorist organization -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Let's talk about Jack Abramoff again. Every picture tells an interesting story. Let's talk about those pictures.

Did President Bush and Jack Abramoff have any type of relationship?

QUIJANO: Well, the president says point blank that he doesn't know Jack Abramoff. And certainly the existence of pictures is something that the president didn't deny, but he also is pointing out that he meets many people in the course of his presidential duties with whom he takes photos that he may not even really know.

At the same time, though, the president didn't answer a question about why the administration would not open up records, not necessarily of meetings with President Bush, but meetings Jack Abramoff may have had with senior staff members here at the White House.

But President Bush in talking just about the photos, saying that he does not believe it would necessarily be a good thing to have those released, that it could be used for political purposes. And again, saying he doesn't know Jack Abramoff. He says he doesn't remember taking a picture with him -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We're expecting the first lady, Laura Bush, to step up to the mic any moment now to answer questions at a school just outside New Orleans, Elaine. You know, the first lady, obviously education, reading, literacy have all been very important to her, and she continues to remain on that platform throughout the United States, and really wanting to give the message to those students today in New Orleans.

QUIJANO: Well, that's exactly right. And President Bush, in fact, fielded some questions on New Orleans, on the Gulf Coast recovery efforts. And the president essentially reiterating what he said before, that he will not forget, the federal government is not going to forget about the rebuilding efforts continuing to take place there. But, of course, the administration has come under some criticism.

Some say the administration is not being cooperative enough with congressional investigators looking into what went wrong with the Katrina response. The president's answer to that, Kyra, today, basically the White House does not want to give up any kind of private conversations that might have gone on with his advisers, saying that would have a chilling effect on any future discussions that might take place not just with his presidency but with future one, as well.

Also, I should tell you they are saying here at the White House that the internal review being carried out by the president's Homeland Security adviser, Fran Townsend, about what went wrong with the Katrina response, we are told that is nearing completion.

PHILLIPS: And as we continue to wait for the first lady, we'll take that live as soon as it happens -- it may happen in less than a minute, Elaine. Let me ask you -- because we're going to be talking with Richard Faulkenrath coming up in the next -- within the next two hours.

He -- of course he's one of our homeland security-intelligence experts that used to work there at the White House. He and a number of other people meeting with the president talking about the Patriot Act, possibly NSA.

Do we know any of the other players that will be at this meeting? And the purpose of them all getting together?

QUIJANO: Well, we don't have actually a whole lot of information on that, Kyra, but this is certainly an ongoing part of the administration's effort to get as much in the way of tools, as they call them, in the war on terrorism, and also perhaps reaching out to others to find out how best perhaps to defend the administration's use of those tools.

As you know, the NSA surveillance program has come under a great deal of scrutiny, of criticism. In fact, the White House is currently engaged in an all-out push, campaign, if you will, to try to hit back against critics of this program ahead of Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on February 6.

The White House and President Bush today, in fact, taking the opportunity to lay out once more his argument for the legal basis, but also talking about the necessity of having this program in place, a program that administration officials emphasize only looks at the international communications of Americans who may have terrorist connections.

Of course, though, the answer that critics give, though, is where did that authority come from? The back and forth on that no doubt will continue, but the administration, Kyra, including with this news conference today, clearly trying to get the message out well ahead of the hearings that are scheduled on February 6 and ahead of the State of the Union Address, as well -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano live from the White House.

Thanks, so much, Elaine.

We'll continue to monitor the live picture there, too, just outside of New Orleans at the St. Bernard -- or rather at the Chalmette High School. And when the first lady steps up to the mic, we'll take it live.

Let's talk about our other big story today, and that's the group known for Islamic militants and suicide bombings, also charity work and education. Well, it's now a political force to be reckoned with in the Middle East.

Palestinian voters by a wide margin chose Hamas over the status quo in this week's parliamentary elections. Some say they merely wanted to change, and that's exactly what they're getting already.

CNN's John Vause is on top of it all. He's in Ramallah.

Surprising a lot of people, John. It was interesting, just about 48 hours ago we were talking about a different type of victory.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very much so, Kyra. In fact, I think Palestinians themselves are surprised that Hamas walked away with such a large win. In fact, Hamas officials themselves would be shocked by this result.

I was talking to Hamas leaders just a few days before this election. They said their own internal polling, their own polls were giving them maybe between 40 and 50 percent of the vote. It looks like they came away with close -- close to 70 percent of the vote.

Now, there are two scenarios being put out. The best case scenario for all of this is that Hamas will undergo a process much like the IRA, a terrorist organization which disarmed and then entered into the political process, entered into a peace agreement, and was tamed by politics.

The worst case scenario being put forward by many Israelis is that Hamas will end up more like Hezbollah. It will continue to have an armed militant wing, continue to threaten Israel, and will continue to have this say in government.

Now, the situation that puts the United States in is that right now the U.S. still deals with the Lebanese government even though there are Hezbollah politicians in the parliaments. So something like that could play out here in the coming days -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And there's been some talk about corruption probes. Do we know anything about that with regard to how these elections were handled?

VAUSE: Well, for the most part, EU observers have said that their preliminary results say that these elections were very well administered, that they'll run pretty well, especially given the fact that the Palestinians don't have a lot of experience with elections. There were, of course, the presidential elections last year.

And the last time they had parliamentary elections were 10 years ago. So from the observers who were here, from the EU observers, also from the -- the observers being led by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, everyone seems to say that these elections were held in a fairly open, free, and fair manner -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John Vause, thanks so much.

In Israel, a circling of the wagons, at least politically. Few saw Hamas' landslide coming; many wonder what to do next.

Hard-liners are denouncing the Palestinian vote. Hardly anybody expects to see Israel sitting down with the new Palestinian leadership anytime soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EFRAIM SNEH, ISRAELI LABOR PARTY: It's a blow to the peace process. Israel, I believe, could negotiate with a Fatah-led government, could strike a deal with a Fatah-led government. I doubt if we can do it with a Hamas-led government since the Hamas is, as you said, an organization which is committed to destruction of the Jewish state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: This lawmaker says Israel shouldn't have given Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas more support to boost his support among his constituents.

The Bush administration has long considered Hamas a terrorist organization, refusing even to talk to its representatives unless and until it recognizes Israel and disarms. And that's still true today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I don't see how you can be a partner in peace if you advocate the destruction of a country as part of your -- of your platform. And I know you can't be a partner in peace if you have a -- if your party has got an armed wing.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The Palestinian people have apparently voted for change, but we believe that their aspirations for peace and a peaceful life remain unchanged. Those aspirations can only be met through a two-state solution which requires a renunciation of violence and turning away from terrorism and accepting the right of Israel to exist and the disarmament of militias.

As we have said, you cannot have one foot in politics and the other in terror. Our position on Hamas has, therefore, not changed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Both Rice and the president have made it clear they hope Mahmoud Abbas stays on as president to the Palestinian Authority. If so, they say they are confident the peace process will continue.

Still to come on LIVE FROM, U.S. Navy ships terrorist targets everywhere they go, but is this -- but is the site of the USS Cole attack a safer place now? The Navy's looking into it. A report from Yemen coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The U.S. Navy hasn't make port in Yemen, not since al Qaeda blew a hole in the side of a warship there, killing 17 American sailors. But that was more than five years ago, and a lot of things have changed.

CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr saw for herself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Today, the new Coast Guard of Yemen is taking CNN on a tour of the harbor in Aden where al Qaeda once struck.

(on camera): This is very somber ground for the United States Navy. It was here just behind me that the USS Cole was docked in October 2000 and was attacked by a suicide bomber, killing 17 U.S. Navy personnel, wounding nearly 40.

(voice over): Attackers approached by a small boat, detonating a bomb that blasted a 40-foot by 40-foot hole in the ship's hull. The attack on the Cole, coming two years after the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings, would put the U.S. on alert against al Qaeda and lead the military to step up its security around the world.

The Coast Guard here now has 50 boats and more than a thousand men. By Western standards, the harbor still appears relaxed, but now small patrol boats escort all major shipping in and out of the harbor.

Colonel Lots Al Barati is the commander. He says the harbor is secure.

COL. LOTS AL BARATI, PORT COMMANDER: We are now ensuring this not happen again.

STARR: He stands with Commander Scott Cull, the Navy liaison here. They talk about the Navy coming back to Yemen. Plans are being formed for the first Navy port visit since the badly-damaged Cole was towed home for repairs.

CMDR. SCOTT CULL, U.S. NAVY: The better that they patrol their harbors, the better it is for the U.S. Navy. And in the near future we hope to be doing port visits again in Aden.

STARR (on camera): If and when a U.S. Navy warship returns to this port, it will be an important signal to the world that Yemen has established enough security here to reassure the U.S. military.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Aden, Yemen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Oprah Winfrey face to face with more time with the best-selling author James Frey. Oprah put Frey on the fast track, as only she can, when she chose his memoir for her book club last year. He since admitted making up lots of key details, and today Oprah said she's been duped.

CNN's Mary Snow is in New York with more -- Mary.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, today Oprah Winfrey put James Frey on the hot seat, and said she feels that she was duped. She said she feels embarrassed, and she apologized to her viewers.

James Frey, the subject of controversy over his book, "A Million Little Pieces," this is a book about his story of addiction and recovery. It is a memoir. And Oprah Winfrey put it on her book club list back in October when she had Frey on the show. Earlier this month, smokinggun.com raised questions about how authentic the details were in that book. Today, Frey admitted that he did exaggerate and falsify some of the facts in the book, and he says that most of the accusations against him made by Smoking Gun are accurate.

Earlier this month, Frey was on the Larry King show, and at that time Oprah Winfrey called in to defend him. Here's what she had to say then.

Well, she did say that he had inspired many viewers. Today she says she is apologizing for that call. Here is her quote.

"I regret that phone call. I made a mistake and I left the impression that the truth does not matter, and I am deeply sorry about that because that is now what I believe."

She says, "I called in because I love the message of this book. And at the time, every day I was ready e-mail after e-mail from so many people who had been inspired by it, and I have to say that I allowed that to cloud my judgment. So to everyone who has challenged me on this issue of truth," she says, "you are absolutely right."

And Kyra, she says she has been in television since she was 19 years old and she told her viewers today that she has never been in this position -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Mary Snow, thanks so much.

Coming up on LIVE FROM, post-war Iraq, the new reality, the people and the deep troubles ripping that country from the inside. A new documentary and the man who made it. It's being showed at Sundance. We'll take you there live when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Equivalent numbers of cigarettes, more lung cancer. Scientists suspect higher lung cancer rates among black Americans who smoke about the same amount as white Americans may be due to genetics.

An eight-year study involving four ethic groups found black smokers were hit by lung cancer hardest, followed by white smokers, then Hispanic and Japanese-American smokers. The reasons still aren't clear, but genetic distinctions might be important in light of a new field of medicine that tailors new drugs to genetics.

Click. Another tumbler falls into place as scientists pick the lock on the secrets of bird flu and other viruses.

Researchers in Wisconsin say that they figured out how Influenza A replicates inside cells. Influenza A isn't only found in bird flu, it also sparked the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, and it's the same bug you can thank for plain old seasonal flu. The new knowledge could help speed up global efforts to make drugs that can turn off tiny genetic copy machines. Now what's become an all-too-common occurrence. Yet another company is telling customers their personal data has been left out in the open.

Susan Lisovicz has more from the New York Stock Exchange.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Live pictures right now. The first lady dropped in on St. Bernard Unified School in Chalmette. She's visiting a number of the schools.

We're having a little bit of an audio problem, but we're going to give this a shot and see how well we can hear the first lady.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: everybody in the United States to stand with the people on the Gulf Coast as they rebuild.

I also want you to know here how discouraging I know it is to see what we saw today, to know how long it's going to take to rebuild, to know what -- how long it's going to take just to rebuild the levees so that people will feel safe enough to come back, to move back. And -- but I also want people to know that the government and the people of the United States are standing with you, that we want people to be able to move back as fast as they can.

We know that schools are crucial to that. If schools are open, families can come back. If communities can't get schools open, then it's really, really hard for families to be able to move back.

We hope and we encourage families to make sure your children are in school even if you're not yet back in your home district. Make sure your children are going to school wherever they are.

But if we can provide schools and communities can provide schools, then children have a chance to go back to live a normal life. And when children are taken care of, then parents feel comfortable in being able to move back and try to rebuild their lives in this community.

So thank you all. Thanks for coming out to see us today.

If you have specific school questions, Secretary Spellings could answer those. But I'll be glad to take questions, too.

QUESTION: Mrs. Bush, were you surprised by the lack of the progress you have seen (INAUDIBLE)?

BUSH: Well, I think every part of it is progress. I mean, this is progress when you see here how the cafeteria was open today, when you see how this school is being rebuilt. I mean, each one of those steps are very important.

When you know how long the floodwaters stood, how dispersed the citizens are all over the country, they've moved everywhere, how long it's taken them to get back, really, you know, it hasn't been that long. And so the progress is good, but I know it's discouraging to people to still have debris everywhere. You know, there's something about that that is very, very discouraging.

But I want you to know they need to come on back, they need to get to work trying to build. I know that a lot of businesses around here are desperate for workers. And I know the same thing, just if they can have schools for their kids and if they think they can find a place to live or rebuild their own houses, people will come back. I know the people want to be back where they're from.

Every one of the kids that we talked to, they wanted to be here because they wanted to be in St. Bernard's Parish in their school. You know, they didn't want to be in school in Tennessee even though they said people were really nice to them there. But they wanted to come home.

QUESTION: The president has vowed to help rebuild this area. This school was rebuilt with no federal dollars.

BUSH: We've discussed that. We've already talked about that.

QUESTION: How do you respond?

BUSH: Well, I mean, federal dollars have to come here. And they will. There's money through the Department of Education, and I expect and -- that school will be reimbursed.

MARGARET SPELLINGS, EDUCATION SECRETARY: Right. We're going through the work now for the reimbursement process. And we feel we'll be successful in securing those funds.

The Congress passed the $1.6 billion school aid package just late in December, and on January 5th, the Department of Education, before we counted noses or knew exactly where students were finally settled, sent $100 million to Louisiana immediately. And by February 1st, the counts will come in and we'll begin the process of reimbursing schools for the expenditures they've made to reopen them.

QUESTION: Mrs. Bush, you talked about the people of this area. What do you say to them? You say that the government is on their side, but some say they really don't feel like it. (INAUDIBLE).

BUSH: Well, I know that it's very, very slow, and, of course, that's how government always is. It's bureaucratic and it's slow to bring Congress to appropriate the money for the schools and then the Education Department did disperse it quickly.

But there was money yesterday that was announced for a community development block grants, which states and -- can use just like the Baker Bill proposed. Once states write their plans for how they want to use community block development money, they can start that out. And if they want to do what was in the Baker Bill, which was to buy out areas, they can write that in their proposals for their community block grants. It takes a plan, and that's the really hard work.

You know, when you -- temptation is just to throw your arms up and say, this just looks like too much work. And you might have thought that you didn't and you went to work even though there was not FEMA money yet, and this is where you are, after just really a few months of devastation.

So it's really important for local people, for local officials, for state officials to work as hard as you can, to meet with your community, to see what your needs are, to draw out your plans that you want and then to access the federal money.

And various federal money -- I think yesterday it was 6.2 million for Louisiana and 5.5 -- approximately in the lower five billion for Mississippi for community block grants, that sort of money that the Baker Bill proposed. So once states really figure out either -- are neighborhoods safe? We don't want people to move back until neighborhoods are safe.

PHILLIPS: The first lady there. She dropped in on Chalmette High School. That's in the St. Bernard Unified School District, just outside New Orleans, taking Q&A so far. Rumor has it that none of the students have asked her if she's seen "Brokeback Mountain." Stay tuned. We'll follow that live event.

A rocket attack and a roadside bomb claimed two more U.S. soldiers in Iraq. One of the troops died in a rocket attack during fighting near the city of Ramadi. The other one's vehicle was hit in a roadside bombing just south of Baghdad. The number of U.S. forces killed in the Iraq war now stands at 2,238.

A close shave for an Iraqi cabinet minister. Roadside bombing today killed three of the minister's bodyguards and wounded another, but the main apparent target escaped unharmed. The convoy was headed from Baghdad to Mosul in northern Iraq.

Two years and 10 months ago, the war in Iraq became part of our daily lives, watching, listening, reading reports from the various battles and fronts. Well, you've seen the war is not a faceless pursuit of military objectives. It has real impact on real people leading real lives. CNN's Michael Holmes knows that all too well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a sad fact of war coverage that casualties become numbers, compounding the tragedy, trivializing the individual. But that's what many victims here have become, numbers -- 45 killed in this bombing, 80 in that one. The maimed, their own lives shattered, even if not ended, are more numbers.

With so many deaths, it is impossible to cover the individual stories, the lives, of those who perished. Reporters at work, it's easy to become anesthetized. There's an element of deja vu here sometimes. Another day, another bomb, another attack, another death toll.

(on camera): Many of us, of course, try to stay detached from the actual violence. You'd go crazy if you got emotionally involved in every horror that you see. But there are always times when we in the media cannot bury it, and usually that's when the horror involves you or someone you know.

(voice-over): Many in the media have lost friends and colleagues here. These are photos of just some of them. This week, it is two years since we lost two of our own, translator Duraid Mohammed Isa -- on the left -- and one of our drivers, Yasser Katab, two vibrant young men whose lives were cut short by insurgent bullets.

We'd been returning from filming a story south of Baghdad when our two cars were attacked by two cars. None of us there will forget the image of gunmen standing up through the sunroofs firing AK-47s, wanting to kill not someone who had become a number, but us. Cameraman Scott McWhinnie was sitting next to me. He was shot in the head, but survived. Yasser and Duraid didn't make it.

(on camera): It changed me, changed all of us in the cars that day, of course, and many people who were not. These were people we worked with, lived with, and joked around with.

(voice-over): Yasser, young, idealistic, came to work for CNN despite his family's constant warning of the dangers. He used to bashfully teach us Arabic swear words on the way to stories.

Duraid, fun, funny, devoted father of two children the same ages as my own. We'd proudly compare photographs and laugh at their latest antics.

It's changed, too, how those of us who carry on work here in Iraq, now. Those of us here in the early days would certainly take precautions, but would think little about walking the streets in Baghdad and elsewhere, speaking with locals, getting a firsthand look at the story we're covering. In this case, sitting on Saddam's famous statue before it was removed.

(on camera): This is where we do our live shots from every day, reporting to you. However, most days this is as close as you can get to those in the city behind me.

(voice-over): It is difficult to get out and about. We do, but it is always with great caution. The kidnapping of journalist Jill Carroll is another reminder of the risks involved. Like most of us, she is here because it is a story that needs telling, despite the risks. Just a few photos of those who have died here.

It helps now and then to remind ourselves and those who watch our work that those casualty lists contain more than numbers, Iraqis or coalition forces; they are people.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Tunnel vision, new video to be precise, of the longest tunnel discovered so far between the U.S. and Mexico. Nearly a mile long, lighted, finished with concrete, running from the outskirts of the Tijuana Airport to inside a warehouse in California. Drug agents found marijuana inside, two tons' worth. They think the tunnel could also be used to smuggle people into the U.S.

Well, he puts on a tuxedo so he can pull a groundhog out of its burrow. And he does it at the same date every year, but not for much longer. Up next, the handler of Punxsutawney Phil says it's time to pass the groundhog on to somebody else.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Keeping tabs on Punxsutawney Phil may be harder than it looks. This coming Groundhog Day will be the last for Bill Deeley. He's the man who pulls old Phil from his burrow, whether he wants to come out or not, every February 2nd. Deeley, who's 56, has held this job for 15 years. He says he just doesn't have the time or energy anymore to do this. And it's a year-round gig by the way. When he's not looking for his shadow, Phil appears at parades and special events.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: So if you ever put off cleaning out the basement because you don't know what the heck could be down there, well, take a look at what the folks at New York's American Museum of Natural History found in their basement. A 210 million-year-old fossil, some sort of ancestor to a crocodile, with a beak instead of teeth. It was in pieces inside slabs of rock that were dug up in New Mexico in 1947 and just kept in storage ever since.

Well, straight ahead, post-war Iraq. The new reality, the people and the deep troubles ripping that country from the inside. A new documentary and the man who made it, live from Sundance when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, whatever your view of the war in Iraq, it's impossible to believe that life there will ever be the same. It's a country occupied by foreign armies, with a fledgling unstable government, a people fiercely divided along ethnic and religious lines.

Those divisions inspired a documentary that's premiering now at Sundance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: "Iraq in Fragments," intimate portraits of ordinary people living in a war zone. James Longley is the director. He joins me from the Sundance Film Festival.

James, great to have you with us. And I'm curious because I remember before the war and during the war, so many filmmakers wanted to get into Iraq and wanted to do documentaries and films. How did you know that you had an idea that was going to be different from everybody else?

JAMES LONGLEY, DIRECTOR, "IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS": Well, I also went into Iraq before the war a couple of times and wasn't successful in starting my film until the war was over because of the restrictions of the Saddam Hussein regime.

But I think the obvious topic to do if you're a documentary filmmaker going to Iraq is the perspective of U.S. soldiers inside the country. It's a much easier film to make and many people did go and make that film. What I wanted to do was to really document the Iraqi perspective, what Iraqis were thinking in different parts of the country and try to make a snapshot of the country.

PHILLIPS: And you actually tried to get in a number of times. It was not easy. You even had a little brush-in with Dr. Germ, the woman that we know of, Huda Ammash. Tell us about that, because she was somebody that we were talking about in the news, and she was in the top number of individuals that the U.S. wanted to arrest.

LONGLEY: Right, and they did arrest her after the war, but now they've released her actually. She was held in -- near the airport in a military base for I think about two years before they released her. And before the war, of course, she was inside Saddam's inner circle and I happened to be there before the war, and I was trying to get permissions to film and she sort of brushed me aside.

She really was only interested in people who wanted to interview her, but she wasn't interested in people who wanted to make documentaries about ordinary Iraqis, of course.

PHILLIPS: Interesting. Well, you definitely did get to know a number of the ordinary Iraqis. You did this film, this documentary in three acts. Let's talk about the first one. I want to look at this clip and then talk about this 11-year-old mechanic. Here's the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: James, tell me about 11-year-old Mohammed Haithem and why he's listening to this man and this mentality that they actually felt that life was better before Saddam was taken out.

LONGLEY: Right, this footage was filmed only a few months after the war, and it was a sentiment that you wouldn't hear so much at first, most Iraqis really didn't like the Saddam Hussein regime but as time wore on, more and more people became disillusioned with the American occupation.

They didn't see their lives improving, and they saw the security situation inside their country growing worse and worse, and so more and more you would hear people saying, you know, "It was better under the previous regime, the Americans are worse than Saddam."

Of course, you know, it's also true that people's memories can deceive them, so either way, people aren't happy. You know, most people were not happy under Saddam Hussein and the sanctions. They're also not happy now in the majority.

PHILLIPS: Now you mentioned security, and you actually were told finally when you were able to get in there, sure, go ahead, do your documentary if you can survive doing it.

LONGLEY: Well, after the war the border was completely open. You could go into Iraq with no Visa and no passport. It was totally open. The country was in anarchy, there was no government. The mission of the United States military didn't really cover policing what journalists were doing unless you were embedded with the United States military and then there were rules, of course.

But if you were just an independent journalist, you could go in, you could do whatever you wanted. You could travel, and as long as you could stay alive, you could go wherever you wanted and do whatever you wanted in the country.

That all changed about a year into the occupation when the security situation for journalists deteriorated drastically and we began to see a lot of international foreign journalists, aid workers, being kidnapped, being beheaded on television and colleagues of mine were also kidnapped. And it became a very different situation because the journalists and the international civilians were being targeted by militant groups.

PHILLIPS: So why did you -- why did you stick with this project? What convinced you to finish this documentary and did you ever worry about the insurgents coming after you?

LONGLEY: Well, of course, after about the first year there was a constant low-level fear that I think most journalists had of being kidnapped, of having your head cut off. It's, you know, these things were happening, they continue to happen in the country. And it was impossible not to have that fear.

On the other hand, as long as we could continue working, we did continue, I think most of us. Now in the central and southern parts of Iraq it's really no longer possible to have any guarantee of security for journalists moving around without security in the country.

PHILLIPS: James Longley, the documentary is "Iraq in Fragments." Look forward to your next documentary. I know last time you did one on Gaza. You knew Iraq would be the next one. Can you tell me now what's going to be after this?

LONGLEY: Well, you know, I think the biggest story coming up will probably still be in the Middle East, perhaps Iran, perhaps the Palestinian/Israeli situation now that we've seen Hamas take a victory at the polls. That's likely to accelerate change there. However, I'm not sure I'll continue in the Middle East. I may go farther east into Asia.

PHILLIPS: Interesting. We'll be following your travels. If you decide to go inside Hamas, let us know because we've been trying to develop that in our show. James Longley, thanks so much.

LONGLEY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, ahead on LIVE FROM, a lot of us tune out what's going on around us, but one woman was haunted by a little girl's face and felt she had to do something about it. It took her a while, but her persistence paid off. We're going to tell you how when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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