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Bush Stands by Embattled Rumsfeld; San Francisco Marks 100th Anniversary of Great Quake

Aired April 18, 2006 - 13:30   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, side by side with the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Peter Pace. Of course, we were listening to see what type of response he would have with regard to all of these retired generals coming forward and criticizing the way Donald Rumsfeld has been handling his position, asking the president of the United States to force Rumsfeld out of that position. The president still coming back, saying he supports Donald Rumsfeld 100 percent.
What was interesting here is that Rumsfeld spent most of his time there at that briefing talking about the past five years and talking about what he has done within those past five years with regard to the creation of Northern Command. We saw Northern Command in full force during that response to Katrina and what happened on the Gulf Coast. It was the military working side by side with the DOD to step in and help in a natural disaster.

He talked about defense logistics, NATO response force. Special Operations being increased, and also forces from Korea and Europe coming home and positioning troops in better places since he has been in that position.

He said that all these changes have met resistance and that people just like the way things are. So it was interesting: for the first time he really came forward talking for longer than five minutes about this criticism.

Well, now that Rumsfeld sits down with military analysts for a brainstorming session. That's what's coming up next. We're not sure if it's that or more damage control or a little bit of both. We can't take cameras in, but we are going to bring that you story anyway later on LIVE FROM and talk about generals that are for Donald Rumsfeld and also against him.

The news keeps coming. We're going to keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM coming up next.

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PHILLIPS: We just heard from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. One of his regular Pentagon briefings, amid some highly irregular and public dissent from former comrades in arms.

We've heard from a number of former generals, coming forward, demanding that the president ask Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to step down because of the way he's been carrying on his position. Ed Henry had an opportunity to really ask some tough questions of the president. The president still standing by his secretary of defense -- Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. You know, the president was in the Rose Garden this morning, of course, to make official the fact that he's now nominating Rob Portman to be the new budget director. He replaces Josh Bolten, who's the new White House chief of staff. Susan Schwab is now being nominated to replace Rob Portman. Basically, somewhat a game of musical chairs.

But I think the point is that there's an expectation there will be more changes and that this is just the beginning. So it's pretty routine personnel shuffling, at least for now.

But the president got a bit stirred up, if you will, when we pressed him on the fact that there are potentially other moves. He dismissed this as speculation and rumor.

And so I pressed the secretary on the point that last Friday he actually decided to comment on speculation, something he rarely does, when he decided to basically rush to the defense of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Mr. President, you made it a practice of not commenting on potential personnel moves.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Of course, I did.

HENRY: Calling it speculation...

BUSH: You can understand why. Because we've got people's reputations at stake. And on Friday I stood up and said I don't appreciate the speculation about Don Rumsfeld. He's doing a fine job. I strongly support him.

HENRY: Well, what do you say to critics who believe that you're ignoring the advice of retired generals, military commanders, who say that there needs to be a change?

BUSH: I say I listen to all voices, but mine is the final decision. And Don Rumsfeld is doing a fine job. He's not only transforming the military; he's fighting a war on terror. He's helping us fight a war on terror. I have strong confidence in Don Rumsfeld.

I hear the voices. And I read the front page. And I know the speculation. But I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense.

I want to thank you all very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HENRY: Now a few moments ago I asked White House press secretary Scott McClellan about the fact that there has also been similar speculation about Treasury Secretary John Snow. His own reputation is on the line, as well. Why hasn't the president given such a full- throated endorsement of Secretary Snow?

Scott McClellan said that, in fact, the president does value Secretary Snow's opinions. And he pointed out in that Rose Garden event, the president did generally also say that he very much values the work of his entire cabinet, not just Secretary Snow, Secretary Rumsfeld.

So we will have to see whether there will be other changes in the cabinet. The president did leave the door open to that possibility, however, by saying that Josh Bolten is not just empowered to come up with staff changes, but he's also empowered to make recommendations to the president about cabinet changes. But at least for now the president making clear Rumsfeld is not going anywhere, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ed, what if Rumsfeld decides to resign? Is anybody talking about that?

HENRY: Well, that's always a possibility. I mean, you heard it from the secretary himself, though, and it doesn't sound like he's somebody who wants to go quietly into the night. He sounds like somebody who still is engaged in trying to transform the entire U.S. military and fight this war on terror.

I think that, obviously, the president is under a lot of pressure, because this is not just about Don Rumsfeld, of course. Rumsfeld is the president's proxy.

And if the president were either to fire Rumsfeld or accept a resignation, it would not just be seen as a knock on Rumsfeld, that he's made mistake in Iraq but also perhaps the -- a sign that the president has also made mistakes in Iraq. And the president doesn't want to acknowledge that right now. He wants to keep Rumsfeld on board, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: White House correspondent Ed Henry. Thanks, Ed.

HENRY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Record high oil prices are already translating into a bunch of talk there, pain at the pump, and it could get worse before it gets better. Susan Lisovicz is live from the New York Stock Exchange with the details -- Susan.

(STOCK REPORT)

LISOVICZ: Coming up next hour, I'll tell you why today could be a very busy day for divorce lawyers. Stay with us. LIVE FROM will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Californians know the big one could strike any day just like 100 years ago today. The Great Quake of 1906 is being remembered right now in San Francisco with memorials, exhibits and this parade taking place right now. Live pictures as hundreds of firefighters march down the city streets.

CNN's Chris Lawrence is watching from the sidelines. He's right there -- Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra. Hundreds of firefighters and thousands of people, literally, here along Market Street.

To give you a sense of what's been going on, they started down at city hall, making their way down about a half mile past us here. We're about midway on the route. Firefighters, police officers, emergency workers, and really representatives from just about every neighborhood here in San Francisco -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, Chris, just talk to me. I remember waking up this morning and seeing your first live shot at 4:30 a.m. And I had to take a double take to see if, indeed, that was a live shot. Kind of give us a feel for what took place and the significance of that timing. And I also want to talk about the survivors, as well, that you got to hear from.

LAWRENCE: Well, the reason it was so early, the event started about 4:30 in the morning here our time and really culminated about 5:12 a.m. That's significant, because that is when the first tremors were felt here. The foreshock was felt. About 25 seconds later the main quake started. The rumbling lasted for about a minute. And so that's why they were marking that time.

A lot of people obviously were asleep when that earthquake hit, which can be just an incredibly frightening event.

This morning we got to hear from people who actually survived that earthquake. Obviously, after 100 years, many of them were, you know, 3, 4 years old at the time, but they remembered bits and pieces. We talked to -- listened to some survivors tell us how they remembered animals wandering the streets. They remember seeing the smoke coming out of the buildings. They remember noises. Nothing really concrete, but they all seem to have some memory of that time.

And what you're looking at right here, the area behind me, is called Lotta's Fountain. This area was so important to San Francisco at that time. It was almost like the Internet of 100 years ago.

It's where the survivors would come and post notes and write notes to family members or friends who they couldn't find, hoping that maybe a couple days later they'd come back and check and get a note from a family member, saying that they were alive and maybe where they had been taken to.

And so every year the survivors would come back to this fountain, say a prayer, lay a wreath and remember what happened. And again, at the 100-year anniversary this morning, the people who did survive and those of us who have come after them came out again, and they laid a wreath in memory of what happened there 100 years ago.

PHILLIPS: We saw members of the fire department actually involved with this wreath laying ceremony. We're also seeing live pictures now of the hundreds of firefighters walking the streets there in San Francisco, Chris.

And it was interesting just to read about those fires that lasted for three days, stoked of course, by the warm weather. But I was reading that firefighting was actually hampered not only by the ruptured water lines, but during that time the fire chief died in that quake. And so there wasn't anyone to really lead the troops to tackle those fires. And just imagine a city suffering from that kind of damage and destruction and not having firefighters to be able to respond.

LAWRENCE: Yes. Unfortunately, the fire chief was killed almost immediately in that earthquake. And so the army at the time took over the firefighting duties. And what they actually did was they detonated some explosions, TNT and like that, trying to set some backfires to stop the fire, but it had just the opposite effect. It only amplified the fires that were already going on.

That fire burned for three straight days, and as damaging as the earthquake itself was to San Francisco, it was really the fires that burned the city to the ground.

PHILLIPS: Chris Lawrence, live from San Francisco. Chris, you know, just even looking at the old film and realizing what happened there, it's so hard to stay away from that city. Don't you agree? It's such a beautiful place and such an amazing place to live.

LAWRENCE: Yes. And you look out -- you look at the view here of this beautiful city, and people say how can anyone live on a fault line? Well, you walk around for a few minutes, you can easily see why people want to live here.

PHILLIPS: I understand that. Chris Lawrence, thanks so much. One hundred years after the Great Quake, is America prepared for the next catastrophe? We're going to talk with a man who oversaw the government's response to 350 disasters. Stay with LIVE FROM. We'll be right back.

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PHILLIPS: Two for one, that's a concept everybody likes, and it's especially good news for post-menopausal woman at high risk for breast cancer and osteoporosis. Until now, Tamoxifen has been the drug of choice to cut breast cancer risk. But a study by the National Cancer Institute shows a similar drug works just as well with fewer side effects. Eli Lilly already markets the drug Raloxifene under the name Vista. It's used to treat bone thinning. Well, they'll ask the feds to approve the new use.

Taking either Tamoxifen or Raloxifene daily for up for five years cuts women's chances of developing invasive breast cancer in half.

Bird flu in China. The health ministry says a 21-year-old man is in critical condition with, if confirmed, China's 17th case of H5N1 in humans. Eleven of those people have died.

Reuters news agency is also reporting a suspected bird flu death in war-ravaged Sudan. The man owned a chicken farm where birds have reportedly died of that virus. Sudan shares a border with Egypt, which has reported a dozen human bird flu cases and several deaths.

In the next hour of LIVE FROM, find out what steps McDonald's is taking to help fight bird flu worldwide.

The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you.

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PHILLIPS: The gloves come off and the handcuffs come out. Police in Durham, North Carolina, today arrested two members of the Duke University lacrosse team, and defense lawyers quickly took the offensive.

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